The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

In All The Wrong Ways

Regulus sat in the stiff backed chair in McGonagall's office, staring at his trainers. The room was dead silent, McGonagall sitting across the desk, staring at Regulus so intently that he could nearly feel her gaze upon him. His heart beat heavily in his chest, ricocheting off his ribs.

McGonagall sighed. "It must run in the family, the propensity for mischief," she said, breaking the silence. "And the stubbornness about it."

Regulus crossed his arms over his chest.

"I could tell you a great deal of stories about the times that your brother, Sirius, sat in that exact chair wearing an expression very much like the sour one you've got on your face now..."

"I wasn't getting into mischief," Regulus said.

McGonagall shifted in her seat and looked at the fire, which raged in the fireplace. "You were supposed to be serving a detention, here in my office, and instead, on my way to go and fetch Professor Slughorn so that he might assist me in locating you, I find you hiding out at the end of a corridor, hiding in the dark."

"I was just standing there," Regulus said. "Is there a bloody rule against just standing in a hallway now?"

"Don't you be smart with me, Mr. Black," McGonagall said smoothly. She eyed him carefully. "No, there is not a rule against 'just standing in a hallway'. There is a rule about skivving off a detention to 'just stand in a hallway'."

Regulus looked up. McGonagall stared back. Their eyes locked in an unspoken stare-down. Regulus looked away. McGonagall had triumphed.

"What were you doing in that corridor?" McGonagall asked. "And do not say 'just standing there'."

Regulus hesitated. "Why don't you just give me a bloody detention and get it over with already?"

"Clearly I cannot trust that you will show up to them!"

"I will, I mean, I did -- I just -- got distracted," Regulus said. "I was right out there, in the corridor, nearly fifteen minutes early to the detention with you and then --" he paused, wanting to leave the man in the painting out of things altogether, "It doesn't matter what then. But I was early. That ought to count for something."

"You managed to get distracted between the corridor outside of my office door and actually knocking upon my office door?" McGonagall's voice lilted with disbelief.

Regulus said, "Well... yes."

"And what distracted you?"

Regulus leaned back.

"Mr. Black," McGonagall said, "I am trying to understand what happened, that is all. If you do not tell me, then I cannot understand, and if I do not understand then I cannot help you out of trouble."

Regulus's voice was sharp. "I don't need you to help me get out of trouble."

McGonagall's eyebrows raised.

"I don't care if I do get in trouble," Regulus explained in a smart tone, "I'm not telling you what I was up to - my business is my business - and you can kindly mind to your own."

McGonagall's face pinkened with anger and frustration.

Regulus felt a jab of guilt, seeing her flare up as such and he looked back down at his trainers. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how to without explaining about the man in the painting, which would lead to telling her what he had seen Voldemort do, which would reveal he was a Death Eater and certainly get him expelled unless he revealed his secret, that is. McGonagall was in the Order, he knew from James and the others talking at meetings the year before, before the Order had merged with the Resistance...