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On the Steps of the School


The entrance door burst open.

Sirius and Remus both looked up from where they were crouching by the stairs.

“SEVERUS? SEVERUS…” Lily’s voice came out the door - the only warning Sirius or Remus got…

“SECTRUMSEMPRA!”

“Protego!” Remus waved his wand only just in time. Snape’s spell hit the shield charm with an audible blow. Remus jumped to his feet, standing between Sirius and Severus, shield charm still humming from his wand, his face wildly surprised. “What in hell are you thinking, man?”

Lily came rushing out the doors, her eyes wide.

“Go inside, Lily,” Severus said.

“No! What’re you doing attacking them for?” Lily snapped.

The images of Sirius Black’s mind were so dismal, that they’d been slow to make cohesive sense to Severus. It was a disjointed tortured, fighting feeling followed by a quick burst of energy… of magic… a flash of green light… cries of surprise… a crumpling black hooded figure… Prince. The word echoed about in Sirius’s brain, Prince, Prince… Murderer… Death for Death, they’re coming to kill me as I killed … Eileen Prince… The moment the words crossed through Severus’s mind, he’d charged forward out the door.

“I’m not attacking them - I’m attacking him.” Snape’s eyes were burning and aimed directly at Sirius with a fiery hatred that seemed to consume every fiber of his body.

Lily had never seen Sirius look frightened before. But he certainly was now. His face crumpled, expecting a spell to strike him, and he turned his face away… but he didn’t draw his wand. He didn’t mean to fight back.

“Well to get to him you’ll need to go through me first.” Remus said, not moving from his place, standing over Sirius, shield up before him, blocking Severus. Hiis voice was steady, almost calm, as though he were suggesting Severus take a slight detour in some directions he was giving him.

“Like that’s a problem,” sneered Snape and he took three fast steps forward.

“STOP!” Lily yelled as Severus raised his wand.

“Apscindo!” A bright cutting light snapped out of Snape’s wand and literally seemed to tear the shield charm in half. Remus blinked in surprise - he’d never heard of a spell that could do such a thing. Even Lily looked shocked as the smokey shield charm seemed to fall away like halves of a curtain being pulled apart.

Lily had her palms against her cheeks.

“SUFFIO!” Severus shouted.

A huge stream of smoke poured from Severus’s wand -- it was so thick and grey-white it instantly seemed to fill Remus’s lungs and set him to choking.

“No! No! Stop it! Not Remus, don’t hurt Remus -- he never did anything to you!” Lily barked, “Finite Incantantum!” She cried desperately, the smoke clearing, but Remus continued on choking, his eyes watering as he doubled over.

Likewise, Sirius leaped to his feet to try and help Remus, too, but Severus was too fast. “FLIPPENDO!” he yelled, waving his wand and sending Sirius to the ground. He raised his wand again, “SECTUM--”, but Lily grabbed his arm… and dangerously, as she caught him just before the word came out and it might have gotten her if he hadn’t caught the word in his throat. Severus looked angrily at her, scared by how close a call it had been to him cursing her instead of Sirius Black. “LILY -- GO. IN. SIDE.”

“WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING THEM?” Lily snapped.

“BECAUSE SIRIUS BLACK KILLED MY MOTHER!”

Sirius stared up from the ground where he’d fallen, tears in his eyes, his mouth a hard line of regret. Remus was still coughing, banging his chest with his fist, and gasping for air. Lily’s mouth was wide open with surprise as Severus stood over Sirius, staring down at him with an intensity unrivaled by Sirius had ever seen before.

“He didn’t - he didn’t mean -- it wasn’t --” Remus was gasping around the effects of the smoke, “He was… imperiused…”

Lily looked at Remus, then back to Severus, “Sev --”

“Just go on and do it, Severus,” Sirius said thickly, “We both know I deserve it. You’re probably the only person that’ll blame me as harshly as I blame my bloody self for it, so go on and do your little slashing spell… Cut me up real good. I look forward to bleeding the ruddy pain out.”

There was a very long, very horrible pause in which all four involved simply stared at one another wild-eyed, letting the words Sirius had just said sink in.

And then Severus raised his wand.

“NO!” Remus burst forward. “Pare lineum!” he shouted and a gold rope seemed to shoot out across the steps and Severus tripped over it as he tried to step forward, sending him falling, tumbling right over Sirius, sprawling down the steps. Lily screamed as Remus leaped over Sirius, too, and they started dueling. The spells between Remus and Sirius were not particularly deadly, each reluctant to cause any actual pain to the other, both just wanting to win the prize -- Sirius.

Lily was still staring on, horrified, too confused by the revelation to react properly, her heart in her throat, tears streaming over her face. She didn’t want either of them to beat the other. They were both her friends… they were both already going through so much… neither needed to be going through this...

Finally, Remus managed the upper hand as brightly coloured sparks bounded off one another between the two duelers. It was obvious by Snape’s expression that Remus was not only a worthy opponent, with a defensive spell to answer every curse that Severus threw at him, but that Remus was actually winning, and a panic was crossing Severus’s face. Remus was just about to disarm Snape when there came a very loud, bellowing voice, “EXPELLIARMUS!” and both Severus’s and Remus’s wands went flying from their fists into the air… and into the outstretched hand of Alastor Moody, who had just come running up the path to the castle, magic eye swivelling about, taking in the scene even as his natural eye glowered... “WHAT IN HELL IS GOING ON HERE?”

Remus could barely breathe, his chest was heaving so hard.

“Well Alastor, I should think it quite obvious that we’ve just interrupted a little duel,” A woman’s voice cut the air and there behind the auror Moody came the Eurgenia Jenkins, the Minister for Magic, clad in a smart grey skirt suit with pearls about her neck and a stern expression on her face. “Like animals, on the steps of the school!” She looked at Moody with a sour expression. “And you still believe that Dumbledore remains competent enough to run this school? With fifteen dead and a dozen more missing from Hogsmeade, his students turning against each other on the grounds? I must insist that I have made the right choice in coming here today, Mr. Moody.”

Moody said, his voice a grumble of disapproval, “I’m sure Albus has no idea this is going on, Minister --”

“Exactly,” Eugenia said, cutting Moody off, “He has no idea this is going on. But as Headmaster, he should. Albus Dumbledore is not properly doing his job, which is precisely why we are here to relieve him of it. Now --” and she stepped up and took hold of Severus Snape’s robes by the shoulder - another two steps and grabbed onto Remus. “You. You are none other than Sirius Black, if I’m not mistaken? Son of Orion and Walburga Black? You get up to your feet, boy. Now we are all going to the headmaster’s office and we’ll be getting to the bottom of all of this there.”

Remus thought he might throw up as she angrily pulled he and Snape along and Moody more gently ushered Sirius and Lily behind.

It felt like a hundred miles from the front steps of the school to the office of the headmaster. Dumbledore stood before the gargoyles, the passage to his office opened wide already, his hands clasped before him and, despite the worried expression in his eyes, his tone was chipper, “Good evening, Miss. Jenkins… Mr. Moody… Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Snape… Miss. Evans… Welcome.”

He waved for them to step into the dark, curling staircase and they rode the moving stairs all the way up to Dumbledore’s office. Remus could barely breathe as the door opened of it’s own accord and the troop of them stepped through into the wide office. Fawkes was gone, and the portraits that covered the walls peered on with a sort of fearful attention.

Dumbledore smiled as he followed them all in and he walked calmly ‘round to the front of his desk, setting himself down in his chair. He looked from one to the next. “I am very sorry, Madam Minister, but you’ll have to understand that I am a bit pressed for time and shall therefore be needing to keep this particular meeting a bit short. You understand, of course, with everything going on…”

“Everything going on is precisely what we are here to discuss with you,” Eugenia Jenkins responded. “Albus, things have gone too far about here and it’s time for the Ministry to step in.”

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. “To… step in?” he asked.

“Yes,” Eugenia replied shortly, “As of now, Mr. Dumbledore, I am afraid that I must formally request your resignation as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

“BLOODY HELL NO!” Sirius burst, “YOU CAN’T TAKE DUMBLEDORE AWAY, ARE YOU MAD?”

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Sirius - save for Moody’s magical eye, which turned with amusement to look at Eugenia Jenkins’ response.

“Mr. Black, you will check your tone. And your vocabulary,” she said cooly.

“And you’ll check your brains, to be sure they aren’t addled! Taking Dumbledore out of this school -- when the Death Eaters have been as close as Hogsmeade! That’s mental!” Sirius retorted.

“Sirius,” said Dumbledore lowly, “While I appreciate the sentiment, I must ask that you stand down.”

Sirius looked quite annoyed and glared at the Minister with a loathing sort of stare.

Remus couldn’t believe the gumption of his boyfriend. Yelling curse words at the Minister for Magic like that! Bloody hell!

“You have proven yourself incompetent, unable to serve as Headmaster in an effective manner, and I will be placing one of my staff members on in your place until things have been resolved and I can select a more suitable, permanent solution,” the Minister continued. “Now, are you going to resign, Albus, or am I to have to sack you?”