Chapter 8: Animagi
"Attention!" Dumbledore roared from the front of the cafeteria. He stood up and stroked his long white beard. "Curfew has been moved to six o' clock," he paused and listened to the moans that echoed throughout the hall. ".because of a need for increased security." Whispers immediately started, creating a buzzing sound. Dumbledore cleared his throat and the students immediately quieted. "You'll be glad to hear that the Halloween Ball will be held next month and everyone will be expected to dress up." This caused a stir of excitement. Dumbledore chuckled at the way the students had reacted, first angry, then curious, and then excited. What next? He wondered.
"I bet it's You-Know-Who they're scared of," James whispered excitedly to his friends. Peter glanced up with a scared expression on his face, his fork with pork on it poised halfway to his mouth.
"You don't think that he'll..he'll come here?" Peter stammered. "I mean.he fears Dumbledore. R-r-right?" Everybody else laughed at Peter's fear.
"We're quite safe," James reassured him, although inside he didn't feel as safe. Why would they be changing the curfew if they were safe?
Down the table the girls were so worried about that. Instead they were giggling over who their partner would be for the up and coming Halloween Ball.
"I'm thinking about asking Sirius," Sonya giggled, glancing in the boys' direction. Lily was tempted to laugh because at that moment Sirius made his nostrils flare and stuck two straws up either one. This made Sonya giggle even more.
"Well, then, ask him," Lily said, making it seem so simple. Who should she ask? Would anybody ask her? Every other girl had an idea of who she wanted to go with, but she didn't. Lily had no idea whatsoever. Breakfast ended and the students filed out one by one. She noticed Sirius and Sonya holding hands on the way out. 'Great' Lily thought to herself. 'Even SONYA was able to get somebody.'
"Umm..Lily?" She turned around and saw a stuttering Remus. 'He's not THAT bad,' Lily thought. 'Rather tall, but I can deal with it. Better than being too short.'
"Yes, Remus?" she asked pleasantly.
"Well, I was thinking." he stuttered. "Well.the Halloween dance..I mean, you and me." Lily smiled happily. Someone was asking her!
"Of course I'll go with you, Remus!" she said happily. The look of tension fell off his face and an ear-to-ear grin spread across his face. She gave Remus one last sly smile and raced ahead to Lisa.
"Lisa!" Lily exclaimed. Lisa jumped in surprise and turned towards Lily.
"Yes?"
"Remus asked me to the Halloween ball!" she said happily and danced around Lisa in a not-so-great imitation of a ballerina. Lisa smiled brightly and congratulated her friend.
"We can double date now! How fantastic. John [the Ravenclaw she'd been seeing for about a month now] and Remus are friends, I've seen them talking before. Oh how great!" Lisa joined Lily's dance and they twirled the rest of the way to the Gryffindor tower.
A few people behind them James wasn't so happy. "How could you, Remus? She's the one girl I utterly despise. And.and. and you ask her?! How could you?" James stomped away from his friends. Remus made a motion to try and go after his friend, but decided against it.
"I think he's jealous," Sirius laughed, obviously not worried about how angry James was.
"What?" Remus asked, surprised. "Why would he be? I mean.well." he couldn't think of anything else to say. Sirius smirked and they continued walking to the tower.
"It's so dark," shivered Peter as he wrapped himself tighter with his bed comforter. Sirius glared in his direction.
"Don't be so stupid," he said angrily. "It's night, why wouldn't it be dark? And YOU," he shouted turning towards James. "Stop sulking in the corner. Sure Remus asked Lily to the Halloween Ball, who gives a bloody rip. Let's get going." James, still sulking, stood up and placed himself on the far corner of the couch. Sirius glared at him but didn't say anything more. Sirius took out a rolled up sheet of parchment and flipped it open.
"It's blank," Peter said, stating the obvious.
"Yes, it is," Sirius said. He muttered a few words under his breath that nobody could hear and suddenly lines started drawing themselves all over, making loopholes, dots, and any other line imaginable.
"What's that?" James' curiosity got the best of him.
"It's the Marauders' Map," Sirius replied proudly.
"Marauders?" Remus asked.
"Yes, that's us. I thought, you know, ever since we became Animagi and all." Everybody hurriedly shushed Sirius. "Sorry," Sirius said quietly.
"How does it work?"
"Well, you say the words and it comes up and then you say the words again and it goes."
"What are the words?"
"I'll tell you later, you bloody detective. What if somebody's listening?" The other three looked angrily in Sirius' direction, obviously thinking about how stupid that last comment was since he had just said that they were Animagi aloud for any listeners to hear.
"Okay then, the Marauder's meeting is finished, good night to you all." The four bustled upstairs, Peter dragging behind because of the extra weight his comforter added.
A/N: I know it's short, but I want to get on with the story because I can't wait to get to what's coming up! Yippee! R/R!
"Attention!" Dumbledore roared from the front of the cafeteria. He stood up and stroked his long white beard. "Curfew has been moved to six o' clock," he paused and listened to the moans that echoed throughout the hall. ".because of a need for increased security." Whispers immediately started, creating a buzzing sound. Dumbledore cleared his throat and the students immediately quieted. "You'll be glad to hear that the Halloween Ball will be held next month and everyone will be expected to dress up." This caused a stir of excitement. Dumbledore chuckled at the way the students had reacted, first angry, then curious, and then excited. What next? He wondered.
"I bet it's You-Know-Who they're scared of," James whispered excitedly to his friends. Peter glanced up with a scared expression on his face, his fork with pork on it poised halfway to his mouth.
"You don't think that he'll..he'll come here?" Peter stammered. "I mean.he fears Dumbledore. R-r-right?" Everybody else laughed at Peter's fear.
"We're quite safe," James reassured him, although inside he didn't feel as safe. Why would they be changing the curfew if they were safe?
Down the table the girls were so worried about that. Instead they were giggling over who their partner would be for the up and coming Halloween Ball.
"I'm thinking about asking Sirius," Sonya giggled, glancing in the boys' direction. Lily was tempted to laugh because at that moment Sirius made his nostrils flare and stuck two straws up either one. This made Sonya giggle even more.
"Well, then, ask him," Lily said, making it seem so simple. Who should she ask? Would anybody ask her? Every other girl had an idea of who she wanted to go with, but she didn't. Lily had no idea whatsoever. Breakfast ended and the students filed out one by one. She noticed Sirius and Sonya holding hands on the way out. 'Great' Lily thought to herself. 'Even SONYA was able to get somebody.'
"Umm..Lily?" She turned around and saw a stuttering Remus. 'He's not THAT bad,' Lily thought. 'Rather tall, but I can deal with it. Better than being too short.'
"Yes, Remus?" she asked pleasantly.
"Well, I was thinking." he stuttered. "Well.the Halloween dance..I mean, you and me." Lily smiled happily. Someone was asking her!
"Of course I'll go with you, Remus!" she said happily. The look of tension fell off his face and an ear-to-ear grin spread across his face. She gave Remus one last sly smile and raced ahead to Lisa.
"Lisa!" Lily exclaimed. Lisa jumped in surprise and turned towards Lily.
"Yes?"
"Remus asked me to the Halloween ball!" she said happily and danced around Lisa in a not-so-great imitation of a ballerina. Lisa smiled brightly and congratulated her friend.
"We can double date now! How fantastic. John [the Ravenclaw she'd been seeing for about a month now] and Remus are friends, I've seen them talking before. Oh how great!" Lisa joined Lily's dance and they twirled the rest of the way to the Gryffindor tower.
A few people behind them James wasn't so happy. "How could you, Remus? She's the one girl I utterly despise. And.and. and you ask her?! How could you?" James stomped away from his friends. Remus made a motion to try and go after his friend, but decided against it.
"I think he's jealous," Sirius laughed, obviously not worried about how angry James was.
"What?" Remus asked, surprised. "Why would he be? I mean.well." he couldn't think of anything else to say. Sirius smirked and they continued walking to the tower.
"It's so dark," shivered Peter as he wrapped himself tighter with his bed comforter. Sirius glared in his direction.
"Don't be so stupid," he said angrily. "It's night, why wouldn't it be dark? And YOU," he shouted turning towards James. "Stop sulking in the corner. Sure Remus asked Lily to the Halloween Ball, who gives a bloody rip. Let's get going." James, still sulking, stood up and placed himself on the far corner of the couch. Sirius glared at him but didn't say anything more. Sirius took out a rolled up sheet of parchment and flipped it open.
"It's blank," Peter said, stating the obvious.
"Yes, it is," Sirius said. He muttered a few words under his breath that nobody could hear and suddenly lines started drawing themselves all over, making loopholes, dots, and any other line imaginable.
"What's that?" James' curiosity got the best of him.
"It's the Marauders' Map," Sirius replied proudly.
"Marauders?" Remus asked.
"Yes, that's us. I thought, you know, ever since we became Animagi and all." Everybody hurriedly shushed Sirius. "Sorry," Sirius said quietly.
"How does it work?"
"Well, you say the words and it comes up and then you say the words again and it goes."
"What are the words?"
"I'll tell you later, you bloody detective. What if somebody's listening?" The other three looked angrily in Sirius' direction, obviously thinking about how stupid that last comment was since he had just said that they were Animagi aloud for any listeners to hear.
"Okay then, the Marauder's meeting is finished, good night to you all." The four bustled upstairs, Peter dragging behind because of the extra weight his comforter added.
A/N: I know it's short, but I want to get on with the story because I can't wait to get to what's coming up! Yippee! R/R!