The Marauders: Year Four

I'm Watching You Potter

I'm Watching You Potter

EDUCATIONAL DECREE NUMBER SIXTEEN
In the event that the Headmaster of Hogwarts is deemed
unfit to hold his post by the Minister for Magic, the position
shall be terminated and heretofore held by the Minister until
a new headmaster shall be selected by the Educational
board, or else a temporary interim headmaster shall be
assigned by the minister. The acting headmaster shall be
given full power of headmaster proper until such time as
the board chooses an appropriate replacement.

The decree was posted on the noticeboard in the common room the next day, along with the announcement that the acting headmaster was to be none other than the auror, Alastor Moody, as appointed by Eugenia Jenkins, the Minister for Magic. There was also a notice reminding students of the drugs and alcohol policy, the list of forbidden items from Mr. Filch's Office, and the terms of not going into the Forbidden Forest.

Remus looked absolutely petrified, "What am I going to do? The full moon is only two weeks away..."

"We'll figure something out," said James.

Peter shivered.

The boys went downstairs to their breakfast, though Remus didn't eat but two bites as he stared at the empty seat where Sirius ought to have been, and when Frank Longbottom came downstairs with Andy Woodhouse and Ali Prewitt, he asked, "Where's Sirius?" and Remus got up and left the Great Hall. Frank looked confused, "I - is it something I'm doing? That's twice now I've said something to you lot and one of you has gotten up and run off in as many days."

"Sirius's been... expelled," James murmured. It was largely due to the notices in the common rooms that nobody had noticed Sirius missing before Frank had done. Sirius, with his carrying voice, was very hard to miss, but everyone had been quite concerned with the appointment of a new acting headmaster that none of the others along the table had noticed the absence of his loud guffaws and inappropriate shouting.

Several heads turned to look at James as he said it. Frank's jaw dropped and Ali gasped. Lily's face was scarlet. She was staring down very, very hard to the table top - one of the only ones who'd witnessed it. She put down her silverware and got up to leave the room too... only to bump into Severus Snape in the doorway. "Lily - are you alright?" Severus asked, noticing the flush to her face and catching her so she couldn't go.

"Yeah, I'm just upset about what's happened."

"About the murderer?" Severus sneered. "You're upset because he got expelled? Got off easy, didn't he? They should've sent him clear to Azkaban."

"He didn't mean to do it, you heard what Remus said, he was imperiused," Lily said lowly.

"Lily... he hates me... he's always hated me... he's always hated my mum. You know he once mocked her - and me - when my mother went to beg for help from his mother? They were sisters, you know. Half sisters, but sisters nonetheless. And we were starving that winter... you remember the year. The year the snow killed the vegetables... You brought us cans of soup from your mother's pantry."

Lily felt her cheeks go hot. She'd forgotten that year. He'd never told her he was hungry, but she could see it in his face, the way his cheeks were sallow and his eyes had lost the shine to them. She'd snuck the cans out of her mum's pantry and carried them to the pond and, without saying a word, she'd just given them to him.

"My mum was one of the proudest people I ever knew, despite everything that happened," Severus whispered, "And she humbled herself - broke her pride enough to go and to ask for help... desperate... because we were going to starve without the help... and my Aunt Walburga and her nasty sons mocked us. Lily -- THAT is the real Sirius Black. THAT is the Sirius Black that murdered my mother just as his mother blasted her from their family tapestry. You keep accusing me of going too deep into darkness, but perhaps you should have had a look at Sirius Black."