Diana did her best to focus on their Charms class, trying to conjure water unto the bowl in front of her on the table as Professor Flitwick had asked them to do. But there was something that kept distracting her.
Diana couldn't help but notice that Remus was acting rather strange that day. She knew that he always felt tired near the full moon, with his emotions all over the place and heightened. Although she had never seen him this way.
He couldn't do the spell right unlike always, obviously out of focus. He kept shifting uncomfortably in his seat, breathing heavily as he stared at a fixed spot on the table before him. She could almost hear his teeth gritting together.
Diana pitied him, thinking that he was in pain because of his upcoming lycanthropy. She had read in a book that werewolves' bodies begin to ache a few days before their transformation.
"That would be enough for today," said Professor Flitwick once the class came to an end. "I'll be expecting an essay on the Drought Charm and its usages, due next week. Have a good day, everyone — oh, and Miss McKinnon, you still haven't turned in last week's assignment. Don't forget to write it for next week."
By that, everyone began packing their books and quills into their bags, keen on leaving after the long lesson. Diana stood to her feet as well and turned to ask Remus if he was feeling okay, but she saw that he had already shoved all his equipments into his bag, quickly pushing his way through the crowd of the students and out of the class.
What the hell just happened? Diana thought to herself in surprise, still unable to get grasp on his odd behavior.
"Where did Mr. Chocolate go?" Layla asked with a smirk, walking up to Diana.
Diana glared at her after hearing that name. "Where did you learn that nickname? That was just between the two of us!"
"What?" Layla shrugged casually. "If you don't want me reading your little love letters, then don't just leave them laying around!"
Gritting her teeth together, Diana punched Layla on the arm playfully.
"Ouch!" Layla groaned, frowning as she held her arm in pain. "Why does only Lupin get to see your soft side?"
"You're lucky I punched you with my left hand," Diana said with a grin before pacing up to James, Sirius, and Peter, who were taking their sweet time for packing as they joked and laughed.
"Oi! You three!" Diana called out to them as she walked up to them, catching their attention.
"Wow... what a lovely way to be referred to. I'm touched," said James with a mock-dreamy sigh, placing his hand over his chest as he gave her a sweet smile.
Diana rolled her eyes, deciding to ignore his sarcastic remark. "Remus just ran out of the class without any explanation. Do you know what happened?"
"How would we know?" Sirius said carelessly, throwing his bag over his shoulder coolly.
"Oh, Geez, I don't know! Maybe because you've known him for six year!?" Diana said sarcastically, folding her arms.
"And she rolls her eyes at me for being sarcastic," James told Sirius and Peter, before turning to face Diana with another fake smile. "That's called being a hypocrite, my dear Miss Greengrass."
Peter sniggered. "Don't you mean deer?"
James chuckled. "Classic."
"What?" Diana asked in confusion, but she then shook her head, trying to regain her focus back on the more important matter at hand. "He seemed really distressed today. I just want to know if he's all right. I'd never seen him like this."
"Don't worry 'bout it. It's just his furry little problem," Sirius whispered the last few words, now sitting on top of his classroom desk.
"Yeah, he can get a little... er... let's say emotional. We try not to anger him during his monthly problem, but usually talking to him makes him calm down a bit," James suggested.
"All right," Diana muttered, giving a light nod of her head. "Where do you think he's gone?"
"Probably up to our dorm," Peter answered. "He usually tries to sleep it off during times like this."
"Okay... so can I go to your dorm now to see him?" Diana asked.
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"The password is Mandragora."
The three boys said at the same time. James and Sirius turned to glare at Peter, who immediately went red in the face.
Diana smirked. "Thanks."
***
Diana was glad that the three boys didn't follow her out of the classroom or tried to stop her. Having been to the Gryffindor common room before, Diana found her way up to the Gryffindor tower easier than the last time and so she said the password to the Fat Lady, walking inside.
She ignored the few curious glances that were sent at her direction from a group of seventh year students who were studying in a corner in the common room, and so Diana walked up the spiral staircase and toward the boys' dormitory.
She walked up to the dorm that knew belonged to Remus and his friends, and knocked gently on its door. When she received no answer, Diana slowly turned the knob and opened the door, peeking inside.
She then heard the water running from the sink inside the dorm's bathroom and so she walked inside the room, closing the door behind her.
At the sound of the door closing shut, Remus walked out of the bathroom, thinking that it had to be his friends. But his eyes widened in surprise when he saw that it was Diana.
Diana looked back at him. Remus had already changed out of his school uniform and was now wearing a comfortable sweater. His face was dripping wet, meaning that he'd probably been washing his face with cold water.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" Remus stuttered out the words in disbelief, his heartbeat suddenly speeding up at the mere sight of her.
"I just wanted to check up on you," Diana said softly, trying to walk up closer to him, but Remus only took a step back from her.
He shook his head, avoiding her eyes. "You should — you should just go."
"Why?" Diana then sighed, trying to speak even more gently to him. "Look, I really want to be here for you, Remus. I want to help you."
"I'm being serious, Diana. Please just leave," he said, this time not as calmly as before, though he was still trying to look at anything but her.
"Please just talk to me," said Diana soothingly, slowly taking a step closer to him again. "I know I suck at understanding relationships — but I know well enough that when you're with someone and you care for them... you want to be there for them, no matter what."
"I don't want you to be here for me!" Remus snapped, his voice slightly harsher. "I don't want you to see me like this, okay!?"
"But —"
"I SAID LEAVE!" he suddenly shouted, but what had caught Diana off guard was that he had pinned her into the wall behind her in a quick motion, slamming his hands on either side of her against the wall.
Diana felt the breath get knocked out of her chest as she stared up at him with wide eyes, her mouth going dry. He was standing so close to her that she should could feel his breath against her face.
Silence had filled the small space left between the two of them, until Remus's face slowly softened, and he found himself staring down at her lips lustfully.
Finally coming back to his senses and realizing what he had done, Remus quickly dropped his arms and took a few steps away from her, his eyebrows furrowing in guilt and remorse.
"I-I'm sorry," he whispered breathlessly. "I'm so sorry."
Diana still felt out of breath and speechless as she remained by the wall, trying to regain herself again.
"See why you can't be with me when I'm like this?" Remus retorted when she failed to speak. "I'm too dangerous for you. I might do things that's completely out of my control or say things I don't mean and even hurt you at some point, because it's like the wolf inside me suddenly takes control of me, and I can't stop. I can never stop it. I try to push it back, but I can't! I'm angry all the time, and it gets harder to contain it every single time! I'm angry, and I'm anxious, and I feel sick! And I hate myself because all I can think about right now is to kiss you hard!"
She kept staring at him, still too much in shock to think. Remus groaned and buried his face in his palm in misery.
"There. It happened again," he grumbled, dropping his hands after he had calmed himself down a bit. "I know you probably hate me now... The reason I didn't want us together at first was exactly because of this. I... I never wanted you to see this side of me."
A few seconds passed in silence, hauntingly so, until Diana broke the silence as she said with a little smile, "I like every side of you, Remus Lupin."
He finally managed to look back at her. It seemed as though now it was his turn to remain speechless.
Diana cautiously walked up toward him, her eyes boring into his as she gently placed her hands on either side of his face, leading him down so that their foreheads touched.
"How can you possibly think that I could ever hate you?" she whispered, caressing his sandy brown hair that had stubbornly fallen onto his forehead.
"Because I'm a monster," he muttered, his voice barely audible.
"So what if you are? There's a monster in everyone." Diana shrugged, smiling up at him. "Yours just happens to be a little furry."
Remus laughed lightly, and for the first time in what felt like ages, he started to feel better.
With her smile still planted sweetly upon her face, Diana went on her tiptoes and connected their lips, kissing him. But Remus was quick to pull back, his eyes drowning in worry.
"I don't think this is a good idea..." he mumbled distantly.
"But I want this," she said in a mere whisper, her hands still gently holding onto him. Diana then grinned teasingly, saying, "There's nothing wrong with kissing a bit more passionately than our usual small pecks."
Remus chuckled at those words before hesitantly leaning down to kiss her again, this time more deeply as his arms traveled down her body to hold on to her waist.
Without breaking the kiss, he backed her away until she was pressed against the wall behind her, holding her there as his lips started traveling down her jaw and onto her neck, suddenly sucking on the spot and causing a light gasp to escape her mouth uncontrollably.
Without being able to think or to stop herself, Diana reached out for the hem of his sweater, pulling it off him and leaving his upper body completely bare. She only had a moment to look down at him with a lust she had never felt, before Remus brought her into another rough kiss.
She had never wanted anything more than to pull him closer to her, to kiss him hard, and to feel his hands all over her.
But just then, the moment came to an end and they had to pull apart when someone opened the door to the dorm and walked inside.
"Hey, Remus, did you hear tha — OH, MY GOD! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"