Ad Infinitum (Remus Lupin X Reader)

XVI • Avocatio

XVI • Avocatio • Distraction

I woke up in my bed, stretching my legs with a sigh. My alarm hadn't yet gone off, and I was hopeful that I would have more time to sleep. With a quick glance at my clock through squinting eyes, I saw that I had forty-five minutes before I had to get up. I smiled and nestled into my blankets, which were still pleasantly warm.

My heart catapulted in my chest as I thought back to the day before. Kissing Professor Lupin. It seemed like a dream. The taste of his lips, the feeling of his hair between my fingers, a mix between soft brown strands and coarse grey ones, the heat and solidity of his body pressed against mine.

I tried to ward off the thoughts as my pulse sky-rocketed. Surely that wasn't healthy?

God, but he had smelled so good. Like mint and rosemary and something I couldn't quite place. And the sounds he made were something downright sinful. If that was what he sounded like kissing, then what would he sound like-

No. No, no, no. I could not think like that. I shouldn't think like that.

I puffed out my cheeks and buried my face in my pillows.

And who was I to think like that? Me, who hadn't been kissed until two months ago, had never had a boyfriend, never even considered sleeping with anyone. So what did I know about what sort of sounds he would make in any situation?

I slid out of bed and into the bathroom, turning on the shower. If I couldn't control my thoughts, then I wouldn't leave myself to be alone with them. I took a hot shower and got dressed, drying my hair with a spell. After I pulled on my robes, I gathered my things from my room and began the walk down the Serpentine Corridor to Lupin's classroom.

I pushed into his classroom, seeing the lights on. However, he was not there. I contemplated leaving, but decided to go in anyway. I had a few quarterly grades to finish calculating, and that was best done when I had access to his master grade book, which I found on his desk.

I chewed on my lip as I calculated the grades and recorded them in the correct column, looking up when I heard the door to Lupin's bedroom open. He was wearing slacks and a sweater, his robes folded over his arm. His hair was wet from his shower, and moments after the door opened, I could smell the steam and the soap mixing together in the air.

"You're here early," he said, pausing in his doorway.

"I woke up early and I figured I could get these grades done," I said and nodded my head toward his grade book.

"Oh, you don't have to do those," he said, closing his bedroom door. "I was just being rude yesterday. I didn't mean anything I said. You've been very helpful these last couple of months and I shouldn't have criticized you at all."

"It's fine," I said, looking away from him.

"It's not," he said. "I'm working on it though."

I looked up at him as he examined the box that was holding the Hinkypunk from the previous day's lesson. Was it going to be like before, when he pretended that the kiss never happened? I didn't want to ask about it; he usually didn't take too kindly to me pressuring him, or he took my asking as a sign to shut down.

He frowned at the box and covered it with a sheet. I looked away from him quickly, listening as he milled around the room to prepare for classes. He only had one class on Tuesdays, and they were one of his least favorite classes, the seventh years. Still, the class was the most intensive, as they were learning the most complicated subjects.

He thumbed through the textbook, focused intently on the pages, his sweater sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There were more scars on his arms, seemingly much worse than the ones on his face. Curiosity pricked at me, but I knew that it wasn't polite to ask. If he wanted to share, he would. Which meant that he probably wouldn't, seeing as he wasn't one to share much.