Queen of Disaster | 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

Chapter 26

Diana looked over at him. "What do you mean No?"

"No," Remus repeated himself, turning his head to meet her bright blue eyes. "Not until you explain to me what happened back in Diagon Alley that you ran away from me like that."

"Didn't it ever occur to you that you might just be that hideous that it scared me?" Diana said jokingly, making him laugh.

"I might not be as confident as James and Sirius, but even I know for sure that you couldn't have just run away from me like that because you thought I looked like a troll or something."

Diana shook her head at him before looking back at the pages of the book in front of her, pretending to be reading.

"Well?" Remus pressed on the matter. "Why did you run away?"

"Leave it, Lupin."

"No."

"Ugh, are you always this nosey?" Diana huffed out irritably.

"Usually." He nodded earnestly, before smiling playfully. "It's the thirst for knowledge that drives me."

     "Fine. I'll tell you," Diana finally said, looking over at him challengingly as she grinned. "But only if you tell me how you've been managing to get to the Ancient Runes' class so fast," Diana said stubbornly, folding her arms.

     "Are you trying to negotiate with me right now?" Remus raised an amused brow at her.

     "Precisely." Diana smirked. "How do you get to class before me, when I leave the Great Hall earlier than you?"

     "All right," Remus said with a light sigh. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

    "Yes! Just tell me how you do it!"

     "Okay." Remus leaned in closer, and so did Diana, eager to know the answer, until he finally whispered dramatically, "Magic."

    Diana pulled back, glaring daggers at his direction. "Have you made it your life mission to piss me off?"

Remus shrugged, holding himself back from laughing. "Not on purpose."

"So you're actually enjoying annoying me?"

"I'm starting to, yes."

Diana had to keep herself back from punching him as he kept on smiling at her. Letting out a shaky breath to calm her nerves, she leaned back against her chair, watching the candles burn little by little.

     They sat there in silence for a while, and Diana could feel the joking atmosphere leave, being replaced by a tense one as the quietness started to become unbearable.

     "I'm sorry," she finally heard Remus whisper, catching her off guard.

     Startled, Diana turned to look over at him. "What for?"

      "For pressuring you into telling me." He let out a small sigh. "I... I just don't understand."

     Deep hidden in those words, Diana could hear the lack of confidence in his voice. There was something that worried him, as though Diana had looked through him and seen a dark secret that he was hoping to keep locked up in his heart forever.

     "Honestly... I don't understand it either," Diana whispered, looking down at her lap with a frown. "I can't even explain it. And even if I could... you'd either think I'm crazy, or you'll just laugh."

     "I won't laugh. I promise," Remus said solemnly, but then he grinned. "Besides, I already think you're a bit crazy. I don't think what you say can have much effect on how I see you. It can't get any worse."

     Diana found herself chuckling at that before she could stop herself.

     She didn't meet his eyes at first as she hesitated for a few more seconds, considering it and thinking of her next words carefully.

     "All right..." she whispered, slowly turning on her seat so that now her whole body was facing him. Her heart started beating faster as an idea made its way over her head. "I... I'm going to try something... so maybe I can understand this better. Don't freak out. If what I think is going to happen, happens... then I'll explain it all to you. I promise."

     Remus wasn't sure what she meant, but at last he gave one small nod of his head, saying in a soft whisper, "Okay."

     Diana took in a breath as looked deep into his brown eyes, losing herself into them for a moment. One side of his face was darkened by the shadows of the dim library, but the other was brightened by the candle light, flickering before them.

     With her eyes locked up with his, Diana gently raised her arm, moving it toward the table where Remus's hand was resting.

     Diana didn't look away from him. She held her breath unintentionally, and for a moment so did he. And then, as slowly as her body allowed her, she reached out for Remus's hand on the table and rested hers upon it, their skins brushing against one another.

     The silence took over as Diana waited. She waited for the feeling of darkness. For the jolt of pain in her left shoulder. But it never came.

     Although just then, Diana's breath suddenly hitched in her chest as Remus hesitantly reached out his other hand, placing it over her freckly cheek and cupping her face gently with his palm.

     Diana stared up into his eyes, unable to move. She couldn't understand what he was doing, and why he was doing it. Maybe he had mistaken her intentions. All she knew was that for a single moment, with their eyes connected and both their hearts pounding, she didn't want him to let go.

     Suddenly, Diana felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw his gaze travel down toward her lips, and then back to her blue eyes again as the silence of the gloomy library drowned them within itself.

She then stiffened and her stomach gave a sudden lurch when she felt him starting to lean forward.

     But as soon as it had all happened, Remus withdrew his arm as though finally coming back to his senses, and pulled his other hand out of her reach, clearing his throat awkwardly.

    "We — we should better get going," he said, looking away from her.

     Diana sat there dazed, not sure of what had just happened, or what was going to happen if he hadn't spoken.

    So she cleared her throat as well, closing the books and piling them on top of one another before picking them up. "Let's just take the books back to our dorms and read through them separately. We still have a lot of time before turning in the assignment."

     Remus gave her one single nod before getting up to his feet and blowing out the candles. Without saying goodbye properly, the two of them left the library with the books, going their separate ways as Remus went up to the Gryffindor tower and Diana walked down toward the dungeons.

     That night, as she laid awake in bed, Diana couldn't help but to graze her fingertips over her lips for a split second, unable to prevent her mind from thinking about what would've happened if he hadn't stopped.