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Without surprise, Arithmancy had quickly become Tilly's favorite class. For many students, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become what they enjoy the most, those like Harry and Ron. Tilly enjoyed the class immensely as well, and it had climbed its way into her top three favorite classes; Arithmancy, Transfigurations, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Barely anyone had anything negative to say about the class either, only Draco Malfoy and his band of followers had bad things to say about Professor Lupin.
"Look at the state of his robes," Malfoy would say in a loud whisper as Professor Lupin passed. "He dresses like our old house-elf."
"You must be referring to the house-elf that Harry managed to trick your father into freeing, right Malfoy?" Tilly would say just to get on his nerves when she'd hear him talk bad about the way Professor Lupin dressed. "Also, since when do you care so much about fashion? Perhaps I'll get my mum to send you a copy of Vogue or Fashion Weekly."
His best friend, Daisy Morgenstern, had started to become noticeably annoyed and bothered by the things Draco would say about Professor Lupin when she was around him. Daisy had taken a strong liking to Professor Lupin and respected a lot, Tilly could tell that she respected him as much as she did by the way she sat and listened while he spoke to the class. It got to the point where when Malfoy would decide to say something negative about the class or Lupin he'd not only be insulted by Matilda but scolded by Daisy as well.
No one else cared that Professor Lupin's robes were patched and frayed. His next few lessons were just as interesting as the first. After boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblinlike creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of the castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. Padma Patil and Seamus Finnigan were not a fan of these creatures. From Red Caps they moved on to kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds. Daisy who everyone now knew was afraid of the water sunk into her seat as Professor Lupin talked about the kappas.
Tilly enjoyed having all the classes she did, but she only wished that the Professors wouldn't make her run around the entire castle just to sit and listen to them give a lecture and assign homework that she could have finished in five minutes. Worst of all was Potions, even though she excelled in that class it was only due to her grades. Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt why. The story of the boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had traveled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn't seem to find it funny. His eyes flashed menacingly at the very mention of Lupin's name, and he was bullying Neville worse than ever which had resulted in Snape and Matilda arguing even more than they already do.