"A slight touch that started at her pinky washed over her like a haze of summer rain. She looked down at her hand, finding Lupin's pinky hesitantly intertwining his with hers.
The air between them thickened, feeling surprisingly intimate. His touch...
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LIKE REAL PEOPLE DO
[commenting and voting is considered writer's motivation and is greatly appreciated!]
CATHERINE HADN'T SEEN LILY AFTER THE BREAK IN. She wasn't at breakfast, nor at the courtyard. She wasn't in the common room, or her dorm. Despite Dumbledore canceling class until Thursday for the wellbeing of students, Catherine still check the classrooms, only to find the desk and chairs empty of any presence. Each nook and cranny Catherine went to was bare of Lily. She hadn't known where her friend left to and it was all the more worrying.
Catherine was stood on the Astronomy Tower, not observing the sky, simply lost in thought. She was drowning in a sea of worries: Lily, the paper, Severus, herself. Yet, in the waves of water clashing in her mind, the thought of Professor Lupin seemed to bring a raft to her. He was bringing her back to land, letting her breathe air. Despite the natural human state of breathing, she had never quite breathed air like the one she does when she is with him. He was quite simply-put, a breath of fresh air.
Her mind thought of him constantly. She even considered taking his offer of borrowing his books—the offer he'd given to her during their first interaction. She wanted an excuse to talk to him, look at him, think of him. All she ache for was a moment of fresh air with him.
An echo of footsteps sounded behind her. Before her mind could fathom who it was, her lips touched into a smile. Without needing to process thought, she could recognize him by his footsteps alone. She could recognize him even if she never met him because his absence was felt long before he entered her life, it only took him meeting her for her to identify the pot he filled.
"Professor Lupin," She turned to face him, "How are you?" She admired him. She loved looking at the brown cardigan he wore and the black slacks that matched his worn leather shoes. How his hair bounced with every movement he made.
"Miss Dolunay," he smiled, "I'm doing just fine. How are things after the break in? I hope you weren't too startled. When I heard that you were in the common room the moment Black tried to break in, I couldn't imagine how that must have felt."
"I'm fine, it's Lily that needs to be check on, but I can't find her anywhere." She let out a short laugh, "She worries me."
"I'm sure Lily will show up, she just needs to process things, Miss Dolunay." He walked over to her, catching the giant whiff of her perfume.
Catherine smiled at him. Her blonde waves poured down to her face as she looked down, draping her loose cardigan firmly against her chest. Lupin admired her and critiqued himself. He wasn't allowed to look at her like that. He knew it was wrong, but she was so lovely to look at.
Her beauty made his body ache—an ache that felt oddly good to hurt.
His sensitivity to sensory was at an all time high. Just the sweet smell of the bergamot and peony that exuded from her skin felt like a druggie's high.
