Shades of Grey

Threstrals

Lupin began to notice subtle changes in Aurora as the last weeks of November arrived. She was still receiving the mysterious- although very worrisome- letters, and they seemed to be increasing in frequency. It seemed that most every morning he would let his eyes wander down to her table during breakfast, only to see that she was reading one. She still refused to tell him what was going on and begged him not to speak with Dumbledore, insisting that their headmaster had too much else on his plate to be bothered with her problems.

Not only was she remaining secretive, but whatever she was hiding seemed to be eating her from the inside out. Her schoolwork was still the top of the class, but it seemed to lack the passion that she had once written with. It still deserved top marks for the content, but her voice had vanished. Lupin realized, however, that he was not the only one to notice a change in her attitude.

“Miss Finch fell asleep during my class for the third time this week.” Professor McGonagall sighed, pouring herself a cup of tea in the teacher’s lounge one afternoon in between lunch hour and classes. Lupin had stopped by to kill some time before his class, and his head immediately perked up as Aurora’s name was mentioned.

“Your class, too?” Professor Flitwick marveled, shaking his little head in disbelief.

“I feel so bad for having to scold her. She’s usually one of the most attentive students there.” McGonagall frowned. She looked to Lupin, who had been silent up until this point.

“Has she been this way in your class as well, Remus?”

“She hasn’t fallen asleep, but her mind is definitely elsewhere.” He confirmed, knowing that if he could just get her to open up to him about what was bothering her, her stress would be alleviated, at least mostly.

“I wish I knew what has gotten into her. It’s not like her at all.” McGonagall continued. Lupin knew he had to figure something out. Aurora might not want to open up, but if she didn’t at least tell him, she’d have the entire staff of Hogwarts asking questions.

~

“Liam, wait up. I have to tell you something.” Aurora said as he stopped walking and turned to face her. They were preparing for their evening rounds, and had just come to the point at which they usually parted ways.

“Yes?” He asked, his voice hopeful.

“You know how you told me that you liked Emma?” Aurora asked now, a smile finding its way onto her face. Liam blushed and looked around the corridor awkwardly.

“Aurora…look…I don’t…” He stammered but she cut him off.

“Emma likes you, too. You should ask her to hang out sometime.” Aurora smiled, not understanding why Liam suddenly looked serious.

“I…uh…yeah, that sounds great.” Liam muttered, walking off to check on the Hufflepuffs. Aurora wasn’t sure what his problem was, but she tried not to worry about it as she made sure the Slytherins weren’t wandering the halls. Everything seemed to be in order, and she hurried back up the stairs. Instead of heading back to the common room, however, she went to Lupin’s office. She knocked on the door lightly and he opened it a moment later.

“Good evening. Ready?” He asked and she nodded, waiting as he grabbed his cloak. He’d asked her after their class that day if she wanted to go for a walk with him that evening after her rounds. They hadn’t been able to in a little while, but more importantly, he needed to talk to her.

They were silent until they reached the edge of the lake, sitting down in the grass as they had gotten used to. The moon was bright, reminding Lupin that the full moon wasn’t too far away.