THIRTY-SEVEN – Talons and Tea Leaves
Dumbledore
McGonagall
Sprout
Flitwick
Snape
Lupin
Well, Sibyll's at it again.
Who's dying now?
Potter.
Oh, well, that's a safe bet on her part.
What a remarkable prediction indeed.
I'm warning you, Severus…
Did I say anything, Minerva?
You implied.
You read too deeply into things.
Really, when you think about it, who else would she pick out? It'd be stupid of her to choose anyone else!
It's stupid for her to choose anyone in the first place.
Minerva.
You know my views, Albus!
And I have no need to hear them again.
Did I hear correctly when I was told that you showed the third years your Animagus form and they had the audacity not to clap, Professor McGonagall?
Ah ha! The real reason for your being sour unfolds! Hello, Remus.
A bit petty of you, don't you think, Minerva? Good to have you back here, Remus!
You certainly do have quite the shallow side, Minerva.
Thanks to all of you. I appreciate your high opinion of me.
Going to be all sulky now, Minerva?
You've got no room to talk about sulking, Severus. Who told you anyway, Remus?
I've just had Fred and George in my class.
Please, for the love of all that is magical, do NOT give those two any ideas…
Oh?
Don't play innocent, Lupin. You know they're trouble makers.
I found them enjoyable.
Doubtless.
They're very smart, at least.
That's the unfortunate thing about jokesters. They typically are very intelligent, which just makes them that much more difficult.
I'd certainly be interested to learn a bit more about those two.
Picture you and your three friends squished into two people and you've got the Weasley twins.
That much trouble, are they?
They've even made friends with Peeves.
Have they now? I had the misfortune of running into Peeves early this morning. He certainly hasn't changed.
Did you expect him to?
I won't lie… I thought that now, perhaps, with me being a teacher –
Don't make me laugh, Remus!
Well he listens to you from time to time!
Because he knows I'll curse him or call the Bloody Baron if he doesn't.
How is his Bloodiness? I haven't seen him yet.
Bloody as ever. Creepy as ever. Why would you WANT to see him?
On a different note entirely, did anyone happen to see two of Miss Granger at any point in time?
See – what?
How silly of us to forget you don't know, Lupin, you having come so last minute to the castle.
Granger's schedule's loaded, Remus. She's taking every class possible, and as such –
How's that possible?
I was getting to that. She's got a Time-Turner.
I haven't seen any Grangers at all today.
You're up and out of the way of everything, aren't you? Pomona?
Been outside all day.
Severus?
I saw Granger ducking into a secret passageway on the third floor.
Good. She's finding places to Time-Turn out of the way of everything, then.
Have you stopped to think that students might wonder how she manages to be in several places at the same time?
By that time she may have seen some sense and dropped a few classes.
Like Divination, perhaps?
That'll probably be the first one to go.
Did I see correctly that she's taking Muggle Studies?
Yes.
But she's Muggle-born!
I didn't say there was any sense in it!
I think there's hardly any sense in any Gryffindors roaming about.
And you thought that I lived to annoy you, Minerva.
What have I done? Really, what have I done to make it 'Pick on Minerva' day?
'Pick on Pomona' day gets old every now and then. We have to switch things up.
We'll just have to schedule a 'Pick on Filius' day, then, won't we?
Oh, that sounds promising.
You both know I'm clever enough to turn any insult you throw at me back against you.
Arrogant much?
It's not arrogant if it's true.
Damn Ravenclaw.
Minerva, might I ask what creature you and Hagrid decided on him showing his first class?
I managed to talk him into diricawls …Why?
That is definitely not what he ended up showing.
I told you I wouldn't take any blame for him not sticking to the plan I made with him and I meant it!
I'm not blaming you, Minerva. Just checking.
What DID he end up showing?
Hippogriffs.
Merlin's beard… Something's gone wrong, hasn't it?
Dreadfully.
Now that I'm thoroughly concerned, would someone be kind enough to – I don't know – tell me what's happened?
Mr. Malfoy was attacked by one of those creatures called Buckbeak.
Oh, no! Hagrid must be awfully upset… Have you gone to see him yet, Albus?
You're concerned for Hagrid?
There is absolutely no way Hagrid didn't tell the class how to avoid upsetting a hippogriff!
Then you're blaming Malfoy?
Yes! I'll admit Hagrid shouldn't have started off with something so dangerous, but –
Your arguing will accomplish nothing.
It accomplishes plenty for me! What's more, Poppy would have fixed Malfoy up in a second! What happened to him, anyway?
The hippogriff slashed his arm open.
Merlin's beard… he'll be out to get off of homework with that one. The whole school's about to become Draco Malfoy's slaves. You'd better not cater to him, Severus.
Enough. I am going to go talk to the governors and –
What? No! You can't leave Hogwarts, not with Black running amuck!
I think you're perfectly capable of holding the fort for an hour or two, Minerva.
Well… alright, but you'd better take one of the secret passageways out of the school! For all we know Black's staking out the gates, waiting for you to leave.
If I may, Sirius would want to cross you as little as he would Dumbledore.
Still on first name terms with Black, are we, Lupin?
Old habits die hard, Severus.
You've had twelve years, Lupin.
I'm not going to spend this year reliving the seven years of you arguing. Shut up, the pair of you.
You haven't got much room to talk, Minerva.
Would you quit popping up when I don't want you?
Exactly what fun would that be?
I'm leaving now, if that interests anyone.
The sooner Black's caught the better. I hate feeling anxious all the time.
Our current complete lack of knowledge of where in the world Black is suggests we'd better get used to feeling anxious all the time.
Author's Note
I have found the cure to all negativity. It's called "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". If you have not heard this song you must live under a rock and you should look it up immediately. If it doesn't make you smile, I don't think you're human.
I gave you the cure to bad days. I now demand payment in the form of a review. :D