Detention for Two

"Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, my office now!" Professor Minerva McGonagall shouted, as she strode into the Great Hall during breakfast. She looked absolutely furious emphasised by her lips were as thin as paper. Four sixteen year old boys got up from their seats at the Gryffindor table and followed her out of the hall, every single person watched them go. None of the boys looked as though being called out of the hall in this manner was that unusual. Two of the boys did look mildly curious about what they had been accused of doing this time. The other two just gave each other a knowing glance. They followed their teacher through the winding corridors of Hogwarts until they reached her office.

As their teacher entered, one of the boys took the opportunity to hiss something into one of the other boys' ear.

"Er James-what have you done this time?"

"Actually for a change nothing-which you very well know. What have you done?"

"Why do you always assume I’ve done something?"

A third boy joined in the conversation, "because, Sirius Black, it normally is you!"

"That isn’t true," Sirius said, trying desperately to defend himself, "last time it was James!"

"Yeah, one time out of a hundred that you were innocent Sirius." Said the fourth and final of the boys. Sirius simply scowled at him.

They entered the office and nervously sat down on the four seats in front of her desk.

"Do you think it would be possible for this school to go a week without you four causing more havoc?" the four boys didn't say a word; they had been through this enough times to know that keeping silent was the best approach. She carried on, "which of you snuck into the Slytherin common room last night and painted all of the walls red and gold?" the boys quickly glanced at each other.

Sirius slowly clapped his hands.

"You have a contribution to make Mr Black?"

"Yes- I applaud the nerve and initiative of the student, or students who painted the common room. A most ingenious plan." At this Remus couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing.

"Mr. Potter, Pettigrew-leave us. I think I have a couple of matters to discuss with Black and Lupin."

James grinned at Sirius as he left and mouthed the words ‘good luck,’ at him. The door shut leaving the three of them alone. Remus moved his chair closer to Sirius’s, deciding that there was safety in numbers.

"Mr. Black can I have a confession? It would make everything so much quicker."

"Indeed it would, maybe if you found the real culprit it would be even more quick!" Sirius’s eyes had a slight twinkle in them.

"Let me rephrase that. I know perfectly well that it was the pair of you, so if I don’t get a confession soon, you could be facing another suspension Mr Black. And we both know how displeased your parents would be with that."

Sirius paled slightly, "fine it was me," he confessed, "but Remus had nothing to do with it."

"Sirius, she knows it was me as well." Remus pointed out.

"I would have expected better of you, Mr. Lupin, as a prefect. The pair of you have lost your house fifty points each. And you have both also earned a detention tonight, at seven, cleaning the trophy room."

Sirius broke in, "the trophy room-again! I swear that room has never been this clean. I clean it about once a week," she glared at him, "but of course I love cleaning it. It gives me such a sense of purpose."

"Good. Trophy room at seven."

***

Remus and Sirius entered the trophy room that night.

"I wonder why she didn't make us repaint the Slytherin common room? Normally our punishment is to clean up whatever mess we've made." Sirius said, as they walked into the large trophy room. The room had a strange glinting appearance as the candles that lit the room flickered, their light reflecting off of each shiny trophy.

"Maybe because they don’t trust us to go in the Slytherin common room."

"Oh yeah, right," Sirius agreed, "I wonder where Filch is, he’s normally here to check we’ve turned up."

"Dunno. He’ll probably be here in a second."

"Yeah," Sirius grinned mischievously, "but until then, we’re alone."

"Well that would be obvious," Remus said, suddenly his brain caught onto what Sirius was thinking. "Sirius that isn’t a good idea at the moment, Filch could walk in at any..." the rest of his sentence was cut off as he felt Sirius’s soft lips press against his own. He resisted briefly then relaxed into the kiss. Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus’s waist. Remus broke the kiss, much to Sirius distress.

"Look Padfoot, how ever appealing standing here kissing you is, the fact is that Filch or someone could walk in at any moment. Then it would be round the school by breakfast, we haven’t even told James or Peter yet that we’re a couple."

"Don’t you want people to know we’re together then?" Sirius said, pulling away from Remus.

"Sirius, no one even knows that either of us are gay. We should at least tell James and Peter first."

"Well yeah, but…"

"Sirius can you imagine how James would react if we didn’t tell him and he found out from some one else? It’s better he finds out from us."

"Yeah, imagine what would happen if Snape caught us, he’d have a field day telling the entire school that…"

"Yes, Mr. Black, " Filch’s greasy tones made them both jump.

"Er nothing," he said, as he and Remus spun around to face him.

"What kind of mischief are you planning this time, because you know you’ll be caught? I always do catch you."

"Actually that’s not true you still haven’t…Ow," Sirius gave Remus a reproachful look as Remus innocently lowered his foot after kicking Sirius hard on the shins.

"Sorry, my erm foot slipped." Remus said trying not to grin. Sirius glared at him, Filch looked suspiciously at the pair of them.

"Well whatever trouble you’re causing you’ll be caught this time. Mark my words." Filch told them, a triumphant smile on his face, "and we both know how unhappy your parents will be if you get in much more trouble, Black."

"They’re unhappy with whatever I do." Sirius said in a dejected tone, glaring at the caretaker for bringing his parents into the conversation. "It's always my dear perfect brother, the wonderful son."

"Your brother hasn’t had one single detention since he started this school. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen you in detention. I don’t blame your parents for preferring him, I would too." Filch told him, his voice dripping with malice.

"Well they always side with Regulus," Sirius muttered under his breath, "it wasn’t my fault that I hit him in the face with a bludger last year. He shouldn’t have been on the other Quidditch team."

"Ah how my heart bleeds for you Black. I have better things to do with my time than spend an evening in here with you two. I will be back at twelve to inspect what you have done." With that Filch turned to leave the room, he stopped suddenly at the doorway.

"Your wands please," Sirius scowled, this job would be so much easier if they could use magic. They grudgingly gave their wands to the caretaker, who walked off ecstatic that two students were being punished.

Remus picked up two dusters and threw one of them at Sirius. "Look we might as well get started, he's right your parents will go mental if you get into much more trouble."

"They're mental anyway," Sirius said picking up a transfiguration trophy that had been awarded to a student the previous year, "I really don't know how much more of them I can take."

"Well you've only got a couple of years left here, then you can move out."

"Legally I can move out now, I just don't have the money, it's very unlikely that my parents are going to give me the money to leave home. However much they hate me I'm still the heir to the Black fortune."

"Come on cheer up Padfoot, its not like they've completely disowned you yet."

"That’s the problem Remus, if they disowned me I'd be free of them, you've never met them, they hate me."

"That’s not true," Sirius looked at him his eyebrows raised.

"They do hate me Remus, remember the howler I got after the Quidditch incident?"

"I wasn't talking about that, I have met them, remember first year before we got on the train? They didn't seem to hate you then."

"Well no, they just disliked me then," Sirius admitted, "you didn’t see them after I was sorted into Gryffindor."

"They can't be all bad Sirius."

"They are I can assure you, they threatened to lock me in the basement the first Christmas I was back from Hogwarts. They were planning on keeping me there all holiday."

"Why?" Remus looked shocked, "what had you done?"

"Got sorted into Gryffindor, I was the first Black not to go into Slytherin for thirty generations. Even the Blacks who weren't quite as bad always get sorted into Slytherin."

"All of them?" Remus asked, "Surely there must have been at least one sorted into a different house."

Sirius shook his head, "Every single last one. Even Andromeda got sorted into Slytherin."

Remus knew Andromeda; she was a sixth year and the only one of Sirius's cousins he would talk to without being forced to.

Sirius carried on, "my mother never really liked her but at least she got sorted into the right house, can't wait to see what the family do when they find out she's seeing Ted Tonks, I mean he's a Gryffindor and a muggleborn, the two things my family hate the most..."

Remus tried to pacify Sirius who was starting to border on becoming hysterical, "look not every member of your family is evil Sirius, Andromeda isn't and your Uncle Alphard isn't that bad."

Sirius had spent the previous Christmas at his Uncle's because his parents had been away on business. It had been the only Christmas he could remember enjoying at all, he'd been trying to persuade his parents to let him stay at Hogwarts through out the holidays but they'd always refused, saying that he couldn't be left under the terrible influence of the Potter boy.

"Well no, they're okay, but the rest of them. I mean just look at Regulus."

Remus knew exactly what Sirius meant. Regulus was the perfect Slytherin, even though he was a couple of years younger than Snape he was part of that crowd. He enjoyed nothing more than making Sirius as unhappy as possible. Regulus was one of the few Slytherins that the Marauders had never pulled a prank on mainly because they knew exactly what would happen to Sirius when his parents found out.

"Would you believe when we were younger Regulus used to adore me. Copied everything I did, drove my parents mad." Sirius smiled nostalgically, "he even tried to flush Kreacher down the toilet just because I said I wanted to do it. My parents didn't blame him of course, it was my fault because I'd suggested it."

Remus put his arms around Sirius and Sirius rested his head on his shoulder. "At least your parents supported you when you got bitten, mine would have chucked me out into the street. They can't stand anything unusual in the house, nothing that could cause anyone to say anything. Can't wait to see what they say when I'm gay."

"They might not be that bothered," Remus said soothingly. Sirius looked up at him, "ha, as if, the only reason they keep me around is so I can produce an heir, and I very much doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon."

Remus grinned, "well there's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

Sirius hit him playfully on the shoulder.

"Oh shut up you idiot."

"Bit rich coming from you isn't it?"

The pair's bickering carried out into the corridor where a single figure stood, half hidden in shadow.

Sirius Black was gay, wasn't that an interesting turn of affairs. The dark haired boy turned and walked towards the owlery, his parents were going to receive a very interesting letter from their youngest son in the morning.

Regulus smiled darkly to himself as he walked off.

Fin

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