All the Young Dudes ( Sirius' Perspective )

Fifth Year : OWLs

And don’t you know, don’t you know

That it’s wrong to take what is given you

So far gone, on your own

You could get along if you try to be strong

But you’ll never be strong ‘cause

You’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far

‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway...

 

Thursday 3rd June 1976

Sirius was beginning to think that he couldn’t trust professors. The past five years at Hogwarts had basically consisted of a series of increasingly dire warnings about the difficulty and importance of OWLs, and yet he found himself sitting in the Great Hall, leaning back on his chair and trying to find some means of entertainment as his peers scribbled frantically around him.

Defence Against the Dark Arts had been a doddle—as he’d known it would. He’d been telling James for weeks that he didn’t need to bother with all his last-minute cramming, which had him spending hours holed up in the library and obsessively poring over textbooks at dinner. But his predictions hadn’t been heeded, and with all his friends lost to studying, Sirius had found himself spending most of his free time with Mary.

Of course, he had very few objections to this arrangement. With the majority of students flocking to the library, the common room was quite frequently empty—and even when it wasn’t, neither Sirius nor Mary minded a bit of an audience as they curled up on the sofa in front of the fire.

The audience minded, however. Marlene even went so far as to assault them with a slipper one evening, shouting hysterically, “Go and find a broom cupboard like everyone else!”

Sirius might have acquiesced, but Mary was no longer comfortable with sneaking off in the castle. She’d had a few close calls with some of the nastier Slytherins, and though she insisted that she could handle them just fine, it clearly upset her more than she let on. Sirius tried to reassure her that he’d always protect her, no matter what—that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. But in the meantime, Marlene would just have to suck it up. It wasn’t like they were being obscene; things were (mostly) limited to kissing.

Four seats ahead of him, James yawned and rumpled his hair, then turned to look back at Sirius, grinning. Sirius gave him a thumbs-up, tilting his chair back onto two legs.

“Quills down, please!” Ordered Professor Flitwick, who was proctoring, “That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment. Accio!”

An entire hall’s worth of parchment rocketed towards Flitwick, slamming into him with such force that he toppled over, and Sirius couldn’t help but laugh. The cheerful professor didn’t seem too perturbed, smiling gamely as a few students helped him to his feet.

“Thank you...thank you,” He panted, “Very well, everybody, you’re free to go!”

The marauders exited the hall together, heading for the grounds. It was a warm, sunny day, lazy with early-summer heat. As they walked, Sirius nudged Remus, smirking.