yellow (remus lupin.)

six.

SIX.

A few days had passed, and things seemed a little more calm within the school. Not only had the dementor's vanished, but Lupin was back in school.

"Ha! Good morning seventh years!" He chimed, brighter than usual as he burst into the class. "Sorry about my absence, terrible virus doing the rounds."

Lupin dumped his briefcase on the table as usual before leaning against the front of his desk, shrugging off his gown and picking up his tea.

"What did you do in my absence?" He spoke calmly.

"Snape took the class Sir, he kept jabbering on about werewolves." Stassie told him. "Are we meant to be learning about them?"

Lupin went as white as a sheet and quickly lost interest in his tea.

"Well, he definitely shouldn't be doing that." He was fidgeting on the spot ever so awkwardly. "That's not part of the course. I'm terribly sorry, I'll try not to disappear anymore."

He quickly started the lesson, clearly not wanting to linger on the topic of wolves any longer than he had to.

Cara watched in awe as he scrawled his writing all over the large blackboard. She loved watching him teach, and he was a damn sight more engaging than most teachers in the school. She didn't like the way she was so enamoured with everything he did, and pinned it down to the fact he saved her life so early on, nothing more and nothing less.

"Cara?!" Stassie kicked her in the leg, regaining her attention. The whole class, teacher and all, we're waiting on her answer.

"Sorry Sir, I was miles away." She blushed as crimson as the trim on her robes.

"Have you found the page correctly?" He asked her again, a smirk in his words.

Stassie the life saving angel had opened both hers and Cara's textbooks on the right pages.

"Yes Sir." She curtly nodded.

"Good girl." He nodded back at her, his eyes locked on hers. "You lot work away on that, I'll go and see what Dumbledore wants."

No one had even realised Dumbledore was peering into the classroom. Lupin swiftly let him in closing the door behind him.

"I'm here for Miss Fitch actually Professor." Dumbledore told him.

"Car — Miss Fitch is just there." Lupin gestured her way, grimacing at his own slip of the tongue.

"This came for you a few minutes ago, a little too urgent to leave for tomorrow's post." He handed her a brown envelope with a stamp on it.

"Give the girl some privacy class, you've got work to do." Lupin told them.

Cara slid her finger under the envelope lip and tore it open as quietly as she could. She knew it was from home, the useless stamp being Tony's fine work. Inside was a letter, instantly recognisable as her mother's handwriting.

Our dearest Cara,

I'm so sorry I couldn't send you off properly this year angel, but I was a bit busy you see. This bun was seriously overcooked and made an appearance two weeks later than expected. Late as always, just like big sister Cara. Finally though, she's here!

"She." Cara beamed as she read the pronoun over and over again.

Weighing seven pounds on the dot, little Sadie Grace Gallagher arrived at 3:13am on September 23rd 1993. Oh she's gorgeous Cara, no photos do her justice. Jet black hair just like you and these tiny little hands and feet. I've told her all about you, she can't wait to be in your arms! I know it might be a while before that happens, but know she loves you already and thinks the world of you.

All our love and strength to our favourite witch, stay safe! Revise hard! And most of all...NO DETENTIONS!

Mum, Tony and baby Sadie
Xxx

"Sir, Cara's a big sister!" Stassie shouted out. "Look, a photo!"

A single polaroid lay on the table after falling out of the envelope. In the picture was the most beautiful baby Cara had ever seen. Her sister. Her sister.

"Congratulations Cara, you've got responsibilities now." Lupin teased.

"Why doesn't the photo move?" Stassie asked, clearly not used to the world of muggles.

"It doesn't need to. She's an angel."

Lupin continued his teaching as the two girls fawned over the photo. He realised he wouldn't be getting any coherent sense out of them today, so let them carry on cooing.

"He called you Cara." Stassie whispered.

"Did he?" Her head shot up, looking at the teacher who was busy in his work.

"Yeah. He said, congratulations Cara."

"That's weird."

Thankfully the lesson drew to a close just minutes later, meaning the topic was soon old news. Many of the girls came over as the class packed up to get a glimpse of the new baby.

"Why is she Gallagher if you're Fitch?" One of the girls piped up, reading the personal letter with no shame.

"She's got my stepdad's surname, I've got my mum's." Cara explained as she slammed her textbook shut.

"Where's your dad then?" She pried further.

"I don't know." Cara spat a little more venomously than intended.

"Oh." The girl shared a look with her friend before Lupin appeared behind them both.

"Get a move on girls, I would like to get my cup of tea before Christmas time." He sighed.

Embarrassed, they both scuttled away.

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

"Not a problem. Congratulations once again."

He pulled her hand into a bizarre hand shake, causing her stomach to flip. His hands were so much larger than hers, and were decorated with scars just like the ones on his face. They felt soft, and she liked how his hand fit into hers so simply.

He had a look in his eye, one she recognised from when they were alone in the train carriage that time. Nervous? Excited?

When he pulled away, there was something square left in her hand.

It was the last two cubes of a bar of milk chocolate with something written in the crumpled wrapper.

To the next A* essay writer. R x

She looked up about to thank him, but he wasn't there. He had already vanished, leaving just her and the hoard of butterflies in her stomach left in the classroom.

—

a/n: my heart <3333 x