Chapter 18
Aine kept a steady pace as she tried to control her breathing whilst wiping the few stray tears that came down hot and fast. The anger was long gone and now was replaced by a great disappointment in herself, to yell at a 2nd year! and it was her boyfriend’s younger sister!
“Ms. Murphy?” a voice called out gently causing her to turn her body around to Professor Lupin with Harry Potter next to him.
“Are you alright?” Lupin asked slowly nearing her as if she was to attack at any moment, but truthfully Aine was exhausted and now embarrassed – this was the second time he had seen her in this state.
“Um, yea – hello Professor, Harry” she greeted in a kind voice, but you could tell it was fake. Harry gave her a small wave but stared at her curiously too. Aine let out a calming breath, attempting to calm herself- they were still looking.
“I walked into a trick wall...” she mumbled quietly avoiding their gazes.
“Ah, well Harry and I were taking a quick walk – if you’d like to join us before we head to dinner?” Lupin asked.
“oh, its oka- “she began as Lupin gestured for her to follow.
“The more the merrier!” Lupin exclaimed as Aine thought what would happen if she just stayed where she was, but reluctantly followed. Aine walked with the duo for about 30 minutes, she listened to them talk about Harry’s parents and such. There were a few moments where she felt like she was intruding on something intimate, and wondered if she could just turn a corner and sneak away but it was as if Lupin had a sixth sense and would loop her back in when she tried to escape.
Eventually, they ended up at Lupins office – which was weird because she was sure they were supposed to walk to the Great Hall.
“Harry, you go on ahead- I actually had some notes for Ms. Murphy regarding her last essay” Lupin pushed the door open and signaled for her to go in, Aine although confused complied.
“See you later Aine” Harry waved as he scurried away while the door closed behind them. Lupin gestured for her to sit down, as he rounded his desk.
“Do you want some tea?” He asked gently conjuring 2 cups from the shelf behind her.
“Oh I’m fine, my essay-“Aine started but Lupin cut her off again.
“it’s not what I really wanted to discuss. You seemed upset in the hall, were you crying?” Lupin asked as he set a cup in front of her. The tea smelled like English breakfast and had a nice amount of cream.
“Oh, I was just overwhelmed... “she decided to take a sip of the steaming cup, it was very good surprisingly it reminded her of how her mom makes tea.
“Most people can make a decent cup of tea” Lupin chuckled at her reaction.
‘Such a handsome laugh, I wonder if he has a wife’ Aine blushed at her professor.
“I’ve been wanting to chat with you for a while, it seems like you’re always running out of class before I can catch you.” Lupin commented as he sat in his chair.
“oh – “
“It’s okay, you students are busy I understand. I just wanted to ask if you’re feeling alright?” he questioned again. Aine understood what was going on now, and though apart of her wanted to open herself up – she simply took a sip of tea and shrugged.
Lupin sighed and leaned back in his chair, also taking a sip of tea.
“Let me tell you a story” he began hopping onto his feet, Aine nodded as she fiddled with her skirt.
“When I was 5 years old… My home was broken into by a dangerous criminal- “ Aine let out a small gasp.
“It was just me and my mum, he had climbed into my window – I guess he thought it was an empty room. Of course, I was barely asleep, so I let out a scream which was a bad idea- my mum ran into the room but this criminal he had a knife” Lupin gripped the desk tightly and let out a calming breath.
“Long story short- He ended up hurting me, I almost died, and I was so scared. “Aine had raised her hands to her mouth in shock.
“And your mother?” she asked quietly hoping the answer was not what she expected.
“She was fine, just a few bruises. I still have the scar... and they never caught him.” Lupin finished as he leaned against the desk, his eyes glazed over as he scanned the room before finally landing on her.
“I had nightmares for months; I remember I couldn’t even sleep in my room. But I was also so angry.” Lupin continued his eyes not leaving hers.
“It was explosive, I wanted that man dead, and I felt alone- just a boy with an ugly scar.” Aine nodded understanding.
“You don’t seem angry now. You’re like one of the nicest teachers here.” Aine commented.
“Well, it’s because I was able to talk to people, and work through it. I felt less alone, less scared.” He picked up.
“When a person has something traumatic happen to them, they need support to help them feel better- Aine if you’ll let me I want I help you feel better.” He explained. Aine felt like a fish the way her mouth dropped open, as she placed her hands over her face feeling tears pushing through.
“Am I that obvious?” she mumbled quietly, she wondered who else noticed her struggling internally.
“No, you’re really good at hiding it. I’m just better at looking” Lupin rubbed her back as she quietly wept.
Professor Lupin offered to walk her to dinner, but Aine declined and headed to her dorm instead. She felt exhausted from crying and really wanted to be alone, before she left, she promised Lupin she would come back again. Entering her dorm, she began to tie her hair up and kicked off her shoes- she felt like she would just sleep in her uniform tonight. She noticed one of her roommates reading at her desk, with looked like a cup of tea.
“Going to bed?” she asked as Aine nodded. “You care if I keep the lights on?” she continued holding up her book, again Aine agreed.
“Sleep well Aine.” She beamed at her as Aine mumbled a thanks and drifted off to sleep.
-
George listened to Lee complain about how his mom had written him again about needing to prioritize OWL studying and that he should probably cut back on his quidditch commentating.
“I mean it’s not even a big commitment- like maybe a game a week! I could study while commentating if I wanted to.” He sighed dragging his fork against his plate making an awful scratching noise.
“I don’t know, you’d probably shout potion ingredients instead of plays.” Angelina laughed as Fred placed and arm over her shoulder. George looked at the entrance, waiting for Aine to walk in he hadn’t seen her since this morning. He wanted to spend time with her after class but she said she had a meeting with Sprout but that was 2 hours ago. George closed his eyes and tried to visual the dumb schedule Corrine made and wondered if he got his days wrong.
He turned towards Ravenclaw, where Corrine sat with 3 books in front of her while she scribbled notes, next to her was Jameson who looked like he was quizzing her. He saw the door open and harry rushed in instead of his girlfriend.
“Looking for Aine?” Hermione piped up as she noticed George’s fifth sigh.
“Oh I saw her!” Harry commented grabbing a helping of potatoes before grimacing. “She seemed pretty upset though – said she walked into a wall...” Harry finished taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.
“Upset?” George pressed Harry to continue but the boy just shrugged his shoulders.
“She was upset when we saw her too.” Hermione admitted and turned her head towards Ginny.
“She even yelled at us.” Hermione continued as she rubbed Ginny’s shoulder, George pressed his lips together in a fine line.
“Are you alright?” he asked Ginny in a soft tone.
“Yea- I don’t think she was yelling at me – I spooked her I think” Ginny mumbled playing with her peas. Geroge gave her a soft smile, as she turned back to Hermione. A part of him was frustrated to not see Aine, understanding that she was upset but why did she always hide instead of coming to him? He promised her he would always understand…
“Just eat your dinner! You act as if you wont see her in the mornin” Fred nudged him in a lighthearted way causing George to give one back.
-
George will always remember the first time he saw Aine, he will also remember thinking how come he never noticed her before. It’s not like he avoided Hufflepuffs, plus she was around Connell a lot apparently. He remembered thinking about her a lot last year and in the summer, mostly her eyes and smile. Most summer nights before bed he would imagine standing by her bedside as she woke up from her petrifaction, and she would gaze into his eyes and smile.
In that fantasy no words were ever exchanged, since he couldn’t handle imagining her voice and speaking his name – it was just her seeing him. It reminded him of a muggle story Angelina once told him called sleeping beauty; he would dream of waking her up with a kiss like in the story. When he had that dream though he would be entirely flustered the whole next day.
Now, as he stood across the hall from Professor Lupins office he wondered if there was a princess who could turn invisible when she wanted, making it easy to hide. It had been a day and a half, since the last time he saw Aine – and even though she was good, George was better with a quick peek of the map.
The office door creaked opened after what seemed to be forever, Lupin holding it open giving Aine a soft smile as she pushed her hair back over her shoulder. It was braided into passion twists the fell to her shoulders, she looked beautiful as it bounced. she thanked Lupin as the door closed behind her.
“Hello you.” George greeted as Aine let out a small gasp with wide eyes. She was caught and they both knew it.
“Hi George...” she responded softly not leaving her spot as George stepped closer.
“Hiding from me?” he questioned running his hand down her arm and trapping her hand in his.
“No”
“Don’t lie.” George murmured in firm tone as he tugged her down the hall. Aine quietly followed him as George guided them into an empty classroom, lifting her on one of the student desks. Quickly, he placed himself between her legs and pulled her forward by her thighs until their chests touched. Without a word of explanation, he roughly kissed her.
The kiss lasted a minute or so until George pulled away, his body relaxed but his eyes holding a firm gaze, Aine who felt flushed by the kiss and his strange, stern demeanor found herself looking away.
“You gonna tell me why you were hiding?” George asked resting his head on the crook of her neck, her twists tickling his face.
“I didn’t mean to shout at her…” Aine trembled out a response, fixating her eyes on the door to prevent tears from falling.
“I know” George moved his hands from her thighs to her lower back, in attempt to guide her into a hug but her body was still stiff.
“I was just so... angry and I felt like I couldn’t breathe- and – I just didn’t want to be touched.” Aine answered truthfully, as the words expelled from her mouth she deflates more into George’s hold.
“Is it okay that I’m touching you now?” he whispered.
“Its always okay with you I just...” Aine trailed off.
“She’s not upset with you, I’m not upset with you” his breathe was tickling her neck. Aine pulled away forcing them to lock eyes again, hers were glassy.
“I promise she’s not upset Im her brother and I’ve done way worse than shout at her” George affirmed again.
“I’m going to apologize... I was worried that you were upset.” She mumbled lowering her head while she spoke. It was true, Aine knew the Weasley clan was tightly knit and fiercely protective of each other. Already in a state of anxiety she let her mind reach the worst conclusion and decided to hide away.
“Well. Next time just ask, or if I’m upset, I’ll tell you. We gotta talk to each other. Don’t hide from me.” George spoke softly.
“Okay...” Aine pouted slightly she was not use to George being so serious.
“Well, I’m still cross with you. Are you ready for your punishment?” George’s tone had shifted into a more playful one as began to twirl her twist in his hands.
“Punishment?” Aine blushed shifting her head to the side, George quickly guided it back though.
“Yeah. No more hiding. You promise?” His hot breath fanned over her lips as he edged closer to them, he paused a centimeter away. Aine stared into his beautiful, captivating eyes that held so much emotion and nodded yes.
George led her out of the classroom about ten minutes later but with plumper lips, George bearing an extremely proud look on his face while Aine looked more bashful; They decided to walk and catch up around the castle until George’s practice.
“Do you see that?” Aine pointed at entrance of the forbidden forest.
“See what?” George squinted his eyes following the direction of her finger.
“I think its run off... but I swore I saw a dog!” Aine replied as they both kept staring, hoping to see the dog again.
“AINE!” a voice screamed from behind causing them both to turn. Jameson was in a light jog towards them, his curly hair flopping as he ran.
“You alright?” Aine giggled as Jameson heaved out a heavy breath once he caught up.
“No” Jameson coughed out as he placed his hands on his knees, taking another deep breath he straightened up instantly. “I need to talk to you. Right now.” Jameson shifted his eyes at George at the end then back at Aine. She instantly understood that it had to be serious, since he apparently was running around looking for her and that also he very obviously wanted George to go away.
“Sorry George...Ill see you at dinner?” Aine watched George nod as he headed back to the castle. Jameson waited until his figure was completely gone to pull Aine by her forearm, closer towards the forbidden forest.
“What’s going on?” she asked as Jameson walked faster, he kept looking back and around as if someone could be around.
“I need to tell you something, it’s been driving me mad for weeks.” Jameson began as he pulled at his curls in frustration. “I thought it would be fine if ignored it but – “
“James. Calm down. Its oka- “Aine placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Its not!” Jameson shouted as he spun around shaking Aine’s touch off.
“its Professor Lupin...” His shoulders sagged as he watched sky as if he was finally admitting it to himself too.
“I don’t under- “
“Professor Lupin is a werewolf.” Jameson confessed his eyes never leaving the sky.