Ad Infinitum (Remus Lupin X Reader)

X • Incubi

X • Incubi • Nightmares

I woke up covered in sweat, my heart pounding. I buried my face in my hands with a sigh. The nightmares were vivid, so realistic that it was hard to believe that they really were nightmares. The way the wind whistled through the open door, the crimson blood on the wolf's muzzle, the smell of blood in the air-

"Oh my God," I mumbled to myself, knotting my fingers in my hair. Usually, I forgot the nightmares, but ones like this always stayed. The graphic ones that felt too real and put me right back in time, back to that night when I was so helpless.

I climbed out of bed and checked the clock, seeing that it was the middle of the night. There was no way I was going back to sleep, not after what I had already dreamed. I had expected nightmares after the Boggart but I was hopeful that they wouldn't be all that bad.

With a sigh, I dragged myself into the bathroom and splashed my face with frigid water, gasping at the shock. I dried my face and returned to my bedroom, lighting a candle and setting it on my desk.

If I couldn't sleep, I would at least do something productive. I pulled out one of my many books in Latin and held it close to the candlelight, whispering the words to myself as I read.

***

"Goodmorning," I mumbled tiredly as I entered Professor Lupin's classroom.

"Goodmorning, Miss Y/L/N," he said, not looking up at me from his desk. "I asked around and found a spare desk for you so that we don't have to share one anymore." He inclined his head toward a smaller wooden desk, which had a mismatched chair pushed up behind it.

"I don't know if I should be grateful or offended," I said and approached the desk, dropping my bag beside it.

"Thankful, I'd hope," he said. "Feel free to make it your own. Then you won't have to carry your bag around anymore."

"Thanks," I said with a small frown. "So, is this the way things are going to be now?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You haven't even looked at me since I've arrived. I understand if you don't want much to do with me, but I didn't think it was going to be this excessive," I said.

"It wasn't intentional," he said, looking up at me momentarily. "I was busy grading."

"Never have you spoken to me without making eye contact," I said. "I seem to recall you taking issue with my lack of eye contact."

Lupin sighed, pressing his fingers into his temples. "What exactly do you want from me, Miss Y/L/N?"

"I want you to be mature about this. You were the one who decided this was how things had to be, so you should be the one being mature," I said, sitting down at my desk and pulling out my things from my bag. The chair creaked.

"I see," he said. "I apologize."

I shook my head and scoffed, opening my textbook.

"Ah, now that's mature," he commented stiffly.

"Excuse me?"

"Scoffing like a temperamental teenager," he said. "That's really just the height of maturity."

"And the petty comments? Can I just compliment that? Because that is certainly mature."

"I'm sure," he said snippily, shooting me a sharp look. "Merlin, did you even sleep last night? You look exhausted."

"Why would you care?" I asked, meeting his gaze challengingly. "Don't get too invested, Professor. It could be bad for the kids."

"Miss Y/L/N, please be reasonable."