𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 58

CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH PANDORA IS
AMBUSHED

. . .

Horace Slughorn may definitely not be the favourite professor of many at Hogwarts, on account of his tendencies to play favourites in the most obvious of ways, but he knew how to throw a party. Or, Remus to say, for someone of his age, stature and attitude, the party that he walked into alongside Pandora Rosier, it was possibly that this was the best outcome for a Slug Club party.

He believed that the room used was the Potion Master's office, although he had never quite seen a teacher's office so large, and Slughorn had certainly gone to the efforts to ensure that it didn't look anything like it's usual setting. The deary effects had been reduced almost completely, with curtains of silk and chiffon that looked like flowing water, tables piled high with food and fountains of melted chocolate, several waiter-less trays with goblet of glittering liquid. The guests had all adhered to the immensley formal dress code, and Slughorn himself was in... some garment of dark green. 

Guests of Slughorn's own personal invitation that weren't currently students of the school included quite the range of characters, all of which Pandora seemed to recognise from once place or another. A former student named Eldred Worple who obsessed over vampires and now lived with them, which was also shown by his own esteemed guest, a lanky man with dark under eyes that was an actual vampire named Sanguini, who didn't look the slighest bit amused by what was going on aaround him. A woman in bright red that seemed to jump every time a weasly man (who quite honestly looked as though he could be related to Peter) took a photo on a Muggle camera, and seemingly a crowd more that Slughorn was slowly making his way around.

James was already pestering Lily, Sirius by his side and shovelling chocolate covered food into the plate that Peter carried. He rolled his eyes when the Pettigrew nudged him and pointed out the latest arrival, but he wasn't the only one to have caught it. 

"I think I shall make a lap of the room." Pandora hummed, pulling her arm away from his. The loss of lace gloves on his palms made his skin itch and Remus swallowed. "It'll give you a chance to see your friends... perhaps inform someone the plans for this holiday."

"I thought we'd agreed to not read my mind." Remus called after her; but it was too late, Pandora was already swanning away.

She collected a glass of whatever drink Slughorn had decided to serve, fingers tightening around the curve of the glass as she took a sip and found that, with a slight delight, it tasted of pineapple and had the same sweetness of butterbeer but with the tiniest twang of bitterness to it that proved there was in fact alcohol.

Good. She would need that to get her through the night. Pandora knew better than to get herself drunk, but the smallest intake of something that would get rid of the bundle of nerves in her stomach that would remain unadmitted as she looked around the party and tried her very hardest to come to terms with the idea of spending the rest of the evening with a group of people whom, bar one, she wasn't comfortable with. 

"Ah - Pandora." And perhaps the person she was intending to avoid conversation with happened to appear by her shoulder just as she promised to avoid his general vicinity. By thinking about it, she had somehow managed to conjure Slughorn up, away from his conversation with the vampire. "I was holding on hope that you would arrive, and here you are. I must say, you are a tricky one to get a hold of, it took me quite a while to ensure that you were there alongside James, Lily and Sirius."

"I'm always busy after our lessons, otherwise I would take longer to leave." Pandora replied, letting her eyes flit around the scene and try and find Remus. She faltered, stopping whatever the hell that was and returned her attention to her misbegotten teacher. She didn't need Remus to get her out of this scenario, let alone anything else. 

"Yes, yes, you NEWT students have far too much on your plate. Although I despite the crudeness I must resort to, I admit that your attendance is perhaps one I am most proud of. It has taken me several years to win around Sirius, yet here you are."

"My mother taught me not to refuse invitations. I had nothing better to do, so I had no reason not to accept." Pandora sipped on her drink, knwoing better than to waste her politeness on the fool of a teacher.

"Aha, so I am yet to win you around and you were merely benefiting from an event to reduce your boredom." Slughorn nodded. "I can accept that, however-"

"I must steal away my.. date, for a moment, Professor." Whether Pandora had regretted her choice to try and find her way out of there by using Remus as an excuse or not, he was there now. 

"Remus? I didn't expect you to be here!" Slughorn clapped a hand on his shoulder, his own drink sloshing over the rim of his cup. "And as Pandora's date... well I am surprised. Of course - of you go - enjoy the evening. I may attempt conversation later on - but who knows how many of these lovely little things I'll have drunk by then."

Pandora didn't stop Remus as he wrapped a hand around her own covered one and pulled her off into the crowds. For once since the beginning of his Christmas soirée, Slughorn was alone, and shaking his head as he took another glass from a floating tray.

"What an odd little couple." The professor shook his head, before letting out a chuckle as he took a sip of his drink. It was just a shame that the pineapple flavour now held the slightest bitter taste from the memories attached. It was reminiscent, he supposed, of the event held several decades previous to that very day. 

He didn't mind though; he had guests to entertain.

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