The assistant | Remus Lupin (on pause)

Eyelash

That morning I knew I woke up too early but I couldn't help it.

It was just early enough that the sun hadn't come up yet, it was beginning to peak through the trees but hadn't given way too much light. The sky was a mixture of blue and black, almost like smoke. The temperature outside seemed to look cold, the type of cold that smelt even better than it felt.

I adored that type of cold air.

Getting ready was easy. I found a scarf that I had stuffed into my bag, a purple one with some kind of fruit sewn in a pattern on the front.

The scarf fit perfectly with the white sweater I chose, it had brooms sewn all over it in the same type of white. The pattern was something you could feel, rather than see.

Walking through many of the corridors, especially the ones that were predominantly outside, gave me chills. Either from the beautifully cold air or the emptiness. The halls were illuminated with candles that were secured to the walls, but with barely any sunlight, the school still looked asleep.

I stepped out into the world, walking out a bit before wind blew at me from the side. It caught me off guard, but not for long.

Shaking it off, I continued to walk. Only to get shaken down by more wind.

Except this time, I lost my balance.

"Woah." I said aloud, stumbling back when more wind gushed towards my front.

"You know if you needed help standing you could've asked." Lupin said suddenly, startling me at that.

I hadn't even heard him behind me.

I craned my neck back to see him leaning on the outside wall of the school. He pushed himself off from his spot on the wall and stood by my side.

"You scared me, again, Professor." I admitted, finally finding the balance I lost.

"I tend to do that. Especially to people who don't quite pay attention to their surroundings." He smirked, sticking his hands in his pockets lazily.

"I pay attention ... sometimes." I said sheepishly, I couldn't admit to how oblivious I actually was.

"Sometimes but not always. Tell me, Ms. Reeves, did you even hear me come up?" Lupin asked, while looking up at the ever lightning sky.

It began to turn a faded shade of blue, something light but not too light. It illuminated his face to look like a Greek statue almost.

I mentally shook away the thoughts suddenly, he was my coworker. I couldn't day dream about him.

I sucked in a breath and looked up at him. My cheeks, for some ungodly reason, filled with blush. Lupin saw that and tried his best to hide a smile.

"No, I didn't." I sighed.

"Did you hear Cedric walking up to your door?" Lupin asked me, with a now slight bitter tone.

A small part of me, the part that fancied reading romance novels, wondered if he was jealous. Jealous of a seventh year. That thought made me blush harder, and I just hoped he didn't notice.

"Not at all. I only hear him when he pried open the door." I laughed nervously.

"I heard his loud footsteps throughout the whole train. I'm surprised you didn't, Ms. Reeves." Lupin admitted, looking away from me to look down at the ground. He seemed ... embarrassed at that fact.

One thing I knew I envied about him was how he was able to observe the tiniest of things, and hear everything.

"Maybe I'm just different, Professor  Lupin." I said mimicking his tone.

He looked back at me with a goofy smile.

A very handsome smile at that.

No, no,  no. I would not do that, I couldn't let myself think he was handsome. Even if he was.

"Maybe you are. Oh-" Lupin reached out and caressed my cheek suddenly, looking focused on whatever he was doing. He rubbed his thumb in a small circle by my eye, on the apple of my cheek. His touch was warm and something I leaned into without thinking.

"You had an eyelash on your cheek." He murmured with the pure tone he always had, abandoning that sudden bitter edge.

We now both stood in front of each other, with the sun finally rising by the corner of my eye. The orange sunlight lit up both our faces, turning him into a god and me into a goblin perhaps.

"Make a wish." He joked, holding the eyelash delicately in between his nimble fingers in between us.

He held it like he was a lowly servant boy in charge with polishing the crown for the queen. With such grace and elegance, in all his movements. Whether they were sloppy or not, they had some grace.

I smiled back at him, thinking for a moment about what I would wish for. I knew that he wasn't serious, but I wanted to make it count.

"I wish that we'll get to work with each other very often."

Lupin's face filled with a bright smile as he listened to my words. He looked at me as if we already knew each other.

Like lost souls meeting each other after eons apart.

"Well I think," he looked down at the eyelash then back to me, "I think that's a lovely wish ... Ms. Reeves."

"Thank you ... Professor Lupin."

Time stopped, it always did whenever I felt flushed. There was something about him, the mystery and the kindness. It drew me in. I couldn't admit it out loud, but it did.

I barely knew him and yet I felt like I already did.

This wasn't a crush, no no, I was just becoming his friend. I didn't fancy him all of a sudden, I barely knew him.

Lupin's smile faded as he was looking at something behind me, he seemed to focus in on it like he did my cheek previously. I went to speak but he stopped me without even trying, just by looking back at me casually.

"We should probably get ready to head down to breakfast." He muttered. Suddenly far away.

I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, but as I walked away, after saying my goodbyes, I swore I saw a black dog. The dog was black and shaggy, un-kept and feral.

The animal stared intently at Lupin. Who just stared back.