Reading Between The Lines ~ Remus Lupin ~ Book 1

chapter 27

Sunday, 23 January 1977

"I can just go over it with someone else."

"No, I said I'd study with you and I plan to keep my word."

"I know you want to keep your word but you don't need to. I don't want you having to go over all this terrible stuff again."

"I know it's terrible stuff, but you need to know it and I want to help."

"Do I really need to know it though? I mean, it was written by a bunch of prejudiced bastards and it is full of misconceptions and lies. It's not like it's ever gonna help me."

"It'll help you get a good grade on the exam this stuff is on."

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts. Now, let's go over the Werewolf Code of Conduct."

Lena sighed. Binns was covering the Werewolf Code of Conduct in History and he was making the class read the entire document. Lena didn't want Remus to go over it with her. She didn't want him to have to go over all the prejudices the wizarding world had about him and him to teach it to her as if all the lies in the document were true.

Lena looked at Remus as he read the document aloud. His face was stoic and unreadable. Lena could read his eyes, though. She could see anger in them as he read the lies and prejudices that so many people believed him. She could see the sadness in them too. There was a part of Remus that believed the terrible things in the document were true and that he was somehow less than others even though he wasn't. Lena wanted to take all the anger and sadness out of the green eyes she loved so much.

Lena took one Remus' hands in both of hers.

"Why don't we take a bit of a break, yeah?"

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"I can't believe you're eating ice cream in January," Remus smiled as they sat in the kitchens.

"I can't believe you're not eating ice cream in January," Lena replied as she ate her ice cream.

"I mean, you're not even eating chocolate ice cream."

"Why would I have chocolate ice cream when I could have caramel?" Lena said, pointing to the contents of the bowl with her spoon.

"Blasphemy."

"I'm fine being a blasphemer. Blasphemers are alway ahead of their times."

"That's just what a blasphemer would say."

"Does my blasphemy impact our friendship in some way?" Lena laughed.

"Luckily for you, no. I'm rather fond of blasphemers."

"How do you feel about mavericks?"

"Would I be correct in assuming that you are both a maverick and a blasphemer?"

"That you would," Lena said.

"Dolly?" Lena called out to one of the house-elves. "Could you bring me a spoon and some chocolate sauce, please?"

The little house-elf scurried off and reappeared with what Lena requested.

"Thank you, Dolly," Lena said.

Lena poured the chocolate sauce over her caramel ice cream. She passed Remus a spoon.

"Go on, try it."

Remus and Lena both took a scoop of the chocolate-covered ice cream. Lena clinked their spoons together. "Cheers."

"Cheers."