Albus Dumbledore sees it.
Albus Dumbledore sees a lot of things; knows a lot of things. He knows who the couple in the broom closet in the abandoned corridor on the third floor are, and what house they belong to, respectively. He knows that, ten years from now, the world will be lulled into a false sense of calm. He knows that their current flying instructor is incompetent, but there is really nobody else to take the job, so she will have to do. He knows from a childhood experience that caretakers rather like to hand children upside down by their toes, but he can do nothing about it.
Albus Dumbledore knew.
He knew who the infamous Marauders were, before they ever revealed their identities to the public. He knew that the Ravenclaw second-years were suffering from home-sickness; he sent them to the Hospital Wing. He knew, before he was told, that they were cured within a month.
But, above all, above all knowledge and knowing and mutters of "barmy old codger" –
Albus Dumbledore sees.
He sees the small smile the Transfiguration professor allows to grace her face, on the subject of the Marauder's latest prank, out of the public eye. He sees the Potions professor's stomach wobbling with laughter at a single word from the Astronomy professor. He sees the inhabitants of the castle before they knock on his study door.
He sees Minerva McGonagall burst into his study, gasping for breath and claiming that the fire in the Gryffindor common room has been put out, and no charm can fix it.
He sees the Fat Lady in her portrait, attempting opera and shattering the glass.
He sees the darkness before he steps inside her kingdom.
And when he is inside, he sees nothing.
But he fights his way the fireplace, excusing himself and accidentally stepping on toes, and when he reaches the fireplace the common room is bathed in light once more.
As a student claps him on the back, Albus Dumbledore sees, with great clarity, the grins that Sirius Black and James Potter are exchanging –
And he knows that their smiles lit up the room for the other, even in darkness.
…And he sees the muggle match clutched in James' hand.
Ehh, I don't like this terribly much... but I was itching to do a James/Sirius oneshotdrabbleshortandtiny story, so... here you go, really. I brainstormed this at about 2 in the morning, so that's my excuse for any terribleness in the excuse for a plot. Heh. Also, yes, if you're asking - which you shouldn't be, because I said it earlier in this paragraph and in the summary - yes, this is a Sirius/James (James/Sirius, one or the other,) hinted story. I just think that Dumbledore would be able to see something like that - because, let's face it, he sees EVERYTHING.
As much as I'd love to live in the castle, I'd feel like I have no privary...
Oh! Before I save this. The characters, sadly enough, don't belong to me - because, if they belonged to me, I'd kidnap an excellent writer and force them to write out my adventures for the Marauders... including S/J slashiness. But, no, James just had to run off with Lily, and most of the fandom is squealing about how Sirius/Remus is canon.
I hope it isn't. Tonks is nice. ducks from flying rotten fruit
Alright. This is getting rather long, so I fancy that I'll stop now.
Reviews are appreciated.