𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 II SS/HG ✔️

In Trouble

Severus took tea in the teacher's lounge. The Carrows came in. Pomona insisted Rolanda should follow her to the greenhouses to look at some plant that sounded distinctly made up.

Walter kept to himself in the corner by the window, the spot with the best sunlight for reading.

The Carrow siblings sat next to Severus.

He had been here for several, long years. He was not known for being personable. But he had a polite, professional relationship with everyone in the castle. Or would even dare to call some professors a friend. All of them had assisted him when he had to take over Horace's duties, sans Rolanda, even Pomona who was slowly growing more convinced that Severus had been the one to kill the former Potions instructor. The Carrows put a damper on all those relationships. Just today Minerva had come into his office ready to smite someone.

"Severus, this is unacceptable!" she declared as she shut the door.

"Perhaps start at the beginning," he said, eyes still on a Weasley essay.

"Miss Granger has received a detention."

"Yes, she tends to do that." He flipped to the next scroll.

"The Head Girl has never received a detention—in the entire time we've had a Head Girl position!" Minerva vibrated with rage.

"Shall I tell her to never get in trouble?"

"I'm telling you," she said, stalking towards his desk, finger first, "to tell your friends to tread lightly."

"What do you want me to do, Minerva?" he asked, tossing the essay away. "Tell the Carrows to give detention to everyone but my wife?"

She threw up her hands and began to pace before his desk. "They—they're running roughshod over our reputation! Just the other day, Madame Maxime wrote me, asking if I could introduce her to our new Muggle Studies professor! Absolutely I will not!"

Severus forgot the cutting remark he was set to put on Mr Weasley's essay. He just gave him an E to be done with it.

"And gods forbid anyone wanting to use Amycus as a reference!" Minerva visibly shuddered. "They are like our—our dirty secret!"

"My first detention," Alecto said to Severus.

Amycus surprised Severus—along with a manic grin, he gave Alecto a cup of tea. Amycus never did anything nice for his twin.

"You beat me out," Amycus said as he went back to pour himself a cup. "But I'll be the one to get one of those brats on their own, first. I can feel it."

Severus stayed silent. Alecto explained:

"A fair number of my Muggle Studies students refused to turn in their first large essay." She set her saucer and cup on the table. "In every single class, no less. So I will have to have a group detention in the Great Hall."

"Lines?" Amycus chuckled and shook his head. He lurked behind Alecto's chair. "The cheeky Mudbloods need put in their place with something more efficient than lines."

Walter cleared his throat and straightened the Prophet.

The twins turned to glare at Walter's interruption.

"Got a problem, old man?" Amycus challenged.

"Please take your vulgar talk to your private rooms." Walter opened the paper to the next page. "That kind of language has no place in this school."

Alecto grabbed Amycus's arm as he stomped forward. "Don't!" she whispered.

Amycus ripped his sleeve out of her hand. "Don't tell me what to do!" he shot back.