It started like it did every year, with a cordial game between two colleagues. Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn had a tradition that started every year. A couple days before the sorting ceremony they would take turns guessing as to which house the names they recognized would end up. It was a pleasant way to stoke the ever-present rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Although these two magical people did not adhere to the normal tension between the two houses, it was still great fun.
"Sirius Black, there's another one for Slytherin," Slughorn had said.
Minerva was inclined to agree. She had taught Blacks. She had seen the lazy, cold look in the eyes of Bellatrix Black from the moment she stepped off the train. But she didn't see the cruelty until a week later, as her shrieking laugh pierced the air when she hexed some Gryffindor first years. It had surprised Minerva that Bellatrix had the knowledge to hex at her young age. But she was not surprised when she saw the calculated disgust in Bellatrix's eyes when Minerva took points away from Slytherin and assigned detention for a week.
A Black was a Black to Minerva. Bellatrix was part of the trend, not the anomaly.
Yes, she had thought to herself, Slytherin would be adding another of their supposed royalty to their ranks. She couldn't know that really, Sirius Black would become the royalty of a very different house. A house that at first was hesitant to accept what they thought was a Slytherin through and through.
"There's a Potter there as well Horace. We haven't had one of them yet. I wonder how they'll get along." Minerva had said this with an air of amusement.
Potters were nowhere near as distinguished as the Black line. But what the Potters lacked in technical pedigree, they made up for in their quest for equality. The Potters treated even their house elves with utmost respect. They mingled with half-bloods and muggle-born witches and wizards. They disregarded the whispers amongst the other wizarding elite all the while.
Minerva had not thought the pureblood line of Potters was going to last long. Unlike the litter of Blacks, Potters were dwindling. In fact, James Potter was the sole heir of the Potter line. His decisions would affect the whole line of the Potters. A heavy burden on the shoulders of this Potter boy.
Minerva had secretly expected the Potter line would eventually dwindle out. She expected that eventually, Potters would become barely a whisper on the lips of the wizarding world. She couldn't know that the name Potter would continue to be whispered for years and years to come.
"Yes, yes, I expect the Potter boy will be a Gryffindor. I believe his father was one, if I'm not mistaken." Minerva's mouth twitched upward, an imperceptible smile. It always did when her and Horace thought a student would end up in her house.
Minerva often pondered the reasons she was put in Gryffindor herself. Often times she thought she could have been a good fit for Ravenclaw, the knowledgeable creatures they were. Minerva had a thirst for knowledge. She did study more than most Gryffindors, and on the off chance she socialized outside her house Ravenclaws were full of fine friends. But Ravenclaw was too stuffy for her, contrary to what her students believed Minerva had a brash streak in her. A brash streak that perhaps a certain sorting hat saw.
Hufflepuff on the other hand, held the loony kids. Minerva was convinced most Hufflepuffs had their head in the clouds. More often than not, Hufflepuffs were the kids Minerva reprimanded the most for daydreaming during lessons. Although, she did have a soft spot for the silly students. They were the most easily impressed when she showed off her animagus form. She always feels flattered when people clap after her transformation.
Certainly, Hufflepuffs know how to stroke a person's ego. Perhaps that's why they are considered the most loyal of the bunch. If Minerva had the misfortune of being placed in Hufflepuff she probably would have a wider social circle and more laugh lines on her face.
But Hufflepuff was not Minerva's disposition. She liked to keep students on their toes. Let them see you laugh, and you lose respect, that's what Minerva always thought. She also refused to play favorites, so she kept everyone on a stern even playing field. She kept her amusement to herself in the privacy of her office. She chuckled at her student's antics over a quiet cup of tea. Hufflepuff was not for Minerva, that much is for certain.
But Minerva could have worked well in Slytherin. She was an ambitious woman. It was for this reason Minerva never married, she cared to much for her job, her life.
But, the cunning children that ended up in Slytherin were insufferable, even if Minerva would never fully admit it out loud. They tended to be stuck-up things, and what they lacked in intelligence, they made up for in cruelty. Few witches and wizards in Slytherin made it out of Hogwarts compassionate people. Maybe it had to deal with their poor choice in décor, which lends itself to a dungeon setting. Minerva had been less than impressed with the cold, damp Slytherin common room.
Her view on Slytherin was that of a typical Gryffindor. But she had to admit sometimes a witch or wizard makes it out of there normal or as normal as a Slytherin could be.
Perhaps that was why Minerva put up with Horace Slughorn. Even with all his silly dealings with kids in the "Slug Club" Horace did in fact care about his students. So she put up with his vanity, and some stuck-up comments. Slughorn did not have a cruel bone in his body. So she was friendly with him, and friendly with Slytherins that proved their care in similar ways.
Minerva had mused about Gryffindors as she had the other houses. Gryffindors were foolhardy, brash, and loud, nearly as obnoxious as Slytherin. Yet the years had taught Minerva a few things that Gryffindors could be. She had seen how Gryffindors could have the courage to be kind. They often had the power to care and do what was right, even if it was hard.
For Minerva, Gryffindor was the best house even for all its faults. She herself had been shaped by Gryffindor values. She tried to do what was right, even if it was often the hardest thing to do. She often was put to the test when teaching slower students.
But her Gryffindor values were put through a tougher test by another name on the list, Remus Lupin.
The boy was a werewolf, the first known werewolf to come through Hogwarts. Minerva, even with all her Gryffindor courage, still lived in the wizarding world. She had passed werewolves on the street. She had seen the toll on their bodies, but she also saw the animalistic glint that raged in their eyes. Werewolves were different from wizards. Werewolves were dangerous.
She thought back to the day Dumbledore told her that the werewolf was coming to school. Dumbledore was firm with her, the glint in his eyes let her know of his disappointment. Recoiling at the sight, she had told Dumbledore that she would treat the boy fairly, but that it would take time to break the cultural view that had been instilled in her from a young age. Little did she know, she would break that cultural view within the first twenty-four hours of knowing Remus Lupin.
Yet at the time of the sorting game Minerva and Horace did not even mention the name. Instead, they skipped right over Remus Lupin. Whatever thoughts they had of his placement they kept to themselves. Minerva secretly thought Remus Lupin was bound for Slytherin. He was a dark creature bound to go to a dark house.
One person Minerva had gotten right within the first view of the name was Peter Pettigrew. It was only later that her judgment on Pettigrew became clouded with misinformation.
Minerva recognized the name Pettigrew. She had gone to school with a Pettigrew. She remembered the Pettigrew as a sniveling thing, a sort of follower, not much of a leader. The Pettigrew she remembered was terrified of being bullied, so he latched on to the most powerful people at school and hid. The Pettigrew Minerva knew hid during his school years. Minerva would later find out Peter Pettigrew hid much the same in his life after Hogwarts and even during his time there. At the time of the sorting game Minerva pegged Pettigrew as a Hufflepuff.
Sitting with Slughorn playing a silly game, Minerva thought James was going to be a forgettable Gryffindor. She was convinced Sirius Black would be Slytherin royalty. She assumed Remus Lupin would be just like the werewolves she'd seen on the streets. She knew Pettigrew would follow instead of lead. What she didn't know at the time was that these four boys would make her next seven years a living, maraudering hell.
Author's Note: So obviously everything belongs to the amazing Jk Rowling. But I've decided to do a little story with the Marauders. This story is gonna cover some of the important events of the Marauder's lives. I think I'm going to stick to the point of view of Minerva, but that could very well change. I don't know if I'm gonna expand all the way to you know the end of the Harry Potter series. I will definitely do all of the important school stuff, like the boys finding out about Lupin, Snape prank, etc. Yeah, um, what else, this originally was supposed to be four one-shots on what Minerva thought of each Marauder but I want to go more in-depth.
But next up is SORTING. What will Minerva think of how badly she guessed where the boys end up? Spoiler, she's super super surprised by a Mister Black and a Mister Lupin, for different reasons obviously. Till next time folks
Oh yeah please review! I will love ya forever and if you guys wanna suggest some OC names for the sorting ceremony I'll throw some in lol.