I don't own Harry Potter yada yada yada...
The cold night air made Sirius shiver and pull his scarf up further, longing for the warm days of summer again. He made his way slowly towards the Quidditch pitch, not in any rush to get to his detention with Professor Dawkins and Potter. He could see lights moving around ahead of him indicating that he was the last to arrive. Sighing, he buried his hands in his pockets and trudged onwards.
"Mr Black, you're late," Dawkins stated as he approached them, unimpressed. "Right, let's get to it. You both seem to like performing dangerous stunts on your brooms, so let's see you put that hobby to good use." She pointed to a wheelbarrow that looked full of pots of some kind. "The goal posts could do with a coat of paint, so, take a broom and get to work. Without magic, Potter," she reprimanded, seeing him reach for his wand.
At this, Sirius looked up at the huge posts, mouth open. "That would take hours!"
"You'd better get started then!" came the sharp reply. "I recommend starting from the top and working your way down... you wouldn't want to be flying that high when tired, now would you."
The boys groaned and grabbed a paint pot each.
"This is all your fault," Sirius muttered as they both mounted their brooms.
"How'd you figure that one out?" James grumbled, pushing off from the ground, finding it tricky to fly in a straight line and hold onto the paint pot at the same time. Sirius flew up beside him, having similar problems.
"If you hadn't been caught as well she wouldn't be this angry," he replied. They both neared the posts and hesitated.
"This is stupid, how are we meant to do this?" Sirius exclaimed. Grabbing the paintbrush out of his robe pocket, he glared it. "Never used one of these in my life!" He wrestled with the pot, trying to open it unsuccessfully, and let out a surprised yelp as he lost his balance. Automatically he grabbed the broom with both hands and both boys watched as the paint pot went crashing down to the pitch below... and smacked the unsuspecting Professor Dawkins straight on the head. To their horror, she collapsed in a crumpled heap.
"Shit, I've killed her!" Sirius yelled. "What do we do?"
"'We'? No, no, no, you dropped it - not me!" James retorted though he looked panicked as they both descended. Sirius jumped off his broom and ran to Dawkins, paling at the large bleeding gash on the top of her head.
"It looks bad... what do we do?"
"I see now why you weren't sorted into Ravenclaw," James snapped. "We need to get help!"
"Okay I got an idea..."
"Look out!" A group of Hufflepuff third years ducked out of the way shrieking as Sirius and James zoomed through the corridors, the unconscious professor balanced precariously across both their brooms. "Out of the way!" Sirius yelled, nearly crashing into another group of students who scattered immediately.
"This was the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" James shouted across to him as they flew way too fast through the school.
"Take the next left!" Sirius replied.
"No it's straight on to get to the hospital wing!" James argued back.
"I know where I'm going, Potter! Turn left!"
"It's straight on!"
With both boys too stubborn to admit defeat, Sirius turned left sharply while James carried on - sending Dawkins flying off their brooms and onto the floor, where she eventually rolled to a stop. James pulled up and jumped off his broom to see Sirius flying back towards him.
"What did you do that for?" "I said turn left!" Both boys continued to argue over each other as a crowd began to gather around the woman on the floor. Professor McGonagall was the first teacher on the scene, not that they noticed as both students continued to argue, getting angrier and angrier.
"Amelia!" McGonagall gasped, seeing her colleague out cold and bleeding. Snapping back into "teacher mode", she announced to the gathered crowd of students, return to your dormitories please! I'm taking Professor Dawkins to the hospital wing, Jenkins," a fifth year Ravenclaw Prefect looked toward her expectantly, "Escort these two to my office please."
"Yes, Professor," she said, as the other pupils began drifting away. Turning towards Sirius and James, she ordered "Come on you two, let's move it." Sighing with exasperation as she realised they weren't paying any attention she swiftly grabbed ahold of one of their ears and towed them up the corridor.
"Ouch! Watch it!" Sirius yelped, wincing.
James had a similar expression on his face which was screwed up in pain as they were both marched up the corridor to McGonagalls office, other students stopping and laughing at them as they passed.
"This is all your fault!" he muttered.
So I was originally planning for them to start being civil to each other... but this seemed more fun. Stay tuned for the remaining Marauders and more from the Blacks!