"Come on then boys. We've kept the rest of the class waiting long enough" Lupin said as he held the bathroom door open for Draco and Blaise to walk through. Draco knew Professor Lupin was not happy with him considering he refused to go to the toilet just then, but Draco didn't feel comfortable admitting and then having a wee with him just yet. "You're okay now" Blaise whispered into Draco's ear as they followed the security guard back to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Draco looked at Blaise, his face sad looking, his eyes glossy and his cheeks flushed pink. He looked anything but okay, yet that was all Blaise knew to say to try and support his best friend.

Once back with the rest of the Hogwarts students Blaise leaned in to whispered into Draco's ear again. "He didn't mean what he said" Blaise spoke almost inaudibly. Draco wasn't sure what Blaise meant by this and looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed. "If you have another accident he will change your nappy" Blaise clarified through a whisper. "Oh, right" Draco said halfheartedly, not truly believing what Blaise had just said. From his experience with his father, when he said something, he meant it. So, Draco believed that there was no way Professor Lupin would be changing his nappy again during this trip as a punishment for his rudeness. That thought left Draco internally panicking, as he wasn't sure he would be able to make it to the end of the day dry.

"Okay, everybody. Now that we've got everything sorted we will be heading into the department. It is important that nobody strays away from the group and that we keep our volume down as there is some extremely important security work going on in here" Maddox said as he took out his wand and pointed at the entrance to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

All of the students silently trailed after Maddox as he walked through the department, pointing in various different directions and explaining what each witch and wizard was doing. As Draco followed he couldn't help but feel a deep disinterest in all the information he was being given. He sighed to himself as he focused more on his feet than Maddox.

Lupin once again noticed Draco's lack of attention and softly shook his head to himself. He was disappointed that Draco was letting his bathroom issues come before his desire to become an Aura, so he was throwing away a brilliant opportunity to learn for his future. Lupin walked himself over so he was stood behind Draco and Blaise and leaned his head in close between the two of them. "I hope you are listening, Draco" Lupin spoke quietly but firmly. Draco bit his lip as Lupin lingered between him and Blaise. The environment felt very overwhelming for Draco and all he wanted at this moment was to go back to the castle and see Snape.

"And that is all we are legally allowed to show you in this department" Maddox said once he had walked halfway through the room. "So, if you would all like to follow me I will escort you to the cafeteria so you can have your lunch and a quick break. I do encourage you all to visit the bathroom during this break as we are going to have a very busy afternoon trying to fit the remaining departments into this tour" Maddox continued as he gestured for the students to follow him in the direction of the cafeteria.

"I wonder what we are going to have for lunch" Blaise smiled as he walked closely next to Draco. Draco couldn't even think about lunch. His mind was now in a complete panic after what Maddox had just said about going to the bathroom. "Are you alright?" Blaise asked Draco as he ignored every attempt at striking up a conversation. "I'm fine" Draco lied, batting off the unwanted socialisation abruptly.

The two boys didn't speak again until they had reached their lunch table. The table was full of sandwiches, as well as fruit, crisps, cakes, and juice. "Yum" Blaise said as he sat himself down and quickly began filling his plate up with food. Draco didn't immediately sit down. He took a few moments taking in his surroundings and trying to predict which door had the bathroom behind it. "Come on Draco" Blaise encouraged Draco to sit down between mouthfuls. But, before he could he felt a strong hand placing itself on his shoulder. "A word, Malfoy" Lupin spoke from behind, his grip tight on Draco's shoulder.

Draco swallowed, licked his lips, then turned to face his professor. "Come on" Lupin instructed, taking Draco to a quieter part of the room.

"I think we should try and go to the toilet as Maddox has just said" Lupin said in a hushed voice. Draco was expecting Lupin to start telling him off about his behaviour, so was slightly taken aback by the statement. All Draco could bring himself to do was shake his head. He knew he needed a wee, but the idea of going with Professor Lupin was unimaginable. "I think it's for the best" Lupin continued, not accepting Draco's no for an answer. "I don't need to" Draco forced out, trying not only to convinced Lupin of this, but himself too. "Draco, I can't keep having this same argument with you. I've watched you all morning and you aren't taking yourself to the toilet so I'm going to need to step in and take you" Lupin explained. He wasn't angry, just irritated by Draco's complete reluctance to go to the bathroom.

Draco had never been spoken to so matter of factly before, so he wasn't really sure how to respond. He took a deep breath in and turned his attention to the floor, hoping it would swallow him up.

"Now come on, then you can come back and have something to eat" Lupin pressed, hoping Draco would accept his help. "Okay" Draco said shyly, feeling more like he had been back into a corner rather than choosing to go himself. "Good boy" Lupin said condescendingly before he turned in the direction of one of the security guards. To his dismay he couldn't seem to see the same security guard who had been helping them earlier, so he had to settle for introducing himself to somebody new.

"Hello" Lupin said as he approached the much more stern looking security guard. "Yes?" he responded coldly. "I'm going to need to take this student to the bathroom. Would you be able to show us where the family bathroom is?" Lupin asked hopefully. "There's a bathroom over there" the security guard said as he pointed to the bathroom that had a steady stream of students coming in and out of it. "Sorry, like I said, I need to come in with this student so we are going to need to be taken to the family bathroom" Lupin persisted. The security guard looked Draco up and down, then rolled his eyes. "Follow me" he said before turning his back on Lupin and Draco.

They were quickly taken to the same family bathroom they had been in earlier that day. "Thanks" Lupin said sarcastically before opening the door and waiting for Draco to go inside.

Draco moved rather quickly, favouring being out of sight of the security man who was much more scary than the one they had encountered previously.

Once inside Lupin locked the door behind them. "Right, I'm sure you can do it yourself from here" Lupin said, hoping Draco would now take himself over to the stall and have a wee. Draco looked at Lupin, not sure what to do next. "Please don't make me" Draco said softly.

The comment was very unexpected from Lupin and he felt immediate sadness for the boy in front of him. He knew from his conversations with Snape that Draco hadn't been treated kindly at home and that when it came to the bathroom Draco was often mistreated by his father, but this was the first time Lupin had seen the genuine fear in Draco that he had been told about.

"Draco, I'm not trying to make you, I'm trying to help you" Lupin tried to explain to Draco, choosing his words carefully as to not inflame the already volatile situation. Draco shook his head, not believing what Lupin had just said. "What's going to happen if you don't go to the toilet now?" Lupin asked Draco, trying to get him to think about the importance of having a wee now.

Draco shrugged, he knew but he couldn't bring himself to say it. "You'll have another wee in your nappy" Lupin said boldly. "Unless you've already had another accident" Lupin said as the realisation dawned on him that Draco could be refusing the bathroom because he was already wet. Draco dispelled this idea quickly with a hard shake of his head though. "Okay, so we need to have a wee now so you don't have an accident later" Lupin continued trying to encourage Draco as best as he could.

Draco looked at Lupin. He could hear the sincerity in his voice and he knew he meant nothing but to be helpful, but still there was an overarching voice in the back of his head screaming at him to not trust Lupin. "I don't want you to get angry" Draco admitted, his voice wavering. This statements alone broke Lupin's heart. He knew that he could sometimes get frustrated with the boy, but angry, never. "Hey, I'm not going to get angry at you, Draco" Lupin promised, his voice deadly serious. "I just want you to be able to go to the bathroom without being scared" Lupin continued.

"But I don't deserve to not be scared" Draco said, his mind flooding with times his father had berated him with cruel words. "Draco, you're a brilliant boy and it is so sad that somebody has convinced you otherwise. You are so brave for trying so hard to overcome all of the pain you've been through and all I am here for is to help and support you to realise that you don't deserve to be afraid anymore" Lupin said warmly.

"You said you wouldn't change my nappy again" Draco sighed, reminding Lupin of what he had previously said.

"I know and that was wrong of me to say, I was just frustrated. Of course I will change your nappy whenever you have an accident, but I really think if we work together today I won't need to change your nappy again" Lupin smiled, internally feeling guilty about what he had said to Draco earlier that morning.

"I'm scared you'll let me use the toilet then be angry at me once I've done it" Draco admitted. He now felt a lot safer around Lupin and decided opening up might help him. "Why would I do that?" Lupin asked, confused. The idea of being angry at somebody for doing something they had been given permission to do was inconceivable to Professor Lupin. "Because that's what my dad did" Draco answered as he remembered all of the punishments he had gotten for using the bathroom at home.

"You poor, poor boy" Lupin said helplessly. "That is a kind of cruelness I couldn't even imagine inflicting on a child. I am so sorry that that was how your father chose to treat you. Can you understand why what he did wasn't right?" Lupin asked. Draco shook his head. He wholeheartedly believed he deserved to be punished the way he was. He believe he didn't deserve to use the toilet and that he should be disciplined accordingly when he did so or had an accident.

Lupin squatted down slightly so he was at direct eye level with Draco. "You, like every other child, has the right to use the toilet. You don't deserve to be denied such a basic human right and while you're in the care of Hogwarts you will never be punished for asking to or using the bathroom. Your father has convinced you that your only choice is to have accidents and that is completely untrue. You are safe here with me. You are safe in the castle with Snape" Lupin spoke clearly to Draco, never moving his eyes from his. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Lupin asked.

Draco looked down at himself, not sure if he fully believed Lupin, but understanding what was said all the same. He nodded shyly, his body too overwhelmed to speak.

"Do you think you can be brave enough to go for a wee?" Lupin asked hopefully. Again Draco nodded, a hint of a smile in the corner of him mouth. For the moment he trusted Lupin that he wasn't going to hurt him for going to the toilet, so he took the opportunity gratefully and headed for the stall behind him.

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What do you guys think of Lupin being involved in the story? Do you want less or more of him??

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B xxxx