The prompt for this one was "continually", but that doesn't make much of a title!
Glory and Ashes
Constant vigilance
"This isn't a joke, Potter!"
James rolls his eyes at his friends, and Black snorts with laughter. Even little Pettigrew's lips twitch. Only Lupin – the one whose awareness saved their sorry skins tonight – remains serious. Moody turns his glare onto all four of them.
"You have to be continually on the alert. Cont-in-u-ally." He stretches the word out, as he looks from one young face to another, the feeling growing within him that he is not getting through to two of them at least. It will take a closer call than tonight's before they realise how serious this is.
Tonight, they got away with their lack of attention to the house they were supposed to be watching, with the fact that they were laughing so much at some kiddish joke that they almost missed the enemy coming up in a wide circle behind them.
Lupin's sensitive hearing had saved them – that and Moody's own intervention when their defeat seemed inevitable. Dumbledore had advised him against being there, had wanted them to do it alone. ("They won't learn unless you let them try, Alastor. They have to believe we trust them.") The old man was too trusting by half. These boys were three months out of school, still wet behind the ears, and boy did it show.
"Get out of here!" Moody growls. "Constant vigilance. Constant. Next time you won't have me nannying you, and you won't be so bloody lucky. This is war, in case you hadn't realised."
He sees Potter roll his eyes again and Black twist his elegant mouth in a sneer, but decides to pretend that he hasn't. Pettigrew and Lupin look more serious, one frowning, the other set-lipped and white-faced.
Perhaps they will get through to their idiot friends where he has failed. Moody hopes so.