Dirty Little Game ♠ Professor Lupin

Twenty eight: All About You

One day I just looked at Remus Lupin and knew: in exactly four days there will be a full moon.

Since I found out his little secret, I started to pay special attention to a little column of the Daily Prophet called 'Mrs. Floop's Astrological Stars'. The phases of the moon were marked there. Within a few months, I was able to learn the pattern of Remus' worsening health.

There are no significant symptoms till four days before full moon. Only someone who had been paying attention to him for a considerable amount of time would have noticed them. His skin is one shade paler and tired lines appear around his eyes. Three days before, he looks like he hasn't slept a minute during the night, he starts to walk a bit hunched over. Then he has bags under his eyes, delicate at first, but darkening the day before the full moon. He starts to get tired after walking down the stairs and eats much less than usual.

I never saw him on the actual full moon day, he always went missing for the whole day. He showed up at school and it looked as if he had been hit by something just moments before. As if every body movement hurt him.

I remember seeing Oliver Wood return from the hospital wing in my second year after a brutal match against Slytherin in which the boy shattered his arm and a few ribs, as well as injured many other parts of his body. For a week he walked exactly the same way Remus did when he showed up at school. As if he broke every bone in his body and was careful with every step he took so that he wouldn't fall apart.

I watched him struggle for three months and every time I saw him, it hurt even more. I couldn't stand it any longer this time. It was the very day he went into hiding, that fateful day. While Remus was alone going through a nightmare, I was with a group of clueless teenagers attempting to concoct some useless elixir.

I may or may not have brewed the potion wrongly on purpose.

"Miss Jenkins!" roared Snape, his anger visible in his eyes as he looked at me. "I have no words for you. You didn't seem to learn anything from your last detention, so you'll be doing it again."

I felt a smile appear on my face. I hastily bit the inside of my cheek trying to stop it.

Wilton mumbled something about Snape's injustice but I didn't pay attention to him at all. I got exactly what I wanted.

I appeared in Snape's office in a very good mood which I tried to hide from him. He would certainly think me mad if I showed up with a smile on my face. He let me in and didn't say a word, just pointed to the seat I was supposed to take.

He had to be upset with me. Not because I was a rude student, but because my performance fell short of his standards. I was his best student of the year and being in his house just added to his pride.

As I suspected, my job was to brew the Wolfsbane Potion again. I had no problem with it, although it was an extremely demanding potion. I knew what I was doing this for. Or rather who I was doing this for.

When I did what I came here for, I didn't move. I had a plan in mind, a crazy one.

I watched Snape fill the vial over my cauldron and as soon as the liquid got inside I remembered the sight. I was stupid, I was blind. Remus once showed me exactly the same vial, saying it was a cure for his relapsing disease. It wasn't quite a lie, I had to admit.

"Professor Snape." I spoke, "Can I be the one to bring the potion to him?"

The man froze. He stared at me with wide eyes. I didn't know what he expected, after all, he was trying so hard to let the students know that there was a werewolf among them.

"You're not a lost cause after all." He muttered, regaining his composure. "For what reason?"

What I said barely got through my throat. It was obvious, however, that Snape had no sympathy for people like him, so I had to play along. "I want to confront him. I think I deserve some explanation."