Aria Black and the Prisoner of Azkaban *Re-Write*

Bad Lady Problems

I meet the twins in the Great Hall for lunch. They look relieved to see me. George gets up and wraps his arms around me.

"Ari, we were worried sick! We looked for you everywhere, even had Ella Brown look up in your dormitory for you, but you weren't there! Where did you go?" George says.

I shrug. "Just, you know, around."

Fred laughs. "Well, you know, Ari, Trelawney was convinced you died when you didn't come in."

"She just looked around and said, 'I knew I should have warned Miss Black to beware of a dark haired man'." George tells me.

"Then she put a hand to her heart and told us to take a moment and remember you." Fred says.

George chuckles. "Didn't last too long for her, did it?"

I smile at them. The guys can always make me feel better.

Next is Defense Against the Dark Arts with Remus. We race to get there, and Alicia meets us at the door. "Hey." She says. "Feeling better, Aria? Maybe you should've stayed in bed."

I shrug, and follow her in with a confused look at the twins.

"We may have told her, Lee, and Angelina that you were having bad lady problems." Fred whispers in my ear.

I roll my eyes. "Lady problems? Seriously?"

"I did not need to hear that." A voice comes from behind me. It's Remus. He smiles at me and gives me a sympathetic look.

The twins are cracking up from behind me. I kick one of them in the shins and he cries out in pain.

Remus tells us to sit down and moves to the front of the class. He turns on some classical music, classical and boring. Typical Remus.

"Welcome class, I am Professor Lupin." He says. "I've never taught anywhere before, so go easy on me, if you will." Remus gives us a moment to reflect on that, and then continues. "This year, you have your OWLs. These tests are very important to your life in the future. I assure you, I could not have gotten this job had I not gotten an Outstanding in my OWLs and NEWTs for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Don't let this discourage you. You have the power to do so much more than you know."

Lee lifts his arms and flexes his muscles.

Remus chuckles. "Yes, Lee, precisely." He pauses, and then pulls down a board. He turns on his Muggle projector and it lights up the board with pictures of Dementors. Some gasps flutter around the room, and George reaches his hand across the desk to hold mine comfortingly. I smile at him. "In light of recent events, dementors have been placed around the grounds. As Professor Dumbledore said, they will not harm you. But if you get too close, or get lost, I will teach you how to repel the dementor."

Some people 'ooh' and some still look afraid. Jonathan Combes and Micah Ludington are wondering how Remus can teach us this when it is a NEWT level course. Like he cares what they think.

"Now, repeat after me: Expecto Patronum." He enunciates each syllable so we can understand it easier. Remus was made for this.

"Expecto Patronum."

He nods in acceptance. "Very good, very good. Now, does anyone here have a favorite memory? Anyone at all?"

Fred steps up and motions to himself, George, Lee, and I. "Pranking everyone in our first year by turning their hair purple. We spiked the pumpkin juice. We even had to spike our own to direct suspicion away. "

My godfather tilts his head to the side in interest, looking at me. "Did you now?"

I kick Fred in the shins.