Call me Squib

Private Lessons

Chapter Eleven: Private Lessons

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"Miss Dobbs?" Embry heard someone call her name as she tried to enjoy her breakfast the next morning. She set aside her glass of juice and turned to find Professor Lupin standing behind her, effectively turning her hair white from nerves.

"Yes, sir?" She asked politely.

"Professor Dumbledore, along with some of the other professors, agreed that it'd be best for you to have private lessons. At least, for the first few weeks," Lupin informed the teen. "You'll be meeting with each professor during their free time for your lessons. I don't have a class this morning so you'll be meeting with me first. Please join me in my office once you're done here."

"Yes, Professor," she rested her head in her hands as he walked away, well aware that the twins and Lee were watching her. "Would you three stop staring at me?"

"Sorry, your hair's just cool," Lee shrugged as she looked up at them, her hair turning back to black. "How do you do that?"

"You're all fifth years yet you don't know a single thing about metamorphmagus? How on earth do you plan on passing your OWLs?" Hermione rolled her eyes at the older boys as she sat herself down beside Embry. "It's well known that her change in hair color stems from her changing emotions, as does her eye color."

"What does white mean?" Fred raised a brow at his friend. "That's what it keeps changing to."

"It's almost time for class, I should head to Professor Lupin's office." Embry quickly excused herself, only to have George grab her hand.

"You haven't eaten anything," he frowned at her. "Mum wouldn't be happy if you skipped a meal. You didn't have dinner last night, either."

"I'm not hungry. I'll eat at lunch later," she shrugged it off as she grabbed her bag. Her friends were left to watch as she made her way out of the Great Hall, heading towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Sure enough, she found the room empty as she walked into it, heading towards the small office in the back. There she found Lupin sitting at his desk, looking over something in his hands. "Professor?"

"Lu," he jumped at her voice, quickly shoving the paper in his hand in his pocket. "You don't have to be scared, you know?"

"Oh," a faint blush painted Embry's cheeks, not having realized her hair had turned back to white. "Sorry."

"It's fine," he offered her a small smile. "We're going to continue with the boggart, but before we do I'd like to ask you a few questions about your past."

"Why?" Her stomach knotted with unease.

"If you aren't able to handle your past then you won't be able to overcome your boggart since that's what it represents." He gestured to the chair opposite him, watching at Embry took a seat in it. "Tell me about your relationship with your parents."

"No," she quickly shook her head.

"Okay, how about your brother?" He tried, only to be shot down once again. "How about something simple then? What's your name?"

"If you know my parents then you know my name," she picked at the hem of her sleeve.

"I'd like you to tell me it," he smiled, desperately wanting the girl to feel comfortable around him, to feel safe.

"Embry," it came out as a whisper. "Though most people call me Squib."

"Do you know why Lucius told everyone you were dead?" Lupin's voice was cold now, her jaw locking at the mention of the Malfoy man.

"I didn't know he did until I ran away," Embry admitted, watching her professor's reaction closely. "Why are you so angry about this, Professor?"

"No one should be treated the way you have been, Embry, it isn't right." He shook his head, though Embry could tell that there was more behind his reasoning than he let on.

"It's okay," she wasn't blind to the oddness of how she was trying to comfort him about her past.

"No, it's not," he gave a soft chuckle. "You're so much like your father."

"How?" Embry's voice hardened at his words. Lupin's eyes widened, realizing what he had just said. "How am I anything like that man?"

"Embry, please calm down," he tried to calm her down, watching as her hair shifted from white to black to red, showing just how angry his words had made her.

"How am I anything like that monster?" She hissed at him. "All he is capable of is evil!"

"Calm down," Lupin repeated himself. Embry only shook her head as she jumped up from her seat. Anger radiated off of the girl with vibrant red locks before she snapped, pulling up the sleeve of her robes to show of the scars that littered her pale skin.

"Do you really think I can calm down when you're comparing me to the man that does this to entertain himself?" Tears streamed down her face as she yelled at her professor. Lupin's eyes glazed over with tears as he pulled the broken girl into his arms. Rather than pulling away from the man's embrace, Embry allowed herself to truly break, sobbing into his chest.

"Are you okay?" Lupin spoke up against only after the girl's cries had died down to soft sniffles.

"I'm sorry," Embry apologized as she stepped back, embarrassed of the scene she had just caused. She hastily pulled her sleeves back down, pushing her blue locks back from her face. "I don't usually act like that."

"It's fine," he assured her as they heard a knock on the door. Both of them turned around to find Harry standing there.

"The class is ready, Professor." Harry cleared his throat, not failing to notice the stray tears that Embry hurried to wipe away.

"Okay," Lupin nodded as Embry grabbed her bag off of the floor. "Em—Lu, feel free to come and see me if you're ever having...problems again."

"Thank you, Professor," Embry nodded. She gave the man a brief hug before slipping out of his office, doing her best to ignore the stares she earned from the curious third years that had filled the classroom.

Only once she was in the corridor did Embry stop, pulling a piece of paper out of her sleeve, the same paper that Lupin had been looking at when she'd arrived at his office. Her dark eyes scanned over the paper to see that it was an old photo, it creased from being folded repeatedly. It was a picture of a young man holding a small baby in his arms. The man looked so happy and carefree in the photo, a large smile filling his lips as he looked at whoever had been behind the camera. It was the small baby that caught Embry's attention though, more specifically the baby's eyes. They were the same bright shade of blue that her own were.