Dirty Little Game ♠ Professor Lupin

Nine: Birthday Present

We stopped at the edge of the lake. The trees shielded us from the prying eyes of others. Lupin spread his coat on the grass so I could sit down without getting my clothes dirty. He lay down next to me.

Each of us admired different views. I was looking at the landscape changing colours under the rays of the sun and he was watching me. I could feel his eyes on my body. I liked it. It boosted my confidence, knowing he found me attractive. He was looking at me as if I was some godly statue.

"I can feel your gaze on me." I said without turning around.

"But you can't hear my thoughts, can you?"

"Nope. Why don't you tell me about them?"

I heard that he rose from the ground. Soon after, he brushed my hair back to whisper in my ear "You are the most magnificent thing God has ever made."

Although it wasn't cold, I shivered. I didn't expect him to have such an effect on me. I couldn't help but smile. "You can't tell me such things and expect me to do nothing."

"Oh." He gasped. "I didn't know my words affected you so much..."

I had no idea how he was doing it. I felt drawn to him although it was in no way logical. I was able to admit that he didn't look too bad. The mere fact that he was at least a decade older than me, and I found him handsome, was surprising. What was even more surprising was that I wasn't repelled by his material situation or social position. I wasn't myself.

"If you don't stop, I'm gonna kiss you." It didn't sound like a threat in any way.

"What a cruel punishment." He joked but moved away.

I don't know how much time we spent there, with Lupin it seemed to go slower. Nobody disturbed us, we were alone and we had all the time of this world to ourselves. He did all the talking. It turned out he once was a prankster, and he and his friends did many things that outshone even the Weasley twins. It was hard for me to believe - the man in front of me was not like the spontaneous, roguish boy he was talking about. I wondered what happened to him in his life that changed him so much.

One of the reasons may have been his health. I noticed he was feeling worse when the new week began. He was turning pale and nervous, and seemed more tired than usual. I saw him try to disguise it. During our lesson, he didn't walk among the students, preferring to stay at his desk. He even appeared to eat less during meals in the Great Hall.

I brought it up to him during one of my visits to his private quarters, but he waved it off.

"It is common for a human to lose their appetite when they are sick." He admonished me, without taking his eyes off the book I gave him. He was already reading it when I came to see him.

"Eating well usually helps with illness." I insisted. Lupin was already lean, reducing his meals wouldn't help him in any way.

"It's sweet that you care for me, darling, but there's no need for that."

We were lying on opposite ends of the couch, touching each other with our feet to fit in a small space. I tapped him with my leg so that he finally looked at me. "You have to start taking care of yourself. Until then, I'll do it for you."

That's why the next evening I came with a tray of food and herbs in my bag.

"What are those?" He asked as he consumed one of the sandwiches. He was pointing to a small jar I had put on the counter.

"A mixture of herbs." I replied, boiling the water. Unlike him, I used magic to do it. "Hibiscus, echinacea, elderflower and some ginger."

"I didn't know you were a herbalist."