Chapter 1
Minerva McGonagall liked to think of herself as a very observant person.
She could tell when a student was stressed or upset. She could tell when a staff member needed some time off.
She could tell when a normally roudy and rambunctious teenager started closing themselves in and forcing smiles more than they were actually smiling.
Sirius black was an interesting kid. Minerva thought he was wonderful, always shining bright and knowing how to cheer anyone up. Minerva quite enjoyed the young boy(though she'd never tell him that)
So when Sirius came back from Christmas break looking more pale and sunken in then shed ever seen him, Minnie got worried
She worried about the boys' mental and physical health often. She knew the black family and absolutely despised them. She saw how closed off Sirius got back in his first year when he would get letters from his parents.
She worried about Sirius’s homelife as well. McGonagall has seen kids who grew up in toxic or abusive homes, and while Sirius tried to hide it, she could see the signs.
She saw him flinch ever so slightly if some raised a hand towards him. She saw the shadow of fear in his eyes when he was getting yelled at. She saw the subtle limp or bruise he got when he came home from a school break.