Love, Lupin

Part Twelve

Bobbie sat on the floor in front of the fireplace of her common room, writing on the fresh parchment placed on her lap. She felt guilty being so wrapped up in her own drama and forgetting to write to her mother recently.

Dear mum,

This year is rather boring as we are mainly studying for our N.E.W.T's for the end of the year. We have a new defense against the darks arts professor and he's rather lovely to learn from. I'm watching over Hermoine and the others like a hawk. I only hope your youngest daughter is amazing as I am and writes to you as well. Send my love to daddy and Jack, I miss you all terribly.

All my love,

Bobbie Monica Granger xx

Since she started writing letters home in her first year she had always signed them with her full name, something her parents always poked fun at her for. Now it was mainly a running joke between the Granger family that they all sign their letters using their full names.

Bobbie wished she could write to her mum about how she was feeling toward Remus. She doubted her mother would be very accepting of her daughter pining after one of her professors who was nearly twice her age though.

Since their talk about Sirius Black in his office, Remus had let Bobbie in a bit more. He wasn't completely ignoring her anymore, though he wasn't eager to hold conversation with her either. Bobbie decided she would take whatever she could get from the man. She still wasn't entirely sure why he made the decision to freeze her out, but that was one thing she wasn't going to allow him to do.

Remus was a broken man, she wasn't oblivious to that. He lost so many people he cared about, and seemed to be all alone in the world. Perhaps that's why worry lines littered his handsome face, and specks of grey were painted throughout his brown locks. She was still clueless for the reasoning behind his scars, but she had full intentions of finding out before the year ended.

"There you are," a voice said bringing her out of her trance on her professor. Fred plopped down next to her on the ground, plucking her letter out of her hands.

"Fred Gideon Weasley you give that letter back to me this instant!" Bobbie scolded her ginger haired friend.

"Why, writing about how much you love me?" he gasped, holding the letter near his heart. Bobbie huffed and launched a pillow at the boy, who expertly ducked out of the crossfire. "I'm only joking, but I hope you told your mum I said hello in your letter."

Bobbie snatched her letter back from the boy before sticking her tongue out at him. "I told her we're no longer friends and that I am never speaking to you again."

"Well you're breaking that rule right now, aren't ya?" he chuckled before running full force toward his friend and throwing her over his shoulder. Bobbie squealed as he ran out of the common room and into the corridor.

"Weasley I order you to put me down at once!"

"As you wish," Fred shrugged dropping the girl straight onto the floor. Bobbie cried out in pain as she landed on her rear and she glared at the boy. "I meant lower me down gently, not drop me like a sack of potatoes."

Lupin walked up the changing stairs and smirked as he saw Bobbie scolding one of the Weasley twins at the top of the landing. The ginger boy offered his hand to her, which she slapped away and stood up on her own.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," Remus said, giving each student a curt nod.

"Evening professor, think you could hex Fred for me?" Bobbie asked looking at the boy in fury.

The professor laughed and shook his head. "I think that would be highly frowned upon for a teacher to hex his student. However, if I receive news that Mr. Weasley ends up in the infirmary I'll be sure to turn a blind eye."

Fred gasped at his professor and pretended to be hurt, storming away. He walked back into the Gryffindor common room, leaving his friend alone with their defense professor.

Bobbie took notice to how ill her professor looked yet again. His eyes were sunken in with crescent shaped black circles under them. "Remus are you feeling ill again?"

Lupin looked down to his tattered black shoes and shrugged. "Just tired is all, have a good evening."

"Remus, wait," Bobbie said, grabbing onto his forearm. He could see worry contort her gorgeous features and he hated being the cause of that.

"Bobbie, please, I'm fine. You have to stop worrying about me, it's entirely inappropriate." With that Remus turned on his heels and left the girl alone in the corridor.

Bobbie sighed in disbelief as she watched the professor retreat back to his office.

***

"I dunno why you didn't just give it to them," George shrugged as he sipped his mug of Fire Whiskey.

"Because they're thirteen!" Bobbie scoffed, rolling her eyes at her friend. Fred was just telling the group how Ron had asked for a bottle of whiskey for him and his dorm mates. "If I find out Hermione is drinking I'll take her to Azkaban myself."

"Oh please like we weren't stealing bottles from Charlie Weasley's trunk our third year," El laughed, nudging Bobbie.

Bobbie waved her friends off, changing the subject as she didn't wish to think of her little sister drinking. She always did her best to set an example for her younger sibling, though Hermione didn't need it, she was wise well beyond her years. At times Bobbie felt that Hermione was older one of the two.

"Has McGonagall been on your cases about scheduling a career meeting?" Fred asked as he moved to lay his head in Bobbie's lap. She mindlessly brushed through his red locks as he did so.

"No because Bobbie and I completed ours weeks ago," El huffed.

"Don't make that poor woman chase you tossers down," Bobbie shook her head.

Fred titled his head back to gaze up at her from his spot on her lap. "It's not our fault you two have known what you wanted to do since year one!"

Students were meant to meet with their heads of houses their sixth and seventh years to discuss different career paths once they left Hogwarts. For most students it was a daunting task, as most hadn't a single clue what they wished to do with their futures. Apart from Bobbie who had spoken about being a healer since she was a small girl.

The group of friends sat up in the Gryffindor common room for hours beyond curfew, pouring whisky into their mugs and chatting the evening away.