The Greatest Gift

Chapter Six; Secrets Out

~ There are limits to our friendship – the sky.

                                                                        Linda MacFarlane~

The Christmas feast at Hogwarts was always a spectacular sight.  At least a dozen beautifully decorated trees were positioned around the Hall, holly was strung across the enchanted ceiling and small clumps of mistletoe floated through the air, occasionally honing in on couples about to kiss.  A small group of them hovered for several minutes over the heads of James and Lily until they took the hint.

Numerous Dr Filibuster No-Heat Wet-Start Fireworks kept going off at regular interval in showers of red, green and white.  Students even received carol singing cards, making a mismatched choir of Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Deck the Halls.  Clouds of coloured smoke accompanied by cannon blasts also added to the noise as wizard crackers were pulled.

Sirius sat with his hands over his ears, half wishing that he'd just go deaf to avoid the horrendous noise levels.  It wasn't making his headache any easier to bear.

Remus was still not used to ordinary human hearing anymore than Sirius was to a lycanthropes.  He felt like he was deaf, constantly asking people to repeat what they said to him.  A few students asked if he was coming down with a cold because he kept sniffing.  In truth, Remus was simply uneasy with being unable to smell anything more than a few feet from him.

For Sirius, the overwhelming aroma of the feast combined with the kitchen smell below was almost enough to knock him unconscious.  Within minutes he conjured invisible nose plugs, making him sound as though he had a cold as well.

The Gryffindors always waited until the evening before swapping gifts.  The Marauders retreated to the boys' dormitory, sharing mince pies as they opened their presents.

Lily's face lit up just like the Christmas tree lights when she unwrapped the snow globe.

'It's beautiful!  Thank you, Remus!'  She gave him a hug and planted a kiss on his cheek.

'Careful,' Sirius warned from his place on the windowsill.  'Don't want to make Lover-Boy jealous now, do you?'

'Hey, I can kiss my male friends if I want to.'  She protested mildly, smiling at James who gave a lopsided smile back.

Sirius perked up.

'Can I have that in writing?'

Lily made a show of looking confused.

'Since when have I ever considered you a friend, Sirius?'

'Ha, ha, very funny,' he produced a sprig of mistletoe and held it up.  'Come on!  Remus got one, why can't I?'

'And me?' asked Peter hopefully.

James put an arm around Lily's waist and pulled her close.

'Sorry guys, she's mine.'

'Stingy,' muttered Sirius, glaring at Remus.

Peter grabbed another mince pie and shoved it in his mouth.  'We finished?' he asked, pointing at the huge mound of discarded wrapping paper on the floor.

'Think so,' said James.

'No, wait a minute,' said Lily.  'Remus hasn't had one from Sirius yet.'  She turned to Sirius who gave her a mildly confused look.  'Well?'

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look.

'Want me to tell them?' Remus asked.

'Tell us what? James looked suspicious.

Sirius gave a sly smile.  'Maybe it would be easier if you showed them.'

'Showed us what?' Lily asked impatiently.

*

'You did WHAT?'

Sirius couldn't stop laughing at the look of shock that had taken over James' face when Remus transformed into a large black dog.

Peter had started choking on a mince pie until Lily thumped him hard on the back, but she too, was staring open mouthed in amazement.

Remus changed back and calmly explained what they'd done.

'So … you're … human?'  Lily was eyeing Remus almost cautiously, as though she wasn't quite convinced.

Remus just smiled and nodded.

James didn't seem to have any idea what to say.

'I can't believe you did it,' he murmured.  'It's not permanent, is it?'

'No,' Sirius shook his head.  'It'll reverse itself by the twenty-seventh.'

James looked troubled but didn't say anything else.

'You'd better go down to the shack soon,' said Lily.  'The sun will set in an hour.'

*

Sirius, James and Peter, huddled under the Invisibility cloak, slowly and carefully tiptoed across the deserted Entrance Hall, slipped out the front doors and headed for the Whomping Willow.  Ahead of them were Madam Pomfrey and Remus.  Madam Pomfrey never permitted Remus to go to and from the Willows passage by himself.  She took her responsibilities very seriously indeed.  There was still a good half hour before the moon rose.  Plenty of time.

When they were nearly within range of the savage branches, Madam Pomfrey drew out her wand, taking careful aim.  The wand telescoped out until it was over a metre long and struck the knot on the trunk.  Instantly, the tree froze, its long branches still as stone.

The rest of the Marauders hung back as Remus hurried to the mouth of the tunnel, ducking under the branches.

'Remember, Mr Lupin, if you don't feel strong enough, don't go down the passage.  I'll fetch you from the Shack.'  Madam Pomfrey called after him.

Remus nodded, turned and disappeared down the tunnel.  Moments later the Willow waved its branches threateningly at the Matron, who gave it a cold stare before turning on her heel and heading back to the castle.

Squinting through the darkness, they waited until the Matron had passed through the front doors into the castle, and then raced for the Willow.

'Wormtail,' James hissed.

In the blink of an eye, a fat grey rat appeared at their feet and darted to the tree trunk, running beneath the swaying branches, just out of reach.  Nimble climber that he was, Wormtail scrambled up the sloping trunk and head butted the knot.

Once again the tree froze.  James and Sirius dived down between the roots, Wormtail leaping onto James' shoulder as he passed.  Feet first, they slid down the earthy slope, coming to a halt at Remus' feet.

'Come on, we have to hurry.'

They set off at a run, keeping their heads down to avoid the low ceiling, Wormtail clinging to James' robes.

*

Sirius was alternatively pacing and standing stock-still, unsure of himself.  Remus hung back, watching him, a sinking feeling in his stomach and a heavy weight on his chest.  Should he say something?  That he'll be fine?  It'll be over soon?  Maybe tell him what the change was like?  What to expect?

Perhaps he was better off not knowing.

Sirius was looking at him.  Did he want to know?  Or was he looking for reassurance?

Maybe I should have said something sooner.

'The transformation only takes about ten seconds,' Remus said in a would-be-calm voice.  'And … it does hurt - but it'll pass.'  Eventually he added silently.

Sirius nodded glumly as if he'd heard him.  He was breathing deeply with every appearance of calm, were he not abnormally pale and shivering slightly.

Then it began.

Sirius' entire body went ridged, limbs shaking violently.  The others backed away slowly, giving him room.  Remus counted off the seconds in his head.

One … two …

Wide eyed, Sirius stared as brown-grey fur grew out of the backs of his hands.

Three … four … five …

His hands morphed.  The fingers shortening, nails turning black and curling into deadly sharp claws.

Six … seven …

With a shout of pain, Sirius fell onto all fours as his knees reversed.  His face elongated into a long muzzle.  His teeth growing huge and razor sharp.

Eight … nine …

Fur rippled up and down his growing form; thick, dense and dark in colour.  Pointed ears pushed their way up the side of his head.

Ten … eleven …

The long plumed tail shot out of his spine.  Throwing his head back, Sirius let out a howl of agony.

Twelve … thirteen …

What was taking so long?  It was never this long for Remus, why was it … It's just like my dream he realised with a scary jolt.

Almost done, the wolfs head turned, eyes focusing on Remus.  They were still the deep chocolate brown of his human self.

I'm sorry, Sirius.

The colour brightened to glowing amber.  The transformation was complete.

Teeth bared and snarling, the huge wolf made a sudden lunge for Remus.

Something large collided with the wolf, bowling it over.  With a growl of fury, the wolf scrambled to its feet and slashed at the stag, which lowered its antlers again, ready for another attack.

Remus stared transfixed until Wormtail leapt up in his face, squeaking madly.  Coming to his senses at last, Remus concentrated.

The sudden lack of humans in the room seemed to puzzle the werewolf.  Turning its head this and that, sniffing for the human.  Prongs approached him cautiously; nudging him gently with the antlers he'd attacked him with barely a minute ago.  Wormtail scurried over, standing up on his hind legs, whiskers twitching.  The wolf leaned down to sniff the rat then turned to smell the stag, growling softly.

Then, ever so slowly, the black dog stepped forward, a little unsure.  Head lowered, he gave a small whine, tail wagging hopefully.

The wolf took a step towards him, curious.

Remus almost drew back but determinedly held his ground.  While in this form, Sirius couldn't recognise him.  Have to be very careful not to make any sudden movements he might interpret as a threat.

With that in mind, Remus dropped into a bow position and barked.

Play?

To his immense relief (and Prongs and Wormtail no doubt) the wolf crouched as well, tail wagging.  They were acceptable.

Within seconds, all the Marauders were tearing through the Shack, racing each other, occasionally pausing to play fight.  Poor Wormtail got stepped on so many times that Prongs picked him up and placed him on his back.  The little rat dug his sharp little nails in as Prongs took a flying leap back down the stairs.

But the walls were too restricting.  There just wasn't enough room.  Sirius was soon getting agitated, snapping and snarling at the others.  Several times he approached the windows, smelling the night air and clawing at the magically enforced barriers.

Remus and Prongs exchanged a look and a nod.  Barking to get his attention, Remus dashed away to the tunnel mouth, Prongs and Wormtail beside him.  Sirius leapt after them down the tunnel, back to Hogwarts.

*

On the battlements overlooking the front lawns, a raven was perched.  Dark as the night sky, it was almost invisible but for its eyes.  Fathomless orbs of swirling white mist cast an impenetrable stare over the grounds below.

Watching.  And waiting.

*

'Okay, Lily, this probably isn't one of your best ideas,' she muttered to herself as she snuck down the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall.

She wasn't too worried about being seen; she was using a Chameleon Charm.  Not quite as good as an Invisibility Cloak but it did serve the purpose of getting her out of the castle unseen.  But, as whenever she bent the rules, however slightly, there was always the nagging doubt of getting caught.  What would everyone think if Lily Evans, Head Girl of Hogwarts, was caught out of her dormitory in the middle of the night with the intent of leaving the castle on her own, with a broomstick she'd 'borrowed' from another student while casting magic in the corridors?

If Filch catches me, I'm dead!  He'll probably hang me by those chains in his office!  She shuddered.  James, you guys will owe me big time!

It certainly wasn't the cleverest thing she'd ever done but, in her opinion, she had good reason; she was worried sick about her friends.

Sirius and Remus had gone and done some twisted version of a Switching-Metamorphosis-Transfiguration spell turning Sirius into a werewolf and Remus into an Animagus.  And they hadn't said a word about it until a few hours ago.  Needless to say, it was a bit of a shock.

Now that she'd had time to think about it, something just didn't ring true on this.  Any spell capable of doing such a feat had to draw on a lot of magical energy from a wizard.  From Sirius' vague 'explanations' it was quite ancient for a spell.  There was no need of wands, which was really only a tool for channelling a witch or wizards own magical power.  Wandless magic was, at best, complicated and very unpredictable.  Apparating was the most common use of wandless magic and certainly not the easiest thing to master.  Many people had problems with it and never succeeded in passing their test.

So how was it possible for two seventeen-year-old unqualified wizards to successfully perform such a complex piece of wandless magic?  Surely it wasn't very safe?  If at all.  Sounded far too much like Dark Magic for Lily's liking.

So she made the decision to go and keep an eye on the boys.  She wasn't sure what good it would it do but at least she wouldn't be lying in bed just worrying about them.  Quiet as a mouse, Lily eased open the front doors, slipped outside and mounted the broomstick.

The Whomping Willow swayed in the gentle night breeze, its long branches highlighted by the moon.  Looks harmless enough Lily mused as she flew over the snow coated lawns towards it.  But looks can be deceiving, can't they?

Hovering just out of reach of the branches, she waited.

*

Trapped!

That was how he felt.  The earthy walls of the low tunnel pressing in on him from all sides.  It wasn't safe.  He needed space … space to move … to run … to play.  To hunt.

The scent came on a chance breeze, enticing his mind with visions of blood, meat and human flesh.  The werewolf was hungry.  He craved food.

He could not harm the creatures that ran with him, this much he knew.  They were like him.  The largest of the three led the way down the tunnel.  Towards the scent of prey.  But the antlered beast was no predator, he could not sense it.  Nor could the small grey rodent that rode upon its back.

The other one, wolf-like but smaller, darker, would he join the wolf in the hunt?  The thrill of the chase was one that all should take pleasure in.  But first, the prey must be found.

And the werewolf emerged from the tunnel.

*

Lily's breath caught in her throat as a huge red-brown stag came bounding out from under the Willow.  James.  Even in that form he was still the young man she'd grown to love.  Something about the stag made it not so much a different side of James but more of a portrait of him.  It was what he was, in essence.

During their search for the complete works of Animagus Transformations, Lily had come across the actual meaning of the name.  It meant soul of a wizard.  Or possibly mind of a wizard. 

The stag stood still, looking back at the Willow.  Tall and graceful.  A powerful athletic stance.  An aura of strength and power seemed to emanate from him yet at the same time appear gentle and kind.  A noble creature.  All it represented, reflected in James.

Through the darkness Lily could make out Peter, or Wormtail as they insisted on calling him, on the stags back, clinging on for dear life after the mad dash up the tunnel.  Why a rat Lily had wondered on numerous occasions.  She'd never been able to figure that one out.  Maybe it had something to do with him being rather timid and twitchy.  She wasn't sure.

Sirius however was easier to figure out.  A dog; symbol of loyalty and trust, definitely his strongest traits.  A bubbly personality and boundless energy to match.  What better form could he possibly take?

Not a wolf.

She couldn't believe it, even as a huge grey wolf slunk out from under the Willow, a black dog at its side.  How had they done it?  It was hard to look at the wolf and to think that it was Sirius, not Remus.

She squinted at them, leaning forward.  They looked okay.  No obvious injuries.  No sooner had the thought crossed her mind that the wolf charged at the stag.  Automatically, her hand went for her wand with the intention of casting a protective barrier over James.  Then she reminded herself that they were only playing around.  None of them would deliberately harm another.  Besides, if things did get out of hand, unlikely as that was, they knew how to take care of themselves.

Lily sat back on her broom, tucking her wand back inside her robes.  Down below, the Marauders stopped their fight as Sirius bounded back towards the Willow.  The branches lashed out, catching him across the muzzle.  Angrily, he snapped at the tree but stepped back.  Prongs lowered his head and bellowed at the wolf, the dog barking loudly, trying to get Sirius to move away.  But Sirius' attention was held by something else.  Nose in the air, he moved first to the left of the Willow, then to the right, sniffing at the air.  Lily froze as his amber eyes suddenly locked onto her own.  It was her he could smell.  He couldn't see her, the Chameleon Charm was still working fine, but he knew she was there.

Shaking, Lily quickly flew off in the direction of the greenhouses, watching Sirius over her shoulder.  Clearly confused, the wolf wandered through the snow, looking all around, his warm breath forming icy clouds as he tried to locate the source of the scent again.  Searching for his prey.

Remus ran to him, clearly recognising the danger signs and tugged hard on the wolfs tail with his teeth.  None too happy, Sirius whipped round and body slammed against the smaller canine, almost knocking him down.  Remus bolted up the lawns, ploughing through the snow.  Prongs followed, rearing and kicking.

The human scent forgotten, Sirius raced after them, caught up in the game.

Lily let out the breath she'd been holding the past minute or two.  Hovering between the greenhouses, she figured she would be safe for a while.  One of the greenhouses had a patch of aconite growing by the front door.  Also know as Wolfsbane, it could easily poison a werewolf if a large enough amount were to be consumed.  The smell itself should deter Sirius from coming too close.

Better safe than sorry Lily thought as she unlocked the door and slipped inside.

*

That was a bit close.  Remus slowed to a walk as they reached the Quidditch pitch.  Sirius was now quiet happy rolling around in the snow.  Well, it wasn't really Sirius, was it?  It was a wolf.  A wild animal with the instinct to hunt.  It worried Remus that the wolf had obviously detected some prey and had tried to seek it.  But the only thing that would interest a werewolf was a human.

Surely no one else was out on the grounds?  Anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't go outside during a full moon.  But then again, none of the students knew there was a werewolf among them.  They weren't aware of any danger.

Prongs came over, lifting his hooves daintily out of the snow.  Wormtail had slid off his back and was currently stuck in one of Sirius' paw prints.  Sirius found it highly amusing to trap the rat by patting his huge paw down on top of him.

Silently, Prongs laid down in the snow, breathing heavily, huge bursts of warm breath clouding the air.  Remus sat beside him, wishing he could speak.  He wanted to say how much he appreciated all that they'd done for him.  They didn't have to do this.  It wasn't written in stone.

Remus shivered at the memories of past full moons.  Several times a play fight had gone too far.  Once or twice they'd gotten lost in the forest, the others getting in a panic over herding an uncooperative werewolf back to the Shack to transform, before Madam Pomfrey arrived …

How did you guys manage?  Remus wanted to ask.  Would you'd have signed up for werewolf sitting if you knew how infuriating it would be?

Prongs turned to look at him as if to say, don't be stupid, you're no trouble at all.

Liar, if Sirius is anything to go by.

Deciding he'd better move before his furry backside froze, Remus shook himself vigorously and ambled down the sloping lawn.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flutter past the moon.  Turning, he could just make out the dark shape of a bird swooping down towards.  Odd.  It didn't look like an owl.

'Caw!  Caw!'

Okay, it definitely didn't sound like an owl either.

The bird shot over his head, cawing loudly.  Sirius sat up (one paw still pinning Wormtail down) and growled.  Undaunted, the bird flapped in a jerky circle around the werewolf's head before hauling itself back the other way towards the front lawns.

With a huge leap, the wolf bounded after it.

Remus barked but Sirius ignored him.  He barked again, more insistently.

Yet the werewolf continued the chase, following the bird, which was heading for …

The front gates!

In a flash, both dog and stag pelted over the grounds after them.

*

Lily soared back over the lawns wondering what on earth had just happened.  A raven was manically flying over the front gate with a large werewolf right behind it.  Stupid bird.  Why didn't it fly higher up, out of reach?  It would be its own fault if Sirius caught it.  However, Sirius was now wriggling between the iron bars of the gate.  He was going to escape!

Grasping the broom handle firmly, Lily shot forward, trying to recall a Binding Spell.  Right below her ran James and Remus.  Those idiots!  Hadn't they been paying attention?

'Typical,' she muttered under her breath.

The raven was behaving really strangely, she noticed.  Sirius was still trying to squeeze through the gate, yet the bird was simply perched in a nearby tree, watching him.  Waiting.

'What the…'

That was no ordinary bird.  Its eyes were glowing white, blazing painfully through the darkness.  Freaky.

Lily shivered, really not wanting to go anywhere near it now… With a triumphant howl, the wolf escaped.  Prongs and Remus only just reached the gate as the raven took flight, luring Sirius away.

Remus easily slipped through the bars but James would never get through, not with that rack of antlers.  He transformed and was just about to follow Remus when –

'Can't trust you guys with anything, can I?'

'Lily!?'

James stumbled backwards, looking in every direction.  Remus changed back as well, confused as James.

'Where are you?'

'Right here,' Lily deactivated the Chameleon Charm, reappearing as she dismounted the broomstick beside James.

'Lily, what are doing out here?'  James asked.  'It's not safe.'

'Very true.  Especially when you've just let a werewolf loose!'  She snapped.  'Come on!  Don't stand there gawping like an idiot.  Peter, hurry up!'

Peter came stumbling up to them, completely out of breath and clutching a stitch in his side.

'Lily?  How … where …'

'Questions later.  Get on.  We've got a werewolf to catch.'  She tossed the broom to him then climbed through the gate, James followed, transformed and knelt to allow her to climb onto his back.

Remus changed and raced down the driveway with them, Peter flying overhead.

'Where is he?  I can't see him!'  Lily shouted.

'I can,' Peter swooped down to fly alongside them.  'He's heading for Hogsmeade.'

'You'll be quicker than us, go on ahead and stay with him!'

'Right.'

Fast as he dared, Peter sped away into the darkness.  Running at full tilt, they reached the outskirts of Hogsmeade in less than five minutes.  James slowed down and stopped.  Panting, Remus skidded to a halt as well.  Lily stared.

'What's going on?'

The village of Hogsmeade wasn't the quiet and sleepy place you'd expect in the middle of the night.  Fairy lights blazed through the dark in a haze of colour.  Floating candles and lanterns could be seen in the distance as well as a gigantic Christmas tree with a glowing star on top.  What looked like the entire population of Hogsmeade were gathered around the tree singing Christmas carols, their voices carrying on the wind to where the Marauders stood on the edge of the village.

Sirius was nowhere in sight.

'Oh jeez,' Lily groaned, sliding off the stags back.  'I completely forgot about this.  The villagers are going to be up all night celebrating.'

'All night?' James demanded as he and Remus became human again.

Lily nodded.

'Oh, this is great,' Remus groaned.  'First Sirius leaves the school grounds, then we lose him in a highly populated area!'

'Remus, this isn't a good time to panic,' James said calmly.  'I doubt he's gotten far.'

At that very moment, Peter fell out of the air into a snowdrift beside them.  The broom landed handle first next to him as he clambered up.

'I'm so sorry!' he wailed.  'I lost him!'

'What!  Where did you last see him?' Remus demanded.

'Near the village square,' Peter whimpered, pointing towards the mass of people gathered round the tree in the centre.

'Oh no.' Lily whispered.

James turned to Remus.

'Okay, now is a good time to panic.'

*

To Be Continued!

*

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