GOSSIP GIRL. ( remus lupin )

ᴄʜᴀᴘɪᴛʀᴇ ᴅɪx﹣sᴇᴘᴛ

        MUCH TO HER IRRITATION, Estelle had woken up with sore legs the morning after Alyssa Violet's party, which was obviously the side effect to the dancing she had done the previous night. Biting her lower lip frustration, she limped up the stairs towards the Ravenclaw Tower, wishing more than anything that she hadn't put so much pressure on her limbs. She had been dragging herself around the castle all day, unable to go to the Hospital Wing because of her extremely cramped schedule. Right now all she could hope is that she would be able to rest in her dormitory before starting on the homework that she had been assigned.

Huffing, the French girl pressed her back against the wall on the seventh floor, blowing a strand of her dark brown hair that was falling out of its previously neat plait. Ignoring the aching in her legs, she allowed herself to stay there for a moment, shutting her eyes closed and wondering if it really was time to visit the Hospital Wing.

"Estelle!"

The said girl's eyes snapped open and swiveled in the direction of the voice.

Remus Lupin was hurrying towards the French girl, and the faintest ghost of a smile crossed Estelle's lips as she noted how frantic Lupin was ─ apparently he needed to talk about something extremely important. Estelle's lips thinned as she wondered if the Marauders had found a new lead on Aguillar. Erasing the thoughts from her mind, she plastered a small smile onto her face as she stared at the slightly puffing boy in front of her.

"Lupin," she nodded coolly and glanced out of a nearby window. "You seem to have a certain level of franticness to talk to me."

As she stared blankly at a waving tree outside the window, she didn't notice that the tip of Remus's ears went pink. "Um, yes." he coughed to hide his stutter. He followed Estelle's stare to the pristine window that was allowing sunlight to stream into the corridor and quickly turned his gaze back to the blank-faced girl. "Well, you've been hard to catch this day for some reason."

Estelle turned to him, an eyebrow arched in casual interest. "For some reason, you say? I wonder what."

The tips of Remus's ears were dangerously close to reaching the red zone. Biting down on his bottom lip he tried to think up of a smart way to answer Estelle's cool response. "You've kind of been disappearing into the crowds. Almost like you have an Invisibility Cloak."

Estelle's mind instantly went back to seeing the four footprints in the snow on her date with Sebastian. A wry smile took over her lips. "Interesting. I don't have one, but it certainly would be useful."

It would, especially with her red envelope deliveries. She knew that she had not delivered a warning letter to any students since Remus had gone to her requesting assistance. As she deftly looked at the werewolf who was staring at the window, she knew it must seem to him that the infamous Gossip Girl must be lying low.

Meanwhile, Remus was wondering how to keep the conversation alive as he plucked up the courage to ask the question that had been nagging him the past few hours. "So where's Lily?"

"In the library studying, I presume," Estelle replied, nonplussed. She turned to Remus, her eyes twinkling in slight amusement. "Or being pestered by Potter. Perhaps both." Remus let out a nervous chuckle and Estelle crossed her arms. "What about you? It's rather strange that you are alone."

Remus coughed nervously. "I managed to ─ er ─ getaway."

Even more amusement lined Estelle's face as she peered at the werewolf. "Difficult job, I suppose?" she let out a breathy laugh that sped up Remus's heartbeat. "But really, Remus, I think you have a question you would like to ask me. Just spit it out."