MATILDA - fred weasley

Chapter 12

"Here, why don't we go to my office so you can have some privacy."

Matilda stood up, following behind Professor Lupin as they made their way to his office. She was still piecing together all the information that had surfaced, clicking into place now that she had the final puzzle piece.

Lupin had been sick around the same time as she. He had similar scars on her face. He had that sickly look that could only be achieved by people inflicted with their disease. That feeling she got when she was around him was because they were connected. And the potion Snape made him wasn't poison, it was Wolfsbane!

She sat down in the same red chair as before when she had detention with Fred, and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

"Take some of this."

Professor Lupin handed her a brown mug, full of some sort of tea. She smelled it, breathing in the scent of–

"Aconite."

She looked up at him, frowning. "You know?"

He smiled wryly, "Figured it out when I read that essay of yours."

He tapped on a stack of parchment on his table. It was the essay Snape had assigned her class to write.

Matilda nodded, then as Lupin took a sip from his mug, asked "So you're a werewolf too, then?"

She watched as he flinched at the word. No one ever got used to it, she supposed.

"I am, yes," he answered. He noticed she was still staring at the tea. "Drink. You'll feel better, I promise."

Matilda brought the mug to her lips and took a sip. It tasted like mint and honey, with a little undertone of lemon. She drank some more. The muscles in her body that were still knotted from the previous moon unravelled and she was relieved from a headache she didn't realise she had.

"I've read about this stuff," Matilda said, placing the empty cup on the desk. "I asked my parents to buy it for me last Christmas, but..." She shrugged her shoulders.

"It's quite expensive," Lupin finished.

Matilda shook her head, "No, not that. Bloody hell, they could buy six months' worth of aconite with a snap of their fingers."

"Then why not?"

"They don't care."

Professor Lupin went quiet at this and Matilda feared she'd said the wrong thing.

"Well, I mean – they care a little bit," she amended, fiddling with her hands. "But it's hard, I suppose. I don't expect them to drop everything to help me. They have their own lives and they've also got to look after Cedric."

"But you're their daughter?" Lupin questioned. "They have a responsibility to care for you."

"Professor, you know that's easier said than done," she said softly. "After all, no one can love someone like us."

Lupin shook his head, "Rubbish. Whoever told you that was lying."

"Are you calling my parents liars, sir?"

"Yes!"

"But they showed me dozens of papers on why our condition repels other people–"

Professor Lupin slammed his cup on the table, causing Matilda to jump. "Matilda, I'm going to tell you something and I want you to listen very carefully."

"Alright?"

He looked deeply into her eyes, "Love has no boundaries. There is someone out there who will see your furry little problem as something to admire, not run from. I promise you this."