Love, Lupin

Part Six

"Can someone please explain what amortentia is?" Professor Snape's monotone voice asked from the front of the classroom.

A girl from Ravenclaw, Thea, raised her hand and Snape waited for others to participate. After a few moments of silence he rolled his eyes and called on her. "Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It smells different to each person according to what attracts them," Thea explained and she lowered her head to smell the cauldron. "For example I smell chamomile tea, fresh parchment, and pumpkin juice." The class giggled as the girl became lost in her description of the scent, and she lowered to her seat with reddened cheeks.

The group went around smelling the potion and listing the different scents the brew held for each of them. "I smell bubblegum, a flowery perfume, and...apples," Fred sighed with a smile. George laughed at his brother in his dreamy state and Bobbie quickly spit out her bubblegum before any of her friends noticed.

"Go on Bobbie, what do you smell?" El asked.

Bobbie traded places with Fred and lowered her nose to the cauldron. "I smell smoke, wood, and chocolate," Bobbie reported, preoccupied in the hazy feelings the potion omitted. She knew in the back of her mind these scents described Professor Lupin, though she would never admit that to herself.

Her friends remained oblivious and they continued to trade places to sniff the love potion. Soon enough the lesson was over and the group was headed to their defense against the dark arts class. Bobbie couldn't help but notice the bubbly feeling she got as they made their way to Lupin's classroom.

However, this feeling dissipated quickly as she saw Professor Snape at the front of the room instead. She could hardly believe Snape made it all the way to the classroom before they did.  "Where's Professor Lupin?" El asked as they took their seats. Bobbie was grateful her inquisitive friend asked so she didn't have to.

"That's really none of your business, is it Miss. Burton. It's safe to say that Professor Lupin has been undeniably detained at this time," he said in the same deep, lifeless voice as always. Detained for what, the question kept circling Bobbie's mind and she couldn't push it out of her head. Snape instructed the class to turn to page three hundred and ninety-four in their textbooks.

"Werewolves?" George wondered out loud.

"But Professor, we've already learned about nocturnal beasts," Bobbie pointed out, furrowing her brow.

"Thank you for your keen observation Miss. Granger, but I find it prudent we review this information immediately," the professor explained. "Ten points from Gryffindor, since Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley find it acceptable to speak out of turn." Snape set the class to read the chapter in silence, and assigned them to turn in three rolls of parchment on the content by tomorrow.

El and Bobbie set straight to work on their reading, but they could hear soft snores coming from Fred and George behind them. The girls giggled as they waited for their professor to notice. "Look here," Bobbie said nudging her friend. "It says that a werewolf cannot control their transformation, and totally lose control. They'd kill their best friend if they crossed paths."

She could feel Snape's presence behind them and he straightened out the cuffs of his robe before grabbing Fred and George by the backs of their necks, jolting them awake from their nap. Snape then moved to lower his head so he was between the two girls and hissed, "I am quite certain I assigned silent reading."

Bobbie rolled her eyes as the professor walked away from them and continued with her reading. She could hardly believe Dumbledore supported such a cynical man teaching classes here at Hogwarts. He had to have some sort of redeemable qualities, Bobbie thought to herself.

"Suppose we better steer clear of the forbidden forest then-" Fred began

"So long as you don't want to get mauled by a monstrous werewolf," George finished. Most found it rather charming that the twins finished each other's sentences, whereas Bobbie just found it annoying. Perhaps it was because she had endured it since their first year at Hogwarts.

This was a rule the students had been told since the started school, as there were many dangerous creatures that lurked in the forbidden forest. The group hadn't always abided by this rule though, following Hagrid out into the woods on numerous occasions.

Bobbie looked curiously at the twins as screaming erupted on the changing stairs they were on. "The Fat Lady, she's gone!" Ginny Weasley screamed at them, a terrified look plastered onto her face. The twins pulled Bobbie to the front of the group to see The Fat Lady missing from her painting, slash marks residing where she once stood.

"Out of the way, move!" Mr. Filch sneered at the students, making way for he and the headmaster.

"She was an awful singer anyhow," George shrugged, earning a slap on the shoulder from Bobbie. The headmaster looked curiously at the painting, grazing the slash marks with his fingers.

"Professor, The Fat Lady! She's here," a student shouted, pointing to the woman who was hiding in a different painting. The fat lady peered her head from over a cow, sporting a frightened look.

"Oh Madam, who has done this to you?" Dumbledore asked as he approached the painting.

"His eyes...they were pure darkness! It's the one they all talk about, Sirius Black!" she shouted before erupting into a fit of tears. The students all shouted in a frenzy, running up and down the changing stairs in fright.

"Enough!" Dumbledore shouted, his voice echoing throughout the hall. "Please follow Mr. Filch to The Great Hall, we will all sleep there for the evening."

Like a stampede, the students flooded down the changing stairs headed toward the hall. With a wave of his wand, Mr. Filch moved the large tables and replaced them with sleeping bags instead. Bobbie and her friends found the golden trio sitting on their sleeping bags, and raced over to join them.

Harry had a worried look plastered onto his face as he scanned The Great Hall. "Hey, it's alright. Dumbledore is securing the castle as we speak," Bobbie stated, resting her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"And what if Sirius is still inside the castle," Harry asked with raised brows. Bobbie stayed silent, unsure of how to console the boy.

"Then we charm him to eat slugs," Fred laughed as he held up his wand. Harry chuckled at the ginger boy, his mood finally settling.

The teens stayed up for a while longer with their wands lit, until other students started shouting at them to turn off their lights. Bobbie rolled her eyes at the students before tucking into her sleeping bag. Though they were all set up on a concrete floor it was surprisingly comfortable.

Silence overtook the hall as scattered snores filled Bobbie's ears, nearly putting her to sleep. Until she heard several voices clearing different parts of the castle for any signs of Black. The girl kept her eyes shut, but continued to listen in to what the professors had to say.

"Quick feet, wouldn't you say?" Snape remarked.

"I didn't expect him to stay behind Severus," Dumbledore chuckled.

"I couldn't possibly imagine how Black could pull off an entrance to the castle on his own. If you recall our conversation at the start of the term where I expressed concerns about a certain professor."

Was Snape trying to insinuate a professor at Hogwarts would be assisting the murderous lunatic? "Not a single person in this castle would help Sirius Black, enough of this!" Dumbledore whispered, silencing the potions professor.

They continued to speak, but Bobbie could hardly pay attention to the words exchanges between them. She was far too focused on racking her brain for which professor would risk the students' lives to help a killer.