Howling at the Moon

4. Booster Lessons

"I'm not a good wizard."

"What do you mean? You're a great wizard!"

"No, I'm not. I'm in my 7th year and I've still not made a successful potion. I'm as clumsy as a rhino with a wand when it comes to anything important."

"Oh sh, you're plenty good at charms, and Transfiguration. Anyway, herbology is important, it's just underated." Faith tried to reassure her, truth was Herbology is a known 'weak' subject. "Look at Newt Scamander! He's one of the most revered wizards that's been, he pretty much only cared about care of magical creatures. He created the module. "

"He was wicked good at DADA, fought in a war. I'm not, I'm alright at some things sure, but I'm not good, you know? Sometimes I wish I was good. Even this stupid Empath thing, is so useless. There's nothing impressive in feeling when other people are happy or mad or whatever. I'm useless." Diondre sulked. These things she normally kept to herself, but sometimes the weight of her own short comings closed in on the air around, making her taste failure everywhere. She needs to spit it out, lest it sits unpleasantly on her tongue forever.

"Hey! Don't talk like that! You're not useless. You're one of my best friends. You're really important to me." The short blonde reached for her hand, running her thumb comfortingly over her knuckles.

Diondre sighed, she wouldn't get any comfort by being told she's a good friend. She knows that. She's a good person, it's the one thing she has certainty over. Maybe if the hat put her in Slytherin her ambition could have outweighed her kindness, she could have been powerful, clever, anything! Anything but 'one of my best friends'. No one is going to put that in their history books.

She leaned her back onto the chilly concrete pillar behind her, enjoying the contrast from Faiths small warm hand to the cold hard truth holding her weight.

"If it's DADA you want to get better at, have a talk to Professor Lupin. He might give you extra help outside of class, he always told us he would if we feel like we're struggling." She offered.

"Yeah, maybe." She replies with no real acknowledgement. Professor Lupin. He had such a kind face, Di thought. All smile lines and weathered scars, he would help her if she asked, she was sure. But he already had enough to do.

"Hey! Di!" Came a loud far too familiar voice that grated on Diondres nerves.

Lukaz. Her first love. First kiss. First fuck, and her first heartbreak.

She remembers the first time they met too well. An 11 year old Gryffindor that wasn't brave, he sat outside in the cold as far away from people as he could get, in nothing but a dark hoodie. She found him there during her own escape from company, shivering and timid. Their friendship was instantaneous. He hid from the world behind his loud shouty music and his too long fringe.
Diondre felt the same as him, outcasted, no control over her emotional outbursts and just so full of feelings that she shouldn't understand at 11, because they belonged to adults that grew enough to face them. They created their own world together, in the back of empty classrooms, away from the people that caused them turmoil. Alone, together.

Then he got brave.

"How are you enjoying the sun? Faith, good to see you too!" The second half of his sentence was a lie, they were all aware.

His eyes lingered on her hand in Faiths, she felt her fingers twitch under the gaze but didn't pull it back. Their friendship was none of his business.

"Very well. Thank you Lukaz."

"Hey, mate, Where'd you run off to?" Po came panting over the hill. "Oh hi Di."

"Hello Po." Diondre didn't attempt to hide the contempt in her voice this time. In her mind Po was everything that was wrong with Lukaz, and she will forever despise him for it.

"You're looking lovely today, a couple of attractive dykes." He winks.

The girls scramble to their feet hastily, and reach for their wands, but he's already there, ready.

"What are you going to do Diondre? Shoot pink glitter at me? We all know you can't do much more." He laughs like it's an innocent but funny joke. That's the thing about Po, he's endearingly cheeky, the bones in his face are sharp and they all slant upwards in humour. Distinctly fea, but he's horribly cruel at times. Everything is entertainment for him, an exciting prank, a funny show.

"Mate, cut it out." Lukaz tries, but his heart isn't in it, he is too caught up in the excitement of his friendship to notice when they cross the lines.

Faith growl's, "I can do mu-"

"Expelliarmus!" And her wand is gone.

"I wasn't talking to you, pretty." He tells her, eyes on the dark haired girl instead. " Go on then, I could do with a bit more sparkle!" He gives her a wide tooth grin. Lukaz looks between them, debating getting involved again. He doesn't.

"Petricus totalus!" She shouts, it's the first spell they did with Professor Lupin, ropes fly out of her wand instead, as they had before. She thinks it will be enough.

"Incantato reverso" he deflects casually, and suddenly her arms are slick to her side, tied there with her own thick ropes, they're around her neck too, getting tighter.

He hits her again with a spell he doesn't verbalise and she feels her body jerk upwards, painfully, the ropes pulling tighter. She is upside down, tied to a tree.

Po takes a moment to admire what he's done, the ever present glint of amusement taunts her in her embarrassment.

"Pig! Asshole! Can't breathe you dickhead!-" she would have continued until the ropes cut off her breath but he stuffed her dangling tie into her mouth, too quick for her to bite his fingers off.

"Quite something your girl is, isn't she? Absolutely pathetic." He mocks his friend, " let's go, I'm sure her girlfriend can sort her out, or maybe she prefers it this way, heard you like it kinky, pretty?" He tosses her back her wand and turns to leave. Mischief managed.

Lukaz then discovers his brave, selfless heart and puts her right with his wand. Once his ex girlfriend is standing on her feet again, arms free and able to strike he looses his nerve once more and sprints after Po.

"I'm sorry about him!" He slings over his shoulder as he goes.

"Diondre!" Faith shouts after her as she stomps away, a face full of thunder. "Where are you going?"

"Professor Lupin."

________

"Booster lessons?" He asks.

"Yes."

Lupin takes a shaky breath. He might like the girl a lot more than he did initially, but he also likes his sanity.

"Can't you get one of your friends to practice with you?" He tries, then regrets it when her face falls. He never wants to see that again. He's not given a chance to teach to disappoint his students when things get a bit hard.

"If you're not willing to then-" she starts, disappointed and upset. She has been humiliated today, and saved by Lukaz, which is questionably even more humiliating.

"No! I am willing. Yes, definitely." He corrects. "I'm not teaching Thursday evenings, or at all on the weekends. If you can make any of those days?"

She sighs in relief, "yes, Thursday is good for me, also Saturday."

"I'll see you Thursday then."

"Thank you Professor."