A/N: Hello again! Here we are with… *drumroll* PAAAART TWOOOOO! Now, let's have a BEACH PARTY! IN! LONDON! *da na na na na na da na na na na na dun dun ba dum!* Stop stop stop! Pasolitarius Shrinkydinkius!

I tried alligator and crawfish while in New Orleans. They tasted like chicken-I think the Matrix has been acting up again…

Anyway, for story purposes, I decree that house-elves can conjure stuff like wizards and do automatic paint jobs. Probably not possible, but hey, I think it's cool. Whatever. Also, since nobody really knows how the Animagus process works, I'm just making up my own version. EAT IT, LOSERS!

By the way, is anyone else ecstatic that they finally got Chamber of Secrets up on Pottermore?

Anywho, to make up for my ridiculously short chapters at the end of part one, I'll be giving you a super-duper-long chapter this time. I enjoyed writing this! Yay for character development, of a sort! Also, since the kids are starting to get a bit older now, there will be more than three swears throughout this whole story- younger readers have been warned, but then again, that IS why I rated this thing T...

Disclaimer: I own the OCs and the plot, and my demon guinea pigs. I do not own any other characters, Ranger's Apprentice (See if you can spot the references!) or the Potter Puppet Pals, dangit.

Snape. Snape. Severus Snape.

DUMBLEDORE!

Hehe. I'll let you read now.

"CHRISTOPHER!" Liz roared. "Give it back NOW!"

"Make me," her little brother taunted. He waved her copy of Jinxes for the Jinxed tauntingly, just out of her reach. Liz lunged at the tiny blond boy, but he danced away, giggling like an idiot.

Christopher Matthew Auberey. Those three words were the bane of her existence. The two siblings didn't look much alike- Where Liz had inherited her mother's brown hair and slightly tanned complexion, and their father's hazel eyes, Chris got their father's blonde hair, pale skin, and their grandfather's blue eyes. They couldn't have had more different interests, either. Liz enjoyed her books, while Chis had tried his hand at every sport under the sun. She liked to tell him that when he was playing Quidditch for England, she expected prime tickets to every game.

"What's going on in here?" Mr. Auberey asked, a frown on his face.

"Chris stole my book and won't give it back!" Liz snapped.

"Elizabeth was ignoring me!" Chris whined.

"Do I need to send you both to your rooms?" their father asked.

"No, dad," they chorused.

"Christopher, give your sister her book back. Elizabeth, don't yell in the house." Chris reluctantly handed the book back to Liz. As soon as Mr. Auberey left, Chris blew a raspberry at his sister and darted off to wreck havoc elsewhere. Liz sat down huffily on the sofa and cracked her book back open. She already had her homework done, thanks to her mother, although she would have preferred to put it off until the last possible minute.

Liz had been grounded for the pranks at school for nearly three weeks. Her mother had locked her reading books in the attic and refused to let her even go to the library for that whole time. Just for something to do, Liz had turned to her homework. She was that desperate for something to read.

Today was her first day of being ungrounded, and Liz wanted to enjoy it as much as she could, but there was a small problem that kept her from enjoying her book- she had a headache. It wasn't just a little 'oh, my head kind of hurts' headache, noooo, she just had to get a bloody migraine. The shouting really hadn't helped either.

Liz felt horrible. The past five days or so, she'd been feeling ill and irritable for no reason. Her mother had threatened to prolong her punishment if her attitude din't pick up, so Liz ha done her best to keep her temper in check, and so far hadn't been doing too badly, but Chris snatching her book pushed her over the edge.

Liz thought she heard her parents talking in their bedroom and silently shut her book without marking her spot. She padded down the hallway in her socks, kneeling outside the door, which was slightly ajar. She pressed her eye to the crack.

Mrs. Auberey was pacing in her dressing gown. "I don't understand it, Jeff, she's been acting so strangely lately." Liz glowered when she realized they were talking about her, but her curiosity kept her glued in place.

"Well…" Mr. Auberey hesitated. "I'm not presuming to know more about magic than you, but remember when she was bitten by that Lupin boy? Isn't the full moon in two days?"

Mrs. Auberey stopped dead. "But she wasn't bitten on the full moon," she said, her brow furrowed. "So she can't be a full werewolf…"

Liz's eyes widened. Of course! Remus always got headaches and whatnot the week or so before the full moon. But, like her mum said, she shouldn't be a full werewolf, so maybe she was just experiencing the symptoms? Liz felt another flash of pain behind her eyes and grimaced. If this was what Remus had to deal with, it was no wonder he was grouchy before the full moon. She snuck away and lay on the couch, a pillow over her eyes.

This sucked.

"Ban-ban-banish the banshee in your sooooooul! Oooh waaah!" Chris sang off-key. Liz was sorely tempted to smack him.

"SHUT UP!" she roared. She could hear her parents come out of their bedroom.

"No yelling in the house," her mother scolded. She looked at her daughter lying on the couch. "Do you have a headache?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Liz groaned.

"Do you need a potion?"

"…Yes, please."

Remus groaned and put his head in his hands. He felt ill, like he needed to throw up. His mother rubbed his back comfortingly. "Do you need me to get you anything?" she asked.

"No, I just need to take a nap," he muttered.

"All right, sweetie. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay, mum." Remus lay back and closed his eyes. He'd just gotten a letter from James, saying he was now ungrounded and was allowed to have his friends over, and when was the next full moon so Remus could come over too, because he had some very important news to share with them? Remus' mother had sent back a reply saying that as long as Remus was up to it, he could come over in four days.

Remus was looking forward to seeing his friends again, especially Liz. He wondered now how she was doing, if she was feeling the effects of the moon as well. They'd written back and forth a few times, Liz complaining about her three-week book ban, Remus facing his with a certain amount of equanimity. They got into trouble, knowing the consequences, and were now paying the price. Remus had had his books taken away as well, something that James and Sirius found extremely funny. James had been denied going to watch the Tornadoes play the Wimbourne Wasps, which he was extremely upset about, especially after hearing about a game full of nearly sixty different fouls and a score of two-seventy to one-sixty, with the Tornadoes winning by a landslide. Sirius was locked in his room and Peter was just forbidden from going outside the house,and wasn't allowed any dessert either, and both of them thought they'd gotten the worse deal. Remus privately thought he'd rather have Peter's punishment than Sirius'- at least he would have been allowed to visit the house and stretch his legs a bit.

xxx

The full moon that month actually wan't too bad- Remus received only a few scratches on his arms and legs, and that was about it. So it was with a spring in his step that he packed his bag for James' house, where the Marauders would be spending the month of August and would go together to Kings' Cross station on September first. Remus would go home for several days when the August full moon came, then head back over to James' place.

When the day came for him to go, Remus pulled his shabby coat on, then grabbed his bag in one hand and his mother's wrist in the other. She twisted away from him and he felt the uncomfortable suffocation sensation that accompanied apparition, then the next thing he knew, he was standing in front of James' house.

Remus gaped at it. James didn't have a house- he had a manor, large, white and pristine, with a perfectly manicured lawn and beautifully trimmed hedges to look like dragons and unicorns, hippogriffs and manticores, and all sorts of magical creatures. Remus could see several horses grazing in a field, and there was a lake on the edge of a sprawling wood, complete with a dock and several canoes and kayaks bobbing peacefully in the water. Compared to Remus' house, this place was almost as grand as Hogwarts itself. No wonder James had enough space for everyone to have their own rooms.

"Moony!" James yelled, running past a fountain of a centaur and catching him up in a hug. "We've been waiting for ages! Everyone's already here! Sirius bonked his head falling out of the fireplace, he's got this huge lump on his forehead, and Peter keeps trying to steal the brownies, and Ebony fell asleep in the middle of the kitchen- Merlin, what happened to you?"

"Full moon, remember?" Remus yawned. He knew he must look like hell- he had dark circles under his still-yellow eyes and he hadn't bothered to brush his hair in almost a week.

"Oh, right," James said awkwardly. "Well, maybe that's why Liz is so tired- she said she only wanted to tell the story once- but yeah, maybe it was because of that." He grabbed Remus' bag and began hauling it into the house. "I have some really cool news to tell you guys also! Come on!"

"Let me say good-bye first," Remus laughed. Mrs. Lupin hugged him.

"I'll see you in a month," she said into his hair. "I love you, and don't forget to brush your teeth."

"I won't, mum! Love you too," Remus said. Mrs. Lupin stood, twisted on her heel, and with a pop, she was gone.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Remus asked as James led him into a magnificent hallway with gleaming mahogany floors and ugly vases that looked to be very expensive.

James glanced around and lowered his voice. "Later. My bedroom."

"What-"

"Not now," James hissed as they went into a (surprise) pristine kitchen. Sirius was sitting at the counter with a bag of ice on his head. Peter was next to him, a plate of brownies steadily disappearing into his mouth. Liz lay snoring in the middle of the floor, her head pillowed on her arms. Remus winced when he saw her. Her sweatshirt sleeve had gotten pushed up to show the bite mark-his bite mark- had flared ann angry red color. There were dark circles under her eyes to rival his and she hadn't brushed her hair either.

"Are her eyes yellow too?" Remus asked as a house-elf appeared to take his bag.

"Mm-hmm," Peter mumbled through a mouthful of pastry. Remus sighed.

Liz stirred and opened her- yes, they were yellow- eyes. "Oh. Hi Re-Re-Remus," she yawned. She stretched and climbed stiffly to her feet. "When did you get here?"

"About two seconds ago," Remus replied. "Liz, please tell me that you didn't actually… y'know?"

She shook her head. "Later."

It was then that Mrs. Potter, who Sirius had told Remus in one of his letters was actually his great-aunt twice removed or something like that, came into the kitchen. "Hello," she said, smiling fondly at Remus. "You must be Remus? James has told us so much about you."

"I am. It's nice to meet you," Remus said politely, extending his hand. Mrs. Potter hesitated for a moment, then took it, much to Remus' surprise.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "James, why don't you show your friends to their rooms?"

"Sure, mum." James ran to the doorway and waved at them. "Come on, you guys! We don't have all day!"

"Only all month," Sirius muttered, but he set his ice down and followed his friend. The rest of the Marauders hurried after them, Remus and Liz lagging a bit.

They climbed up a flight of sweeping stairs and went down a hallway covered in a plush cream carpet. Remus just couldn't get over how huge it all was. Finally, James stopped outside a door. "This is my room," he said, pushing the door open. The inside was painted a pale blue color- for the Tornadoes, Remus realized. Posters of the aforementioned Quidditch team plastered every available inch of the walls, and a mobile of the players and balls hung over James' bed.

The ceiling was painted to look like a blue sky filled with puffy white clouds- perfect Quidditch conditions. Matching furniture and bookcases were all pushed against one wall, to make more room for the posters. There was a set of French doors in on wall that led onto a terrace that overlooked the Potters' private Quidditch pitch. Looking along the outside wall, Remus could see a line of terraces going to the end of the manor.

"Those will be your guys' rooms," James said. "Since we don't ever use them, mum said you can decorate them however you want."

Remus felt faint. James' bedroom could have easily fit his living room back at home, and the terrace alone was the size of Remus' own bedroom. He picked self-consciously at his frayed jacket sleeves. Sirius seemed to be perfectly at ease in James' huge house, Peter was gaping at everything in awe, and Liz looked excited at the prospect of decorating her own room. Only he was uncomfortable.

James caught his eye and shrugged apologetically.

"So, do we pick out our rooms now, or do we talk first?" Sirius asked.

"Rooms first!" Peter and Liz said enthusiastically.

"Sounds good to me," Remus said quickly when the others looked at him.

Sirius claimed the bedroom next to James'. "How do you decorate it?" he asked, looking at the empty room.

"Oh! Right!" James said. "Lulee!" There was a crack and a house-elf wearing a tea towel dress appeared.

"Yes, Master James?" she asked.

"Sirius here needs his room decorated. Do what he says," James ordered. The elf turned to the boys expectantly.

"I'm Sirius," Sirius said, stepping forward. "All right, here's what I'd like…"

Sirius had the elf paint his room scarlet, with a bright yellow carpet. On the ceiling went an enormous Gryffindor lion chewing up a Slytherin serpent. He got a four-poster bed with crimson hangings, a chest of drawers and a desk to match, and, for some strange reason, posters of muggle motorcycles, of all things.

"Motorbikes?" Remus asked as Lulee conjured the last poster with a snap of her fingers.

Sirius shrugged. "What? They're cool. Plus, it annoys mum." Liz and James snorted.

Liz chose the next room over. Her walls were painted to look like a forest, with a leafy green ceiling covered in ivy. Her bed was up near the ceiling, supported by birch tree poles. The only way to get up was a ladder carved into one of the supports. More ivy grew around the doors and climbed up the furniture, which looked like it had been carved straight from living trees. Her carpet looked like grass had sprouted on the floor.

Remus got the next room. He opted to leave the walls their plain beige color, but got a simple bed with a royal blue quilt and bookcases covering every inch of the walls. Several squashy armchairs cluttered the room, perfect for reading. The carpet was thick and soft, the same blue color as his quilt. He couldn't have been happier with it.

Peter's room became a sunny yellow color, with a set of bunk beds and a sofa, in more shades of yellow. He also got several posters of the Weird Sisters scattered about the room. The carpet was stitched with a giant sun pattern.

"I didn't realize you liked the sun so much," James said after he dismissed Lulee.

Peter shrugged. "I like bright things. They make me feel cheerful."

"So, can I tell you my news now?" James asked, bouncing excitedly on his heels like Sirius often did.

"Yeah, go on," Sirius said. He sat on Peter's new sofa and the others all piled on next to him.

"I figured out how to help Remus with his furry little problem," James said.

There was silence.

Finally, Peter shifted his weight. "James… You do realize that there's…no cure for being a werewolf…" He shot an apologetic look at Remus. "Sorry."

Remus shrugged. He was more curious to hear what James had come up with. "So, what is it?"

James took a deep breath, clearly enjoying keeping them hanging. "We become Animagi."

James thought it was the most brilliant idea in the world. He was the best Transfiguration student in their year- he hadn't passed with a hundred and ten percent in his finals for nothing- so how hard could it be? Sure, only really advanced wizards were able to accomplish it, but they were the Marauders! They could do anything!

He'd come across the book in his parents' library several days ago. There couldn't have been a more perfect solution. Werewolves' bites only affected humans, not animals. So, although the wounds would be cursed and would have to heal normally, they wouldn't be infected if Remus were to bite one of them. James sat on the sofa, a huge grin on his face, waiting for Remus to thank him. There was nothing else he could do.

Nothing besides jump up and start yelling.

"ARE YOU MENTAL?" he bellowed. "ANIM-" James leapt up and slapped a hand over Remus' mouth. It would not be good if his parents were to discover his plan. Not good at all.

"Shut up, you git! Do you want us to get chucked into Azkaban?" Sirius demanded. "I think it's a brilliant idea!"

"Not just brilliant-" Liz said, her face shining with excitement. "It's- wow, I can't think of a word awesome enough to describe it!"

Remus was glaring at them with so much anger in his eyes that James almost took a step back. For a moment, he could have sworn that he saw the shadow of a wolf pass over Remus' face.

James slowly removed his hand from Remus' mouth. "Are you going to start shouting at us again?" he asked. Remus blinked.

"How could you consider doing something so stupid?" he hissed. "Animagi? You could seriously hurt yourselves, or even die!"

"We'd be doing it for you, though," Liz said. "Think about it- a werwolf is only a danger to humans. As animals, we'd be perfectly safe!"

"Safe from getting infected, maybe," Remus said, "Not from getting ripped to shreds."

"Well, with any luck, we'll transform into animals big enough to keep you from doing that," Sirius said. "We said we would help and we will! Remus, it's perfect! Just think about it!"

"I can't let you put yourselves in such danger for me!" Remus cried.

"Remus," James said, "I'm sorry, but nothing you say can keep us from doing this. We've already made up our minds. Right, guys?" he looked over his shoulder at them and was pleased to see that all of them, even Peter, who had kept quiet through this, all nodded enthusiastically.

"We're doing it to keep you from hurting yourself, Remus," James said. "Even if we don't master it by the time we're out of school, we'll keep working at it and spend every full moon after keeping you company."

James could see Remus caving. "Just-" he took a deep breath. "Just please, be careful."

"Come on, Moony! When have we ever not been careful?" Liz asked. Remus took a breath. "Don't answer that. But we will this time! We might goof off in class-"

"What do you mean, we?" Sirius asked. "You're always being a good student, taking notes with Moony."

Liz rolled her eyes. James took the opportunity to add his two cents. "For something this serious, we will be as careful as we can."

"When will you guys start?" Remus asked.

"Right now," Peter said, surprising everybody. "That is, if you have the book?" James nodded.

"Come on, I have it in my room. Mum and dad will never know it's gone," he said. This was going to be the coolest thing ever!

Liz followed the boys into James' room, just as excited as the rest. She couldn't stop thinking about what her form would be. Maybe it would be a wolf, or a panther! An eagle would be cool, too. She sighed at the thought of flying without a broomstick. That sounded awesome! She frowned, having a sudden thought- what if she was a rat? Or, Merlin forbid, a platypus? Neither would be very much help against a werewolf.

James pried a loose floorboard up from under his bed and extracted a nearly brand-new copy of The Animagi: The Process of Finding your Inner Self and Giving it a Physical Form.

"That is the cheesiest title I have ever seen for a book," Liz said, staring at it. The cover depicted a wizard morphing into a bear and back.

"Cheesy it may be, but everything we'll need is right here," James said, tapping the book affectionately. "Mum was considering becoming an Animagus at one point, but never even opened this thing."

"Lucky for us," Sirius said, taking the book from James. He began to flip through it. "This is just a bunch of stuff about laws and whatnot!" he cried.

"That's just the first chapter," James said. "And all through the book, it keeps saying stuff like, 'Register with your Ministry', 'check your local laws', stuff like that."

Liz yawned. "Bor-ing. So what else is in there?"

James turned red. "It's actually a lot to do with soul-searching. You have to know yourself so well that you can literally become what you are on the inside."

Sirius let out a barklike laugh. "This should be interesting."

"I think we should start with this first bit- list all your good qualities," James said. "Who wants to start?"

Now that they were actually going to do this, the reality began to sink in for the first time and suddenly, nobody was willing to make the first move. After a pregnant pause, Sirius said, "I'll go first." He cleared his throat. "I'm loyal, and… well, this is weird…"

"Keep going," Liz said. "No holds barred, no secrets. We're the Marauders! We can tell each other anything without looking like prats. Right guys?" she added, looking around the circle of her friends.

"Right," they said uncomfortably.

"If you want...I can do this with you guys," Remus said. "I cant become an Animagus myself, but I'll help you as much as I can." He blushed.

"Thanks, Moony," Sirius said. "Okay, let's see… Loyal, fearless, smart, fun-loving, and I have killer instincts."

"Since when do you have killer instincts?" James asked. Sirius swatted him.

"Prat."

"Okay, your turn, Pete," James said, rubbing his arm and glaring at Sirius.

Peter took a deep breath. "Funny, resourceful, adaptable- er, I'm a good liar, though I don't know if that would be a good or a bad trait…"

"If you're a Marauder, it's a good thing," James said firmly. "Ebony! Go!"

Liz thought about it. What were her good qualities? "I'm really protective of my friends," she said, thinking of the time she defended Remus against her mother in Dumbledore's office. "I'm really sneaky. Erm, I'm territorial?"

"How do you figure?" James asked.

"If Chris goes into my room, I all but murder him." everyone laughed. "I like high places, but that's not really a quality…" This was turning out to be harder than she thought.

"You're a quick thinker," Remus offered. Liz grinned at him. "James?" Remus asked.

James pulled his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt. "I'm also protective of my friends. I'm the most brilliant person in the room."

"And the most modest," Sirius added. They snorted.

"You're determined," Liz said. "Maybe you'll turn into a goat."

"I hope not!" James and Remus cried together. They looked at one another with some surprise. "Okay, that was weird," they said. "Hey!"

By then, everyone was in hysterics. "And McGonagall can be the troll under the bridge," Liz choked out. "'Who dares to cross my bridge?' 'It is I, the smallest and scrawniest billygoat who wears ugly specs'…" she looked at the blank faces. "Anyone?"

"Was that supposed to be funny?" Sirius asked, eyeing her.

"Oh, shut up, mutt."

"Mutt?"

"You know, Sirius, the Dog Star, mutt… ah, forget it." Liz turned to Remus. The Marauders looked at him expectantly.

"Ah, I'm smart?" Remus said.

"Are you asking us or telling us?" Peter asked.

"I'm smart. I'm, erm…" Remus seemed at a loss for what to say. Liz felt sorry for him. He'd grown up putting himself down because he believed himself to be a monster.

"You're very gentle," she said.

"You're kind," James supplied.

"Witty," Sirius added.

"Brave," Peter said. Remus smiled at them.

"So, what's next?" Liz asked, eying the book with a feeling that she knew what was coming.

"List your worst qualities…" James said. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be harder than the best qualities?"

"Maybe if we each just picked the one that we thought was the worst, that would get it over with faster," Peter suggested.

"Sounds good," James said, glancing at the others.

Liz thought about it again. Her worst quality… What was her worst quality? She had a short temper when it came to people messing with her stuff, but she didn't think that was it. Her mind drifted to the time she had been a jerk to Snape in the library- when she walked up to him and began bullying him for her usual table. As she thought about it, her face grew hot with shame. She could have easily told the others what their worst qualities were, but herself? This was so hard…

But you're doing it for Remus, a voice in her head said. She glanced over at him and was startled to see a tear trickle down his cheek. She gritted her teeth.

"I always have to finish what I start," she said quietly. Everyone looked at her.

"How is that bad?" James asked.

"Whenever we'd hex Snivellus, I always had a hard time leaving him alone. Keeping my distance was easy enough, but once we get into a fight? I have to go all the way." Everyone was quiet.

After a long silence, Sirius said, "I'm reckless. I'm the one who gets us into trouble without thinking of the consequences of my actions." he broke off, then continued. "I'm the one who instigates most of our fights with Snivellus…"

"I'm a coward," Peter whispered.

"But the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor! There's no way it could be wrong!" James protested. Peter shook his head.

"I always let you guys fight my own battles. I'm a coward, you can't deny it."

Remus sighed. "I never have enough confidence in myself," he said. Nobody could argue with that.

They looked expectantly at James, who looked thoughtful. "I suppose… if somebody were to be in trouble, I'd-" he swallowed. "I'd sacrifice the world to save that person. even if I hated them."

They were all quiet. Liz almost wished they never thought to try this.

Almost.

But they were doing it for Remus, and because of that, they couldn't turn back. Although he wouldn't admit it, he needed them, and the Marauders never turned their backs on a fellow Marauder.

After a while, James shook himself and said, "So, Eb, are you going to tell us what happened on the full moon?"

Three eager, one apprehensive, faces looked at her. Liz ceased her throat a few times. "Well, you all know how Moony gets all grumpy the week before?"

"Oh, no," Sirius groaned.

"Oh, yes," Liz said, grimacing. "Like you would not believe. And I got these awful migraines. The night of, I felt ill the whole time, I didn't get a wink of sleep." She yawned. "I'm still exhausted." Remus grimaced, looking like he was about to say something, but Sirius interrupted him.

"Plenty of nappytime for tonight, Sleeping Beauty," Sirius said. Liz stuck her tongue out at him and ruffled up her hair to make it look bad, forgetting that it wasn't as short as it had been the year before. Damn, I'll never get the snarls out, she thought angrily.

"Brilliant," James snorted as he watched her rake her fingers through her hair in frustration. He reached up with his own hand and ruffled his hair, making it look like he'd just gotten off a broomstick.

"Prat," she muttered. Her mum was insisting that she needed to grow her hair out, because she wasn't going to stay eleven forever. Liz found this to be a ridiculous sentiment. After all, plenty of girls wore their hair short and it looked fine on them! But nooo, her mum was being frustrating, as usual.

"James?" The Marauders' heads snapped up as they heard James' mother's voice in the hall. James snatched the Animagus book and threw himself udder his bed. He wrenched the floorboard up and hid the book, then shoved it back down and leapt onto the couch just as his mother opened the door. "What are you all dong up here?" Mrs. Potter asked, looking at their guilty faces.

"Nothing," they chorused.

"Well, I wanted to let you know that diner will be in about two hours. Jamesie, do you want to show your guests the stables or the docks?"

"Er, sure thing, mum!" James said cheerily. "Come on, we can go riding before dinner!"

They jumped up and hurried past Mrs. Potter, unconsciously raising the shoulder nearest to her as they passed.

"So, stables?" Liz said as they trooped down the stairs, down the hallway, and out into the back garden. Garden may not have been the proper term, though- the place was huge.

"Yeah," James said, pushing open a gate and leading them to a low white barn. "We have ten horses- Mine's Godric, none of you can ride him. Hey, Remus? You want to ride Beowulf?"

"Ha ha, I don't think," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, it's not funny."

"Sorry," James said. He lifted the latch and pushed the door open. The smell of a barn, a mixture of sweet hay, smelly manure, and leather tack met their noses. James went over to a stall where a bay gelding poked its head out to meet them. "Hey, Godric," James said, stroking its nose. "Did you miss me?" The horse snorted and turned around. "Guess not, then."

James helped them saddle their horses, then they rode outside into the woods. Peter had been rather hesitant to mount his horse, Deparnieux, until James taunted him about being a scaredy-cat. Peter had gotten on after that, though Liz noticed he kept shifting his weight, glancing around nervously. She patted her own horse, a shaggy grey beast named Abelard, grinning. She'd never ridden before, but it was definitely much better than a broomstick, in her opinion.

"By the way, Ebony, I'll have to teach you and Peter how to fly while you're here," James said, killing her happiness.

"What?" Peter said. "Why?"

"Because! That's why! Plus, I'll be trying out for the Quidditch team this year! I need your help to practice!"

"Can't it wait for a little bit?" Liz demanded. "If I try to fly now, I'll fall off my broom, I'm so tired!"

Remus yawned, enhancing her words. "You're the one to talk."

They rode through the woods, following a well-established trail, James pointing out his favorite places to play Auror. "We should have a picnic out here sometime," he said as the Marauders passed a small clearing carpeted in moss. He glanced at his new watch. "Oh! We need to get back soon!"

"Already?" Sirius asked as his horse snorted. "But it's only been a few hours!"

"That's the point, you idiot," Liz said. Her stomach growled. "Besides, aren't you hungry?"

Sirius thought about it. Stay outside, or go eat? "Good point," he said. "I'd say race you, but I'm scared of falling off this thing!"

"We'll have to work on your equestrian skills as well, then," James said. "Hey, are you going to help me teach Ebony and Peter how to fly?"

Sirius grinned. "I wouldn't miss that for a million galleons!" He smirked at Liz.

Peter and Liz exchanged looks. "We are so dead," Peter said.

A/N: Bwahaha, I LIED! The chapter came out early because I was wasting my time doing nothing productive, and stole the laptop to finish this. You're welcome. (It was either this or the 2,000,000th game of Life with my brother. Can you blame me for choosing this?)

You CAN expect chapter two up Tuesday, though. Or something. I do know for certain that you will get a chapter then, so keep your eyes peeled!

I'd like to give a shoutout to TwinsOfNeptune, because their story is coming along epically and all Percy Jackson fans should go read it right now. Go! What are you waiting for? Or I will set Mrs. O'Leary on you!

Until next time,

-Dndchk