Crescent Moon (A HP fanfic and a student/teacher romance)

Chapter seventeen: Meta

Chapter seventeen: Meta

"It has come to my attention that some strange things have been happening to you, Miss Blake," Professor Dumbledore said as he looked at me over his spectacles. We were sitting in his office on a cold, icy Thursday.

"What exactly has come to your attention, sir?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from giving away my nervousness.

"Everything comes to my attention, Miss Blake, but particularly your recent and many beautifications. Experimenting, are we?" He had a slight twinkle in his eye, and obviously knew that something was going on. I mainly needed to contain my lesbian-themed dirty joke.

"You are talking about my hair, I assume."

"Yes, and I need you to tell me the truth. Is this a spell?" I was starting to think the twinkle didn't really mean anything, it was always there, no matter what.

"I – I'm not sure. I have no idea what this is. I think it has something to do with my emotions, when they seem out of control, or intense. My hair changes with them. I don't know why I am so weird..." I trailed off. It is like I unconsciously find reasons to stand out from the crowd when I just want to fit in. First I'm not sorted into a house, then this. And I've barely been here two months. Don't mention the fact that I kissed a teacher. Also, self-pity seems to be my forte.

"I know that Lupin speaks very highly of you, as well as professor Snape and McGonnagall. You are excelling at almost every single subject and yet you wanted to repeat year five. Humour me, Miss Blake, why is it that you don't trust your knowledge?" Professor Dumbledore was still looking at me over his glasses, his piercing blue eyes scanning my every feature for information.

"I barely passed my exams at Heartwood's. I kept getting detentions. I didn't take any of the advanced classes. I'm not that smart, I've just been lucky with the topics in classes I guess. I also practised a lot when I was at school because I couldn't do it at home." Lupin 'speaks highly of' me. Snape does so too. I thought he hated me.

"And not only because it is against the law to practise magic before the age of seventeen...?" He was fishing for answers on my home life after the other night.

"No, not only because of that." I admitted. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why exactly did you call me into your office? Did I do something wrong? Because I – I'm not controlling the hair-thing, I swear, I even tried for hours, I - " and there was a slight knock at the entrance of the office.

"Ah, Lupin, thank you for responding so quickly. Come in, join us! Would you like some tea?" Dumbledore stood up and welcomed Lupin with open arms in the most literal sense of the word. Lupin did not get a chance to answer because two kitchen elves appeared – as it seems – out of nowhere with three cups of tea. They added milk to each cup, and plenty of sugar to Dumbledore's, and quickly left. Lupin had hesitated for a long time, probably too long to call it a hesitation, but suddenly came to life.

"Miss Blake, fancy seeing you here. Dumbledore, always a pleasure. May I ask as to what the purpose of this late night tea is?" Lupin sat in the chair next to me, Dumbledore found his seat again, and for a few awkward moments we drank our tea in silence. Lupin didn't even look at me.

"Yes you may, my dear friend. Miss Blake seems to have a problem and I might have the answer. However, I will want to show you something first. Have you ever heard of a Pensieve?" I hadn't. "Well, it is a basin, traditionally made of stone, in which one can review one's memories, look at them from an outsider's perspective and not as a participant. I would like to show you one of mine," Lupin looked as confused as I was. Dumbledore lead us to an open cabinet where the basin was. It contained a white-blue glowing liquid but didn't seem wet. Dumbledore continued, "I have already extracted a memory from my mind I would like you to see. You just walk over here," he indicated me to position myself in front of the basin, "and stick your head in." I looked at Lupin briefly, as if to look for encouragement. He still wasn't looking at me. So I did as Dumbledore instructed. I stuck my head into the liquid which really felt like cold, dense air on my face. As soon as my face was completely under the surface of the water I was pulled down into it. I felt myself fall face-first down a tunnel but when I landed I had my two feet on the ground and felt no signs of impact. I looked around me. I was in a classroom with a few students, mostly girls, sitting at desks that look like the ones we had in Hogwarts. Upon further inspection I was sure those were the desks we had in Hogwarts. My suspicion was confirmed when I noticed Dumbledore at the front of the classroom writing some spells on the blackboard.