One shots (creative title, i know)

Seen That Before

TW: Implications of abusive parents/guardians

McGonagall has seen many things in her time teaching at Hogwarts. She often draws similarities. History tends to repeat itself, right?

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McGonagall always observes the first-years before the sorting ceremony every year. This year, she notices some things.

Harry looks scared. He looks so much like his father, how he had looked some twenty-odd years ago. But the expression on his face? It reminds her more of another black-haired boy - Sirius. She suspects Harry is wondering whether or not it's a mistake he's here. She suspects Sirius was wondering whether or not it was a mistake to want to be different.

Next to Harry, Ron is also scared, but in a different way. His fear is that of a person who knows it's not a mistake they're here, but who doesn't know what's going to happen in a few moments time. Sirius's companion - James - was also scared, in the same way as Ron.

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Harry and Ron get on like a house on fire, the same way that Sirius and James did. McGonagall is hoping that a penchant for pranking is a genetic traits. She is glad to find out that it's not.

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On Christmas Morning, 1991, McGonagall isn't surprised to see Harry wearing a knitted jumper, in the same style as Ron's. She also isn't surprised to hear Harry shyly ask Ron if there's any chance his mum can send over more of her famous treacle fudge. Ron tells him that of course she can.

It was painfully similar to the way that Sirius had beamed when he found a gift from Mrs Potter at the foot of his bed. And the way that James looked was eerily similar to how joyful Ron is about Harry's joy.

Both Harry and Sirius refuse to be parted from their presents for as long as possible.

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McGonagall notices similar behaviour patterns between Harry and Sirius. Harry seems to shrink in on himself sometimes, and seems perpetually surprised that the food on his plate is near-perfect and the friends by his side like him for him. Sirius also shrank in on himself, in rare bouts of melancholy. Every time it happens, he seems shocked to find that there's ample food on his plate and a few people who truly want to sit with him to eat it.

She also notices how Ron can always tell when Harry is feeling unwanted, much like how James could always tell when Sirius felt that way. Ron is always able to coax a laugh out of Harry, and can always let him know that he has a family in Ron's home. James was the same.

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McGonagall hears that Harry spends as much of his summer holidays as he can with the Weasley's every year. She's glad he's found a place where he is loved and cherished.

The way that Harry comes back to school seeming rested is exactly the same as how Sirius looked, the summer after he ran away to move in with James and his parents.

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McGonagall is touched that Harry turned to her to get her to sign his Hogsmeade permission form. As much as she wants to sign it to give Harry a piece of the Hogsmeade happiness, there is an alleged murderer out for his blood. She doesn't believe it for one second, but in the very slim chance that it's possible, she will not let Harry be put in any potential dangerous situations, as much as they seem inevitable at this point.

She can't help but draw a connection between this moment and a moment she had with the alleged murderer. Sirius had also asked her for permission to go to Hogsmeade. She'd granted him permission, though. His thanks was ample, and his shouts of happiness as he ran with his friends in the snow to get to Hogsmeade were justification enough for bending the rules a little.

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McGonagall is sure that Ron and Harry only picked the subjects they did because they wanted to be doing the same ones. It was exactly the same for James and Sirius.

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Harry and Ron live together for their first year of Auror training. McGonagall is overjoyed to see them succeed, as she knew they would. She is even happier that they remain best friends.

She knows Sirius and James are still best friends, however that looks in whatever afterlife they've found their way to.

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A/N: Apologies for the dose of sadness at the end. I hope you enjoyed the story, tho!

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