Ficlet: Wake me when September ends
Not a songfic, I just suck at naming things, so I stole some unrelated lyrics.
Title: Wake me when September ends
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: McGonagall, MWPP
Word Count: 766
Written for: mariana_oconnor's prompt at comment_fic, Marauders & Professor McGonagall, the first time they are sent to McGonagall's office
September was always a trying month in Minerva McGonagall’s life, especially since she’d been made Head of Gryffindor House. It was always difficult, getting both herself and her students back in the school mode. The upper year students were always complaining about the workload and looking for ways to extend their holidays, while the lower years inevitably forgot all they had learnt over the summer.
Then there were the first years, a quarter for whom Minerva was now directly responsible. They were the usual blend of the overwhelmed, the ones who were naturally timid even at the best of times, the studious who genuinely were trying to learn, the ones who were still too excited to realize how homesick they were just yet, and the truly adventurous.
She had thought that Black and Potter were two boys that fell into the category of acting out to hide just how frightened they were by the newness of Hogwarts, but by the third time she had to give them a talking to, Minerva was beginning to suspect they were natural-born troublemakers, especially as they’d managed to drag two other boys from their year-Pettigrew and Lupin-into the mess with them.
All four were sitting before her now, looking suitably abashed at the chewing out she’d just given them. Potter and Pettigrew both looked on the verge of tears, though Potter was trying to hide it with a fierce glare while Pettigrew was just biting his lip very hard. Black had taken to studying the folds of his robe as if they held the secrets of Transfiguration-Minerva actually wished he’d put that much concentration into her class, since he seemed to possess a modicum of natural talent and it would be a shame if he continued to waste it in favour of the mischief he’d chosen so far.
And Lupin… poor Lupin had looked pale and miserable even before she’d started her lecture. Now he looked about to sick up all over the place.
It wasn’t difficult to imagine why, either, since every time he’d been called into her office so far this year, he’d entered expecting that this time she was going to announce their mistake and kick him out of Hogwarts all because of his condition. Nothing she nor Dumbledore said could convince him otherwise.
Minerva softened slightly at the sight of them before her, frightened eleven year olds who were away from their homes for the first time in their lives.
“Fifty points from Gryffindor,” she finished, still terse since it wouldn’t do to let them see her as a soft touch. “And I trust that you have learned your lesson.”
Four heads bobbed fervently in agreement, and the boys rushed from her office so quickly that Filch might have taken points from them had he seen them for running in the hallways.
She sighed as soon as they were gone, thinking perhaps that she’d been too hard. They were just first years, after all, trying to find their place. The boys hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, and thanks to some fast action of her fellow professors, no one had been harmed. That was what they were there for, to help teach their students control and step in when they lost it.
~*~
Professor McGonagall wouldn’t have been so hard on herself had she known what happened next.
“Well,” Sirius said as soon as they were far enough away from her office that there was no chance of her overhearing, “I think that went well.”
“What?” Peter practically squeaked. “We lost fifty points!”
“We can earn them back again,” Sirius said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He gave Peter a piercing look. “Some of us can, at least.”
Remus was trying his best not to hyperventilate. “We promised the professor that we would stay out of trouble,” he said.
“We promised her nothing,” said Sirius.
“We only said that we’d learned our lesson,” James piped up. “And we have. Never again will we float Filibuster Fireworks across the Great Hall with a hover charm.”
“No,” said Sirius, matching James’ wide grin. “Next time we’ll just lob them right at the Slytherins with our own two hands.”
Remus and Peter didn’t look quite as convinced as James and Sirius, but their enthusiasm was infectious and the other boys found themselves unable to resist for long.
The next time McGonagall called them into her office, still covered in the soup that was supposed to be that night’s dinner before the boys’ fireworks splattered it across the Great Hall and its inhabitants, she wasn’t so forgiving.
Title: Wake me when September ends
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: McGonagall, MWPP
Word Count: 766
Written for: mariana_oconnor's prompt at comment_fic, Marauders & Professor McGonagall, the first time they are sent to McGonagall's office
September was always a trying month in Minerva McGonagall’s life, especially since she’d been made Head of Gryffindor House. It was always difficult, getting both herself and her students back in the school mode. The upper year students were always complaining about the workload and looking for ways to extend their holidays, while the lower years inevitably forgot all they had learnt over the summer.
Then there were the first years, a quarter for whom Minerva was now directly responsible. They were the usual blend of the overwhelmed, the ones who were naturally timid even at the best of times, the studious who genuinely were trying to learn, the ones who were still too excited to realize how homesick they were just yet, and the truly adventurous.
She had thought that Black and Potter were two boys that fell into the category of acting out to hide just how frightened they were by the newness of Hogwarts, but by the third time she had to give them a talking to, Minerva was beginning to suspect they were natural-born troublemakers, especially as they’d managed to drag two other boys from their year-Pettigrew and Lupin-into the mess with them.
All four were sitting before her now, looking suitably abashed at the chewing out she’d just given them. Potter and Pettigrew both looked on the verge of tears, though Potter was trying to hide it with a fierce glare while Pettigrew was just biting his lip very hard. Black had taken to studying the folds of his robe as if they held the secrets of Transfiguration-Minerva actually wished he’d put that much concentration into her class, since he seemed to possess a modicum of natural talent and it would be a shame if he continued to waste it in favour of the mischief he’d chosen so far.
And Lupin… poor Lupin had looked pale and miserable even before she’d started her lecture. Now he looked about to sick up all over the place.
It wasn’t difficult to imagine why, either, since every time he’d been called into her office so far this year, he’d entered expecting that this time she was going to announce their mistake and kick him out of Hogwarts all because of his condition. Nothing she nor Dumbledore said could convince him otherwise.
Minerva softened slightly at the sight of them before her, frightened eleven year olds who were away from their homes for the first time in their lives.
“Fifty points from Gryffindor,” she finished, still terse since it wouldn’t do to let them see her as a soft touch. “And I trust that you have learned your lesson.”
Four heads bobbed fervently in agreement, and the boys rushed from her office so quickly that Filch might have taken points from them had he seen them for running in the hallways.
She sighed as soon as they were gone, thinking perhaps that she’d been too hard. They were just first years, after all, trying to find their place. The boys hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, and thanks to some fast action of her fellow professors, no one had been harmed. That was what they were there for, to help teach their students control and step in when they lost it.
~*~
Professor McGonagall wouldn’t have been so hard on herself had she known what happened next.
“Well,” Sirius said as soon as they were far enough away from her office that there was no chance of her overhearing, “I think that went well.”
“What?” Peter practically squeaked. “We lost fifty points!”
“We can earn them back again,” Sirius said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He gave Peter a piercing look. “Some of us can, at least.”
Remus was trying his best not to hyperventilate. “We promised the professor that we would stay out of trouble,” he said.
“We promised her nothing,” said Sirius.
“We only said that we’d learned our lesson,” James piped up. “And we have. Never again will we float Filibuster Fireworks across the Great Hall with a hover charm.”
“No,” said Sirius, matching James’ wide grin. “Next time we’ll just lob them right at the Slytherins with our own two hands.”
Remus and Peter didn’t look quite as convinced as James and Sirius, but their enthusiasm was infectious and the other boys found themselves unable to resist for long.
The next time McGonagall called them into her office, still covered in the soup that was supposed to be that night’s dinner before the boys’ fireworks splattered it across the Great Hall and its inhabitants, she wasn’t so forgiving.