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He was in sixth year. She was in the fifth.
He was a Slytherin and she a Gryffindor.
He was currently dating Pansy Parkinson. Of course, it was only out of a sense of pureblood duty as he felt nothing romantic for her. Truth be told, he loathed the sight of her. He couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with her. (And, seriously: the thought of pug-nosed children – no matter how pure of blood – gave him nightmares.)
On the other hand, she was in a serious relationship with the Boy-Who-Lived. She had many admirers, but he was the one who caught her heart. She had a crush on him from the minute she laid eyes on him, so long ago at Platform 9 and ¾. But, lately, she hardly ever saw him anymore. He was always busy doing interviews or signing autographs, putting off dates in the process.
Professor Lupin saw this happening amidst the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life at Hogwarts. Ginny Weasley was like a daughter to him and, odd as it may have seemed, he also liked Draco Malfoy. He felt sorry for them both: the former because she was beginning to see the truth about her love and the latter because he seemed doomed to a life bound by duty rather than love. He wondered how he could help them.
***
The opportunity presented itself in a most unusual manner.
It happened that…
…the sixth-year Slytherins were just on their way out of their Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Lupin…
…the fifth-year Gryffindors’ Cultural Magic class just ended…
…in a mischievous fit, Draco Malfoy tripped Ginny Weasley, sticking out his foot and snagging her ankle…
…whereupon Ginny stumbled to the laughter of the Slytherin gits…
…and, upon standing, slammed a hard-fisted punch into Draco’s midriff, much to the Gryffindor lot’s pleasure…
…thus sparking Pansy’s ire…
…and then –
“Malfoy and Weasley!”
Uh-oh…
Professor Sinagtala stormed out of the Cultural Magic classroom, amber eyes flashing with rage and wand held at the ready. Both Gryffindors and Slytherins moved out of her way, the crowd parting like the Red Sea.
“What’s going on out here?” Professor Lupin demanded as he stepped into the corridor.
He said it was her fault. She said it was his. Everyone else tried to chime in, but Professor Sinagtala’s cat-eyed glare silenced the lot.
“One would think you were first- and second-years rather than fifths and sixths!” she snarled at the guilty pair. She spun around to face the other students. “What in blazes are you lot lollygagging here for? Don’t you have other classes to go to?”
Both Gryffindors and Slytherins beat a hasty retreat.
Professor Lupin sighed and turned sternly to the pallid blond and the radiant redhead.
“He started it!” Ginny yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Draco. “He tripped me!”
“She was asking for it!” Draco retorted. “Smug Gryffindor hag!”
“Slytherin freak!”
“Red-haired menace!”
“Dumb blonde!”
“Pipsqueak!”
“Jerk!”
“ENOUGH!” Professor Lupin had his hands over his ears as Professor Sinagtala roared at the two. “That does it! Twenty points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin and you brats had better be grateful I didn’t take any more!”
Chastened, the two dared not look at her directly and meekly murmured their respective thanks.
“Furthermore, you two will be serving a detention with me tonight at eight sharp.” A glimmer of malice appeared in Professor Sinagtala’s eyes and her lips curled in a feral grin. “Together.”
“Yes, Professor,” came the sullen, reluctant reply.
“Now: clear out, and don’t let me catch you squabbling again!”
As the two students went their way, Professor Lupin clapped a hand on his fiancée’s shoulder. “They’ll kill each other, Amihan,” he murmured to her.
“No, Moony dear,” she replied with a knowing smile. She fished a pair of rose-tinted glasses from her pocket and handed it to Professor Lupin. “Look at them through these and tell me what you see.”
When Professor Lupin put them on and looked the students’ way, he gasped in astonishment.
There was a red thread looped around the little finger of Draco’s left hand. The thread trailed off, down the floor, and then…
…was looped around the little finger of Ginny Weasley’s right hand.
When Professor Lupin removed the glasses, the thread wasn’t there anymore. He turned to Professor Sinagtala in consternation.
“Those are musubiya-no-megane – matchmaker’s glasses,” she explained. “Asian wizards have always known that those we love are bound to us by threads seen only by those who know what to look for.” She held up her right hand. “What do you see?”
Professor Lupin put the glasses back on and smiled when he saw a thread hanging from his left hand looped to her right. “I see what you mean,” he said.
“At wizards’ weddings in Japan and China, the musubiya ties a knot in the thread to bind the two for life.”
The two professors grinned wickedly at each other.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Professor Lupin asked.
“I am.” Professor Sinagtala threw her head back and laughed. “This should be exciting.”
***
They worked together in uneasy silence, glaring at each other from time to time. All they really had to do was do a bit of research for Professor Sinagtala's next lectures. (Teutonic sorcery for the sixth years; the uses of dragon parts in Chinese magic for the fifths.) All you could hear was the scratchy sound of quill nibs on parchment. Neither of them spoke.
And, yet…
They seemed, well, comfortable with each other. Even when Professor Sinagtala left the room, they didn’t even snap at each other. He even poured her a mug of hot chocolate from the service tray on the table without being asked. She buttered his crumpets for him, too; quite lavishly, as a matter of fact. He wondered how she knew he loved crumpets oozing with butter.
“That’s enough for tonight, you two,” Professor Sinagtala advised them as nine o’clock rolled around. “Off to bed now.”
“Thanks, Professor.” Ginny yawned and rose from the table.
“You’re welcome, Weasley.”
“Goodnight, Professor.” Draco bowed politely. One had to admit he had good manners even if he was an ornery git. He offered his arm to Ginny. “Let me walk you back to your Tower, Miss Weasley.”
She looked surprised; he knew she would probably turn down his offer.
And then, “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy.” She bobbed him a small curtsey and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm.
“My boyfriend will kill you if he sees you,” she hissed at him, brown eyes flashing.
“That’s all right.” He smirked at her. “My girlfriend will have your head for this.”
“On a silver platter, I suppose?” she bantered.
“Maybe." He looked thoughtful. Then, "If you want Potter to kill me, tell him to do it with finesse, will you? He can be such a brute sometimes.”
She laughed; he smiled.
They did not notice Professor Lupin hiding in the shadows, watching them through rose-tinted glasses. He grinned: there was a knot in the thread that bound them together.
“Nice job,” he whispered to Professor Sinagtala when she joined him.
“I know,” she giggled. “Now, let’s just sit back, relax, and let the sparks fly.”
- END -
He was a Slytherin and she a Gryffindor.
He was currently dating Pansy Parkinson. Of course, it was only out of a sense of pureblood duty as he felt nothing romantic for her. Truth be told, he loathed the sight of her. He couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with her. (And, seriously: the thought of pug-nosed children – no matter how pure of blood – gave him nightmares.)
On the other hand, she was in a serious relationship with the Boy-Who-Lived. She had many admirers, but he was the one who caught her heart. She had a crush on him from the minute she laid eyes on him, so long ago at Platform 9 and ¾. But, lately, she hardly ever saw him anymore. He was always busy doing interviews or signing autographs, putting off dates in the process.
Professor Lupin saw this happening amidst the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life at Hogwarts. Ginny Weasley was like a daughter to him and, odd as it may have seemed, he also liked Draco Malfoy. He felt sorry for them both: the former because she was beginning to see the truth about her love and the latter because he seemed doomed to a life bound by duty rather than love. He wondered how he could help them.
***
The opportunity presented itself in a most unusual manner.
It happened that…
…the sixth-year Slytherins were just on their way out of their Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Lupin…
…the fifth-year Gryffindors’ Cultural Magic class just ended…
…in a mischievous fit, Draco Malfoy tripped Ginny Weasley, sticking out his foot and snagging her ankle…
…whereupon Ginny stumbled to the laughter of the Slytherin gits…
…and, upon standing, slammed a hard-fisted punch into Draco’s midriff, much to the Gryffindor lot’s pleasure…
…thus sparking Pansy’s ire…
…and then –
“Malfoy and Weasley!”
Uh-oh…
Professor Sinagtala stormed out of the Cultural Magic classroom, amber eyes flashing with rage and wand held at the ready. Both Gryffindors and Slytherins moved out of her way, the crowd parting like the Red Sea.
“What’s going on out here?” Professor Lupin demanded as he stepped into the corridor.
He said it was her fault. She said it was his. Everyone else tried to chime in, but Professor Sinagtala’s cat-eyed glare silenced the lot.
“One would think you were first- and second-years rather than fifths and sixths!” she snarled at the guilty pair. She spun around to face the other students. “What in blazes are you lot lollygagging here for? Don’t you have other classes to go to?”
Both Gryffindors and Slytherins beat a hasty retreat.
Professor Lupin sighed and turned sternly to the pallid blond and the radiant redhead.
“He started it!” Ginny yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Draco. “He tripped me!”
“She was asking for it!” Draco retorted. “Smug Gryffindor hag!”
“Slytherin freak!”
“Red-haired menace!”
“Dumb blonde!”
“Pipsqueak!”
“Jerk!”
“ENOUGH!” Professor Lupin had his hands over his ears as Professor Sinagtala roared at the two. “That does it! Twenty points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin and you brats had better be grateful I didn’t take any more!”
Chastened, the two dared not look at her directly and meekly murmured their respective thanks.
“Furthermore, you two will be serving a detention with me tonight at eight sharp.” A glimmer of malice appeared in Professor Sinagtala’s eyes and her lips curled in a feral grin. “Together.”
“Yes, Professor,” came the sullen, reluctant reply.
“Now: clear out, and don’t let me catch you squabbling again!”
As the two students went their way, Professor Lupin clapped a hand on his fiancée’s shoulder. “They’ll kill each other, Amihan,” he murmured to her.
“No, Moony dear,” she replied with a knowing smile. She fished a pair of rose-tinted glasses from her pocket and handed it to Professor Lupin. “Look at them through these and tell me what you see.”
When Professor Lupin put them on and looked the students’ way, he gasped in astonishment.
There was a red thread looped around the little finger of Draco’s left hand. The thread trailed off, down the floor, and then…
…was looped around the little finger of Ginny Weasley’s right hand.
When Professor Lupin removed the glasses, the thread wasn’t there anymore. He turned to Professor Sinagtala in consternation.
“Those are musubiya-no-megane – matchmaker’s glasses,” she explained. “Asian wizards have always known that those we love are bound to us by threads seen only by those who know what to look for.” She held up her right hand. “What do you see?”
Professor Lupin put the glasses back on and smiled when he saw a thread hanging from his left hand looped to her right. “I see what you mean,” he said.
“At wizards’ weddings in Japan and China, the musubiya ties a knot in the thread to bind the two for life.”
The two professors grinned wickedly at each other.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Professor Lupin asked.
“I am.” Professor Sinagtala threw her head back and laughed. “This should be exciting.”
***
They worked together in uneasy silence, glaring at each other from time to time. All they really had to do was do a bit of research for Professor Sinagtala's next lectures. (Teutonic sorcery for the sixth years; the uses of dragon parts in Chinese magic for the fifths.) All you could hear was the scratchy sound of quill nibs on parchment. Neither of them spoke.
And, yet…
They seemed, well, comfortable with each other. Even when Professor Sinagtala left the room, they didn’t even snap at each other. He even poured her a mug of hot chocolate from the service tray on the table without being asked. She buttered his crumpets for him, too; quite lavishly, as a matter of fact. He wondered how she knew he loved crumpets oozing with butter.
“That’s enough for tonight, you two,” Professor Sinagtala advised them as nine o’clock rolled around. “Off to bed now.”
“Thanks, Professor.” Ginny yawned and rose from the table.
“You’re welcome, Weasley.”
“Goodnight, Professor.” Draco bowed politely. One had to admit he had good manners even if he was an ornery git. He offered his arm to Ginny. “Let me walk you back to your Tower, Miss Weasley.”
She looked surprised; he knew she would probably turn down his offer.
And then, “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy.” She bobbed him a small curtsey and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm.
“My boyfriend will kill you if he sees you,” she hissed at him, brown eyes flashing.
“That’s all right.” He smirked at her. “My girlfriend will have your head for this.”
“On a silver platter, I suppose?” she bantered.
“Maybe." He looked thoughtful. Then, "If you want Potter to kill me, tell him to do it with finesse, will you? He can be such a brute sometimes.”
She laughed; he smiled.
They did not notice Professor Lupin hiding in the shadows, watching them through rose-tinted glasses. He grinned: there was a knot in the thread that bound them together.
“Nice job,” he whispered to Professor Sinagtala when she joined him.
“I know,” she giggled. “Now, let’s just sit back, relax, and let the sparks fly.”
- END -
The End.
Pepperjelly is the author of 2 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 5 members. Members who liked Threads also liked 394 other stories.
This story is part of the series, The Starlight Chronicles. The next story in the series is Redemption.
This story is a favorite of 5 members. Members who liked Threads also liked 394 other stories.
This story is part of the series, The Starlight Chronicles. The next story in the series is Redemption.
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