The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Hufflepuff Spy

Hufflepuff Spy

"Remedial Potions!" Sirius exclaimed, looking at the parchment that had been delivered to him just moments before. He looked up at Remus, who sat across from him at the Gryffindor house table in the Great Hall. "Humping hippogriffs! I'm not taking remedial potions!"

Remus held out a hand for the parchment and looked it over. "It looks as though you are, mate," he replied. "See here, signed by the Headmaster and everything." He passed it back. "I told you that you should be doing the classwork."

"Potter should be doing it as well and I don't see him getting notices for remedial potions."

"His grades were higher than yours were."

"Horseshit!"

"Yeah, he's done better on the essays and all than you have," Remus replied, "Seeing as he actually writes them and hands them in."

"I write them."

"You copy bits of mine and string together nonsense, rather," Remus pointed out.

Sirius stared at the parchment before him, "Slughorn hates me."

Remus shook his head, "I don't think it's a matter of his feelings for you, Sirius, I think it's academic concern. This is our O.W.L. year and you haven't even started revising --"

"It's bleedin' January!"

"I started revising last term, if you recall."

"And you're a nutter," Sirius replied.

"I'm a nutter that's not having to take remedial potions," Remus answered with a shrug.

Sirius looked sour. "Says they've selected me a tutor. It better not be Potter or I'm quitting school."

"You are not quitting school. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't until you come of age --"

"I do that in November," Sirius reminded him.

"-- and besides that, remedial potions isn't the end of the world, Sirius. You take them, work with a tutor a bit, and you get caught up and maybe you realize Potions isn't so horrible and discover that when you apply yourself you're actually very clever," Remus finished.

Sirius scowled.

Remus buttered his toast. Honestly, he was sort of glad Sirius would be taking extra lessons. It meant that he would have some time without Sirius around that he could take for himself to catch up with James each week without Sirius complaining that he was being abandoned. Remus dunked a bit of toast into his mug of hot chocolate.

"Who do you reckon the tutor will be?" Sirius questioned.

Lily Evans had just sat down beside him on the bench, squeezing in between Sirius and Frank Longbottom, and she replied, "It's me."

Sirius stared at her, then groaned.

"What? What's the matter?"

"You're going to work me to the marrow, Evans."

"If that's what it takes to improve your grades," she answered, "Then yes."

Sirius groaned again and put his head down on the table.

"Eat," Remus said, "You'll feel better if you eat."

"Bloody hell," murmured Sirius.