Chapter 7- Lessons in Cleaning
"Did you do anything?" James asked Sirius, as they followed McGonagall down a staircase. Neither of them were sure about why they were being hauled off. Especially in the middle of dinner.
"Nope. Not me." Sirius said, getting scared. If she was going to write home to his parents, he was in trouble. Big trouble. "You?"
James looked at him oddly. "If I had, would I be asking you?"
"Oh, I suppose not." Sirius said. "So, what do you think is wrong?"
"Will you two stop chattering? You sound like a bunch of weasels." McGonagall said, looking severly at them. Her eyes flashed, showing that she was not kidding.
"Sir-I mean...mam-" James started, knowing how stupid he was the moment it slipped.
"No more talking!" She said, and walked up to a dungeon door. "You two are luckier than any pair of first years. Most would be expelled after the kind of antics you two pulled today."
Sirius and James looked puzzled. They had only done two things, and only had been caught for one.
They couldn't expell a student for cutting a little bit of hair, could they?
She opened the door, and the boys' mouths dropped open.
The entire classroom (being the Potions one) was covered in red and gold streamers, paint, and-
"Silly sting. A muggle invention I am told that you two had access to." She said, picking up one of the pieces.
"I'm certain we're not the only ones-" James started.
"Yes, but you two are the only ones that would do such a thing. One day and you've already gotten two detentions! Two! But this is going too far. You should both feel very lucky you are not packing your bags right now. I will be informing your parents of today's antics, and taking another 20 points from Gryffindor-" James winced "-each. You are to clean this up by midnight. No magic. Brooms are in the corner. Buckets of water will be refilled at your need. Do you both understand me clearly?"
They could do nothing but nod.
"Good." She said, and severly turned. "If either one of you do anything like this again, I will make sure you are expelled."
And they were left alone.
"What is she blabbering about? I've never done anything like this!" James said, seeing the brooms in the corner. The buckets next to them.
"And I was with you the entire day!" Sirius said, waving his wand (which he kept in his robe all through dinner) furiously. Purple sparks flew out of it.
"Remus and Peter can vouch for us!" James said, "I'm going to talk to McGonagall. I'm nobody's scape-goat." But when he tried to open the door, he couldn't.
"Alohomora." Sirius said, waving his wand. But nothing happened.
"How do you know that one?" James asked.
"I dunno. Heard it somewhere. Thought I'd try it." He replied. And then, he sighed. "We should try to start cleaning this up, shouldn't we?"
"I'm going to get revenge on whoever did this." James swore.
"Yeah..." Sirius. "I'll help."
"Why don't you try to clean it up by magic?" James asked.
"Oh yeah, because I have a spellbook with me right now to look up cleaning spells. I barely know five spells!" Sirius exlaimed.
"Well, let's get started then." James concluded, picking up a broom.
Sirius picked one up, too. And looked at it.
"How do you use it?" He asked.
"What? It's not even a muggle invention!" James laughed.
"Yeah, but...we have a house elf who does all this." Sirius said, twirling the broom between his fingers. "Can you honestly say you've ever used this thing?"
"Well, no. But I've seen how it's done. You sweep from side to side..." But by doing this, all James did was splatter the silly string and streamers all over Sirius. "Maybe it was back to front." And this too, made James move the mess onto him and one of the desks.
"Hm....try it...slower?" Sirius suggested.
"Slower? But that would take forever!"
"Well, what do you expect? It to take a minute?"
"Well...."
"Enough." Remus said, walking in.
"You two are unbelievable." Peter said, walking in behind him.
"Why are you two here?" James asked.
"When McGonagall said that you two were stuck in the Potion's classroom, we snuck down here to help." Remus said.
"Really?" Sirius said, in mock-shock.
"Yes." Remus said, completely not convincing.
"Really really?" James said.
"No." Peter broke down. "We couldn't fin the way to the common room. Got lost again. And heard your voices."
"Thought so." Sirius said, laughing. James joined in.
"Hey, do you want us to help or not?" Remus asked. Both boys stopped laughing at once.
"Yes." They chorused.
"Good. You two work on the walls, and we'll do the brooming." Remus said, taking the broom, and gently picking up pieces of silly string, moving it slower than James had done.
"Told ya you had to go slower." Sirius grinned.
"Shut up." James said. "So, why are you helping us?"
Remus and Peter looked at each other.
"Because that's what friends do." Peter squeaked.
For a moment, they were silent. Then, they burst out laughing.
"That was the corniest thing I've ever heard!" Sirius said.
"Hey!" Peter protected himself.
"I'm only joking!" Sirius said, patting Peter on the shoulder.
"Thanks." James said, and they started plotting revenge on whoever did it.
They did not notice the shadow in the background, watching through the slightly open door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hey! Don't expect me to be able to update every day like this, but I will try to update every few days. Thanks to all the reviewers (16 reviews now...that SO BLOODY COOL!)including Lele (I agree with your idea of McGonagall, is this a little better? hehe..) shining star (thanks, and believe me, I will continue...also, it's funny? Where? Lol!) and stevie (freakishly obsessed, eh? Whatever, me too. Join the club.) This is really cool, getting so many reviews and the such. I'm having a great time writing it!
Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!
Leo
"Did you do anything?" James asked Sirius, as they followed McGonagall down a staircase. Neither of them were sure about why they were being hauled off. Especially in the middle of dinner.
"Nope. Not me." Sirius said, getting scared. If she was going to write home to his parents, he was in trouble. Big trouble. "You?"
James looked at him oddly. "If I had, would I be asking you?"
"Oh, I suppose not." Sirius said. "So, what do you think is wrong?"
"Will you two stop chattering? You sound like a bunch of weasels." McGonagall said, looking severly at them. Her eyes flashed, showing that she was not kidding.
"Sir-I mean...mam-" James started, knowing how stupid he was the moment it slipped.
"No more talking!" She said, and walked up to a dungeon door. "You two are luckier than any pair of first years. Most would be expelled after the kind of antics you two pulled today."
Sirius and James looked puzzled. They had only done two things, and only had been caught for one.
They couldn't expell a student for cutting a little bit of hair, could they?
She opened the door, and the boys' mouths dropped open.
The entire classroom (being the Potions one) was covered in red and gold streamers, paint, and-
"Silly sting. A muggle invention I am told that you two had access to." She said, picking up one of the pieces.
"I'm certain we're not the only ones-" James started.
"Yes, but you two are the only ones that would do such a thing. One day and you've already gotten two detentions! Two! But this is going too far. You should both feel very lucky you are not packing your bags right now. I will be informing your parents of today's antics, and taking another 20 points from Gryffindor-" James winced "-each. You are to clean this up by midnight. No magic. Brooms are in the corner. Buckets of water will be refilled at your need. Do you both understand me clearly?"
They could do nothing but nod.
"Good." She said, and severly turned. "If either one of you do anything like this again, I will make sure you are expelled."
And they were left alone.
"What is she blabbering about? I've never done anything like this!" James said, seeing the brooms in the corner. The buckets next to them.
"And I was with you the entire day!" Sirius said, waving his wand (which he kept in his robe all through dinner) furiously. Purple sparks flew out of it.
"Remus and Peter can vouch for us!" James said, "I'm going to talk to McGonagall. I'm nobody's scape-goat." But when he tried to open the door, he couldn't.
"Alohomora." Sirius said, waving his wand. But nothing happened.
"How do you know that one?" James asked.
"I dunno. Heard it somewhere. Thought I'd try it." He replied. And then, he sighed. "We should try to start cleaning this up, shouldn't we?"
"I'm going to get revenge on whoever did this." James swore.
"Yeah..." Sirius. "I'll help."
"Why don't you try to clean it up by magic?" James asked.
"Oh yeah, because I have a spellbook with me right now to look up cleaning spells. I barely know five spells!" Sirius exlaimed.
"Well, let's get started then." James concluded, picking up a broom.
Sirius picked one up, too. And looked at it.
"How do you use it?" He asked.
"What? It's not even a muggle invention!" James laughed.
"Yeah, but...we have a house elf who does all this." Sirius said, twirling the broom between his fingers. "Can you honestly say you've ever used this thing?"
"Well, no. But I've seen how it's done. You sweep from side to side..." But by doing this, all James did was splatter the silly string and streamers all over Sirius. "Maybe it was back to front." And this too, made James move the mess onto him and one of the desks.
"Hm....try it...slower?" Sirius suggested.
"Slower? But that would take forever!"
"Well, what do you expect? It to take a minute?"
"Well...."
"Enough." Remus said, walking in.
"You two are unbelievable." Peter said, walking in behind him.
"Why are you two here?" James asked.
"When McGonagall said that you two were stuck in the Potion's classroom, we snuck down here to help." Remus said.
"Really?" Sirius said, in mock-shock.
"Yes." Remus said, completely not convincing.
"Really really?" James said.
"No." Peter broke down. "We couldn't fin the way to the common room. Got lost again. And heard your voices."
"Thought so." Sirius said, laughing. James joined in.
"Hey, do you want us to help or not?" Remus asked. Both boys stopped laughing at once.
"Yes." They chorused.
"Good. You two work on the walls, and we'll do the brooming." Remus said, taking the broom, and gently picking up pieces of silly string, moving it slower than James had done.
"Told ya you had to go slower." Sirius grinned.
"Shut up." James said. "So, why are you helping us?"
Remus and Peter looked at each other.
"Because that's what friends do." Peter squeaked.
For a moment, they were silent. Then, they burst out laughing.
"That was the corniest thing I've ever heard!" Sirius said.
"Hey!" Peter protected himself.
"I'm only joking!" Sirius said, patting Peter on the shoulder.
"Thanks." James said, and they started plotting revenge on whoever did it.
They did not notice the shadow in the background, watching through the slightly open door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hey! Don't expect me to be able to update every day like this, but I will try to update every few days. Thanks to all the reviewers (16 reviews now...that SO BLOODY COOL!)including Lele (I agree with your idea of McGonagall, is this a little better? hehe..) shining star (thanks, and believe me, I will continue...also, it's funny? Where? Lol!) and stevie (freakishly obsessed, eh? Whatever, me too. Join the club.) This is really cool, getting so many reviews and the such. I'm having a great time writing it!
Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!
Leo