15th March 1975

Hearing some shuffling Minerva walked purposefully into her classroom and nearly cried out in fright when she saw a figure bent over what seemed to be a large stack of books. "Potter, you should be in your dormitory! As should you Mr Black." James Potter spun around in his seat causing the book which had been on his lap to fall straight onto the floor.

Before he had time to say anything, however, Peter Pettigrew skidded into the classroom, his hand pressed against his chest which was heaving. "James! I've just seen Professor Mc-" he stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Minerva, clearly only noticing her for the first time. "Oh."

"Oh, indeed Mr Pettigrew." Minerva watched as the boy's dark outline gravitated towards James as though to seek protection. Pressing her lips together tightly she lit the torches in the room with a wave of her wand, slipping her father's old broken watch in her pocket. "Perhaps you would care to explain why you broke into my classroom at 11 o'clock at night?" she picked up the fallen book and handed it to James who for once was speechless. "In order to read books on animagi?"

James looked hurriedly at Pettigrew who seemed to be finding his shoelaces very interesting. Hardly suppressing a sigh as both boys started to splutter out apologies, Minerva nearly jumped a second time that evening when a sudden crash came from behind a bookshelf making the two boys fall silent.

Now barely managing to contain her anger, Minerva marched up to the front of the classroom to find Remus Lupin and Sirius Black crouched behind a bookshelf in a pile of broken glass and spilt ink from a bottle they had accidentally dropped.

"Of course they're all here," she muttered furiously under her breath, looking up at the ceiling. She really couldn't deal with this at the moment. Looking back at the two boys crouched on the floor splattered in ink and then the other two sitting at a desk, Minerva felt her temper rise. "Lupin, I thought better of you!" she barked, clearing up the mess with her wand. "You are a prefect! You should know better."

"Sorry Pr-"

Minerva held up her hand and Lupin stopped speaking at once. "I don't want to hear your apologies. I have had a long and very bad day. Explain yourselves at once!"

Pettigrew shrank back into the shadows, however, apart from the sound of his feet on the floor, no other noise could be heard in the room. Feeling her hands start to shake, Minerva decided she just wanted to get them out of the room as fast as possible. "Pettigrew, Potter! Come here immediately." The two boys shuffled together towards her desk as quickly as possible to join their friends Lupin and Black.

"Professor, we-"

"That's enough!" said Minerva flicking her wand so that the animagi books piled up neatly on her desk - Sirius Black and James stepping sideways to let the books fly through. "2 weeks detention and 20 points from Gryffindor." Sirius looked up from his feet and started to object but she cut him off, "Each." His jaw dropped and Minerva glared at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Professor, you can't," whispered James, shocked. "Please!"

"This had happened one too many times, Potter. If the only way to make you behave is to risk your chances of winning the House Cup then I will use it. Nothing gives you the right to sneak around the school and break into classrooms in the dead of night. Have I made myself clear?" Lupin and Pettigrew nodded vigorously whilst Sirius and Potter stared at the floor gloomily.

"Your punishment will begin after the holidays. Now back to your Dormitory immediately." As they got up to leave the room Minerva added, "I will be having a word with the Headmaster about your behaviour."

The boys nodded glumly and trooped out of her classroom. As their footsteps in the corridor died away, Minerva collapsed into her desk chair and rested her head in her hands. "You can come in now, Pomona," she said tiredly.

There was a shuffling from outside and moments later Pomona appeared in the doorway. Minerva didn't move. She felt ill to the stomach and was finding it a little hard to breathe. "Minerva?"

Minerva pressed her eyes against the palm of her hands. "Have they gone?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes," said Pomona, closing the door and walking into the room. "I think you rather frightened them bursting in like that. Perhaps they'll think twice about breaking the school rules next time?"

"Hm. It's never worked before," Minerva muttered. "But I suppose there's always a first time for everything?"

Pomona sat down in the chair opposite Minerva's and looked seriously at her friend. "Minerva, why are you here?"

"I have things to do, Pomona." Minerva rubbed her eyes and stood up suddenly. "I think I am going to go to bed now." Putting her wand back in her pocket, she started to walk to the door but Pomona stopped her by grabbing her elbow. "I- I just need to stay busy for the moment." She added. "Besides, I'm meant to go back to Caithness and take over from Robert this weekend anyway."

"Minerva, you need to look after yourself."

Minerva started to fiddle with the broken watch in her pocket, she had previously been trying to mend. "I am!" she said, her voice catching in her throat.

Pomona smiled sadly, "I know you haven't been sleeping and you hardly eat anything at mealtimes." Minerva turned her head away and they stood in silence for a while. Suddenly, she felt a large pair of arms wrap around her and Pomona's voice whispering into her ear. "I am really sorry about your father, Minerva, but you still need to look after yourself."

Not trusting herself to speak she bit her lips tightly together and nodded slightly. When they let go of the embrace Minerva nodded a few times and held Pomona's hand. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course. Goodnight."

Minerva waved her hand faintly and left the classroom, gently rubbing her eyes as she went.