Queen of Disaster | 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

Chapter 06

"What classes did you take this year, anyway? Anything new?" Layla asked Diana after dinner, as everyone started to get up from the tables and leave the Great Hall.

"No, nothing new," Diana replied. "Other than the classes we all have to take, I have Divination and Ancient Runes; just like the last two years."

"I understand why you took Divination; we can get an Outstanding from it easily by just making stuff up. But Ancient Runes? Really?"

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Diana scoffed. "You took Muggle Studies!"

"So what? I think it's actually good to know about different perspectives on certain matters in the world." Layla shrugged casually.

    Those days, the Slytherin house was filled with prejudice people, coming from families that supported the Dark Lord's idea of Blood Purity, and how wizards and witches were superior to the rest.

Layla was one of the few Slytherins back then who couldn't care less about such things. And she wasn't even afraid of making her ideas heard and known, despite what the others thought about her.

"You always you said that you wanted to become a Potioneer in the future. What does that have to do with Muggle perspectives?" Diana asked bitterly as the two girls left the Great Hall, making their way across the entrance hall through the sea of students.

"Muggles could have some interesting point of views when it comes to Potions too — even though they have no such thing as Potions," said Layla. "They've actually got some good ideas, you know."

"Such as?" Diana raised a brow at her, still not convinced that Muggle Studies was a useful class for someone who wants to pursue a career as Potion-brewer in the future.

"Dunno..." Layla said thoughtfully. "Like... scented lotions. Some potions that we have in Wizarding world for our skin smell disgusting. But Muggles actually give them different scents, like flowers and stuff. I think that's pretty useful."

Diana opened her mouth to reply, but they both came to a halt and stopped in the entrance hall when a voice far behind them called out, "Hey! Wait up!"

Diana closed her eyes in annoyance, taking in a breath. "If it's Evan, I'm gonna kill myself."

But Layla, who had already turned around to see who it was, only grinned. "We've got a tall cutie with brown eyes approaching."

Her eyes widening, Diana briskly turned around. She turned even paler than she always was when she saw that it was Remus Lupin, making his way over them through the crowd of students.

"Oh, bullocks..." Diana mumbled under her breath.

     She then quickly turned on her heels to make a run for it down the marble staircase, but Layla caught ahold of her sleeve before she could even take a step, holding her back with a smirk.

"Let go!" Diana hissed at her in a quiet and yet threatening tone.

"Nah. I wanna see how this goes," Layla replied with amusement, her eyes on the Gryffindor boy as he finally reached them.

"Hello," Remus Lupin started, looking between the two girls.

"Hey, gorgeous." Layla winked at him flirtatiously, just to see his reaction.

She then smiled in satisfaction when the boy blinked a few times, his cheeks turning pink. But he tried ignoring her as he turned to face Diana.

For a few short seconds he stared at her in silence, as though trying to read through her thoughts, before clearing his throat.

"Here's — here's your Charms book. You left it at the book store," he said awkwardly, handing it to Diana as he tried to avoid Layla's eyes and her grin.

Diana held his gaze for a moment longer before taking the book from him in a quick motion. At long last, she nodded at him once as she muttered a small 'thank you'. And then soon after, she walked down the marble staircase without saying another word.

Diana had tried to seem as cold and casual as possible, but the truth was, she couldn't remember the last time her heart was beating this loudly.

***

"Diana! Oi!" Layla called after her friend as she rushed down to the dungeons. "What was that all about?"

Diana gave her a look as the two made their way toward the Slytherin common room. "Have you forgotten what I told you about him? About what happened at Diagon Alley?"

"Look, he really doesn't seem like the type to harm anyone in any way," Layla reasoned. "I mean, I winked at him once and he nearly melted down, for crying out loud! I've never seen anyone blush this hard in my entire life!"

"Then what do you suggest happened?" Diana stopped walking, turning to face Layla as she crossed her arms. "What explanation is there?"

"Dunno." Layla shrugged with a mischievous grin. "Maybe it was love at first sight and you're just too tense to know the difference between a jinx and feeling butterflies in your stomach."

If looks could kill, Layla would be six feet under ground right now.

"I'm not in love with him!" Diana snapped, before sighing. "Look... You don't understand. The feeling was... horrible. It was horrifying! It felt cold. Dark. Lonely. Even painful. But — I wasn't the one in pain — I just felt the emotions that someone feels when they are constantly in pain."

Layla stared at her blankly. "Yeah... that didn't make any sense."

Diana shook her head, letting out a breath. "Forget it. Let's just go get some sleep. It's been a long day."

The Slytherin common room was located behind a bare stretch of stone wall in the dungeons. After saying the password, a passage was revealed to them. Diana couldn't wait to go up her dorm and sleep her headache away.

As always, a fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them. Diana threw a glance at the familiar long and low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains.

Once Layla and Diana walked up to their usual dorm which they shared with three other girls, they saw that their trunks had been brought up magically, along with Layla's owl cage.

      Already tired from the long day of traveling and full from the feast, they both soon changed into their pajamas and got to bed.