TEACHER'S PET ━ 𝓡. Lupin

6. Terrace

—"PROFESSOR LUPIN..."  She muttered, still panting from the run -and from how frightened she was-, without ever breaking eye contact with the man in front of her, whom was still holding her firmly.

Squeezed against the wall, his body basically pressed against Natalia's.
Probably too surprised, there was no sign of him moving away or saying one word.

"You're hurting me... There's no need for you to hold me like this..." She said, slightly tapping the man's knee (that was still pressed against her stomach) with her fingers.

He immediately retreated, clearing his throat right after. "Well Miss Zabini, I would say there's no need to run away like a criminal either. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time that I catch you wandering around the castle far past curfew. At this point, I would say it's an habit of yours, is it?"

"Well, if it's always you, sir, catching me, I would say it's an habit of yours too." She muttered, fixing her dress without ever meeting his eyes again. She was still trying to catch her breath while her heart was pounding incredibly fast in her chest.

The two of them fell silent for endless moments, for the whole time Natalia could feel Lupin's gaze burning on her, and for the first time she didn't feel embarrassed. Not one bit.

By that time, she was respectably drunk and she was also feeling much more confident than usual. She perfectly knew she was looking completely different from how she usually looked while in class. She probably looked older.
Perhaps hotter?

Thinking about Professor Lupin finding her somewhat attractive was a pleasant thought, she wanted him to find her attractive. In that moment she couldn't mentally call herself stupid or delusional for what she was thinking, she wouldn't have been able to scold herself, you dumb idiot, he would never look your way, not even by chance, like she would have usually done.

In that moment she just wanted to enjoy the attention she was obviously receiving from him, she wanted to enjoy the feeling of Lupin's eyes all over her body.

She took her time to analyze his unreadable expression, his jaw clenched, his eyes dark and full more than ever before as they ran up and down Natalia's figure, until they eventually returned on her face, where their eyes met.

"Have you been drinking?" He suddenly asked, catching Natalia off guard. She didn't answer, letting the silence fall again between them.

"Are you going to give me detention, sir?"  She took a tiny step towards him.

He remained impassive, without being able to look at her again. He then shook his head "Come with me, it's better for you to get some fresh air." He murmured before heading towards the terrace.

He didn't need to ask her twice, she immediately followed.
From the terrace you could get a nice view of the surrounding area, the Black Lake was visible from the distance.

"And may I ask why aren't you going to give me detention?" She simply asked, turning her head back towards him, therefore being able to look at his face.

Professor Lupin, on his part, kept his gaze fixated on the lands in front of him. His side profile was perfectly enlightened by the moonlight, making the scars that aggressively crossed his face almost shine.
His hair was messy and his beard -still kind of short- carelessly grew on his cheeks and chin. Lupin looked a little scruffy, disheveled, as if he didn't really care about his looks, but this made him appear even more attractive in Natalia's eyes.