𝐒 𝐈 𝐗 𝐓 𝐄 𝐄 𝐍
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"EL, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU?" Penelope asks, looking at her worried. She then sighs, "Does this have something to do with Lupin?" She felt herself blushing at the thought of her ex-professor.
"Yes, obviously," Elodie said, feeling embarrassed. I still can't believe i'm a werewolf's mate...
"So, you ready to tell me what Madam Pomfrey told you?" Penelope asked softly. Visibly beginning to start to shake.
Elodie shakes her head no, "Penelope- y- you really don't wanna know..." Her best friend interrupts her. "Yes I do, look- El, you can always tell me anything... no matter how freaked out I am at the situation."
"Well," she says slowly. You can do this, Elodie, "Madam Pomfrey had to explain some things to me while you were resting... she explained that Professor Lupin is a werewolf-"
Penelope's eyes widen instantly before she interrupts her. "What! What do you mean? Is that why he... I thought it was a rumor-"
She nodded. "Yes, but let me finish. He really is a werewolf and- and-"
It was beginning to be hard to get the words out. Why can't I say it? I just... I don't want Penelope to hate me. Elodie is starting to freak out. So she thinks about Professor Lupin, or Remus, as Madam Pomfrey called him. The name totally fits him... Focas Elodie! She begins to calm down.
She takes a deep breath before answering, "and... i'm his mate..." Penelope is silent. Elodie then starts to freak out again. Remus, Remus, Remus. Her dark brown eyes begin to widen.
No, no, no, she hates me now! I need to get out of here. She thought and continued walking back up to the castle quickly. So, most of the school has probably heard something by now...
"Ellie, wait up!" She hears from a distance. She stops and turns around. Ready for Penelope to be angry with her or unfriend her.
"Why did you run away?" Her best friend asked quietly. Elodie stays silent. "Look- El, he might terrify me because yo- you know he did." Penelope paused, looking nervous talking about it. "But... this isn't something either of you can control, right?"
She shakes her head no.
"Right, and he probably wasn't in control when he- he-'' Penelope struggles to get the words out. Elodie, again, shakes her head no. "Well, if all that's true, I guess you two are... well, stuck together." Elodie nods slowly.
Penelope then hugs her quickly before pulling away. "Well, I'll have your back, no matter what happens..." She then lets out a sigh of relief, relieved that Penelope is not upset.
"On the bright side," Penelope says, shrugging, "At least they know more or less the truth, and not some fanciful version."
"But they don't know the whole story, and I don't want him in more trouble..." she said glumly, "Well, he's not even at the school anymore, El, he'll be fine. And everyone doesn't need to know. Sure, the whole school knows... let them make up whatever they want." She pauses before continuing, "To them, it's just a rumor, an excuse to make fun of you- but rumors blow over."
"Penny, how can you be so calm?" Elodie asks hysterically.
But before Penelope could reply, she was cut off by two girls who Elodie recognised as Hufflepuff fourth years, who approached them as they continued to the school.
"Uh, hello. You're Elodie, right?" the taller of the two asked. She had a full head of curly blonde hair.
"Um- Yes," she replied, eyeing the girls suspiciously.
"We heard you like Professor Lupin, and he likes you too," asked the other, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.
She sighed loudly, "Not exactly-"
The girls gasped, and the blonde clasped her hands to her mouth.
"You're so lucky!" said the girl with blue eyes, now wearing an expression that could only be jealousy. Elodies eyes widened, alarmed.
She and Penelope looked at each other, and judging by her expression, she was stunned as Elodie was.
"Uh, what?" Elodie asked blankly.
"Professor Lupin is just so handsome!" said the blonde dreamily. Well, you're not his mate, so back off!
"So, you're around him a lot- what's he really like?"
Who made up this story- I only saw him usually in school...
Penelope snorted loudly and rolled her eyes at the two girls.
"Uhh..." she said blankly, finding it difficult to register that I was not the only girl in the school who had a crush on Professor Lupin. He's mine! How many others were there? At any rate, She was not about to tell them the little she knew about him. She was definitely not going to confirm the werewolf thing either.
"Can't really tell you..." She said quickly, "Anyway, we've got to get going."
She then grabs Penelope by the arm, and they walk quickly away before the two girls have a chance to say anything else.
As soon as they are close to the castle. Elodie speaks up. "I can't believe this," she said, with a slightly jealous tone, "I never thought there would be others who fancied Professor Lupin too!"
"Me neither," said Penelope, shaking her head, "It's a scary thought, really."
Ignoring the snide remark, Elodie then says, "I wonder how many others there are...?"
"Probably not a whole bunch... but there definitely are some," Penelope said, grimacing, as though it was the most horrible thing in the world that other students had crushes on Remus. Penelope then looks at her smirking,"wait- are you jealous?"
She scowls at her best friend as Penelope starts laughing.
"Y-your jealous that someone is going to steal your wolf from you, huh?" Penelope says as she continues to laugh. "Come on, let's just get back to Gryffindor tower, we've got so much homework to do..." Elodie grumbles, starting to walk ahead.
She and Penelope made their way across the Entrance Hall, discussing the essay they were almost finished for McGonagall. When a menacing voice called out,
"Hey, Ashcombe! Why'd you leave Hogsmeade early, or did you run off to meet with your secret lover, Professor Lupin?"
She and Penelope whirled around to see who had spoken - I did not need to see his face. She already knew that drawing voice well. When had he caught up with us? Orin Boartusk stood, smirking, with a pug-faced girl she recognised as Lily Callowhill and two thuggish looking boys whose name she did not know. Her face flushed red as the students in the entrance hall laughed.
"Shut it, Orin," Penelope yelled coldly.
"Hit a nerve, did I?" Orin asked, smirking more than ever, "Did he break up with you?"
"Watch it, Boartusk, I'm a prefect," Penelope said warningly, pointing at her badge, "If you don't get inside the hall now, it will be detention."
Orin scowled before smirking, "I don't take threats seriously, from people who befriend filthy little Mudbloods."
There was a roar of outrage, Penelope pulled out her wand, while most of the students who had been laughing before were looking at Orin with anger and disgust.
"Detention, Orin," she said with a satisfied smirk of her own, "And I'll be reporting this to your head of house."
Elodie turned away from him, set to quickly make her way to the Great Hall, wiping her tears so people didn't see them. Gods, I hate that word...
When Orin called out again. "Wait, don't you want to know how we all found out?"
Elodie freezes.
Penelope's eyes narrowed, "And how would you know?" She asked.
He chuckled menacingly; she could tell he was annoyed at being put in detention, "I overheard Madam Pomfrey telling McGonagall. Then I, er, accidentally, mentioned it in the Slytherin common room last night."
It's none of their business! It's between Remus and I!
There were scattered jeers and applause from some of the Slytherin students. Elodie then reached for her wand, turning around, enraged, anger rushing through her veins. Tears are still on her cheeks. But before she could raise her wand, a firm voice from behind her asked,
"Is there a problem here, Mr. Boartusk, Ms. Ashcombe?"
Elodie then spun around, her insides frozen. It was Professor Mcgonagall, and she was looking questioningly at Elodie and Orin.
"Er, no, Professor," she said nervously, trying to hide her raised wand behind her.
Why did I get so angry?
"Continue on them, Ms. Ashcombe."
With that, She started to walk off to the Great Hall before he could say anything else. She could hear students laughing, probably slytherins, but it was Orin's snigger that frustrated her most. She smiled slightly when she distantly heard, "Let's go see your head of house, Mr. Boartusk.".