The Stars and Forbidden Cigarettes | Professor Remus Lupin

Exceeds Expectations

The rest of the week passes by like the previous one, with Lupin never looking at her in class, with Reverie's hand rising and falling dejectedly every class period, with another paper assigned, and with no guidance whatsoever as to what constitutes a good one and why Reverie's was poor. Just looking at him makes her want to scream in annoyance.

On Thursday, Reverie has her third detention with Lupin, and her blood is already boiling when she opens the door and sees him sitting at his desk at the other end of the room. He doesn't look up at her as she walks to her table at the front, not 2 meters from his own desk, and she sits down and slams her DADA textbook on the table. He doesn't flinch and instead continues to read. Reverie pulls out a scroll of parchment and her quill, but she can't write a single word on the paper.

After what feels like ages of reading about Chameleon Ghouls, she looks up at Lupin.

"You know, it would be nice to have a professor who gives his students some indication as to what he's looking for in a good paper."

Lupin raises an eyebrow, glances up at Reverie, and looks back down to his book. Thinking he's reverted to ignoring her, she shakes her head in annoyance and looks back down at her empty paper.

"I found that your essay on werewolves was very illuminating," he says, without looking away from the page he was on.

Reverie's head shoots up then, and she sees he's frowning, as if confused by his book. Then he looks up towards the window.

"'Werewolves, in their wolfish form, lose all sense of right and wrong, forget who they are, would even kill their best friend if the opportunity arises,'' he recites, and Reverie's eyes widen at the implication that he memorized what she wrote.

He continues. "'But, in their period of transformation, under exceptional circumstances, they still have the moral sense to spare those for whom they have strong feelings, strong enough to pervade through the changing. During this period, these strong feelings aren't defined, the fine line between love and hate blurred, but it only lasts until the transformation is complete. Nevertheless, this disproves claims that werewolves suffer a loss of permanent moral sense, irregardless of if they are in human or wolf form.'" Finishing reciting, Lupin turns to face her fully now, as if trying to read her.

Reverie stares back at him, and she notices his eyes look clouded but simultaneously clear as he looks at her. Suddenly, he rises, his eyes only leaving hers to take a paper off of the top of a stack, and he walks around the desk.

Reverie straightens in her seat as he approaches her, her heartbeat confusingly and abnormally erratic, and her eyes are glued to his when he reaches her. He looks down at her and her visible distress, and he places the paper down on the desk.

She looks down at it, and on the top, there is a big, red E for Exceeds Expectations.

"A challenge, Miss Castill. That's what you're good at: challenging norms, challenging opinions, challenging people. That's what was missing before."

Reverie looks up to find him slightly frowning down at her, trying to figure her out. She breaks the silence.

"Emerett Picardy is a relatively easy bloke to challenge, his awful Lupine Lawlessness shit practically begs to be contradicted."

Lupin laughs, genuinely laughs, and nods.

"Language, Miss Castill, but yes, I can't help but agree."

Reverie feigns astonishment. "Professor Lupin, agreeing with me?"

Lupin slightly frowns. "As strongly opinionated as you might be, I fear you may be fighting for the right side, and that makes disagreeing with you terribly unfortunate for me."