three

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After careful deliberation, Wren had decided to sit in the second to last row of the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Anywhere closer to the front was just way too close to him for her liking, and it was common knowledge that the back row was reserved for the Slytherins. A Gryffindor amongst the Slytherins would have been the first thing he noticed.

She gave Percy Weasley a small smile and wave as he made his way to the front table; Usually Milo and Wren would sit with him, but the table was right in front of the professor's desk and Wren wasn't about to put herself directly in his line of sight.

So she decided on the second row to the back, hoping to bury her head in her work and hide behind the students in front of her for the whole lesson. Milo chose not to question Wren's choice of seating, instead just stacking it in a pile with all the other unusual behaviour Wren had displayed recently.

She kept her head down as Lupin entered, not daring to look his way in case he could sense someone watching him. Milo had an eager smile on his face, the nerd in him ready to learn. Wren, however, had one hand on her forehead to cover her face, her eyes downcast at the wooden table.

She felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks when the man started speaking, the soft vibrato of his voice sparking something foreign in her gut. His tone was low, husky almost, and it made small goose bumps pop up along the length of Wren's arms.

"Good afternoon," He smiled, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, "I understand it's your last lesson of the day, so I appreciate you all attending."

He seemed so much friendlier, talkative, than when Wren had met him. She couldn't help but quietly snigger; Why was she thinking into it? It was a one night stand. Period.

Remus' scribble swirled across the black board behind him, white chalk scratching against it to display the words "Patronus Charms."

He pointed the chalk towards the board in a gesture, looking out at the blank faces of the students before him, "Anyone heard of them?"

Percy Weasley's hand shot straight up, practically having to force himself from levitating off his chair in excitement. Professor Lupin nodded his way, "Mr Weasley."

"Each person has an animal Patronus," He started, folding his hands in his lap neatly as he continued, "They can protect a wizard or a witch when they are most in need."

"Well done Percy," The Professor smiled, "Thank you!"

He turned back towards the board, writing two more barely legible words below his scribble, "Expecto Patronum."

With a rather dramatic spin, Professor Lupin flicks his wand to the side as he mutters the two words he had just written. Wren rolls her eyes, why is every Defence against the Dark Arts professor so theatrical?

A glistening beam of blue light shoots out from the tip, taking the animalistic form of a common wolf as it dances around the classroom. The low light from the setting sun reflects from the spell majestically, and Wren can't help but watch in awe.

It was beautiful. Wren found herself staring open-mouthed, having to remind herself she was supposed to be hiding as she averted her gaze and let the fringe of her brown hair fall across her face.

Before she looked away, however, she wasn't blind to the way that her professor was also watching in awe, despite it being his Patronus, a strange sort of jealousy flickering in the brown of his eyes.

He coughed, snapping himself out of whatever trance he had found himself in. Out the corner of her eye, Wren watched as the shimmering wolf dissipated into the air.

"That pretty ray of light can protect you from most things." He spoke, before adding with a slight raise of his brows, "Even Dementors."

"Why even have those ugly things here in the first place?" Milo mumbled, lowering his head so that he was closer to Wren, "Aren't they just putting us in danger?"

Wren shrugged, "Dumbledore said that they shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah but one has already tried to get you," He scoffed, "And you most definitely weren't in its way. If anything, it went right out of its way.."

Milo was cut off by the sharp jab of Wren's elbow in his ribs as the girl lowered her head even further, having noticed Lupin looking in their direction. Milo furrowed his brows at Wren, before muttering his apologies to their professor.

Lupin waved it off, "As I said, today you're each going to practise this spell."

Great, Wren thought, Just what I needed.

*

Wren was finding it exceedingly difficult to hide behind her fellow students when they kept moving to cast the Patronus spell. Even Milo was of no help, the boy jumping up and down in excitement as he watched the blue light shoot from the tip of his wand and materialise into a small otter.

Wren had tried the spell a few times, after Milo's prompts, but she had yet to successfully cast her own Patronus. She was quite happy about that though, no Patronus dancing around the room meant no unwanted attention from their overly eager professor.

She mumbled the two words again, her wand held out in front of her. Her pathetic attempt didn't even warrant a few blue sparks, her arm falling back by her side as she shrugged.

"You're not even trying, Wren." Milo sighed, his shoulders slouched from disappointment at his friend.

"I am!" She argued half heartedly.

"Holding your wand out like this," He urged, mimicking Wren's previous actions, "Is not trying."

"I," Wren tried to speak but Milo cut her off again.

He turned to her, crossing his arms across his chest, "You've been really weird lately. What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Wren defended. A few students had started to look at the minor argument that had erupted between the usually giggling best friends. Wren really didn't need a bunch of people staring at her.

"I obviously just need more practice!" She pleaded, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks, "Please, just leave it."

"Mr Shaw." A gruff but light hearted voice said from beside the pair, "Everything ok?"

"Yeah," Milo sighed, "Wren just can't do the spell."

Wren wanted to stamp on Milo's foot, to kick him and punch him repeatedly in the chest. She felt sick, as she refused to move her gaze from the slightly scuffed brown leather of Lupin's shoes.

Lupin's words had caught in his throat, as he took in the raven haired girl before him. She looked so different - small freckles visible on her skin from where her makeup had worn off, the fabric of her tights slightly laddered on her right knee from where she had caught it earlier, fringe naturally fallen across her face.

Milo waited for a reply, watching their professor expectantly, but Lupin was speechless. How had this happened? He had been in a Muggle bar in the middle of a quiet London town, on a random Wednesday evening. He couldn't have gotten any further from the wizarding world if he tried.

But here she was, the girl he had been beating himself up for treating so awfully, stood sheepishly in front of him. A student, wearing the familiar grey jumper tucked into a slightly rolled up, black skirt. He had recognised the name Winslow on the register from her pure blooded family - one of the sacred 28 - but obviously couldn't put a face to the name.

He had to do something, to say something. But in that moment, he decided it was a problem for later Remus.

"I'm sure she can figure it out." He mumbled, walking back over to his desk with an awkward scratch of his neck.

"What is wrong with everyone today?" Milo huffed.

*

"Thank you all for today." Remus smiled, students already standing up and readying themselves to leave. A low chatter filled the room.

"Miss Winslow?" He said, just loud enough so that she could hear, "A word?" He coughed, his eyes downcast so that the two couldn't make eye contact.

Milo looked at his friend with furrowed brows, who replied with a shrug of her shoulders and a whispered "I'll meet you in the common room."

Wren slung her black, canvas satchel over her left shoulder so that it was sitting just past her hip. She walked closer to his desk, watching as he nervously shuffled papers around on the oak wood surface.

She waited a moment before speaking, fiddling with her fingers and picking at the skin around her nails.

"I just think.." Wren stuttered.

"I'm sorry." Remus said, finally raising his gaze to look at the girl in front of him.

"Sorry?" She asked, slightly upset by his choice of words. This wasn't exactly how Wren thought it would pan out either, but she didn't regret it. Did he?

"For treating you how I did," He explained with a small gesture of his hand, "I was having a bad day."

Wren scoffed, "I could tell."

A small laugh escaped Remus' lips as he shook his head in partial disbelief, "It was the anniversary of the death of a friend, and I.."

Wren cut his rambling off, "You don't need to apologise."

"Still." He emphasised. His eyes were soft as he looked at Wren, taking in everything from the slight smudge of mascara under her eyes, to the small scuff on the leather of her shoes.

"Let's just forget about it." She suggested, fixing the strap of her bag on her shoulder, "It never happened."

Remus cut in, "You're just a student."

"And you're just a professor."

"Exactly." He said, a silence hanging over the pair as they stared at each other in a strange sort of longing.

The moment was broken by the door to the classroom swinging open, a deep voice filling the air with a snarl of disgust, "Lupin."

Snape's tunnel vision on the professor he despised diverted to the brunette standing to the left of the room, leaning against a table with one hand clutching her bag strap. The feared professor faltered for a moment, at the sight of Wren standing before him.

"Miss Winslow." His voice softened. He eyed Remus suspiciously, who fumbled for an excuse as to why he had kept a student back on her first class of the year.

Snape's eyes narrowed, honing in on his fellow professor, lips pursed as if about to speak.

"Sorry professor," Wren started before Snape could, turning to face him with the sweetest and most innocent smile she could muster, "I was just telling Professor Lupin that I've always had an interest in Defence against the Dark Arts, and that I was a thinking of becoming an Auror after I graduate."

The meaner of the two professors looked to the girl with a quirked brow. He knew Wren, having been a close family friend whilst she was growing up, and he had become pretty adept at knowing when she was lying.

Wren stood from her leaning position on the table, moving her bag so that it was now cross-body and folded her arms across her chest.

"Thank you," She nodded to Lupin, who had a knowing glint in the brown of his eyes, turning on her heel and walking towards the open door. As she walked past Snape, a cold hand came out from his cloak pocket and grabbed onto her upper arm.

"An Auror?" He whispered, his head bent slightly so that Remus couldn't read the shape of his lips as he spoke. Wren let out a small gasp at the grip his fingers had on her bicep, bony finger tips digging into her olive skin.

"Why not?" Wren replied with a quirked brow, her unbothered façade unchanged as she pulled her arm from Snape's grasp in one swift and rough movement.

Snape watched her retreating form, before turning back to Remus with narrowed eyes. His voice was low, and Remus would have been intimidated if he weren't so used to Severus' demeanour, "Leave Miss Winslow alone."

The second Wren was out of the room and away from the two professor's watchful eyes, her casual walk became a full blown sprint as she ran through the corridors of the castle. The thumping of her loafers was loud against the concrete floor, the leather rubbing slightly against her Achilles heel. She swore she could hear her heart beating in her chest, the sound resonating in her ears as she felt the panic rise in her gut.

All she could think about was how she was so going to fail Defence against the Dark Arts, all because she fucked her professor. Wasn't that supposed to have the opposite effect? Wren was heading straight for the Gryffindor common room; She needed to talk to Milo.

She felt the need to keep looking over her shoulder to make sure her potions professor wasn't following suit. Snape knew her too well, having practically raised her on occasion, and just then it felt like he could see right through her. 

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