Selene || Remus Lupin

Ch. 2 - Hogwarts Again

Usually, Selene quite enjoyed the Start-of-Term Feast. She got to enjoy the first meal of the year at Hogwarts, which had better food than she could ever dream of at home, and she got to witness the Sorting of new students each year, each of them nervous but excited to learn. The Feast also reminded her of her own school days at Hogwarts, if she was able to look past the harmful memories to think of the good ones. She loved being back at Hogwarts; it was her favorite thing about being a professor.

This year, however, she wasn't sure that she liked it so much.

She couldn't miss the occasional glances of students looking her way, before turning to a student next them and exchanging whispers hidden behind hands. Even her fellow professors would look down the table at her quickly before glancing at each other oddly. Selene sighed. She should have expected this. She turned to Remus, fully expecting to comment on the situation, but he had struck up a conversation with Professor McGonagall, whom he was sitting next to. Selene turned to her other side, speaking to the only other professor bound to have not already participated in this new topic of gossip.

"How are you, Severus?" Selene asked offhandedly.

The greasy-haired man made no move to hide his disdain of his fellow professor, but he did not seem at all surprised that she was talking to him.

"Fine," Snape said, turning his large nose in her direction.

Selene smirked. "I'm surprised you haven't exchanged words with Remus yet. Merlin knows you two were best of chums back in your years here at Hogwarts."

A burning look appeared in Snape's eyes. "You're hilarious."

"No, seriously, I'm sure he'd love to catch up with you."

"I'm sure Lupin would dislike that just as much as I would," Snape said.

"What would I dislike?" Remus asked lightly, leaning across Selene.

Snape merely huffed, but Selene grinned. "Nothing at all! In fact, the exact opposite. Severus was just saying how much he's missed you and how he'd like to catch up."

"Oh, how kind of you, Severus," Remus said brightly.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the pair silently, before focusing his attention on his dinner.

Selene winked at Remus, just as Professor Dumbledore began speaking.

"Welcome!" he said genially to all in the Great Hall. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..." He cleared his throat before continuing. "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

Selene colored, trying not to look at the faces of the students at the tables. She didn't have to; she knew most of them were looking at her. There was no doubt that this would be a hard year.

She wasn't at all surprised when she felt a hand grip hers tightly under the table. She squeezed Remus' hand back, trying to communicate to him that she was okay. He did not let go.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises – or even Invisibility Cloaks."

Out of the corner of her eye, Selene saw Remus' head perk up, and a ghost of a smile graced his face. She made a mental note to let him know where James Potter's own Invisibility Cloak made its way to.