Drabble – Challenge: 100 Prompts by xXKissingSinXx
Prompt 1: Haunted

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim any kind of ownership on the original material, referenced in this work. I do not expect, nor will accept any payment or compensation for this work, as it is being done in the nature of fanfiction. Anything you recognize is bound to be Rowling's work or coincidence with fanfiction someone else wrote. I have, to my knowledge, not borrowed/'stolen' plotlines or characters from other fanfic authors. If I borrow something, I will place a note somewhere - either in the disclaimer or in an Author's Note. This drabble was prompted by one of xXKissingSinXx's 100 prompts.

Rated T for language. Might be a K, not sure, but rather safe than sorry.

The Shrieking Shack

It was about two hours before moon-rise. Full moon. Now, normally that wouldn't matter much, maybe nice for a romantic date, but when one of your best friends is a werewolf, things are bound to be different.

And so it was that our favourite pranksters found themselves preparing to go to the Shrieking Shack to help their friend with his 'furry little problem'. They were swiftly readying themselves for the full moon… or at least, that's what they were supposed to do.

"But... but they say it's haunted! The most haunted building of Great-Britain," Peter whined.

"Morgana's tits, Wormtail! We've been there dozens of times and never saw a ghost, did we?" Sirius growled. "Remember, it's Moony that caused those rumors."

"Oh, yes, right…" Wormtail whimpered. "Sorry."

Sirius shrugged. "Shouldn't have let you 'test' that potion, I guess. So let's get ready to get to the Shrieking Shack."

"But it's haunted!"

"WORMTAIL!" Sirius growled. "Morgana's tits, Prongs, remind me not to test any potions on dear Peter just before the full moon ever again, will you?"

'Especially not the liquid form of Confundus,' James thought darkly. 'Or a paranoia-inciting draught.'

"Yes, Padfoot," James sighed. "I like this as much as you do." 'Which means not at all.'

With a struggling Peter in tow, James and Sirius made their way across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow.

"Big tree," Peter remarked as his gaze fell upon it. "Ass-kicking tree. You get it? Ass kicking tree."

"Merlin's beard, Padfoot, refrain from feeding him potions in the future, will you?"

"Po…tions?" 'Wormtail' sounded the word out as if he had never heard it before, as if he was a small kid trying to understand what the grown-ups were talking about.

"Yes, Wormtail, potions."

Peter looked around fearfully. "A worm's tail? Where?"

James rolled his eyes as Sirius shook his head. "Nowhere, Peter, nowhere. Now, Padfoot, open the entrance, will you?"

'Padfoot' morphed into his dog-form and ran towards the huge willow, carefully avoiding the branches trying to hit him to press on just the right spot, then turned back to his human shape.

"Good job, Padfoot, now help me with getting Wormtail in."

Together they shoved a still struggling Wormtail down the opening. Moments later Sirius jumped in, then James, barely avoiding a branch of the Willow that had once again become active. Because Peter was confused, he had not moved out of the way, so Sirius crashed into him the moment he landed, then James fell on top of the two Marauders.

"You fine, Sirius?"

"Yeah," Sirius grunted from below James. "But please get of me, Prongs."

With some problems, the three managed to get untangled, but when he tried to get Peter back up on his feet, James swore loudly.

"Damn. Great, just great! How you do it, I have no idea. By Morgana's tits, Padfoot, you managed to knock Wormy out like a light."

"Enervate," was Sirius' only response. Slowly, Peter woke up. "Wha? What happened?" He struggled to get away from his fellow Marauders. "Who.. who are you?"

Sirius exploded in a long string of curses as James cast a Tempus. "Padfoot, we have a problem. Moonrise in less than half an hour. For Merlin's sake, Pad', please…"

"I knooow," Sirius whined. "Don't feed Wormy over there potions near the full moon, or play any pranks on him or make him test them, I knooow."

"Told you this a few times before, but you never learn, do you?"

In the mean time, Wormtail was acting like his Animagus form while still in human shape. He was backing away from the two boys, sniffling the corners of the entrance and squeaking softly.

Remus, who had been waiting for his friends for a while now, heard the sounds coming from the entrance of the secret passage to the Shrieking Shack.

"Guys, you there?" He called out.

"Yeah, Moony, but we have a little problem over here. Help us drag Wormy in?"

A few moments later, Remus appeared in the passage. "What's the pro…" he started to say when he saw Wormtail's behaviour. "Padfoot again?"

James sighed. "How do you guess so?"

"Hey!"

"What, it's true, Padfoot, and you know it!"

"Boys..." Remus said, sounding surprisingly much like their strict Transfiguration professor. "You're acting like a married couple."

James and Sirius hadn't heard it, or acted as if they didn't, and indeed kept squabbling. In the mean time, Peter was shuffling around nervously and jumping up at every sound.

Remus froze as he felt his body readying itself for the change.

"Boys! CHANGE. NOW!"

The two looked up in time to see Remus starting to change into a werewolf. "Fuck."

Immediately, the two changed into their animagus forms, while Peter was trying to become one with the wall, apparently forgotten that he too could change.

Even in their forms, dog and stag, the two realized they had to distract Moony from Peter, or they might well lose two of their friends this night, one to prison, the other to the cold ground.

The two immediately lured the werewolf away from the shack towards the forest, where they started to play a game of tag in the moonlight, leaving Peter alone in the passage between Whomping Willow and Shrieking Shack.

Several hours later, three tired boys made their way back into the Shrieking Shack to find out that Peter had fallen asleep. "Hopefully he will be back to normal tomorrow," Remus remarked softly.

"I think so, one dose is supposed to last six hours. Just not sure if the two potions combined will make it last longer. Don't think so, though."

A few minutes later, the boys made their way back to the castle, James and Sirius helping Remus and Peter. Back in the dorms, after almost being caught by Filch twice, each boy sunk into their bed, too tired to change clothes.

"Well, that was fun."

THE END.