Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) Book Three (Marauders Era)

Chapter Eighty-Five - A Moral Failing?

The news spread throughout the third year about what the notices were, as each house had their own. After Arithmancy the next morning, Aegis brought the subject up as he and Remus were walking to Muggle Studies.

"Do you know about what is happening Wednesday night?"

"The... lessons the Heads are giving us?" Remus asked and Aegis nodded. "Um. Yeah."

Aegis bowed his head. "It is unfathomable to me. How am I going to bear having to listen to Slughorn discuss..." He trailed off, cheeks going pink. "Relations?" he finally settled on.

"I—I would be nice if we could all p-pick who we want to go to," Remus muttered, wanting to disappear, wishing Aegis never said anything; especially since he hadn't even thought of the Slytherins having to listen to Slughorn say those things! "I'd prefer Flitwick. N-not that... I mean, McGonagall—she—she isn't—she is—" He stopped, taking in a deep breath to calm down. "She's a g-girl."

Aegis nodded. "Yes, though Madame Pomfrey would be all right, in my opinion. Since she is a medical witch."

Muggle Studies went by rather fast. Lewis was teaching them about various Muggle disasters of the 20th century, and the unintentional impact magic might have that aided the natural ones. She used Vesuvius as an example, as that was a disaster that had been hotly ("No pun intended," she added, which got a slight giggle from the students who knew what Vesuvius was) debated for centuries. Forty minutes before the lesson was supposed to end, Lewis assigned them an essay on the disaster of their choice, and dismissed them.

"Modern disasters," Sirius said as they left, "will now include Wednesday night."

"Modern disasters are you four," said Bottlebrush as he went by.

Sirius made a rude gesture at his back which the Ravenclaw didn't see, while James cheerfully shouted out a 'thanks!'. Then they both turned to Remus, wanting to know what Vesuvius was and why he had laughed. Remus blinked a few times.

"Mount Vesuvius?" he asked. "Pompeii?"

"Oh," they both said, while Peter still looked a little mystified.

"Volcanic eruption that destroyed the city in the first century," Remus explained further.

Peter's cheeks went a little pink. "I knew that!" His brow furrowed a little. "Well, some of it."

The four of them went up a flight of stairs and went to the same empty classroom they had used for Pete's birthday the day before. James, Peter, and Remus all sat on the floor, while Sirius lounged on the dusty teacher's desk looking right out of a fashion catalog.

"Right, lads, what are we going to do?" James asked after they all got settled.

"About what?" Pete asked back.

"Tomorrow night!" James folded his arms tightly. "We have to do something, we can't just let it happen."

"Let off loads of dungbombs in the room," Sirius suggested with a yawn. "Make it stinky."

"Professor McGonagall will only postpone the lesson," Remus pointed out. "I highly doubt there's anything we can do about it, so we simply should just... get through it."

James made a face. "I'll die hearing things like that from McGonsie."

"Here lies James Potter, he died from hearing his teacher say 'uterus'," Remus grumbled. He wasn't keen on the lesson either but James was beginning to get too dramatic about it. "What?" he asked, realizing they were all staring.

"You said 'uterus'," Sirius remarked.

"It's... the correct term...?"

"Yeah but it's weird enough hearing you say it!" He shook his head. "Wasn't expecting that."