ATHENE {remus lupin}

FOUR

Remus Lupin was still recovering from the full moon when he returned to his seventh year Defense against the Dark Arts class. He had missed two lessons and felt that that was enough, he did not want his students to suffer under Snivellus' dictator style teaching any longer than necessary.  He stared in the mirror. There were new scratches all down his torso and up his neck. He applied dittany but they still stung. 

It was times like this when Remus Lupin really, really hated who he was. How could he be a teacher when this was who he truly was? Why on earth did Dumbledore trust him to be around students? Since the death of James and the arrest of Sirius, it had felt as if his condition had only gotten worse. His best friends would once coax him through the full moon and make his transformations enjoyable. But now only Dumbledore and Snivellus knew of his condition. It truly was a lonely life.

He expected that Professor Snape would be about half way through his defense lesson and so made his way down to the classroom. When he entered, he saw that the desks were parted, they were still doing the patronuses. Around the room various animals were running around. He smiled at the sight, impressed at the seventh year class. 

"They've made satisfactory progress, Lupin." Snape snarled to him.

"Yes, professor, I can see that. I thank you."

Snape looked smug. "Yes, every student in the class can now produce a fully formed patronus."

Lupin looked surprised, he glanced at the blonde girl who was sitting on a table across the room. Snape followed his eyeline and saw where he was looking. 

"Yes, even Miss Malfoy has managed to drag out some happiness."

Lupin nodded and stopped the class.

"Professor Snape has informed me that each of you can now produce a patronus. I am thoroughly impressed. Could we please go around the room and have each of you produce your own," he glanced at Snape, "just to double check."

Snape rolled his eyes and pointed at Marcus, who produced a boar patronus. Then onto Adrian, whose patronus was an eel. Lupin smiled. He truly was impressed at the progress which his students had made, they were admittedly an excellent class. When Snape gestured for Athene Malfoy to conjure her patronus Lupin looked up with interest. The girl hopped off the table and raised her wand,

"expecto patronum!" She said confidently. 

Out of the end of her wand jumped a wolf. It ran around the room, jumping and running in circles. Athene's face lit up as she watched it, laughing as she followed it around the room. 

"A wolf..." Lupin muttered. How curious. 

As his class left Remus called out to Athene Malfoy. She turned to face him with a smile, which dimmed as soon as she realised what she was doing. 

"Professor?" She asked warily.

"I wanted to say congratulations on your patronus, I told you you'd get there."

Athene smirked, "yes well, Professor Snape is an excellent teacher."

Lupin laughed at that. 

"I was wondering, Miss Malfoy, if you had thought any more on the advice myself and Professor Mcgonagall offered you."

Athene looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Fuckin- Merlin's beard. Are you never going to give up?"

"Professor Mcgonagall asked that I speak to you about it."