nine - no wiggling out of this one

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APR, 1976
DUMBLEDORE'S OFFICE

Remus turned his head to watch Camilla leave, her torn, dusty robes billowing out like a black, vengeful cloud behind her

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Remus turned his head to watch Camilla leave, her torn, dusty robes billowing out like a black, vengeful cloud behind her. Her fists were balled up tightly, a telltale sign of the fury she wanted to unleash. In that moment, he was very glad the Headmaster had asked him to stay behind.

"Mr Lupin." Then suddenly, he wasn't. Dumbledore's expression made Remus wince and stiffen in his seat, like if he stayed strong physically, he could weather the storm about to hit him.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I'm very disappointed." Remus almost smiled. He had been waiting for those words to be uttered by the Headmaster, and had repeated them so many times in his head already they'd lost meaning. "I could expect this sort of violent behaviour from Miss Sanders. She is from a strictly oppressive home in these darkening days. But I should have thought that with all we do to help you with your lycanthropy, you would be more careful stay underneath the radar. Especially on the night of the full moon." Dumbledore folded his hands across the table serenely, with a stern gaze focused on Remus. The sixteen-year old glanced nervously at the clock, even though he knew there was still hours until moonrise.

"Then I don't think putting Camilla and I into one room is a good idea, Professor." He grit his teeth in annoyance. "That is the total opposite of 'under the radar'. She'll attack me in the first half hour!"

"I won't hear it, Mr Lupin. You've all caused too much damage over these four months," he rebuffed, raising an eyebrow, challenging him to argue that. Of course, Remus frowned regretfully, thinking back to all the people that had been injured. He hadn't hurt anyone personally, but he remembered seeing Bellatrix and Rosier go slightly overboard in their violence. Sirius had also been in the Hospital Wing twice and Peter three times.

"I know, Professor," Remus sighed, putting his head in his hands and sinking back into his seat. "I know, believe me. But you just can't make Camilla and I work together! She'll make it misery for everyone and probably make her cronies do her work for her-"

"You have no need to worry," Dumbledore interrupted cooly, an amused twinkle in his eye, "I will place a powerful anti-cheating spell on the book you will be writing. Not even Miss Sander's considerable skill will be able to break it." As he peered over his spectacles knowingly, Remus understood there would be no changing the Headmaster's mind for anything, not even bribery of muggle sweets, which he seemed to have a penchant for. No form of persuasion would sway his decision, so there was no use fighting. "Now I think it's best for you to go and get ready for the evening ahead, don't you?"

"Yessir," Remus mumbled quietly, rising from his plush seat. He glanced at the grand clock once more before walking from the room with a quick, clipped gait unnatural to his long legs. He couldn't believe what Dumbledore was doing. Putting him and Camilla in a room and telling them to work together would not get them to actually work together like a normal, civilised witch and wizard. It wasn't a new form of magic that would make them automatically get along! Remus finally let his scowl show as he marched back to the common room, wiping blood from his face with his sleeve and probably only succeeding in smearing it across his forehead and cheeks even more.

Then Remus swore. Under his breath at first, but then louder and louder until it rolled off his tongue as easily as his sarcastic humour. He returned to the common room dreading the next night fervently.

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