𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 55

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE
✧
-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH PANDORA
SURPRISES HIM

. . .

Remus couldn't have been more wrong. Or surprised, because it was insanely easy to get Pandora to agree, and it was simply just a sit down conversation that had convinced her.

Which explained why Remus was sat next to her in Potions several days later after James had devised the answers he needed, gaping in her general direction. The Lupin had decided to go through all the possible options that would come of asking her and couldn't find the right time to ask her until he decided to just blurt it out in their first class one morning. And through all his made-up scenarios that would come of asking her, he had never thought he would get a simple agreement just moments after he proposed the solution.

"What do you mean, 'yes'?" Remus asked, watching as she moved around following Slughorn's instructions on the potion they were preparing that day, the girl flicking through the pages until she found said recipe.

"Well what does yes generally mean?" Pandora's eyelashes fluttered as she scanned the rows of text. "Stop staring, it's rude. And close your mouth before you start catching flies."

Automatically, his mouth snapped shut and averted his gaze down to his textbook and the peppered notes added along the margins. He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. She said yes. Yes. Actually said yes. Remus was having quite some trouble processing it, especially when the dark-haired girl didn't seem to understand why he would be. 

He didn't push it any further just yet, instead busying himself with retrieving the ingredients Pandora had asked for, slipping into the ingredients cupboard and informing James of her choice, which prompted the Potter to compose a letter right there and then to be delivered to his mum that Pandora had accepted the offer to come and stay for Christmas. After Euphemia and Fleamont found out it was confirmed, that meant that only one person - out of absolutely everyone, which included Peter and Lily and the rest of the girls - there was only one person left to inform. And Sirius was definitely going to take it the worst.

But he supposed he would cross that bridge when he came to it. 

Until then, he would somehow have to diffuse the confusion to Pandora's agreement. Because he had really no clue how he had managed it and then snipe at him for staring seconds later. And was now cutting up potions ingredients with somewhat more care than he existed. He recognised the knife though - because it had once been Slughorn's until he lost it a couple months ago. 

He silently aided her in adding some ingredients in the bubbling cauldron, shaking his head as the knife was wiped and slipped back into the small leather cover and depoisited into her bag. He wouldn't ask about it or accuse her or anything now... just perhaps attempt to get it back at some point. But it was after he decided to return their potion teacher's chopping knife that he decided he couldn't quite wait any longer, and he just had to find out what had managed to convince her.

"Can I ask you something?" He began, watching as she carefully placed a feather into the top of the cauldron, stirred it for a moment before putting the lid back on and turning to him. Remus's mind slipped back to the conversation he and James had had when proposing the idea of where Pandora would spend the holidays. He supposed he was in love with her.. and had been for a while, given the sensation thudding in the left region of his chest. And.. he didn't want to upset her.

Pandora nodded slowly, almost apprehensively. "I've been expecting this." She replied.

"You have?"

"Your thoughts have been like sopophorus beans." Pandora looked up at him, blye eyes wide. "They've been jumping away when I try to read them. Thus, you're confused. Why are you confused?"

If there was one thing Remus could count on, it was her being direct. "I was just.. I was wondering why you agreed to go to James's. I didn't think it would be the sort of thing you woudl want to go to." He added tentatively. 

Pandora paused for a moment, eyes flickered across the room. James was flirting with Lily... again whilst simultaneously trying to complete his potion with Sirius, and seemingly completely unaware of everything around him. "It was an invitation." She began. "It's rude to deny an invitation when you have no reason to. I didn't have any other plans, thus it would have been incredibly rude for me to deny your invitation. I am also assuming that James has already confirmed it with his parents, because Mother also taught me it is far ruder to turn up uninvited. Did your's not?"

Hope Lupin was far too busy dealing with her son being a werewolf to teach him manners. But Remus supposed he did know, and he nodded slowly. 

"Right." He paused. "You do want to go, don't you? You're not just accepting because you feel like you have to. Because you don't want to go back home?" 

"I..." Pandora's eyes flashed with panic and she turned away. "I have nothing better to do, and I have been invited." She replied, almost like it was automated. 

Remus couldn't quite ignore how odd she was acting. But he felt a lot more at ease to have confirmed that she wasn't going to be going back to the Cursed Castle. And it seemed like.. at least a little bit, anyway, that she didn't want to either.

✧