In loving memory of Alan Rickman, AKA Severus Snape.
Professor McGonagall stared sternly at the four students in front of her, trying desperately not to laugh. She schooled herself by giving them an even more imposing look. The two younger ones squirmed, the oldest girl looked away, but the oldest boy merely gave her a look a smirked. He's going to be a handful, that one.
"I hope I do not have to explain to you why your actions in class were completely inappropriate."
"It was just Potions," the oldest boy muttered.
"Only students with eggs for brains would call it just Potions," came a silky smooth voice behind her. McGonagall gave the voice a look and continued as if she hadn't heard.
"There is simply no excuse whatever for the way you treated Professor Slughorn."
"We only livened things up!" The oldest boy protested.
"I do not call an attempt to animate his cauldron while it was boiling 'livening things up'."
The oldest boy scowled and slumped in a position so familiar, Professor McGonagall had to blink several times before she could place herself again. She turned swiftly to the other three. "And I simply cannot believe you three went along with it!" They all squirmed again, the youngest one's eyes welling up with tears.
"Detention for everyone," came the smooth voice again.
"That's two warnings," Professor McGonagall said, not sparing a glance this time. "There won't be a third." She braced herself for the task at hand, all four students now looking pale. "You could have seriously injured another student or your professor! I think our healer has quite enough to do without you all making trouble!"
"We didn't mean to," the oldest girl said, biting her lip. "It was just meant to go up and turn around a bit. I guess the Leviosa spell got a bit out of hand."
"And it was pretty funny," the oldest boy claimed. The other three gave him looks of disgust and irritation to which his response was another characteristic scowl.
Professor McGonagall crossed her arms, and raised her eyes to the heaven, shaking her head. "Expel them all," came the smooth voice once more.
Professor McGonagall stepped to the left, revealing a wall of portraits of past Hogwarts Headmasters. "Perhaps you would like to face them directly," she said in a voice that made all four students very uneasy by the simple fact that it was far too happy for the amount of trouble they were in. "Children, this is former Hogwarts Headmaster Snape."
Four students found themselves looking at a portrait of one of the most sever looking men they'd ever seen. A permanent scowl disfigured the sallow face with greasy black hair hanging awkwardly around sunken eyes. "Snape," Professor McGonagall continued in the same tone, "I don't believe you've met our guests. This is James Sirius," she said pointing to the eldest boy. "Rose Weasley," she said, making a motion to the eldest girl. "We have Albus Severus," she said, utterly failing to hide the bemusement in her voice when she pointed to the youngest boy. "And last, but certainly least, Lily Luna, who I believe has her father's green eyes."
The cold black eyes swept over the group, which was unable to hide a shudder. He almost completely ignored the two older children, save for a glance of deep scorn. He moved closer to inspect - there could be no other word - the two younger children. His eyes lingered a moment on Albus, unable to hide a spark of - was that Confusion? Curiosity? Concern? Callousness? It was hard to say what it was before the gaze moved on to fix upon the youngest of the group, the girl who had been sniffling and who was staring at the ground, trying hard not to succumb to full blown tears.
At last, her eyes flicked upwards, the first traces of tears on her dark red lashes which did indeed frame the most remarkable green eyes. There were a few moments of silence as the man in the portrait gazed upon her. Then, quick as a blink, without a word, he stalked out of frame, his black robe fluttering behind him. To the left, an old man smiled and gave a small chuckle, shaking his head.
Professor McGonagall smiled at the old man. "Think that will keep him from interfering?"
"I think you have succeeded in capturing his attention for the foreseeable future, as you well know." The old man continued chuckling. "Well done, Minerva. I was beginning to think we'd lose him."
"With you around, Dumbledore? You know Snape. He never leaves his friends," she said, a trace of a smile still on her lips as she turned around to administer punishment. "Ten points from Gryffindor for each of you, a scroll from each of you on the proper use of the Leviosa spell, as well as a genuine apology to Professor Slughorn, and I will consider not telling your parents - this time."
Four relieved looks greeted her as she dismissed them. Still trying hard not to smile, she sat down at her desk, trying not to laugh too hard at the mental image of poor Professor Slughorn getting potion all over his best robes. Several quiet moments passed as she wrote a report about the incident before she heard a very soft fluttering behind her. "After all this time, Severus?" She asked softly, not looking, pausing her scribbling for just a moment.
"Always."
Professor McGonagall nodded and took up scribbling again. "As it should be," she replied, dotting the last i and rolling up the scroll. With a swish and a flick, the scroll flew through the air and landed neatly in a box. "And that's is how Leviosa is used!" She said, as she got up to go teach a class. She heard the dry laugh of Dumbledore and, to her surprise and delight, after a moment, another laugh, long out of practice, sounded. She smiled and couldn't help joining in. "Saints and Headmasters preserve me, I'm going to have my hands full," she said, shaking her head and turning off the lights with a swift motion.
"Expelling them all is still an option," the smooth voice replied.
"I think, perhaps, not." Minerva said to the darkness. "After all, my good friend Severus might miss them." She left the office, still chuckling to herself at all the noise the portraits were making. "Good thing I know a bit about how to deal with this lot," she muttered, and rolled up her sleeves as she entered her class exactly no time as always. With a greeting to the students, she left the scene in her office behind her in her memories, a rare moment of silent joy. "Let us begin the next lesson."