McGonagall sat behind her desk, looking sternly at the mischievous group in front of her, shoulders squared. “What you’ve done is unacceptable. You four know better.” It was a successful prank, one that flooded the Great Hall with water, large rubber ducks floating all around. It was actually Lily’s idea to add the giant rubber ducks, Peter was the one to give them all bowties. Being the brilliant woman she is, she was able to find a spell that would transfigure things into rubber ducks, which turned out to be very easy. The only difficult thing was transfiguring an entire group of things into a mass of rubber ducks simultaneously.
Though being the fifth year geniuses they are, they pulled it off.
The Marauders meant it to be discrete, but a stupid Slytherin had seen Sirius and James casting the spell, going and outing them instantly. Dumbledore let McGonagall handle them, but it was always very clear he enjoyed their pranks immensely. The Headmasters eyes would always twinkle, hed smile, and usually would take a token of their efforts. This time, it would be one of the rubber ducks.
McGonagall, however, had been the quiet kind of furious. Or perhaps it wasnt fury, just pissed off resignation. She cast a spell to undo it, and made the boys fix all of the tables before marching the lot to her office.
James and Sirius were sitting on the opposite side of the desk, Peter standing next to James and Remus standing next to Sirius. James was feigning concern, Peter - anxious (as always). Remus was pretending to be annoyed at his friends.
Sirius… seemed ridden with guilt and fear. He was trembling, eyes looking like a doe. There was a nervous energy to him, fiddling with his fingers and rubbing his wrists, glancing out the window as if expecting an owl to come.
Sirius spoke first, his voice wavering and thick, “I- I’m sorry.”
“We won’t do it again.” James urged, glancing to Sirius, his ingenuine concern turning more real by the second.
“How much detention are you giving us?” Peter asked, also glancing at Sirius. Remus put his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. Sirius’s friend’s conclusion was that his parent’s were acting out again, leading him to be more fearful of their reaction. They did awful things to him, back at Grimmuald place.
Of course, McGonagall didn’t know this. She didn’t know much of anything concerning Sirius’s home life, just that James, Remus, Peter, and Lily were fiercely protective of the boy. Somehow, she caught on that Sirius didn’t want his family to ever be involved, so at the end of the fourth year, she owl’ed Euphemina Potter instead.
Remus remembered that day vividly, Sirius cried for hours. It was a mix of emotions, but a good portion of them were good, like a weight was lifted off his shoulder, like he was loved and accepted into another family, who cared for him and didn’t use unforgivables on their son. The Potter’s saw Sirius as their second son.
Sirius pleaded with her again, only solidifying the other Marauder’s conclusion. “Please, I can’t get detention, I promise we won’t do it again.” Another tear rolled down his cheek, black curly hair starting to fall on his face.
McGonagall’s demeanor changed, almost seeming to be shifting uncomfortably. “Promises aren’t going to change that you flooded the Great Hall.” She took off her glasses to clean them, putting them back on and sitting up straighter, as if she needed to remind herself they were in trouble.
Remus hoped she would let them off the hook, as did James and Peter. Sirius often hid how his home life was going until he was too scared to fake it anymore. He was beginning to regret coming up with the prank idea, now. Not talking to him more, checking on his parent’s latest behaviour. Or at least ensuring that Sirius wouldn’t be blamed. These were all things he tried to do, it was only decent. They were dating, and even so, he loved Sirius very much, wanting the boy to be safe.
“It- I- It was an accident.” He pleaded again, no longer looking up from his hands. His face was concealed by his hair, and he refused to meet anyone’s eyes. Remus squeezed his shoulder again in support. Peter looked over, confused at this rare display of emotion in front of an adult. James just reached over and took his brother’s hand.
McGonagall watched them curiously, unsure of what was transpiring in front of her. “I…okay, Mr. Black.” She sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. “There is no damage done, and..well..you four go back to your common rooms. Just don’t do experimental spells without help or in the middle of corridors and the Great Hall.”
James let out a sigh of relief for Sirius’s sake. “Thank you, professor.”
“We’ll make sure to keep it in classrooms or outside. And we’ll consult Professor Flitwick next time we want to try something.” Remus added.
McGonagall gave a curt nod, standing up and brushing the dirt off her dress before turning to leave the room. As soon as the door clicked, Remus and James turned to the silently crying Sirius, attempting to get him to look up.
“Are-” Remus began to ask. Before he could finish, Sirius had wiped his face and used his fingers to comb the hair back from it, visibly relaxing in his chair and propping his leg up onto the other He was no longer shaking, expression was one of boredom. Carefully, he ran his pinkie along the sides of his eyes to wipe away any running eyeliner, fixing it perfectly without even looking.
Sirius glanced at the three, who were staring at him visibly confused. “What?”
“So… you’re not-” James began.
“Of course not.” He pushed James out of the chair, who landed on the floor with a loud thud. “Want to go get butterbeer?” He was grinning ear to ear.
Remus had never been more proud than he was right now.