Disclaimer: I own Angela Peters and her alone. Anything else belongs to the one and only J. K. Rowling

Thank you, saiyanwizardgurl, for betaing this for me – again.

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Where are you, where are you? Angela felt cold, despite being inside the castle of Hogwarts, dressed in a warm robe. You are always running around and causing as much havoc as possible, but when I need you, you're nowhere to be seen. She shivered and tried to convince herself that it was because of the November climate, but she knew it was not. She had Severus Snape of Slytherin to thank for the cold shivers going down her spine. Talking about the possibility of the Marauders being expelled was something he always did, but why had he looked so confident now? The day of the full moon. Has he suspected something? No, that's impossible.

"Please," she told the fat woman in a pink dress, "please, let me in. Just for a minute."

"Not without the password, my dear," the Fat Lady answered. "You know I can't let you enter without a password."

"You're right, I don't know it, but you've let me in many times – "

"Yes, when Remus Lupin was accompanying you. He knew the password." The Fat Lady sounded irritated.

Angela looked at her Muggle watch and realized that there were only fifteen minutes left until moonrise. Maybe they are already on their way to the Shack. I should go there too. She decided to wait for a few more minutes, just in case they were still in their dormitory. Please, come out. Black, Potter, Pettigrew – someone!

"Angela? What are you doing in front of Gryffindor Tower?"

She turned around to look at the obviously surprised Lily Evans. "Hello, Lily. Look, can you help me?"

Lily seemed even more surprised. The girls had talked a few times during the classes they had together, but they knew, in fact, nothing about each other. "Sure."

"Could you go and check on Potter, Black, and Pettigrew for me? And if you find them, tell them I have to talk to them."

Lily looked intrigued. "Really? I thought you disliked them. I mean, I know that you and Remus get along fine, but Potter and Black – "

"Please, Lily, it's urgent." Angela knew that she had sounded rude, but she really felt like it was urgent. "Find them."

"Peter left today. I think he had to go home. Family problems – never mind that." Lily's voice was slightly offended. "Come in, if it's that urgent." She turned to the Fat Lady and told her the password that Angela did not quite hear.

Once she found herself the Gryffindor Tower, she looked helplessly at Lily. She had not realized until now that she had no idea where the boys' dormitories were. When she came here with Remus, they always stayed in the common room.

Lily silently waved at the stairs and Angela nodded with gratitude, starting towards them. "Potter, Black!" she sighed with relief when she spotted them.

"Your Highness," James answered. "You've come to pick us, right? Afraid that we are going to forget the road to the Willow, Peters, huh?"

"No. Listen, Potter, I think we have a problem."

He smirked. "The only problem we have is figuring out how to press the knot without Peter's help, but I don't think it will be too difficult."

"Stop playing around, Potter!" she snapped angrily. "I'm telling you, we have a real problem!"

"Okay, let's hear this little problem that seems to be troubling your poor petite head."

She chose to ignore the comment and James' mocking tone. "It's Snape. Right now, he's in the Great Hall boasting about getting Remus expelled."

"So, what's new?" James asked, bored. "Of course he is boasting about that, Peters. He always does!"

Angela shook her head. "It's different this time."

"How is it different?"

"I don't know, but it is, Potter!"

"And you've come into our dormitory just to tell me that? Peters, we must go to the Shrieking Shack right now. In fact, we should have left – " He looked at her watch " – five minutes ago."

"Maybe we shouldn't go there tonight," she said hesitantly. "I'm telling you that Snape is up to something. His voice – I don't know, but I think that we're really in trouble, or at least Remus is."

Suddenly James did not look so calm anymore. Maybe he was starting to believe her. "Do you think he has found out about Moony?"

"I don't know, but something in my head keeps telling me that he's too confident. Potter, something bad is going to happen, and we have to find out what it is."

"Nothing bad," Sirius said cheerfully. "In fact, all our problems will be solved tonight."

Both James and Angela looked at him to find him examining the Marauder's Map. "What makes you say that, Padfoot?" James asked with a frown.

"He's going there, he's going to meet Moony," Sirius said excitedly. "I told him how to get past the Willow, and he's on his way right now. Look!"

"Snape?" Angela asked, aghast.

"Stop taking life so seriously, Peters!" James laughed. "Merlin, if only you could see your face! Nice one, Padfoot. Now, stop joking and tell us what's really going on."

"I've already told you, he'll get the scare of his life tonight. Look!" James went to him and Sirius showed him the dot labeled "S. Snape" that was approaching the Whomping Willow.

"What?" Angela asked, but James did not answer her. He was staring at the map with growing disbelief, and his face suddenly turned ashen. "Potter, what's going on?"

"It's true," was all he managed to articulate. It was a while before he regained his ability to speak. "You really did it?"

"Yes."

"You really told him?'

"Yes."

"You really sent him to where Remus is transforming right now?"

"Yes," Sirius repeated for the third time, sounding very surprised. "What's the matter?"

James and Angela looked at each other, horrified, and then he rushed past her, heading straight for the door.

"What are you doing?" Sirius shouted.

"Stopping him." James shouted. "Take care of that idiot in here!" he added in Angela's direction and bolted out of the room.

Angela felt her feet suddenly weaken, and she sat on the nearest bed – right now, she did not care to which boy it belonged. Had Black really done it? Or were he and Potter trying to play a joke on her and give her the scare of her life? If that was the case, they were doing a really good job. She listened carefully, trying to hear all the noises coming from outside. Was that a howl? She caught her breath.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," Black said. "I didn't know that you and James cared for Snivellus that much. He will be a little shaken, I suppose, and he rightfully deserves it after all his sneaking about."

She could not quite believe her ears. "Rightfully deserves it?" she screamed. "A little shaken? Are you mad, Black? Most probably, he will be eaten alive! Shred into tiny pieces!"

Sirius shrugged. "He won't go in there. He's too cowardly."

"You'd better be right, Black. Did you stop for a moment to think about what would happen if he does go in there?"

"He'll get scared. Scared enough to leave us all alone and not stick his large nose into things that aren't his business."

"Scared?" Angela repeated. "He'll be killed, Black! And Remus will be the one who kills him. Did you think of that?"

Sirius had gone slightly pale. "Not Remus. The wolf. But that won't happen."

"I don't believe you! No, I really, truly can't believe you! What do you think Remus will do tomorrow if he wakes up to find that he has accidentally killed Snape or turned him into a werewolf? Or Potter, for that matter?"

Sirius was shaking now, but somehow he managed to say, "He'll never harm Prongs!"

"Right. True. Remus will never harm Potter. But right now Remus isn't Remus anymore, or have you forgotten that little detail?"

For the first time, he found nothing to say, but for some reason, that only infuriated her more. An awful howl from the outside made them both jump. Remus...

"Tell me, Black, do you know what the Ministry does to werewolves that attack humans?" Sirius only shook his head. "Well, that might not be of any interest to us because it may not come to this. If Remus harms Snape or James, he's completely capable of committing suicide!"

"He wouldn't. He won't!" Sirius was trembling now, his dark eyes huge in his bloodless face.

"Then you'd better hope that we won't have to see that."

At once, Sirius jumped on his feet and made a gesture to hush her. "There is someone out there," he whispered so quietly that she could hardly hear him. "We aren't alone."

He went stealthily to the door and suddenly cracked it open to reveal a pale, shocked face, surrounded by red hair. "Just what we needed," he muttered angrily and dragged her in the room. "Another know-it-all. How much did you hear, Evans?"

"Enough," she said breathlessly. "Is it true? Is Remus – ?"

Sirius let her go and slumped onto his bed. "You won't repeat that to anyone," he told her sharply. "Anyone."

She sat on one of the two unoccupied beds. "When you came here so worried, Angela, and then Potter bolted out at the speed of lightening, I realized that something was wrong."

"Very wrong," Angela confirmed darkly.

"Do you think that Remus will – ?"

"I don't know," Angela answered dejectedly.

Another howl made all three of them shiver, and Angela realized she could not bear to sit here and listen. She thought that the howl had sounded more furious and helpless than anything she had ever heard coming out of Remus' mouth – or Moony's muzzle. She stood up.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"Someone has to tell Dumbledore."

"I'll come with you."

"I don't think so, Black," she spat. "You did more than enough talking for one evening. But I'm not leaving you here because I don't know what you might do. So – " She pointed her wand at him. "Petrificus Totalus!" Then she quickly did the same to Lily; they both fell on the respective beds. "I'm sorry, Lily, but I'm not sure you won't tell anyone about Remus while I'm gone. I'll come back as soon as possible."

She hurriedly left the room and was surprised when she found herself walking towards the Whomping Willow, instead of Dumbledore's study. She could hear the howling more clearly now – furious and anguished. She began running forward, trying to penetrate the darkness with her gaze. Oh Merlin, let them be fine. Let Potter arrive in time. Let them all be fine. But he left so long ago, he must be there already. Please, Merlin, anyone, please, help us. Make it that Potter has dragged Snape outside without any harm inflicted on them, or Remus. Please, I beg you. Nothing. Everything was still. Deadly still. Even the howling had stopped like it had been cut by a knife. Had Potter been too late? Her heart was thudding in her chest like mad, and she almost fainted with relief when she saw two dark shadows emerging from under the now immobile Willow.

"Potter – Snape!" she gasped when she finally reached them. "Are you – are you fine?"

They were both very pale and for a moment, it seemed like none of them trusted his voice enough to try and actually talk. Finally, Snape spat, "For your deepest regret, yes, I am fine. Your little plan has failed, Potter!"

Potter looked at him, obviously confused. "What do you mean?"

"You and your friend Black were trying to kill me! You wanted to feed me to your friend the monster, am I right, Potter? Was he there?"

So, Snape has found out about Remus. She felt like killing a certain dark-haired someone, and no, it was not Snape. "Remus isn't a monster!" she said sharply. "And no one was trying to kill you, Snape, so try to control yourself." Well, Remus and Potter certainly had not tried to kill him, but she was not so sure about Black. That's not important right now. The howling came again.

"Well, your little plan failed, Potter, but at least I'll rid this school of the werewolf. Everyone will learn what he is this morning, and then he'll be packing his trunk."

"You can't tell anyone!" Potter shouted. "No one was trying to kill you, understand that! Merlin, I risked my own life to get you out of there!"

"And whose fault is that I was there in the first place?" Snape roared back. "Dumbledore will hear about this."

He turned around and headed for the common room doors. James made a movement like he wanted to follow him, but stopped and looked helplessly at Angela who looked him back just as helplessly.

"Are you fine?" she finally asked. "What happened?"

"We are both fine," he answered quietly. "I arrived just in time. If I had come just a minute later – " He shuddered at the thought. "He saw Moony, though."

"I figured that much."

"Do you think he's going to tell everyone?"

"I'm sure that he will try. Dumbledore is the only one who can stop him."

The boy nodded, the moon shining in his face, and for the first time, Angela noticed the blood on his face. "You're wounded!" she exclaimed.

"Nothing serious. He just scratched me once or twice after I hit him with the spell. I've taken worse as Prongs."

"Let me see." Angela was no expert in Healing charms, but she knew enough to make the wounds stop bleeding. After that, they both fell silent, looking at each other for a few minutes. The howling from the Shack was the only sound they could hear.

"What are we going to do now?" Angela asked finally.

"I don't know."

Another silence. Another howl. "I'm going back inside," James said, and she looked at him as if he were mad.

"Why? He's going to rip you apart!"

"I have to. You can hear him. We were both in there, Snape and I. Moony got hold of our scents. He smelled human blood and then the two humans went away. What do you think he's going to do now?"

She gasped in horror, remembering that part of her textbook. "He will go mad," she said slowly. "Madder. He will turn on himself more viciously than ever. He's doing it already!" she realized, listening to the awful howling.

"Right. I have to go there and Stun him; otherwise he might not make it through the night."

She nodded. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

"What? Are you mad? He's dangerous, for Merlin's sake!"

"Yes, to you, because you need your human hands and mouth to perform the spell. As I see it, he might shred you into pieces if you go there alone. I can keep him distracted while you Stun him. Think straight, dear Merlin!"

Again, James nodded. "You have a point there. Okay, let's go."

They entered the tunnel and headed for the Shack without talking. Angela began wondering how Potter could act so calmly – she herself felt nauseous. He's a Gryffindor, remember?

"Aren't you scared, Potter?"

"I'm scared to death," he replied, and she knew that he was telling the truth.

"Once we're out," she whispered, "I'm going to kill Black!"

"No, Peters. I hope you will give that pleasure to me."

They were almost in the Shack already.

"I'll do it now," Angela whispered. "Come on, get your wand ready."

She transformed, and James held his wand tightly, then suddenly knelt down and buried his face in the soft fur of the she-wolf. A little surprised, she responded in a certain canine way by licking his face. "Good luck, Empress," he whispered, standing up and going as far from her as he could without leaving the door out of his wand's reach. "Ready?" She nodded. "Alohomora!" he yelled, and the door opened to reveal a snarling werewolf coming towards them. The she-wolf stood in his way and buried her teeth in his flesh.

The next few minutes passed in a red blur of pain for Angela. All she knew was that she had to keep Moony away from James – a very hard task, because he was already infuriated by the two humans' escape. All he wanted now was the first real meal in his life, and the she-wolf was trying to block his way, so he bit and scratch her with all his might. All she heard was James yelling, "Stupefy!" once, twice, thrice... Werewolves had a strong resistance to spells in their wolf form, so it took forever to feel unlimited in her movements and hear James' voice, "It's okay. It's over. I finally did it."

When she was able to see things clearly again, she found James kneeling in front of the fallen form of their friend, tending to his wounds as best as he could. "Do you know any Healing spells?" he asked, and she shook her furry head. "Let's get out of here, then. He might wake up any minute, but the spell should last at least five hours. Merlin, you look almost as bad as him."

She stood up on her four legs and he helped her leave the Shack. Once they were in the tunnel again, she transformed from a white she-wolf to a dark-haired girl, and let James treat her injuries.

"I can't do anything more," he finally said. "Let's get out of here." She gave a weak nod and they started walking. Near the end of the tunnel, James' legs failed him, and he slumped against the wall. Angela sat next to him on the floor and took his hands in her own.

"This is the worst night in my life," he finally said, his voice trembling. "I've never been so afraid. Twice, I thought that he would get past you and reach me, and I – Oh, Merlin!"

"But you still came," she whispered, turning his face toward hers. "Even after you saw what happened earlier, you still came and helped him. You shouldn't have, do you know that? Nobody would have blamed you if you hadn't returned, James. You had already done more than enough."

"I couldn't just leave him like that," James shrugged. Wait, just when did I become James?

"Of course you couldn't," she smiled faintly. "You are insufferable, do you know that? Insufferable, and annoying, and a show-off."

He smiled back at her just as faintly. "I've heard that before."

"That's because it's true. And you are also brave, and loyal, and I'm so, so sorry for every time I told you otherwise."

He did not say anything, and they held each other tightly for a few minutes, almost dumb with relief that everything was fine and they had all made it out relatively unharmed.

"We have to talk to Dumbledore," James said at last.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Let's get out of here; I don't feel like staying a minute more."

He got to his feet and helped her stand up, then offered his hand. "Hello, I'm James Potter, and I'm the Gryffindor show-off."

She smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Angela Peters, the Ravenclaw know-it-all."

For a long moment they listened to the silence around them. "Do you think he'll be fine?" Angela finally asked.

"I don't know. We did all that we were able to do."

"Yes."

"Let's get out of here. We have a hard day ahead. We'll have to deal with Dumbledore, and Snape, and Remus, and we have a Black to kill."

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A.N. As you should know, that is the infamous Prank. I'm planning to write two more chapters. Please tell me what you think.