Chapter Seven: Adrian-

A/n: I know, I know, it's so late. I beg humble forgiveness. My teachers don't seem to understand that we have lives that don't revolve around them. I'm already worried about how much homework I'm gonna get tomorrow 'cause if I can't watch Buffy I'm gonna hurt someone…badly. Anyway, ignore the pervious violent outburst and please read and review my story! Thanx!

Madam Morela burst into almost spastic laughter when I walked into the Hospital Wing followed by five arguing pixies. Or at least they had been arguing. I'd put a muting charm on them within the first ten minutes of their non-stop chatter. They were now perfectly content hovering behind me like bodyguards or something. Creatures needing their problems solved had started to find me. Oh joy.

Morela's laughter was directed not at my horde of pixie groupies, but at the bulge sticking out from the back of my robes, my completely gray hair, and my face that was half human, half muzzle.

"What's it this time?" She asked, dabbing at her tearing brown-blue eyes. "No wait, that's sort of obvious." She burst into another fit of giggles.

I directed a smoldering glare at her, and my eyes flashed yellow. "This isn't funny. Look!" Quickly I stripped off my robes, leaving only jeans and a tee shirt. When Morela saw the gray tail I'd acquired I thought she'd never stop laughing. She sank to her chair in hysterics. "Help please! I could've sworn I almost had it, but then these things found me." I indicated to the pixies that were still running their tiny mouths even though no sound came out. "It messed up my concentration and this happened."

"It seems," The nurse said between laughs. "That your shape will be a wolf."

"I figured that." I said angrily. "But the whole world doesn't need to know."

She smiled. "Don't be so tense James. So who are your friends?"

"I refuse to answer that until I look somewhat normal." I said stubbornly. "I have class with Spike and Angel in an hour, so I need to be fixed quickly. I always try to arrive first on the days when they teach. Seems to keep the tension down. You know how those two are. They're more immature than I am."

"So it would appear." Her laughter finally stopped as she appraised me with a doctor's eye. "Sit, actually you might want to stand because of that tail. So what happened exactly?"

"I stuttered in the middle of the chant, but," I said, my voice brightening. "I had fur already, and the muzzle was complete. When I stumbled though, a lot of it was I guess 'sucked' back in, like rewinding a tape. I was left with this. I'm going to kill those things."

"Entrap" Morela said waving her wand. At her word a brass cage appeared around the pixies. It hovered above us. "So, what did they want?"

"For me to decide which one of them got to breed with the dominant female."

"You're joking."

I shook me head." No."

"Keep still," she said taking my chin to work on my face. I felt skin slowly melding together. "What else has found you here?"

Now that was something I didn't even want to think about. "Lots. They just found me last week too. No one seems to want to go to Piper, they all want me."

"Speaking of Piper, how's she doing?" Morela asked with true concern. "She's spoke little about herself or her life since the Halloween Dance."

At the Halloween Dance Piper and Draco Malfoy had basically pronounced their love for each other in front of the whole school by walking into the Great Hall hand in hand. It'd happened after some Slytherin bastard had tried to ravish her. Piper and Draco were happy together, but the students of the school were on the other side. They were none to happy about it. Neither were Draco or Pansy Parkinson's fathers. It was rumored -I didn't even know the exact details- that when Dumbledore had taken Draco, Mr. Malfoy, and Piper up to his office that evening Piper had cursed like a sailor, at Lucius Malfoy. Part of me sincerely hoped that that was just a rumor. Since that night Piper had become kind of Oz-like. As in talking in monosyllables, and being reserved. Though when I caught her with Draco she was completely herself. Also with Spike and Buffy, but that was it. Something had transpired in Dumbledore's office that upset her greatly.

As the last of the muzzle vanished the hospital door swung open. I groaned as Professor Lupin walked in and promptly stopped to stare at me. Impending trouble lurked in the air. Madam Morela looked back and forth between the two of us clucking her tongue, almost reading to burst out laughing once more. Instead she continued to cluck her tongue and started on the course gray fur the covered half of me.

Morela looked at Remus and gestured over to the far wall. "The potion is in the cupboard Remus."

"Thanks," he said slowly, his gaze still on me. Now he raised a lone eyebrow and a humorous glint raced through his eyes. "You look like your father after his first attempt, except the fur and hair were black."

"How much trouble am I in?" I asked sagely, dreading the answers and long lecture that dad would deal out. I heard a funny popping sound and when I turned around the tail was gone. Finally I was able to sit.

"Speaking as your professor or godfather?"

"The one that won't tell dad."

"They both would."

I grimaced, thinking. "Fine, the one that wouldn't tell Professor McGonagall."

"That would be your godfather." Professor Lupin paused to drink the smoking potion Madam Morela was forcing into his hands. He downed it, making a face. With that I knew it was the Wolfsbane potion. "I'll have to tell Sirius you know. Did you tell anyone else?"

"Only Madam Morela and Spike. And I didn't tell them, they found out." I grumbled. " Those stupid pixies know too, not that they're about to tell anyone"

"James has been doing very well actually." Morela said, with a smile. "A few mishaps of course, but he's only a sixth year after all."

Professor Lupin blanched when she called me James. I saw color drain from his already pale cheeks. "Did you just call him James?"

"I prefer it to Adrian, and he said it was perfectly alright." She said earnestly. "I understand the apprehension he experiences when other people call him James, and I certainly understand yours."

"Yes well," He took a breath. "Adrian I have to tell your father but rest assured I'll tell no on else, and I recommend that you don't either."

"I won't," I said. "So how long should I avoid dad?"

"About a week," The professor and nurse said together. Morela gave a small smile. "I remember back when we were kids, something like this would've taken months, years even. There've been so many advancements since then…"

I sighed internally. The adults were about to start reminiscing. It was interesting at times, but I doubted this would be a conversation I wanted to hear. As my business was complete I bid the both my farewell and started to stroll out the door, purposely the hovering bronze cave. Morela just had to call me one it though; I groaned as I carried the cage of pixies out of the room. The mute charm was starting to wear off.

I wished Fred were there to feed me Advil by the bottle.

*~*

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Winthrop,

                                    Please come pick Dawn Summers up from school this afternoon at 3:30. She, along with three others, is serving detention for abusing the school dress code. They arrived at school this morning with food in their berets. I would ask you to discus with Dawn the purpose of having berets.

                          Thank You,

                                        Miss Stamp

                                               Gym Mistress

Xander Harris,

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Buffy Summers and William Winthrop on the 27th of December 2002 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please RSVP by November 15th. Send all responses to Miss Willow Rosenberg at Hogwarts.

Buffy Summers & William Winthrop

Wormtail –

              Lord Voldemort will have already informed you of our next major attack by the time you receive this letter, but knowing you it is probably better to review the plan in detail in this text so that I am sure you know. This cannot afford to be ruined by your bungles. It's ingenious really; the unsuspecting public will participate in a Death Eater plan with out even knowing.

On February 14th (Valentines Day) it will be your job to take Daniel Osborne and Remus Lupin from Hogwarts. You have been picked for this job because of your silver arm the Dark Lord blessed you with. Use it to your advantage. You will bring your hostages to Diagon Alley, right in front of Gringots. After giving them to Sabine Harold, he will announce that they are two werewolves (which is true) that are conspiring with our lord (this of course is a lie). He will suggest to the crowd that the best way to deal with these creatures is a public muggle execution. If the crowd does not agree I will cast a mass hysteria spell, after that all he will have to do is repeat the suggestion again and the people of the Alley will be running for firewood and nooses. As the spell suggests it will produce mass hysteria and hopefully a mob. The two vermin will then be killed, satisfying both us Death Eaters, and the be-spelled townsfolk.

Only two out of our ranks know of our plan. My son Draco, and his girl whore Piper Black. Draco will ensure that she keeps her mouth shut, and does nothing to jeopardize our plans. I would dispatch an assassin to kill her, or arrange an 'accident', but it would look too suspicious now, and her guardians watch over her carefully. There is something about them, that I haven't discovered yet, but I plan to. Piper arouses suspicions in me to as well as her brother Adrian. The night of Hogwarts' Halloween Dance she was able to keep off Duncan Rasmussen, a Slytherin twice her size, until help arrived. Apparently he was being too friendly with her. If you know something of this I demand the information as soon as possible.

Do yourself a favor rat, and remember all the instructions within this letter if you value your life without pain and suffering. Do not try to further your position or ego by trying to take these two by yourself. I can guarantee that it won't work. You are not skilled enough, and our lord would punish you for mucking it up and giving the vermin and their friends a warning. If I had my way you would still be living in the sewers, you are but lucky that our lord has forbidden me to do you any harm.

                                -L.M

                 

Dear Anya,

           How goes it in Sunnydale? I'm good here, the break from constant slaying is nice. It makes one wonder how Buffy put up with it. Are you and Xander fully back together again? No, don't answer that, I'll find out when you come to the wedding. You are coming right? You have to, and tell Xander I said hello. I'd write, but he wasn't really speaking to me when we left. I need a favor though. I was wondering if you had a Chrystalia Orb in the Magic Box. I need to do a Wicca protection spell. I need something that can't be broken by our magic with out a lot of effort, and to do that I need that orb. It's very important.

                           Luv,

                              Piper

Dear Adrian,

               We'll talk more about this during the next time I'm able to see you in human form, but for now let's just say you will be getting a lecture and I expect you to listen this time. There were reasons I told the three of you not to try this, like the clause in the spell saying 'you must complete the transformation one the first attempt has been made'. I'm going to assume because you're smart, you read that and knew what you were getting into. You have to accomplish the transformation now. Ask Remus for help, at nights though. And correct me if I'm wrong, but did I hear you didn't go to a doctor all summer for the burns you got last June. That's something I would've done, meaning it's stupid, and you shouldn't. You're a miniature me at times, which is fine, but use your brain. That's what it's there for.

                    Love,

                         Padfoot

Piper,

       The orb is in the box marked fragile. It's fifty dollars but Xander says I shouldn't charge you, but that's fifty dollars I'm loosing, so you're going to have to work it off next summer. When you cast the spell the mist inside the orb turns magenta. When it goes back to brown or breaks the spell's up. Hope it works.

           Yours,

                  Anya

PS- Shipping was fifteen ninety-five to Buffy and Spike's post office box in London. How am I getting that back? Wait, Xander's reading this and saying I shouldn't charge for that either. Ok fine, you're getting of easy this time. Oh and, we're coming to wedding. Willow should have our RSVP card by now. Clem's also coming.

The Girls, Buffy, Willow, and Professor Chase, went into London on November 18th for dress fittings. Hermione, Candra, Dawn, and Piper just went along to watch and gush over how beautiful all the dresses were. No doubt there'd be major gossiping going on too. I didn't mind though, it meant Piper was reemerging into the world of the talking public. This was most defiantly a good thing. It had started when she'd gotten something from Anya. The letter had caused laughter and the package itself a look of grim determination.

That same night Spike was back at the house, probably indulging in alone Passions pleasure time, Dad and Remus were waiting for the full moon to rise along with Oz at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and who knew where Angel had gotten to. He could've been the poor soul the girls had dragged with them, I didn't know, but they'd tried unsuccessfully to get Spike to go. Harry and Ron were at classes with Snape, actually Madam Morela tonight. Snape had gone off somewhere a week ago, and hadn't yet returned. I meanwhile, had been left to my own devices.

Up in the dorm I pulled out the animagus incantation and the plants tied in cloth I needed. This time before starting I closed both the doors and the windows. Nothing was getting in to distract me this time. The spell was long and in Latin. I'd translated some of it, grudgingly asking Spike's help (it'd been required to learn when he was going to school), but the rest I left alone. The herbs were for protection only; they upped your chances of succeeding, and made it possible for a person to start attempting the spell immediately.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, and drew the drapes closed tightly. After opening the satchel of herbs I spread them around me in a full circle. Taking a deep breath I started chanting the spell. By the second verse I felt the first changes; I was shrinking and fur sprouted up and down my arms. I kept going, trying not to get sidetracked. Finally there was a popping sound. The sound that dad's transformation caused.

The first thing I did was fall of the bed. It was when I tried to get up that I realized the spell had worked perfectly. It was no half and half thing this time. I was a gray wolf, larger than a pup, but certainly not full sized. I let out a self-satisfied yip. The possibilities were endless, but I decided to put off gloating to Madam Morela until the next day. Instead I transformed back, effortless compared to the spell itself, and cleared the plants from the bed. A wicked grin made its way across my face in the course of seconds. Sure the Forbidden Forest was well, forbidden, but had that ever mattered to me? I wanted to get used to the wolf's body, and that seemed the perfect place to do it. So I concentrated on transforming again, and trotted off, momentarily forgetting that out side a round, milky white moon hung in the night sky.

*~*

I'd been in the forest about a quarter of an hour when I heard rough barks and growls coming from a small ways away. I was exploring a small grove fifty feet from the forest entrance to Buffy and Spike's place. When I heard the noises I recognized dad's distinct growl and went towards it at a slow run.

Settling down in a clump of bushes I could clearly see Remus, Dad, and Oz. Two wolves, and a dog. The dog was giant and black, blending in well with the night. One wolf was gray and full sized, the other was brown and still had more growing to do, but it was bigger than I was. Dad crouched low to the ground staring directly ahead. Remus and Oz padded cautiously around the small clearing they were in. In the bushes to their right I noticed a slight rustle. Oz pounced on the bushes, sticking his muzzle in. He came out with a writhing rat in his teeth.

I wanted to pounce on the rat I knew was Pettigrew, but I forced myself to stay still in the bushes. My eyes darted around quickly, as dad transformed. Anything could've been lurking the bushes. Oz opened his jaw and dropped the rat into dad's eagerly awaiting hands. He squeezed Pettigrew obviously not caring for his comfort. Nothing was said as Remus and Oz started out of the clearing with dad following behind.

Remus laid a heavy paw down on my tail as he passed by. Against my will I let out a loud bark of protest. Still no one said anything. Dad and Oz simply kept walking. Remus though turned to see what he'd stepped on. He took on look at my back and knew it was me. Every animagus has certain markings that are derived from their human form. I'm probably the only wolf you'll ever see with two cross-shaped patches of black fur.

Next thing I knew I was being held in his mouth by the nape of my neck, like a mother wolf carries her young. This qualifies as one of those moments you want to forget, but the memory is so embarrassing it stays with you for the rest of your life.

Remus trotted to catch up with the other two as I struggled to get back down to the ground. This just made the gentle bite painful so I eventually stopped. I hung limp as we fell in next to Oz. He looked startled to see a young wolf hanging from Remus's mouth but made no sound. Dad turned to look for a brief second. Something akin a grin might have tried to come to his lips, but he was to concentrated on the squirming rat in his hands

We approached the castle main doors quickly. Dad pulled one front door open, I thought maybe I'd be put down in the front hall, but I was carried up six flights of stairs. We stopped in front of Dumbledore's office, and dad spoke a quiet password. The gargoyle swung open and finally I was set down but nudged up the steps

"Sirius, Remus, and young Daniel."

Dumbledore's light voice greeted us. He sounded wide-awake though it was around eleven o' clock. Even I was beginning to feel tired. He was sitting at his desk, quill in hand. Stars and moons moved around on his pajamas and nightcap. Fawkes the phoenix with cooing softly in sleep on his perch. His red and orange plumage was looking about dirty, which suggested it was near burning time.

Remus picked me up again and dropped me closer to Dumbledore's desk trying to emphasize my presence. I would've changed back but I didn't want to do anything startling that would cause dad to drop Pettigrew.

"Mr. Black as well." Dumbledore noted the crosses on my back. His eyes lit up as he then looked to the rodent writhing in dad's hands. "Wormtail?" He asked simply.

"He had a silver knife. He was after Remus and Oz." Dad said gruffly.

The old wizard picked his wand up from his desk. "Revealus pending, entrap maximus. Silenco" The first spell caused a wave of blue light to crash through the room. From the light and the rat emerged a small, fat, and balding man. Like the rat he had been, his nose twitched constantly and the muscle under his eye kept moving sporadically. I backed away growling when he placed his watery blue eyes on me. The second spell took effect now, it was the same spell Madam Morela had used to entrap my pixies and it worked for Pettigrew too. He stood in his cage beside Fawkes' stand.

"Adrian, if you would?" Dumbledore asked gently. I concentrated and turned back to human form with a distant pop. I looked at Pettigrew, a face all to familiar to me, and growled again, deeply in the back of my throat.

Dad looked to the headmaster. "We can't turn him in now. Malfoy will plan his escape or his trial."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful as he stroked his beard. "Lucius has no great love for you or Peter. You're right."

"What do we do?" I asked before thinking. "You're not just going to let him go? You can't, not after-"

"We're not letting him go." Dad said firmly. "I'd rather die than do that. We'll keep him somewhere. Buffy and Spike's maybe, nobody knows it's there."

"Either there or here." The professor said nodding. "Tonight, we will all remain here and keep watch until we can move him in the morning. I will alert Minerva, Wren, and Severus tomorrow as well."

"What's Professor Morela got to do with this?" I raised a suspect eyebrow at Dumbledore. The three adults exchanged looks with each other, talking in that secret adult language that kids rarely understand.

"Transform Adrian." Said dad softly. "Curl up with Remus. I'll explain then."

Without protest I transformed back to a small wolf and sat next to Remus. When a breeze blew through the tower window I curled up closer to his flank. Oz settled down on the other side of me and I felt perfect being in the middle. Dad straddled a wooden chair backwards and with a side wards glance at Peter and an approving nod from Dumbledore he began to speak.

"Wren Morela's my sister." He said bluntly. "Leandra Wren Black."

A/n- Ok, done. The letter about Dawn being in trouble that comes from The series Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. None of those characters will actually be appearing (as in talking, having actions, meeting my characters) but if you ever see a letter about Dawn from school, or hear her talking about friends they'll be from that book series or have ideas from it. Just gotta say I don't own it and they belong to Louise Rennison. Chapter eight's ETA is Wednesday-Saturday. Again I'm sorry for this chap's delay, damn teachers and their evil homework schemes.

*~*