On a happier note, I have been to many attractions, courtesy of my amazing mum, including the Harry Potter Studio Tour! It really was... magical. I believe everyone uses that, but it is true!
But back to our four boys...
Chapter 53- A Grand Plan
James tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, like he had last night, since he found out about Remus' secret. They had all tried to make it seem like less of an issue than it was; Sirius had even started to bring out werewolf jokes. But it was more then that, way more than that. Remus thought they would hate him. He returned after each transformation with huge scars chained around him, and that time where magic had been amplified...most of these mysterious antics could be solved: yet it only made them worse. He couldn't dream of life as a werewolf, but here his friend was, he hardly knew any other way. They had been so useless in the past too, only showing concerns for a night or two, before they dropped it completely! Thinking about it, with Sirius, he could only give advice. And he had no clue of Peter's problems until it was blatantly obvious- and even after being friends with Remus for over a year, he hadn't really thought much of this situation that controlled half the things he did. He must be such a terrible friend!
James needed to sleep, but he had to confide in someone or he could never sleep peacefully. Wedged between Sirius and Peter, he knew it was useless to try and speak to the Black, since he was one of the deepest sleepers ever, so it looked like Peter would have to be the woken one. With guilt, he shook Peter gently, until the small boy opened his tired eyes. However, noticing his face, they widened in shock.
'James! Are you alright?' Peter's shouted whisper would be enough to wake an average wizard, but Remus pretty much slept as deeply as Sirius. 'You're eyes are puffy!' In the dim light, the red-ness of them couldn't be noticed.
'We have to do something about Remus! You saw that thing in the book? Where it describes the transformation? He's been going through that all by himself for years, but we can't let it happen any more. I will find a way to help him, and the only thing that will stop me is death.'
'I was thinking that too. I've been helpless, you two worked out he was werewolf while I was clueless. I need to do something.'
'Wrong. We need to do something.' James immediately corrected. 'We're doing this together.'
'Alright. But you need to go to sleep, we have potions second. You need energy for that.'
'I suppose I do...' and with a look at Remus' hair (the rest of him wasn't visible thanks to Sirius) he promptly fell asleep.
As soon as he could, he told Sirius that they weren't just going to learn about werewolves, they were going to help him. Obviously, Sirius agreed to everything with a grin, and James felt a little relieved. They enjoyed a tasty breakfast, and then went off to Herbology. It was clear that Peter had the wrong idea about what James wanted, since he tried to get Remus to eat some tentacula leaves hoping it would cure his lycropathy. But James couldn't say anything in the crowded greenhouses, which were genuinely packed due to a lot of space being taken up by some unusual trees- N.E.W.T. Students were growing some 'family trees', as if in actual trees, with leaves shaped like the heads of the student's family. Thus James believed that Peter would try to get Remus to try all of the potions ingredients decorating the shelves, but instead, it became a comical scene of the after-effects of a certain forgotten letter Sirius sent two days ago-so much had passed since then! But the confused Slytherins had no clue of that.
'Black!' Lestrange, with his usual half-tamed dark hair, walked right towards the four, causing them to pull out their wands, but he almost put his hands up to show his innocence- though that was belittling so Lestrange just said he wasn't going to hurt them.
'We just wanted to know if the letter you sent was true.'
'What? Oh the one about the Lego? Of course it is true! Those blocks are of muggle creation! You got defeated by muggle kids' toys!'
'We weren't defeated!' Snake chimed in the background.
'Shut up Snivellus, you greasy, eavesdropping little pig!' James retorted.
'So muggle know how to make invisible blocks? Really?' Sirius stopped. They had no clue about the invisibility cloak. Behind him, he could hear Remus was already chuckling. With this, Sirius burst into laughter, which the others joined.
'You didn't know? Muggle invented all these invisibility potions and cloaks, they were just called invisibility medicines and clothes!' James lied well through his laughter, and the Slytherins looked beyond shocked. Mulciber had his mouth so wide open, you could fit a nice apple within! However, it wasn't to last.
'You're lying.' Snape's voice silenced them all. 'I don't know whether the lLego bit is true, but if it is, then it's only happened recently, muggles didn't know you could actually make things invisible.' His voice was monotone and James hated it.
'I forgot that you were bought up in a muggle settlement. Bet you were horrible to them all.'
'He wasn't.' It came from a lighter voice, that certainly wasn't one of the boys' voices. It came from the red-haired Lily Evans.
'He only treated you nicely as you were a witch.' James said slowly. But Evans still glared at him.
'Don't talk about things you know nothing about Potter. Especially when you sound like you know it all.' Taking her place, she turned to face the Professor, whom they hadn't noticed until then, standing-looking rather confused- at the front.
'Argument over?' Slughorn asked. 'Let's begin then!'
Over two hours had past since the encounter with the Slytherins, and Sirius was still laughing.
'But did you see their faces?', he repeated for the hundredth time, 'Avery's was priceless! He was really invested in invisibility, I bet he couldn't comprehend what I said!' Peter was also rather excited.
'I liked Mulciber's face though. I'd probably look the same; he fell down due to some muggle blocks, and screamed too!'
'Are we going to the library?'
'Why yes we are Remus, voluntarily!' Remus beamed.
Sirius couldn't believe that he hadn't had an interest in magical creatures before. He was reading his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with great interest, marvelling over the different magical beasts. Peter was looking at as many werewolf books as he could, trying to find something that allowed him to support Remus (not cure him, as James had explained, since that would be a miracle!) James himself was rather annoyed, and he wanted to find something to get back at Snape with, after the boy had ruined what was turning out a be a nice prank, but he kept on reminding himself of Remus. Remus. And Remus himself? Well, he tried to observe the behaviour of his friends, their weird manner, before getting back to what he was looking at. Now, he had promised not to stress about this year's exams, but he was stressed about his option choices. He would like to do all of them, from Divination to Arithmancy, but he could only choose three!
And so, he shall look ahead. Perhaps Divination would do.
Well, by the end of lunch, Remus had gotten as far as totally ruling Divination out. It seemed rather fishy to him, and if it did work, then looking at what was revealed, some very furry secrets may come out. He thought Sirius might like it through. Speaking of Sirius, he, James and Peter had quite frankly, gotten nowhere. They learnt more about why chocolate works, that werewolves mainly attacked humans, it was rare for them to hurt an animal, that werewolves would attack themselves if they couldn't attack humans (James nearly cried at this. Remus' scars were from Remus himself!) and other random bits and bobs. Maybe the answer would never come to them.
Or maybe it would come from their Transfiguration lesson after lunch.
'Animagi. These are a group of magical people with the ability to turn into a different species, often meant to represent themselves. It is a very hard process and I myself took several years to become one, starting just after I finished my N.E.W.T.s, and ending three years later. However there are many benefits of becoming an animagus, Due to your brilliant work last term, I think you deserve a lesson on animagi, for being one is truly a thing to be proud of.'
As the Professor continued on, cogs in James' head turned. So as they took notes and drew diagrams, James put his hand up, hoping McGonagall would come, but she just called 'Yes Potter?' from the front of the class. Oh well, here goes nothing.
'Professor, entirely hypothetically speaking, would other creatures see you like an animal or human? Say, for a random example, a werewolf, they tend to attack humans, but would they pass an animagus in their animal form?'
'Yes, they won't harm an animagus unless provoked.' She said immediately, also immediately believing Remus had revealed a rather large secret to his friends.
Remus meanwhile stared at James in utter shock, and would've probably yelled if Sirius hadn't suddenly grabbed him secretly to stop him from doing so. Surely James wasn't planning anything to do with this information? He could feel his moth hang open, which McGonagall quickly got the class' attention, allowing Remus to whisper-shout at James.
'Please tell me you are not planning on becoming an animagus so you can be with me during my time of the month.'
'Sorry Remus, no can do, for that is exactly what we are doing.'
'Oh Merlin, you really don't need to!'
'But we want to, right?' The other two agreed.
What luck he must've had to become friends with James, Sirius and Peter.
Everyone was leaving the lesson as quickly as possible, glad the day had ended, leaving only the four Gryffindors behind, and Remus knew it wasn't by accident that they were packing extra-slow. As McGonagall sighed, he knew she felt so to. The young professor came up to the back where he four loitered. 'What is it?'
'You didn't teach us how to become an animagus.' James replied equally as bluntly.
'The Ministry doesn't allow it to be taught non-N.E.W.T. Students. It is a very complex thing, to be an animagus, and you should have decent control over your magic before.' Remus didn't need to look at this friends to know they were giving McGonagall puppy eyes.
'Can you tell us?' James asked.
'For hypothetical reasons of course.' quickly added Sirius.
The Professor sighed again.
'I cannot tell you...' She hesitated. 'But there is one book. In the restricted section. 'The Animagus Methode'.'
'Thank you Professor!'
As soon they were out of McGonagall's hearing range, Remus pinned James against the wall. 'Are you serious?'
'No, I am!' Sirius said besides him. James laughed.
'Oh let me go Remus! Can't I do something for my friend?'
'Yes can't we?' Remus looked at their determined faces.
'You have no clue how amazing you lot are.'
'Oh no, I know it.' Sirius said.
Remus avoided mentioning that he was a werewolf even when they were alone, but rather called it his 'time of the month.' The boys didn't know of what it may mean to those female in body. So that evening, Sirius went down to the common room as he had left his favourite quill there, only to overhear Marlene McKinnon's chat with the girls. He didn't mean it, but his ears pricked up when he heard the term 'time of the month' being used. He listened some more, capturing bits of 'Very painful' and 'uncontrollable.' After learning of Remus being a werewolf, it was quite believable that McKinnons was one too. When she said 'all I need is chocolate afterwards!' Sirius couldn't help it. He walked up to McKinnons, and tapped her politely on the shoulder, asking to to come to one side. Putting enough compassion in his voice as possible, he asked if she was werewolf.
In return, Sirius got a kick in the shins and his first lesson on female anatomy. It grossed him out but...
'Guys, I think I've found out why my mother seems to act more like a monster once a month!' He cried out, as he rejoined the boys.
Oof, I hope you don't mind the 'bloody' joke, but I saw a prompt on it, and I had to write it!
