The animagi potion.
Okay lets see if I can do this again. Man, these disclaimers get really old. You know, no one belongs to me except Erin Addi, and Peter jumped off a cliff day.
Chapter 17: A year of your life
After practice we climbed up the stairs to our dorm. Peter and Remus were waiting for us. I locked the door behind me.
"You ready?" We nodded. James pulled the cauldron out from its hiding place. Remus sat on my bed and watched us. James set it on the floor and we stood around it. He pulled out three goblets and handed them to each of us. The air was thick with the tension.
" got your hair?" We nodded. I pulled out the dog hair I had taken form our neighbor's dog. Peter had had a hard time finding a rat, but we took him to the pet store and he found one. James had found a stag in the forest.
"Okay put the hair in the goblet and recite the incantation." We dipped the goblets into the potion and dropped the hair into the green swirling mix. Three voices recited the spell together perfectly.
"If anyone wants to back out, now is the time." No one moved. Peter looked like he desperately wanted to run from the room and never come back. My hand was shaking but I knew there was no turning back. I had known that ever since we had agreed to do this almost five years ago.
"Bottoms up." This was it. All we had worked on for the past five years. If something would good wrong now would be the time. I raised the cup to my lips. James did the same. Just do it. I thought. I closed my eyes and drank. I drained my cup. It tasted odd. Like a mix of sweet and bitter. Then I set the cup down. I don't know really what I expected but what happened next wasn't what it.
The world started to swirl around me. It spun faster and faster till I couldn't see. Then it began to slow down. When it finally stopped I wasn't in our room.
I was in a brightly-lit room. James stood next to me. James blinked in the light.
"Welcome." A soft musical voice drifted down to us.
"Where are we?" James was the first to recover his voice
"Let's just say we are very pleased with you." The voice moved and a beautiful woman came into view.
"Where's Peter?"
"He is back in your room."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You may call me Ire."
"Okay Ire. What's going on?"
"Ah Sirius Black James Potter" She said her eyes gazing at us lovingly. " "You are here because of what you have done."
"Are we dead?" James asked
She laughed. Her laugher sounded like running water in a mountain stream. "No, no you are not dead. But you have risked your lives so your friend may be happy."
"Remus? Is he okay?"
"Of course. A little worried about you two right now. But he is fine. You have been tested. And you passed with flying colors."
"Tested? I thought finals were next month." She laughed again.
"You are so much like your mother."
"You knew her?" I asked surprised.
"My, dear I know her. Yes she is fine, before you ask and so is your father. They are very proud of you." James put a hand on my shoulder.
"Can I see them?"
"I'm sorry. That is not possible now."
She walked across the room. "there is one more thing. One more thing you are required to do."
"What?"
"You do not have to do this. You may back down anytime you wish."
"Look lady, We are going to do this no matter what it takes."
She sighed. "Alright then. Your friend is hurting. He is in pain."
"Remus? Why?"
"Because you have done this for him. He is worried that you might be hurt."
"But we're okay."
"Now yes. But There is a greater evil who has seen what you have done. He can see the loyalty you have for your friends. Remus Lupin. Adhara Black, Lily Young. Erin White. Even Peter Pettigrew."
"Voldemort."
"Yes, He will try to use this against you. He can see that by hurting your friends he can hurt you."
"NO!"
"He better leave our friends alone."'
"What can we do?"
"There is one thing. If you do this as long as you live Voldemort can never touch your friends."
"Yes, Whatever it is yes."
"You have not heard me yet young Sirius. You must give up something. Something valuable."
"Like what?" James asked. I couldn't see her taking a broom or something like that.
"One year of your life." We stared at her. One year of our lives? To give up one year? To die a year early? I swallowed. James and I looked at each other for a long time. I saw the same determination I felt in his eyes. We never even needed to talk. We both knew what the other was thinking. We had to protect Remus, Erin, Addi, Lily, and Peter. I couldn't live if some thing happened to them we could have prevented. We knew what we had to do. We turned back to her.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, we're sure." She smiled. I felt some thing go through my body. It felt cold and shivers ran down my back. My vision clouded for a moment and I saw something. I saw the outline of a house. It was in ruins. I heard a baby cry and I felt a feeling of pain and sorrow and betrayal. And a name whispered in my ear. Then I was back in the little room. James's face was just as shocked as mine.
"What you have just seen is the scene of the other's death. I have shown you this as a warning."
I wanted to ask James what he had seen but he wouldn't look at me.
"You are not in for an easy life, either of you. Or a long one." She looked at James. I surpressed a shudder. I didn't what to think about what that meant.
"You are good people. And you will do many great things. Your friends are truly blessed."
She turned to go.
"Ire?" I had one more question. Actually I had a million more but there was one I had to ask.
"Yes?"
"Why isn't Peter here ? He did the same thing."
She frowned.
"Peter Pettigrew. He has another future. Chose your friends carefully in the years to come or they will be your downfall."
Then before we could say another word the world started to spin again. We were lifted up again and dropped softly on to the bed. Unfortunately Remus was already there.
"OW!"
"Ow, sorry."
"That's my leg."
"Oh I thought that was my arm."
"Get off!" We finally untangled ourselves.
" What happened?"
We told them everything except about the year thing. We were silent. I was thinking of the scene she had shown us. So was James. Part of me was dying to ask him but another part of me didn't want to know. That part won out so I let it drop.
"Wow!" Peter was too awed to ask anyway. Remus thought for a minute.
"What happened? While we were gone?"
"Well, you drank the potion and then it was like a hurricane blew through. I couldn't even see. When it stopped you were gone."
"Wow,"
"So what do we do now?"
"Try it."
"Oh, I almost forgot."
"Okay so how do we change?"
"Just think about your animal. To change back, just think about your human self." James instructed. I closed my eyes. I thought about the big black dog I wanted to be. I felt some thing strange, like a shudder, go over my body and when I opened my eyes the world looked different. I saw James and Peter and Remus looking at me. There was something different. I was happy. Really happy. I bounded over to Remus and started to lick him. He laughed.
"Stop it Padfoot. I just took a shower. I don't need a another one."
The name Padfoot, jerked me back.
They all stopped
James smiled then changed. I watched this time. It was like a small flash of light. Then instead of James there was a huge stag standing there. He looked tall and majestic until he bent over and whacked me softly with his altars. I whimpered. He laughed.
"Now you Peter."
"I changed my mind. I don't want to."
"Oh come on. It's fun."
"Oh alright."
He shut his eyes in concentration. Then POP! A small rat stood there where he had. Remus jumped up and down on the bed. The warnings and sacrifice were forgotten. We ran around the room until exhausted we changed back. We cleaned up and got ready for bed. Of course none of us could sleep and we talked till dawn, making plans about the next full moon. Finally when the sun peaked over the forest we fell asleep.