Disclaimer: See Prologue
A/N: "Jelly" brought me a gift last night too. I feel Anna's pain (for once)
December 23rd 1976 6:03 a.m. Gryffindor Common room
The piercing scream roused James Potter (comatose in the squashy armchair by a now dead fire), although he was adamant that the only reason he screamed in response was because he thought he was about to be trampled to death by an extremely overweight cat.
The cat leapt over him and with a final pounce clamped his jaws around his prey to the further consternation of the screaming Gryffindor that James assumed to be of the female variety. He straightened his glasses and slowly his eyes adjusted.
"Anna, shut the hell up."
Anna threw him a withering glance. "I don't know what he's got in his mouth but it's probably still alive. How can you just sit there? It's only small."
James shrugged. "It's probably a mouse. She's just doing her job."
Anna pursed her lips. "Jelly is a he. Stop giving him identity issues."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm going to bed."
"You only just got up. You can't leave me. What'll I do?"
James shrugged. "Go back to bed and let him eat in peace?" He winced as the rodent screeched and struggled. Anna averted her eyes and wailed. "I suppose you expect me to do something about it, do you?" James' eyes flickered over toward the girl's cat and found the only trace of the hunt sticking out of his mouth; a long, pink tail. He frowned and vaguely recognised it.
"Oh the poor little thing."
"FUCK!"
The resulting screams and hisses from Anna and her cat respectively, coupled with James' top volume profanities and squeals from the victim, woke even Sirius who plodded down the steps, rubbing his eyes and groaning after Lupin.
"What in the name of all that is holy?"
"Where's Peter?"
James threw them a glare and began to beat the cat with the nearest cushion, crying, "Let him go, you little bugger! Let him go!"
Lupin's eyes widened and Sirius frowned.
"Stop hitting him!" shrieked Anna, grabbing James' arm and pulling him back. "He hasn't done anything wrong."
"If I stop hitting him he'll eat Peter!" James appeared to only acknowledge what he had said after a good few awkward seconds in which Sirius was exasperated, Lupin terrified and Anna downright confused. "Peter's rat," mumbled James.
Lupin sprinted across the room and took hold of her. "Look, Scarlatti's always bringing gifts back for me. It'll be alive. Cat's are sick, remember. They're like psychopaths and they like to play with their food. He's probably just trying to find somewhere to deposit it before he tries to catch another one so he can race them. That's how cats think. Why don't you sit down or go to breakfast? I'll deal with it, okay?" She nodded mutely and allowed herself to be steered through the Portrait Hole. "I'd go with you," said Lupin, resisting the urge to bite his nails. "But they need me in there."
By the time he had returned, James was kneeling in front of the smug feline and asking, "Are you alright, Pete?"
"Does he sound alright?" snapped Sirius, wincing at the pitch of the cries. "For God's sake! Oh, here comes the cat psychologist. We're in luck."
"Shut up." Lupin frowned. "Is it even Peter, do we know?"
James nodded. "It's Wormy alright. He keeps screaming whenever we call his name. Besides, where else would he be?"
"Why would he transform?"
Sirius shrugged. "Because he's Peter."
Lupin accepted this explanation with a half-smile and said, "Okay, James get up. I need you to stand by the stairs and be ready to catch Peter, alright?"
James scrambled to his feet and Lupin knelt quickly, grabbing the cat around his middle and squeezing slightly.
"What do I do?" asked Sirius.
"You stand there and look pretty," said Lupin, dodging the cat's tail which had begun an assault upon his face. It cried out, dropping the rat which ran straight into James' outstretched, cupped palms.
James' triumphant grin stretched his cheeks. "I did it."
Lupin sighed and hid his face in his hands as a shadow loomed over James Potter.
"Potter, what the hell is going on?"
James gulped and clutched the rat tighter than was necessary. "I was er…I was saving Peter's rat but really the credit ought to go to Remus."
Lupin raised his eyebrows. "No, no, James. Congratulations on your victory."
Lily's eyes settled on the exhausted Lupin and she smiled faintly. "Morning, Remus. What happened?"
James' mouth dropped open. "Oh right, so Remus gets a pleasantry and a question and I get snapped at and blamed."
Lupin laughed. "That's what a track record of harassment does." He smiled back. "Nothing much. Anna's cat decided that it was going to play tag with Peter's rat and someone had to step in."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Before I get caught up in this, I'm going back to bed and if I hear one more squeak out of Wormtail, I'll go bananas. Goodnight."
Lupin smiled sheepishly. "I'm going to breakfast. Someone has to tell Anna."
James raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you fancy coming with me, Evans." Lily scoffed and turned on her heel, tying her dressing gown tighter. James followed behind her, still carrying Peter. "Charming as ever." He turned ever so slightly to shout, "Are you coming, Padfoot, or not?"
He needn't have bothered. Sirius had draped himself along the sofa, making even sleep look effortlessly elegant. He shifted slightly as he felt pressure on his stomach and sighed. Opening one eye, he glimpsed jet black fur and mumbled, "Get off me. I eat cats."
