*Cackles* Ooh, back again

*Cackles* Ooh, back again. Now, if there are any of you out there who like H/G fics, read Sine Qua Non, by, er, Arabella. If, like me, you like L/J, then read The Parents who died, by Someone the First, and if you like MWPP, then read, er, this. Now, I have to thank a few people. Firstly, LilyEvens (she knows who she is) for quite correctly pointing out that Lily knew about the Invisibility Cloak at Christmas in Blue Unicorn (Not that it really matters, just thought I'd tell you) and, I suppose I could thank my beta-reader, which is, sort of, The Microsoft® Word 2000 spellchecker…I dunno. If you think I make far too many mistakes and the like, e-mail me, but my spellchecker is good, in my opinion. This part is kinda an extension of the last – it is all about our dear friend Remus…

The next few days were particularly odd, even for Hogwarts. On the morning after James, Sirius and Peter had discovered Remus' secret, James had received a letter from Professor Dumbledore, imploring him, Sirius and Peter to come to the High Table at lunchtime. He would wait for them. They knew immediately it was to do with Remus, and after Herbology and Charms, the three of them made their way up to the front of the Great Hall. They realised that they had no idea where Dumbledore lived, and then understood why he had summoned them to the Hall and not his office. When they approached, Dumbledore waved his hand, implying that they should sit down whilst he finished his lunch. After he had finished his fish, Dumbledore jumped up.

'Follow me please, you three.' He led them out of the Great Hall and up the huge marble staircase. He led them along a few corridors, and came to a halt in front of a large and very ugly stone gargoyle.

'Phoenix tears,' he muttered, and the gargoyle immediately sprang to the side, revealing a large spiralling staircase, moving up like an escalator. The four of them climbed up the stairs, higher and higher, until they reached a large oak door with a griffon-shaped brass knocker. Dumbledore opened it, and led them inside. They seated themselves comfortably in his office. None of them were apprehensive – they knew what this was about.

'So, gentleman,' said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk and stroking a large Phoenix. James knew about Phoenixes; his uncle had once owned one. 'You know about your friend Mr. Lupin's condition?' They nodded. Dumbledore sighed.

'I knew it would not be long before you found out. I was amazed that Mr. Lupin managed to be here a year without telling you,' he sighed again. 'It has been very difficult for him. His father sent me a letter after he was admitted to Hogwarts, explaining everything to me. Now, as you well know, besides the fact that he is a werewolf, I know Mr. Lupin to be a clever pupil and a trusting friend. Would you not agree?' James, Sirius and Peter nodded.

'I agreed to let Remus come here, and arranged for the Whomping Willow to be planted for his transformations. His parents were ecstatic, but I also warned them of another – and I now see that I was right – possibility. I met Remus before he came here, and my instincts told me that it was quite possible that he would make good friends at Hogwarts. Now, it does not require much observational talent to notice if your friend disappears once a month. It would be especially difficult to explain if he had – as you can now appreciate that he does – intelligent friends. Therefore, his mother had the idea of a pretence illness, one requiring Remus to visit her every month.' Dumbledore stopped talking and lifted something out of his pocket. It was a small glass phial.

'The Department of Research for Magical Diseases and Illnesses has recently been looking into werewolves. They have not, as yet, found a cure other than the Aconite vaccine, which cures a werewolf bite, but only works within an hour. It was discovered five years after Remus was bitten. They are now looking into a potion which can prevent the murderous nature of the werewolf; this phial contains some research ingredients I will presently send over to them.'

'Now, as luck would have it, Remus' first transformation happened to be his first night at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey took him down to the Shrieking Shack early in the evening and left him to transform. She returned in enough time to explain the situation to Professor McGonagall. Nobody on the staff but Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and I know of Remus' second identity – as last year showed you, not all teachers can be trusted (a/n That doesn't just hold true in the magical world…).' Dumbledore placed the phial back into his desk.

'Now, I went down to help Remus out after the full moon had faded. He really was in a dreadful state. The paleness of his skin, the terror in his eyes, not to mention that they were still slightly yellow – I felt sure it would give him away. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey managed to tidy him up in the Hospital Wing just enough to avoid suspicion – he could pass for being very tired.'

'When he was feeling slightly more energetic, I brought up to my office and had him sorted,' he motioned to the frayed Sorting Hat, which was lying on a desk behind him. 'He was placed in Gryffindor, and was confident enough to go and face you all – the Sorting Hat is never wrong.'

'Time passed, and before long, it became apparent that Remus had done just as I suspected – he had made good friends. Not only this, but he had made friends with the two cleverest wizards in the year. Somehow, using phenomenal strength of character, Remus kept his secret from you. He told me, on his transformation just after Christmas, how desperately he wanted to tell you all, and yet as you may have guessed, he feared one thing. Rejection. Therefore, he had to keep sticking to his story. I had kept his parents informed, and their delight was evident when I told them that not only was Remus settling in, and had good friends, he also had above-average marks. Now, you can imagine how difficult is has been for Remus' parents. They were helpless to prevent his fate, and felt sure Hogwarts would refuse him. When Remus was entered, it was undoubtedly the happiest moment of their lives; they told me so in a letter the day before term started.'

'And so, Remus has been keeping it a secret all this time. He didn't let anything slip, nor did he leave any of you any hints. As I have already told you, the fear of rejection was strong within him. However, it soon became possible that it would not last long. Remus told me that you three had started noticing his absences. Luckily, you accepted his story. Again, I must admit I was amazed with how long Remus had kept it in.'

'Rather unfortunately, however, this year's curriculum just happened to include Dark Creatures. Remus told me about his Boggart; he knew as soon as Professor Loughran mentioned it that it would turn into the full moon. He did manage to convince you that it was a crystal ball though. You may not have realised that at the time, but I don't think Remus can have encountered Divination as yet. The thing that broke the chain was Professor Loughran's descriptions of werewolves. He, of course, had no idea of Remus' condition. Now, I can tell you that it is not a nice thing to be sitting in a classroom with your teacher telling your friends exactly how to kill you. Remus said to me that he knew anyone looking at him would guess straightaway. He was completely horrified. Alas, he was right. One look at him and you, James, managed to comprehend his secret. He came to me this morning looking happier than I've ever seen him. He said – and I have to quote you here, James – that you had said, "We'll support you, not shun you". The three of you have shown yourselves as true friends, and I cannot begin to tell you how much Remus appreciates it.' There were a few minutes silence. James thought again about the previous night.

'Now,' Dumbledore began, causing Sirius to start. 'You can understand that it is of the utmost importance that you keep this between yourselves. If it somehow leaked out, then Remus would undoubtedly have to leave the school. Parents do not want their children exposed to a werewolf.'

'We definitely won't tell anyone, sir,' said Sirius sincerely.

'I surmised as much, Sirius,' said Dumbledore, smiling. 'As long as this stays between the myself, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and you three, I think we have little to fear.'

'Remus won't have to leave,' prompted Peter.

'Precisely. Now, I suggest that –'

'Sorry to interrupt, sir, but there was one more thing,' said James suddenly.

'James?'

'Er, next time Remus, you know, transforms, would it be all right for us to go with him? You know, to stay with Madam Pomfrey?'

'I'm sure Remus would appreciate it,' said Dumbledore, smiling. 'Now, I suggest you go back to Gryffindor Tower. Don't forget what I have said.'

'No sir,' said the three boys, and they left Dumbledore alone with his Phoenix and the Sorting Hat, to head back to the common room.

Remus was sitting in a corner reading Hogwarts: A History when they entered.

'Funny,' he said, as they approached. 'In here it says that the Whomping Willow was planted to scare off werewolves from the forest. Fat chance.'

'We've got something to tell you,' said Sirius. He, James and Peter proceeded to tell Remus about their conversation with Dumbledore and that they were allowed to escort him down to the Whomping Willow for his next transformation.

'Thanks, you three,' said Remus, when they had finished. 'Thanks.' He clapped all three of them on the back. 'I think I'll go to bed, I'm still kinda tired after last night … you know.'

'Hold on Remus, I'll come with you,' said James, and they left Peter and Sirius playing chess.

'Remus,' said James, as they entered the dormitory. 'Is there any way of making a werewolf, sort of, less vicious, that you know of?'

'I really couldn't tell you, James. I mean, when I transform, my mind's a blur between becoming a werewolf and becoming a human again. S'kinda like being in a coma, or just being subconscious. I mean, I can always tell by looking at myself what I've become. Yellow eyes,' he was silent for a few seconds as he stood by the mirror and examined his reflection. 'Look at my eyes. They should be bright blue, but you can always see the tinge of yellow. When I turn back into a human, they're pure yellow for at least an hour.' James looked into Remus' eyes. He was right … He compared Remus' eyes with his own in the mirror … yes, there was a faint tinge. He was amazed that he had never noticed it before. Remus turned away from the mirror and started changing into his pyjamas.

'I'd be lost without you, Sirius and Peter; you do know that, don't you? Seriously, I dunno what I would've done if you'd rejected me.' Remus turned back into the mirror. James had never seen him paler.

'Remus,' he said comfortingly. 'Look, it isn't your fault. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all know that you don't deserve it, and as its been thrust upon you, helping you is the least we can do,' he put his arm around Remus' shoulder. 'I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we're here to support you, not shun you.' A few tears leaked from Remus' eyes. He didn't say anything, but James understood. Giving him one last reassuring smile, he closed his curtains for him, and listened as he fell asleep.

The prospect of seeing Remus just before his next transformation had the effect of speeding time up very quickly. The next full moon, according to Dumbledore, was the last day of September. Remus became increasingly edgy. James had never noticed this before, but Remus' mood definitely changed as the full moon drew nearer. As Dumbledore had predicted, Remus was very grateful that his friends were coming to support him when he transformed.

The night of the thirtieth arrived before very long. Remus was looking very, very pale when they left for the Entrance Hall. James looked at his eyes as they exited the portrait hole – there was no doubt about it, they were definitely more yellow than usual. Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them in the Entrance Hall. She gave all of them a warm smile and led them out in to the grounds.

The night air was cold and sharp. The moon was hidden behind a cloud at present, though a part of it was visible. James noticed Remus eyeing it with apprehension.

'Don't worry, dear. It won't be fully visible for at least an hour. We've time.' She led them through the grounds until they fell into the shadows of the Whomping Willow. Its branches were looking as violent as ever, but Remus grabbed a stick and poked the trunk. The branches froze, and the five of them were able to get into the tunnel with ease.

Madam Pomfrey led them along a long, winding path. James noticed both Sirius and Remus shivering slightly. Remus was shivering from nerves, but Sirius said that he was cold, therefore James leant him his cloak. Before long, the path curved round and ended inside a small building – the Shrieking Shack.

James found it difficult saying goodbye to Remus. He wasn't quite sure how to put it. In the end he just muttered 'good luck' and clapped Remus lightly on the back. When Remus was in, Madam Pomfrey magically locked the door of the Shack so that it would be impossible for Remus to escape. They left, and walked back down the passage in silence. When they were about halfway, they heard a blood-curdling howl from behind them. James could hardly get over the fact that his friend was making that sound – it was all so … paranormal. Then again, James reminded himself, as he heard snarling and howling from behind him, that that summed up the magical world perfectly.

They returned to the school and waited – they had arranged to go and fetch Remus when the full moon waned – Dumbledore had allowed them to, as the next day was Saturday. The wait was not pleasant. They could still hear frequent howls, even though Remus was far away in Hogsmeade. Sirius was still shivering, though when James asked him, he found out that it wasn't due to the cold. Madam Pomfrey sent the boys back to Gryffindor Tower.

'I'll be going to fetch him at half past six. Meet me here.' She strode off in the direction of the Hospital Wing. The three boys headed silently back to the Tower, and as none of them could sleep, they played wizard chess.

Six o' clock came before very long. James and Peter managed to shake Sirius awake, and the three of them made their way through the silent corridors of Hogwarts down to the Entrance Hall. They didn't meet anyone, partly because they weren't making any noise, and secondly because all three were hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. James didn't want to have to explain to Filch why he was creeping around the castle at six in the morning. They reached the Entrance Hall at twenty past. James slipped the Cloak into his pocket and they waited.

Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was fairly acquainted with clocks, and she arrived at exactly half past. She didn't look like she'd slept much over the last few hours either. The grounds were still very cold when they stepped out of the Hall. The water in the lake was dark and murky, and some weak sunshine was glimmering over the trees of the Forbidden Forest. The moon had faded from sight. The Whomping Willow was thrashing at a few small butterflies when they approached, but James poked it with the stick and it froze.

James could see inside the tunnel a lot better now that it was slightly lighter. The damp walls were thick with the scent of moss and decay. The journey to the Shrieking Shack seemed to take longer than it had earlier. They were no howls or moans coming from up ahead – Remus had evidently transformed back into a human. They reached the end of the passage, and Madam Pomfrey whispered through the door.

'Remus? Remus? Are you in there?' said Madam Pomfrey. No reply. 'Don't worry,' she added, seeing the looks on James, Sirius and Peter's faces. 'He's probably just unconscious.' She unlocked the door, and they all walked in.

Remus was lying on the floor of the Shack, quite unconscious, but a human again. His face was convulsed with terror, his skin was deadly pale and his eyes, James noticed, were vivid yellow. Madam Pomfrey conjured a stretcher, and she and James lifted Remus onto it. They left the Shack with Remus floating along in front of them.

'How long is it before his eyes change colour?' James asked. Peter and Sirius evidently hadn't noticed this before, because at James' words, they went and peered closely at Remus.

'About an hour,' Madam Pomfrey answered. 'He'll have to spend the day in the Hospital Wing.'

'Why exactly are his eyes yellow?' Sirius asked.

'It's because – when he changes back into a human – it takes a little while for the – the werewolf in him to completely disappear. It takes time, but eventually, he's fully human again, with blue eyes.' Sirius nodded.

They had soon reached the castle.

'You can come up to the Hospital Wing, if you like. I've got some potion that'll revive him.'

'S'long as it doesn't Retrovive him,' Peter muttered.

By now, the castle was a little more awake. As they passed the Great Hall, they spotted a few early risers. Suddenly, there was a scream from the Hall.

'What was that?' said James.

'You three, take him up to the Hospital Wing. I'll sort this out.' She left them standing alone.

'Jamesy?' said Sirius. 'Why don't you put the Cloak on Remus, so no-one sees him?'

'Good idea, Sirius,' James muttered, and he pulled the Cloak out of his pocket and covered Remus in it. Sirius and Peter walked to the end of the corridor to make sure that no one was coming. Just as James was about to join them, he heard an unpleasant voice.

'Oh look, it's Black and little Pettigrew.' It was Snape. He hadn't seen James.

'Can we help you, ratboy?' said Sirius calmly. James could almost see Snape's face as Sirius said this. Suddenly, there came a small shout, and the next minute, Sirius and Snape were rolling around on the floor in a whirl of fists. James ran forward and pulled out his wand, but before he could do a thing …

'Stupefy!' came a voice out of nowhere. Snape fell back, unconscious. Remus tugged the Cloak off himself. His yellow eyes were glittering.

'Cheers, Remus,' gasped Sirius.

'No problem,' croaked Remus. His voice was completely different.

'How're you feeling, Remus?' James asked

'Not good. Here, take the Cloak, I can walk.' Remus handed the Cloak back to James. They put Snape on the stretcher.

'What was the spell you used?' asked James. Remus pointed to Sirius.

'Stunning Spell,' said Sirius, talking for Remus. '"The victim is rendered unconscious for two hours unless the counter spell is used", or something like that.'

'What's the counter-curse?' Peter asked.

'I'll show you,' Remus muttered. 'Enverate.' Snape woke up.

'Go away, Snape!' James hissed. Snape seemed more than willing. He got off the stretcher and strode away. Giving them all one furious look, he turned the corner, out of sight.

'What an idiot,' Sirius muttered. 'How many times will we have to curse him before he leaves us alone?' James shrugged.

'Dunno – ow!' said Remus.

'What's wrong?'

'My leg. Ow – can I get back on there? Thanks.'

They managed to reach the Hospital Wing without meeting anyone else. James and Peter gingerly lifted him onto a bed whilst Sirius fetched him some water.

'Do you want any food, Remus?' Sirius asked. Remus nodded.

'Yeah, I'm starving. Couldn't get us some breakfast, could you?'

'It's only because I'm your friend,' Sirius said, grinning 'Yeah, sure. Jamesy? Can I have ze Cloak?' James handed Sirius the Cloak, and he disappeared out of the door. He returned about half an hour later, laden down with food. He was carrying a plate of bacon and eggs for Remus, and some toast for James, Peter and himself.

'We had no idea you were such a chef, Sirius,' Peter remarked.

'S'amazing,' Sirius spluttered through a mouthful of pumpkin juice. 'They're so ickle and squeaky, and yet they're such good cooks.'

'Quite,' said James. 'Now, I have a rather nasty essay about Animagi to finish, so could I just – ' James froze. The most brilliant idea had just come to him.

'What?' Asked Remus.

'Animals,' James whispered. 'Of course – that's brilliant … wait here, you three.' As James hurtled out of the Hospital Wing, he distinctly heard Sirius say 'Overstimulated – needs more sleep.' He laughed, not only at that, but also at the brilliance of his scheme.

Animagi. They could become Animagi. He needed to check one thing first, however. He hurtled along the corridors, only stopping to help Lily when he knocked her over.

'Sorry, Lil', in a hurry, speak to you later.' He said as he helped her onto her feet.

'But – James, what –'

'Later.'

He got back to the common room and sprinted up to the dormitory. He found the book he needed and flicked through until he found what he was looking for. He read quietly.

The Animagus transformation is extremely difficult and closely monitored by the Ministry of Magic. Animals have many distinct advantages over humans. For example…

James read on until he found the passage he was looking for.

Animagi also have the ability to mix with Dark creatures, especially vampires and werewolves, whom are only a threat to humans.

This was it. The answer they'd been looking for. If he, Sirius and Peter became Animagi, they could accompany Remus when he transformed. It was brilliant, and yet, and yet … James quickly dove onto Sirius' bed. He opened Sirius' trunk, and pulled out Complex Potions. He flipped to the index, and found Animagi. He turned to look at the Animagus potion, and his eyes widened. This had to be the most difficult potion to procure in the world. Now he understood why the Minstry of Magic monitored transformations. Granted, it probably wasn't as difficult as the Mortefermata or Retrovivation Potions; it didn't contain Blue Unicorn dust, but this potion would take a very, very long time to prepare. He looked slowly at pictures of failed transfigurations. He had to stifle a laugh when he saw a picture of a wizard who had become a fine oak tree. But then the entirety of the situation hit him. If they did this, no, they would do this, they had to, for Remus, then there was a chance they could end up the same. It was going to take all of James and Sirius' intellect to pull it off.

But James was set. He wasn't a werewolf. He didn't have to suffer the way Remus did. If he, Peter and Sirius became Animagi, they could accompany Remus every full moon; they could make it more bearable for him. This was something they had to do. James swore to himself that he wouldn't stop working until they could all change into animals at will. First, though, he had to tell the others. Picking up his Advanced Transfiguration book and Sirius' Complex Potions, he sped down to the common room and out the door. Lily, who was entering, looked just as confused as she had when he had lifted her onto her feet.

When James entered the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey seemed to be force-feeding Remus some foul medicine. Sirius and Peter were too busy laughing at Remus' face to notice James slip in. Remus swallowed the potion and Madam Pomfrey, looking satisfied, took the goblet and strode back to her office.

'All right, Jamesy?' Sirius asked, noticing James. 'Has the insanity subsided?'

'Not in you,' said James, 'but that's not important. I've come up with the ultimate plan. Better than showing Snape's underwear at a Quidditch match.' (a/n see The Flower and the Stag, part 11).

'I'm listening,' said Sirius.

'Right. Now, we know that as a werewolf, Remus would kill us if we went anywhere near him. Not to be over-dramatic, but it's true,' Remus nodded. ' So, I thought, if we can't accompany him as humans, why not try accompanying him as animals?' Sirius, Peter and Remus, looked confused for a second, but then it hit them.

'Animagi,' whispered Sirius. 'Animagi – Brilliant!'

'Precisely. But this isn't the sort of thing that we can do overnight. It'll take as least two, probably three years. But if we have wait until fifth year to become Animagi, that's fine by me.'

'Yeah,' said Remus. 'You'd be able to able to be down there with me. I only attack humans. I mean, there are loads of rats in the Shack, but even as a werewolf I'm sure I don't attack them. I mean, I'd know. There'd be dead rats on the floor and blood on my hands.'

'There's blood on your hands when you transform?' asked James.

'Yep. That is, if I kill anything,' replied Remus nonchalantly.

'Anyway,' said Sirius, evidently wanting to change the subject. 'When can we start?'

'Have a look in here,' said James, handing him Complex Potions.

'Damn thief,' said Sirius. 'Let's see – Animagus transformation – here we are – bloody hell. This is going to take forever. Look at this.' He showed it to Remus and Peter.

'You don't have a chance,' said Remus faintly.

'Look,' said James firmly. 'Sirius and I are the cleverest in the year, right?'

''Cept Lily,' said Sirius.

'No. This stays between us, or else Remus'll get found out. We can do this. Most of these ingredients,' he gazed down at Complex Potions, 'we can get in the school. Some we can get from the store cupboard, some we can get from Turner and some – some we can get from the Forest.' James expected the others to argue, but they didn't.

'You're right, James,' said Peter. 'We can use the Cloak to get into Turner's stores and the Forest.'

'Exactly. Now, I'm not denying that it won't take long, but Sirius, you're the best in the year at Potions, and I'm good at Transfiguration. We should be able to do it.'

'You're only good at Transfiguration?' said Sirius amazedly. 'We need to remove your modesty gene,' James glared at him. 'But what I mean is, good plan, Jamesy, we'll start as soon as possible.'

'That's more like it. Right, we can start collecting on Monday. There's no point in wasting time. Now, like I say, some of these ingredients are complicated. There's one here, Silver Yew … Sirius?'

'Oh, god, er, Silver Yew,' Sirius began. 'Now, what did that book say?' That's it. It's a small plant – poisonous, there won't be one in school, we'll need to look in the Forest – and – there's something else – oh yeah, it can only be picked at the full moon.' Remus paled.

'Great,' he muttered. 'Well, I don't think I'll be there.'

''Doesn't matter. As long as you can't get out.'

'You don't have to worry about that,' said Remus, smiling wryly.

And so, the collection began. Every Potions lesson, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus would take ingredients that they needed for the potion. Because of the Cloak, they were able to swipe things from Turner's office without him noticing. For now, they kept the ingredients in James and Sirius' trunks.

Around the school, meanwhile, the usual magnificent Halloween decorations had started appearing around the castle. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had been decorating the Great Hall and Hagrid's pumpkin patch was filled with huge pumpkins for the occasion. Flitwick's own classroom was covered in glittering, multi-coloured fairies.

Fortunately, Remus' transformation would not be on Halloween, as it had been the previous year. He had already explained that on that occasion, he had overslept, and very nearly transformed within the castle. Luckily, Dumbledore had managed to get him down to the Shrieking Shack before the moon appeared. The full moon for this year was on the second.

On the night before Halloween, James sat up playing chess with James Junior. Sirius was stealing food from the kitchens, Remus and Peter were having their own game of chess, and Frank, John Brown and the girls were having a loud game of Exploding Snap in the corner. Just as James Junior said 'Checkmate', grinning, Sirius returned, laden down, as he so often was, with food. As everyone was very hungry, Sirius started to throw food into the crowd. His theory was that everyone would get something, but this wasn't happening, because Remus, as the only person to know the Summoning Charm, was merely summoning all the food to where he and Peter were sitting. After a while, Sirius decided just to eat it himself.

After a little while, James decided to join in with the large game of Exploding Snap, as did Sirius and Remus. Peter and James Junior, as the winners of their respective chess games, were now playing each other. It was quite late before Sirius managed to persuade everyone to go to bed.

As the next day was Halloween, James thought he'd start the day with a friendly pillow fight. As he was contemplating this, he was caught off-guard by an already-prepared Sirius. The thing was that the five boys, all being quite good with new curses, were now using them within their fights. Remus would be summoning pillows from all over the room. Frank would be doing the opposite, banishing them. Peter and Sirius would be hitting each other and trying to avoid being hit themselves and James would just have given up with pillows and be placing various hexes on his friends.

So, after an eventful morning, the five boys, who had now missed breakfast, decided to get some food from the kitchens and walk down to Hagrid's. Sirius had the idea of taking Complex Potions, to see if Hagrid knew any of the ingredients.

They found Hagrid outside his hut, watering his pumpkins and whistling at the same time. He seemed happy about something.

'Afternoon, Hagrid,' said Sirius, when he was sure Hagrid could see them.

'Mornin'. Here, you five, c'min here. Got summat ter show yeh.' He led them into his hut. On the floor, there was a small puppy, sniffing at one of Hagrid's hams hanging on the wall.

'Isn' he beautiful?' Hagrid asked. 'His name's Fang. In abou' six weeks he'll be three times tha' size.' James had to agree, the little puppy was positively cute. He'd better not tell the girls, or they'd be down here from morning until night.

'Dumbledore gave me permission ter keep him. When he's grown, he can come with me into the Forest.' James bent down, and he soon saw the reason for Fang's name. He might have only been little, but his fangs were already sharp.

'What kind of dog is he, Hagrid?' Frank asked

'Boarhound. Dead loyal, them. Look, look, isn't he sweet?' Fang was licking Hagrid's giant fingers. Hagrid picked him up. He almost fit into the palm of Hagrid's hands, but James thought that he wouldn't be surprised if Fang was ten times bigger by the end of November.

They spoke to Hagrid for a while. He didn't seem to be able to help them much with their potion. They hadn't told him about it, but they had surreptitiously asked about the ingredients. They walked back up to the school shortly before the Halloween feast. Lily and Katie were talking about something in a corner when they entered the common room, but they started giggling when the boys entered. From all he had heard, the talk seemed to be regarding Sirius, which disturbed him slightly.

The Gryffindor second years made their way down to the Great Hall together. They found seats at the Gryffindor table easily. James had to marvel inwardly at the décor of the Great Hall. Fairies were fluttering around, with bright lights making them glitter in the darkness. Live bats haunted the areas around the ceiling; they swooped in large groups every so often. The house tables were sparkling – it was almost as though there were fairies inside them.

The food at the feast was magnificent. The house elves seemed to have pulled out all the stops. James spoke in an undertone to Sirius about the potion, though he did look up when someone on the other side of the Hall exploded with laughter – Snape. It looked like somebody from Ravenclaw had hit him with a laughing curse.

'Who did that?' James asked Frank.

'That kid over there. See? The Chinese one.'

'Who, Jason Mak?' (a/n There you are, Jase,)

'How do you know who he is?' asked Sirius.

'He's a Chaser, for Ravenclaw. He's in the year above us.'

'Must be alright if he hates Snapey.' Sirius said.

The rest of the feast passed without great incident. The Gryffindors made their way back up to the common room, most of them too full and sleepy to do anything. It was only Sirius and James who stayed up, to play chess.

'Anyway,' said Sirius. 'We're doing okay on ingredients. Remus managed to get some of that Turtle Stomach dew.'

'How nice,' said James. 'Yeah, and Peter got the Unicorn hair.'

'Good. It won't be long before we can –' Sirius' words were cut off by a loud scream from the girl's dorm. Both boys jumped to their feet and hurtled up the stairs towards the screaming.

'It's Lily,' said James. 'This happened before – last year.'

'On Halloween?' Sirius asked. James nodded. They entered the room to see the other four Gryffindor girls, now awake, backing away from Lily.

'No, no, not Harry! Not Harry!' she said. 'Please – I'll do anything, please! Not Harry!'

'It's the same nightmare,' said Michelle. James had to wake Lily up. He sat on her bed, held her arms and shook her gently.

'James? Is that you?' Lily asked dazedly. 'Where – what happened? Where's Harry?'

'Harry?'

'Who's Harry?' Lily asked, seemingly waking up properly.

'You've had another nightmare, Lil',' said Sirius.

'Oh. Thanks, James.' James let go of her arms. He was shaken. This was the second time she'd had the dream, at the same time, on the same day. Wishing the girls goodnight again, he and Sirius left for their own dorm. Sirius seemed to read James' mind, and remained silent.

As James got into bed, he tried to put it out of his mind. It affected him, for some reason. He rolled over, to try and get more comfortable. He needed sleep, but Lily's screaming was something that was difficult to forget.

Finito. Ooh, this part's quite long, actually. Thing is, I've already written six chapters and we're only just into November. This could take a while. It's already forty-four pages of 12-point TNR on A4. Blue Unicorn was fifty-five sides… Anyways, if you're still awake, would you be kind enough to review? Please? Next part should consist of transforming, stealing ingredients and food, and a Quidditch match. Oh yeah, you'll find Jason Mak comes in a bit, too (a/n Satisfied?) You won't understand the last sentence, but review anyway.

Ciao