Author's Note: First order of business: I have decided to start using the html format because Word hates me. However, this may mean updates will be less frequent because it takes FOREVER to do all the tags and redo all quotations, apostrophes, dashes, and whatever those triple dots are called. It looks MUCH better though.
Next, I would like to share a story about flamers. Okay, I heard that groan. You could always just skip ahead to the story, but then you would miss this truly heart-warming tale. Deciding that I would learn to use html if it killed me, I posted this chapter under the name "this is a test" while trying out all the different html tags to see how they worked. Within minutes of posting, I had two reviews. TWO. I don't even have two reviews on all my stories for chrissakes, and on a miscellaneous list called "this is a test" i got two reviews. *shakes head in wonderment* Anyway, one of these was my first ever flame!!! Well that was pretty exciting, even if it wasn't on an actual story, so I rushed off to visit my groundbreaking flamer, Remus Lupin and Co. RL&Co, if you're reading this, hi!!! (I think she thinks I'm crazy. She's right.) Anyway, my flamer is really cool! You should all go visit her, she's kinda crazy herself. Right. So. The moral of this story is: flamers are people too. And more often than not, they have crazy bad fic spoofs. At least in my experience. So don't block your flamers, befriend them!
Right. No more apple pie a la mode for me.

Disclaimer: I own Professor Giffle, Sirius' gravy and Remus' middle name, so back off.

Remus was late for Transfiguration the next morning. "I have a note from the Headmaster, Professor," he explained, sliding into an empty seat rather breathlessly. Professor McGonagall took the note without looking at it, knowing very well what it said.

Lily stared at the pale boy next to her. "Lupin," she hissed, "you look awful."

"I know," he replied faintly. "Spent the night in the hospital wing, had some of Sirius' gravy at dinner."

Lily shook her head. "When will you learn not to eat anything he's touched, or been in the presence of? You can't trust him for a minute."

For some reason, her friend looked near tears at this. He muttered something that sounded like "Sirius isn't the one you can't trust." Lily wondered if he was referring to James or Peter - all the boys looked tense, maybe there'd been a fight?

Professor McGonagall was handing out stuffed animals to half the class. Sirius stared at his teddy bear and called delightedly, "Professor, you found him! Oh Snuffles, I've looked everywhere for you!" He then proceeded to cuddle the living daylights out of the bear, much to the class' amusement.

Professor McGonagall wisely chose to ignore this outburst. "This is a partner project. You have two weeks to turn these dolls into faithful pets, scoring will be based on the detail and realisticness of your pets' personalities." She began to call out names. "Adensen, help out Black and please make sure he does some of the work this time, Cinders and Donnelly, you'll be working on the pony, Frigmann and Pettigrew on the puppy, Gerhardt and Lupin on the kitten, Potter and Evans will be working with the kangaroo..." she went on to pair up the rest of the Hufflepuffs.

Lily turned around to face her partner. "A kangaroo? Is she serious, Potter?"

James nodded, trying to seem perfectly composed, which wasn't easy as he couldn't decide whether he was thrilled or furious to be working with Lily. Lately, everything about Lily Evans was confusing; her smile made his brain all muddled. And I hate that, James thought, so I hate Lily Evans.

He held up the stuffed blue marsupial. "I guess we should set a time to work on it," he said gloomily.

Lily sent him a sharp look. "Well don't get too excited, Potter," she drawled sarcastically. "I'm sure you'll still have plenty of time for gallivanting about under your Invisibility Cloak and setting off dungbombs in the Slytherin Common Room."

"How about 5:30 in the Library tomorrow?" James suggested, after consulting his schedule.

"Fine. I'll see you then."

"Fine."

After lunch, the Gryffindors had a free hour. James found Sirius and Peter, and the three cornered Remus in the Common Room.

"We need to talk," James told him seriously.

His stomach weighed down with dread, Remus followed his friends to the one-eyed witch's tunnel, their favorite meeting place. No one else knew about it, that they knew of, at least, and dormitory walls were thin. Remus knew what they were going to say, and he knew they were right. But that didn't make hearing it any easier. The four boys entered the tunnel, and Remus sat down, resignedly. Here it comes, he thought.

"Remus Silvius Lupin," James began. "We have something to say to you, and you'd better listen."

"Last night was not your fault," All three boys said firmly in unison.

"You've been avoiding us all day, and looking guilty -" Peter began.

"- and generally acting like a bloody Judas," Sirius cut in.

"And we're having none of it," James finished. "Becoming Animagi was our idea, being with you every month was our idea, and we accept full responsibility for any risk involved."

Remus slowly let the realization wash over him. They weren't mad, they didn't blame him, and they still wanted to be his friend! He was speechless.

"Look, Moony," Sirius told him. "You're insulting us with all this 'I'm not worthy' crap. What kind of friends do you think we are? It's not your fault you're stuck with this, and we're not about to blame you for it. Now wipe that dazed look off your face and help us think of something mortifying to do to Snape."

James shook his head though. "No, not right now. We still need to talk about last night. What was all that blue light, and how come we transformed?"

The others frowned. "Was it a spell, do you think?" Peter ventured. "Or maybe a certain part of the Forest just does that." Realizing he wasn't being very clear, he added, "You know, doesn't allow Animagi, transforms them back."

"It's possible," Sirius allowed. "That Forest is strange enough."

"And it couldn't have been a spell," James added. "Because then someone would have had to knowÉ" His voice trailed off.

"Would have had to know about us," Remus finished flatly.

Peter shook his head. "That's not possible...is it?"