AUTOPHOBIA - G. WEASLEY

Third Year: Hogsmeade

✯ CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR ✯

❝Estella Black.❞

November 9th, 1993.

REMUS WAS BACK to work by Monday, and to say that the class was uneventful would be a lie. No one was happy, and there was absolutely no way anyone would let that go unheard.

"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," said Ron as they headed toward Remus' classroom after lunch.

"Dad said he's teaching," said Estella. "I wouldn't be heading here at all if I thought he wasn't."

Ron stopped just by the door. "Check who's in there, Hermione."

Hermione peered around the classroom door.

"It's okay!"

Remus smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while he had been absent.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

"We don't know anything about werewolves --"

"-- two rolls of parchment!"

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Remus asked, frowning slightly.

The babble broke out again.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind --"

"-- he wouldn't listen --"

"-- two rolls of parchment!"

Remus smiled at the look of indignation on every face, it almost made Estella chuckle.

"Don't worry. You don't have to do the essay."

"Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"

Estella rolled her eyes. "I did warn you."

They had a very enjoyable lesson. Remus had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.

"Lures travelers into bogs," said Remus as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead -- people follow the light -- then --"

The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, though just as Estella was shoving everything in her bag, her little bottle of black ink hit the floor. She sighed, whispering a quiet "tergo" and watching as the ink siphoned itself back into it's bottle with a flick of her wand.

"...the dementors affect you worse than others because there are horrors in your past that others don't have." Having thought she was the only student to stay behind, Estella stared at the front of the classroom, where her Father was in deep conversation with Harry.

"The worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Estella fainted, too."