Blood Status || Marauders Era

Chapter 17|| McGonagall is a badass

It was a Tuesday, and we had Transfiguration today, Remus was sat in front of me, but the other three boys were right across the classroom, all of us separated to an extent. I guessed Minnie had done this for a reason, James and Sirius on opposite ends, Peter at the front, Remus at the back and it was lucky that I was behind Remus, however I was sat next to Dorcas Meadows who was very chatty.

McGonagall was telling us all about being an Animagus and how she had become one, the process, turning into her form of a tabby cat with her spectacle markings around her eyes. She then was about to tell us about the risks of this when James shouted out, as usual, "Why Minnie, you're looking purrfect today-" 

Sirius cut him off with his own cat pun, "Minnie, are you sure you're feline well?" They came up with others, each more random than the next, the whole class enjoying this display.

Minnie had finally had enough of this and she pointed her wand at both boys in turn, silencing them with a flick of her wand. I started to clap loudly, causing a laughter to ripple across the classroom, and both silent boys turned and glared at me in turn. McGonagall then said, a victory, and a hint of smugness prominent in her voice, "Cat got your tongue boys?"

Myself, Remus and Peter burst into immediate laughter. She then continued on with the lesson- almost as if nothing had happened - telling us the risks of being an Animagi, a small smile placed on the corners of her mouth.

As we walked out of the classroom (Dorcas telling me she was excited to sit next to me next Transfiguration) Minnie finally reversed the spell and the two boys could finally talk again. Remus chuckled as James began to rant about needing student protection and suing the school, and I shoved him lightly, telling him, "You're only annoyed because McGonagall is a badass." He glared at me and whispered, "As if."

Sirius spoke up, it was a surprise he'd been quite for this long after the charm was lifted, "Thea's right Jamie, Minnie is kind of cool." The curly haired boy gave a nonchalant look and dragged Peter off to the break, leaving the other two Marauders and I behind. Remus said sarcastically, "He takes defeat so well." Sirius and I both looked at each other and laughed, it was funny that Remus spoke the difficult language of sarcasm.

After the ten minutes break, it was Defence Against the Dark Arts, there was obviously a teacher for this lesson but it was a different one to who it was last year. Our old teacher, Miss Rakepick, had to leave due to some sort of issue back home, fighting was mentioned. A Ministry involvement was rumoured.

Frank had told us all that as long as he'd been here, there had been a different teacher each year and a sixth year students told us that the job was rumoured to be cursed, that anyone who taught DADA would only be in this job for a year at most.

The new teacher's name was Professor Teague and he looked like what I imagined a pirate to look like in the Muggle fantasy books I read, courtesy of Mary. He had dark hair and a dark beard, olive coloured skin which looked coarse - as though it had been out in the sun too long - he had a cool scar across his right eye and one at the corner of his mouth, making him look like there was a permanent smirk. 

There was also a tattoo on his wrist, and as I tried to further inspect it, he had noticed and rolled down his sleeves, and his clothes were baggy, and slightly ripped, but overall, he looked to be in his late forties.

"Everyone sit down, girls only sit next to a boy and the other way around, sounds stupid, I know but believe me, there'll be a lot less chatter if it goes my way. Don't mumble girl, I can't hear the bad things you say about me when you do that. Insult me to my face not when I can't hear you, right?" Teague said. I sat next to Sirius, the Professor obviously not expecting we were good friends. 

Only, that left me with the immense task of having to listen to every annoying thing he says.

Halfway through the lesson, Sirius said to me, "Do you think James is still a little bit pissed? I haven't spoken to him for this lesson and six minutes and counting." I stifled a laugh, and rested my head on my hand, telling him in a falsely comforting voice, "Siri, don't worry about your boyfriend, I reckon he's just a sore loser." 

Sirius faced me and raised an eyebrow, his expression blank, whispering, "He is not my boyfriend, Snape is." I couldn't help myself but I burst into a fit of giggles, the answer was so unexpected that it was funny. Sirius grinned proudly, and the students near to us was looking at us in amusement and irritation.

After the lesson finished, Peter, James and Remus walked over to the two of us and Peter teased, "How were you two, sat next each other? You're lucky, I had to sit next to Aafiya and she's scary. But, I did hear you two flirting with each other." Myself and the grey eyed boy looked at each other in horror and both shook our heads. The idea was laughable.

I finally told the shorter boy, "No way Peter, we're friends. That's just weird, and our laughter was only at something Sirius said." Remus raised an eyebrow at us both, but shrugged and walked in front of us. We followed.

A Charms class later; it was finally lunch, and sitting in the Great Hall, Lily leaned across me and asked James, "How are you James? Still cool after McGonagall?" James looked at her and grumbled something and Lily smiled, got the message and sat back in her original position. James then said almost inaudibly, "I'm not annoyed, just.. she can't shut me up like that.. I'm James Potter." Three of the Marauders and I laughed at his obnoxiousness.

Remus said, "No, don't forget the Fleamont. James Fleamont Potter, the one and only." Sirius and Peter were in stitches laughing, I was shaking my head but grinning, looking over at the staff table. McGonagall was there talking to Dumbledore and Flitwick, but obviously sensing someone was looking at her, she looked over at us and I put my thumbs up at her, she only smiled and turned back to her conversation.

Getting up at the end of lunch and trying to cheer James up, I said, "Listen James, isn't Quidditch trials tomorrow?" His eyes lit up and he started to happily talk about the moves he was going to do in order to impress the Captain of the team, Jacques - Seeker and Captain. 

He had told us how as the Seeker spot was already filled, he was going to try for one of the Chaser spots and then next year try out again for Seeker after Jacques had left.  I decided that I was also going to try for Chaser, and even if I didn't get the spot, I was still thinking of going along to support James.

"Look at them Gryffindors, honestly, they think they'll win this year." I knew that voice, that perfect, annoying, cruelly sharp voice. That one that belonged to Bellona, my irritating sister. I whipped around and so did the Marauders and coincidentally Leon Jordan who was lagging behind his friends. One of her friends looked at all of the older Gryffindors and whispered, "Come on Belle, we need to go to class or Slughorn won't be happy."

Sirius said, "Yeah listen to your friend and hurry up." Leon took a different tactic and walked over to the small first year Slytherins and said coldly, "Who was is that beat your arse last year? Who was it that won the Cup last year? Oh right, you weren't here - and we did. So move your first year backsides down them dungeon stairs and brew some Grade 1 potions in your pewter cauldrons." 

I nearly started to laugh at my sister's reaction, as she was already walking down the stairs, seemingly humbled.

"You think you can threaten Slytherins, Jordan, and get away with it? What do you call it when we do it? Ah yes, bullying, and when you do it? Self defence? Heroics? I don't agree, now you go up the stairs back to wherever you came from or wherever you need to go, and nobody gets hurt." Malfoy had a soft, deadly voice that sounded as slippery as a snake's. I couldn't disagree though, he did have a point, an annoyingly correct point. I hated when he did that.

I tugged on two of the boys arms and told the rest to just move and I was actually going to go quietly but Malfoy had to open his mouth and say, "Ah yes, follow the girl's lead, unusual to do, you should make more of an example, 'brave' Gryffindor men. But nevertheless, we all know she has the Slytherin instincts deep down." I stopped walking, that was it, I walked back down the few steps I'd started to go up and slapped him across the face.

"Let me explain something to you: that was for the boys, that was for the sexism, and that was for calling me one of you snakes," I whispered. Malfoy had already walked off and, checking no one around witnessed that, I strode up the stairs not glancing back to see if any of the amazed boys had followed me.