love, lupin

twenty-six

November 26th, 1976
Friday

"Ahh there you are Greystone." Slughorn cheered as the door shut behind Remus and the Slytherin gave his head of house a funny look which he saw Black had to stifle a smile out of the corner of his eye.

"Greyback." Remus corrected as he walked to the usual table he occupied and pulled out the stool and sat down. Black was perched on the tabletop of the same two person table but on the other side.

"Right. Greyback." Slughorn dismissed as he picked up a cardboard box which was filled to the brim with different sizes of very worn looking dragon hide gloves and dropped it before Remus who gave it a wary look, "You'll both need a pair of these today." Slughorn told them before he walked away and gestured to an open doorway which both sixth years knew led to the stewing room where potions which took a considerable amount of time were left to sit.

"What business do we have in there Professor?" Black asked as he shuffled through the box before them and pulled out a pair of dragon hide gloves that was missing one of the fingers and had a funny looking black stain on them. Black shared a look o distaste with Remus and discarded them to the side before continuing to dig through the box.

"Well, as you both should know that although students are meant to, they never really clean up any spillages they make in here," Remus frowned, he remembered the last time he was in that room. The tabletops were pretty disgusting. He couldn't imagine how much worse theyd gotten since then but if the distant whiff he got of the room was anything to go by he was sure the state of the room had deteriorated significantly. "So tonight you'll both be using bigger versions of those scalpels to scrape up all the muck."

Black went to complain but Remus jogged the table to shut him up.

"Somethings may not be good for the skin, hence the gloves. You'll only be doing this till 10pm and then you're free to go. I don't expect you both to have finished it tonight so you'll be continuing it in your last detention next week." Slughorn told them as he gathered his stuff and headed for the door. "I trust you'll both behave."

"Yes sir." Black piped and Remus nodded.

"Have a good evening boys."

Both boys sat in silence for a bit, not moving from where they were sat.

"Till 10pm huh? Its only 6pm, we'll be here forever." Black attempted small talk and it made Remus want to puncture his own eardrums. Small talk was actually terrible.

"What do you really want to say Black?" Remus asked him and Black looked relieved at the invitation but Remus swore on Harlows life that he wouldn't give any descript answers to any too specific questions.

"I just wanted to say that...well actually I have a few questions." He stated as he pulled on an okay looking pair of gloves.

Remus waved his hand as a sign to continue before he dug through the box himself.

"How longs it beem happening?"

"A while."

Black scrunched his nose at the vague answer.

"Is it just Greyback or your mum too?"

"Just Fenrir."

"Do you ever think about leaving?" Black asked, it seemed like a final question.

Remus looked up at Black and thought that there was no harm in a little white lie to hit home.

"I can't leave my little sister there with Fenrir." Remus lied and looked away with a frown to make the lie tht little bit more believable. Black was quiet. "Besides there's nowhere to go." That bit wasn't a lie. But its not like he wanted to leave anyway, he was right where he belonged.