Well this chapter is much shorter than the others but I'm quite fond of it, I've had most of it bouncing around my brain for a long time.

(Its kind of obvious I don't own the universe I play in!)

Toodle pip then, don't you have a story to read?


"You're looking exceptionally pale this fine morning Moony," Sirius said as he settled himself in a chair next to Remus's bed. James snickered from his seat next to him. Remus just rolled his eyes, a small smile of amusement on his lips. Peter had been tucked into a bed not too far away and had Madam Pomfrey fussing over him at that moment. He was still as green as pickled frog spawn.

"How you got Madam Pomfrey to let you in here this early is beyond me. I thought she would have whisked Peter to a bed and slammed the door in your faces," Remus said, he had been propped up on a pile of pillows, looking extremely weakened and white as chalk. Despite this, his voice was strong and back to full lecturing power. Sirius smirked.

"You underestimate the power of the puppy dog face, god like good looks-"

"And a few fake tears," James added, grinning deviously.

"That, and we happen to be cracking actors, right Prongs?"

"Right you are Padfoot, Madam Pomfrey couldn't possibly stand a chance."

Remus laughed, it was feeble but full of amusement.

"And an up-chucking Peter present had nothing to do with it? She was too preoccupied with him to care about you two."

Sirius looked hurt.

"No one can resist my charming model student act! No one!" he cried dramatically, casting Remus a dejected look.

James laughed, clapping a hand onto Sirius's shoulder.

"Just drop it, Padfoot. We've been found out."

Remus just chuckled again weakly.

"That reminds me Moony…" Sirius rifled around in his robe pockets for a few seconds, before producing the chocolate he'd grabbed before leaving the dormitory.

"Here you go mate, a get well soon gift," He said with a grin, handing it over to Remus. Remus accepted it with another feeble smile.

"Thanks."

He unwrapped it and began breaking off a few chunks. Remus seemed to have developed an extreme fondness for Honeyduke's chocolate; he always had some when he was stressed out, sick or studying. Some days it seemed like he couldn't function right without it. James grinned and bit into the piece he had just received.

"So? How was it?" Remus asked Sirius, who had taken a savage bite of his chunk of chocolate. Remus folded the rest neatly in its wrapper and placed it on his bedside table.

They didn't need to ask about what it was he was talking about.

"It was good, much better than our last attempts."

James painfully recalled when he'd only managed to get himself a pair of antlers while the rest of him stayed completely normal. That was nothing compared to Peter's screw ups though; one time he got a huge version of his rat tail. That took a lot of explaining whenever he bent over, the tail wasn't exactly discreet, even if it was hidden under his robes.

"Yeah, I feel like I can really let loose when I'm a dog, I'm a handsome pooch might I add. I can just let it all out," Sirius said, leaning back against his chair with his arms behind his head, smirking wolfishly.

James snickered.

"Yeah, all over the trees, lamp posts, buildings-"

"Don't forget I tried Wormtail once too, nearly gave him a heart attack it did."

"Plants, people (that old lady remember?) Post boxes-"

"I noticed. There's no way I'd forget the pong of Padfoot," Remus said wryly. Sirius sniggered.

"You flatter me Moony."

Remus laughed, it was less feeble this time.

"Just don't 'let it all out' when you're not an animagi. That's all I ask of you Sirius."

"Yeah Padfoot, because if you do, we don't know you," James said jokingly, nudging Sirius and laughing heartily.

"Like Merlin's lacy underpants I won't!" Sirius answered, joining in with the loud laughter.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE! And making such a ruckus too! This boy needs peace and quiet to regain his strength! Out both of you!"

Madam Pomfrey came bustling over, practically breathing fire. She obviously isn't a morning person. James thought with a smirk as he and Sirius were kicked out of the hospital wing.


"No sign of Black this morning, huh Willa?" Alice said, slipping in line next to me and immediately sensing Willa's dismal air.

"Nope, none," Willa answered with a wistful sigh. I wrapped my robes tightly around me, feeling the cold chill tug at the fabric persistently. Herbology did not stop just for the weather, unless there was a blizzard or it was hailing chunks of ice the size of cannon balls. The white grounds were refreshing to stare at absent mindedly from a window, inside the warm castle. But if you actually ventured out, within minutes your hands would turn blue if you weren't wearing gloves. Estelle and Violet were rubbing their hands together, looking very annoyed at the weather; Frank was having an animated discussion with a few other students, looking completely immune to the cold. Alice cast him an envious glance.

"How does he act so-so…energetic when it's this freezing out?" she asked, pulling her red and gold scarf tighter around her neck.

Waiting at the greenhouses during this time of the month was just cruel. No one could focus as it was, what with O.W.L's and the anticipation of the break weighing heavily on their minds.

"There they are!" Willa said suddenly, pointing towards the castle. Potter and Black were striding casually towards the group of frozen students, discussing a mysterious subject in hushed tones as usual. James was smirking. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance and turned my attention back onto Alice. Willa, however, marched straight up to them, stopping them in their tracks. She bent closer to scrutinize their faces, her hands on her hips.

"You both look awful."

"Gee thanks Willa," Sirius Black answered, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"No really, it looks like you two have had your souls sucked out through your mouths."

"I haven't seen Mottlecough, if that's what you're implying."

I examined them for myself out of the corner of my eye.

They both had dark puffy bags under their eyes, making them look a bit like two panda bears. They were both pale apart from the tips of their noses and ears, which were tinged pink from the chill. James's hair was even more bedraggled than usual, sticking up at the front in crazed spikes. They had a crumpled, just-out-of-bed look. James's usually arrogant air seemed to have been dented by his drowsiness; his hands shook slightly as he rammed them into his robe pockets. I recognized the body language.

He was nervous.

I hadn't realized I had been walking up to them until I was right next to Willa. I noticed my eyes had been fixated on James. He immediately pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked down at the icy ground. I put out a hand and took hold of his wrist before he could return it to his pocket. His hand was warm and larger than my own, but still it trembled in my grasp.

"You're shaking," I said as I switched my gaze up to him. It had been a bad idea, my eyes instantly met his. The bright hazel was curious and elated at the same time. I drank in as much of them as I could in a second before I shifted my gaze. I began dragging him back up to the castle, grabbing Black's collar as I went.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing Evans?" He complained after making a choking sound.

"You're both dead on your feet. What makes you think you can handle being so exhausted?" I said in response.

"Willa! Tell Professor Sprout I'm taking care of these idiots!"

"Roger that Lily!" She called back.

Just as we reached the oak front doors I felt James's wrist slip from my hand. I instantly let go of a choking Sirius Black and turned to face him. He gave me a crooked grin.

"Sorry Evans, I know you're head over heels for me and care deeply about my health, but we're both fine."

Black was massaging his throat and casting me a filthy look. I poked my tongue out at him before responding to James.

"Fine, do what you want," I said before turning on my heel and storming back towards the green houses.

"And who said I was head over heels for you?" I called over my shoulder.

I couldn't help but smile to myself when I turned back.


"She nearly strangled me prongs!"

"And you wonder why I fancy her," James replied with a laugh, his eyes fixed on a retreating Lily, her scarlet hair contrasting with the white snow heavily. Sirius, although used to his best friend's love sick ways, still found it disturbing how tender his eyes got whenever he looked at her and how he seemed to turn into a complete prat whenever she was near. But that didn't mean he couldn't use that for his entertainment.

"I thought you were gonna pass out back there mate," Sirius said, casting James an amused look.

"I'm not that tired Padfoot."

"That's not what I meant Prongs, you looked like you'd died and gone to heaven."

James immediately looked at the ground, kicking at some ice laced between the castle steps. Sirius thought he looked a lot less pale just then.

"What did you have to go and stop her for anyway? I kind of fancied myself a nap," Sirius continued his cool voice probing.

James looked up and gave his friend a confused look, like he should have known that for himself.

"What kind of questions do you think we'd get if we pitched back up at the hospital wing? Nah, it's much better if we stick it out mate."

Sirius shrugged.

"I can sleep during charms I suppose."

James grinned.

"Don't you always?"


James and Sirius were there for all the days' lessons, acting just as they normally did, although I could see the strain on both of them. The only ones who weren't present were Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

It was hard seeing James hiding his exhaustion. It made me wonder what they could possibly have done to make them both so run down. Whatever it was, it hadn't been homework.

All the same James was determined to hide the cause of their exhaustion, and plastered on his usual grin to do so. At dinner I gazed down the table and found him while Willa and Alice prattled on. I'd been casting him worried looks all day, I couldn't help it; I wanted to check on him. It made no sense to me, but I decided not to question it, if I did I was in turmoil and it was so much easier to just go with it. He was playing absentmindedly with his food frowning down at it. Sirius's plate was piled high with roast beef. James's plate was devoid of all the normal things he usually ate, and was full of all the things he detested. He picked at the salad and sniffed his forkful before even thinking of eating it. I felt my worries grow even more pronounced, but I kept it to myself. I couldn't concentrate on my homework and decided to turn in early. Forcing all thoughts of James out of my head, I changed and slipped under the silky red duvet. It was so warm I found myself drifting off into a deep, untroubled sleep…

There was a loud terrified squeal, followed by more high pitched screams of panic. My eyes fluttered open immediately and I shot to a sitting position. Bright sunlight was streaming in through the dormitory window- it was morning. I looked around the room. Alice and Willa were both standing on Willa's bed, scanning the ground. Both were still in their night gowns with tangled hair. Estelle and Violet were cowering together on one bed, holding each other and pointing blindly at the floor.

"What's all this about?" I asked sleepily, rubbing at my eyes.

"There-there's a r-rat in the dormitory!" squeaked Estelle, her eyes wide.

"It's so huge and disgusting!" Violet cried, looking faint.

"Especially its tail!" Estelle put in, making both of them shudder. I climbed out of bed; Estelle and Violet looked at me like I had gone mad.

"Where is it?" I asked Willa and Alice.

"Over there," Willa said, pointing vaguely in the direction of Alice's bedside table.

"It scampered over there when Estelle and Violet started chucking shoes at it," Alice added.

At these words both cowering girls bent down and took up whatever object they could reach from the safety of the bed, Estelle a thick transfiguration text book and Violet a fuzzy pink slipper. They both needed ammunition in case it showed its whiskered face again.

"The poor thing," I murmured as I walked over to the offending bedside cabinet. It was a squat piece of furniture with a small gap between it and the floor; it was in view of everyone in the dorm. I got to my knees and peered into the small dark space. I saw a fat, furry little lump, quivering and pressing itself against the wall. I slid my hand in after it, feeling the dusty floor as I neared it. Estelle and Violet gasped at my actions. I tried to gently capture it in my hand but it gave a petrified squeak and scratched at my fingers. I flinched but didn't stop my efforts, I managed to get a hold around its large belly and drag it out from under the cabinet. It gave another shrill squeak and frantically wriggled free from my grasp. I scrambled to re-capture him fully, but only caught his long, scaly tail.

"There," I said as I stood up, the chubby rat swinging from its tail, its beady black eyes wide with horror. I held him up to show my gaping audience. Estelle and Violet both screamed blue murder and clutched at each other, looking at me with shocked disgust, probably stunned that I actually touched it.

"GET RID OF IT!" They shrieked.

"I say we throw him out the window," Willa said, glaring at the creature swinging from my hand.

"I say we feed him to your cat Willa," Alice chimed in, looking at the rat with complete dislike.

"Ohh I like that one!"

This triggered a stream of suggestions of how to get rid of it from all sides of the room, all more violent than the last. I kept silent, glancing down at the poor creature. It was frozen with shock, its ears twitching. Did it understand us?

"We could give it to the giant squid!"

"Wouldn't it drown then?"

"So? Who cares!"

"I don't think Squids like rats Estelle."

The rat seemed to gulp, its eyes swiveling in all directions, as if looking for an escape. I felt a rush of sympathy.

"I say we just put it out in the hall, it'll be gone then," I said loudly. The bickering stopped abruptly and four pairs of eyes turned to scrutinize me.

"The poor thing. It just got lost is all; its not doing anything wrong is it?" I continued. The rat turned its head to give me a wide eyed look of gratitude. I smiled kindly at it and hoped it didn't hurt to be held by the tail. There was a murmur of agreement from all four people in the room, I grinned triumphantly and strode over to the door. Once it was safely out in the hallway, Estelle and Violet both heaved sighs of relief and got down from the bed.

"I still say we should have tossed it out the window, something about it was off," Willa said, she was already back on the ground and getting into her robes.

I shrugged as I opened my trunk at the end of my bed.

"No one deserves to be judged like that."


Well we're comming close to some major events! All I can say at this point is stay tuned and some creative critism is greatly appreciated, without it I won't get any better! If a characters OUT of character I'd like to be told, if I've missed an important detail from the story I'm desperate to know, but other than that thank you (the wonderful reader) very much!

Until next time!