Echo in the Night|| OC

Chapter thirteen: Hinkypunks

Harry had been in the hospital wing for two days now; Madam Pomfrey insisted keeping him there for the rest of the weekend.

Echo had been busy, trying to balance everything on top of keeping Harry company in the hospital wing: from keeping an eye on Lupin and his health, scheduling two extra tutoring sessions to make up for cutting time the past week, and having to serve detention at night with Hagrid, in the Forbidden Forest. It was draining, but it helped her fall asleep without having thousands of thoughts keeping her up at night.

When Echo visited either Lupin or Harry, she was always bent over a book and a roll of parchment. They weren't sure exactly what was being written, as neither were aware of any essays that were supposed to be multiple rolls long. But they didn't ask, not wanting to face the possible consequences of disrupting her intense concentration.

Harry was always quiet when she visited. He would look longingly at his Nimbus Two Thousand that laid in pieces beside his bed. He would also stare off into space, looking deep in thought with a haunted look in his eyes. Echo wasn't certain what he was thinking about, but she knew he never told Hermione or Ron. She didn't pry though; if he felt comfortable enough to talk to her, then he would. Echo fully understood that Harry wasn't going to tell her anything before Ron and Hermione. They would always come first before her.

And she preferred that.

Echo returned to Lupin's office when dinner ended, not wanting to head to her dorm just yet. She didn't like spending much time in her dorm; to her it was just a place to keep her things and sleep, so being in there when she was awake or not retrieving anything was just pointless.

After knocking on the oak door, she heard an annoyed 'come in'.

Stepping into the familiar space, she latched the door behind her as she sat down in front of Lupin's desk. She crossed her legs in the chair while resting her hands in her lap, letting the usual straight posture fall a bit as she leaned back.

Lupin's stomach bug had passed and has returned to his usual health. Echo checked in frequently over the past weekend. She wasn't too experienced when it came to the common cold, so she was paranoid that Lupin would end up more ill. But, Lupin was just fine as he sat behind his desk, no longer pale and sick.

He looked up, setting down his quill with a gentle sigh and a small smile.

"Echo. For the hundredth time, you don't need to knock," said Lupin. "At this point, this office is yours as much as it is mine."

"What are you working on?" she asked, ignoring his previous statement.

Lupin shook his head with a soft smile, knowing she will continue on knocking. He handing her the roll of parchment he was previously writing on.

He spoke as her eyes traveled across the neat and legible handwriting. "It's just the lesson plan for tomorrow," said Lupin.

"Hmm. Everybody's going to be thrilled when you come back," Echo said, toneless. "You wouldn't believe how many times students came up to me, asking when you were returning," she added, grumbling. "All pushy about it too."

"Was Professor Snape really that awful?" Lupin asked, grimacing. He didn't want Snape to take over his class, but he didn't have any another option.

Echo looked up with a ghost of a smirk on her face, "Just be prepared for a lot of complaints tomorrow."

Echo went back to reading the lesson. Her eyes held more and more annoyance as she read over the info for their next creature. She rolled her eyes, handing back the roll of parchment.