A/N:

Have this brain blast, because somehow I feel like Kingsley having to room with the Marauders and seeing first hand how they never get appropriately punished would push him to become an Auror.

Summary: Kingsley found that exercise helps calm him and help him deal with the shenanigans of his roommates. But when they go too far, he has to resort to nearly drowning himself in the lake to cope.

Words: 1113

Prompts:

Ministry of Magic Discord Group: Mix and Match

Color: Magenta

Character: Kingsley Shacklebolt

Action: Swimming

Ministry of Magic Discord Group: April Monthly (The Odds are in Your Favour)

[action] swimming

Ministry of Magic Discord Group: Easter Egg Hunt

Polka Dot- (Setting) The Black Lake

"Coping Mechanism"

After having to room with the self-styled Marauders–Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin–Kingsley Shacklebolt found that physical exercise was an excellent way to unwind and relax away from his roommates and their daily shenanigans in the Gryffindor Common Room and their dorm room.

Nowhere was safe from their twisted sense of humor, and objectively–and privately–Kingsley thought that a majority of their pranks toed or even crossed the line over into flat out bullying. Of course the professors and headmaster didn't do anything about it. Some points here, maybe a detention if the victim was affluent enough, but no real consequence was ever given.

It made Kingsley burn with anger. Being around those who could get off scot free just because of who their families were and how influential or useful they were made Kingsley want to become an Auror. Not to fight the dark wizards that currently were campaigning against Muggleborn in the Wizengamot or the dark creatures that the Dark Lord was gathering by his side to wreak havoc on and terrorize the community, no, he wanted justice for all, and the best place he figured he could do it was from within. If he could hold himself and his coworkers up to higher standards, then he would be able to enact change in the community.

But first, he had to make sure he stayed out of Azkaban long enough to get into Auror training, because he was going to kill Black and Potter.

After being holed up in their Common Room for an entire weekend with the troublemakers due to a raging thunderstorm that billowed its way across the Hogwarts grounds, Kingsley had headed back to his room to get changed for lunch. The skies had begun to lighten, and he was fully ready to go for a run on the grounds as soon as it was dry enough.

And then Potter and Black turned his hair and eyebrows magenta.

Standing there, dumbfounded, Kingsley barely registered the horror on their faces as the liquid splashed all over him. It felt like that chilling sensation of cracked eggs dripping down his spine, and he hated it. He hated them.

"I can fix it, I can fix it!" Sirius Black exclaimed, and before Kingsley could protest, the egg sensation was gone and his head felt light and airy. If possible, Black and Potter paled even further.

His hand jumped to the top of his head, and as Kingsley probed around, he no longer felt his tightly wound box braids. Instead, he only felt smooth skin, and horror crossed his face for only a moment before rage overtook him.

"SorryKingswegottagoseePomfreynowbye!" Potter exclaimed hurriedly, snagging Black's arm and dashing around Kingsley as he stood just before the doorway.

The room fell silent with their departure, only the slight pattering of the rain on the windowpane disturbing his churning thoughts.

Suddenly, Kingsley turned on his heel, whirling around and rushing downstairs. Ignoring the shouts of alarm at his state or the call of concern from Remus Lupin from near the fireplace–Kingsley was too furious right now to even think of entertaining the words of a friend of the two that just effectively made him bald–and hurried out the portrait door.

Kingsley ran. He wasn't sure where his destination was, but he sprinted through the corridors and let his rage fueled feet take him somewhere.

The exercise was liberating, making his heart feel light and his breath come more quickly, but it did nothing to quench his frustration and anger at the people he still had to share a room with for the next two years.

Kingsley stumbled as his feet led him outside, the rain now only misting but chilly against his skin. He kept running. The blood pounded in his ear less the more his feet pounded through the muddy paths that took him to the grounds. He only stopped short when he got to the shores of the Black Lake and he nearly twisted his ankle on the pebble lined shores.

Thinking unclearly, Kingsley tossed his robes to the side, reached down and peeled off his soaked socks and shoes, before then diving into the lake.

The water felt refreshing on his face and skin, chilly when it touched the place where his hair used to be–his hair! They knew his hair was the only thing off limits to their pranks, because it was such a hassle to grow his out and Kingsley was very proud of his hair. The one thing, the one thing! And they chose to forget that, accident or not–and his anger reignited in his chest. He began with the breaststroke, going as far as he dared before turning and going perpendicular to his original path to make it to one of the boat docks nearby.

Kingsley continued to swim until he was numb–physically, emotionally, and mentally.

When he finally emerged from the water, his shirt and trousers completely drenched, he found several girls from different houses from his year sitting on various boulders strewn across the shoreline. He stopped short when he realized his robes were neatly folded and sitting on another boulder, with his socks and shoes set neatly on top.

They even scourgified the mud off, he thought to himself before warily approaching.

"Lily, Marlene, Mary, Alice, Dorcas," he greeted them, using his still numb hand to wipe some of the water from his face. A transfigured towel with a warming charm suddenly appeared around him, and Kingsley clutched it to him gratefully.

"They're arses, don't let them get to you, Kings," Marlene commented as she put her wand away. Lily patted the spot on the rock next to her, and Kingsley joined them mutely.

"Want to talk about it?" Lily asked as he settled in next to her. She leaned against him, and he felt her own warming charm mix with the one on the towel around him, the increased heat sinking into his bones pleasantly.

"Not really," he replied, giving a small shrug.

"Do you mind if we talk about boys?" Mary then asked.

"And girls!" Dorcas popped in with a wicked grin, and Kingsley couldn't help but laugh. His spirits were lifted as they chatted, Alice pulling out a picnic basket full of food she must have gotten from the kitchens.

This only cemented his need to become an Auror when he graduated, to keep people like the Marauders in line and to make sure the world was a safe place for people like Lily and her family. He would refuse to go into politics, unless it was absolutely necessary. But being an Auror? That was an admirable goal for now.