Chapter 3
A small crowd of new 5th year students burst through the door of Professor Slughorn's potions classroom, talking over one another and enthusiastically rushing to their desks in the hopes of getting a seat next to their friends. Slughorn himself stood by the door, holding it open and welcoming his new students back from the long-gone summer holiday. Of course, he was as spritely as ever - a fresh batch of highly advanced potions students was never a dull idea, in the old man's eyes.
"Hello, Miss L/N! It's so lovely to have you back!" the Professor exclaimed, smiling brightly at Y/N as she shuffled into the classroom, hugging her books to her chest and leaving the morning's events behind her as she prepared herself for two hours of glorious learning with her favourite teacher.
"Hello Professor, it's great to see you!" she beamed back, slowing to a stop besides him to begin her first civilised conversation of the year, "How was your summer?"
"Oh, I'm afraid it wasn't as fascinating as I'm sure yours was. But, you'll be happy to hear that I've made plenty of exciting plans for my new advanced Potions class." Slughorn replied.
"Brilliant! I can't wait, sir," Y/N then lowered her voice down to a slightly more hushed tone, "And can I expect another one of your infamous dinner parties, Professor?"
The potions master matched her tone and grinned excitedly.
"Absolutely, I'm planning on sending out the invitations a week from now. Of course, you're invited. And Miss Evans, too."
Y/N returned the grin and nodded, offering her thanks before taking a seat in the middle of the classroom. Although potions was never her favourite subject at school, her favourite professor certainly made it the class she looked forwards to the most. Herself and Lily were renowned members of the 'Slug Club', and although most students saw it as a chore to attend Slughorn's dinner parties, Y/N found it a rather sweet gesture that the man recognised talent enough to engage with his students outside of the classroom. Her mood couldn't have been ruined as Slughorn began introducing the captivating theory of Felix Felicis, until a certain Marauder saw it fit to tear down the door and enter the room with a loud bang.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Professor," Remus Lupin gasped between breathes, a look of exhaustion spread across his features as if he'd just finished running a marathon, "My friend, he couldn't find his books, we were searching for ages after breakfast."
Y/N rolled her eyes, anticipating the boy to get a good telling off for being late on the first day. After breakfast, when Y/N was about to get up and head to her lesson, Peter had exclaimed that he had forgotten all of his books because, in his own words, 'I thought we got given books in 5th year'. Of course, Remus (trying to come across as the compassionate friend), had offered to quickly head to the library with him to get everything he needed for the day. It was pathetic, in Y/N's mind.
"Oh, dear boy, don't panic! I'd never punish a boy for helping his friends. Come on, take a free seat," Slughorn scanned the classroom, looking for an empty seat. Y/N's mouth was already agape when his sight set on the seat next to her, "There we go, Miss L/N, take your bag off the seat. Sit there, Mr Lupin, perfect!"
'You've got to be kidding me', Remus thought to himself as he hesitantly made his way towards to girl. He knew she was thinking the same thing, and yet the issue was, he had no idea why. He had no idea why she seemed to dislike him as much as she did - the way she stared at him made him think he'd done something wrong just by existing. He knew it wasn't in her nature to become particularly 'chummy' with anyone, but for some God-forsaken reason, she seemed to despise him.
And as the boy took his seat next to her, Y/N tried to suppress a groan of disappointment. She always sat alone in lessons. It helped her to focus better. But as bad as having to share a table was, what made it worse was that she was sharing a table with a Marauder. 'I'd rather share with Black', she thought. It wasn't that she exactly hated Remus Lupin, but he aggravated her more than any of the other members of his little club. He was too quiet and clever, which annoyed her, and secretly she felt a little threatened - but for the most part, she was jealous. He was smart, and more reserved than his friends, yet people still liked him. What made him so much better than her?
The two avoided talking to each other for the majority of the lesson, out of sheer awkwardness and uncomfortableness. Even Lily, who sat a few rows ahead with Alice, turned around and gave Y/N a puzzled look as if to say 'What's wrong?' It was massively out of character for Y/N to circumvent answering questions and participating in class, but she was so irritated she was afraid if she spoke at all, she'd start shouting.
"Now, for your assignments..." Slughorn began, grabbing a piece of parchment from his desk and placing a pair of rounded spectacles on the end of his nose, "These projects will contribute towards 25% of your final OWL grade, so I expect every single one of you to work hard. I want each of you to choose from a list of highly specialised potions, and write up ten rolls of parchment covering the entirety of the potion's history and it's uses."
A murmur of complaint echoed through the room, making it clear that Slughorn's assignment didn't impress any of his students.
"But Sir, ten rolls of parchment is like, impossible. Even for L/N." a girl's voice rang out, belonging to the unsightly Bellatrix Black. Y/N rolled her eyes, feeling the girl's cold sneer pierce her back. Bellatrix was a cruel girl, with no empathy and a passion for scaring the younger students of the school. Despite her and Sirius sharing the same family name, even Y/N knew that where Sirius was irritating, Bellatrix was another level of dark and concerning. It wasn't only Y/N who wondered how the girl had ended up in the OWLs Advanced Potions class.
"Well yes, Miss Black, it is a lot. But let me finish," Slughorn replied calmly, "I have paired each of you up with another one of your classmates, to lower the workload. That way, you'll both be able to work together on this, and aim to get the best grade you can. If you take a look at the sheets I'm giving to you all now, you'll see your partner and the requirements of the assignment in more detail."
Everybody, including Y/N, sat on the edges of their seat as Slughorn flicked his wand and their pieces of paper made their ways towards the students. Y/N tried to avoid partner-work at the best of times, but since she couldn't exactly get out of this one, she at least wanted to work with a student as focused as herself. Lily would be ideal, but Alice would also be a good partner, seeing as she would probably rely on Y/N to write up the essay herself which would give her free reign to delve into their chosen potion as much as she wanted.
But, as always, luck was not on her side.
Remus snatched his paper out of the air and hurriedly scouted for the name of his partner. When he saw the name, however, he slowly put the parchment down and pressed his lips together, waiting to see the reaction of the girl he had been forced to sit next to.
Y/N let out a long, harsh huff, and finally broke the lesson-long silence between the two of them.
"Great. Have you decided what potion you think we should work on, Lupin?" she said, with an expression so blank that Remus couldn't tell whether she was relieved or angry. He assumed the latter.
"I haven't read the options yet." was all he replied with.
"Well, read them now."
Remus, afraid of getting off on the wrong foot with his new potions partner, quickly glanced down and read out the first word he saw.
"Amortentia."
Y/N raised her eyebrows, but nodded.
"I was thinking the same. At least that's settled." she said, returning to her paper and reading the requirements hungrily. She had been defeated. Her 5th year, the one she had planned so meticulously, had been ruined in the space of a minute. Thoughts of failing her Potions OWL fluttered through her brain like an unwelcome moth as she felt more and more dread build up in the pit of her stomach. The assignment was challenging, but what was even worse was the fact her partner would most likely pay little attention to it. Yes, he was bright, but he was a fucking Marauder. He'd be too caught up in Potter's, Black's, and Pettigrew's tomfoolery to even offer an inkling of help. She was doomed.
"When do you want to start it?" he asked, snapping her out of her train of spiralling negativity.
"Tomorrow evening, in the library," she was a little surprised at his question, not expecting him to actually take initiative. "Well, ideally tonight, but I expect you'll be busy."
Remus bit the inside of his cheek, thinking over his plans for the night. It was customary for himself and his friends to throw a party in the common room on the first night of every school year. This year, James had stolen fifteen bottles of Firewhiskey from his parent's cellar for the occasion. It was a bit of a highlight for most Gryffindor students - last year, even the 2nd years got involved. But as the boy studied Y/N's assumptive face, he decided (somewhat reluctantly) to sack the party off.
"No. I'll be there after dinner." his promise was met with a scoff.
"Well I'll be there. I'll believe it when I see it."
Remus shrugged and began packing his books as the lesson drew to an end, hoisting his bag onto the desk. Y/N couldn't help but notice multiple deep, deep gashes that stuck out on his arms as his robe sleeves revealed the skin. They looked raw and tender, as if he got them only yesterday. She cocked her head to the side and studied them, wondering what the hell had caused them but not wanting to pry for his own sake as well as hers. However, Remus was quick to notice her staring, and was even quicker to offer an excuse.
"Fell out of tree over summer. Still healing." he mumbled as he zipped up his bag.
"Hm, right." she said quietly. Remus's eyes narrowed as she continued to stare, but on realising he had noticed, she quickly rose from her seat and gathered her belongings in one untidy swoop. She didn't linger on his blatant lie, although it did humour her that Lupin must've thought she was thick if he truly believed his excuse was plausible. No tree could do that much damage, even the Whomping Willow.
"7:00pm in the library. If you're not busy." she offered him a forced smile and turned on her heel, making a swift exit before he could say anything else.
Remus Lupin let out a sigh of relief as he watched the peculiar girl walk off and out of the classroom. He knew she wasn't slow - his excuse for the cuts was pretty pathetic on his part - but thankfully her distaste for him meant she didn't stay long to ask questions. It was a good thing, really. He hadn't met many people that disliked him (unless of course he was taking into account a number of the Slytherin students that hated him because of his friendship with Sirius), but being around Y/N during the past 2 days had made him nothing short of uncomfortable. She had a distinctive smell that was far from offensive, and throughout the past 2 hours of the lesson he'd noticed several silver ball studs she wore in both of her ears that looked like small stars dotted across her cartilage. Her eyes were bright and inquisitive, which concerned him with regard to his lycanthropy, and her temper was constantly ready to break free, meaning for the past 48 hours he'd felt unable to simply relax. It was, for Remus Lupin, a conundrum of epic proportions. After all, she was a pretty girl - she looked almost fragile - but she was witty, and she hated him; and although he didn't hate her, he couldn't stand to be near her.
And there was Sirius' comment from the morning. Why had that gotten under his skin the way it did? Would Sirius really try and fuck her if she let him?
The werewolf shook his head, bringing himself back down to earth. He had to focus. And, he had to think of a way to get out of the annual start of year party.
...
For Y/N, the rest of the day went by like a whirlwind. Every lesson went by too quickly for her liking (if she had it her own way, lessons would go on for at least two hours longer than they did), and dinner rolled around before she knew it.
After the morning's potions lesson, she was convinced the day couldn't get any worse. After telling herself that Lupin would never show up for a study session when the Marauders were throwing a party, she felt almost certain that - although her year so far hadn't gone quite to plan - it could only get better. That was, until dinner, when James Potter practically sprinted towards her as she was mid-bite between a plate of chicken casserole.
"Care to explain why Moony's just announced to us all that he won't be coming to the common room party tonight, L/N?" he said, grabbing the attention of every Gryffindor student in the Hall. Y/N almost choked on her food.
"What?!" she exclaimed, dropping her cutlery in disbelief.
"Well now he's been roped into an assignment with you, he's pretty adamant on spending the night studying so he doesn't 'let you down' and 'make you angry'. Can't you ever just have a night away from bloody school work?" he snapped, clearly annoyed that one of his best friends was standing him up. Y/N took to her feet defensively, feeling a crowd of eyes burn through her as they all waited for an argument to take place as a form of dinner entertainment.
"You think I actually expected Lupin to sack you guys off? I'm just as surprised as you are, Potter." she snapped, balling up her fists in anger. It wasn't so much the fact that James seemed to think it was her fault, but more because Remus had decided to actually go to the library. What was he playing at? 'Letting you down'? Was he on drugs? "Actually, I don't think it'll come as a surprise to anyone when I say I'd rather get this stupid potions task done alone."
"Y'know, he'd never ever missed one of our parties, and now all of a sudden he's decided that this fucking assignment is more important than the best night of the year," Y/N bit back a laugh at James' words, but he carried on speaking, "Can't you at least convince him to start it tomorrow night?"
"I'm not saying anything, this isn't my fucking problem. I said to him that I was going to be in the library, regardless of whether he was or not."
It was at this moment that Lily, Sasha, Teresa, and Alice walked in on the conversation.
"What's going on?" Lily asked, dropping her books on the table and taking a stance next to you. James' expression softened, but his tone certainly did not.
"What's 'going on' is that Remus has decided that his potions assignment with Y/N is more important than the first party of the year!" he exclaimed, sounding somewhat exasperated.
"Um...okay? So what? It's only one night, James." Alice said, clearly just as confused as Y/N was. Teresa laughed, finding the whole thing entirely ridiculous. If Y/N hadn't been as confounded as she was about the whole situation, perhaps she would've laughed too.
"I mean, it is pretty sad." Sasha mumbled. James waved his hands in the air like he was in some kind of pantomime.
"See?!" he practically shouted, "It is sad!"
As he rambled on about how absurd it was that his dear Moony should miss a party, Lily cleared her throat. At this, the boy quickly hushed.
"James, it's really not that big of a deal. Remus just cares about his OWLs, the same as Y/N. Maybe you should care a little more." she said matter-of-factly. Y/N smiled in triumph, momentarily forgetting that she was just as disappointed as James and had been hoping for a quiet night in the library on her own.
"Exactly! And I'm sure he'll be happy to come to the party afterwards. Is it that big of a deal really?" Teresa asked.
James thought about it for a moment, keeping his eyes on Lily as she stared at him with her eyebrows raised and her hands on her hips. Everybody knew he'd never disagree with her. He let out a sharp exhale, comically reminding Y/N of a toddler's temper tantrum.
"Okay, fine. But I'm gonna make Sirius come and get him before the party's over," he said, feeling beaten by the girls before him, "Maybe you should both come." he added.
Y/N shrugged her shoulders, knowing fully well that his half-hearted invitation would not be accepted on her account. Lily put a friendly hand on her shoulder.
"There we go, it's settled. Now go and sort out the party, James. We'll see you later." she smiled. James nodded and walked off, mumbling something along the lines of 'stupid fucking potions' as he left the Hall. Y/N turned and looked at the girls.
"I think he's going a bit crazy." she said, raising her hand and pointing towards her head. Lily, Teresa, and Alice giggled.
"He's always been like that. Can't handle rejection," Lily grinned, obviously addressing the numerous times she'd had to turn him down, "You must've really gotten under Remus' skin if he's decided to start on the assignment over attending the party, though."
"Trust me, I'm just as confused as you. Actually, I was hoping he wouldn't come."
"He's probably just taking advantage of the fact he's been partnered up with you." Sasha said, sounding more spiteful than affectionate. Y/N pressed her lips together, ignoring the comment. Her friends did the same.
"Well whatever it is, let's hope you two actually get some work done, or else James might actually throw a fit." Alice giggled, rolling her eyes as she imagined James Potter rolling around the floor in dismay at the thought of his dear friend missing a party to spend time with a girl.
"Oh trust me, we will." Y/N mumbled as she began to dread the night ahead.
...
As Lily, Teresa, Sasha, and Alice left the Hall, Lily couldn't help but think over what her and her friends has just walked in on.
"It's odd, really," she said, as the girls walked up to the Fat Lady's portrait, "Remus normally adores these sorts of things."
"I was thinking the exact same thing Lils. I wonder what's gotten into him?" Teresa replied, clearly just as perplexed. Alice, however, was grinning.
"Isn't it obvious?" she sighed, holding a hand to her heart almost narcotically, "He must have a crush."
Sasha grimaced, irritated at the idea. After all, she'd been interested in the boy for years. The idea that Remus would ever be interested in the socially rejected, short-tempered, and frankly plain Y/N L/N was enough to make her blood boil with envy.
"No. He's just using her. He wouldn't go for someone like her." she snapped, sneering at her friends. This only made Alice grin more.
"Oooo, is someone jealous?" she teased, pushing the raven-haired girl lightly with her shoulder.
"Ugh, please. Can we just go in and get ready?" Sasha replied, pushing her friend back.
Their laughter echoed across the stone corridors of the school as they entered the common room, but the girl's left the subject alone, and turned their attention towards something far more important - their outfits for the night.
But Lily Evans couldn't help but ponder that perhaps sweet little Alice was right. And Lily Evans couldn't help but wonder whether secretly, Y/N felt the same.