Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Twelve- The Truth and Remorse

"Oh yes Professor, we won't make you wait long," Sirius said in his best mock good-boy voice.

"One can only dream, Black," their head of house replied curtly. Sirius' tense-sounding laugh was followed by the sound of the fading click-clack McGonagall's heels on the marble floor as she left.

"Professor, you have a pretty neat office," James said with his usual casual air of authority that Remus quite envied him for.

Remus realized soon James and Sirius would be able to see him. Remus had to resist the urge to hide behind Dumbledore's desk as a result.

"A...are we in trouble?" asked Peter timidly. They were all here? Remus felt a deep sense of dread as he turned around in his chair to face them. Three against one was hardly fair. Of course, Dumbledore was on Remus' side too. At least Remus was pretty sure the headmaster would defend him from his roommates. This wouldn't be like the strange trial James had orchestrated to condemn Remus a mere few hours earlier.

"What is HE doing here?" asked Sirius suddenly, voice dripping with anger that Remus swore he could feel was covering him like a suffocating bubble that was making it hard to breathe.

"Well, Mr. Black, would you prefer I not address the problem that has occurred in my school?" Dumbledore asked, somehow still managing to sound amused. Remus recognized that there also seemed to be a subtle reminder of the headmaster's authority in Dumbledore's question. This was probably wise of Dumbledore since James and Sirius were notorious for disrespecting those in power. However, surely even they would think twice about disrespecting the headmaster!

"Are you expelling him, then?" Sirius asked hopefully, but his tone had softened slightly into a more respectful one.

"Professor Dumbledore, with respect, isn't that a bit much?" James asked, sounding uncomfortable.

"I thought that is what you three wanted?" Dumbledore questioned calmly.

Remus shifted away from them slightly, trying to get a look at them through the corner of his eye. He flinched when he realized Sirius was glaring at him with unmistakable hatred. Then Dumbledore, whose back was to Remus, shifted slightly, blocking Remus from Sirius' view.

"Well...it's just..." James sounded hesitant and Remus wondered if his confident friend actually found Dumbledore intimidating too.

"Go on Mr. Potter, feel free to speak your mind here. Within reason, of course." Dumbledore added wryly.

"It just doesn't make sense, Dumbledore. I mean I've reviewed the facts as my father told me to." James spoke up sounding puzzled

"Fleamont is a wise man." Dumbledore pointed out with a smile.

Remus could no longer see Sirius but he could now see James, whose attention was on the headmaster, and who puffed up slightly at the compliment to his father.

"I mean for starters Remus doesn't seem like the type..." James began, sounding once more as if he was looking at the situation like it was a particularly hard charms problem.

"I've told you he's faking," growled Sirius.

"Mr. Black, you will be given your turn to speak. But for now, let us hear Mr. Potter out," Dumbledore responded mildly.

"Plus it's really weird that he would write his name at the bottom. I mean if he really was the criminal mastermind Sirius seems to think he is, why would he write his name? Why not write someone else' to further cause chaos?" James concluded sounding more and more confused as he presented the facts to the headmaster.

"An excellent deduction, Mr. Potter!" The headmaster sounded quite pleased and James puffed up, even more, looking quite proud of himself now.

"Professor, you can't really think he's innocent," came Sirius' pained exclamation. Remus flinched at the distress in the young Black's voice, remembering how terrible what he knew of the letters was. Who would do something like this to Sirius? Who wanted to cause Sirius this much pain?