The Stars and Forbidden Cigarettes | Professor Remus Lupin

Playing With Fire

The next two weeks find Reverie holed up in the library at her favorite table by the window overlooking the lake, with Oliver beside her. Exams are heavily upon them, yet Reverie is thankful that both Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts require her to write a paper outside of class instead of sitting for an exam.

Within both classes, students are expected to choose any subject learned over the course of the semester and present a compelling and unique argument, whether it be by comparing, contrasting, or advocating an entirely different lens.

Having learned how to care for a young Whomping Willow in Herbology months before (and arbitrarily remembering the interest her parents had shown in the tree when she'd told them about it in a letter in her first year), Reverie decided to analyze it's comparative advantages and weaknesses, along with not only what it has been used for in the past but also what it could be used for in the future. As enticing as the idea had sounded at the time of conception, however, Reverie is now pushed into a corner by dozens of books -- some of which are titled Flesh Eating Trees of the World, Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants by Selina Sapworthy, and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore -- and heavily regretting her choice because of the lack of coherent information on Whopping Willows past their youth. The only true source she has is the Whomping Willow on the grounds, but she hasn't been back since two weeks ago, and she's almost scared to get there and happen across a pack of hidden cigarettes or it's owner.

Nevertheless, she figures that it's better that there isn't much literature on Whomping Willows, as it ensures that any argument she chooses to make is unique, so she begins brainstorming, wiggling her quill between her fingers as she thinks. 

What is the Whomping Willow really good for? It's an offensive weapon, Davey Gudgeon's legacy of almost losing an eye made that a fact. But, it isn't wide enough to protect intruders from entering the castle, or the woods, or anything beyond its circumference, really. So if it isn't protecting anything outside of its range, then it must be protecting something within.

Reverie drops her quill on the table and pushes out her chair, and Oliver looks up from his own Herbology book on Snargaluff Pods, alarmed.

"I'll be right back," she whispers, but before Oliver can whisper back, she's turned the corner out of the nook.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me about the Whomping Willow."

Lupin's head snaps up, and Reverie is standing in the doorway before him. He notices her glowing red cheeks and her determined eyes first, and though he absolutely would never say it aloud, he'd missed her presence. Frowning, he sets his quill down.

"How did you get in here?"

"The door was unlocked," she says, crossing her arms against her chest. He keeps his eyes on hers.

"No, it wasn't," Lupin responds, leaning back in his chair.

Stepping forward, she pulls a chair out on the other side of the desk, and sits down in front of him. "Professor, please tell me about the Whomping Willow."

He clears his throat and, standing up, he walks towards his bookshelf.

"Isn't that a question for Professor Sprout?"

"No," she says, "It's a question for you."

Still with his back towards her, he ruffles through the pages of a book Reverie can't make out the title of.

"Very well, Miss Castill. The Whomping Willow is, as I'm sure you've gathered by now, a tree."

Realizing that he has no plan to say anything else, Reverie responds.