Imogen's POV

I wake up and get changed into my uniform, still half asleep as my fingers fumble with the buttons on the stiff-collared shirt and I loop the tie around my neck. I put on some light makeup and decide against brushing my hair, knowing that it'll only make my hair an uncontrollable fluffy mess, instead leaving it loose in its natural waves. I race to catch up with the girls, slowly trailing after them as they chat about something to do with the marauders and Lily's friend Severus, a boy who I'd only met a handful of times and seemed to be nice enough, though never really acknowledged me. I'm just glad the outrage has dissipated and things can carry on as they were.

I clutch a brand-new blackboard and a fresh piece of chalk in my hand, at least this board is solid and un-burnable, and if one of them irritates me I can crack it over their skulls easily.

My brothers catch up to me and loop their arms through mine, practically dragging me across the flagstones before sitting me down on a worn wooden bench, setting themselves down either side of me so that I have no chance to escape. Their eyes quickly scan the hall for something or someone before they eventually turn to me.

"Right then little bean, what did they" Fabian violently jerks his head in the direction of where Potter and co. sit at the other end of the table, "do to you last night?" 

I shake my head dismissively and grab a slice of warm toast, thickly coating it in freshly made strawberry jam that tastes like literal heaven.

"Fine," he huffs, "don't reply, but we already know what really happened."

Then why ask? I scribble out.

"We wanted to hear it from you." Gideon answers lowly, his eyes still darting around the room in the fear that someone could overhear and report back to the marauders.

"I want to hurt them so much." Fabian growls, his hands clenching into fists as he practically starts shaking with anger. "What did they do to your old blackboard and your book? Which book was it?"

I sigh and shake my head yet again, taking a bite out of my toast and refusing to make eye contact with the two of them. I know that as soon as I crack and tell them the truth, the fury that will be unleashed will be unparalleled and deadly.

"Tell us Imogen." They say sternly, Fabian's hand wrapping around my forearm and almost making me wince with the strength of his anger.

Just drop it, it doesn't matter anymore, what's done is done and you can't change anything, so what's the point?

My answer causes them both to let out near identical sighs of indignation at my elusiveness. I just try to ignore them and instead continue to eat my toast, pouring myself a glass of orange juice as they continuously start to poke and prod me in an attempt to irritate me into revealing the truth. Alice casts a pitying glance over at me along with a gesture I can only interpret as 'tell them', and that paired with the knowledge that I know that they're not going to leave the topic alone until I tell them what they want, I give it.

It was Alice in wonderland. I finally relent.

Their eyes widen and get a dark, steely look that has me regretting ever obtaining a new chalkboard or listening to my friends advice.

"The one great grandpa gave you?"

I nod weakly and pick at the crumbs left from my toast on the bright, white, china plate, my head bowed low as I try to block out the noise of their muttering. Next thing I know their comforting, yet slightly oppressive, presence either side of me vanishes and a sudden flurry of noise and motion causes me to jump up and look down at where they stand, leaning over Potter and Lupin who scramble to get up from their positions on the floor.

"Why do you insist on hurting her! What the hell has she ever done to you?!" One of them yells at Potter, fingers curling into the soft wool of the cocky, dark haired boy's jumper as he yanks him up.

My heart momentarily clenches as I look down at Lupin, who looks up at me with wide eyes full of fear and remorse as my brothers start to shake them by their shoulders. I know that Lupin didn't actually do anything to me, it's mainly Black and Potter who like the thrill of the torment. A fist flies through the air and lands on Potter's jaw, knocking the glasses off his face and making blood trickle from his lip. Before they can do anything else I grab both their collars and attempt to pull them back, terrified of what more could happen and embarrassed asI look around to see everyone silent and staring at us.

The small crowd that had gathered around us slowly begins to part as Mcgonagall pushes her way past students that seem to hold far too much enjoyment at the violence between them. She starts barking at everyone to go back to their own breakfasts or start getting ready to leave for lessons. Her stern gaze quickly switches from everyone else to the five of us as the two boys scramble to stand up.

"I expect all five of you to report to the headmasters office immediately." She snaps. "All of you, students in my house, behaving like hooligans, it will not do."

Her Scottish accent thickens considerably as she berates us with a fierce disappointment. I try my hardest to look apologetic as I grab ahold of the twins wrists and practically drag them away to the office with me, once again trying to tune out their furious muttering. The other two follow after me, also exchanging heated whispers between the two of them that I can't quite hear, whispers that only intensify as both Sirius and Peter race to catch up with them.

Everyone falls silent as we reach the huge stone statue that guards the staircase up to Dumbledore's office, waiting for someone to dare speak up first. We don't have to wait for long however as Sirius breaks the silence, casually asking if anyone knows what the password is. Honestly I'm quite shocked that none of them know it, the amount of times they've gotten in trouble and been sent off for a scolding.

I just shrug my thoughts aside and quickly write out jelly beans, watching as the gargoyle moves to the side and reveals a spiral staircase that I start to scamper up, wanting for this whole ordeal to be over and done with already.

As I climb I think about the strange fascination Dumbledore has always had with muggle sweets, leading him to usually use them as a password to his office. So often when I have to go and visit him he'll just present me with some new sugary sustenance that has my mouth watering and my pen quickly scratching out a letter to my mother, instructing her to buy this new type of food from the muggle world.

"How'd you get it? How do you know the password?" One of them, I think it was Sirius but I'm not entirely sure, asks me.

I don't acknowledge him and instead continue up to his office, my school shoes thudding against the stone steps as I go. I carefully knock on the ornate wooden door and wait until he says to enter, bashfully smiling as he looks over his glasses at us from his perch behind his huge oak desk.

"Ah, the second morning and you've already succeeded of being sent here." A wry smile crosses his lips and I can't help but think that nothing we ever do will surprise him. "You're all Gryffindors but clearly the loyalty one would expect between members of the same house does not apply. Which leads me to ask what exactly is the problem?"

"They burnt her favourite book. Our great grandfather gave her that book, it was one of the few things he gave her and her favourite thing."

Gideon's words tumble out in one long furious rush that almost has him gasping for air afterwards as though he had just played an hour of quidditch. Dumbledore casts me a quick glance as the truth is revealed, but my eyes are quickly cast down to the floor as I pray to all things magical that I will not get any more involved than I already am - a feat that seems highly unlikely.

"And who actually burnt it?" He asks sternly, switching his gaze from the three of us to look at the four assembled boys.

No one has the guts to come forward and claim responsibility, though it's pretty obvious by the looks that they all send in James' direction

"One way or another we're going to find out, so please speak up now." He warns them.

Eventually Potter coughs and takes a tentative step forwards, even he holds some fear in the actions and power of the ageing headmaster.

"It was me." He bows his head in some sign of defeat, or maybe submission, not daring to meet Dumbledores soul-searching gaze.

"And the blackboard?"

"That was me." Black confesses.

"And the two of you?" He looks at Lupin and Pettigrew, the former biting his lip anxiously, the latter nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot as his eyes dart around the room.

"We didn't do anything, we just watched." Lupin says, sadness and shame lingering in his tone.

Watching is just as bad as bullying though, it's like you don't actually care whether this person gets hurt or not. You're helping the people to hurt someone by just standing by and watching.

"And of course you two were upset they hurt your sister, whom you are understandably very protective of, so you decided to gain some revenge and attack them during breakfast." Dumbledore clarifies as he looks down at the twins who stand either side of me, almost as though they're shielding me from the world around me.

"Yes." Fabian and Gideon nod, not in any way apologetic or ashamed of their actions.

"Somewhat understandable, the older brothers duty for a younger sister." He muses quietly his eyes clouding over slightly with a memory that he has clearly tried so hard to suppress. "Detention for a week, you six. I'd like to speak to Imogen on her own now."

They all slowly trickle out of the room, Fabian taking my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze as he wanders away after Gideon, leaving me alone with Dumbledore.

"So Imogen, how is it all going?"

| E D I T E D|
not very well but whatcha gonna do?