fic for rian219: How It'll Be (Marauders, Lily, Dumbledore, McGonagall, G)
Title: How It'll Be
Recipient: rian219
Rating: G
Characters: MWPP, Lily, Dumbledore, McGonagall
Warnings: None
--
In the autumn of Sirius’ seventh year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore left for a couple of weeks without any explanation. Rumours whipped wildly around, one of the most popular being that he’d finally gone potty and had decided to move to Argentina and raise cattle, but whenever McGonagall heard anyone discussing it she raised her eyebrows and severely told them not to be so silly. Nevertheless, Remus (his Prefect status making him a useful insider into the teachers’ comings and goings) reported once they got to the safety of the common-room that evening that he’d overheard Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore having some sort of discussion.
"I couldn’t hear what it was, though," he said apologetically.
"Maybe their grand romance isn’t going well," said Sirius, idly throwing Longbottom’s Puffskein at James.
Remus made a face.
"Oh, come on, can’t you see it?" said Sirius.
"Oh, Albus, this pretence simply can’t go on!" said Peter in a falsetto, clapping his hand to his chest.
"No, Minerva. No. This can never be," continued James, dropping the Puffskein on the book Remus had been poring over. It nuzzled at Remus’ hand for a second, then rolled onto the floor, snuffling around for crumbs.
"But - but how can I live-" Peter broke off with a gulp.
"Go on," prompted James. "But how can I live in this desolate world-"
There was a quiet but unmistakable cough from behind them. Sirius turned round to see Professor McGonagall standing there, looking as little like a tragic heroine as was humanly possible. He winced, pre-emptively.
"Sirius Black, will you come with me?" she said, in an order-pretending-to-be-a-question sort of way.
He nodded, and as she turned to leave through the portrait hole made a rude gesture at James who was trying rather unsuccessfully not to laugh.
As Sirius ambled along the corridors behind Professor McGonagall, he wondered what it was that Dumbledore wanted to talk to him about. He hoped it wasn’t anything too serious: Dumbledore always made him feel like hell when he was genuinely annoyed. It was funny, Sirius had always been able to shut out yelling, but when Dumbledore had talked to him (very calmly, very reasonably) about letting Remus as a werewolf at Snape he’d had to stare at the floor for a little while.
"And how are you doing, Mr Black?" McGonagall enquired, slowing to walk beside him.
"Hmm? Oh. Fine."
"Presumably your family aren’t happy with your" - she paused delicately - "move."
Sirius scowled; the idea that McGonagall knew about him or his family gave him an uncomfortable, itchy sort of feeling on his shoulderblades. "Did Lupin tell you about that, because-"
She shook her head. "Of course not. There are other ways to find things out than spying on people." She gave him a sharp look, and Sirius suspected that she was thinking of Remus' Prefect-hood.
"Oh, come on," he said, "we never-"
McGonagall held up her hand; they were outside Dumbledore's office now. "Liquorice wand," she said very distinctly to the stone gargoyle. Sirius suppressed a snigger as the gargoyle regally moved aside for them. "After you," he said with a grin to McGonagall, who gave him a decidedly frosty look and stepped onto the stairs.
He did not even have to knock on the door before it swung open. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, reading a densely-written piece of parchment. As Sirius sat on the chair in front of him, he tried to catch a glimpse of what the scribbles said, but the letters shifted dizzyingly.
"Thank you, Minerva," said Dumbledore. McGonagall nodded and left the office, quietly closing the door.
"So, er," said Sirius.
"I heard about what happened between you and your family," said Dumbledore.
"Yes" - Sirius coughed - "yeah. I'm living with James Potter's parents."
"And after? What do you plan to do?"
If Sirius was honest with himself, he hadn't looked that far ahead, but he didn't think Dumbledore would take kindly to that answer. "Once I come of age I can use my uncle's money," he said, hearing the Black swagger in his voice but not able to suppress it.
Dumbledore nodded. "I myself moved around a great deal when I was your age," he said. "Once, I believe, I moved six times in four months - though that was perhaps because of the cockroach difficulties that seemed to plague me wherever I went."
Sirius laughed. "I suppose there were goats involved as well, sir?"
"Quite possibly. But I have not asked you here to discuss my life - for one thing, I'm sure you would find it rather dull. No, it is your future that I would like to discuss with you."
"You mean careers and things?" asked Sirius, because it was easier to shift onto that subject than think about what Dumbledore really meant. He began to launch into the spiel he'd recited to Professor Eliot, whose job it was to prod the students into doing something worthwhile after they left Hogwarts. "I was thinking about something to do with Transfiguration, it's always been really interesting to me, and…"
Dumbledore politely let him ramble for a couple of minutes before holding up his hand. "Sirius, I suspect that you are dodging the matter at hand."
"Would I do something like that?"
"I will do you the favour of not answering that particular question," said Dumbledore. Sirius was almost sure that he saw Dumbledore's lips twitch. "Now. I consider this a confidential matter, but I suspect that it would be useless ordering you not to tell your friends about it."
"That's right," said Sirius at once.
Dumbledore gave him an approving look. "Very well. I would like to tell you about an organisation called the Order of the Phoenix."
*
A couple of weeks after their last days at Hogwarts, they were all in the pub. Sirius pushed his way back from the bar while managing to carefully balance five shot glasses of Firewhiskey. He grinned as he set them on the grubby table.
"Ta-da, Sirius’ skills prevail once more," he said, preening. "Guess what," he added.
"You hexed the giant squid so it can walk on the ground," yawned Lily, leaning her head on James’ shoulder. "No, wait, it wouldn’t walk, would it, it’d kind of undulate, wouldn’t it?"
"You’re drunk," said Remus, tapping her reprovingly on the shoulder.
"Hey, no touching my woman," said James, wagging his finger at him.
"Whose woman?" said Lily ominously.
James rolled his eyes with a cheeky glance at her, and she was mollified for now, though Sirius saw her mutter something in his ear a couple of minutes later which made him blush scarlet and cough a few times. Peter must have overhead, because he was very quick to pick up the glass nearest to him and drain it in a gulp.
Sirius grinned at Peter, then slid into the seat next to James, digging him in the ribs. Ignoring him, James put his arm around Lily’s shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze. "Get a room," snorted Sirius. "Oh. That reminds me. Did you had any luck getting that flat?"
James shook his head with a grimace. "Someone snapped it up before we could Owl the landlord."
"Come and stay at my place, there's plenty of room," said Sirius expansively.
"Posh bastard," muttered Peter.
"I'll pretend," said Sirius, "I didn't hear that."
"But dogs have really good hearing," said Remus.
It occurred to Sirius that his friends were getting sidetracked from the more important matter of the evening: his announcement. "Oi," he said, "you didn’t let me say what I wanted to say."
James drank his shot before turning to him and saying, "Oh, go on then, Sirius, you’re going to be all loomy if you don’t say it sometime."
"Hmm?" queried Remus, then turned a bit pale and half-closed his eyes. He looked a little sick. Lightweight, Sirius thought affectionately.
"Loomy, not Moony," said Peter. Remus waved his hand dismissively, still with his eyes closed.
"I-have-an-announcement-to-make," said Sirius over the quibbling. His friends looked at him, with varying stages of interest and bleariness. "I’ve joined the Order of the Phoenix."
As he said it, he couldn’t help but smile broadly, even though James looked a bit shell-shocked and Remus looked like he was frowning (though that might just have been the nausea) and Peter was smiling nervously. The Order of the Phoenix had such a stirring tone about it. Rebirth through fire. It was like something from one of those books that Sirius had seen stacked messily on Remus’ bookshelf, except it was real and exciting. He’d seen the phoenix in Dumbledore’s office and he’d read the legends; he knew what it could do.
With tears and fire, they’d heal the world. That was how it would be.
Recipient: rian219
Rating: G
Characters: MWPP, Lily, Dumbledore, McGonagall
Warnings: None
--
In the autumn of Sirius’ seventh year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore left for a couple of weeks without any explanation. Rumours whipped wildly around, one of the most popular being that he’d finally gone potty and had decided to move to Argentina and raise cattle, but whenever McGonagall heard anyone discussing it she raised her eyebrows and severely told them not to be so silly. Nevertheless, Remus (his Prefect status making him a useful insider into the teachers’ comings and goings) reported once they got to the safety of the common-room that evening that he’d overheard Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore having some sort of discussion.
"I couldn’t hear what it was, though," he said apologetically.
"Maybe their grand romance isn’t going well," said Sirius, idly throwing Longbottom’s Puffskein at James.
Remus made a face.
"Oh, come on, can’t you see it?" said Sirius.
"Oh, Albus, this pretence simply can’t go on!" said Peter in a falsetto, clapping his hand to his chest.
"No, Minerva. No. This can never be," continued James, dropping the Puffskein on the book Remus had been poring over. It nuzzled at Remus’ hand for a second, then rolled onto the floor, snuffling around for crumbs.
"But - but how can I live-" Peter broke off with a gulp.
"Go on," prompted James. "But how can I live in this desolate world-"
There was a quiet but unmistakable cough from behind them. Sirius turned round to see Professor McGonagall standing there, looking as little like a tragic heroine as was humanly possible. He winced, pre-emptively.
"Sirius Black, will you come with me?" she said, in an order-pretending-to-be-a-question sort of way.
He nodded, and as she turned to leave through the portrait hole made a rude gesture at James who was trying rather unsuccessfully not to laugh.
As Sirius ambled along the corridors behind Professor McGonagall, he wondered what it was that Dumbledore wanted to talk to him about. He hoped it wasn’t anything too serious: Dumbledore always made him feel like hell when he was genuinely annoyed. It was funny, Sirius had always been able to shut out yelling, but when Dumbledore had talked to him (very calmly, very reasonably) about letting Remus as a werewolf at Snape he’d had to stare at the floor for a little while.
"And how are you doing, Mr Black?" McGonagall enquired, slowing to walk beside him.
"Hmm? Oh. Fine."
"Presumably your family aren’t happy with your" - she paused delicately - "move."
Sirius scowled; the idea that McGonagall knew about him or his family gave him an uncomfortable, itchy sort of feeling on his shoulderblades. "Did Lupin tell you about that, because-"
She shook her head. "Of course not. There are other ways to find things out than spying on people." She gave him a sharp look, and Sirius suspected that she was thinking of Remus' Prefect-hood.
"Oh, come on," he said, "we never-"
McGonagall held up her hand; they were outside Dumbledore's office now. "Liquorice wand," she said very distinctly to the stone gargoyle. Sirius suppressed a snigger as the gargoyle regally moved aside for them. "After you," he said with a grin to McGonagall, who gave him a decidedly frosty look and stepped onto the stairs.
He did not even have to knock on the door before it swung open. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, reading a densely-written piece of parchment. As Sirius sat on the chair in front of him, he tried to catch a glimpse of what the scribbles said, but the letters shifted dizzyingly.
"Thank you, Minerva," said Dumbledore. McGonagall nodded and left the office, quietly closing the door.
"So, er," said Sirius.
"I heard about what happened between you and your family," said Dumbledore.
"Yes" - Sirius coughed - "yeah. I'm living with James Potter's parents."
"And after? What do you plan to do?"
If Sirius was honest with himself, he hadn't looked that far ahead, but he didn't think Dumbledore would take kindly to that answer. "Once I come of age I can use my uncle's money," he said, hearing the Black swagger in his voice but not able to suppress it.
Dumbledore nodded. "I myself moved around a great deal when I was your age," he said. "Once, I believe, I moved six times in four months - though that was perhaps because of the cockroach difficulties that seemed to plague me wherever I went."
Sirius laughed. "I suppose there were goats involved as well, sir?"
"Quite possibly. But I have not asked you here to discuss my life - for one thing, I'm sure you would find it rather dull. No, it is your future that I would like to discuss with you."
"You mean careers and things?" asked Sirius, because it was easier to shift onto that subject than think about what Dumbledore really meant. He began to launch into the spiel he'd recited to Professor Eliot, whose job it was to prod the students into doing something worthwhile after they left Hogwarts. "I was thinking about something to do with Transfiguration, it's always been really interesting to me, and…"
Dumbledore politely let him ramble for a couple of minutes before holding up his hand. "Sirius, I suspect that you are dodging the matter at hand."
"Would I do something like that?"
"I will do you the favour of not answering that particular question," said Dumbledore. Sirius was almost sure that he saw Dumbledore's lips twitch. "Now. I consider this a confidential matter, but I suspect that it would be useless ordering you not to tell your friends about it."
"That's right," said Sirius at once.
Dumbledore gave him an approving look. "Very well. I would like to tell you about an organisation called the Order of the Phoenix."
*
A couple of weeks after their last days at Hogwarts, they were all in the pub. Sirius pushed his way back from the bar while managing to carefully balance five shot glasses of Firewhiskey. He grinned as he set them on the grubby table.
"Ta-da, Sirius’ skills prevail once more," he said, preening. "Guess what," he added.
"You hexed the giant squid so it can walk on the ground," yawned Lily, leaning her head on James’ shoulder. "No, wait, it wouldn’t walk, would it, it’d kind of undulate, wouldn’t it?"
"You’re drunk," said Remus, tapping her reprovingly on the shoulder.
"Hey, no touching my woman," said James, wagging his finger at him.
"Whose woman?" said Lily ominously.
James rolled his eyes with a cheeky glance at her, and she was mollified for now, though Sirius saw her mutter something in his ear a couple of minutes later which made him blush scarlet and cough a few times. Peter must have overhead, because he was very quick to pick up the glass nearest to him and drain it in a gulp.
Sirius grinned at Peter, then slid into the seat next to James, digging him in the ribs. Ignoring him, James put his arm around Lily’s shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze. "Get a room," snorted Sirius. "Oh. That reminds me. Did you had any luck getting that flat?"
James shook his head with a grimace. "Someone snapped it up before we could Owl the landlord."
"Come and stay at my place, there's plenty of room," said Sirius expansively.
"Posh bastard," muttered Peter.
"I'll pretend," said Sirius, "I didn't hear that."
"But dogs have really good hearing," said Remus.
It occurred to Sirius that his friends were getting sidetracked from the more important matter of the evening: his announcement. "Oi," he said, "you didn’t let me say what I wanted to say."
James drank his shot before turning to him and saying, "Oh, go on then, Sirius, you’re going to be all loomy if you don’t say it sometime."
"Hmm?" queried Remus, then turned a bit pale and half-closed his eyes. He looked a little sick. Lightweight, Sirius thought affectionately.
"Loomy, not Moony," said Peter. Remus waved his hand dismissively, still with his eyes closed.
"I-have-an-announcement-to-make," said Sirius over the quibbling. His friends looked at him, with varying stages of interest and bleariness. "I’ve joined the Order of the Phoenix."
As he said it, he couldn’t help but smile broadly, even though James looked a bit shell-shocked and Remus looked like he was frowning (though that might just have been the nausea) and Peter was smiling nervously. The Order of the Phoenix had such a stirring tone about it. Rebirth through fire. It was like something from one of those books that Sirius had seen stacked messily on Remus’ bookshelf, except it was real and exciting. He’d seen the phoenix in Dumbledore’s office and he’d read the legends; he knew what it could do.
With tears and fire, they’d heal the world. That was how it would be.