Chapter 14

Changes

'I can't wait until we show Remus!' hooted Sirius excitedly.

The exuberant fifteen-year-old leapt down from the seat, his long black hair falling gracefully either side of his face as he sat down beside James. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat allowing him to show off the new muscles in his arms and chest he'd gotten over the summer; unlike for some boys his age, Sirius was lucky enough that it was all natural and had done little to improve it. Beside him, James shared his grin, however, was much more restrained in his shared excitement. He sat relaxed in his seat, his hazel eyes focused through his round glasses at the book in his hands. He too had changed somewhat over the summer; being a Chaser now on the Gryffindor Quidditch team meant James had spent most of the summer practicing and improving his strength and physique for the position, warranting him too receiving some new tone to his chest. His hair had also grown, making it even wilder than it was in previous years. Opposite them sat Peter; bigger in personality though maybe not in height, he stared out of the window as he listened to James and Sirius's conversation.

'He is going to be so impressed when he sees what we've done considering he didn't even think we could do it,' gushed Sirius, 'and Tala! I can't wait to see their expressions when they see what we can do now. I bet you anything Tala is going to be speechless for the first time in her life!'

'Keep your voice down, Sirius,' hissed James. 'We've got to keep this quiet, remember? What we've done isn't exactly legal.'

'Aww, don't be such a worry wizard, James,' said Sirius. 'I'm not going to go telling anyone about this. As much as I like being the centre of the attention, I don't really want the whole of Hogwarts knowing about this.'

'No, but your big mouth might let it slip,' countered James. Sirius glared at him and shoved him on the shoulder. James just smirked.

'I still don't see why we can't tell Remus and Tala on the train though,' grumbled Sirius. He folded his arms and glanced out at the platform for any sign of the last two members of their group. James's parents had dropped the two of them off earlier where they'd met up with Peter. The last few families were saying their goodbyes to each other on the platform. 'Why do we have to wait until we get to Hogwarts? No one's going to care what we're doing in the compartment.'

'Because there isn't enough room for a start,' said James. 'This is something that is better shown than told. They probably wouldn't even believe us if we just told them and didn't offer any proof. You know how much of a sceptic Tala can be. And because we can't let anyone see us. We can't exactly use the Invisibility Cloak for this.' Sirius rolled his eyes and let out a huff. 'Look, we'll tell them as soon as we can when we get back, all right, Sirius? Just have a little patience.'

'Tell us what?' asked a voice.

James, Sirius and Peter all looked up. Remus raised his eyebrow as he leaned against the doorframe to the compartment. Fresh faced from his recovery after the latest full moon, Remus grinned at James and Sirius, the change in his own appearance evident as well having grown a bit over the summer. His long hair fell either side of his face, his brown eyes observing the two troublemakers he had for best friends. Remus walked into the compartment and greeted his friends, taking the free seat next to Peter.

'Mate, what's with your hair?' asked Sirius. 'It's almost as long as mine.'

'It looks like you're going for the hippy style,' said Peter. 'The Muggles from about ten years ago, right?'

Remus laughed, 'Yeah, you got it right, Peter. The Muggle hippies are from the sixties. However, it is not the style I'm going for. Nor am I going for your style either, Sirius, so you can stop flattering yourself.'

'Pardon me for thinking I'd started a trend,' said Sirius in a mock huff.

'The only trend you could set is a detention trend,' retorted Remus, smirking. Sirius huffed, properly this time. James and Peter sniggered.

'He's learning, Sirius,' muttered James. 'Remus may be timid but you've got to admit, he's learning.'

'After four years of hanging around you two, I might have picked up a thing or two,' shrugged Remus.

'Yeah, yeah, so he got one good jibe in,' said Sirius, 'he's still got a long way to catch up. Now back to the point in question, what's with growing your hair, Remus? I thought you were the "neat" one.'

Remus shrugged.

'It's Tala,' he said. 'She's been on a bit of a change of image stint over the holidays and I kind of got roped into it. You know what girls are like. She said I looked too much like our dad and that I should try a new look, hence the longer hair. Tala suggested I tried growing it out. It's not actually that bad.'

'Talking of which, where is Tala?' asked Sirius. He glanced around, having not noticed she wasn't there when Remus first walked in. 'How come she's not with you, Remus? Usually you two are joined at the hip.'

'Ah, Tala saw Lily on the platform and the two went off together,' said Remus. James's ears perked up. 'She shouted something about meeting up with us later.'

'How is old Evans?' asked James, smirking. 'She still as uptight as McGonagall's hair bun or has she decided to loosen up a bit yet?'

A smile turned up the edges of Remus's lips. Just wait until he heard the news that Remus had for them.

'Lily is fine,' he said, emphasising her name in hopes that James would finally start using it. The chances of that were as slim as him and Severus Snape becoming friends. 'She had a good summer from what I heard before she and Tala started talking the way girls talk. As for still being uptight, I wouldn't say Lily was ever uptight.'

'How many times has she got us two into detention?' interjected Sirius.

'Twenty-three times,' piped Peter. Sirius glared at him.

'Point is, Evan's wand has more knots in it than the wood on James's broomstick,' he finished. 'I bet she doesn't even know the meaning of the word fun as she spends so much time ruining ours. If she could, I bet she'd love to put us in detention herself without always having to go to McGonagall to do it.'

A laugh rose in Remus's throat. He quickly put his hand over his mouth to suppress it but already he could feel his shoulders shaking. James, Sirius and Peter looked at each other then back to their snickering friend. It wasn't often that Remus started laughing for no particular reason. Remus tried as best as he could to hold back his laughter but was soon chuckling quite happily to himself much to the bemusement of James, Sirius and Peter.

'Want to let us in on the joke, Remus?' asked James.

'Yeah, what's so funny?' asked Sirius, equally as confused. 'This is very un … Remus-ish.'

Remus looked between his friends and said, in between bursts of laughter, 'Nothing, it's just that … no, I can't … I want to see your faces when you find out …'

'What are you on about?'

It was no use trying to get the reason behind his laughter out of Remus and soon he excused himself saying he needed to find Tala. He got up and opened the door to their compartment, taking a brief glance back at his bemused friends, before disappearing down the corridor to the next carriage.

-o-

Tala and Lily said goodbye to Remus as he disappeared down the train and went back inside their carriage. Steadily the train began to pull away from the station, the platform disappearing in the cloud of smoke issuing from the Hogwarts Express. Lily watched silently through the window, her green eyes burning with excitement and a smile on her pale lips. She just knew this school year was going to be the best so far. Her attention was drawn away when she heard footsteps pass their compartment. Lily looked up to see Severus and a couple of his Slytherin friends walk by. Their eyes met briefly before Severus looked away and walked off. The smile faded from Lily's face. Tala noticed this. She took the seat next her.

'How's it going with Severus or should I not ask?' she said quietly.

Lily sighed, 'I've tried talking to him but it's no use. He's being as immature as Potter and Black act and by retaliating he's only encouraging them and I've told him that but he won't listen. He's not going to stop.' Lily glanced out the window. 'Sometimes I wonder if our friendship means anything to him,' she muttered. 'He knows how I feel about his friends and using Dark magic but still he insists that it's only harmless fun. But that doesn't change what he's doing and it's wrong. I just wish he could see that.'

'Sometimes it's hard for boys to see what's really in front of them,' said Tala. 'They just need someone to open their eyes.'

'Well as long as he keeps hanging around those pair of bullies Avery and Wilkes, I doubt he's going to see it any time soon,' muttered Lily. She glanced at Tala. Seeing her concern, Lily gave her a smile then said, 'I'm cool with it, Tal. I've had four years to get use to Severus being a different person to who I met. Don't worry about it.'

Lily could see Tala wasn't convinced. Since meeting her, Lily had learnt that Tala was more perceptive than she appeared. On more than one occasion Tala had mentioned in passing something one day then a few days later, it would occur. Lily simply took it to being another one of the many differences between the wizard and Muggle worlds. Of course, Lily wasn't aware of the premonitions that Tala received. It was only in the last few months or so Tala herself had realised what the mental flashes she received were, like the one she received during her Sorting, and they were few and far between, but it didn't mean she couldn't use them to her advantage once in a while (so long as Remus didn't find out). As this was one of those moments, Lily decided to change the subject.

'So come on, what's with your new look?' she said brightly. 'I thought you enjoyed being the tomboy of your year.'

'I do, you wouldn't catch me dead in the clothes some of the girls in our years wear,' said Tala. 'But I just felt like it was time for a change. Besides I haven't change that much, only my hair mainly. Go for something more … well, me.'

'Well I think it suits you,' said Lily. 'You never know, might even attract a few male eyes too,' Lily added, causing the two of them to start laughing. The subject of boys was a constant source of entertainment to Lily and Tala as neither of them had had any particular interest in dating so far so instead they would joke about what they would do if a guy asked one of them out. Some of the responses in the past had been very entertaining indeed.

'Whatever you do, don't say that in front of Remus,' whispered Tala, once she'd caught her breath again. 'He'd flip his cauldron at the mere mention of me dating.'

'What makes you say that?' asked Lily, intrigued. She knew Remus was a protective brother to Tala but he couldn't stop Tala dating if she wanted to. 'Why would Remus have a problem with you dating?'

'Because that's what big brothers do,' said Tala huffily. She leant back in her seat and crossed her arms. 'You're lucky you don't have an older brother. Over the summer I made a passing comment to Mum that I thought that Ravenclaw Ezra Darko in the year above you was kind of cute and Remus almost choked on his drink. He was coughing for a good two minutes.'

'So I take it Remus wouldn't react well if someone asked you out?'

'Remus wouldn't react well if I so much as developed a crush. He seems to think that because I'm his younger sister, it's not right for me to date. If he could have his way, I bet he wouldn't let me date until I was of age.'

'What about your parents?' Lily asked.

'Dad's all right with the idea of me dating but I think Mum's a bit hesitant,' shrugged Tala. 'That's probably where Remus gets it.'

'It's the complete opposite in my house,' said Lily. 'Dad's the overprotective one whereas Mum's more than happy to meet a potential boyfriend. Mind you, they'd have to be tolerant considering what Petunia's brought home.' Tala looked at Lily inquisitively. 'Petunia's got a new man … or perhaps a new walrus would be more accurate.' Tala couldn't help but let out a snicker at that comment. 'I'm serious!' said Lily. 'The only way to describe Vernon Dursley is like a walrus. He's huge! Not to mention his moustache looks like it could have a life of its own. You should see the two of them together. It's like watching Laurel and Hardy, minus the comedy and with snogging instead.'

'Not an image I want to imagine, Lily,' said Tala straight away, holding up her hands for emphasis. 'And who are Laurel and Hardy?'

'Never mind, the point is I don't see why Remus would mind who you date. Petunia couldn't care less who I was dating. We're all a bunch of freaks to her anyway.'

'Because Tala's too young to be dating, that's why,' said Remus, opening the compartment door. Lily and Tala looked up at him.

'Oh, here we go,' muttered Tala.

'She was only fourteen a couple months ago, Lily,' Remus told her. 'She's starting her OWLs this year. Boys should be the last thing on her mind.'

'She is still in the compartment,' Tala reminded Remus. He glanced at her and smiled. Tala stuck her tongue out at him. Lily laughed.

'So am I to assume it's time for the meeting?' she then asked. 'I take it that's why you're here and not with Potter or Black. Have you told them you're a prefect yet?'

'No, I haven't told them,' said Remus. 'I thought I'd let them find out when we have to take the new first years to the common room. It's more their faces I want to see. It's not that often I get a chance to prank James and Sirius.'

'Oh, don't you start,' said Lily reproachfully. Remus merely smiled.

'It's hardly a prank,' said Tala. 'Not as good as the last one I pulled on Sirius.'

'Admittedly, no,' Remus mused. 'However, it's still going to make their wands spark.'

'How you manage to get away with pranking Potter and Black without them retaliating, I don't know. Still, it would be nice to see something stun Potter and Black into silence for once,' said Lily, getting up. Remus sighed and rolled his eyes. If James and Lily had anything, it was a mutual animosity for each other. 'I'll see you later, Tala.'

'Have fun though I don't see how much it could be,' said Tala.

Lily grinned at Tala then she and Remus left the compartment.

It was dark by the time the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station at Hogsmeade and James and Sirius were still none the wiser about Remus's new position, having assumed that while he was patrolling he'd been with Tala until he returned. Once at the station the four friends, dressed in their school robes, got a carriage up to the school along with some of their fellow Gryffindors, while further up the platform Tala and Lily met up with Alice and got another. The horseless carriages travelled up the hill towards the castle, a welcome sight to any Hogwarts student.

'Ah, I've missed this,' sighed James happily, looking round the Great Hall. The night sky that the ceiling of the Hall reflected was as pleasant as ever, not a cloud in the sky but millions of stars shining in the dark sea, the dozens of candles that helped brighten the Hall floating below. He, Sirius, Remus and Peter walked down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables and took a couple of seats. 'It's good to be back here at last.'

'Tell me about it,' said Sirius. 'I thought I'd go mad in Grimmauld Place. My cousin Narcissa got engaged over the summer to that Malfoy bloke, the Slytherin blondie, remember? Mum and Dad were unbearable with how pleased they were that she was making a healthy, respectable pure-blood marriage to another Slytherin.'

'Sucks to be you,' muttered James. Sirius nodded grimly.

Hush soon fell over the Great Hall as the doors opened and Professor McGonagall led the way down the central aisle, all the new and scared looking first year students following behind her. They walked up to the front where the stool had been placed, an old hat sitting on top of it. In the centre of the teacher's table, Professor Dumbledore had risen to his feet, his arms outstretched as he addressed the school.

'To all returning students, welcome back,' he said. 'And to all new students, welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where you will for the next seven years be guided in the magical arts. I trust you will all settle in with no problems. A few notes though before the Sorting begins. The Forest on the borders of the school is strictly out of bounds to all students,' James and Sirius grinned at each other, 'and our caretaker, Mr Filch has reminded me for the however many times it is now as I have currently lost count that no magic is allowed in the corridors and between classes. Professor McGonagall, if you please.'

'Does he ever change that speech?' whispered Sirius as Professor McGonagall began the Sorting of the new students. 'I swear that's the same one he said back when we were those ickle first years.'

'Don't call them "ickle", Sirius,' said Remus, though slightly amused by the comment. 'You were that short once.'

'Me? No way, I was never that short.'

'Some of us are still that short,' muttered Peter.

James and Sirius sniggered. Remus rolled his eyes then turned away to watch the rest of the Sorting, James and Sirius meanwhile muttering in the background that they wished the Sorting would hurry up so they could eat. Not long after (though to James and Sirius it felt like an eternity) the new students had all been Sorted into the four Houses and Dumbledore announced the feast. Piles of food magically appeared on the tables before them and the students all tucked in to a well needed meal, the buzz of talk rising again in the Hall. Once the first course had been finished the empty dishes were replaced with an array of deserts.

'Treacle tart, my favourite,' said James, helping himself to a second slice. The four boys were still sat at the Gryffindor table. The Hall was slowly beginning to empty as the students returned to their various common rooms.

'Aren't you full yet?' asked Remus. 'I've never seen someone eat as much as you, except Sirius perhaps.'

'Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite,' said Sirius. Remus cringed.

'Nor is there anything wrong with talking when your mouth isn't full of food,' he muttered. He then glanced down the table. Further down he caught Lily's eye. She nodded her head towards the end of the table where all the new first years were sitting, all of which looked rather nervous about what to do. 'As much as I'd love to continue this conversation with Sirius's half chewed dinner,' continued Remus, getting to his feet, 'I've got to go show the new first years how to get to the common room.'

'Why bother?' asked Sirius. 'That's the prefect's job, isn't it? Frank'll be doing it.'

'But Frank's already gone,' said Peter. James and Sirius looked at each other. Remus remained silent. It was obvious though when the Knut had dropped. James and Sirius looked at Remus in horror.

'What!' they gasped simultaneously. 'You're a prefect?'

'How could you?' said James. It was the ultimate crime in their opinion.

'You've broken the code!' said Sirius.

'What code?' Remus asked curiously. He was more than amused at their reaction. 'There's no code.'

'No code? Of course there is! The one where we don't become anything that could hinder our mischief!' Sirius gave Remus a sincere nod. 'How are we going to pull pranks when you're meant to be stopping us?'

'It just means you two toerags will have to give it up,' said another smug voice. James groaned.

'Evans, can't you keep your nose out of other people's −'

James looked up to face the arrival of the permanent thorn in his side only to stop dead in his tracks. His eyes widened in awe at the girl now standing beside Remus, taking in every vital detail. Her hair had grown longer over the summer now reaching past her shoulders and falling elegantly either side of her face in a way his hair never hoped to; she had grown taller too, not to mention the new subtle curves of her body evident beneath her school uniform; her skin was pale, ivory almost in colour, making her look fragile and delicate; finally, James's eyes met hers, a blaze so strong and wilful in those startling emerald eyes as she looked back at him. This couldn't be the same Lily Evans … could it?

'− business …' James finished rather weakly.

'Seeing as I've got to set an example to the younger students, no I can't,' replied Lily.

'So are we to assume you've got the other prefects badge,' asked Sirius. Lily nodded. 'I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of you then, Lily Flower. Looks like you just can't keep away from us.' Sirius grinned. Lily glared at him.

'In your dreams, Black,' snapped Lily. 'And don't call me "Lily Flower".'

With that Lily turned away and walked towards the first years, Sirius shouting 'You know you love us really!' after her. Remus glanced at him and shook his head, then followed after her.

'Can you believe that, James?' asked Sirius when they'd gone. 'Both Remus and Evans are prefects. James?'

'James?' Peter and Sirius glanced at each other when James didn't respond. He was still staring in the direction Lily had left. 'Are you all right, James?' asked Peter.

'Somebody pinch me,' breathed James, completely oblivious to the strange looks he was getting from the other two. 'OW! I didn't mean seriously!'

'Well, you know I'm always Sirius.' James rolled his eyes. That running gag still hadn't ended. 'So, er, had someone placed an Immobilising Charm on you or something?'

'Huh?' James gave Sirius a strange look. Sirius cocked his eyebrow back at him. 'What makes you say that?'

'Oh, just the fact your eyes seemed to be glued to Evans the entire time she was standing next to Remus. Either that or you were checking her out.'

James gave Sirius a shocked look.

'Checking out Evans? Are you mad?'

'I don't blame you if you were,' shrugged Sirius, ignoring James's last comment. 'I mean, you've got to admit, I've never seen the school uniform look that good on someone before.'

James stared at Sirius completely baffled by his bold statement. He only looked away when out of the corner of his eye he spied Evans and Remus walk back up the aisle past where they were sitting, the new first years following quickly behind. For a brief moment their eyes met but Lily quickly looked away again. James tore his eyes away only to see the smug look on Sirius's face had got larger. Even Peter was joining in now and had an equally pleased grin on his face.

'So … d'you like what you see?' asked Sirius.

'I − er, well she −' stammered James. He cleared his throat and tried again. 'She's changed a bit over the summer.'

'Hmm, changed is one way you can put it,' said Sirius, nodding sagely. James hated it whenever Sirius tried to be "wise" like that. 'Developed is another way.'

'Don't be crass, Sirius,' sighed James. He got to his feet ready to leave. 'I know your mind's usually in the gutter but are you able to say anything without putting a lewd spin on it?'

'It's not what I say, it's how you interpret it,' corrected Sirius. James rolled his eyes. Sirius and Peter got up and the three of them left the Great Hall to return to the Gryffindor Tower. 'I was just saying that Evans has developed over the holidays. Surely you noticed the changes with keen eyes like yours.'

'Well, yeah, I mean her hair's grown longer and − and she was wearing a bit more makeup than usual,' James stumbled, trying to avoid the obvious answer. Sirius gave James a pointed look. 'OK, so I was checking her out. There's no harm in that.'

A small heat had begun to rise in James's cheeks so he sped up. He paced quickly up the stairs towards the seventh floor and through the corridors to the portrait of the Fat Lady, briskly saying the password then climbing inside, Sirius and Peter entering a few minutes afterwards to find James already sitting in their favourite chairs in the corner. They went over and joined him as Sirius was not about to end this conversation.

'And?' he asked eagerly. 'Does she come up to James Potter's standards?'

'What does it matter if she comes up to my standards or not?' said James irritated. 'D'you think I'd really want to date Evans? She's got "high maintenance" stamped all over her.'

'But you still think she's hot.'

Again, James didn't reply straight away. This was not a conversation he wanted to have and certainly not with Sirius who would just make fun of him. Why would he suddenly develop interest in Lily Evans when she had gone out of her way in the past to ruin all of his fun with his friends anyway? Although he couldn't really deny it; she had changed a lot over the summer and she was the only girl James had ever seen make the Hogwarts uniform look half decent on them. Then there was her hair, the richest colour red James had ever seen even though loads of his family had had red hair. And her eyes … those emerald eyes … never had James seen a pair of eyes as deep as hers, the blaze of Lily's spirit within them …

James let out a groan, 'All right, yes! I think she looks hot. Is that what you wanted me to say, Sirius? Yes, I think she's hot.'

'You think who's hot?' came Remus's voice. James, Sirius and Peter looked up. Remus raised an eyebrow at them and took the empty seat next to Peter having finished dealing with the new first years.

'Nobody,' said James instantly.

'Peter and I beg to differ,' chimed Sirius. Remus glanced at him. Sirius grinned as he proudly said, 'Jamesie here has got the hots for Evans.'

'What?' said Remus surprised. 'Sirius, that has got to be the most ridiculous thing you have ever said.'

'Thank you, Remus,' said James. He was glad to have someone on his side.

'D'you not see how much James and Lily fight?' he continued. 'I can't honestly believe that that would ever happen.'

'It's true, Remus,' said Peter. 'He was staring at her when she was talking to us earlier.'

'Yeah, he was checking her out,' added Sirius. He really is like a dog with a bone, thought James. 'And he's blushing.'

'I'm not blushing!' shouted James although he couldn't help but feel the heat in his cheeks.

Remus looked between his three friends, his eyes going to James last. No one was more perceptive than Remus so when his brown eyes fell on him, James automatically looked away pretending he was interested in the design on the carpet.

'Do you, James?' asked Remus. James willed himself not to respond though he knew in a couple of seconds he would snap. 'Do you think Lily's good looking?'

Don't answer, don't answer, don't answer, James told himself over and over again in his head. He had his pride and this was something he didn't want to admit.

'Aww, leave him be, Remus,' sighed Sirius. 'We all know he's got the hots for Evans even if he doesn't want to admit it.' James glared at Sirius out the corner of his eye. Sirius pretended not to notice. 'But let's face it. We all know that Evans would never go out with James no matter how many times he asked her.'

'Not that I'm going to!' snapped James. He silently damned Sirius and his baiting tricks. James fell for them every time but it was usually to get them to pull a prank.

'All right, Sirius,' said Remus resignedly. 'Point proven, James likes how Lily looks now.'

'Damn it!' hissed James under his breath. 'And what d'you mean Evans would never go out with me?'

'Well you're not exactly her favourite person,' said Peter.

'I could give you a whole string of reasons,' said Sirius but Remus cut him off before he could give them.

'James, you know full well Lily's opinion of you,' he said, trying to be diplomatic about it. 'She does find you rather childish at times and what with you and Sirius pranking Severus and vice versa all the time when she and Severus are good friends is not really going to endear her to you.'

'But that just shows I've got a sense of humour,' said James. 'Girls love that, or at least the ones I've dated so far have. That Luciana Macmillan in Hufflepuff loved to hear my jokes.'

'Yeah, it's just a pity her laugh was so irritating,' muttered Sirius. James had to agree with Sirius on that point; it was one of the reasons he'd broken up with her because he couldn't stand that high pitched cackle.

Remus merely smiled.

'I know full well that between you and Sirius, the pair of you are able to attract the majority of the female population of Hogwarts,' he said. James and Sirius grinned at each other. 'But the same charms don't work on every girl. Lily is very different compared to the rest of the year and in all honesty, James, I find it hard to believe that she would ever choose to date you.'

James chose not to dignify Remus's statement with a response. Instead, to show that the conversation had come to a close, he turned away to look round the common room. The new first years were all gathered in a corner together chatting away excitedly in the way they do; the older years meanwhile were just taking it easy for this would be one of their only nights throughout the next year where they wouldn't be sat doing homework. His eyes travelled round the room until they fell upon a group of girls in the opposite corner to where he sat with Sirius and the others. In amongst them were Tala, Alice and, of course, Evans. She was facing away from him as she spoke to Mary Macdonald and Dorcas Meadowes, a couple more of the girls in their year.

James remained quiet as Sirius, Remus and Peter started a new conversation concerning their OWL exams at the end of the year, all the while watching Evans. Every so often she would brush her hair back behind her ear, the red strands shimmering in the light of the common room, or smile as she laughed at whatever one of the other girls said, her pale lips forming one of the kindest smiles James had ever seen. Then there were her eyes, those emerald eyes, which lit up whenever she was happy about something in a way James just wanted to see again and again. Why was he only noticing all of this now? Had Evans been the only girl to completely escape his attention since he first started dating? Because, in all honesty, which he would never admit to Sirius, James couldn't understand how he could have missed it.

There was only one way to describe Lily Evans now in James's thoughts: absolutely beautiful.

'Er, correct me if I'm wrong but I think James is staring at Evans again,' Sirius whispered to Remus and Peter having noticed he was not joining in the conversation. The three of them glanced at him then back at each other.

'Yup, he's staring at her,' confirmed Peter. 'Either that or he's become very interest in that portrait of the wizards playing chess.'

'Nope, it's Lily,' said Remus. He took another quick look at James. Never in their four years at Hogwarts so far had Remus seen James look at a girl in a way like he was looking at Lily now. 'And by the looks of it, he's got it bad.'

It didn't take long for them to get back into the old routine. On Monday morning Remus was left to wake up James, Sirius and Peter and the four of them left for breakfast with the other Gryffindors during which Professor McGonagall handed out their timetables for the year. When the bell went, the four boys headed off for their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year. A few members of their class were already waiting outside by the time James, Sirius, Remus and Peter reached the third floor. While they waited for Professor Lease and the rest of their class to arrive, they chatted happily to one another about their holidays. A few minutes after James and the others had arrived, the Slytherins who they were sharing the class with again this year, began to turn up, the first of which being Severus Snape and, much to James's chagrin, Evans was with him.

James was not the only student in their year who couldn't understand what Evans saw in Snape. He was prying, vile and devious, not to mention he had a great interest in the Dark Arts along with the rest of his Slytherin friends like Avery, Wilkes and Mulciber. James detested the Dark Arts with a passion and believed anyone who practiced it deserved nothing better to be thrown into Azkaban. James just couldn't understand why Evans was friends with him. And for some reason, now it seemed to irritate him even more than before.

The two were deep in conversation when they appeared for Defence Against the Dark Arts. James watched on, his brow furrowed in thought. During their conversation, Snape glanced in their direction, noticing James was watching them. He glared towards him then turned back to Evans, saying something which then in turn caused Evans to look in his direction. James's hand instantly sprung to his hair and he ran his fingers through it, making it even messier than before.

'All right, Evans?' said James, his tone unnaturally smoother than normal. 'Sleep well last night?'

'Yes, thank you,' replied Lily, giving him a strange look in the process. She then turned back to Severus to continue their conversation. James's eyes narrowed in frustration when she turned away.

'So,' he continued, this time walking over to her away from Sirius, Remus and Peter. The three of them watched as he did so. James stood next to her, completely ignoring Snape. He smiled at Evans, putting on his most charming smile. 'Another year of being in class together. Bet you can't wait for that.'

Lily glanced at Severus then back at James. It seemed like not much had changed over the summer with him. He could see perfectly well that Lily was talking with Severus but he was still as rude as ever to just butt in.

'Yes, I'm looking forward to class but unfortunately for you, not so much because you're in it,' said Lily politely. James's grin faltered slightly. 'Now, if you don't mind, Potter, I was talking to Severus before you interrupted.'

'Oh,' said James. He glanced over his shoulder back at Snape who was glaring at him, his sallow face contorted. 'I didn't see you there, Snivellus.'

Snape's face flushed with anger.

'Considering you're as blind as a bat even with your glasses, there's no surprises there, Potter,' he grated. James glared at him. Snape's thin lips twisted briefly into a smirk, happy that he'd got a rise out of him. Lily, however, wasn't impressed. She gave Severus a pointed look.

'Better than having greasy hair,' sneered James. Snape was about to retort again when Lily stopped him.

'Just ignore him, Sev,' Lily told him. She turned away from James and made to return to their previous conversation but James wasn't about to lose her attention that easily.

'Well, actually I had something I wanted to ask you, Evans,' he continued quickly. Lily held in a groan and looked back at him.

'He isn't, is he?' whispered Peter to Sirius and Remus.

'He Merlin well is,' Sirius whispered back.

'I was er wondering if you'd like to perhaps go to Hogsmeade one weekend with me. Hang out and stuff.'

'And he just did,' whispered Remus. All three of them were surprised by James's action.

Lily stared at James. Behind him, Snape's eyes had narrowed and his glare had deepened to the previous one.

'You're asking me out?' said Lily, suspicious of what his intentions were. If James Potter was known for anything around school other than his pranks and bullying, it was for his dating record.

'Yeah, you know, a date,' said James to clarify.

Lily let out a short laugh in amusement. Of all the things she thought James Potter was arrogant enough to do, this was the icing on the cake. James recoiled, startled by her reaction.

'I wouldn't go on a date with you even if you paid me, Potter,' said Lily. 'If it's all the same to you, I don't want to be just another one of the notches on your bedpost. I'd never go out with you.'

The bell rang. Lily instantly walked away into the classroom. Snape followed. He gave James a pleased smirk as he passed then disappeared into the classroom. James remained where he was for a moment or two, completely taken aback. Sirius, Remus and Peter walked over to him.

'You OK, mate?' said Sirius. James had never been turned down before. 'That was pretty harsh.'

'She … turned me down,' said James. He wasn't quite able to believe it. 'Evans turned me down.'

'I did tell you,' said Remus. He patted James consolingly on the back. 'Come on, or we'll be starting the year already with detention for being late.'

After being turned down once, you'd think that would deter James from asking Lily on date again. Of course, that was not the case. For the entire lesson, James stared at the back of Lily's head while he questioned silently why she had turned him down. He just couldn't fathom it; he was James Potter, most girls in the school would do anything for a date with him. So why it was so simple for Lily Evans to turn him down just made him more determined to win her over.

One floor below them in the Charms classroom, Tala and her classmates were also getting back into the swing of things as they sat the first of their OWL classes. Having been set by Professor Flitwick to start work on the Summoning Charm, Tala and her friends were free to catch up with each other as chaos ensued in the classroom with various items flying all over the place as the students Summoned them haphazardly towards them. Every so often an object would go astray as the student pointed their wand too vigorously or wasn't concentrating on what they were doing, even to the point where Professor Flitwick had to leap off his pile of cushions to avoid getting hit.

'I've always loved Charms for the sheer fact it's so chaotic,' laughed Jordan. He ducked as a pair of inkwells suddenly shot over his head. 'Who needs Cheering Charms when you've got this?'

'I know,' agreed Rachel. 'Plus, Flitwick's always so busy trying to control things, he doesn't notice you chatting. Of course,' she then added, pointing her wand at something across the classroom, 'as long as you do the work, you won't get any extra homework. Accio!'

The book Rachel had pointed at flew a little too fast towards where she and the other sat catching her unprepared. Instinctively, Tala raised her hand. The book was about to hit then when a bluish shield blurred at the point of contact and the book dropped with a thud on to their desk.

'Whoa, how did you do that, Tala?' asked Lottie. 'You didn't use a spell or anything.'

'That's the thing, I don't know,' said Tala, laughing. 'I did it once during third year and over the summer it happened all the time. Whenever I raise my hands to protect myself that strange shield always appears.'

It was true. Tala had no idea how she was able to produce that shield. Like she said, the first time she produced it was during their third year, the night a gang of Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts. She and Regulus Black had been chased by them after he helped her escape when they cornered her in a corridor and Regulus had gotten trapped in the trick stair in the staircase. The shield had appeared by itself when Tala went to help him, protecting the pair of them from the Death Eater's curses. Since then Tala hadn't been able to reproduce it again until the summer holidays. James and Sirius had come over during the holidays and they and Remus had taken advantage of their home to play some Quidditch, despite knowing Remus hated flying. Their Dad had helped them by enchanting some balls for them to play with but James and Sirius had gotten a little too enthusiastic with the ball they were using for a Bludger. It resulted in it being hit towards Tala when she came out to get them for lunch and the shield protected her when put her hands out to stop it.

'It's kind of useful actually,' Tala joked. 'Means if I want to get Remus out of my bedroom, I just had to walk towards him with my hands raised and he'd get pushed out of my room by the shield. He hates it when I do that to him.'

'I wish I could do that to my older brother,' said Jordan. 'He still likes messing my hair and stuff like I'm a little kid and teasing me about being able to do magic. But I'll show him,' Jordan chuckled. 'When I'm of age, he's going to have a nasty surprise in store for him.'

'Ahem.' Tala, Jordan, Rachel and Lottie all jumped and looked over the edge of their desk. Professor Flitwick was looking up expectantly at all of them. 'Come now, less chatter,' he squeaked. 'You've got time after school for that. Let's see how you're all getting on with the Summoning Charm.'

Tala and the others looked at each other. They each tried with varying success to Summon objects across the classroom to each other. Tala was so surprised when the pencil case she'd tried to Summon flew at them that she lost concentration and it knocked Professor Flitwick's hat off.

'Oops,' she giggled as he squeaked in surprise. Jordan, Lottie and Rachel all sniggered. 'Sorry, Professor.'

The bell signalling the end of the lesson rang a while later and the four of them gathered up their things from around the classroom and left together to head outside for break. They walked together through the courtyard and over the bridge into the grounds. Taking off their robes, they sat down on the grass in the shade from the September sun, continuing their earlier conversation. The grounds were soon full of students enjoying their break time, stretching out on the grass for their fifteen minutes of freedom before they had to return to their classrooms. By now James, Sirius, Remus and Peter too had made their way outside to relax for a bit in the sun. From his pocket Sirius had pulled out a broken Fanged Frisbee with half its teeth missing from his bag and started throwing it to James.

'I can't wait for winter to come,' said Rachel. She stared into the depths of the Black Lake. 'I love skating on the lake and all the snow. We never get any where I'm from.'

'No way, it's got to be the autumn,' argued Jordan. 'Crunching through the leaves and kicking them about. What more fun could you want?'

'Hello? Snowball fights and snowmen!'

'Bet you don't know the difference between a snowman and a snowwoman though.' Tala, Rachel and Lottie all gave Jordan a strange look. 'Snowballs!'

The three girls groaned as Jordan began laughing at his joke. It had to have been Muggle humour. It was only when a voice shouted, 'Heads up!' that the four of them realised a broken Fanged Frisbee, the very same one James and Sirius were playing with, was heading in their direction, Sirius chasing wildly after it. The four of them just managed to get out of the way as Sirius landed with a thump, Frisbee in hand, where they had previously been sitting.

'Got it!' he shouted feebly over to James having winded himself in the process of catching it. He let out a heavy breath as he attempted to sit up again, falling flat again when he decided he couldn't.

'Are you OK?'

'I'll be fine,' Sirius replied. 'Just got to catch my −'

Sirius opened his eyes to find himself staring upwards into a pair of deep blue eyes, Tala's upside-down concerned face looking down on his. Quickly Sirius scrambled round into a sitting position, his eyes never leaving her. They roved every inch of Tala's face and body, unable to quite believe what he was seeing. Her hair had changed, she had a fringe now that crossed in a sweep over her blue eyes, hiding them almost until she brushed it back; her lips were pinker than normal, not to mention quite shiny from the lip-gloss Sirius assumed she was wearing; moving down, Sirius saw the top button of her shirt and tie were loose, exposing the thin chain that she wore beneath it and the few freckles around the base of her neck; like Lily, Tala too had developed over the summer, not as much as she was younger, but still noticeable enough; finally Sirius noted just how long her legs appeared in her school skirt (either Tala had gotten taller or she was rolling her skirt up more than Remus knew). Of course, in observing all this, Sirius had failed to notice the strange look Tala was giving him.

'Are you sure you're all right, Sirius?' she asked. 'You didn't hit your head or anything, did you?'

'I er …' was about all Sirius could manage as his brain had for some reason decided to stop working.

'Sirius, you OK mate?' shouted James. He, Remus and Peter were running over to where he and Tala's group were gathered. Sirius stumbled quickly to his feet, Tala getting up too. He was still staring at her. 'That was some catch you did there,' said James, clapping his hand on Sirius's shoulder. 'Anyone would think you were part dog or something. Sirius?'

'Sirius?' Remus and James looked at each other when Sirius still didn't respond. 'Are you all right?'

'I think he might have hit his head or something when he landed,' said Tala, concerned. 'Maybe you should get him to the hospital wing.'

'No! No, I'm fine!' burst Sirius suddenly, surprising the three of them. 'I, er, just need to − I just need a drink or something.'

Sirius sharply turned on his heel and headed back to the castle. James, Remus, Peter and Tala all shared a confused look. Sirius had been known for doing strange things sometimes but that had to have been the strangest. Luckily by now they'd learnt to ignore it.

'I guess we'd better go after him, see if he's all right,' said Peter. He turned away to follow after him.

'Yeah, s'pose so,' agreed James. 'Oh, before I forget. Tal, don't s'pose you're free Saturday night, are you? And you, Remus?'

Remus and Tala glanced at each other.

'Yeah, I should be,' she replied, 'unless I get loads of homework during the week.'

'Me too,' said Remus. 'Can I ask why though?'

'Ah, it's a surprise,' said James. Remus and Tala shared another look; they knew full well what a surprise meant in James's book. 'Not that kind of surprise! Look, just trust me. You know that bit of the Forbidden Forest with the small lake?' Remus and Tala nodded. 'Be there on Saturday night and all will be revealed. Now we better catch up with Sirius otherwise he might go AWOL before class.'

Remus nodded and the two of them left Tala to go back to her friends. Though concerned about Sirius's behaviour, she brushed it off to him being him before resuming the previous discussion about seasons on her way back up to the castle with Jordan, Lottie and Rachel. Sirius meanwhile was stood in the courtyard, pacing back and forth as he cursed himself for making a complete fool of himself. Peter stood close by merely watching. When James and Remus had caught up with them, Sirius brushed off their questions wanting nothing more than not to discuss it and they proceeded into the castle for their next class.

Sirius managed to get through the rest of the day without running into Tala again. He still had no idea why he had acted so stupidly around her earlier in the day but he put it down to his stunt with the Frisbee. After dinner Sirius was sat in the corner with James and the others doing the homework they had been set that day, burying themselves in their Transfiguration textbooks. After an hour or so on the same essay, Sirius yawned and began to pack up his things, saying he'd finish it tomorrow.

'You don't want to get behind this year,' warned Remus as he scribbled another line of his essay. 'This is the year where it really counts.'

'I know, Remus,' said Sirius casually. 'I want to pass my OWLs as much as the next wizard. I just know when to call it a day on a piece of homework. Besides, I always get it done in the end.' Sirius slung his bag strap over his shoulder and headed towards the stairs. 'See you guys later. I'm going to bed.'

Sirius walked off as James, Remus and Peter mumbled their replies. He started up the stairs two at a time, not realising someone else was coming down them: Tala. Sirius stumbled to a halt mid bounce as he and Tala bumped into each other, but still managed to put his arm out to catch Tala before she fell down the rest of the stairs, her hands grabbing him also to steady herself.

'You OK?' asked Sirius instantly.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' laughed Tala. Her laugh was very gentle, almost musical, Sirius noted. 'That's the second time I've almost fallen down the stairs with you nearby. I'm so clumsy it's ridiculous. Either that or I'm prone to accidents when I'm near you.'

Sirius chuckled, 'Perhaps you need someone to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't get into any trouble.'

Tala's eyes flicked up beneath her fringe to look at him. Sirius swore he jumped slightly when he saw their startling colour, just like earlier. What the hell was going on? Tala smiled up at him, all the while aware of Sirius's grip round her waist. For some reason his grey eyes looked kinder than before. Tala couldn't put her finger on it but they did look different.

'Are you volunteering?' she asked, meaning it as a joke.

'Perhaps I am.'

Tala's small smile grew slightly. Sirius also grinned down at her. They remained there for only a few more seconds before Sirius remembered himself and cleared his throat. He released Tala's waist, Tala also removing her hands from his arms.

'Well I was just heading up to bed so I'll see you around,' he said. 'Have a good night.'

'Yeah, you too,' said Tala.

She gave him one last smile then walked round him down to the common room. Sirius's eyes followed her until she'd disappeared round the corner then sprinted up to his dormitory. He chucked his bag on the floor by his trunk before falling flat on his back on his bed. Sirius yanked the curtains shut so James and the others would think he was already asleep (not hard to do in reality) when they came to bed.

'Merlin, get a grip on yourself, Sirius,' he hissed. Sirius ran his hands over his face, pushing back his hair. 'It's Tala! It's only Tala! Not some girl you've never met before! It's Tala! There's nothing possibly attractive about her! I can't be attracted to her!' Sirius stopped and thought about it for a moment, then thumped back down on his bed again, letting out a heavy breath in the process. 'Or am I?'

The rest of the week passed without any more unplanned meetings between Sirius and Tala so what had happened on Monday lay forgotten. It didn't take long for the homework to begin piling up on the fifth years and so most free time they had was spent either in the library or in the common room doing homework. By the time the weekend came, all the students in the castle were glad for some relaxation time. James, Sirius and Peter meanwhile had other plans. On Saturday night they were to reveal to Remus and Tala that they'd managed the Animagus transformation. Every free moment they got when no one else was around the three boys had their heads together discussing in low whispers how they would go about doing it. By Friday night, they had the perfect plan. Now it was just a matter of getting Remus and Tala to the area of the Forbidden Forest James had indicated. James had faith that they would go there but both still needed a little more convincing.

'I haven't forgotten, James,' said Remus tiredly for what must have been the seventh time that day. 'You don't stop reminding me long enough for me to forget.'

'I'm just making sure you don't,' said James. 'It's really important that both you and Tala are there.'

'All right, James, we know. The only question is why does it have to be in the Forbidden Forest. You know students aren't allowed in there.'

'That's exactly why, because students aren't allowed there.' Remus gave James a worried look. 'It's got to be in the Forbidden Forest where none of the other students will find out.'

'James …' Remus was more than concerned now. 'What exactly have you guys done?'

'Just trust me, Remus,' said James. 'Have I ever steered you wrong before?'

James's words didn't exactly fill Remus with confidence but he agreed nonetheless. He trusted his friends implicitly even when his judgement told him otherwise and this was just one of those times where Remus would have to accept that James knew what he was doing.

On Saturday night after dinner, Remus and Tala were sitting alone together in the common room in their favourite chairs. James, Sirius and Peter were nowhere to be seen. All three of them had missed dinner which was an oddity in itself so what they were doing had both Remus and Tala wondering what exactly they were going to be walking into. Every so often Remus glanced up at the clock on the wall to check the time. More and more students were filling into the common room. The noise levels were getting louder which meant the disappearance of two students would luckily go unnoticed. They still had James's Invisibility Cloak as a precaution though.

'D'you think we should make a move?' whispered Tala. She too was glancing around the crowded room. 'Before too many more return.'

'Hmm, probably be best,' said Remus.

Quickly the two of them gathered their things, Remus checking that the Invisibility Cloak was still in his bag, and headed across the common room towards the portrait hole. No one took any notice apart from one; Lily glanced round at the exact moment they climbed out of the portrait hole. She had already noticed that Potter and Black hadn't been around for a good few hours which was suspicious in itself. Now Remus and Tala were heading somewhere. The question was: where? Once out of the portrait hole, Remus and Tala hurried as quickly as they could down to the ground floor. They stopped every so often to make sure that Filch or his flea ridden cat Mrs Norris was not lurking round the before carrying on. When they got to the Entrance Hall they walked briskly towards the front doors and out into the grounds.

'Whatever James and the others are planning, we could get in serious trouble for this,' said Tala. The two of them walked quickly round the edge of the castle and down the hill towards the Forbidden Forest. 'Though I'm surprised it's taken them five years to go into the Forbidden Forest, why they choose now of all times, I don't know.'

'You know James and Sirius, Tala,' said Remus. 'There's always got to be some risk of detention in whatever they do.'

'But this is pushing it, even for those two!'

'I know. But James insisted it could only happen inside the Forbidden Forest. No one else apparently can find out what they've done.'

The grounds were slowly getting darker as the sun set over the mountains in the distance. Checking no one was behind them Remus and Tala disappeared into the trees. There was no path to follow as they walked through the trees towards the area James had mentioned. The Forest was even creepier at night; the wind whistled through the branches; every now and then a strange noise would ring out in the silence from the various creatures that lived there. Tala remained close by Remus's side as they made their way deeper into the Forest. Eventually the trees began to thin and the sound of water could be heard. They came to a stop at a clearing in the trees, a large lake surrounded by pebbles in the centre. No one was there.

'I don't like this, Remus,' said Tala quietly. 'I don't like this at all.'

'Neither do I,' said Remus. 'If this another one of their pranks then as prefect I'm going to have to −'

A snap somewhere behind them startled the two of them. Remus and Tala span round, Remus drawing his wand as a precaution. His eyes scanned the trees. There was nothing there. Another rustle. Remus pulled Tala closer to him and raised his wand.

'Who's there?' Remus called out. 'Show yourself!'

No one replied. Remus tightened his grip on his wand. The rustling started again and whatever it was emerged. A stag stepped out from the trees, a pair of large antlers on its head, standing proudly before them. Its front hoof pawed the ground as it tossed its head back. Neither Remus nor Tala knew what to do, Remus also lowering his wand slightly at the sight of the magnificent animal. The stag stood there for a few moments watching them before looking into the trees behind it. It gestured at something with its head. Remus and Tala glanced at each other. What now? Looking back they saw another animal, this time a dog, walk out of the bushes. Its fur was as black as night, a pair of grey eyes staring back at them. And on its back sat a third, this one a small dusty brown rat, its front paws resting on the dog's head so it could see over it. The three animals looked at each other then back at Remus and Tala.

'What on earth?' Remus breathed. He'd never seen animals behave like this before. 'This is unreal. I've never seen animals act like this before.'

'Animals,' repeated Tala. She glanced at Remus then back at the three animals. And as she stared at them, things began to fall into place. 'Maybe they're not though.'

'What?'

'Maybe they're not really animals.' Slowly, Tala stepped away from Remus towards the animals. 'Are you?' she said to them. 'You're not really animals, are you … James?'

Being an Animagus herself, you would have thought Tala would not have been spooked when the stag suddenly vanished and in its placed stood James Potter. That was not the case. Both she and Remus jumped when the stag transformed and a shirtless James Potter appeared before them.

'If either of you were going to catch on, it was going to be you, Tal,' laughed James, putting his glasses back on. He then ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more than usual. 'You'd be able to tell an Animagus a mile off.'

'Not really,' said Tala.

'So does that mean …' said Remus, glancing at the dog and the rat, 'that that's Sirius and Peter?'

Sure enough, once the rat had jumped down off the dog, Sirius and Peter stood where the dog and rat had been seconds before, both shirtless like James and in bare feet.

'I don't believe it,' gasped Remus. 'You managed it. You managed to become Animagi.'

'We said we'd help you,' said Sirius. Peter nodded beside him. 'Might have taken a good three years to do it but we said we'd help you. Now you don't have to suffer the full moons alone anymore.'

Remus was speechless.

'I don't know what to say. Anyone else would have abandoned me the moment they find out I'm a werewolf. But you '

'You don't have to say anything, Remus,' said James. He walked over to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. 'We're here for you.'

'Totally,' agreed Sirius.

'Definitely,' added Peter.

Throughout all this Tala had remained silent. She couldn't truly believe it either. She could still remember the day James and Sirius had found out about Remus and hers secrets and how scared she had been that they would tell the whole school. Tala had been extremely suspicious of both of them, Sirius in particular because of what she'd heard about his family. But now, here they were, stood right in front of her, all three of them Animagi. Just for Remus. Tala's eyes wandered over the scene in front of her until they landed on Sirius. He was laughing cheerfully with the others, his grey eyes full of mischief, his shirt slung over his shoulder … His rather broad shoulders, and his chest was quite defined for his age and …

Sirius glanced over in Tala's direction to see her looking at him. He smiled at her. Tala, having not realised she was staring, started, her cheeks flushing pink and looked down at her feet. Sirius smirked and cocked his eyebrow then turned back to the others. When sure he wasn't looking, Tala took another quick glance at him, a small smile gracing her face at what she saw.

'How you can wear clothes when you transform, I don't get at all, Tal,' Sirius was saying. Half an hour had past and the five of them were still sat together in the clearing. He held up his shirt and looked at it. 'It's like wearing a second skin when you're an animal.'

'Well unlike you guys, I can't really run around topless so I have to keep my clothes on otherwise I'd be naked when I transformed back,' said Tala. The others laughed.

'I still can't believe you guys did this,' said Remus. 'You're such a lot of marauders.'

'Hey, maybe that's what we should call ourselves,' said James.

'What? Marauders?' asked Peter.

'Yeah, a marauder is like a mischief maker, right?' said James, looking at Remus. He nodded. 'Well, who in the school are bigger mischief makers than we are? We should call ourselves the Marauders.'

'If we're going to have a group name then we better have nicknames too,' said Sirius. 'Ones that only we would know what they mean.'

'Nicknames?' giggled Tala. 'What nicknames could we possibly have? We can't exactly go around calling James something like Quaffle for his talent in Quidditch.'

'It should be something to do with being Animagi,' said Peter. 'I mean, we've all got an animal side now.'

'Some more than others, Pete,' laughed Tala.

'Hey, didn't you mention Remus used to have a nickname for you when you were younger, Tal?' asked James. Tala looked up from her position leaning on Remus's back. 'Hooves, or something like that.'

'Yeah, Remus used to call me Hooves,' shrugged Tala. 'It was because horses are one of my favourite animals. They were one of the first I tried to transform into when I learnt to control my ability.'

'OK, so you were called Hooves because you were a horse,' mused James. He paused for a moment, thinking about the different animals that he, Sirius and Peter could change into. 'I'm a stag, Sirius is a dog, and Peter's a rat … What's a defining part of each of those animals?'

'Well you've got the antlers,' said Sirius. 'Kind like a giant pair of prongs sticking out the top of your head.'

Inspiration suddenly hit James. He looked across at Sirius, a huge grin on his face.

'That's it. Prongs! I can be Prongs.'

'OK, so what about the rest of us?' asked Peter.

'Well, Sirius is a dog so he could be something like … oh, I don't know,' muttered James quickly, 'how about Tails or something?'

Sirius wrinkled his nose.

'Not Tails,' he said. 'There's got to be something better than that.'

'How about something like Padfoot?' Tala suggested. 'You've got paws for feet with pads on them and it's not as obvious as Prongs. We don't want them to be too obvious like mine is.'

'I like that, Padfoot,' repeated Sirius, testing it. 'And Peter could be …'

'Er … I don't know,' said Peter quietly. 'What's defining about a rat? Unless it's something like Squeak.'

'What about Wormtail?' Remus suggested. 'A rat's tail looks a bit like a worm and it'll be confusing to whoever hears it.'

'Wormtail, I don't know,' said Peter.

'It's better than Squeak or Squeakers,' said Sirius. 'Now that just leaves you, Remus. What name would be good for Remus?'

'While it might not be obvious to everyone else, why not go for the obvious for us,' said James. 'What better name for you than Moony?'

'Moony, oh very original,' laughed Remus. He then looked at each of them in turn. 'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs and Hooves.'

'The Marauders,' said James, lifting his hand for a high-five.

'The Marauders,' chorused the other four and clapping their hands against his.

'There's just one thing that bothers me though,' said Tala, after the mini celebration. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter looked at her. 'You guys are able to transform now. But you don't know how strong Remus is as a werewolf. Are you guys going to be able to handle him and keep him in check?'

'Tala's got a point there,' said Remus. 'Only Tala really knows how vicious I get when I'm a werewolf. You've seen the scars she's got before.'

'Well isn't there a way we could test it out?' asked Peter. 'I know I'm probably not much use as a rat when facing a werewolf but …'

'What are you talking about, Peter,' said James. 'We already know what your part is. You're the smallest and the one who can get in between the branches of the Whomping Willow the easiest. You'll be the one letting me and Sirius into the passageway.'

Peter swallowed but nodded.

'But as for us,' continued James. 'How can we test our strength as animals?'

'There is one way,' said Tala quietly. The four looked at her. Tala kept her eyes lowered. She had known for ages she would always be able to transform into it but had never wanted to out of fear. Now was the time she'd have to put her fear aside to help the others. Braving it, Tala looked at them. 'Me. I can transform into any animal. And that includes a werewolf.'

'Tala …' warned Remus. He turned round, Tala getting off him. 'If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, don't …'

Tala ignored him. She got up and moved away from the group. James and Sirius both got to their feet; Peter looked anxiously from his position beneath the tree; Remus was looking scared. Tala stood opposite them, ready.

'Remus, Peter, get into the tree,' she instructed them.

'Tala, I forbid you −' started Remus but she cut him off.

'Just do it, Remus!' Tala told him sharply. 'Normally I would never want to transform into something like that but I'm doing this for you.' Tala didn't say anything else until Remus and Peter were safely out of the way in one of the large trees. Next she turned to James and Sirius. Her heart was thumping in her chest. 'I don't know what I'm going to be like when I transform,' she warned them. 'So be on your guard.'

James and Sirius nodded and took their positions. Tala took another steadying breath and closed her eyes. She thought of the werewolf and allowed it to consume her entire being, just like Grams had taught her when she was younger. She had to allow herself to change. James and Sirius watched cautiously. They had never seen Tala transform before. The image of the werewolf slowly began to fill Tala; its wildness, it's savage appearance, it's brutal nature. Suddenly Tala felt her body start to change. She let out a scream as the werewolf began to appear; she fell to her hands and knees as her bones twisted inside her and fur began to replace her clothes; never had she felt so much pain in transforming as the wild animal took shape. In the tree Remus almost jumped out of it to stop her had it not been for Peter holding him back; on the ground James and Sirius took a step back as they watched Tala slowly vanish and the werewolf appear.

After a minute or two, Tala was virtually unrecognisable from the werewolf that stood in her place. Its fur was a dark russet colour, rough and messy; its breathing was ragged and heavy from the strain on Tala it had taken to transform; the only distinguishable feature which told them it was Tala were the blue eyes they saw when the werewolf raised its head to look at them. It barred its teeth as it glared at Sirius and James.

'Ready, James?' asked Sirius.

'Ready.'

Without warning the werewolf attacked. Sirius instantly leapt forwards, transforming back into Padfoot, and blocked the attack. James followed, transforming into Prongs and running to help. Tala was right when she said she didn't know how she would be as a werewolf; never had they thought so much strength could come from someone as small as Tala. Working together, Padfoot and Prongs managed to push the werewolf back and control it to some extent; Remus and Peter watched from their position in the tree, Remus all the while fearing what might happen to his sister; inside the werewolf though, Tala was doing her best to keep her mind clear as she tested James and Sirius. Abruptly it took a turn for the worst.

'No!' screamed Tala suddenly. Padfoot and Prongs froze, both looking at her. The werewolf had frozen, its entire body shaking. Remus and Peter saw this too. Panic instantly flooded him. 'H-help me! I − I can't c-control it anymore! Help me, please!'

'James, what do we do?' asked Sirius.

'I don't know,' said James. 'I don't know what she does to transform. Only Remus knows.'

'Tala!' shouted Remus's voice from above them. He leapt down from the tree. 'Tala, fight it!'

The werewolf looked up. Its eyes narrowed and focused in on Remus. Tala's mind was being blocked out. The werewolf made ready to strike.

'James, stop him!' shouted Sirius. 'I'll stop Tala!'

The werewolf lunged at Remus. Prongs and Padfoot separated, Prongs blocking Remus and Padfoot blocking the werewolf and engaging it in a fight. Prongs lifted Remus on to his back against his will and galloped up the hill away from the fight. James then transformed and pulled Remus away.

'Tala!' shouted Remus desperately. Padfoot and the werewolf were snarling and biting at each other viciously. 'Sirius, stop it! It's Tala!'

'He's trying to help her,' said James, holding him back. 'Remus, get a grip! We need you to tell us how Tala transforms. That'll help her change back!'

'She needs to clear her mind,' said Remus. 'Get Tala to clear her mind and focus on herself. She can't lose herself or she won't be able to change back!'

The werewolf raised its paw, slashing it over Padfoot's shoulder causing him to howl in pain.

'Remus, get back in the tree with Peter and stay there,' James told him. 'I'll help Tala.'

'But −'

'No buts! Just do it!' Reluctantly Remus, with James protecting him as Prongs, climbed back into the tree with Prongs standing guard beneath it. 'Sirius!' James shouted over to him. Padfoot leapt back from the werewolf, dodging another attack, and looked over at him. 'You need to get Tala to clear her mind! She needs to focus on herself otherwise she can't transform!'

Right, thought Sirius, dodging another swipe. Now just how do I do that?

It was up to Sirius. He leapt away from the werewolf so he had a clear distance between them giving him time to think. His eyes focused on the werewolf so as not to lose sight of it. If only there was a way to stop the werewolf long enough for Sirius to talk to Tala, tell her what she needed to do. The werewolf jumped at him. Padfoot leapt out of the way. Quickly, Padfoot turned round and lunged at the werewolf while it still had its back to him from its previous attack. He pushed it to the ground. The werewolf howled in anger. Padfoot growled back and kept his position over it, his paws holding its shoulders. Tala may be in werewolf form but she was still smaller than Sirius.

'Tala, listen to me!' shouted Sirius. The werewolf merely snarled at him. 'Listen to me! I know you're in there! Don't let the werewolf take control! Fight it!'

'S-Sirius … help me!' came Tala's voice. 'I c-can't −'

'Clear your mind, Tala!' Sirius told her. 'I know you can do this! Just clear your mind and you'll be able to change back! Clear your mind and you'll get rid of the werewolf!'

'I can't!'

'I know you can! I believe in you! You can do this!'

The werewolf snarled again. It's entire body convulsed and it finally threw Padfoot of it. Padfoot landed hard on the ground. He shook himself and looked over where the werewolf was. It was still lying on the ground, shaking. It snarled and howled as Tala fought to regain control of herself. After a few moments it collapsed. Cautiously, not transforming, Padfoot got to his paws and approached it. The fur began to fade away as Tala's appearance returned, her mind in control once more. Sirius transformed and ran over to her. Remus and Peter climbed down from the tree too and they and James did so too. Sirius reached her first. Carefully, he picked her up, holding her beside his body. She was exhausted, her chest heaving as she panted.

'Tala?' he said anxiously. 'Tala, wake up. It's over.'

'Tala!' shouted Remus. He fell to his knees beside Sirius. 'Tala, can you hear me? Tala, please!'

'R-Remus?' Slowly Tala opened her eyes, looking blearily up at him from her position against Sirius's chest. 'Did it work?'

Remus let out a relieved breath.

'Thank Merlin you're all right,' he breathed. He gently stroked Tala's face. 'Why would you ever try a crazy stunt like that?'

'I … I just wanted to help,' said Tala quietly. 'Like Sirius and …'

'Ssh, it's OK,' said Remus. 'You did help, more than you know.' Tala nodded then closed her eyes again, turning her face into Sirius's chest. 'She's exhausted herself,' said Remus. 'She's never transformed into anything that's taken such a strain on her body before.'

'We'd better get her back to the castle otherwise people will ask questions,' said Sirius. Carefully he put his arms round Tala and lifted her up so she sat on his back in a piggyback. 'She'll be fine though, won't she?'

'Yeah, she'll be all right,' said Remus. 'But if she ever tries that again, I'll kill her. She should know her limits.'

Gathering their things the four boys lit their wands and made their way back up to the castle. Tala remained asleep on Sirius's back. Out the corner of his eye, Sirius glanced at her. Subconsciously he tightened his grip on her as they walked up the hill, not knowing how protective he would now suddenly become of the younger student having witnessed her in such pain.

AN: yes I know it's been ages since I updated either of my stories but I'm in university now so I don't have as much free time as I used to. But rest assured that I have not given up on my stories. I just need to overcome a bit of writers block and then I'll update His Black Rose as well. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and do leave a review. BlAcKdAuGhTeR