Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I hold any claim to said literature character.
Antlers, Paws, and Claws
'There goes Lily... its strange how we are perceived to be close by the throng, but in reality...' Sighing, James played around with his Shepherd's pie.
"What's the problem Jimbo?" Sirius' voice was barely audible, for his mouth was stuffed to bursting with the food.
"Don't call me that... And there's nothing wrong with me, Sirius." Said James, waving his fork about, sending bits of food flying.
"Right... Hey Arthur! Are you coming to the dueling club meeting this evening?" called Sirius to the man walking past the Gryffindor table on the way to the High Table.
Arthur Weasley, the tall and lanky intern from the ministry smiled and said,
"Mr. Black! I wouldn't miss it for the world! Are you sure that I'll be welcome?"
"Take a seat, Mr. Weasley. It wouldn't do well if you lost your voice on account of a couple of sixth years..." James offered, giving Arthur a heartwarming smile and edging over.
"Thank you James. So, will you be joining us tonight?" inquired Arthur, taking a seat opposite Sirius, next to James.
"He can't, Arthur... Quidditch practice. Why he wastes his time flying around a dank field, is beyond me... I mean, flying's all well and good, but it does get boring after a while. And what are you going to do when you get out of here? Fly about on a broomstick for the rest of your days?" Sirius scoffed.
"I just might!" James said indignantly, defending his love of the sport.
"Oh dear, Mr. Black. We'll have another Ludo Bagman on our hands!"
"Arthur, call me Sirius. And James is nothing like Bagman. He isn't stupid, for one thing. And he's too special to go gallivanting around with the likes of Bagman, either."
" Is that an out and out admission that you don't want me to play for England?"
"No. I'm admitting that Bagman's a git."
This remark ensued chuckles all around. Glancing up and down the Great Hall, Sirius searched for Remus Lupin.
"Remus' in the library once more!" exclaimed Sirius, throwing up his hands to the sky in mock surrender. "That man has no life whatsoever!"
"I'm sure the same can be said about you!" snorted Arthur.
"Oh, Touché Arthur!" said Sirius, grasping his heart, or where he supposed his heart was.
" So sorry, it was just too tempting. Sirius, you understand, don't you?"
" Absolutely! No hard feelings, man." he smiled.
"Hallo all! Having fun? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Remus Lupin." said Remus, extending his hand out to Arthur.
Surprised by the formality Arthur stammered out his name, shook Remus' hand uncertainly and gave Sirius a quizzical look.
"Yes, yes, we know. Our Remus is quite an enigma. Too damn stuffy, like he's got a wand up his ass!" Sirius chortled, clapping Remus on the back.
"If you must know Sirius, I was just researching..." Remus faltered and paled noticeably.
"Look, Remus. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We understand." said James, comfortingly.
"I highly doubt that." retorted Remus, giving off a nervous laugh. Sitting down next to Sirius, his shepherds pie appeared in front of him and he began to pick at it.
"Dammit James quit all your Mr. Sensitivity crap! You're making me look bad!"
Another round of laughter ensued and the mood lightened considerably.
"We were just discussing what we wanted to be when we grew up, Remus. I believe it's your turn."
"Me? Hmm, well I suppose I'd like to be important. I haven't really thought about it yet."
"Fascinating... What about you, Arthur?"
"Well, I've always had this interest in muggles. It's a wonder how they've managed to get along without magic! I suppose I'd like to be Head of the Muggle Relations office in the Ministry."
"You all pale in comparison to my job, especially James. Quidditch player, indeed. My job is going to be exciting! I'm going to be an Auror! No telling what sort of evil we'll have in the future."
"Ah, it's nice to see idealism at its best. Whoever said that youth was wasted on the young has obviously never met you four!" came a voice from behind Sirius and Remus.
"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore, said James and Arthur in unison.
"Arthur, is that you? Well of course it is who could ever mistake that hair? Are you the intern from the ministry that they sent to watch over me?"
"Right in one, Sir. I'm here for a whole term, then I must report to Fudge as to whether you should be put out to pasture." Said Arthur with a mischievous grin, which bespoke the obvious fact that even if Dumbledore walked around in his birthday suit at night in the corridors, Arthur would still turn in a sparkling report.
"Must be on my best behaviour then... Well, I'll be off. Arthur, my office is by the gargoyle. If you need to find me, the password is "Lollipop". It's a muggle sweet that I find quite ingenious." Tipping his invisible hat to them all, Dumbledore swooshed away. The noise made by his cloaks always made James, Sirius, and Remus feel safe. Like Dumbledore was rushing to protect them all.
Getting up from the table, Arthur nodded to all three of the boys and said,
"It may seem like he's allowing me to have a runabout of the castle, but he really wants me up in his office right away. Notice how he took off in the direction of the gargoyle! See you tonight, then Sirius. Remus, you should come along too, it'll be fun." Picking up a breadstick, Arthur hurried after Dumbledore.
"What about it, Remus? Fancy dueling tonight?" Sirius taunted, brandishing his wand.
Smirking, Remus said, "I'd love to! But, I have my monthly meeting with Dumbledore... I'll see if I can catch up though."
"This is our first month of school! It's physically impossible that Dumbledore has set up monthly meetings for you so soon in the year."
"Well, he has. Come on, you two. We're late for Herbology with the Slytherin's..."
"Great..." James moaned. "Sirius, lets ditch. I have no stomach to see a whole class of Slytherins. Especially Snape."
"Snape! That grease ball... You know what he said about you? He said you just got onto the quidditch team because Dumbledore liked you! Of all the tosh... He's just jealous because he's been turned down four times in a row, and our captain Matthew Rogers asked you to join just as soon as he saw you fly at tryouts. Well, I'm perfectly amenable to ditching. Cover for us, won't you Remus?"
"Looks like I'll have to... See you in a bit then.' Remus picked up his books and made his way to the greenhouses on the grounds.
* * *
Racing to the Gryffindor common room, the two boys collapsed outside the portal, panting and sweating.
"Beat ya..." James managed to say, in between labored breaths.
"Liar..." was all Sirius could say in his defense.
Saying the password, (Caput Draconis) James and Sirius plopped down on the winged Armchairs in front of the fireplace. After a few tired moments, James noticed something flicker in the corner of his eye. Dropping to all fours, he crawled towards the west wall of the common room and examined it carefully.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" asked Sirius breathlessly. He was still quite winded from the race, for he wasn't a great athlete like James.
"I saw something... I want to find out what it is. It could be dangerous."
"Wicked!" uttered Sirius, joining James on the floor.
James started knocking on the wall and on the bookcase and the floor, looking for a trigger or a passageway.
"Nothing! It's rock solid!"
"I beg to differ, Jimbo." Sirius said, triumphantly. He had happened upon a trapdoor when he fell to his knees. Diving in headfirst, he exclaimed with excitement,
"Jimbo, get down here! Its bloody brilliant!"
"Don't call me that!" yelled James as he followed Sirius in.
Landing ungraciously on his head, James felt dazed for a heartbeat. Snapping out of it, he gazed around him, taking in his surroundings. A dazzled look flit across his face, and a gasp escaped his lips. He was in a real live pirate's cave, or so he thought.
"Dammit James, stop admiring the view and come over here! It's really important this time!" pleaded Sirius, his voice breaking with excitement.
"What? What? What?"
Sirius appeared to be holding onto a piece of parchment and staring at it intently. It was a map of the entire grounds of Hogwarts! Sirius whispered, " this is some fancy shit."
"Hold it out! There seem to be lots of little dots conglomerating on it!"
"Look closely, it tells us the location of every single person in Hogwarts!"
Pointing and sniggering at all the girls in the bathroom, Sirius was ecstatic about his find. James however, was insisting on being practical about it.
"Think of all its uses! Food from the kitchens, passages into Hogsmeade, look, there's even a trail that leads directly under the whomping willow to the old condemned house in Hogsmeade! Just think of all the things we could do when we need to ditch Slytherin classes! This is the find of the century!" James went on like this until Sirius put up a hand to silence him. Even then, James went on babbling.
Climbing out of the cave, they both sat down to collect their thoughts. James was still babbling when Remus came back from Herbology.
"What did you do to him? The Confucius charm again?" Sticking his ear close to James, Remus remarked, "No, he's not speaking in Chinese or in proverbs... What fell on him?"
Pulling the map out of his pocket Sirius said, "This."
Pushing his glasses out of the way and running his fingers through his hair, Remus stared incredulously at the piece of parchment he held aloft.
"Wh-where did you get this, Sirius?"
Stomping on the trapdoor, Sirius pointed down. Since actions speak louder than words, Remus very nearly yelled, "How? How'd you find this beautiful map? Think of all the food we could get!"
"I know!" Sirius laughed. "James already elaborated. That boy's marvelous! So many uses for one little map... I tell you, I'm amazed..."
Rolling the map up carefully and putting it in Sirius' robe, Remus turned around slowly, walking towards the common room portal. Then, spinning around, Remus stuttered, then plopped down onto the floor, rocking back and forth.
Snapping out of his trance, James immediately ran to Remus' side and shook him.
"Remus? Remus, what's wrong?"
"Promise not to tell?" He asked, sounding like a six-year-old, rather than the sixteen-year-old he really was.
"We promise, just tell us what happened." comforted Sirius, as he joined the both of them on the floor.
"Once I've told you, I'll leave you alone. I promise I'll never speak to the both of you again..." He whimpered, shivering.
"Then we'd rather you not tell us, if those are the consequences." said James kindly.
"We could make the whole friendship deal work though. Even if you chose to ignore us, we'd bother the living daylights out of you so you'd talk to us and help us out like you do now." reflected Sirius.
"I risk losing my best friends if I tell though!" The whole common room echoed with his sobs.
Breaking free from his friends' grasp, Remus ran out of the common room and into the corridor. Left flabbergasted on the floor, James got up to go after Remus.
"James, leave well enough alone. He'll tell us in due time."
"He's too scared that we'll get hurt in the process! He won't tell us, even we held him at wandpoint!"
Getting up off the floor, Sirius dusted himself off and said
"Well he wouldn't tell you. You're a horrible dueler. But I promise you; he'll tell us. He's already going crazy because he can't. He'll crack soon."
* * *
But Sirius was wrong... Remus didn't crack as soon as they expected. Halloween fast approaching, and still, not a word. Remus had stopped talking to them as freely as he used to, and went right to sleep at night, leaving no room for pillow chat (A/n: for lack of a better expression).
Deciding that something needed to be done Sirius and James enlisted the help of Peter Pettigrew, the gopher of the sixth years. Unable to believe his luck, Peter eagerly signed onto the cause. The fact that he was hanging around with Potter and Black made him popular by association.
At the Halloween feast, their plan was to come into play. Peter lured Remus to the third floor corridor and put the body binder curse on him. Jumping out of their hiding places, James and Sirius fed Veritaserum to Remus (a/n: the ingredients of the potion were easier to come by in those days). Undoing the curse, the three sat on their haunches, waiting for Remus to tell his story. He remained mute, his eyes doing a very good impression of a calf about to be slaughtered. James asked carefully, "What won't you tell us of your own will, Remus?"
"I won't tell you that I'm a werewolf. I won't tell you that those monthly meetings with Dumbledore are when the full moon comes out and I'm brought under the whomping willow to the old abandoned shack where I transform. I won't tell you that I bite the furniture, myself, or anything that moves. I won't tell you that I hunger for human flesh once every month. I won't tell you that the full moon is out tonight and I must leave in twenty minutes, or every student in this school may be slaughtered, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike." Letting the last remark sink in, Remus sat back and gaped at them all. The small dose of Veritaserum was wearing off and he was regaining his senses. Breaking loose, he ambled towards a tapestry, said a password, and disappeared down a long passageway, which led to the Whomping Willow.
Once again, Sirius was the voice of reason as he held Peter and James back.
"Pettigrew, James. We can't be around him. We're humans. We'd die. There's only one solution."
"I will not lose my friend just because of a disorder!" cried James.
"Whoever said anything about losing Remus? We're to become Animagi. Animals pose no threat to werewolves."
"He said he'd attack anything that moves! Besides, even if we could pull it off, we'd have to become large animals to keep him in check!"
"He's inexperienced, therefore he hungers for a fight. The wound must've been recent. The large animal idea is amazing James! We'll take care of it..." cried Sirius, his eyes lighting up.
"Peter, you must snoop around. Ask if the whomping willow is as dangerous underground as it is above ground." Sirius explained, looking like a general of the Wizard Army, or the Q of the James Bond operation for wizards.
"James, you take care of the incantation, Peter, you snoop around for useful information, and I'll whip up the potion that'll make us into animals!" Sirius growled, the familiar gleam springing into his eyes.
"You always get the easy jobs..." Peter mumbled, scuffing his feet on the carpet.
"As a matter of fact, Peter," Sirius said his name like he had just stepped on an insect. "We are all in our own element. You are particularly useful at this point in time because nobody snoops like you do. I'm into the potions, and James was always a whiz at researching incantations. If worse comes to worst, James'll just have to make one up."
"Yeah Peter! If anything, you've got the easiest job. Nothing dangerous will happen to you!" growled James.
"What about all those bullies that might get offended by me asking so many questions? Will you guarantee my safety?" Asked Peter pointedly, waving his hand around in the air with each word.
Shielding his face with his hand, palm out-turned, James frowned and gave a tut.
"How in the world can I do that?" Spat James at Peter, sticking his finger in Peter's chest.
"Its up to you. Besides, I'm sticking my neck out for Lupin. I need some compensation."
Now it was Sirius' turn to blow up.
"There will be no exchange of funds!' Sirius thundered.
"Alright, alright, Black. Whatever you say."
"Look, we should be getting back. We'll start our respective jobs tomorrow. Peter, James, adieu."
Taking off down the corridor, robes flapping behind him, Sirius paused only once.
"James, walk with me. We need to start researching right away."
Not waiting for James to catch up, Sirius took off down the stairs heading towards the library.
* * *
Antlers, Paws, and Claws
'There goes Lily... its strange how we are perceived to be close by the throng, but in reality...' Sighing, James played around with his Shepherd's pie.
"What's the problem Jimbo?" Sirius' voice was barely audible, for his mouth was stuffed to bursting with the food.
"Don't call me that... And there's nothing wrong with me, Sirius." Said James, waving his fork about, sending bits of food flying.
"Right... Hey Arthur! Are you coming to the dueling club meeting this evening?" called Sirius to the man walking past the Gryffindor table on the way to the High Table.
Arthur Weasley, the tall and lanky intern from the ministry smiled and said,
"Mr. Black! I wouldn't miss it for the world! Are you sure that I'll be welcome?"
"Take a seat, Mr. Weasley. It wouldn't do well if you lost your voice on account of a couple of sixth years..." James offered, giving Arthur a heartwarming smile and edging over.
"Thank you James. So, will you be joining us tonight?" inquired Arthur, taking a seat opposite Sirius, next to James.
"He can't, Arthur... Quidditch practice. Why he wastes his time flying around a dank field, is beyond me... I mean, flying's all well and good, but it does get boring after a while. And what are you going to do when you get out of here? Fly about on a broomstick for the rest of your days?" Sirius scoffed.
"I just might!" James said indignantly, defending his love of the sport.
"Oh dear, Mr. Black. We'll have another Ludo Bagman on our hands!"
"Arthur, call me Sirius. And James is nothing like Bagman. He isn't stupid, for one thing. And he's too special to go gallivanting around with the likes of Bagman, either."
" Is that an out and out admission that you don't want me to play for England?"
"No. I'm admitting that Bagman's a git."
This remark ensued chuckles all around. Glancing up and down the Great Hall, Sirius searched for Remus Lupin.
"Remus' in the library once more!" exclaimed Sirius, throwing up his hands to the sky in mock surrender. "That man has no life whatsoever!"
"I'm sure the same can be said about you!" snorted Arthur.
"Oh, Touché Arthur!" said Sirius, grasping his heart, or where he supposed his heart was.
" So sorry, it was just too tempting. Sirius, you understand, don't you?"
" Absolutely! No hard feelings, man." he smiled.
"Hallo all! Having fun? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Remus Lupin." said Remus, extending his hand out to Arthur.
Surprised by the formality Arthur stammered out his name, shook Remus' hand uncertainly and gave Sirius a quizzical look.
"Yes, yes, we know. Our Remus is quite an enigma. Too damn stuffy, like he's got a wand up his ass!" Sirius chortled, clapping Remus on the back.
"If you must know Sirius, I was just researching..." Remus faltered and paled noticeably.
"Look, Remus. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We understand." said James, comfortingly.
"I highly doubt that." retorted Remus, giving off a nervous laugh. Sitting down next to Sirius, his shepherds pie appeared in front of him and he began to pick at it.
"Dammit James quit all your Mr. Sensitivity crap! You're making me look bad!"
Another round of laughter ensued and the mood lightened considerably.
"We were just discussing what we wanted to be when we grew up, Remus. I believe it's your turn."
"Me? Hmm, well I suppose I'd like to be important. I haven't really thought about it yet."
"Fascinating... What about you, Arthur?"
"Well, I've always had this interest in muggles. It's a wonder how they've managed to get along without magic! I suppose I'd like to be Head of the Muggle Relations office in the Ministry."
"You all pale in comparison to my job, especially James. Quidditch player, indeed. My job is going to be exciting! I'm going to be an Auror! No telling what sort of evil we'll have in the future."
"Ah, it's nice to see idealism at its best. Whoever said that youth was wasted on the young has obviously never met you four!" came a voice from behind Sirius and Remus.
"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore, said James and Arthur in unison.
"Arthur, is that you? Well of course it is who could ever mistake that hair? Are you the intern from the ministry that they sent to watch over me?"
"Right in one, Sir. I'm here for a whole term, then I must report to Fudge as to whether you should be put out to pasture." Said Arthur with a mischievous grin, which bespoke the obvious fact that even if Dumbledore walked around in his birthday suit at night in the corridors, Arthur would still turn in a sparkling report.
"Must be on my best behaviour then... Well, I'll be off. Arthur, my office is by the gargoyle. If you need to find me, the password is "Lollipop". It's a muggle sweet that I find quite ingenious." Tipping his invisible hat to them all, Dumbledore swooshed away. The noise made by his cloaks always made James, Sirius, and Remus feel safe. Like Dumbledore was rushing to protect them all.
Getting up from the table, Arthur nodded to all three of the boys and said,
"It may seem like he's allowing me to have a runabout of the castle, but he really wants me up in his office right away. Notice how he took off in the direction of the gargoyle! See you tonight, then Sirius. Remus, you should come along too, it'll be fun." Picking up a breadstick, Arthur hurried after Dumbledore.
"What about it, Remus? Fancy dueling tonight?" Sirius taunted, brandishing his wand.
Smirking, Remus said, "I'd love to! But, I have my monthly meeting with Dumbledore... I'll see if I can catch up though."
"This is our first month of school! It's physically impossible that Dumbledore has set up monthly meetings for you so soon in the year."
"Well, he has. Come on, you two. We're late for Herbology with the Slytherin's..."
"Great..." James moaned. "Sirius, lets ditch. I have no stomach to see a whole class of Slytherins. Especially Snape."
"Snape! That grease ball... You know what he said about you? He said you just got onto the quidditch team because Dumbledore liked you! Of all the tosh... He's just jealous because he's been turned down four times in a row, and our captain Matthew Rogers asked you to join just as soon as he saw you fly at tryouts. Well, I'm perfectly amenable to ditching. Cover for us, won't you Remus?"
"Looks like I'll have to... See you in a bit then.' Remus picked up his books and made his way to the greenhouses on the grounds.
* * *
Racing to the Gryffindor common room, the two boys collapsed outside the portal, panting and sweating.
"Beat ya..." James managed to say, in between labored breaths.
"Liar..." was all Sirius could say in his defense.
Saying the password, (Caput Draconis) James and Sirius plopped down on the winged Armchairs in front of the fireplace. After a few tired moments, James noticed something flicker in the corner of his eye. Dropping to all fours, he crawled towards the west wall of the common room and examined it carefully.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" asked Sirius breathlessly. He was still quite winded from the race, for he wasn't a great athlete like James.
"I saw something... I want to find out what it is. It could be dangerous."
"Wicked!" uttered Sirius, joining James on the floor.
James started knocking on the wall and on the bookcase and the floor, looking for a trigger or a passageway.
"Nothing! It's rock solid!"
"I beg to differ, Jimbo." Sirius said, triumphantly. He had happened upon a trapdoor when he fell to his knees. Diving in headfirst, he exclaimed with excitement,
"Jimbo, get down here! Its bloody brilliant!"
"Don't call me that!" yelled James as he followed Sirius in.
Landing ungraciously on his head, James felt dazed for a heartbeat. Snapping out of it, he gazed around him, taking in his surroundings. A dazzled look flit across his face, and a gasp escaped his lips. He was in a real live pirate's cave, or so he thought.
"Dammit James, stop admiring the view and come over here! It's really important this time!" pleaded Sirius, his voice breaking with excitement.
"What? What? What?"
Sirius appeared to be holding onto a piece of parchment and staring at it intently. It was a map of the entire grounds of Hogwarts! Sirius whispered, " this is some fancy shit."
"Hold it out! There seem to be lots of little dots conglomerating on it!"
"Look closely, it tells us the location of every single person in Hogwarts!"
Pointing and sniggering at all the girls in the bathroom, Sirius was ecstatic about his find. James however, was insisting on being practical about it.
"Think of all its uses! Food from the kitchens, passages into Hogsmeade, look, there's even a trail that leads directly under the whomping willow to the old condemned house in Hogsmeade! Just think of all the things we could do when we need to ditch Slytherin classes! This is the find of the century!" James went on like this until Sirius put up a hand to silence him. Even then, James went on babbling.
Climbing out of the cave, they both sat down to collect their thoughts. James was still babbling when Remus came back from Herbology.
"What did you do to him? The Confucius charm again?" Sticking his ear close to James, Remus remarked, "No, he's not speaking in Chinese or in proverbs... What fell on him?"
Pulling the map out of his pocket Sirius said, "This."
Pushing his glasses out of the way and running his fingers through his hair, Remus stared incredulously at the piece of parchment he held aloft.
"Wh-where did you get this, Sirius?"
Stomping on the trapdoor, Sirius pointed down. Since actions speak louder than words, Remus very nearly yelled, "How? How'd you find this beautiful map? Think of all the food we could get!"
"I know!" Sirius laughed. "James already elaborated. That boy's marvelous! So many uses for one little map... I tell you, I'm amazed..."
Rolling the map up carefully and putting it in Sirius' robe, Remus turned around slowly, walking towards the common room portal. Then, spinning around, Remus stuttered, then plopped down onto the floor, rocking back and forth.
Snapping out of his trance, James immediately ran to Remus' side and shook him.
"Remus? Remus, what's wrong?"
"Promise not to tell?" He asked, sounding like a six-year-old, rather than the sixteen-year-old he really was.
"We promise, just tell us what happened." comforted Sirius, as he joined the both of them on the floor.
"Once I've told you, I'll leave you alone. I promise I'll never speak to the both of you again..." He whimpered, shivering.
"Then we'd rather you not tell us, if those are the consequences." said James kindly.
"We could make the whole friendship deal work though. Even if you chose to ignore us, we'd bother the living daylights out of you so you'd talk to us and help us out like you do now." reflected Sirius.
"I risk losing my best friends if I tell though!" The whole common room echoed with his sobs.
Breaking free from his friends' grasp, Remus ran out of the common room and into the corridor. Left flabbergasted on the floor, James got up to go after Remus.
"James, leave well enough alone. He'll tell us in due time."
"He's too scared that we'll get hurt in the process! He won't tell us, even we held him at wandpoint!"
Getting up off the floor, Sirius dusted himself off and said
"Well he wouldn't tell you. You're a horrible dueler. But I promise you; he'll tell us. He's already going crazy because he can't. He'll crack soon."
* * *
But Sirius was wrong... Remus didn't crack as soon as they expected. Halloween fast approaching, and still, not a word. Remus had stopped talking to them as freely as he used to, and went right to sleep at night, leaving no room for pillow chat (A/n: for lack of a better expression).
Deciding that something needed to be done Sirius and James enlisted the help of Peter Pettigrew, the gopher of the sixth years. Unable to believe his luck, Peter eagerly signed onto the cause. The fact that he was hanging around with Potter and Black made him popular by association.
At the Halloween feast, their plan was to come into play. Peter lured Remus to the third floor corridor and put the body binder curse on him. Jumping out of their hiding places, James and Sirius fed Veritaserum to Remus (a/n: the ingredients of the potion were easier to come by in those days). Undoing the curse, the three sat on their haunches, waiting for Remus to tell his story. He remained mute, his eyes doing a very good impression of a calf about to be slaughtered. James asked carefully, "What won't you tell us of your own will, Remus?"
"I won't tell you that I'm a werewolf. I won't tell you that those monthly meetings with Dumbledore are when the full moon comes out and I'm brought under the whomping willow to the old abandoned shack where I transform. I won't tell you that I bite the furniture, myself, or anything that moves. I won't tell you that I hunger for human flesh once every month. I won't tell you that the full moon is out tonight and I must leave in twenty minutes, or every student in this school may be slaughtered, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike." Letting the last remark sink in, Remus sat back and gaped at them all. The small dose of Veritaserum was wearing off and he was regaining his senses. Breaking loose, he ambled towards a tapestry, said a password, and disappeared down a long passageway, which led to the Whomping Willow.
Once again, Sirius was the voice of reason as he held Peter and James back.
"Pettigrew, James. We can't be around him. We're humans. We'd die. There's only one solution."
"I will not lose my friend just because of a disorder!" cried James.
"Whoever said anything about losing Remus? We're to become Animagi. Animals pose no threat to werewolves."
"He said he'd attack anything that moves! Besides, even if we could pull it off, we'd have to become large animals to keep him in check!"
"He's inexperienced, therefore he hungers for a fight. The wound must've been recent. The large animal idea is amazing James! We'll take care of it..." cried Sirius, his eyes lighting up.
"Peter, you must snoop around. Ask if the whomping willow is as dangerous underground as it is above ground." Sirius explained, looking like a general of the Wizard Army, or the Q of the James Bond operation for wizards.
"James, you take care of the incantation, Peter, you snoop around for useful information, and I'll whip up the potion that'll make us into animals!" Sirius growled, the familiar gleam springing into his eyes.
"You always get the easy jobs..." Peter mumbled, scuffing his feet on the carpet.
"As a matter of fact, Peter," Sirius said his name like he had just stepped on an insect. "We are all in our own element. You are particularly useful at this point in time because nobody snoops like you do. I'm into the potions, and James was always a whiz at researching incantations. If worse comes to worst, James'll just have to make one up."
"Yeah Peter! If anything, you've got the easiest job. Nothing dangerous will happen to you!" growled James.
"What about all those bullies that might get offended by me asking so many questions? Will you guarantee my safety?" Asked Peter pointedly, waving his hand around in the air with each word.
Shielding his face with his hand, palm out-turned, James frowned and gave a tut.
"How in the world can I do that?" Spat James at Peter, sticking his finger in Peter's chest.
"Its up to you. Besides, I'm sticking my neck out for Lupin. I need some compensation."
Now it was Sirius' turn to blow up.
"There will be no exchange of funds!' Sirius thundered.
"Alright, alright, Black. Whatever you say."
"Look, we should be getting back. We'll start our respective jobs tomorrow. Peter, James, adieu."
Taking off down the corridor, robes flapping behind him, Sirius paused only once.
"James, walk with me. We need to start researching right away."
Not waiting for James to catch up, Sirius took off down the stairs heading towards the library.
* * *