FIVE : PREPARATION

James ran down the corridor quietly, with Sirius behind him. They ran into the common room just minutes before McGonagall stepped inside. Falling into the squashy armchairs, Sirius and James hoped McGonagall didn't notice they were out of breath. "Students," she began, looking around the room slowly. "What happened today at the Quidditch field was not tolerable." The Gryffindors looked around at each other nervously. "As we don't know and really don't need to know who did what, no punishments will be handed out." The room gave a shaky sigh of relief.

"However,"she continued, "we have leads, but we will not name them. Anyone of these suspected people, and you know who you are," her eyes flashed for a split second to Sirius and James, "will be under close watch and may face expulsion if any more trouble is directly traced to them. That is all." She slowly exited the room, leaving everyone with a feeling of wariness.

After about a minute of tight silence, the room suddenly erupted in nervous conversation. James and Sirius exchanged their chairs for a pair in a dark corner. "What'll we do now?" asked Sirius worriedly. "McGonagall knows we're at the root of this. Our record is tarnished."

James shrugged. "There's always the cloak, we can do some things with that," he prompted optimistically. But Padfoot was right, the rule breaking they did at the full moon in Animagi form had often ended in being a hair's width away from being caught. What happened with Snape was testimony. "Snape!" remembered James suddenly. "How are we going to convince him to go into the trunk of the Whomping Willow now?"

Sirius assumed his thinking stance. "Hmmm..." he thought aloud. "Maybe if we...no...that won't work...what if we?...no, he wouldn't fall for that...." He went along in this vein for about five minutes. "Aha! I've got it!" Sirius suddenly announced, a little louder than what was wise. "Do you think Wormtail's out of the ward yet?"

As if to answer his question, Peter suddenly appeared through the hole and tumbled in. He sunk into a chair by Sirius and James. "Hi guys!" he piped happily, the bruise on his face magically reduced. Then he spied their set faces, and his voice changed in pitch. "Can I do anything?" he asked in a low voice.

"Actually, yes," responded Sirius. He tented his hands. "It's a very risky business...." He looked around carefully and leaned in. His voice was barely audible. "Wormtail, transfigure at lunch. I don't know how you're going to pull this off...you'll think of something." Peter nodded, apprehensive. "Then," continued Sirius. "Bite Snape in the leg." He smiled a little as Peter looked, confused, at him. Even James wasn't sure of Sirius's plan. "He will go down to the nurse's ward...where Moony's stationed at the moment. Right?"

Peter nodded. "In a bed by the door."

"Excellent," responded Sirius. "Beforehand, we pay a visit to ol' Moony, and tell him to thrash about and whisper the secret knot in his 'sleep'. You know Snape, he gets into anything and everything. So he'll hear how to freeze the Willow, and go there, tonight. I'm sure Moony's going to be out tonight?"

Peter nodded again. "He should add that we'll be doing something secret in the Willow, just to make sure Snape will follow him. Oh, and James, can I borrow the cloak? I'll be the Invisible Rat." He chuckled at his lame joke.

James shook his head and ignored the joke. "We should go to Pomfrey's now," he suggested. Sirius agreed, and the three of them stood up and left through the portrait hole.