Prompt 20 - Transfiguration Classroom
@wolfstarmicrofic September 20, word count 589
Sirius adored Professor McGonagall. She was strict but fair and always had time for him. She knew all about the issues he had at home. When he’d run away, she’d taken him into her office when he first arrived back at the castle, and they sat for hours while Sirius told her everything, every last sordid detail of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. She’d been horrified, of course, and vowed to fight Walburga Black herself if she tried to force him to go back. She’d also used the information to get Regulus out of his mother's clutches. They both lived at the Potters now, though Regulus was still a bit huffy about that. Sirius could see the change in him. Regulus was reverting to the sweet, soft boy Sirius remembered from their childhood. All in all, Minerva McGonagall was Sirius’s hero, though that did not stop him from misbehaving in her class.
They were supposed to be turning Jackalopes into coat racks. Sirius had already managed it twice and was now bored. He started shooting the little pellets his Jackalope was leaving all over the desk at the back of Peter’s head.
“Knock it off, Sirius!” Peter complained as he started the incantation again. Peter hadn’t managed to transfigure much yet, apart from making his Jackalope’s antlers too big for it to lift. Sirius did not do as Peter said and continued to fire the hard little pellets at Peter’s back. He missed a few, accidentally striking Remus with them. He gulped; he was in for it now.
Remus’s back straightened, and he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. Sirius slunk down into his seat. He didn’t even see it coming. Remus hit him with the jinx silently, leaving Sirius to anxiously wait for whatever it was Remus was about to do to him.
“You seem to be doing very little, Mr Black. Care to show me how far you have got?” McGonagall had snuck up on him. Sirius jumped in his seat and quickly nodded to her. He stood up, pulling his sleeves up and raised his wand. He cleared his throat and squawked like a chicken. The entire transfiguration classroom went silent, all turning to stare at him.
He cleared his throat again and attempted the spell a second time. He made a sound like a trumpeting elephant. Sirius clamped his mouth shut in horror.
“Mr Black,” McGonagall sighed in exasperation. He tried to explain himself, but all that came out was a cacophony of animal noises, some he’d never even heard before.
“Detention, Mr Black.” She said with disappointment before moving to Remus and Peter’s table to observe them.
Once she was gone, Remus turned around, smirking at him. Sirius scowled at him, being careful to keep his mouth shut.
“It could have been worse, Sirius. I was going to make you eat literal shit.”
Sirius couldn’t wait for the bell to ring. He’d already decided to give up the day for a loss and go back up to the dorm room and wait for Remus to release him. He did have to appreciate it for the genius prank it was. He’d find a way to get Remus back. He’d landed him with a detention after all.
Sirius hummed to himself, the only way he could make a human-sounding noise, as he scrubbed frogspawn soap all over the inside of every single one of Remus’s knitted jumpers. He’d have to hide in the shack for a week after this. Totally worth it.
