Caress - A Remus Lupin Fanfiction

End of the Year

Exams have ended and the weather is warm. Later this afternoon, the train will be taking all students home. People are saying goodbye and spending their last few hours at Hogwarts in their common rooms, on the Quidditch pitch, or by the lake.

I'm sitting beneath a tree with my Ravenclaw friends beside the lake. I'm not really paying attention to their conversations. I told all of them that they're free to send me any letters over the summer. On the side of the lake that's closest to the school, 7th years are preparing for the graduation ceremony. Some time before all the other students board the carriages to go to Hogsmeade station, the graduating class will be riding the boats out, away from Hogwarts.

"I'll really miss this year's 7th years!" Says Brianna to the group.

"They were really nice and smart," Glenda York says.

"Remember when 'the Marauders' pranked Rockwell," Timothy Boot says wistfully.

"Those idiots, that was ingenious!" Matthew Harrison laughs, everyone follows suit.

"Such idiots," I say to myself as everyone laughs while I look at the lake and a glimpse of a tentacle.

"Speaking of which, I need to go to Professor Rockwell's office." I say as I stand up and pocket my wand.

Everyone looks at each other intuitively.

I know what they're all thinking, I narrow my eyes and sigh, "Well I'll see you lot later."

When I reach his office, he's packing his things.

"Um, hello Professor." I say nervously.

He looks up from a box and smiles, "Ah, hello Joan, what brings you here?"

I approach where he's at and sit in a nearby chair, "I wanted to say goodbye and to thank you as well, for teaching us this year. It's a shame that you're not returning next year."

"Well, Joan, it been a pleasure, teaching students like you especially," I smile, "but we all have our own things to do."

"It's been an eventful school year, hasn't it?" I ask to continue the conversation, on my behalf it really was a boring school year, but for him it must've been interesting.

"Indeed, it has been," he says as he packs a box with books and small shining globes. "I don't really want to leave, but my fiancée is a restless witch. So intelligent, she gets bored staying in a single place too long. We'll be traveling around Central America for a while before we finally get married." He says this all with a look I've never seen him have, it's so affectionate and distant.

"Y-You have a..." I can't finish my question.

"A fiancée, yes, I do. I thought you knew that."

"I didn't," I reply quickly. My expression is stern.

"What is it, Joan? Are you angry I didn't tell you before?" He asks completely oblivious to my real reason for being distraught.

"It's just..." I say looking at the floor. "...I'm jealous."

He doesn't seem surprised. "Oh, because you want something like this to happen to you? I know, love is a powerful thing. Being in love is another thing, someday, Joan, I'm sure you'll find that special-"

"No it's not that," I interrupt him. "I'm jealous because..." this is it I guess. All or nothing. "I love you."

I can't look at him, my face is burning and I don't hear him packing.

"Er, well. I'm flattered, Joan."

I hear him place a box on the floor, he levitates a kettle and two cups to the desk in front of me.