Life Of The Maurauders: 1

Defense Against The Dark Arts

After a most eventful Herbology lesson - in which Evan Rosier, Severus and Antonin Dolohov were sent to the nurse, Madam Pomfrey, due to serious injuries from the Snapping Trapper - the Gryffindor first years trooped off to Defense. Lily walked warily behind them, making sure she didn't make eye contact with them that would encourage them to engage in conversation with her.

"Wonder who the Defense teacher's gonna be." James said.

"Why's that? You fancy the professor being a woman?" Sirius smirked.

James shook his head. "You're the wanker, Black, not me." he laughed. "No, just that Arthur Weasley told me that they've had a different one every year."

"That's true." Remus confirmed. "My dad, Lyall Lupin, told me that that was the case when he was in Hogwarts."

"What about your mum?" Peter asked curiously. "Didn't she go to Hogwarts?"

Remus suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Um, Peter, let's talk about that later." He then hurriedly changed the subject. "Think it's going to be a guy, or a girl?"

"Guy, definitely." Sirius suggested. "Not all women are fit for the job, see."

Lily suddenly felt a flare of anger. "You insult Severus and now you're discriminating against women too?" she asked disdainfully.

"No." Sirius shook his head. "Only because...well, er, seeing as my parents...they told me...that is, ah...never mind." He suddenly looked more uncomfortable than Remus had.

"Why don't you and Peter rush ahead?" James murmured to Remus. "I'll talk to Sirius."

Remus nodded. He grabbed Peter's shoulder, muttered something into his ear and the two rushed off ahead.

"Evans, unless you'd like to indulge in conversation with us, and accuse us of being sexist and the like, you might want to leave as well." James said in an exaggerated, pleasant tone.

Lily scowled at him and walked away.

"Sirius, mate, what's up?" James asked, concerned.

"Nothing, only..." Sirius sighed and blurted out, "My parents are Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?" James said, startled. He'd known there was something fishy about Sirius' family, when Sirius said that they had all been in Slytherin, seeing as Slytherin turned out Dark Wizards. But he had never guessed that they would be part of Lord Voldemort's gang of Dark wizards.

"Yeah." Sirius sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "It used to be something I thought I should be proud of, mate. I've been doing a bit of thinking--"

"No, really?"

"Shut up. I've been doing a bit of thinking, and I've seen how the Slytherins are and everything - it might seem a fast decision to make about Hogwarts, Slytherin and Gryffindor, which my parents hate, but...I think I hate Slytherins, James, I really do."

"You...you do?" James breathed a sigh of relief. He liked Sirius, and his parents might not have let Sirius hang out with James, seeing as they would know what Sirius' parents were.

"Yeah, I do." Sirius looked nervous. "I just...I hear them talk abour Voldemort all the time. They talk him up so much that they put him on a pedestal and make him seem like their god. But he was in Slytherin, and if he was anything like the Slytherins now, I've given up any idea of Voldemort being a good guy."

James smiled weakly and clapped Sirius on the back. "Well, you know, we would all accept you no matter what you or your parents were, as long as you yourself are a good guy."