"What happened?" Lupin asked politely, "I assume there must have been a fight. I didn't think you would lose your temper so easily."
"Because of Bellatrix?" Adrian snapped, glaring with flared nostrils, "Because I never went running to another teacher?"
"I didn't say that." Professor Lupin added, "I just said you didn't seem the type to have a short temper."
Obviously he didn't know Adrian.
They stared at each other, the silence broken by a ticking clock on the wall.
"How was your change?" Adrian asked, noticing the slight marks on Lupin's exposed neck. It would be dismissed as minor scratching, except Adrian knew the look of freshly healed wounds. The full moon was only two days earlier after all.
"Painful." Lupin confessed, "how was your Winter break?"
Adrian stared, trying to determine what Lupin was trying to get from him, "Not. Not painful I mean."
Lupin looked much too happy for Adrian to bear.
"Why?" Adrian blurted, "Why do you make me your pet project? Why are you so determined to help me?"
Professor Lupin aged before his eyes many years. Wrinkles set and changed the shape of his mouth, altering his entire complexion into something old and tired.
"I-" Lupin frowned, rubbing his eyes with an old sigh, "I care for my students-"
"No, you don't." Adrian's lip curled, "You have attachment for me." Adrian's eyes narrowed, "Why me?"
"Adrian-"
"No!" Adrian hissed in English, jumping upright with his temper prickling once again, "Why me? Why?"
Professor Lupin stared at Lutain carefully, pointing for emphasis, "That's an impressive pet. Not many students actually have pet snakes, I've noticed. Beautiful creature."
"Some people would say the same about werewolves."
Finally he grew uncomfortable. "Most people find them horrifying."
"Most people hate Dementors, I don't think you do." Adrian pointed out, watching Professor Lupin's golden eyes carefully, "I think, you find they're fascinating."
Professor Lupin leant back in his chair heavily, crossing his leg at his knee, "That's a strange thing to say. Especially considering the unfortunate fact that they seem to be outside our every window."
"You know quite a bit about them," Adrian's throat quivered, "tell me about them."
Professor Lupin's brow momentarily twitched before he gave a small nod and his voice deepened slightly, slipping into his lecture more.
"Very well then, Mr. Selwyn. Dementors are considered by the ministry as a non-being, a classification other creatures such as Lethifold, Hidebehind, Shades, and boggarts share. They are called this because at no point are they ever truly 'alive' in the sense we all know it."
"They can't die, or that's what they say." Adrian added, peering out over a window sightless, "Yet you can kill a boggart."
"That's a bit difficult to explain, boggarts only barely fit the profile as they can die in the assumed forms they take when feeding on fear." Lupin explained, pausing to gather his words, "I've never recalled an instance of another non-being dying, although they are relatively rare."
"Dementors in question have the ability to suck the soul out of a person. They can feed on the happiest memories someone has, draining all hope, love, and compassion out until they are but an empty husk." Professor Lupin continued, his voice strangely relaxing.
"The patronus charm is the only known way to repel a Dementor- as you saw from my first lesson. I expected to see you at my lessons, why did you never-"
"I know how to cast it," Adrian mumbled out, "I learned it without you."
"...Do you learn your spells on your own then?"
Adrian sighed through his nose and crossed his arms, "How long has Dumbledore had an interest in me?"
It was a small question- Adrian hadn't actually noticed Dumbledore looking at him. He hadn't interacted with the man.
Considering his track record already, Adrian was almost positive that the man was watching him.
It was a reasonable fear. His father had told him time and time again to watch his movements.
Lupin smiled thinly, "Since your boggart."
Shite, the man was watching him.
Adrian nodded faintly, trying not to appear as dazed as he felt, "Of course, you report all of your student's fears' to the Headmaster then?"
"Only child abuse cases." Lupin carefully controlled, "Your last name alarmed me. Blood adoption?"
Adrian froze, breathing stopping as his eyes widened comically.
"Here," Lupin offered, rising to his personal desk before retrieving a single leaf of paper, poking it with his wand and opening it carefully. He folded it a number of times, walking over to point out two small names and a figure of footsteps.
Remus Lupin
Hadrianus Selwyn-Riddle
"You were adopted by purebloods, but somehow you were raised by Bellatrix Letrange." Lupin sighed, "None of this the Headmaster needs to know."
Adrian laughed incredulously, "You're not going to tell him?"
"Unless you give me a reason, getting in another fight, for example." Lupin pointedly stated, "He doesn't need to know anything besides your perfect exam scores."
"You want me to do better than your godson?" Adrian's eyebrows rose.
"I don't have a godson, Mr. Selwyn." Lupin tersely pointed out, "besides, I figure James's face would be fun to watch."
Adrian almost coughed a laugh, "That would be a sight, wouldn't it."
"Allow me the privilege of seeing it firsthand, and I'll tell you anything you'd like to know about magical creatures."
Adrian snapped his head up, "Tell me about being a werewolf."
Lupin nodded, as if considering the deal, "Tell me about living with Bellatrix Lestrange."
Adrian's jaw quivered, his throat swallowing rapidly. "Touche."
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