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I’m Watching You Potter


EDUCATIONAL DECREE NUMBER SIXTEEN
In the event that the Headmaster of Hogwarts is deemed
unfit to hold his post by the Minister for Magic, the position
shall be terminated and heretofore held by the Minister until
a new headmaster shall be selected by the Educational
board, or else a temporary interim headmaster shall be
assigned by the minister. The acting headmaster shall be
given full power of headmaster proper until such time as
the board chooses an appropriate replacement.





The decree was posted on the noticeboard in the common room the next day, along with the announcement that the acting headmaster was to be none other than the auror, Alastor Moody, as appointed by Eugenia Jenkins, the Minister for Magic. There was also a notice reminding students of the drugs and alcohol policy, the list of forbidden items from Mr. Filch’s Office, and the terms of not going into the Forbidden Forest.

Remus looked absolutely petrified, “What am I going to do? The full moon is only two weeks away…”

“We’ll figure something out,” said James.

Peter shivered.

The boys went downstairs to their breakfast, though Remus didn’t eat but two bites as he stared at the empty seat where Sirius ought to have been, and when Frank Longbottom came downstairs with Andy Woodhouse and Ali Prewitt, he asked, “Where’s Sirius?” and Remus got up and left the Great Hall. Frank looked confused, “I - is it something I’m doing? That’s twice now I’ve said something to you lot and one of you has gotten up and run off in as many days.”

“Sirius’s been… expelled,” James murmured. It was largely due to the notices in the common rooms that nobody had noticed Sirius missing before Frank had done. Sirius, with his carrying voice, was very hard to miss, but everyone had been quite concerned with the appointment of a new acting headmaster that none of the others along the table had noticed the absence of his loud guffaws and inappropriate shouting.

Several heads turned to look at James as he said it. Frank’s jaw dropped and Ali gasped. Lily’s face was scarlet. She was staring down very, very hard to the table top - one of the only ones who’d witnessed it. She put down her silverware and got up to leave the room too… only to bump into Severus Snape in the doorway. “Lily - are you alright?” Severus asked, noticing the flush to her face and catching her so she couldn’t go.

“Yeah, I’m just upset about what’s happened.”

“About the murderer?” Severus sneered. “You’re upset because he got expelled? Got off easy, didn’t he? They should’ve sent him clear to Azkaban.”

“He didn’t mean to do it, you heard what Remus said, he was imperiused,” Lily said lowly.

“Lily… he hates me… he’s always hated me… he’s always hated my mum. You know he once mocked her - and me - when my mother went to beg for help from his mother? They were sisters, you know. Half sisters, but sisters nonetheless. And we were starving that winter… you remember the year. The year the snow killed the vegetables… You brought us cans of soup from your mother’s pantry.”

Lily felt her cheeks go hot. She’d forgotten that year. He’d never told her he was hungry, but she could see it in his face, the way his cheeks were sallow and his eyes had lost the shine to them. She’d snuck the cans out of her mum’s pantry and carried them to the pond and, without saying a word, she’d just given them to him.

“My mum was one of the proudest people I ever knew, despite everything that happened,” Severus whispered, “And she humbled herself - broke her pride enough to go and to ask for help… desperate… because we were going to starve without the help… and my Aunt Walburga and her nasty sons mocked us. Lily -- THAT is the real Sirius Black. THAT is the Sirius Black that murdered my mother just as his mother blasted her from their family tapestry. You keep accusing me of going too deep into darkness, but perhaps you should have had a look at Sirius Black.”

Lily had tears in her eyes.

“Pugnus!”

Suddenly Snape was doubled over, clutching his stomach as though he’d been punched there and he looked up to see where the spell had come from - it was James, a couple feet away.

Lily turned on him, “Haven’t you learned your lesson? Your best friend expelled!”

James said, “Yeah - on account of Snivellus Snape.”

“You haven’t any idea what you’re talking about,” Lily said hotly, “Sirius was expelled for drug use and Snape was only upset because --”

“Pugnus!” James interrupted her as Snape tried to draw his wand, and instead he doubled over again, “Expelliarmus!” James added and Snape’s wand flew into his fist and he pushed by Lily, sick of the excuses she always made for Snape and he walked right up to Severus, who was leaned against the wall, clutching onto his robes with his fists to hold him from moving away. “I’ll make your life a living hell, Snape, just as you’ve done to Sirius.”

Severus looked up at James with malicious intent… his eyes sweeping the faces that were turned to look at them, at the people who had paused to see what was going on… “Mighty defensive, aren’t you, Potter? Here, I thought it was Lupin that was dating Sirius Black.”

“You bastard,” whispered James as the words echoed in various voices all around.

Severus, who was shorter than James, stared up into his face, “Oh I know loads of secrets about you lot,” he lied, reading the fear in James’s face, inducing the panic, hoping to make him think things that might create a good list for Severus to work from… and James’s simple little mind did exactly that and so Severus said, “Yeah, James, I know all about you lot… all about… about the deer… and the… dogs… about the… the place you all go to.” Really, he was just saying what felt like nonsense, naming the random images that appeared in James’s mind. He had no idea how they fit together.

But he’d sure as hell be finding out, that was for sure.

James looked utterly petrified. “How?” he hissed.

Severus stared at him. “I have my ways. So I recommend you bloody check yourself and -- get your hands off of my robes.”

James released Severus and Severus smoothed his robes, glaring into James’s eyes.

“I’m watching you, Potter,” Severus reminded him, even as James left quickly - dodging off into the entrance hall, followed by a pale-faced, twitchy Peter Pettigrew.

Lily’s mouth was a straight line of disapproval. She looked at Severus. All around them, people were spreading the rumor like wildfire -- Sirius Black and Remus Lupin… gay… a couple… Sirius Black, expelled…

“Don’t look at me like that, Lil,” Severus said, “You saw how violently he just acted. He used the pugnus on me twice -- and grabbing onto me like that? I had to do something.”

She shook her head. “And what was all that teasing him about with your legilimency? About the dog and the place they go. Just leave it be. Stop pressing his buttons and he’ll stop pressing yours.”

“It’s lovely you think so,” Severus said, “And I don’t know what the dogs and all that was about; he has a horribly simple mind, I couldn’t tell what it was he was panicking over.”

“Well it wasn’t very nice.”

“Neither was murdering my mum,” Severus hissed under his breath, and he turned back out the door, deciding he wasn’t hungry anyway.




Sirius woke to find himself lying on the floor in his bedroom, his nose coated with caked, dried blood, his head still aching from the cruciatus... He’d crawled there from downstairs, where he’d been greeted by Walburga when Kreacher had brought him back to Number 12. Words echoed about his mind -- already a disappointment, already an embarassment - gone and expelled, too now… snapped wand and all!

It was true. The acting headmaster, Moody, had taken Sirius’s wand for the snapping. He’d shoved it into the drawer of the headmaster’s desk. Sirius could think of nothing more dangerous than being stuck there at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, as defenseless as a muggle without his wand...

He closed his eyes again, not enough energy built up to move yet, he simply laid there and breathed.

Well he’d deserved it, hadn’t he? He thought to himself, Severus had sort of gotten what he wanted in the end. He might not’ve inflicted physical damage to Sirius, but he’d certainly broken him - causing the events that had led up to the expulsion. Sirius thought to himself that this place, Number 12, was worse than Azkaban anyway, his parents just as horrible as the dementors…and maybe it wasn’t the dementor’s kiss, but he’d certainly end up dying here, whether from depression of being there, or starvation from being locked into the room, or else Orion Black would finally get to aim the killing curse to the heart of his son.

Sirius wasn’t sure he cared.

But Moony will care, he thought. And Prongs and Wormtail, too.

Sirius wondered whether he’d ever see them again.

He tried moving but his muscles were still so tense from the cruciatus curse that he only barely could.

Suddenly, Kreacher appeared with a crack and Sirius opened his eyes part way to look at the elf. He shuffled over, “Master has sent Kreacher with food.” The elf put down a little tray he was holding with a couple small sandwiches and a bottle of pumpkin juice on it. And then Kreacher was gone again.

Sirius stared at the tray.

Well Orion didn’t plan to let him starve, at least. So it would be the killing curse for him, eventually… He licked his lips, his mouth torturously dry, and took all of the energy he had in him to pull himself to the tray, to take up the pumpkin juice, and drink desperately.




Kreacher appeared back in the second year dormitory. “Kreacher has delivered the food to Master’s brother, Master Regulus, as you have asked for Kreacher to do.”

Regulus nodded, “And you did not tell him it was me?”

“No, Master Regulus, Kreacher did not tell him.”

“Very good.” Regulus patted the little elf’s ears, “Thank you, Kreacher. You may go.”

“Yes, Master Regulus,” and with a click - Kreacher was gone.