James hated to admit it, but the three boys were struggling to come up with how to transfigure into an Animagus. They were lucky to start of the lecture on Animagus. But it was only theory! Giving them very little information on how to transfigure in practicality.

"I've an idea," said James, pushing himself out of his desk. He walked over to Sirius's bed. The other two boys were working on their homework together. "We can ask McGonagall to tell us some books."

"And she'd do that because?" asked Sirius, closing his book with a thud.

"We'd tell her, we're interested in knowing more about human transfiguration," said James. He shrugged in nonchalant manner.

"We can try that," agreed Sirius, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's better than going through the same books again and again."

"Tomorrow after class," said James, clasping his hands together.

"But Remus would be there," Peter reminded them, scratching his head.

"I'd leave my book behind on purpose, and go back to get it," started James, "You both get him out of there."

"Yeah we can do that," agreed Sirius as Peter nodded in agreement.

The plan worked perfectly. James 'forgot' his book in the classroom. He rushed back after Sirius and Peter escorted Remus to the library.

James was out of breath as he entered the classroom. Professor McGonagall paused while collecting her books. She looked up from over her glasses. "Mr Potter?" she asked.

"I forgot my book Professor," James mumbled, picking up his book. He shifted his one foot to another, biting his lower lip.

"Is there something I can help you with?" asked McGonagall, fixing her glasses.

"Actually Professor," James started, walking up to her desk. "I was hoping to ask you something."

"What is it?" McGonagall pressed, as she walked around her desk to stand in front of James.

"Uh – as we've been studying about Animagus," James started, he clutched his book in his hand. "I've going more interested in learning about it – the practicality of it."

"It's a very difficult lesson in Human Transfiguration," said McGonagall. She was nodding her head.

"I figured," James mumbled. "Seeing as you are an Animagus yourself, I reckoned if I could ask you about books I can read on the topic."

"Well, if it is only for reading purposes, I can give you a list," McGonagall offered, earning an eager nod from James. "Why are you so interested in Animagus?"

"Transfiguration is a fascinating subject Professor. Human transfiguration more so," said James. He didn't lie there. If there was one class, he looked forward to everyday it was Transfiguration. McGonagall seemed pleased by his answer and she turned towards her desk. She pulled out a parchment and in her neat handwriting, she wrote names of books.

"Some of these would be very difficult for you to understand," McGonagall admitted. She paused to think for a moment.

"I'd do my best to understand them," said James, trying to contain his grin.

Once McGonagall completed her list, she extended it towards James. James held it in an instant but McGonagall didn't let go. "Potter I want you to understand one thing very clearly," she started. "Human Transfiguration is very complex and advance, well beyond your capabilities. If you're thinking of attempting anything like this without proper guidance –". She didn't complete what she was saying. After a pause she started again, "The result can be disastrous."

"No Professor, I understand what you are saying," James assured her. McGonagall let go of the parchment with a small smile. James grinned in response and said, "Thank you Professor."

Hiding the parchment in his book, he walked out of the classroom.

Some books were easy enough to find. Others required special measures. Something like going to the restricted section at night with the invisibility cloak. Anyhow, the boys were able to pull up enough notes about Animagus by the time Christmas rolled around. It would've taken a lot less time, if they didn't have to hide it from Remus.

"Let's just tell him," mumbled Sirius.

"He'd never let us do it," said James, shaking his head.

After all, who would? The more the boys read about Animagus, the more they understood about the dangers of it. It would result in a disaster if done incorrectly. Remaining in a half human half animal form wasn't something they were looking forward to.

But that wasn't even their first concern. How were they supposed to hide it from everyone at Hogwarts? That list included Remus. Because if they held a leaf of Mandrake in their mouth for a month, someone was bound to notice!

They needed an elaborate plan, one that would work.

"Look, we need to start one day," said James, running his fingers through his hair. "Let's start from January."

"Mandrake leaves aren't that difficult to find," Peter agreed.

"No, they aren't, but what about keeping it in our mouth while speaking or eating?" questioned Sirius, a crease between his eyes.

"We'll cross the bridge when we get there," said James, with a shrug.

"We can avoid especially chewy food," Peter chimed in.

"I reckon we can live off of soup for a month," Sirius remarked after a pause.

"As for speaking, we can stay quiet for a month. It's not that big of a deal," added James.

"Alright," agreed Sirius with a sigh. "After Christmas, we will begin," Sirius beamed.

Christmas was boring. James didn't understand if it was because he was too excited to start with transforming into an Animagus. Or he was away from his friends. Maybe it was both. He couldn't wait to go back to school and was crossing off dates on the calendar he hung in his room.

His parents noticed his eagerness to return to Hogwarts too. They were happy that their son had made good friends. And he was making happy memories when the outside world promised none. Hogwarts was safe. The innocence of the children was well protected behind the tall walls. The war couldn't harm them.

After dropping Remus to the Shrieking Shack, the boy sat in the usual spot. They pulled out the leaves of Mandrake from the pockets of their trousers and looked at each other. The had nicked it from the greenhouse earlier that day.

James could feel his heart pounding, as his eyes glistened with excitement. "Let's do it," he breathed, looking at Sirius and Peter. The boys nodded in agreement. "1…2…3…" The boys placed the leaf of Mandrake in their mouth at the same time.

For a while, the boys looked at each other, sitting still. Peter was the first one to gag in a few minutes. "I – I'm sorry, it's hard to keep it in my mouth and not do anything," he squeaked.

"Put it in one corner of your mouth and don't think about it," Sirius advised him.

"It doesn't taste as horrible as I thought it would," James noted. His tongue gazed over the leaf in his mouth. The texture was rough, and it tasted sweet but slightly acid at the same time.

"I don't think it's going to be that hard," Sirius declared, with a grin.

"Yes," James agreed with a sharp nod. "The leaf isn't as big."

"Talk for yourself," cried Peter, still struggling to not gag because of the leaf in his mouth.

The first few days for the boys were hard. Eating was a feat in itself. Not smiling wide enough was another story. They couldn't even sleep without the fear of swallowing it in their sleep!

Remus began to notice the dark circles under their eyes. The way they avoided food, and James's lack of enthusiasm for Quidditch! They began dodging his questions by giving vague responses.

"I know you are hiding something from me," Remus complained, biting the inside of his cheek.

"You're being paranoid," Sirius assured him.

"Why aren't you eating then?" he questioned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"We are!" exclaimed James, throwing his hands in the air.

Remus shook his head as he spoke, "Soup and pudding, or any other liquid doesn't count."

"Why not?" asked James as he narrowed his eyes. "It's food." Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement.

"Neither of you sleep," said Remus.

"I'm stressed about studies and they're stressed about helping me," Peter lied.

"Well, I can help you too," Remus offered with a shrug.

"But I'm still lagging with all the help," Peter squeaked, frowning as he looked at his feet. It astonished James at how well Peter could lie.

"You don't need to lose sleep over it," whispered Remus, his own lips turned down in a frown. "And why aren't you as bothered about Quidditch?" asked Remus turning towards James.

James froze like a deer caught in headlight. Without thinking, his tongue gazed the Mandrake leaf sitting against his cheek. He tried to think of a reasonable excuse.

"It's all because of Peter!" exclaimed Sirius. All the eyes turned towards him. "He keeps crying about not understanding anything in the class. It has stressed us out so much. We cannot sleep, eat or do anything really."

"You could've asked me for help," Remus volunteered. He gave Peter a sympathetic smile.

"We didn't want to trouble you. You already have so much on your plate with your furry little problem," said James.

"It's going to happen every month. If you think I can't be of help because of that, it makes me useless," mumbled Remus, averting his gaze to the floor.

James frowned. He let out a sigh and spoke, "Don't say that."

"Let me help you then," Remus begged. The boys couldn't do anything but agree.

By day 20th they became more confident. They were sure to complete the first stage of transforming into an Animagus. That was until Professor Binns's boring class at last put Sirius to sleep.

James had dozed off himself when Sirius started coughing his lungs out, gasping for air. James's eyes flung open and he looked at Sirius with wide eyes. "Sirius!" he exclaimed, patting his back. Sirius clawed at his throat, his face turning red.

"Mr Black, are you alright?" asked Professor Binns, looking up from the book. Sirius gave him a thumbs up as he tried to contain his coughs. The whole class was looking at Sirius. After all, his coughing was the most interesting thing in the class. Ever since they first stepped in during the first year.

"I swallowed it," Sirius gasped, still coughing. Dread creeped over James, stuttering his mind for a moment. His heart came to a still for a moment too.

"What happened?" whispered Remus, inching towards James and Sirius.

"He swallowed – a – a fly," James stuttered. Peter's eyes widened as he understood what had happened and then his face fell.

James turned back to Sirius, who looked disappointed, now that he had stopped coughing. "At least you didn't choke and die," said James with a shrug.

"I'm sorry," mumbled Sirius, frowning. He had his head in his hands.

"We'll try again," James assured him. He swallowed in his own leaf and gave Sirius a grin.

They decided to try again in the next school year. "We're too hungry and exhausted to do it again in 10 days from now," remarked James as they whispered in the library. "We'd die of thirst, hunger or sleep!"

"I second that," agreed Peter.

"I can't do it in March because of Quidditch," mumbled James, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Neither April, you have to prepare for your final match in May," Sirius added.

"And then we have exams in May and June," said Peter with a sigh.

"So, that leaves us with only one option," said James, he looked at the boys sitting in front of him. "We try it again in fourth year."

"Let's put all of this away before Remus returns," Peter instructed. He pointed towards their notes on Animagus.

"There is one good thing that comes out of this," started Sirius as he began putting away his notes. "No one in our year knows more about Animagus than us. We can answer any question on it during exams." He beamed at his friends.

James could hear his heart thumping in his chest as Coach Whyte blew the whistle. He pushed his feet off the ground at the same time as his team mates and fifteen brooms raised up in the air.

From the corner of his eyes, James could see his friends holding up a sign. 'POTTER FOR THE WIN!' There was a Gryffindor boy on a broomstick. He was chasing after the Quaffle. It made him smirk and he puffed out his chest, running his fingers through his hair.

Coach Whyte released the Quaffle and James soared through the air. He extended his hand towards the Quaffle, tucking it under his arm. From his peripheral view, he noticed the Budger rushing towards him. James whirled about of the broomstick. The Budger hit one of the Ravenclaw chaser Mathew Jones in the head.

James almost forgot about the Quaffle in his hand. He watched Mathew crashing on the ground, his broomstick lying next to him. "JAMES," bellowed Cara McCarthy. She was seventh year Gryffindor chaser and captain.

James was cutting through the air, with a good 20-yard advantage over his opponents. And as if rolling a ball on flat surface, James sent the Quaffle through the middle goal hoop. "JAMES POTTER EARNS 10 POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!" the commentator's voice bloomed across the Quidditch field.

James had no time to gloat about his achievement as he set off after Ellis Hughes. Another Ravenclaw chaser who had the Quaffle in his possession. As Ellis threw the Quaffle towards the goal hoops, James caught it mid air. Dashing past Ellis, James took a U-turn towards Ravenclaw goal hoops.

" – AND ELLIS HUGHES MISSES HIS CHANCE TO SCORE FOR RAVENCLAW! AS JAMES POTTER STEALS THE QUAFFLE FROM UNDER HIS NOSE!" The commentator's words made James smirk once again. He notices Ellis catching up to him, his eyes fixed on James. Without missing a beat, James looks over to Cara, passing the Quaffle to her.

"JAMES POTTER PASSES THE QUAFFLE TO THE BEAUTIFUL CARA MCCARTHY!" James couldn't help but chuckle at the remark by the commentator.

With ease and confidence, Cara threw the Quaffle and puts it through the right goal hoop. James couldn't help but clap for his team captain, who beams back. "CARA MCCARTHY EARNS ANOTHER 10 POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR –"

"SEEMS LIKE POTTER AND MCCARTHY HAVE HURT RAVENCLAW PRIDE. ELLIS HUGHES LOOKS FURIOUS WITH QUAFFLE IN HIS HANDS." James notices the way Ellis soars through the air and he sets off after them at once. Ellis smiled at James before throwing the Quaffle over James's head. James whipped his head to the left, following the Quaffle. He watches Mark Bones snuck the Quaffle under his arm. Before James could snatch it back from Mark, he throws the Quaffle back to Ellis.

It irritates James to no extent as he ping pongs between the two boys. Failing to grasp the Quaffle from them. It was at the last second, he realised and bought himself to a halt to avoid running into his own goal hoops. A frown appears on James's face as he watched Mark and Ellis give each other a high five. The commentator further rubbed salt on James's wound with his remark. "RAVENCLAW CAPTAIN MARK BONES AND ELLIS HUGHES EARN 10 POINTS FOR RAVENCLAW! WITH THEIR WONDERFUL TEAM WORK!"

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE GOLDEN SNITCH IS SPOT! BOTH THE SEEKERS NOW RUSHING AFTER THE GOLDEN SNITCH!" The words make James's head whip towards the seekers. The two boys were cutting through the air, rushing past Coach Whyte. James realised that all eyes were on the boys. A sly smile appeared on his face.

Before anyone could realise, James took it upon himself to score another 10 points for his team. It was too late for the Ravenclaw team to stop James. He couldn't help but laugh with how effortlessly he put the Quaffle through the goal hoops. "JAMES POTTER TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN ANOTHER 10 POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

"CARA MCCARTHY AVOIDS THE BUDGER BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S NOW HEADED TOWARDS THEIR OWN SEEKER." The crowd was already sitting on the edge of their seats. James could feel his own heart in his mouth as he watched Richard Bobbin struggle to avoid the Budger. 'We'll lose!' James thought, his brows creasing together.

James took a deep breath, setting off after the Budger. He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward on his broomstick. 'Please!' he kept chanting in his head. "JAMES POTTER RUSHES AFTER THE BUDGER –". James could hear the spectators gasp as he comes to a halt between the Budger and Bobbin. With the rear end of his broomstick, James hit the Budger. " – HE DEFLECTS IT WITH HIS BROOMSTICK!"

Right above his head, he could see Bones heading to the Gryffindor goal hoops. Ceasing the opportunity, he uses soars up towards Bones. Catching him off guard. It was easy for James to wrestle the Quaffle out of his hands.

"JAMES POTTER NOW HAS THE QUAFFLE IN HIS HANDS. – HE SCORES ANOTHER 10 POINTS –" the commentator's voice bloomed across the pitch. James put the Quaffle through the goal hoops. " – THE GRYFFINDOR SEEKER RICHARD BOBBIN CATCHES THE GOLDEN SNITCH."

James came to a halt, turning around. He could see Richard on the ground, with his hand raised above his head. Though his head was bleeding, he had the golden snitch in his hand. James joined the spectators in cheering for Richard, grinning from ear to ear.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

After the Quidditch match, everyone headed inside for lunch. James made his way to the Great Hall with his friends. He watched Professor McGonagall walking up to him with a smile. "Wonderful match Potter," she complimented, patting James's back.

"Thank you, Professor," replied James, as he beamed.

"Go have lunch with your friends," she instructed, making her way to the rest of the Gryffindor team.

James was enjoying every bit of attention he was getting by the student body. Every once in a while, someone would come up to him to compliment him. He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"My throat is sore," said Sirius in a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat as gulped down a goblet of water.

"My voice is gone," Peter's voice was almost inaudible. James grinned at his friends. He couldn't believe his friends were cheering for him the whole time.

"This is why I told you to give your vocal cords some rest," said Remus, taking his seat next to James.

"Please," started Sirius, rolling his eyes. "As if you weren't on the edge of your seats, shouting."

"Did you like our sign for you James?" asked Peter, clutching onto the folded sign in his hands.

"I loved it," answered James as he nodded. "When did you make it?"

"When you were out for Quidditch practice," Remus answered for the boys.

"Thank you," said James, looking over at his friends with a smile.

"Next year, we're thinking of 'Potter for the captain'," announced Sirius with a grin. It made James chuckle. "And we'll use it till you become the captain."

"But looking at how McGonagall was cheering for you. I don't think we'll need it," said Remus, shaking his head.

"Did McGonagall like the game?" asked James, inching closer to Remus.

"She loved it! I reckon she was cheering the loudest among the teachers," Sirius answered, raising his eyebrows. A satisfied smile crept onto James's face as he gulped down the goblet of water set in front of him.