Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I deserve to after neglecting this fanfiction for so long
AN: PPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEE forgive me!!!! i am very VERY sorry i havent update in soooo long, i know its been months, so with no further ado, the next chapter:
Chapter Fourteen: Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
The passage leading into Hogsmeade from the humpbacked witch seemed to get shorter the more times you travelled it. At least, Sirius Black was of this opinion as he returned from the latest in a long line of foraging trips. Hidden by the invisibility cloak, Sirius fled through the halls of Hogwarts with his precious cargo, until he could take cover and remove the cloak in a unused girls bathroom.
Moaning Myrtle, the young female ghost who was the inhabitant the bathroom, swooped down on Sirius as soon as he was visible, acting as his second shadow with fluttering eyelids. Sirius, panting slightly, pulled a bag from the depths of his pocket and handed it to James.
"Thanks mate," James said, not looking up from the cauldron's bubbling contents as he grabbed the new ingredients. Peter paced back and forth nervously.
"…Lizard would be horrible, nothing slimy or scaly, not sure if I would like to be a horse; no, no much too girly. I need something strong, something powerful, something that says:.."
"Shut up, Peter," Sirius moaned, splashing water on his face. "We have to finish the thing before we get too picky about our species."
Looking slightly abashed, Peter stopped his pacing and scrambled to James' side to see if he could help.
"Almost finished," James grinned. "We'll do the last of it tonight, along with the incantation…"
The three boys looked nervously at one another. It had been Lily's suggestion, back in their second year, that had given James the idea of becoming Animagi to help Remus. As animals, the three could be with their friend during his transformations, helping him anyway they could. But it was dangerous. After three years of research, the friends knew that any minor mistake could have horrible consequences.
Of course, Remus knew nothing of this research. At times he thought his friends were elsewhere, they were really huddled in a small cubicle absorbed by the potion. It took a year to brew properly, and was followed by a lengthy incantation. Peter, Sirius and James were all very aware of Remus's feelings about putting them in danger. He would simply not allow it and had made them swear on their friendship not to follow him down the Whomping Willow again if they wished to remain as they were – whole and undamaged.
After reciting the incantation a few times over (with James and Sirius helping Peter with pronunciation) the boys picked themselves up and hid under the invisibility cloak. To cover them all, James and Sirius now had to crouch down to Peter's height. The boys made it to the dormitory undetected, but did not have to offer any excuses about where they had been to Remus. They sighed as they examined Remus's empty bed – it was a full moon that night. And, hopefully, Remus' last one alone.
The castle creaked in the night as Sirius, James and Peter crept stealthily to their secret concoction. Sirius added the final ingredients and stirred carefully. Peter readied three goblets as James poured the exact amount into each. Even Myrtle, a usual distraction and a constant pain, was silent and watching, realizing how important this was to the boys and her precious Sirius.
Standing side by side, the boys each held their goblets aloft and slowly recited the incantation. The candles lighting the toilets flickered back and forth, the wax burning down as the time passed. The boys throats grew raspy and hoarse but they didn't stop. With a final flick of each wand, the potions were complete. Wasting no time, each boy skulled their portion and let the potion take over…
AN: Once again, sorry for the long break, and thank you so much to everyone who bothered to read this chapter, i really dont deserve it after such neglect