As ever, standard disclaimers apply.
Remus was still pondering his options when scrabbling sounds of approaching students made the choice for him. He moved into the cover of a shadowy crevice and waited, arms crossed over his chest, one shoulder leaning with feigned insouciance against the rock.
"...bawled like a baby!" Stuart's voice was the first to become recognizable. His brother and Sirius' laughter answered. Then all three suddenly emerged into the cavern, late afternoon's golden light causing the boys to squint and blink and halt suddenly.
"Ugh!" Sirius commented.
"I want a cig," Stuart announced, squinting and trying to see well enough to find his way to their cache.
"Oh don't. They stink." His brother admonished.
"Don't be daft. They're unctuous." Sirius' use of this generation's slang for what used to be cool would have made Remus smile in another situation. But at the moment he was finding nothing amusing in their behavior.
"Maybe. But if Bobby counts 'em we're fried." Sean seemed to be the trio's unofficial worrier. And he hovered nervously behind his twin and Sirius as the two boys poked around and drew out what looked like a hand rolled cigarette.
"Bobby's more likely to count the Muggle money than the rods, anyway." Stuart replied calmly as he lit one end with the tip of his faintly glowing wand.
"Blimey! No wonder she shrieked," Sirius muttered with surprise in his voice. "It must have really hurt when you poked her with that."
"She'll remember it then, won't she?" Stuart didn't seem to notice his brother and his friend trade looks of uncertainty. Instead he closed his eyes and bringing the peculiar cigarette to his mouth, inhaled deeply. He held the poisonous smoke in his lungs and then sighed, releasing it back into the air with studied slowness.
Enough! Remus stepped out of his hiding place and slapped the cigarette from the boy's hand and stomped on it."No!" He stormed. "What do you think you are doing?"
All three boys shrieked and jumped backward. The open duffel fell over and spilled out its contents: more hand rolled cigarettes, wads of Muggle money. And a Muggle firearm.
Sirius gasped in shock at that.
"It's not ours!" Sean screamed out in panic.
"No? Then why are you rifling through it?"
"We're holdin' it." Stuart had regained enough of his composure to reply.
"For whom?"
"Our Uncle Bobby."
"Only he isn't really our uncle, he's a cousin, but a lot older." Sean supplied anxiously. "Are we in trouble?"
"Oh yes, young man. You are indeed in trouble. But I'll bet your 'uncle' is in a lot more trouble." Remus stopped himself and took a deep breath. "Look, I don't care about your uncle - or cousin or whatever he is. I care about you. I know your fathers and I'm surprised at all three of you."
Sirius' head hung in shame. The Finnigan twins looked almost equally abashed.
"Are we going to be expelled?" Stuart asked in a small voice.
Remus sighed. "I don't know. We will have to speak with the Headmistress." Remus ignored the boys' groans as he confiscated the firearm, carefully sliding it into a pocket. The rest was returned to the duffel which he then hefted over his shoulder.
All three youngsters moved with exceptional cooperation when he gestured for them to return to the castle. He followed their somber, silent procession back inside and only then allowed himself to worry about their futures.
The boys were silent all the way to the gargoyle, not even sharing a wayward glance between them. Each kept his eyes resolutely focused on his own feet or the floor before them, even as they waited for their professor to give the password. Was it contrition? Remus wondered. And if so, did they regret the misdemeanor or merely getting caught. He caught himself before he sighed out loud.
His knock on the Headmistress' door seemed abnormally loud and all three boys jumped at its abrupt clamor.
"Enter," the stern voice preceded the door's opening. The boys filed in ahead of their professor and they ranged themselves in front of the desk where the witch sat, frowning at them even if they refused to look up at her. "What happened?"
"Headmistress"
"It's not our fault!" Stuart blurted out.
Headmistress McGonagall's left eyebrow twitched.
Remus sighed. "They were hiding items they should not have had in their possession. Including this." Remus set the Muggle firearm on the desk.
Visibly startled, McGonagall gasped. "That's a weapon!" She turned a cold glare on the three boys. "Where did you get such a thing and why ever would you want it!"
"Apparently an older relative asked the twins here to hide this..." he paused while unshouldering the duffel, laying carefully on the desk and then opening it. "...and all of this as well."
"Muggle currency? A firearm?" The frown deepened. "Children! Have you any idea what this could mean?"
Of course none of the boys had anything to say.
"Well, as Head of their House, Remus, it is up to you to devise an appropriate punishment. Of course we don't know how bad this is yet. But I will be summoning an Auror and boys, there will be an investigation."
"Will we be expelled?" Sirius asked.
The Headmistress sighed. "No. You are still children, allowances can be made for your age. But only this one time. For surely now you must understand the wrong you have done. Indeed, it would not be remiss of your Head of House to include an essay as part of your punishment." She looked at Remus as she said this and the two adults exchanged a nod. "These things will have to confiscated and turned over to the Ministry."
Sirius and Sean nodded dolefully, but Stuart's nod was less convincing as a look of annoyance passed so briefly over his face Remus almost missed it.
"Very well. I will leave their punishment in your hands, Professor Lupin," the Headmistress stated formally.
Remus ushered the boys out of the office. "You will come to my office tomorrow directly after supper. We will discuss your punishment then."
The boys all nodded and chorused a resigned, "Yes Professor."
"Headmistress McGonagall and I are very disappointed." He reminded them. "Well then... You may go to your dormitory now."
The three students said nothing until they'd reached the sanctity of their dorm room. They shared their room with two other boys, both of whom were in the common room studying, thus it seemed safe enough to talk quietly. They settled on Sean's bed. Stuart lit up a cigarette he'd managed to hold onto.
"Oh must you? Those stink!" Sean's face crinkled in disgust.
Stuart speared him with a disdainful glare but mashed the end without a word.
"How d'you suppose he found out about us?" Sirius asked ignoring the interplay between the brothers.
Sean frowned. "Dunno. We were quiet."
"Either of you tell anyone?" Stuart demanded.
"Not a soul," his brother shook his head vehemently.
"No one," Sirius echoed.
"Must have been that Slytherin creep." Stuart decided.
"Which one?" Sean asked with genuine confusion.
"Lestrange, of course."
As was his custom, Octavius spent the greater part of the free time after supper in the Library. He studied and worked on his assignments with his usual forced intensity until the Librarian called time for closing. But his efforts were half-hearted. He felt drained. What was the point of trying? Mr Potter was right when he warned that his father was not likely to be impressed. There was nothing for it. Nothing he could do would ever make a difference.
His demise was inevitable, he knew at last; and there was nothing he could do about it.
The boy trudged down to the Slytherin dormitory, ignoring everyone, especially the three couples barely restraining themselves from making out in the Common Room. His dorm room was already dark as the other boys had already gone to sleep. Considerate in his silence, he threw himself on his bed without removing his clothing and stared up at the darkness. His eyes finally closed and he dreamt.
Octavius found himself in a dark place. He couldn't say it was a room; nor that he might be outdoors. It was a place that was not. But rather than scared, he was curious.
"Hello?" He called out softly.
"Hello." He recognized the voice. It belonged to The Boy. And at that The Boy formed in front of him. Almost at once he grew and became a man; a man whose hand reached out timidly towards him. "Will you make my mistakes?" The Boy's adult form asked in a rough whisper. He didn't wait for an answer."
"What do you mean?" Octavius asked.
"I... I... can't say." The Man turned his head away. "You have been offered something wonderful. Don't reject it. I do not want to hurt again." The man sank to the ground and returned to the five-year-old form Octavius knew best. "Please let him help us."