Managing Mischief

Chapter 8: Busted

     Uncle? Sev? These two have a death wish! Remus thought, shock clear as day written across his face.

A smile slowly spread across Snape's face. A SMILE! I must be hallucinating! Or dreaming! There's no other explanation for this! Remus was sure he had never been more confused or stunned in his life. Slowly he moved his left hand and pinched his right hand.

Damn that hurt! Definitely not a dream, he deduced.

"And just what, pray tell, are you two doing out after curfew and in the dungeon at that?" Snape asked the twins.

Looking at each other, and having a quick silent conversation with each other, "Well you see Uncle Sev..." started Leo.

"Professor Snape" corrected the dour man.

"Right. That's what he said. Anyway, Uncle Sev, it was such a nice evening..." Aries continued.

"That we decided to take a moonlit stroll."

"You know how much we like the moonlight."

Remus tried, he really did, to maintain a blank face, but against his will he smirked and let out a small laugh. Having forgotten the other man was there, the sneer returned to Snape's face as he looked at Remus and lifted an eyebrow at him. In silent apology, Remus straightens his spine and lifts both hands in the universal sign of surrender, trying to reign in his laughs.

Turning back to the twins, Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you were out for a stroll, as you put it, why were you hiding in an alcove?"

"We heard footsteps approaching..." Aries started, tugging on his ear, with a shrug, a clear sign to Snape he was lying. Rather than call the older twin out on his nervous twitch, that he recognized after so many years of catching the twins in the act of a prank, he allowed the younger one to carry on.

"And we thought it was Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris!" Leo finishes while rubbing his nose, his personal nervous twitch.

Both professors shuttered slightly in sympathy and nod their conceit at the plausible (if you disregard the nervous twitches) answer.

Looking back up at the twins, Snape's features seemed to soften. It must be a trick of the light, Remus pondered to himself.

"Right. Well, the way I see it you have two options. Option one: I tell your mother. Option two: detention with me." Snape announced.

Once more, the twins looked at each other for a moment and nodded. Turning back to the two professors they responded:

"Detention."

"Mother."

"WHAT!?" the twins exclaimed at the same time, turning fully to face the other.

"Are you out of your mind! We can't tell mum!" Aries shouted.

"ME? We can't have a detention this early in the year!" Leo responded just as heatedly.

"I'm sorry did you already forget the howler mum already sent us!?"

"Oh yeah" Leo whispered, his face becoming thoughtful. Turning once more the face Snape "Detention." He said, puffing out his chest and looking pleased, all while he nodded to himself.

What had started as a boring night for Remus was quickly turning amusing, even causing him to forget his earlier confusion. Despite himself, he couldn't help but laugh again at the exchange. So much so, that even Snape's sneering couldn't stop it.

"Detention then. Every night for the rest of the week. I need help preparing potion ingredients for the younger classes." Snape announced decidedly.

"YES!" Aries whooped. Aries, as it so happened, had a love and talent for potions, in no small thanks to his godfather.

Leo backhanded his brother in the stomach causing his twin to double over at having the wind knocked out of him. "Preparing ingredients sounds like an acceptable punishment." He responded to Snape primly, in his best impression of his cousin Percy.

Smiling at his godsons, Snape shook his head exasperatedly at them. "I'm sure it is. Let's just keep this between us. Gods know I have no desire to be on the receiving end of your mother's wrath." He muttered the last line so softly that had it been anyone else other than those currently present, it would have gone unheard.

The twins made eye contact, with matching smirks, that almost had them breaking the silence of the hall with uproarious laughter. The act hadn't gone unnoticed by Remus who had to cover his own laugh with a cough lest he be faced with Snape's wrath.

"Right then. Since that's sorted, I'll escort the twins back to Gryffindor Tower." Remus said, herding the twins away from Snape and toward the staircase.

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With the only sound in the hallway being the echo of the trio's footsteps, the group continued on in silence for a distance. The twins didn't dare converse knowing that even if they whispered the professor that was currently escorting them would hear everything.

Only once the group made their way onto the seventh floor did Remus break the silence. "So...did you figure out the password?"

The seemingly innocent question stopped the twins in their tracks. Turning to face the defense professor with astonished faces, Aries answered "Professor! We would never!"

"We are upstanding students!" Leo insisted.

Unbothered by their insistence on being innocent, Remus continued the walk to Gryffindor Tower. "I know a lie when I smell one boys."

Leo turned wide eyed to his brother before they both took off running to catch up to the werewolf.

Upon reaching the portrait Remus turned to the twins again, "I'd know that look of mischief anywhere. I confess, however, that I am looking forward to seeing what your group of Marauders pulls off. I will deny that though if you tell anyone. Now off to bed with you two."

As the twins disappeared through the portrait hole, Remus couldn't help but smile to himself as he turned to make his way back to his rooms. He couldn't wait to tell Sirius and James about Hogwarts' new band of Marauders and what appeared to be a plot to gain entry to the Slytherin common room.