professor | r. lupin

❘༻New Face, New Prank༺❘

"Hello there, friend!"

"Our dearest friend, are you in the mood for a juicy prank?"

The brothers ran towards the girl, each taking their sides as if they were her personal guards. They were both tall, but not much taller than her. Fred and George Weasley were the most interesting people she had ever met. The one on her right side, George, offered to carry her bag. The one on her left side, Fred, pulled the hood of her robe over her head, making her frown and often earning a few hits on his arm. He really needed to start switching places with George or his left arm will get bigger than the other one from all the hitting and swelling.

"It's a bit early for that, don't you think?"

"Oh, love, it's never early for a prank. Georgie?" Fred had a wide smile on his lips, looking over at his brother as a signal to continue.

"Right, especially when a new professor arrives."

The Hufflepuff standing between the boys, Roseanne Periculum, was a new member of the prank group. Her lack of social interaction during her childhood made her behaviour awkward, cold and full of sarcasm. Mean comments from her were hilarious to them and they adored her. Still, she had a soft heart that someone needed to get to. A shell that needed to be broken. The Hat knew it and placed her right where she belonged: Hufflepuff. She had finally started to loosen up in her sixth year, her cold stares getting softer with each day that passed. The Weasleys had a soft spot for her, just like she had a soft spot just for them. Other than that, she despised everyone else. Hermione was too loud for her, Harry too famous and Ron too hard-trying. His jokes weren't as funny as George's, no matter how hard he tried. Luckily, Rose didn't know about a small competition the trio had about who would get to her first. She also didn't know that the twins purposely gave the younger ones wrong facts, just so they could keep her to themselves.

"A new professor?" She asked as she took her bag from her friend.

"A new professor," George confirmed, adjusting his robe before taking a turn into the next hallway, "Harry's friend."

As expected, she rolled her eyes at the mentioned name. The boys laughed, imitating her reaction in an exaggerated way. This time Fred wasn't the only one to suffer a hit. In a few moments, the girl walked into the classroom, followed by two boys holding onto their arms with a painful expression. She sat down on her usual seat at the front, then pushed back her hair and put her books on the desk. George sat next to her, mirroring her actions. Sitting in the front row always earned her more points and she used the most of it. Last year, she was the one who earned the most House points and drove Hufflepuff to the victory. A fresh change from Slytherin and Gryffindor.

"We have a plan, you just have to finish it," George said as turned towards her, resting his chin in his palm. Merlin, he loved to watch her. She was a mess, always caring about grades and perfect assignments more than appearance. He didn't mind her messy hair and split ends. He didn't mind her unironed white shirt under the sleeveless sweater. He didn't mind her chipped nailpolish. He loved her for her personality since day one. Yes, he loved her. Fred knew, the young ones knew, his family knew. Rose didn't know and it needed to stay that way for a bit longer. Just until he gets the courage to tell her how much he fantasises about kissing her lips and holding her waist.

"Who is it?"

Just as the redhead opened his mouth to answer, the doors opened. Everyone's attention was now on the new face in Hogwarts. The heavy pink colour and Umbridge had finally disappeared and were replaced by a man. A man who somehow looked so organised yet so messy. The clothes he wore were brown, fitting with the classroom and all the wooden desks and shelves. He put his suitcase on the big desk, then eyed each student. Rose suddenly felt her confidence drop as his eyes finally reached her. She hoped his stare would linger a bit longer on her, but she got disappointed. The man took one of the chalks at the end of the desk and started writing his name on the board.