nineteen (i) - couldn't care less

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JUN, 1976
DADA CLASSROOM

JUN, 1976DADA CLASSROOM

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Remus was bone tired. How only a few months ago had he had enough energy to engage in literal battle with seven of the most dangerous witches and wizards in Slytherin in the hours before a full moon? Concentrated indignation? Pure adrenaline? Only Merlin knew. He had a feeling deep inside that tonight would be rough. It would be his last transformation before going home, but at least he wouldn't be alone.

Currently, the four Marauders were standing just outside the DADA room preparing for a short practical test to cap off yesterday's exam. By chance, he'd been seated two rows behind Camilla in the hall. Remus had intended to try and speak to her afterwards, but got too distracted by the question on werewolves that he was too late and she'd vanished. Thankfully, James appeared to be done playing with that infernal snitch, but the alternative was seeing him moody and unfocused, more concentrated on planning further revenge against Severus (as if yesterday hadn't been harsh enough) than passing his test. Last night, Lily had been distraught, absolutely furious. As pissed as she was with James, she and Remus were still on good terms, the reason she confided in him that Snape had never called her a Mudblood before, and that she 'certainly won't be speaking to the bastard ever again'. He understood why, and definitely would've been surprised if she'd forgiven him for something like that. Up till now, Severus had at least been respectful to her. Remus spotted Lily standing across the hall, eyebrows scrunched up as she pored over a book, wand slightly raised as she mouthed defensive spells.

Remus' eyes drifted to James, who was brooding and twirling his wand around his hand like a baton, Peter, who was getting himself into a bit of a state about the test, and Sirius, who was making fun of him. Then across the sea of fifth-year students, they landed on Camilla. Once he would have averted his eyes immediately, too focused on the test to get into a bubble of annoyance about the arrogant red-head. Instead, Remus noticed how uncharacteristically pale her face appeared, and the nervous way she played with the cuff of her robes, and her fingernails, skin red and raw, as if she'd bitten them down to the quick. She was more physically agitated than Remus had ever seen her. Camilla's green eyes flashed to his and he looked away quickly.

"Quit it, Padfoot," he snapped distractedly at Sirius, who'd taken Peter's notes and was now holding them above his head, grinning. What was Camilla so clearly anxious about? She was one of the best. He knew, because he'd fought her.

"Anything for you, Moony," Sirius declared, voice dripping with sarcasm. Remus rolled his eyes. But he stopped tormenting the bright red Peter, handing back the slightly crumpled sheets as the door to the classroom creaked open and the teacher within began calling out names.

"See you when I've passed, boys," James said, clapping them on the shoulders as he was summoned to the door before the rest of them. Remus figured students were being called in order of seat number in the hall as several of the people that sat rows ahead of him filed after James. Meaning he, Peter and Sirius would go in together. And Camilla.

"Padfoot," he said lowly, attracting Sirius' attention. "D'you think Camilla looks nervous?" The black haired boy's face grew perplexed, glancing around the corridor to find the redhead.

"Sure, a bit. And... why do we care?" he asked. The question baffled Remus a little.

"We don't," he snapped defensively. That earned him narrowed eyes, but mostly disinterest for the next twenty minutes as Remus became absorbed in trying not to look at Camilla. They had a weird, tenuous kind of relationship now that they didn't bitterly hate each other, which was becoming increasingly uncomfortable in daily life given how he'd neglected to tell his three best friends.

The door to the classroom opened with that horrendous croaking noise and out filed the students, some grinning, but more than a few seriously perturbed. To all of their surprise, one of them was James. As he passed, Sirius clapped his back and was immediately shrugged off.

"Woah," Sirius protested, "what's with the cold shoulder?"

"It can't have been that bad, Prongs. You love DADA," Remus added, suddenly concerned about what was in that room. Anything that put James in a mood like this after practical DADA had to be either incredibly difficult or incredibly upsetting. Stowing his wand inside his robes, James adopted a sheepish expression.

"I can't really say anything." But before he turned to depart down the hall, he mouthed boggart to them. That set Peter off in a panic of course, dropping his notes all over the floor in the hurry to find the ones on boggarts, but it was too late and Remus had to drag him down the corridor after Sirius to the classroom once their names were called. A boggart certainly explained why so many people had been uneasy on the way out, but anxiety started to gnaw deep in his bones. The werewolf in the room knew exactly what his would be. Even his Padfoot and Wormtail were glancing nervously at him now, as they slowly realised at the same time what this would mean. Cool sweat broke down Remus' back, accompanied by suddenly clammy hands and existential dread.

The classroom's setup was very simple; on one side there was a smoking metal dummy, dripping in some kind of acid from the group before, and on the other, a giant, rattling wardrobe. The latter drew most of the attention when the other students began to realise what they would be facing before the rest of the class: their greatest fears.

I'm fine, Remus told himself as the groups were ushered into two lines, separating him from Sirius and Peter and placing him next to precisely the person he couldn't deal with now he knew what they were facing. He could imagine the names she would call him when she inevitably figured it out. Mutt. Half-breed. Monster. Now that they were stood so close to each other she was difficult to ignore; in particular how her fists clenched even with her back to him. What in Merlin's name was she so nervous for? Remus had just assumed the witch wasn't afraid of anything. His theory was soon to be tested.

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