The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

Tradition

Tradition

The leaves in the courtyard at the foot of the Bell Towers were blown off the trees in heavy winds that came that week, and the four wand-wood trees were bare branched. The Marauders had replaced the leaves with bits of leaf-shaped parchment with notes written upon them (well, actually it was just Sirius, Peter, and James, as Remus refused to join in, warning them if he caught them at it he would give them a detention) ("No for real, Sirius, I will!" "Alright Moony, sure!"). The notes were mostly jokes and bits of exploding paper that would pop! in a little firework the moment somebody touched it. A Ravenclaw boy singed his eyebrows off picking one up that had a bit too much gusto on Thursday and although her lips twitched with amusement as the boy stood beside her covering his eyebrow-less forehead with his palms, Minnie still gave James and Sirius each detention ("But Wormtail was in on it too!" Sirius argued, but Minnie said she had a rather sneaking suspicion that Peter's involvement was less helping and more watching in awe than Sirius was making it sound).

As the week progressed, Sirius was looking forward to the apparition classes beginning on the Saturday coming up and boastfully talking about them as frequently as anyone gave him reason to as he walked about the castle. Several seventh years were going to be in his class with him, it turned out - people who had missed the cut off for the Spring classes, mostly, but it included Frank Longbottom, who, although he'd made the age cut by a mere two days to take the prior Spring's classes, had been made to wait by his mother. Sirius was excited about getting to take the classes with Frank - he'd been secretly sort of wondering if he ought not to wait until Spring to take them with James and Remus because he was sort of afraid of doing them by himself (not that he would've ever told the lads that, of course).

It was the day before the lessons were to begin, only a week before Sirius's seventeenth birthday, when McGonagall came to interrupt Professor Urquart's class.

She cleared her throat from the doorway, making Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius turn about in their seats as Urquart stopped talking and lowered the textbook he'd been reading aloud from. They were about to begin learning unspoken spell casting and Urquart was explaining to them the importance of intention and how to direct one's magical energies without speaking the word of direction -- all very interesting things indeed, but less so than Minerva McGonagall interrupting a class.

"I apologize, Professor Urquart," she said gently, "But I've come to collect one of your students."

Lily's face paled. Now who have I jinxed?

James's heart seized. Is there something wrong with my dad?

Sirius looked at James. Charlus and Dora. Please let them be alright.

Remus looked around. I don't want it to be any of us.

"Sirius Black," McGonagall said, "Come with me."

Everyone looked surprised. Sirius was the last one they'd expected to be called upon. After all, with his detachment from his family, the thought had never crossed his mind to worry for Walburga, but as he stod up, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach that made it drop to his very toes. Remus grabbed his hand and squeezed as Sirius passed him and Sirius's fingers squeezed back before they slid away from Remus's grasp. He walked through the rows of empty desks, beneath the baby dragon skeleton and, with a glance back at the other three, followed McGonagall into the hallway.

"Thank you, you may continue your lesson Professor," McGonagall said, bowing out of the room with Sirius and pulling the door shut behind her.

Sirius looked wary. "Is it Mother, Minnie?" he asked.