James, while possibility one of the most beloved students, of any year, still had a definite problem with confrontations, and in the current situation, that was takeing on a whole new level.
In respect for her, he had decided for the past few weeks to keep his revelations to himself, while he suspected Remus was on the trail. His pity for her had only increased as the weeks, days, and even classes went by. He couldn't tell whether or not her friends knew what was going on or she had forced them to run in terror.
Her personal life was not the only thing to suffer he noticed after their first charms test, normally her best subject, she made less than her normal high, and he thought he would leave it at that. Her prefect responsibilities were being slacked on a little as well.
On the lighter notes of James's life, despite having a rather rigorous schedule he was having some of the best times of his life. He had gone to sleep the last two nights dreaming of what him and his friends had been working on for the better part of the last three years.
Animagus, the feat believed to be all but impossible for some so young as they were. Remus was at the Shrieking Shack, and they had hopped to get to the point that night were they could go see him, but he was possible. Two nights ago they had almost done it, gotten to the point were they could tell what they would become. The magnificent stag he had seen in the mirror that night had been running though his dreams. But he was not the only thing. He saw the deer with the feather around its neck.
"James!"
He of course ignored the voice and continued to snore rather loudly.
"JAMES!"
Slowly he pried open his eyes, expecting to see a bright flash of light, but it wasn't there, it was dark.
"JAMES!!"
"Whayawat, it's still dark,"
It was Peter, looking rather nervous.
"It's Sirius"
"What has he done now?" James finally sat up, noticing that he was not in his bed, neither was Lupin of course.
"Well, James, you know how he doesn't enjoy the company of that Snape to awfully much," Peters voice, reminded him very much of the form they had seen him almost turn into that night, the squeak of a rat.
James nodded, hopping that Peter would soon get to something he didn't know. Of course, saying that Sirius wasn't fond of Snape wasn't too much about anything, if you could point out one person outside of Slytherin who liked Snape, by any stretch of the imagination, he would die of shock.
"And, you know he is really interested in finding out where Remus goes, so." Peter continued with his squeaking. "Sirius, well,"
"He didn't, please say he didn't" James bellowed out.
"He did,"
He jumped out of the four-post bed and grabbed his cloak. He tore down the stairs, praying he would be in time. He could have killed Sirius at that moment. He knew he would clam down in a few moments but for the moment, the adrenaline would do him good.
He slid out of the common room, thankful that the Fat Lady was sleeping. After he had slid down quite a few stair cases before he tossed on the cape, and it was only a couple of moments after that till he was out side the castle.
If he hadn't been horrified out of his mind, sliding down the gentle rolling hills leading the Whomping willow would have been fun. The invisibility cloak had really become more of a hindrance at this point, doing no good hiding him, at this distance from the school, even if a teacher did see him, he would be to far to actually hear their yells for him to stop.
Five, ten minutes since he had ran full speed out of the common room, he wouldn't be too late. He finally saw it off in the distance, even the rather long stick he must have used to get the braches to stop.
When he got there he quickly threw the cloak over the branch of a tree a little less lively. Grabbing the stick, he felt no warmth from it, but tried to convince himself that he hadn't held it long enough to heat it up any.
He was dogging though the now frozen branches when he heard the scream of the 5th year Slytherin. James tried to get it out of his mind as he slid through the tunnel. He ran fast as his legs would take and cursed himself for not doing the laps he assigned the team the past week or so.
He saw him up in the distance, backing up, as the now werewolf Remus began to ram up against the window that Snape had been peering though.
"SNAPE!"
He hadn't heard him.
"SNAPE!"
He quickly glanced back behind himself, and for the first time ever he saw a look of thankfulness in his eyes.
"Potter," even though he owed his life to seeing James at that second, he still managed to spit out that name in disgust.
He finally reached him and began to pull him away as the glass gave for the first time resulting in nothing more that a couple of cracks, but Remus was pulling back for another charge.
James pulling was doing little well now. Snape had finally gotten a hold of himself and was backing away as fast he could.
"Snape get out of here, fast,"
It didn't take much to convince Snape that running would be the best idea at the moment, but, before he tore off, he said something that no one ever head again. He thanked James.
James pushed back he glasses as he looked back at Snape running away. He knew he wouldn't have time to get away unless he could distract Remus for a few moments. He gulped a little as the glass gave way a little more.
He held it steady, though his whole body was shaking, above his head in an attempt he prayed would work. He could forgive Remus if the worst should happen, he knew though Remus would never forgive him self.
Gold and scarlet sparks shot out of the wands end as the glass couldn't take it any more and finally busted. The werewolf leaped out of the shack, preparing to mount an attack on a frail teenage black haired boy. He didn't see that.
In the boys stead stood a huge, proud looking Stag. Brown fur, huge antlers, and noble eyes is what the werewolf met, causing it to stop dead in it's tracks.
James looked at the werewolf, almost dumbfounded on why it stopped. He felt different. He took a couple of deep breaths a looked down seeing not the robes and night cloths, but hoofs and fur. I did it, he thought, I actually did it.
Determination came across him as his attention returned back to the wolf. Remus, he thought now pleading, trying to reach him in any way he could, it' me, James. The wolf tilted its head as if he was hearing words in another language.
"Remus," he heard the words in his head as if he had spoken, but he knew that was impossible.
"James?" the voice did not sound steady, more like a person remembering some event from a dream.
"Remus go back in side the shack, I'll explain everything tomorrow,"
The wolf, still having a dazed look on his face, leaped though the window and walked away from sight distance, as if it knew it didn't want to see the boy again. As if it knew the stag was really on of his dearest friends, and he might not be able to control himself if he saw him.
James, on the other hand, had seemingly gotten over his anger and fear. His mind was now filled with pride of thinking how he had transformed by himself. He tried to put off the part of having to come back t human form for as long as possible. At first he had convinced himself it was for safety, incase Remus looked out the window, it would be better for him to see him as a stag, than as James. After he was out of sight of the house though, there was no other way around it; he loved being in stag form.
As he reached the mouth of the tunnel, coming out near the willow, he knew it was for the best that he returns to being James. He, rather proud of himself, knew it was for the best that he not seems so self-content. If he knew Snape, which he unfortunately did, he would run strait to a teacher.
The tree, thankfully, was still frozen from Snape's quick escape, so, by the first luck of the night, his route out was fairly uneventful. He quickly leaped up and grabbed his cloak, but decided it would be best if he was easily seen on his way back to school.
Now, another thought ran though his mind. Who would Snape run into first? An extremely cold shutter ran though him. What if it was the Slytherin head?
They would all get expelled before any other teacher could wake up. What about Mcgonagall? She would be all right about it, he thought, might give them detention, but otherwise, she would be all right.
He sighed deeply, and, the person he most wanted to see walking beside Snape was right their beside him. Professor Dumbledore. Kind, gentle, understand Dumbledore was right there. No matter what, no matter what he had ever done? Whatever the prank, he had always had that twinkle in his eyes before he left the office.
There was a tone in his walk now though. Grave and concern, he knew though, most of that was concern for him and his safety.
"Professor, everything is alright, Remus," James began, finally getting with in talking distance.
"So that was him, Professor, you can't allow him to stay, he" Snape interrupted.
"is perfectly alright, Now, Severus , I must ask that you refrain from mentioning this event to anyone," Dumbledore finished quickly before anything crude was said. "Now, Please return to your dorm, and this little incident will be quickly forgotten,"
Snape shot James a very hate filled look and turn on his heels back to school, but as soon as he was out of earshot, James began again.
"Professor, I can explain,"
"Oh, no need, I am most assured that I have figured out the gist of what occurred, and I must say, you have proven yourself a very true Gryffindor, a fact we may need to discuss soon."
James smiled, glad to see that twinkle in his eyes was back.
"But, there is one thing I must ask. Friend or not, Remus could have not controlled his actions in his current form, how did you distract him to give Severus time to escape?"
James blinked. He had known that question was coming, and while there was a part of him that wanted to tell Dumbledore the truth, he knew he couldn't. At least not tell him the whole truth.
"Well, it was a funny thing, this Stag came out from no where, and leaped back in to the house, and he followed it, that's when I ran back up here." James said, hoping he wouldn't betray himself.
Dumbledore gazed at him with that piercing look for a moment or two before nodding and smiling. "You are a very lucky person Mr. Potter."
