DISCLAIMER: ALL HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and the respective publishing companies. I do own Jenn Parksen, Lori Wilson, and Monica Sinclair as well this twisted version of the plot. This is, of course, a simple Fan-Fiction that I have written in order to retain some semblance of sanity and dignity.
Chapter 25: Playing with Fire
"My sister has sunk to an all time low," Lily murmured despondently as she brushed away a stray tear. "Would you believe she used to be my best friend? It wasn't until my eleventh birthday, when I got my Hogwarts letter that she started considering me some sort of freak. I think maybe she thought it unfair that I got one and she didn't."
"I wonder what she would think if she suddenly started doing magic herself?" James mused.
"Her husband would probably leave her," Remus answered.
"I think she would refuse to use magic, even if she suddenly were able to do it. I think by the time the things in this book come to light, she will be so full of hatred and jealousy that she would spite herself instead of seeing it as the blessing it is," Lily said numbly.
"It's sad really. You are all she has now, and she will let her hate fester until she has no one at all," Lori added sadly.
"Well," Sirius began to break the tension. "Shall we do some magic to spite Petunia?"
This made the others laugh and the got up and loosened up their wand hands. Pulling out their wands they all turned to Jenn.
"It's your turn to pick the spell," Lily informed.
Jenn grinned and searched the room, when she found what she was looking for she asked the others to line up and watch. Explaining the complicated swish and twist of the wand as she demonstrated, Jenn pointed her wand at a glowing ember in the fireplace and the others watched as it twisted and grew into a beautiful miniature flame horse. The horse began to run along the fireplace, and they could see a faint trail of smoke following it.
The boys were greatly impressed and easily informed Jenn of that fact.
"Thanks, fire is a specialty of mine," Jenn said with an evil grin as she blushed. "Now, you have to be very careful about charming fire, it's very easy to set things on fire and have it get out of control. Everyone help me move the chairs back and shove the blankets to the side."
Once room had been made Jenn had them all practice the swish, twist and point several times before even teaching them the spell words. Once she was satisfied that they had that down, she taught them the words.
"Repeat after me," Jenn commanded, "Pyro-terra-formous."
They all dutifully chanted, "Pyro-terra-formous."
"Good, now say it all together: Pyroteraformus."
She had them practice it a few more times then say it in addition to the wand movements. Once she felt they were ready, she stood close to the fire and had them try it one at a time.
Sirius went first, with a swish and twist he pointed his wand at the largest ember and spoke "Pyroteraformus." Instead of a horse, a miniature flame dog bounded out of the fire and started running around the room. Little burnt footprints followed it as its feet seared the wooden floor with each step. Everyone was impressed, until it stepped on the blankets and a small fire started. Jenn quickly put it out and called the miniature pup to her and enclosed it in a small brick corral she conjured on the stone fireplace.
Lily went next and managed to turn an ember into a miniature doe which trotted boldly out of the fireplace and gazed out before leaping down and dashing towards the edge of the room. Before it could go far though, Jenn corralled it in a stone enclosure separate from Sirius's little pup. Jenn's horse ember trotted over next to the doe and seemed to be friendly with it.
Remus was next; his ember formed a tiny wolf. It howled fiercely, but it sounded like a tiny squeak. Jenn ushered the wolf in with the dog. Lori's ember formed into a pretty little songbird that flew around the room twice before it landed nearby the doe and horse. James went last and his ember flared bright before it grew into a miniature stag that stepped majestically from the fireplace and strode over to the doe and horse. Everyone was feeling quite proud at succeeding, when Lily noticed something about each person's ember.
"Weird isn't it? All of the Marauders embers are the same as their Animagus form. I wonder if that means that I would be a doe, Jenn a horse, and Lori a song bird if we became Animagi."
"You're right they are the same," James agreed as he watched his stag trying to get closer to the doe who kept wandering further away.
"I believe that any Animagus form, Pyroteraformus figure, and a Patronus are all the same for each person. Each of those three spells reflects who you are on the inside, so it stands to reason they'd at least have similar forms," Jenn explained.
"So, if I learned to transform myself, I really would be a doe?" Lily asked in awe.
Jenn nodded as she watched her horse trot back and forth near the two deer. Suddenly it reared and bolted towards the end of the fireplace. Frowning Jenn stopped it before it fell off and ushered it back to the corral.
"Ok, here is the hardest part of the spell. We can keep them with us, but we would have to feed them little twigs to keep them alive. We can't really change them back into their original forms, they don't like to go be trapped. If we don't care for them, they will die out and each time we allow them to fade out like that they will get angrier and harder to control."
"How do you get them to not be angry if you don't have a place to keep them?" Remus asked as he leaned closer to watch his little wolf tackle Sirius's dog.
"You have to send them into the fire that was hotter then the one they were made from," Jenn replied. "It's almost like killing them, but they seem happier when going out this way than when they die from a lack of fuel. Just make sure you get it hot enough to consume them fully."
"Oh, okay," Remus responded.
"What can they do?" Lori asked.
"What do they do? They start fires for one thing, they can guide you through the Floo network, and they can help you find your way out of a burning building or wildfire safely. To me, though, they are fascinating, I can watch my horse dance in and out of the flames for hours," Jenn replied. "I used to create them in fires when I was younger, whenever I felt angry or alone. I never burned anything down, but my mom used to get mad and tell me not to play with fire. She used to call me a pyromaniac," Here she chuckled. "I used to love to play with fire; actually I still do, even more since I created my horse that first time. Sometimes, I can call other things into life from the fire as well."
The others stared at Jenn for several long moments before James asked.
"How did you learn the spell?"
"I was taught it by Professor McGonagall in my second year after I accidentally pulled one out of a fire in her office when she was giving me detention. I was angry and it flared up and actually set fire to my detention note before I realized it. McGonagall asked me if I had done it on purpose, so I told how the horse only came when I was angry, upset or feeling terribly lonely. She said it would be best if I learned how control it, to prevent accidents. She made me promise not to teach anyone else and not to call it unless there was a great need; I think she would forgive me in this case."
Lily and Lori looked impressed that she hadn't even told them, but just grinned at Jenn.
"Well, what do we do with them for now? We don't have much to feed them," Sirius asked.
"We'll send them back into the fire, it is fascinating to watch," Jenn answered as she grabbed three large pieces of wood from the wood bins. "You each have to tell your own to go; they won't really listen to anyone but you. I am an exception, I can control anybody's. But I think it best if you learn to control them yourselves." So saying, Jenn tossed the wood into the fire and turned to face her horse.
"Thank you Firedancer, it was a pleasure watching you dance again, it's time to run the flames higher now," Jenn commanded of the horse. It looked up at her for a long second before it broke out into a gallop and headed straight into the fire. Flames burst up as it jumped onto the fresh wood.
"How did it get a name?" James asked.
"I named it the first time it appeared. It stuck and since then I've always called it by name."
"Oh," He replied. "Okay, how does Charger sound, my little stag?" The stag looked up at James and nodded. "It's time to rejoin the flames, Charger." The stag turned and slowly walked back into the fire, turning back every so often to look at the doe.
"Oh look Firestorm; Charger doesn't want to leave without you." Lily exclaimed softly to her doe. "You are so beautiful, why don't you race him to the fire now."
The doe took off at a run and soon caught up and passed the stag, which spurred the stag into giving chase. Both deer leaped onto the wood at the same exact moment and the flames flared brighter.
Remus frowned and looked at his wolf. "You are a great wolf, I wish I could be more like you, I'd like to call you Dreamspirit. Give chase boy, don't let them fade without you!" At this, the wolf trotted majestically into the fire and added his flames to the wood.
Lori's songbird followed after she leaned down and whispered to it. She blushed but didn't say what she's named her bird. Sirius was the last one left. He was watching his dog bounce eagerly along the brick fence, excitedly trying to follow.
"Ok Firefoot, mush!" The dog looked at him and cocked his head to the side, before he jumped the fence and rushed after the others.
As the last two joined the others on the wood, the entire fireplace erupted into flames. It was so hot that they had to move back to avoid the heat. In less then a minute there was nothing but a scattering of fine ash left in the fireplace.
"Wow," James and Sirius said in awe.
"That was great!" Lily cried as she grinned at her best friend.
"Indeed," Sirius whispered as he turned to Jenn with wide eyes.
Blushing furiously she pointed out that it was his turn to teach. Sirius frowned and turned to face James. They seemed to silently consult each other before Sirius announced that he and James would both teach the girls to become an Animagus. The girls seemed so shocked at this that they just stood there silently for several minutes.
"Don't you want to learn?" Sirius asked nervously.
"Yes!" whispered Jenn. "I just never thought I would!"
James laughed at this. "This will be harder then your ember charm, Jenn; and it'll take more then one day to learn. We'll have to work on it a little bit every day."
Each of the girls agreed, and they set about preparing to learn the art of Animagus transformations. The boys set about teaching them the incantations and the wand movements. And like when Jenn had them practice before they charmed the embers, James and Sirius supervised them practice continuously. After an hour in which they did nothing but practice, James had them take a break. Exhausted, they all sat down on the floor and closed their eyes.
"Oy, this is hard work!" Lori muttered as she stretched out.
"And it only gets harder, before it gets easier," Sirius muttered back.
"How long did it take you all to learn?" Jenn asked as she rolled over on her stomach and looked at Sirius.
"Three years," James replied from where he lay near Lily.
"How did you manage to keep it from the teachers?" Lily wondered.
"It was very difficult. There had been several times where we've come close to getting caught," Sirius answered. "Heck, we were just about caught a few days ago."
"Extremely close," Remus added with a grimace.
Lily and Jenn laughed at the looks on the boys' faces. As the afternoon slowly faded into evening the six teenagers drifted off to sleep. Tired from the emotional rollercoaster as well as from the spell work they had been practicing. They slept so soundly, that none of them so much as twitched when the outside door opened.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore silently took in the sleeping figures as they closed the door behind them. They took in the messy fireplace, the burned footprints on the floor, and the funny looking chairs in a glance and Dumbledore smiled as his eyes twinkled.
"I see they have not been idle," Professor McGonagall as she fingered the horsehair on the chair in front of her.
"From the looks of it, my dear Minerva, they have been using the time wisely," Dumbledore murmured as he walked around and sat down where he could watch the kids sleeping.
"True, but how long must they stay here?"
"That, I can not say. It could be another day, or the rest of the year," Dumbledore sadly replied. "Would that I could keep them safe even after they graduate."
McGonagall frowned and walked over to sit across from Dumbledore. They sat there silently watching the six teens sleeping soundly. It wasn't until long after the sun went down that they kids began stirring. Jenn sat up and looked around before she turned to stare at Dumbledore and McGonagall. She rubbed her eyes and then shook the others awake.
"Hmm?" Sirius asked as he tried to go back to sleep.
"Wake up!" Jenn hissed. "We have company."
Sirius bolted upright and glanced around. His eyes flew wide as they met Dumbledore's.
"Good evening, Mr. Black, Miss Parksen, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, and Miss Wilson," Dumbledore greeted.
"Good evening, sir," They mumbled back. "Good evening, Professor McGonagall, ma'am."
Professor McGonagall nodded an acknowledgement, but didn't reply.
"May I ask why you are here?" Jenn asked forwardly, which made both McGonagall and Dumbledore chuckle.
"We came to see you for several reasons," Dumbledore began. "First; we wanted to see how you all were doing. Second; we have some news for you all. And third; we have your assignments and books from all of your teachers. We wouldn't want you to fall behind in your studies in your final year at Hogwarts."
James and Sirius exchanged a look of sorrow at the mention of class assignments, while Lily and Jenn seemed glad that they would not be falling behind. Professor McGonagall handed out the school work and books as Dumbledore went on to discuss the plans that have been set into motion.
"We have begun the search for a safe place for all of you. We have several places in mind and once each location has been searched and assessed for possible weaknesses we will select the best protected and then enhance it further with certain spells."
"Will you be using the Fidelius Charm?" Jenn asked earnestly.
Professor McGonagall looked sharply at her for this, but kept quiet as Dumbledore answered.
"That charm has been considered, yes," Dumbledore replied slowly as he watched the students fidget. "As well a wide assortment of other spells and charms."
"How much longer do you think it will take?" Lily asked softly.
"I have no answer for that," Dumbledore said quietly.
"So we will be stuck here indefinitely!" Sirius burst out angrily.
"I am afraid so," Professor McGonagall said sharply as she glared at Sirius over the top of her glasses. "We are doing everything we can to find a place that will be protected enough to be safe for you, as well as many others who are in danger."
"We understand," Dumbledore added, "that it is difficult on all of you to remain secluded here during your last year of school. Circumstances being what they are, I would prefer to take no chances that another of you will be removed from the castle without my knowledge."
"We know the seriousness of what happened, it's just that we are limited in what we can do in this room. We have most everything we need; food, water, warmth, and companionship. But we can't get out into the fresh air, or fly on our brooms. I am missing Quidditch practice as we speak," James said reasonably.
Professor McGonagall frowned at the mention of Quidditch and announced, "All remaining Quidditch matches have been canceled for the remainder of the year."
James's face fell at this. He lived for Quidditch; it was the best thing about being at Hogwarts. He had been hoping he would still have Quidditch as an out for all his frustration and emotional stress he was feeling. Sirius felt almost as bad as James did, he too was on the house team. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged a knowing look. They had anticipated James reaction regarding the Quidditch cancellations. It had pained McGonagall just as much to cancel the games, especially since she had been hoping to get the cup for the sixth year in a row.
The professors sat there for several moments before they stood to leave. Lily and Jenn walked them to the door. Before Professor McGonagall followed Dumbledore out though, she turned to the two girls and addressed them.
"I trust you all will behave yourselves while you are here," Here McGonagall gave then a stern look, before she swept out the door.
Jenn closed and locked the door and then leaned against it as she and Lily exchanged glances and then looked over to where James and Sirius were trying to console each other over the tragic news of canceled Quidditch, while Remus and Lori watched.
"Well, I guess her warning came too late," Jenn said slyly.
"I'm not really sure she meant magically, Jenn," Lily replied.
Jenn shot another glance at the boys. "You mean she was worried we'd..."
Lily nodded. Suddenly Jenn and Lily burst out laughing at the thought of McGonagall's warning.
"What's so funny?" James demanded.
"Nothing," Lily and Jenn said at the same time. Together they skipped over and sat down near the boys.
"Is anybody hungry?" Remus asked as they sat down.
"Yes!" Everyone but James and Sirius said.
They jumped up and headed over to the table where all their meals so far had appeared by way of House Elf magic. As they picked up plates food began to appear in the serving dishes. They piled their plates high with roast beef, roast turkey, roast ham, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, baked beans, steak and kidney pies, salads, rolls, and various other side dishes. As the four sat down will their plates, James and Sirius couldn't help but smell the delicious scents of everything that had been sent for supper. It wasn't long before they jumped up and piled their own plates full and joined the others eating.
Soon they'd eaten their fill and were lying around on the rug once more. To pass the time Sirius picked up the Harry Potter book and announced. "It's my turn to read. I haven't read at all yet!"
"Can you read?" Lori asked innocently.
"Come to think of it, I never saw him pick up a book before – not even his class books," Lily said thoughtfully.
Jenn was twitching and itching to add some comment of her own, but valiantly kept her promise from several days earlier to moderate the amount of insults she directed at Sirius.