Circle the Drain | R. LUPIN

1 | hogsmeade and hook-ups

R E G G I E M C L A G G E N

"Like I've said a thousand times," Reggie rolled his eyes before waving his hands around, "Wizard escort."

Ophelia and Reggie were in the library and Ophelia was currently trying to help the boy study. Reggie truthfully didn't care.

"Wizard escort with a solid education," Ophelia countered. "What if one of their turn-ons is hearing a list of ingredients of a certain potion? What are you going to do then?"

"Is this your way of telling me that's one of your turn-on's?" he asked warily. Reggie grimaced at the thought, "Because there are some things I don't need to know."

"Focus on the work you moron," Ophelia suggested, pointing at the notes in front of them. "What are the ingredients of the Draught of Living Death?"

He was only half listening as he looked around the library. The only reason he had agreed to let her help was because she had been so focused on Mystery Boy and James Potter that he barely had the chance to talk to her anymore. His competition for his best friend's attention was some Gryffindor dweeb.

Something caught his eye and his lip quirked upward slightly. "I have no idea," he answered honestly and she huffed. "But if living death was a person, he'd look like that."

He pointed across the library where one of James's friends, Remus Lupin stood. Reggie had met the boy on a few occasions but one of their major interactions had been when he was being harassed by Goyle.

Ophelia followed his line of sight until she spotted Remus as well. Her eyes widened as she took in the boy's appearance.

His demeanor was far more depressing than it usually was and his eyes were red and puffy, indicating that he had been crying. His hair was a right mess but Reggie couldn't help but notice that it was kind of cute.

Reggie shook his head, internally scolding himself. He was clearly upset about something and besides he was taken by Sirius Black. Reggie was nothing in comparison to Black.

"Hey, Lupin!" Reggie shouted despite his internal battle.

R E M U S L U P I N

Remus had heard his surname and looked around in confusion. The voice was somewhat similar but he couldn't put his finger on it until his sight landed on Ophelia who sat at a table toward the back of the library.

The boy next to her waved him over and it took him a moment to realize that it was Reggie. They had met before but the last time they had talked had been when Reggie punched Goyle.

He contemplated ignoring him for a moment but decided he could use the distraction. He walked over to them and immediately regretted it when the boy asked, "What happened?"

Ophelia shot her friend an incredulous look. Remus remembered that the boy could be rather blunt based off of their few interactions and what she had heard about him from both James and Ophelia.

"I take it I've asked the wrong question," Reggie concluded as he looked between Remus and Ophelia. "Allow me to try again," he requested, sitting up in the chair and folding his hands in front of him, "What can we do to help?"

"Distract me," Remus requisitioned after a moment, taking a seat in the chair across from them.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade with James, Sirius and Peter?" Ophelia asked and Remus's face dropped. "Okay, um-"

Reggie perked up at this, "Let's go to Hogsmeade." The two looked at him with raised eyebrows, "We can go to Hog's Head. No one will know who we are there."