AN: Hello readers! I've made a couple of changes in chapter nine (nothing too big) because of some minor details eg: I realised Alice and Crabbe can't be partners in potions since both of them are pretty bad at it.

James walked out of potions with Remus, Sirius had not taken the subject and Peter was too dreadful at it for him to pursue it.

He kept his eyes on a particular red head walking up ahead as he was deep in thought, trying to make sense of the events that had just passed. He had just asked Evans out. He didn't know what made him do it but it had just slipped out. He remembered how when his hand made contact with hers he felt a tingling sensation up his arm and down his spine. He realised how crestfallen he'd felt when she had rejected him. He had never been rejected before... by anyone. No girl had ever refused him before... until now. He was going to change that.

Remus and James were joined by the other two Marauders as they made their way to Transfiguration. They took their usual seats at the back.

"Today you will be transfiguring living beings. Each one of you is to take a toad and turn it into a sparrow. This is not very easy and I do not expect any of you to get it right on the first try. But this is absolutely necessary for your O.W.L examinations," McGonagall announced to the class. The students shuffled around the classroom to get the toads they were to perform the magic on from a cage in the corner.

Once James had got a toad he flicked his wand at the slimy creature and it instantly turned into a sparrow. His sparrow took off from his desk and began circling the classroom. Seconds later it was joined by another bird of its kind. James looked to his right and as expected Padfoot had also transformed his toad on his first try. The two birds circled the classroom at top speed and dove down only to circle McGonagall's head.

"Well done Mr. Black, Mr. Potter. I see you have managed to transfigure the animal perfectly. Ten points each to Gryffindor," McGonagall said proudly with a hint of a smile on her face. She swished her wand and the birds were gone. They were barely ten minutes into the class so James was now completely free.

He had always been good at Transfiguration especially since he along with Padfoot and Wormtail had become Animagi to help Moony through his monthly transfigurations to a werewolf. They couldn't keep him company in human form so Padfoot and he would transform into a dog and a stag respectively, so that they were large and strong enough to control him and Peter would transform into a rat, so that he was small enough to press the knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow which would immobilise the tree and allow them to enter the tunnel which led to the shrieking shack.

It was then that James remembered that it was a full moon night that day and that meant he would not complete the mountain of homework he was bound to get since it was their O.W.L year.

That night Remus left for the Hospital Wing from where Madam Pomfrey, the matron would escort him to the Willow. The remaining three Marauders waited in the common room until their map told them it was safe. They crept down to the Front Doors under James' invisibility cloak and went over to the Willow. They were almost there when the moon began creeping out from behind the clouds. Peter immediately transformed into a rat and pressed the knot on the trunk of the lashing tree and it stopped flailing its branches.

James concentrated, forcing himself into stag form. He could feel his limbs growing longer, his jaw moving outward and a prickly sensation all over his skin which was from the fur sprouting. Finally he felt his antlers growing out from his head. Within seconds he was a fully grown stag with beige fur. The only feature which seemed to remain a constant were his eyes, they were still hazel. James looked to his left and saw a large black dog, standing exactly where Sirius had been moments ago, looking at him intently.

They walked down the tunnel and heard moans coming from a little distance away and he knew that Moony was transforming. By the time they reached the Shrieking Shack at the end of the tunnel Remus had already transformed.

A full grown werewolf stared at James and he should have felt scared but he just walked over and lay down on the ground, Sirius following suit. Peter could be heard squeeking in a corner but he wasn't visible.

James could tell that Remus was still calculating for possible threat but seeing none he looked out of the barred window and let out a long, piercing, spine chilling howl.

At about half past three in the morning Moony turned back into himself and he looked rather relieved that he had not hurt any of the others. He had tried to escape the shack but his friends hadn't let that happen. Remus had also began scratching himself but they put a stop to that with no major injuries. Madam Pomfrey would be coming to take him back to the Hospital Wing which meant the other three couldn't stay there much longer. They dragged themselves up to the castle and to their dormitory. James had barely closed his eyes that he had to wake up again to attend another day of classes.