UNDER THE MOON, Remus Lupin

iv.

THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

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At some point in the afternoon, Alice eventually left her professor's office. The time flew by quicker than intended. She'd just barely made it to dinner. Dinner which Professor Lupin had walked her to. She couldn't believe she was actually beginning to like spending time with a teacher. There's a first for everything.

"Ali!" Fred attacked her from the side, kissing her cheek roughy. "I haven't seen you all day! Where were you, you little shit?"

Fred had failed to detect the presence of Professor Lupin right besides Alice, hence the swearing. "I was busy." She smiled at Fred.

Fred's eyes flickered to meet Professor Lupin's. "Professor, how do you feel about pranks?"

Professor Lupin rose an eyebrow. "I feel that I could teach you more than you think you know."

So, Alice had a troublemaker on her hands? Wouldn't be the first time, obviously. Seeing as her newly appointed favorite teacher and boyfriend were getting along, Alice dismissed herself from the conversation and sat next to Zephyr. "How was it with Clint?"

"Good. He's heaps less sad, I can tell you that much. We did well." Zephyr liked seeing Clint functional and smiling all in the same day. Lately, it had been the rarest of occasions to catch him cracking a smile. As his best friends, it was their job to encourage such actions.

Alice managed to snatch Zephyr's slice of cherry pie from him, stabbing it desperately with a fork. Zephyr rolled his eyes at her. "It's not alive! You can be gentle, you know. And you can also ask nicely, like a civil being." He tried to grab the fork back.

Remus Lupin hadn't planned for anything that happened today. He went with the flow, and that was seemingly not so bright. It was getting closer to that time of the month. The time he was dreading. There was nothing he wanted more in the world than to be rid of this curse that ruined his life.

He saw it as the butterfly effect. Maybe if just one thing didn't happen when it was supposed to, everything would be fine. Unfortunately, that was not the reality Remus lived in. He lived in the one with bloodshed and tears. The majority of his friends were dead. The one who remained was stuck in hiding for the rest of his life. Taking this job was meant to be a distraction. Or a lifesaver. He feared it may do him more harm than good.

A fork clattering against the floor hushed the entire Great Hall. Zephyr and Alice who had been fighting over the fork froze in terror. Alice cleared her throat. "Yeah, that's his fault," she announced, grinning as Zephyr pushed her to the side so that he could grab the fork.

Her smile was more vibrant than that of any full moon. And Professor Lupin knew all too well how bright those could be. This strange adoration had to stop. No matter how badly Alice intrigued him, he wouldn't be pulled any further into whatever this it was that he felt so strongly.

By 9 pm, Alice was knocked out in a sleep so deep that she didn't hear the other girls sneak out. Parties were never her thing. That didn't mean she avoided them. The only time she ever went was if Zeph and Clint decided to show. Fred was fun to party with, but he moved around a lot. He was the life of the party. Alice never allowed herself to have fun at parties. She had the overwhelming urge to make sure nobody got hurt.

It's good to be responsible, but it's not always fun.

Alice slept soundlessly, dreams of Fred taking control of her mind. Good ones. She was never the type to jeopardize what she had for something else. The only thing that would've made her rest better was if Fred was holding her tightly. Instead, he was drunk at a party, challenging George to something dangerous. But that was okay. Alice wasn't sad. She wasn't mad. Fred was having the time of his life, and Alice was putting life on pause for just a few more hours than usual.