Queen of Disaster | 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

Chapter 71

After Regulus left Diana's side to return to the Slytherin common room, she had to overcome the dilemma of following Regulus away, or to go back to the Quidditch pitch where Remus was.

Regulus's words had somehow made her heart beat faster as she thought of the possibilities. Until that point, she had been too stubborn to admit it even to herself that she liked Remus Lupin. But when she heard herself talk about him out loud, it was as though a flame was started inside her heart which she couldn't possibly put out. Diana liked him more than she'd thought she would ever like anyone, and the feeling was somewhat foreign to her.

So, with a deep breath to keep her encouraged, Diana got back to the Quidditch field, walking up the stands toward where Remus was sitting with a book in one hand and a half-eaten chocolate bar in the other.

"Want a guest?" Diana called out to Remus as she approached him, catching his attention.

At the usual sight of her, Remus's face suddenly brightened, his smile widening as he closed his book. "Hi — I mean — yeah, take a seat, if you like."

Still in her green Quidditch robes, Diana sat beside him, setting her broom down bellow her feet. Her curly blonde hair was messier than ever after today's flying practice and the tip of her nose had turned slightly red due to the cold weather.

"So... how long have you been sitting here?" Diana asked, trying to hide any sign of nervousness from her face, though she wasn't doing a good job at all.

If Remus hadn't been so nervous himself, he would have certainly seen it in her awkward smile or the way she was playing with her fingers anxiously.

"Not long." Remus shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

He had been sitting there ever since the beginning of their Quidditch practice, among with other Slytherin students who had shown up as well to watch.

"I actually come here a lot. It's a good place to read," said Remus. It wasn't exactly a lie, but that wasn't the case today. He had come to see her practice, stealing glances at her every once in a while from over his book. She had looked beautiful with her flushed cheeks and the wind tousling her hair as she flew.

"Oh... right." Diana forced a little smile, looking away.

Regulus was wrong after all, she thought, mad at herself that she believed for a second that he actually liked her. But she was also mad that she was feeling disappointed.

"Anyway, I should better get going. The Gryffindors' practice will start any moment now and they'll think I'm here to spy on them," said Diana, getting up to her feet with a nervous chuckle.

But before she could take even take one step, Remus briskly reached out and grabbed ahold of her wrist, holding her back.

"Stay," he said briskly, but then cleared his throat and let go of her hand, going on a bit more calmly, "If you want, of course. The Gryffindors' practice won't start for another thirty minutes."

"All right," Diana muttered after a short pause, sitting back down.

      "I'm actually glad you're here. There's something I needed to talk to you about," said Remus, speaking more quietly after he threw a glance behind his shoulder to make sure they were alone. "You — you haven't told anyone about my — er — about my condition, have you?"

     "No. Of course not."

     "Thanks..." said Remus, looking relieved. "Cause, you know... not everyone's going to be okay with someone like me studying at the same school as them."