The Last Riddle

32. Why do you hate me?

"It's everyone's favourite class, Lupin is the best teacher this school has ever seen!"

"He is amazing, he really makes me want to learn."

"I don't know what it is, he's just so kind to all of us...well nearly all of us."

I feel the eyes of the other Slytherin girls in my year slide towards me as they watch me out of the corner of their eyes. I resist the urge to turn towards them at the dinner table with my middle finger up, and instead focus on stabbing my fork into the large wooden table.

"Ang stop it!" Blaise grabs my wrist and pulls the fork out of my clenched fingers.

"Sorry" I mutter glaring down at the empty plate in front of me.

"What's gotten in to you? You're hardly a ball of sunshine normally but today you seem particularly gloomy." Blaise whispers to me his hand on my shoulder.

I sigh and glance up at him "it's Lupin."

Blaise nods solemnly "right, that makes sense. I'm sorry I know that he's been treating you awfully lately."

I rest my chin in my hand as I stare at the wall "he has treated me like literal shit since the day he started. No matter how well I do on my homework or in lessons he still talks to me like I'm his greatest enemy. Even worse is that he treats Harry like a literal prince, he even invited him for tea!"

I cross my arms angrily over my chest grabbing my bag off the floor "I'm going to go now so that he can't claim that I was late. I'll see you there?" I ask Blaise as I stand up to leave.

Blaise nods at me his mouth full of toast.

Muttering to myself under my breath I walk out of the hall and make my way to our defence against the dark arts classroom. Before breakfast is even close to ending I am already stood outside of the classroom, finished homework in hand and ready to start the day.

Five minutes later I see Lupin walking towards me in his usual battered robes looking exhausted. I arrange my face into a wide smile and wait for my teacher at the door. Lupin spots me when he is several feet away and I'm sure he seems to let out a very quiet groan.

"Good morning Angelica" he says his voice weak.

"Good morning Sir, how are you today?" I chirp out my voice uncharacteristically happy.

He nods slowly as he watches me carefully "not too well today, shall we go inside?"

He leads me into the classroom and I take my usual seat in the middle of the room, Lupin begins to write on the large black board at the front as a heavy silence falls between us.

Uncomfortable I clear my throat "umm Professor Lupin I was wondering, seeing as we are the first ones here today if we could go through my homework together? There were just a few parts I wasn't sure about."

Lupin sighs deeply and his shoulders lower as he turns to look at me, his face is arranged in a way that makes it very clear that talking to me is the last thing he wishes to do.

"Yes sure, bring your homework up here please." He sits in his chair behind his desk and takes the parchment of out of hand laying it out in front of him.

I silently stand next to his desk my eyes anxiously watching his reactions to my essay, occasionally he mutters quietly under his breath and crosses out lines with his quill.

Students begin to filter in slowly and take their seats around us, all watching the two of us with growing fascination.

"Well?" I ask as Lupin finally sets his quill down.