The Kingdom of MAE | George Weasley

Chapter Seven

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[CHAPTER SEVEN]
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"Nephthys, you coming?" said Ruby as she stood by the door with Belle and Ruth. The three girls looked at Nephthys expectantly.

"Go ahead without me," said Nephthys.

Ruby pursed her lips before she nodded, "Alright then."

"Don't take too long, Vincent wants to speak with you," said Belle. Nephthys smiled as she knew Belle was warning her.

"Belle!" hissed Ruby as she began to go through the door, "Why would you tell her that?"

Once the entire classroom was cleared out, Nephthys approached Professor Lupin's desk where he was going through some papers right before going to the Great Hall, she assumed. He must've heard her footsteps as he looked up when she got closer. She smiled awkwardly and he returned it, "Ms. Black. Shouldn't you be heading to the Great Hall?"

"I should," agreed Nephthys, "I just. . .wanted to give you this." Nephthys lifted a small paper bag and placed it gently on his desk. Professor Lupin's eyes flickered down at the bag and Nephthys released the handle, her hand falling to clasp the other one. She fiddled her fingers nervously, "I noticed you really like chocolate."

Professor Lupin reaches over and peeked inside the bag before he looked up at Nephthys, "Oh, Ms. Black, you didn't have to —"

"I know I didn't," said Nephthys, she added a little more enunciation to her words than she meant to, "They were actually a gift to me, but I'm not much of a chocolate person. Besides, my cousin hasn't been saying the best things about you. I'm sorry."

"Your cousin being Mr. Malfoy?" said Professor Lupin, "You don't need to worry about Mr. Malfoy, I don't take his words personal."

"And you shouldn't," said Nephthys, "But I still feel bad. I know that no matter how much you tell yourself that what someone thinks of you doesn't matter, words can still hurt. It's not just about Draco either. You can also think about it as a welcome gift. You're a much better professor than Lockhart and it's only the first day."

"Thank you," said Professor Lupin, "But from what I heard, Lockhart didn't set the standards too high."

"No, he did not," agreed Nephthys, "The standards were practically on the floor. He gave us quizzes on himself, all of which I failed because I didn't bother filling them out."

"I don't blame you," said Professor Lupin, "Thank you for the chocolate, Ms. Black."

"It really was no issue," said Nephthys, "Have a nice day, Professor." Nephthys rearranged her bag's strap as she walked out of the classroom.

Nephthys entered the Great Hall and walked over to where Blaise and Theodore were sitting, but not before she caught a glimpse of Draco with his arm in a sling. She furrowed her eyebrows as she sat down between the two boys, "What's going on with Mr. Dramatic over there?"

"You haven't heard?" said Theodore in mild surprise, "Draco got attacked by a hippogriff."

"How'd he get attacked by a hippogriff?"

"Hagrid's class — it was wild," said Theodore.

"Hmm. . ." Nephthys pursed her lips before she turned her head to face Blaise, who had been minding his business since she arrived.

Without looking at her, he sighed, "What is it, Nephthys?"

"I was just wondering. . .did you end up taking that class?"

"I did."

"Did Draco do something stupid?"

"When does he not?"