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Juniper rushed into the classroom, scared of being late. Professor Snape– that absolute asshole –stopped her halfway through the trip because her robes were ‘clearly breaking the school dress code.’ She knew as a fact that there wasn’t actually a school dress code (not stated in the rule book, anyhow), since she had been a prefect the previous year.
She didn’t have time to be angry about it though. Class was just about to begin when she reached the area where her friends were standing.
Professor Lupin stood up from his stool. (Juniper and her friends– and the rest of the class –were rather alarmed on the first day of walking into the classroom to the sight of no desks, or even any chairs. Even Lupin didn’t have a desk of his own. The professor, however, did have a single wooden stool he sat on when he was waiting for the class to settle down.) “Alright everyone. I said last Friday that we would begin learning about the unforgivable curses but, frankly, I don’t feel very well.”
That much was obvious. He usually had a relaxed and casual demeanor, but today, he just looked exhausted and sick. Juniper couldn’t help but feel bad– the man had quickly become her favorite professor.
“So, I apologize about this, but today is simply going to be a study hall. If you need help with any assignments, or you have any questions, I am still happy to help– oh, and if you would all be so kind, let’s keep the lighting in the room a bit dim. I’m sure you all understand.”
Circe, one of Juniper's friends whispered, “Holy shit, is Professor Lupin pissed?”
“No way,” another one of her friends, Taika, said. “He isn’t the type. Something tells me the man can just barely drink a pint of beer.”
Juniper huffed a bit, “I don’t know Taika…the only light in here is coming from the windows, and he is still wincing a bit. Maybe he is hammered.
The three of them claimed a spot on the floor and got out their homework assignments.
(On day one, Professor Lupin had explained how most everything they would be doing in class would be practical– hence, no desks, nor chairs. On the off day where they did do theory work, or something else, they simply sat on the floor. At first, some people had called the man lazy and arrogant, but many didn’t mind. They liked the change of pace. When the few angry students did try to spark an outrage, all the Professor had to say was: “If you want chairs and desks, you are more than free to grab them from elsewhere. Or transfigure them– I believe that would be much quicker.” The argument ended pretty quickly after that.)
A couple minutes had passed, and then Circe suggested, “Any chance we could get Lupin to play some music?” She smiled a bit. “Or would it worsen his hangover headache?”
Taika smiled too. “Only one way to find out.” He put down his quill. “Professor Lupin?”
The professor looked up from the book he was reading. “Yes, Taika?”
“Could you play some music? Please? It would, er, you know…add to the…relaxing…atmosphere?”
A few people turned their heads at the request. God, Juniper thought. That was some of the worst execution she had ever seen of one of their plans. There was a reason that she was usually the one to confront teachers whenever the three of them needed something (or was planning something).
Lupin gave a small, amused smile. The man got up and walked over to the record player that was sitting on a lone table. He shuffled through the albums he had, picked one out, put it down on the player, and lowered the needle. Soft jazz began to make its way into the air.
“Well,” Juniper began, “I guess he isn’t pissed after all.”
Circe raised her eyebrows. “Oh really? We all know he has multiple Bowie albums in that stack. He absolutely has the most wicked hangover. And you know what– good for him.”
(It was the day after the full moon.)
…
Griffin (who was, ironically enough, a Slytherin) and Dante had snuck into an empty classroom. Dante was quick to lock the door.
Griffin was nervous. If people wanted in the room that badly, all they would need to do was a simple alohomora– even first years could do that.
“Don’t worry,” Dante said. “It’s just an empty classroom. No one is going to want in so badly that they will use a spell. Trust me. Even if they do, we’ll hear it.”
Griffin was still nervous. He hadn’t been able to do anything with his boyfriend for a whole week. There were always judgemental eyes, especially with so many homophobic Slytherins hanging around him. Even with that, he was more than paranoid about finally having some space to themselves.
Dante pushed him– gently of course, the boy was ungodly sweet –against the wall and kissed him. Griffin’s blushed. “See?” Dante had said. “We’re all good. Nothing but privacy here.”
“Okay,” Griffin replied, nervousness crumbling away, piece by piece. “Yeah, you’re right.” He kissed Dante back.
After only ten minutes, they were both more than comfortable in the room. They were only kissing, but it was like heaven. Hands placed on each other's waists, hair, and necks. The two were totally captivated by each other. So engrossed, that neither of them heard the subtle sound of the door unlocking.
When, out of the corner of his eye, Griffin saw the door swinging open, he pushed Dante away from him. But it was too late.
Professor Lupin– why did it have to be his favorite teacher, oh god, why –was standing in the doorway.
Griffin was too stunned to speak. Dante had fear in his voice, “Shit. Please professor, please don’t expel us, oh Merlin.”
Lupin’s face was unreadable.
Oh god, Griffin thought. Four years at Hogwarts with a clean record, and this would be his downfall. They would notify his parents, he’d be in so much trouble, and to top it all off, he would probably never see Dante ever again. He looked at his boyfriend, who looked like he was going through the exact same scenario in his head.
Lupin looked at the two of them, a soft expression in his eyes. “No worries, boys. Though I may suggest that you put a stronger charm on the door next time. It may give you a bit more time.” The professor walked over to a wooden cabinet at the far end of the room. Neither of the boys dared to make any noise. Lupin closed the cabinet, now holding a box of textbooks. “I am supposed to give the two of you a detention for locking yourselves in a classroom, but it looks like I gave both of you quite a fright.” He paused for a moment, and then, “I think there is no harm done in keeping this between us.” He walked back to the door. Before he left, he gave the boys one last look. “Be careful, you two.” Lupin closed the door behind him.
Griffin and Dante look at each other, both shocked. Dante’s mouth was slightly open.
For a while, neither of them could say anything. Griffin broke the silence. “That was a close one, right?”
Somewhat relieved, Dante smiled. “Too close.” He laughed a bit and gave Griffin a chaste kiss. “Is that why he’s your favorite?”
“Oh shut up.”
…
Eleanor was deathly afraid of dementors. The teacher’s had said that they were only going to be guarding the outside of Hogwarts, but how could they be so sure? She was always cold and nervous, her hands permanently shaky.
It didn’t help that she didn’t have any friends to confide in. She was muggleborn and it was already jarring enough to be thrown into a whole new world of witchcraft. So many people managed to make friends on the Hogwarts express, so by the time it was the first day of classes, most people were already set. Eleanor wasn’t.
She had some people she talked to, but not close enough to be friends. She was a Ravenclaw, so most people deemed her intelligent enough to ask for help with homework. Other than that, she was rather alone.
It had gotten so bad, she could barely focus in classes. Her grades started off pretty good. Teachers seemed to like her, even if she didn’t participate much in class. After a few months though, her grades had dropped off.
Defense Against the Dark Arts class was the worst of all the classes she had. Professor Lupin seemed nice enough– well, really nice, if Eleanor was being honest –but the class was mostly practical. She couldn’t hide in the back of the class with a textbook.
Today, the professor had begun teaching about basic blocking spells. She couldn’t listen. Every sound was muffled and muted, as if she was underwater. She could just barely make out the incantation ‘protego.’
She had barely made it through the end of class. She thought she was safe until she heard Professor Lupin say her name.
“Eleanor? Could you come here for a moment?”
She wanted to run. She almost did. But she turned around instead, and slowly walked toward the professor who was sitting on his stool, her hands shaking more than ever. “Y-Yes, professor?”
“I just wanted to ask if you were okay. Your grades have been slipping, and you seem more quiet than usual.”
Eleanor’s hands fidgeted. “I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
Professor Lupin was quiet for a moment. Eleanor had no reason to break the silence.
“I know this is a difficult year to enter Hogwarts. There is quite a lot going on in the wizarding world recently. The dementors don’t exactly help brighten up the mood, huh?”
“Yeah…”
She really didn’t want to talk about the dementors. Picturing them in her mind made her breath quicken. She felt her throat tighten up. Eleanor was on the verge of tears. She willed herself to remain calm.
“I don’t mean to keep you, but I just want you to know that I will always be here to talk to, if you need. And that goes for every other teacher here, for the record. Well– probably not Professor Snape, but I’m sure you realized that.”
At any other moment, the light joke would have made her laugh, but all she could do was let out a sob. (And then another…and then another.)
“I’m sorry,” she choked, wiping the tears away from her eyes. “I shouldn’t be crying. It’s just–” She couldn’t continue.
“It’s okay, Eleanor. Would you feel comfortable going to my office? There is more privacy there.”
Eleanor nodded. Professor Lupin stood up from his stool, and put a kind hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about your last class of the day. I can write a note, if need be.”
Professor Lupin walked Eleanor to his office. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from the classroom, and most people in the hallway didn’t bat an eye at them. In no time at all, the professor stopped at a door, opened it, and gestured for Eleanor to walk in first.
It wasn’t very big. There was a desk, a tall bookshelf, and plenty of trinkets. (Many of which Eleanor would wonder about later. Who were those people in the pictures? What was the story behind the paper with the pawprint on it?) She took a seat on a chair in front of Lupin’s desk.
The professor walked over to his own side of the desk and sat down. He opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a small bar of chocolate. “Here, take this.”
Eleanor was hesitant to grab it. She didn’t want to come off as desperate or needy. She didn’t need more rumors to worry about.
The professor clearly saw her hesitance, and simply set the bar down on the desk close to her.
For a long while, they were silent. Eleanor was just trying to calm down, and Lupin was grading assignments. After that long while, some conversation began. Professor Lupin was easy to talk to. He seemed to understand a lot of her struggles. (“You know, I came from a muggle boy's home. It’s a pretty hard transition, isn’t it?”)
Eventually, she took the bar of chocolate that Lupin had set down in front of her. When she took the first bite and swallowed, warmth flourished in her stomach. For the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel cold. Her hands weren’t shaking. Everything was just a little better.
…
Fred, George, and Lee were sitting at the Gryffindor table in the dining hall, plotting their next big prank. They already had an idea– something to do with making every hallway in the school extremely slippery. The mechanics of it were rather difficult. At the minimum, they would have to combine spells. They may even have to invent a whole new spell.
“How are we going to get to every hallway? Even if we all split up, it’ll take a long time.” Lee questioned.
“Maybe we can enlist the help of Peeves,” George replied.
“Recruiting him has been on our bucket list for quite a while now,” Fred agreed.
Lee was just opening his mouth when someone joined them at the table. Professor Lupin.
“Good morning, boys.”
The three of them looked at each other, then back at Lupin. The man was pretty easy going (at least once, he had caught them setting up a prank, and simply looked the other way, much to their surprise) but one could never be too careful. Despite that, Lupin didn’t seem interrogative. In fact, he began to load up his own plate with food.
“Morning, professor,” Lee finally replied. “Finally got sick of the teacher’s table? Decided it was time to return to your roots?”
“Can’t blame ya,” Fred said, looking over to the table where all the professors sat. “The crowd over there isn’t exactly the most exciting.”
George made a sound similar to coughing, though it also sounded a lot like the word “Snape.”
Lupin smiled. “So, it sounds like you three are planning something. Mind teasing anything?”
“Can’t spoil it, sorry sir,” George said. “It’s still a bit early in the working, I’m sure you understand.”
The man chuckled a bit, “More than you may expect.”
“Holy shit!” Lee exclaimed, looking at the professor’s plate. “How much do you eat?”
The twins looked too, and Lee was reasonable in his surprise. There were two slices of toast, a sizable portion of eggs, and four strips of bacon on his plate.
The man simply gave another smile and began to eat.
…
Sally-Anne hated potions. Granted, all the Gryffindors did. Snape was bad enough with his biases, but combined with the fact that they had the class with the Slytherins, and suddenly it was unbearable.
If you made even the smallest of mistakes, the professor was suddenly standing over your shoulder and borderline verbally abusing you over it. Sally-Anne just finished chopping up some fluxweed, when suddenly heard, “Your abilities with a blade, Ms. Perks, are truly shameful.”
She could have stabbed the man. It wasn’t her fault the blade was dull. If he was a half-decent teacher (hell, even a quarter of a decent teacher) he would sharpen them himself. He should just be lucky she hadn’t accidentally cut herself with if, she thought, spitefully.
Right as she was adding the fluxweed to her potion, the door to the classroom opened. Everyone turned their heads, including Professor Snape. Standing in the doorway was Professor Lupin. He was holding some sort of paper.
“Sorry to interrupt.” (He did not look sorry at all.) “I was hoping I could borrow,” he looked down at his list, “Seamus, Dean, Blaise, and Parvati?”
Snape let out a heavy, very audible sigh. Sally-Anne– and everyone else in the class –was ready to see the two professors verbally duel. They were all a bit disappointed when all Snape said was, “Fine.”
“You may want to put your things away first,” Lupin suggested. “Just in case.”
The four left the classroom, looking very confused. Once they left, murmurs commenced. (Were they in trouble? Was Professor Lupin giving special treatment?)
As the whispering grew louder, Professor Snape grew more irritated. At one point, he shouted, “SILENCE.”
The air was…rather tense.
Right as Snape had finally gotten the class to quiet back down, the door opened once again. And, standing in the doorway once again, was Professor Lupin.
“Sorry to interrupt again, Professor. Truly. Would it be alright if I also borrowed,” he looked back down at the list, “Harry, Lavender, Gregory, Ron, and Pansy?”
Snape looked absolutely livid. “Why?”
“I’m afraid they are all desperately overdue on an assignment.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“Their own, I suppose. It is only fitting they will have to make up their work here, isn’t it?”
Shockingly, this reasoning seemed to appease Snape, though not entirely. “Fine.”
And with that, nearly half of the class was missing. Whispers almost began again, but Snape stopped them before they had the chance to truly run rampant.
Sally-Anne was a bit jealous, to be truthful. She would give anything to get out of potions, even if it was to finish a missing assignment. (Which, now that she thought about it, she was overdue on an assignment. A lot of them were actually; the long essay that Snape himself had assigned on Werewolves. She giggled a bit at that revelation.)
All of her ingredients were in her cauldron when, once again, the door to the classroom opened. Everyone knew who it was, even before they looked over– one Professor Lupin.
“Seriously, Professor. I truly apologize for interrupting.” He looked down at the paper in his hands. “Would you mind if I borrowed Heromione, Draco, Vincent, Neville, and Tracy?”
“Just go.” Snape said, clearly having a difficult time trying to keep his cool.
By this time, the only remaining students were Sally-Anne, along with three others. It was lonely, at that point. It was painfully clear they were missing out on something. The sadness couldn’t last overly long, though.
Five minutes later, Professor Lupin stood in the doorway to the classroom for what would be the final time and, as politely as the first time, asked, “Extremely sorry, Professor, could I borrow these students?” He read the names of the last people remaining in the class.
Snape gave Lupin the most terrifying stare Sally-Anne had ever, ever, seen in her entire life, right before saying (for the last time that day), “Fine.”
Sally-Anne and the three others quickly packed their things away, and followed Professor Lupin. “To my classroom,” the man had said calmly, as if he hadn’t just finished agitating the most intimidating teacher in the building.
When they entered the classroom, everyone (as per usual) was sitting on the floor. Some of them were actually doing the missing assignment, but most weren’t. Most people, including Sally-Anne’s friends, were just chatting. This was accompanied by some music playing from the professor’s record player.
As Lupin closed the door behind them, he said, “Study hall. Feel free to complete the assignment. Or don’t. It won’t be graded.”
…
Ever since Cillian learned about transfiguration, he had studied it religiously. He was only in second year, but he was more than capable of doing things way above his grade level. He couldn’t turn a desk into a piano, but he could easily turn an ugly looking shirt into a stylish crop top. (Which he did. Often.)
Clothes were the only thing that Cillian really cared about transfiguring. Why bother buying new suits or robes when he could just transfigure new ones? His family was lower income, so learning how to properly transfigure everything in his wardrobe was surprisingly very useful.
He was more than used to being complimented (mostly by girls) for his clothes, even if they were just slightly stylized robes. Even some older students were asking him where he got his clothes, or– if they knew him well enough –if he would mind transfiguring something for them.
Due to his niche practice, he was often critical of people’s clothes, and more specifically, when people complained about them. Professor Lupin didn’t complain about things, but Cillian still wondered about his tattered robes.
There were more than plenty of rumors about how the professor must be very poor. Cillian hated to spread rumors like that, but they were based in reality, he thought. Aside from his clothes, most of the man’s possessions seemed very used. He didn’t mind as much as other students did. It wasn’t really a big deal, Cillian thought.
But still, Cillian couldn’t help but ask Professor Lupin a question. He waited until the end of class (he wasn’t disruptive enough to try and ask it during class, especially because he knew it would result in people either making fun of him, or maybe even the professor himself).
Everyone else had left the classroom, and Professor Lupin could definitely tell that Cillian was hanging back. Cillian walked up to the Professor, a little nervous, but he knew the professor probably wouldn’t mind. (He had heard about plenty of interactions that other students had had with the man, and was more than sure that the professor could be told or asked anything, and would still react in a kind and relaxed way.)
“How are you, Cillian?” the professor asked.
“Oh, good, thanks. I just have a kind of weird question, if that’s, um, okay?”
The professor gave a polite smile and nod. “Of course. Always happy to answer any questions– however odd they may be.”
Cillian was still a bit nervous, but he went ahead anyway– it would’ve been too late to change his mind, anyhow. “Why do you keep all your robes tattered and used? Sorry, that sounds so rude– it’s just… You’re a powerful wizard, and something as easy as transfiguration can’t be that difficult, right? Especially on clothes.”
Professor Lupin stepped back a bit and then sat on his stool, with a slightly amused expression on his face. “That’s a wonderful question, Cillian. One that most wouldn’t even begin to think about.”
(Cillian didn’t know if he was meant to respond, and even if he was, he didn’t know what to say, so he stayed silent.)
“The answer may be a bit disappointing, I will say,” the professor chuckled. “It’s all just a style choice, I suppose. The same way you choose to transfigure your own clothes– very impressive, by the way. Many seventh years wouldn’t have the same initiative to apply their knowledge to the real world.”
“Er, thanks, professor.”
“Anytime.”
“So…you don’t mind when people just assume you’re poor? I mean, surely you’ve heard some students say it, right?”
“I don’t mind at all. The rumors could always be about something much worse. When I was younger, I dressed a bit differently, haha. I guess the older I get, the less I care about stuff like that.”
Cillian almost felt a bit bad at the man’s last statement. “You’re not that old…”
“Sure feels like it.” The man paused, leaving silence (not uncomfortable silence, just silence) to fill the room for a few moments. “Any other questions?”
“Oh, er, no. Thanks for answering…the other professors probably wouldn’t answer a personal question like that. They aren’t as cool as you are,” he lightly joked.
…
Ambrose and their friend group (consisting of a rather large seven other people– Aki, Andrea, Dewin, Olympia, Ember, Spencer, and Sage) often hung around Professor Lupin’s classroom after the man’s last class of the day. The friend group often stayed there for anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, just hanging out and talking to the professor. The man didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, and only ever kicked them out if he was extremely busy or his presence was requested by other teachers.
Ambrose and their friends were so close, they had even figured out the man’s secret. It wasn’t that hard to find out the man was a werewolf. Ambrose was the one that realized first, after the third full moon of the year. (“Guys…think about it. Don’t be stupid. The man is a werewolf.”) All eight of them quickly decided that fact didn’t really matter, it didn’t change much about the man.
It was clear that Lupin found out about them knowing about the secret. He barely said anything about it, other than a lighthearted joke. (“Sorry I couldn’t talk to you guys yesterday. I was still tired from my little furry problem.” When the man said that, Andrea spit out her drink. They all laughed after that.)
On this particular day, they were all talking about some of Hogwarts’s mysteries. They had stumbled on the topic of the Shrieking Shack.
“I’m sorry, but out of all my seven years here, I have heard zero proof that even begins to suggest that the shack is haunted,” Ember began.
“There is a huge ass squid in the lake– I can believe some stupid shack in Hogsmeade is haunted,” Olympia countered.
“Well,” Ambrose started. “Do you know who was here back in the origin days of the shack? Our favorite, Professor Lupin.” Ambrose used their wand and some nonverbal magic to create a miniature spotlight on the man. “Any insight, professor?”
The man smiled. “Thank you for the spotlight, Ambrose. Very lovely. I would say that the Shrieking Shack is most definitely, undoubtedly, haunted.”
Olympia clapped. “Exactly! He gets it.”
“Woah, woah, woah, I think we need some hard proof here,” Aki interrupted. He began to hold his wand up to his mouth, as if it were a microphone. “Can you enlighten us, professor, on your experience with the shack? Or are you lying to try and scare us?” He shifted his makeshift microphone towards Lupin. “You have the floor.”
Lupin chuckled. “I can say that I have seen ghosts, dementors, I think I’ve seen inferi. Vampires too. You’d be shocked what resides in that shack.”
They all knew the professor was joking, but he said it in such a genuine manner that all they could do was smile, laugh, and urge him to continue.
“My spine is shivering, oh my god, professor,” Dewin said, with an impressive amount of mock seriousness.
“What’s worse,” the professor added, “is that I’ve seen plenty of stray animals there too. I’m talking rats, dogs, even stags. It is truly haunted. I hope you have all been staying away from it.”
“And have any other teachers seen the same horrors you have?” Ambrose asked.
“I hope not,” the man replied. “Maybe Snape, if you dare ask him.”
“Oh hell no. Never ask that man anything. Ever,” Sage interrupted. “One time I asked him if I could ask a question about one of our homework assignments and he said no. I didn’t even ask the actual question! He is literally the head of my house, isn't he supposed to be there for me?”
Spencer looked at her. “Isn’t that in the same week that you cursed all the cauldrons in his class?”
“Well, yeah, but still.”
“Anyhow,” Sage said. “Let’s say we broke into the shack– assuming it has locks –would we be murdered within minutes? By the ghosts and inferi, obviously. Oh, and the rats. Rats are scary.”
“Definitely,” Lupin replied. “That’s why you all need to avoid it.”
“I’m so happy we have a teacher like you that shares so much wisdom– for free,” Aki said.
“Always happy to share my wisdom. You can all count on me,” Lupin smiled.