Lumos (Book One)

Chapter Five ~ Wolves, Noseless, and Banshees, Oh My!

Lunch was uneventful for once. I had tried to bug Draco to the point of telling me why I would go after Sirius Black but he refused to answer.

After lunch I had Astronomy - which was super fun - and then Defense Against The Dark Arts, the class with the supposedly cursed teacher position. The students were convinced the position was cursed because they got a new instructor each year. This year it was Lupin, the man who had rescued us on the train.

"Okay so are you going to explain how we know him, Avery?" Harry asked. This was really the only time we could talk in private seeing as we were in different houses.

"So the first thing Isolt and Seamus showed me after they said I was adopted was our family tree. Remus J. Lupin is our godfather! He's our family, Harry!" I was beaming ear-to-ear at the idea of having family. Especially since he was a teacher here.

His mouth fell open. "You mean to tell me that the new instructor of the cursed class is our godfather?"

I smiled. Lupin sounded fun. I missed last week's lesson on Banshees because I was in the hospital wing with Draco, but I couldn't wait to see what he had in store for the last lesson of the day.

Draco hung around me and Aria on the way for some unknown reason. Lupin wasn't in the classroom when we got there, so we all sat with our books out and waited for him to appear.

Isolt had told me that he was a werewolf, and gave me books to research it. Knowing about that just made me care all the more about my mystery moon-crazed godfather. So when he finally appeared, frail body and all, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he looked a bit healthier than before. He had probably been eating a normal meal for the past couple of weeks.

"Good afternoon, " he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands." A few curious looks were exchanged as we put away their books. The only practical lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts before was last year when the old teacher had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose for some godforsaken reason.

"Right then, " said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me." We all stood and trailed along behind him.

"Are you okay, Avery?" Draco asked, genuinely concerned. "You look ill."

"Thanks," I grumbled. I hadn't been getting much sleep or eating much because I was doing so much research and writing poems & manuscripts for short stories.

"No I... I didn't mean it as an insult. Are you alright? Hey." He grabbed my wrist, my skin tingling where he touched me. I sighed.

"Sorry. I haven't been sleeping much, that's all." I smiled. "I'll live."

Draco eyed me, unsure whether to believe me or not. He let go of my wrist and stayed by me to make sure I didn't keel over and die. He'd been acting like he cared about me a bit more lately - not so much that the other Slytherins noticed, but it was there.

Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Potter, you'd best control your brother. He has detention tonight for trying to attack one of our own." He then turned and closed the door with a snap.

For a second I thought about the detention I had served with McGonagall the previous Monday. It wasn't really a punishment as much as her teaching me how best to control my Animagus abilities.