Chapter One: The Real World?
PG for now.
"The puppies are drowning!"
Remus John Lupin wasn't the heaviest of sleepers, it's true, but it did take a considerable amount of noise to wake him up. One of these happened to be someone yelling in his dorm room. He tried to blink a few times and rubbed his eyes before sitting up to find out who was making all the noise.
Looking around the four boys dorm room was almost like looking at a war zone, after a bomb had hit. School books and pieces of parchment littered the floor, quills hanging off beds, clothes lying just about everywhere. In fact, his side was probably neatest, considering it was only him and Peter on his side, and the two messiest culprits were opposite.
'Ah' he thought, noticing the main person stirring in their sleep. While he was not woken that easily, that did not extend to Sirius Black yelling in his sleep. Remus sighed, and decided to do the only logical and mature thing: he threw one of his pillows at him.
The teenager awoke with a start, "What? What?" blinked his eyes a few times and looked around the room, seeing Remus in the sitting up position, staring at him with a bemused expression. "Moony?"
"'The puppies are drowning?'" he said, hugging his knees through the duvet.
Sirius frowned, "What puppies?"
"You tell me." he stated, cocking his head.
"Well, you're asking me."
Remus gave a frustrated smile, "But you said it first."
"I did not!" said Sirius, rubbing his eyes again.
"Yes, you did!" he pointed out, "You yelled it in your sleep and woke me and half of Hogsmeade up."
"So you threw a pillow at me?" Sirius asked incredulously, "If you're meant to be the mature one, that doesn't say much for me."
"What were you dreaming?"
Sirius shrugged, "Something about drowning puppies apparently." He reached over to check the time, "Damn, it's only seven o'clock." He curled back under the quilt and shut his eyes, "See you in an hour."
"Or you could get up now and give everyone a heart attack by being on time." Remus smiled lightly.
Sirius cracked open one eye, "You really are dreaming if you think there's any chance of that!"
Remus just grinned and decided another half an hour wouldn't do him any harm either - he'd already packed his things so he wouldn't need to get up till seven thirty. He was drifting off when...
"Ouch!"
He felt something hit him on the leg, bringing him harshly back to reality. He looked around to see James grinning at Sirius who was at the end of his bed, attacking his legs with a pillow. Both had half filled school bags sitting on their beds and were in disarrayed uniforms. He checked the time, and he was a little late, as it was past eight.
Remus bent down to feel his legs, "What was that for?"
Sirius' eyes twinkled, "Revenge."
Peter came back in from the side and picked up the school bag, and Sirius and James restarted stuffing theirs. "Hurry up Moony," chided James, "I'm sick of being the voice of reason among you lot, and now you're all late!"
Remus dressed.
Peter laughed.
James grinned.
Sirius tackled.
---
They finally reached the Great Hall at about twenty-five to nine and in the usual high spirits. They all sat down to breakfast, each having pockets of conversation between themselves until just before when the post was due in, a rather odd thing happened.
They were asked for their attention and McGonagall, Flitwick, Sinistra and Sprout addressed their houses with a notice:
"Some of you may have noticed that you are now in your seventh and final year here and that you should be preparing for the outside. As a part of this, we have a scheme known as Working Experience. You will have no lessons today due to testing for the fields we shall be sending you into for two weeks next month. As part of this, you will find designated interview times to attend today. Thank you."
The hall at once exploded into chatter.
"I wonder what I'll get, I've always fancied myself as a people person..."
"Work? There's a reason we have house elves!"
"Oh, I wonder if they have connections at spell research labs, that would be very exciting..."
"Blimey." James said, "This ought to be a laugh!"
"Yeah," Sirius smirked, "Come on Peter, I want to see this."
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
They made their way up to the tower, as fast as they could to see who was when. The first years in the Gryffindor common room, that were seemingly quietly working around the table the form was located, didn't know what hit them. The seventh years snatched the form in a gasp, (more specifically one James Potter) and read it out. The interviews would take place in the head of years office at regular intervals between nine and ten.
"Sirius, you're up first at nine," Remus commented flicking through. "You'd better tick your name."
"'Name:'" Sirius snorted, "Hey Wormtail, something even you can answer."
Peter just blushed, and Sirius took out a quill and ticked it, then saluted playfully as he went off for his interview.
---
"When we last spoke, you were interested in a career in law enforcement," Sirius didn't miss her jump over the word, to try and disguise a snort of laughter, "Is this still your career of choice?"
"Definatly," he said.
"You take your tests here," she said, pointing to an room in the castle and handing his a form with his name on it. "Bring your form."
Sirius got up, wondering why it had been so short, but went to the door anyway.
"Oh, and Mr. Black?"
Sirius turned to her.
McGonagall just gave a smirk, "Best of luck."
Giving her a strange look, he left the room with one thought.
What does she know that I don't?
---
Next Time: The dungeons, the interviews and what McGonagal knew that Sirius didn't...
PG for now.
"The puppies are drowning!"
Remus John Lupin wasn't the heaviest of sleepers, it's true, but it did take a considerable amount of noise to wake him up. One of these happened to be someone yelling in his dorm room. He tried to blink a few times and rubbed his eyes before sitting up to find out who was making all the noise.
Looking around the four boys dorm room was almost like looking at a war zone, after a bomb had hit. School books and pieces of parchment littered the floor, quills hanging off beds, clothes lying just about everywhere. In fact, his side was probably neatest, considering it was only him and Peter on his side, and the two messiest culprits were opposite.
'Ah' he thought, noticing the main person stirring in their sleep. While he was not woken that easily, that did not extend to Sirius Black yelling in his sleep. Remus sighed, and decided to do the only logical and mature thing: he threw one of his pillows at him.
The teenager awoke with a start, "What? What?" blinked his eyes a few times and looked around the room, seeing Remus in the sitting up position, staring at him with a bemused expression. "Moony?"
"'The puppies are drowning?'" he said, hugging his knees through the duvet.
Sirius frowned, "What puppies?"
"You tell me." he stated, cocking his head.
"Well, you're asking me."
Remus gave a frustrated smile, "But you said it first."
"I did not!" said Sirius, rubbing his eyes again.
"Yes, you did!" he pointed out, "You yelled it in your sleep and woke me and half of Hogsmeade up."
"So you threw a pillow at me?" Sirius asked incredulously, "If you're meant to be the mature one, that doesn't say much for me."
"What were you dreaming?"
Sirius shrugged, "Something about drowning puppies apparently." He reached over to check the time, "Damn, it's only seven o'clock." He curled back under the quilt and shut his eyes, "See you in an hour."
"Or you could get up now and give everyone a heart attack by being on time." Remus smiled lightly.
Sirius cracked open one eye, "You really are dreaming if you think there's any chance of that!"
Remus just grinned and decided another half an hour wouldn't do him any harm either - he'd already packed his things so he wouldn't need to get up till seven thirty. He was drifting off when...
"Ouch!"
He felt something hit him on the leg, bringing him harshly back to reality. He looked around to see James grinning at Sirius who was at the end of his bed, attacking his legs with a pillow. Both had half filled school bags sitting on their beds and were in disarrayed uniforms. He checked the time, and he was a little late, as it was past eight.
Remus bent down to feel his legs, "What was that for?"
Sirius' eyes twinkled, "Revenge."
Peter came back in from the side and picked up the school bag, and Sirius and James restarted stuffing theirs. "Hurry up Moony," chided James, "I'm sick of being the voice of reason among you lot, and now you're all late!"
Remus dressed.
Peter laughed.
James grinned.
Sirius tackled.
---
They finally reached the Great Hall at about twenty-five to nine and in the usual high spirits. They all sat down to breakfast, each having pockets of conversation between themselves until just before when the post was due in, a rather odd thing happened.
They were asked for their attention and McGonagall, Flitwick, Sinistra and Sprout addressed their houses with a notice:
"Some of you may have noticed that you are now in your seventh and final year here and that you should be preparing for the outside. As a part of this, we have a scheme known as Working Experience. You will have no lessons today due to testing for the fields we shall be sending you into for two weeks next month. As part of this, you will find designated interview times to attend today. Thank you."
The hall at once exploded into chatter.
"I wonder what I'll get, I've always fancied myself as a people person..."
"Work? There's a reason we have house elves!"
"Oh, I wonder if they have connections at spell research labs, that would be very exciting..."
"Blimey." James said, "This ought to be a laugh!"
"Yeah," Sirius smirked, "Come on Peter, I want to see this."
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
They made their way up to the tower, as fast as they could to see who was when. The first years in the Gryffindor common room, that were seemingly quietly working around the table the form was located, didn't know what hit them. The seventh years snatched the form in a gasp, (more specifically one James Potter) and read it out. The interviews would take place in the head of years office at regular intervals between nine and ten.
"Sirius, you're up first at nine," Remus commented flicking through. "You'd better tick your name."
"'Name:'" Sirius snorted, "Hey Wormtail, something even you can answer."
Peter just blushed, and Sirius took out a quill and ticked it, then saluted playfully as he went off for his interview.
---
"When we last spoke, you were interested in a career in law enforcement," Sirius didn't miss her jump over the word, to try and disguise a snort of laughter, "Is this still your career of choice?"
"Definatly," he said.
"You take your tests here," she said, pointing to an room in the castle and handing his a form with his name on it. "Bring your form."
Sirius got up, wondering why it had been so short, but went to the door anyway.
"Oh, and Mr. Black?"
Sirius turned to her.
McGonagall just gave a smirk, "Best of luck."
Giving her a strange look, he left the room with one thought.
What does she know that I don't?
---
Next Time: The dungeons, the interviews and what McGonagal knew that Sirius didn't...