The Marauders – Journey to Animagi
Part One – Chapter One
As the vast wilderness breezed by in streaks of green and brown, the sun slowly began to slip away; setting the sky on fire in vibrant orange and pink hues. The train's steady heartbeat on the rigid rails was the only sound outside for miles, other than that of the few animals living in the Scottish countryside.
"We're just about there then," a young boy with freshly tousled hair peered out the window at the impending sunset peeking through a cloud laden sky. "Best wake up." The boy continued, throwing a bubblegum pink Bertie Bott's every flavour bean at the dark-haired boy across from him in the spacious candle-lit compartment. The dark-haired boy was slumped over in the soft red seat, snoring very softly and twitching only slightly as the pink projectile hit him in the arm. His Gryffindor robe was folded haphazardly on his lap, and multiple magazines including the newest issue of "Wizard Enquirer" was strewn about the springy cloth seats. The small pink bean missed its target. It instead bumped the hand of a third boy who until that moment, had been extremely absorbed in a particularly old looking copy of "Advanced Transformations and Transfigurations" by a Whittleby Hornthrop. The author's photograph smiled and waved slowly on the faded back cover of the book.
"James, you'll be in for it when he finally does wake," the pale boy whispered, meticulously laying a glossy red ribbon inside the books creased pages as he flicked the bean off his robes. "Just let him be," he glanced at James briefly to glower at him, then to the dark-haired boy next to him. "Oh dear," Remus tried to hide a smile as he attempted to count the many small specks of color that had landed on his friend, "One, three, ten beans?" Remus shook his head gently, unsuccessfully hiding a large grin. He carefully opened the book, placing the red ribbon beside him on the seat and resuming his studious reading. Out the large double paned compartment window the orange and pink sky was giving way to light purples and reds through the cloudy tree-trimmed horizon. James smirked and picked up yet another colorful bean out of the brightly red and white striped box.
A fourth boy cowered in the corner of the compartment near the large window, with wild eyes, giggling softly as he watched James throw a neon green bean directly at the large book. It bounced off the page and ricocheted onto Remus's chest, as his once pale face became a dim shade of salmon. "James," Remus quietly hissed, "stop it already." He picked the bean off the book in his lap and launched it back with a rapid flick of his wrist. "Well Remus," the boy laughed warmly as it hit him in the chest, "I guess I'll be the one to discover if it is grass or bogie flavored." James grinned, raising an eyebrow mischievously, and with one swift toss, he popped the small green object into his mouth.
"Well then, what's the verdict?" Remus's face returned to it's natural pale slate and he managed a small smile as he continued to peruse a chapter on turning oneself into an armchair. James grinned, "Green apple, I should have known, much too brightly colored to be bogie." Remus looked up to briefly smile at his friend, then looked at the boy in the corner. "Perhaps Peter would like one?" Remus raised his eyebrows at James and turned back into his book, slowly turning several pages, stopping abruptly, and in barely a whisper, said to himself, "Ah yes here it is, Animagi." Remus was quickly engrossed, bringing the book closer to his face, eyes scanning the page excitedly. The photograph of the author , Whittleby Hornthrop had ceased his slow wave and had fallen asleep.
Peter smiled nervously at James and uncurled himself slightly as he moved a fraction of an inch away from the clattering compartment window. James scooped several of the beans out of the container and dropped them into Peter's trembling hand. "Th-th-thank you James. I-I wonder what flavors I will have the m-m-misfortune of tasting." Peter returned to the corner, drawing his legs under his body and holding his Bertie Botts filled hand close to him. In that moment he resembled a squirrel who had just found an abundance of nuts. James smirked, "Anything but vomit or ear wax flavoured is a win Wormtail." Peter's eyes went cold at the nick-name, but he smiled all the same, popping a pale white bean into his mouth.
Without looking up from a stain filled page on "When transforming Goes Wrong," Remus absentmindedly asked, "What is it then?" James laid back on the compartment's springy red seat and pulled a rather worn out golden sphere out of his pants pocket. He began to toss it in the air. "It's c-c-coconut flavored." Peter beamed at Remus and popped another bean, this time white with orange and yellow speckles, into his mouth. Immediately Peter retched loudly, James sat up and began to laugh heartily as he continued to toss the golden sphere. "Not vomit again Wormtail?" Remus sighed and closed his book quickly. He rose hastily to pat a pink faced Peter on the back, whose eyes were watering. Finally, with a swift pat to the back from Remus, out flew the half-chewed vomit jelly bean, plopping onto the already candy filled floor.
Remus rolled his eyes and plopped back into his seat, picking up the book and the ribbon that lay beside him, "Peter, you must stop eating them, every time you get a vomit or ear wax flavoured bean, such bad luck." Remus shook his head at the still giggling James, and opened his book, flipping carefully back to his last page. He curled up cozily on the seat near the compartment doors, careful not to disturb the still sleeping dark-haired boy in the seat beside him. James pocketed the sphere and sat up. He looked out the window again, this time squishing Peter against the compartment seat, "Hmm, just about there then." The once brilliantly bright sky was now streaked with deep purples and reds, the sun's beams barely peeking out of the horizon of the dense Scottish forest. James gingerly dumped out a colorful handful of beans out of the package and handed off the rest of the box to Peter. Upon receiving the box, Peter let out a meek, "Thanks." He then looked wearily down at the box, debating whether or not another taste was worth the risk.
James slumped back in the seat, head resting on the wall beside the compartment door, legs outstretched on the seat, giving Peter just enough space to sit up with his shoulder jammed to the fogged window. James began aiming yet again at the dark-haired boy, whose soft snores were heard intermittently amongst the train's deep rhythm and the occasional crisp page turning. Finally, a hard pelt to the forehead jolted the boy awake. The dark-haired boy twitched and slowly blinked, taking in his surroundings slowly with a loud yawn.
"Well good morning Sirius, it's about time you got up!" James stifled his laughter as two jelly beans rolled toward the floor due to the boy's slow full body stretch. Sirius yawned again and lazily swept another few beans off his lap. Then, with a scowl emerging, picked another out of his unruly black hair. James continued to laugh, pulling the sphere out yet again and letting it flit out of his hand a few inches, silvery wings beating fast as the dented golden orb appeared to hover just above his hand. Sirius's tired eyes turned to James, "Isn't it a bit juvenile to be a fourth year throwing jelly beans on the train again?" Sirius shook his head quickly from side to side, releasing additional beans that had taken root in his black mop of hair. "And really, why do you still have that snitch?" Sirius's scowl began to make way to a smile as the snitch nearly escaped James's reach.
Sirius was laughing now, as James had almost rolled onto the floor to catch the glistening snitch. "How many of those have you wasted?" Sirius asked, looking down at the rainbow of Bertie Botts scattered across the floor. Remus looked up and eyed the floor, "Oh, I'd say he ate maybe 10 total, the rest were wastefully used as ammunition." The mess was quickly remedied by James who whipped out his wand hastily, nearly shouting "Scourgify!" The carpet of the train's compartment was promptly made spotless, no evidence of the great bean war remained. James grinned proudly at Sirius and tossed the flitting snitch his way. James and Sirius continued to fool around with the small shiny bauble, with only Peter's reactions to unsavory flavors and the occasional page turn to interrupt the silence until the Hogwarts Express let out three large belts from it's whistle, signaling that the final destination was approaching.
Remus continued his immersion in the large book on his lap and flipped to the next page without so much of a blink regarding the disruption caused by the train. James however had lost his concentration, nearly letting the snitch escape out the cracked compartment door. Peter smiled, and then abruptly his eyes became nervous as he quickly arose and began rummaging through a small tattered brown trunk on the shelf above them. "Peter, what on Earth are you-" Sirius began just before getting a licorice wand box tossed at his head, it just barely missed him as Peter rummaged through the trunk. Peter plopped onto the floor with the trunk, now on the floor he began nervously whispering to himself.
Remus finally looked up from a chapter on "First Transformations" to swat away a tatty golden and red striped scarf. He closed his hefty book promptly, being sure to enclose the long red ribbon inside to mark the page. James was still sprawled out on the compartment seat, and simply laughed as items flew out of the trunk and all around the train car. "PE-TER," Sirius exclaimed slowing the name into two distinctive syllables, then stood up nimbly, taking two large strides towards the trunk and its owner. "What are you doing Peter?" Remus asked calmly as he too rose out of his seat, eyeing Sirius calmly. "I-I-I have to f-f-ind my-my robes!" Peter's hand went towards the trunk again, but Sirius blocked him, his eyebrows furrowed, "That's quite enough rummaging."
Sirius pulled out his wand from the pocket in his robes, as Remus glanced worriedly at James, knowing all too well Sirius's temper had been increasingly virile of late. With great flair Sirius declared, "Accio robes!" An old tattered black robe whisked out of the brown trunk and into Sirius's waiting hand. "There you are then." Sirius gave a small half-smile and tossed the ragged robe at Peter. Remus sighed in relief and Sirius strode back to his seat and plopped down, looking rather pleased with his display of magic, he twirled his wand between his fingers. Peter slipped on his shabby school robe and began to quickly gather the mess of things he had tossed onto the floor, dropping several small items as he waddled to his open trunk on the floor. Remus grabbed the quill and ink jar that his friend had dropped and carefully placed them into the trunk with a sympathetic smile towards Peter.
Sirius's eyes gleamed as he looked for his wands next target. Remus, after rising attempting to assist with the still messy trunk, detected the mischief in Sirius's eye. Remus put his book into a pliable black leather bag in the overhead and said, "We're about there then, better get ready," pointing at the wand twirling in Sirius's hand and the various magazines strewn on the seat next to him. James smiled at Sirius and scoffed, "I think there is time for a bit more fun, eh Mooney?" James then began to change the colour of his black wool socks, first a bright Gryffindor red, followed by a red and black striped pattern, and finally "Colovaria," he turned his socks a deep burgundy, chuckling to himself.
Sirius rolled his eyes as James reclined again in the train car, pocketing his wand as the Hogwarts Express let out another three bursts from it's whistle. "W-We're almost back." Peter smiled widely, peering out the window, his nose pressed into the frosted glass. Sirius let out a short sigh and sat up, picking up his magazines with one large scooping motion, and then shoving them into a small beige canvas bag under his seat. He smirked at James and, pointing his wand carefully at James's feet, whispered, "Colovaria." James's socks rapidly turned a vivid green. James's face reddened as he exclaimed, "You git, don't you dare change my socks to the color of those slimy buggers!" James hastily sat up and scowled at his now vibrant green socks.
Remus zipped shut the leather case and sat it next to him on the seat, "You know, Merlin was a Slytherin James. Haven't you learned your lesson yet about judging a book by it's cover?" Remus raised an eyebrow and gestured to himself. Sirius, laughing at James's outburst added, "You know I'm no fan of theirs," Sirius grinned, "but as usual, Mooney is right, they can't all be bad news." James sighed angrily, pushing Peter away from the window, leaving behind a smudge from his nose. James squinted at the window, fussing with his hair, tossing it this way and that, all the time trying to hide a smile as his friends giggled at his outburst.
Remus rolled his eyes and shot Sirius an inviting grin, nodding his head towards James. Sirius let out a deep and dramatic sigh, then practically shouted, "Colovaria," turning James's socks back to their deep burgundy shade. James glanced down briefly from the brawl with his hair, "Thanks' mate." Outside, beyond James's reflection in the compartment window, vast green and brown streaks of the Scottish countryside began to slow, and suddenly the small brick station came into view, tall iron lampposts ablaze. "Finally, we're here." James smiled and quickly tossed his robe back on.
The boys all beamed, quickly rising out of the springy red seats and grabbing their trunks and bags. The four boys hurriedly left their compartment behind, walking briskly out of the train car and into the twilight. The crescent moon shining down dimly on the silhouette of Hogwarts.