Disclaimer: Not mine

Rating: T

Warning: Not HBP Compliant

Summary: Did you ever wonder what the teachers get up to when the students aren't around? Here's a peek into the lives of Albus, Severus, Pomona, Poppy, Sybill, Filius, Minerva, Rubeus, Argus, Rolanda, and Remus. Year 6.

Author's Note: Not sure where I'm going with this yet. I'm getting kinda bored with my other story so I thought I'd write this to get me motivated. You know the drill R&R.

Hogwarts' Other Sides

"No Albus, absolutely not!"

"Come on Minerva."

"Albus the last time I wound up "helping" you organize the school records I wound up with more parchment cuts than I could count and a sever headache."

"Please Minerva, it has to be done."

"Then find some other poor unsuspecting person to help you."

Albus looked around the table. Eyes sparkling trying to get one of his staff members into organizing the school records. They would each meet his eyes then look down quickly. All except for Minerva, who was staring at him defiantly and Severus, who was ignoring him entirely.

"Well if none of you will volunteer freely then I will have to insist that we pick straws." Severus who had not said a word all meeting finally spoke. "How is that fair? Some of us have lives that are short straws."

"Come Severus, don't be ridiculous."

"I am not the ridiculous one who insists on picking straws and eating lemon drops." Albus acknowledged his young colleague with twinkling blue eyes. "What do you have against lemon drops? Is there no way to pacify you Severus?"

"You could just kill me now."

"Ah," Albus said with a light chuckle, "but where is the fun in that?"

The staff had a good laugh. Severus just glared at them. How he hated blasted staff meetings. As if he didn't have enough meetings to attend. It's not like the summers were any break. If anything they were worst. His schedule was fairly simple: get up, get dressed, eat, make potions, go to meeting for the Dark Lord, come back, report to Dumbledore, eat, make potions, go to staff meeting, eat, make more potions, go to Order meeting, report to the Dark Lord, heal self, make some more potions, shower, go to bed. And the next day he'd wake to do it all over again. Life's shortest straw indeed.

"I have an idea..."

"What an amazing occurrence indeed."

"We shall have two short straws. What ever two people get the shortest straws can do all the organizing. There is only a slight chance you will get stuck with me."

"Oh, good news for me indeed. I can work with some other highly annoying individual."

"That's the spirit."

"No," Minerva whispered to Rolanda Hooch, "that's sarcasm so strong that if it was a dog it would have but his butt off." Rolanda put a hand over her mouth trying to stifle her giggles.

"Care to share what is so funny with the rest of us, Minerva, Rolanda? No, then can you do us the favor of picking your straws first?"

Minerva reached for a straw, quickly followed by Rolanda. Albus let everyone pick their straws taking the last remaining one.

"Now we hold them up to compare their length."

"No Albus, we drink juice with them. Can you please not insult our intelligence by assuming we're all half-wits?"

"Not all of us are so sour towards life." Severus held his straw up to Albus', it was shorter.

"And you wonder why I hate the world."

"No Severus, he merely has retained the hope that one day you will change your mind."

"Come Minerva, there is no need to be so sarcastic."

"Severus is always sarcastic and how often do you harp on him for it?"

"Please stop, we must find out who has the other short straw," squeaked Filius Flitwick.

"Bet you Lupin does."

The rest of them compared straws. Severus didn't even have to look to know that Remus did indeed have the shortest straw. The silence in the room gave it away.

"Wow," said Minerva holding back a chuckle, "you could take over for Sybill."

"I resent that."

"As do I."

"There wouldn't happen to be any seer blood in your family now would there?" Severus' eyes narrowed dangerously. "No, and do not insult me so."

"Ah but I wasn't insulting you. It's a great gift that few have."

"Not like anyone here does," Severus muttered under his breath. Either Sybill did not hear him or she had chosen not to.

"Tha's enough fer now you two. Cut it out."

"I agree with Rubeus," said Argus.

"Come Lupin. I unlike you do not have all day to sit around doing nothing unlike certain animals."

"Take that back," Remus growled.

"No." Remus drew his wand.

"Take it back of I'll make you regret it."

"No, this place really is going to the dogs." Severus had no time to react before Remus' fist was in his face. Severus swung back and there was now a full scale fight going on. Someone was yelling to separate them.

Minerva whispered to Rolanda, "I'll put three galleons on Remus to win."

"Nah, it'll be Severus and I think I'll take that bet."

Albus was trying to stun them but they remained elusive. Finally Hagrid had to pull Remus off of Severus to stop him from killing him. Few members of the staff could ever remember seeing Albus so angry.

"You are adults. This behavior is not acceptable. I do not accept this from my students and I do not expect this from my staff. You are no longer foolish school boys. Get over what ever grudge you may hold against each other. Severus you were wrong to provoke Remus." Remus shot him a triumphant glare. "And Remus, you were equally as wrong to attack him." Now it was Severus' turn to smirk. "I think you could both use this opportunity to get to know each other. Do either of you need the hospital wing?"

Neither was in great shape but their pride held fast. Remus and Severus were both to stubborn to show weakness.

"Good, then before I send you off to organize the records, do either of you have anything else to say for yourself?" Severus shook his head. All the while avoiding Lupin's eyes. Remus was about to do the same, but he hesitated. "Actually I do. Severus got what was coming to him and I'd do it again given the circumstances."

Remus shot Severus a triumphant glare. Severus dived for him, but Hagrid caught him by the neck of his robes. "Don' be stupid Severus. Yer already bin roughed up once tonigh' and tha's enough."

"Remus, you of all people. I expected better from you."
"Well nice to know I'm not always predictable."

"Remus what's gotten into you?"

"He's still getting over the loss of his poor little puppy dog." Remus rushed for Severus but was also stopped by Hagrid.

"I didn't know Remus had a dog," whispered Filch. "Poor Lupin, I don't know what I'd do without Mrs. Norris."

"I had enough of the both of you for this today. Go file the records and I don't want to see either of you till you're done and you've made up. Why on earth civility is beyond both of you puzzles me. Go, it's not my time you're wasting."

Both headed for the door. Unfortunately they both arrived at the same time. Severus went first eyes flashing. Remus slammed the door shut behind them.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh, Albus?" inquired Poppy.

"No. But they worry me. If I cannot unite my staff, then how do you propose I unite my school?"

They sat in silence for a bit. No one could answer that. They all remembered what Remus and Severus were like in school. Both were stubborn and unyielding. They had always thought Remus was the quite one of the bunch. But they were learning quickly. The Gryffindor Four were not dead, far from it. As far as most of the staff knew, Remus was the last one living. But no, in Remus' heart and ways, the Marauders were still very much alive.

Author's Note: Do you like it? Do you hate it? Tell me. Check out my other story or my one shots.

Next chapter: Remus and Severus start to organize the records. A few stories told, memories recounted and secrets revealed.