The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Defense, Cancelled

Sirius was laying on his back on the floor, his feet up on the chair beside Peter, who was nervously muttering to himself as he scribbled notes from the Astronomy book. "I can't believe Lucius is going to get away with it," he said, for probably the hundredth time since they'd settled in. He was staring at the fire, his mouth twisted in a scowl.

"Dumbledore is smart," Remus said, tossing the captured quill back to James, "I'm sure he knows what's going on more than we do."

"Yeah, couldn't be more obvious the only reason Tutman's left is because Malfoy's made him go so he can get out of being caught," James agreed.

Sirius was still frowning, "I s'pose," he sighed.

But, to Sirius at least, it didn't seem as though anything was being done about the things they'd told Dumbledore. Especially when, within days, Lucius Malfoy was already walking through the castle corridors looking quite pleased with himself and bullying the younger students around as usual.

A week after the incident, and rumors had spread all over the school about where Tutman had gone, explaining the teacher's absence with everything from a nasty case of Dragon Pox to a death in his family back in Egypt. Bilius Weasley came in the common room one night chuckling to himself. "You lot hear the latest?" he asked, finding the four boys working on a diagram for Herbology in the common room, "Apparently, Tutman's gone and joined a rock band." A smirk danced on his mouth.

"A rock band?" James scoffed, "What'd he want to go and do that for?"

"Dunno," replied Bilius with a grin, "But that's what this crazy Ravenclaw bloke's been passing 'round all morning."

Derek rolled his eyes, having come over with Bilius to talk to the boys, "Can't trust a damned thing Xeno says," he inserted, "Bloody mental, that one is." He smirked, then ducked around Bilius to go talk to Alice and Lily, who'd just come in the door behind them.

Bilius shrugged, "Just as likely as any other reason that's gone 'round." He smirked and tipped an imaginary hat to them before turning to join Derek with the others.

By the next Monday, the talk around the school was that Dumbledore had found a replacement for Tutman to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, at least until Tutman's personal matters were in order and he could return to Hogwarts. However, there had been no formally introduction at dinner the night before, so no one was sure who this new teacher would be, not even Bilius had a clue, despite being prefect, and there was no new members at the staff table, filling the recently vacated seat in the morning at breakfast. "Maybe it's just McGonagall or somebody stepping in," suggested Derek over his bowl of oats in the morning.

"McGonagall?" laughed Peter, "What's McGonagall know about Defense Against the Dark Arts? Transfiguration's got nothing to do with that!"

"Doesn't mean she's not bloody brilliant," answered Bilius, looking 'round at Peter, "McGonagall could probably teach every subject under this roof single-handedly if she wanted to."

Peter looked abashed.

"You lot will be the first class to actually know what's going on with the Defense teacher," Derek said, waving at Remus, Sirius, Peter, James, and nodding towards Lily down the other end of the table. "You'll have to report back, let us know what's what."

"That's right!" Sirius said, quite excitedly. "Brilliant!"

Eager to be the first class to find out, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter rushed through their breakfasts and ran up the stairs to the classroom, breathless as they reached the corridor. They'd even beat Lily Evans there, a first for the whole term. They clustered around the door and Sirius even pressed his ear against it to see if there was any sort of preparation going on inside.

"Do you hear anything?" James asked.

"Not a bloody thing," Sirius replied, keeping pressed firmly against the door.

Lily came up after a few minutes, trailed by Alice Bell, who was headed to Charms first but was hoping for a glance at the new teacher, and they stood at the end of the hall, talking. She glanced over and saw the boys there and Remus smiled in a friendly way. Lily smiled back before turning back to facing Alice.

Peter listened against the door, too, crouching below Sirius. "I don't hear anything either," he announced.

"And you bloody won't if you keep yammering," Sirius snapped rudely.

There was a gasp of surprise from Lily and Alice at the end of the hall. James looked up just as a youngish looking man with wild blonde hair, and an eye patch came around the corner, breezing by Lily and Alice with long, old-fashioned looking robes that flew out behind him as he walked with a fast gait. He nudged Sirius and Peter, and the boys jumped back from the door as the man came closer, eyed them with his one good eye, and pushed open the door.

They looked at one another in apprehension.

"Well? Are you coming in or are you starting a club out in the hallway?" called a rough voice from within.