Chapter 13: Moonlight Swaree

The Gryffindor common room was empty save for the dying fire except for the three boys: Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Moony had escaped earlier to his hideaway to release some of the full moon energy. There was an interesting thing they had learned about their friend Moony their first year; he happened to be a werewolf. Of course after he kept disappearing like clockwork a couple of days every month, the boys had gotten curious. So, late one night they all lay awake, waiting until Remus crept out of bed and followed him. Sirius and James confronted him, with Peter sitting near them, only wanting to be included. Remus' story spilled out from him, the relief at finally sharing what he was overwhelming him. It explained why a good chunk of the time, Remus looked ill and wan. The next step, as far as his friends were concerned, was to find way to keep him company when he went on his nighttime excursions to protect the rest of the students from his other side. It took a while to find the information they needed on becoming an Animagie, but they did, and in doing so, they made Remus' stints into forced solitude far more pleasant. Their mischievous sides came out more during these monthly excursions, going so far as to wander about the village. Even as animals, they were still teenage boys looking for adventure and a little trouble, enough to keep life interesting.

"Good evening, boys. How are we feeling tonight?" asked James, as Sirius, and Peter emerged from the stairs into the boys' dormitory.

"Beastly, James. I feel absolutely beastly," replied Sirius. "I must be having empathy pains for Remus."

"How apropos. Then I think perhaps we should all stretch our, ahem, legs a bit and get out of this drafty castle."

"Capital idea, James," said Peter. "Who's got the map?"

"Got it," said James, unrolling the map. "And the cloak, if we need it."

James unrolled the map, tapping it and saying their double, super secret magic words to make the map of Hogwarts they had created reveal itself. The castle looked quiet and empty, which was good for a swift escape out to the grounds. Throwing the cloak under an arm incase they would need it, James led the way out through the portrait hole. The only things that were about were the ghosts, it seemed. The castle was silent, and they had a surprisingly easy time of getting down to the bottom floor and out the door to the grounds. It was only a few feet more to the Whomping Willow. With a shudder, Peter changed into a rat and scuttled forward to tap the knot at the base of the tree and still its movements. In another swirl of motion, Sirius and James joined him in the tunnel in the forms of a stag and a large, black dog. It was just like Sirius to choose an animal for that was also a bad omen and herald of impending death.

The other side of the dark, earth tunnel was a dusty house that had become a teenage boy playground on the full moons. They had made enough noise to convince the villagers and students alike that the house was haunted. The headmaster had helped spread and support the rumor for the safety of Remus and other wizards. The boys were certain he knew they joined Remus during the full moon. Remus appreciated the company. His friends kept him and those around him safe, and made the times he had to change with the moon more bearable; sometimes it wasn't so bad to be a werewolf.

The large, black dog listened at one of the windows as a huge wolf clambered down the stairs, teeth bared. The stag bucked him back through the doorway with his antlers and into the hall, towards the staircase he had run down. A rat scrambled out of the way as the two much larger animals struggled with one another. The tip of one skeletal antler grazed the wolf's flesh, and he stepped back in surprise. A gleam of recognition came into his eyes, and the stag nodded his head as the wolf remembered himself and the creatures around him. Sometimes Remus had to be reminded who he was most of the time. The beast always took over at the start of the change and had to be reminded that the soft human was his usual appearance. Remus would never forgive himself if he gave in to the monster within, which was why he had the boys, in addition to just being his nighttime companions during the full moon. The motley collection of animals stepped back over to Sirius. The night outside in the village was quiet and still. It was obvious to the adopted pack that mischief had to be made.

James trotted up to the door in the front hall and gave it a shake, pulling it back as the Peter climbed up his foreleg and jumped onto the door handle, turning it with his weight. With the door open, the boys wandered freely out into the night. There were strange smells on the midnight air, subtle ones that would have been missed had they been in their regular skins. They headed down the short path to the sleeping village to investigate the scents. A shadow disappeared around the corner of a building far down the road from them. Peter scurried before them, off to investigate before his larger, less quiet friends could catch up. Of course, James and Sirius could have surpassed him in a speed contest, but they never left Remus unattended during the full moon. He could be unpredictable, and while they were mischief-makers, they did not want to endanger anyone they might happen upon in their excursions.

James hung back from the corner, hiding in a shadow, as the others stealthily rounded the corner after their shadow quarry. He was a bit more obvious than the others with his almost luminescent coat. Their one shadow apparition separated into two men, hidden beneath dark cloaks. Sirius found a convenient pile of boxes to hide behind at the backdoor of a shop just a few feet from the men they followed. Peter sat almost at their feet, head tilted and listening attentively.

"All is ready, then, I take it? He will be pleased with your work," said the first man, in a deep, gravely voice.

"Aye, all is ready. The timing is the most important thing, you know. It will be an excellent opportunity to clean the blood of the village. They will almost all certainly be in the village tomorrow. We can cleanse the area, as the Dark Lord wishes," answered the second.

"Good. Do not fail, or I guarantee you will feel his anger." The boys hugged their hiding places as the first man returned the way he had come and left the alley. From the little they could see by the moonlight, the second man stood shaking his head, face pale. He looked vaguely familiar, young, probably about their age. They could not make out the features of his face, but the voice they had definitely heard before. He turned and left the alley the opposite way from his cohort. Peter scurried up Sirius' leg, climbing onto his back and chattering in rat. Sirius let out of a soft bark to get Peter to quiet down. Remus' glowing, golden eyes watched the exchange with interest before trotting back around the corner to find James. The snow muffled all sounds they made, meaning they had been effectively eavesdropped unnoticed on a meeting that was definitely sinister in nature. Thinking it would be better to not run the risk of being seen that evening, the variety pack returned to the Shrieking Shack.

As the door closed and locked behind them, the boys looked pointedly at one another. James turned down the tunnel to the castle, Peter in quick pursuit. Someone had to warn the headmaster that something was awry in the village, but Remus still needed company. So, Sirius stayed behind, waiting for the return of the others. It was going to be a long night.

A/N:

It's a short chapter, I know, but I got caught up in writing the next one and just had to end it on a bit of a cliffhanger. I know, you are all waiting with baited breath for the next installment. I hope you are enjoying it, dear readers, and if you are, please drop me a quick review. They help so much. Thank you to those of you who have reviewed already. Your words are greatly appreciated.