"He looks rather pissed," Jessica whispered into Lena's ear as they were both sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. Only a few other students shared their table, since it was almost time for classes.
"Oh no," Lena mumbled, her head uncomfortably low, as if she were counting the strips of bacon on her plate.
"Yeah," Jess responded quietly. "And he is shooting daggers at you."
"I think I'm going to be sick."
"Don't be silly," her friend laughed. "Just think about it. The worst that can happen is that he will give you detention. And you've had that countless times before, so don't worry. You'll be fine."
"You don't understand," Lena complained with a groan. "It's not about the punishment, it's about the fact that he ..."
"Yes, yes," Jessica interrupted her, waving her hand dismissively. "I get it. You are embarrassed and worried about what he might be thinking of you now. If you want to hear my humble opinion, every man would be flattered. Not him, of course, for he is just the grumpy old dungeon bat and I honestly don't understand what you see in him."
At those words, Lena looked up from her plate full of untouched food, a glint of irritation in her eyes. "Don't call him that," she hissed. "He is neither old nor a dungeon bat!"
"Okay," Jess rolled her eyes, smirking. "Whatever you say. But seriously," she folded her napkin and placed it neatly on the table. "We need to get going or we'll be late."
Both girls stood and headed towards the corridor. As they reached the huge doors that lead out of the hall, Lena heard the very familiar rustling of heavy fabric, knowing immediately who was walking behind her. Suddenly, she was all too aware of her own body, of the way her heart sped up, of the now rather insecure way she held herself, even of the way her feet were carrying her. So, of course, just when she was about to lift her left foot, she tripped over her right one, almost causing her to stumble head-first into Jessica. Fortunately, she was able to catch herself but now didn't dare to move at all for fear of embarrassing herself in the most pathetic way she could think of.
Don't you worry, her inner voice reminded her. You've done that already.
One step, two steps, and Professor Snape was right next to her, his deep black eyes angrily burning holes into her heart.
So this was it. He would make her scrub the floors of the entire castle with a toothbrush. Or assign her the job of caretaker for one of Hagrid's beloved baby acromantulas. Or, even worse, he would scold her right here in front of his colleagues and her classmates. Lena really wanted to prepare herself mentally for the worst humiliation she had had to endure yet, but it was so difficult to concentrate on anything when he was so close.
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, only to regret it instantly, since the subtle scent of potions mixed with herbs and parchment only further numbed her senses, making her incredibly lightheaded. A warm, tingling shiver ran down her spine. She was helpless to the power her professor's presence had over her, so all she could do was stand there, paralyzed, silently awaiting her punishment.
Yet, nothing happened. He didn't even stop. With billowing robe he darted past her and out into the hallways.
Jessica, who had been wondering where her friend was, had turned around and witnessed the scene. Sympathetically, she shook her head at the trembling girl whose face was matching the dark red shade of her hair. "Oh Lena," she sighed and grabbed her arm to pull her along. "You're a hopeless case."
"Do you think he noticed?" Lena asked breathlessly as they both hurried up the stairs.
Her friend's green eyes twinkled with amusement. "Noticed what?" The echo of her amused laughter bounced noisily off the castle walls. "That you're worried sick about turning in the wrong paper? Or that you are madly in love with him?" She didn't wait for an answer, just winked cheerfully. "Well, in either case, you quite literally rubbed it in his face."
"Oh Gods." If there had been a hole nearby, Lena would have gladly taken the opportunity to jump into it and hide forever, just so she didn't have to face the Potions Master ever again. Sadly for her, though, the magical castle did not provide her with such. Instead, she kept on climbing the stairs until they reached the floor where their first lesson of the day had already started.
"How kind of you to join us," Professor Lupin greeted the two late arrivals sarcastically as they entered the classroom.
"Sorry Professor," Jessica mumbled an apology. "We overslept."
"Well, well," the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher nodded with a frown, but his friendly eyes gave away the fact that he was not the least bit upset. "Take a seat. I was just explaining today's lesson."
"Yes, Sir," Jessica obliged and pulled her friend to their usual spot in the back of the room. Finally, when they had settled down and everything was quiet, Lupin began again.
"Today you are going to discover yourself," he announced meaningfully with a smirk. "As this is Defense Against The Dark Arts, it is imperative that you learn as much about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses as possible. If you do, there will be little a potential enemy can do to blind-side you. Usually, attackers try to figure out the most vulnerable part about you, physically and mentally, weakening you by utilizing that very powerful information against you. However, if you are familiar with it, you can protect yourself in advance and thus won't be taken by surprise in the event of an attack. Boggarts are actually a quite useful tool for learning more about your biggest fears, but we will save that for another time. Today, we are going to concentrate on your strengths." He paused dramatically, his eyes roaming from student to student. "Any idea how we are going to do that?"
A hand in the first row flew up immediately.
"Yes, Mr. Grayson?"
The freckled boy in question responded excitedly, "We're learning how to cast a Patronus!"
Professor Lupin chuckled, regarding the student with a mix of amusement and approval for his apparent eagerness to be taught the Patronus charm. "Good thinking, Mr. Grayson. The Patronus is indeed very helpful in a lot of situations and says quite a bit about the witch or wizard who casts it, depending on the form it takes on, but I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. It's not on today's schedule. Anyone else?"
He waited patiently for another minute, but when no one else raised their hand, he decided to simply go ahead and reveal the secret.
"Today, you are going to meet your familiar."
The entire class gasped. Jessica was so excited she nudged Lena with her elbow. "Did you hear that, Lena? We're going to summon familiars!"
The red-haired Slytherin smiled, mirroring her friend's enthusiasm.
Lupin grinned and randomly picked the first student. Eagerly, the brunette sprung up and nearly ran to the professor.
"Remember," he cautioned her, lifting his index finger. "There's no telling what your familiar will be. It might be an animal, it might be a spirit, an elf, or even something completely different." His voice got quiet, but everyone still heard each and every word he spoke, as they all were on the edge of their seats, holding their breaths in anticipation. "I have known wizards whose familiars were so ... might I say ... despicable, so repulsive that no one even dared to get close to them, not even said wizards. Nevertheless, familiars are invaluable, even the creepy ones. In a way, you summon them in a similar fashion like you would cast a Patronus. The difference is, though, that the familiar is not just something that your wand creates; it is very well alive. A true, living creature who you should handle with the utmost respect, as it will devote its life to you."
Stunned silence took over the large room, all twelve pairs of eyes were transfixed on their DADA teacher. So, not surprising, all heads spun around, startled, as the tall Hufflepuff in the middle row dared to speak.
"But aren't our owls and cats already our familiars? They do things for us."
"A very good point, Mr. Wilmore." Professor Lupin nodded in agreement. "They are indeed close to a familiar. But once you meet your true one, you will see the difference. Well, any other questions before we begin?"
Since no one else had any, the teacher turned to the very nervous girl standing next to him. "So then, Ms. Richmond, are you ready?"
Pale-faced, she whispered a "Yes, Sir" and clutched her wand even tighter than she had already had.
"Very well. Now try to think of an event in your life when you found yourself extremely helpless and in desperate need of support. Try to visualize it as clearly as possible in front of your inner eye; try to relive your emotions in that particular moment."
The girl closed her eyes, her lips were pressed together tightly in obvious discomfort of recalling that memory, whatever it was.
"Got it?" Lupin asked quietly.
"Yes, Sir." Her voice was hoarse, she had trouble producing those words.
"Good." The professor didn't pay any attention to her obvious distress. Even when a single tear ran down her face, he simply ignored it. "Now repeat, and mind your intonation. Paracletus adventum."
Opening her eyes again, the girl's trembling voice echoed the spell. She took in a sharp breath as a sparkly cloud materialized in front of her, carrying the faint outlines of a small creature. Everyone watched in amazement as the glittering fog slowly lifted, revealing ...
"A squirrel?" Lena clapped her hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to call out her astonishment in such a loud manner.
The rest of the class, though, joined and began to giggle and snicker.
"Good for you," Professor Lupin chuckled at his Hufflepuff student. "Cute and friendly. Could have been a lot worse," he joked.
The tiny animal took an instant liking to its new female master, and with a huge jump it clung onto her arm, causing the girl to shriek in shock. But she quickly recovered as the fluffy creature hopped onto her shoulder and began nibbling at her ear.
"Aw!" Several of her House mates left their seats, wanting to pet the little fellow. The squirrel wanted none of that, though. Hissing, and with a wildly twitching, bushy tail, it let them know not to step any closer.
"And so protective," the teacher laughed. "Alright then, now make him return by saying 'Egredio'."
The student frowned at that, obviously not happy about having to part from her new friend, but she obeyed. Instantly, the sparkly cloud covered its delicate features, swallowing them, and then disappeared altogether.
"Excellent," Lupin praised her as she sat back down. "Who wants to go next?"
All hands flew up, except for Lena's. She was hesitant to meet her familiar. What if it was something scary, something she didn't know how to handle, something that would not be as amiable as the little squirrel?
Professor Lupin seemed to read her mind because his gaze found hers. "Ms. Flowers," he said calmly, "why don't you have a try?"