SEVEN : REVENGE
Peter, James, Remus, and Sirius walked quickly across the grounds, the night air reminding them that winter was not yet over. Remus was quite mad at the plan Sirius and Peter had cooked up, and they were anguished that he hadn't fulfilled his part of the deal. James was feeling very edgy, and considered himself in the middle of a battlefield. The Invisibility Cloak was hidden under his winter cloak, just in case a real squabble or something broke out. Clouds obscured the full moon, promising rain tomorrow and a safe journey with Remus, at least to the Whomping Willow.
"Shall we hurry?" asked Peter nervously. He glanced up at a break in the clouds that was slowly coming closer. Running towards the already flailing willow, he picked up a gnarled stick and jabbed it into the secret knot of the tree. It froze immediately. James was leading Remus in between the lower branches to the trunk's entrance when suddenly –
"The moon's out!" cried Sirius. He, Peter, and James ran from the tree as the moonlight hit the ground and fell on the already-changing Remus's face. As Peter and Sirius quickly assumed their Animagi forms, James tripped and the Invisibility Cloak flew. The tree began its mad swinging again, and Peter ran foward and threw his weight on the knot. Sirius nudged Remus down the hole of the Whomping Willow as James transfigured. Watching Peter scamper down behind the two, James scanned the area nervously for anyone who might have seen the transfiguration. The castle was dark, the grounds were empty, and he ran down the trunk's hole, satisfied.
The tunnel winded on for a long time, and James realized his friends were already up at the Shrieking Shack. He thought he heard footsteps in the dark behind him, but turned and saw nothing. Finally, the stairs before the Shrieking Shack appeared, and the tunnel lightened slightly. Quickly turning his head one last time, James could still see nobody. He had an odd feeling of being watched, and suddenly, his foot treaded on a cloak, pinning it to the ground. Snape suddenly appeared...from beneath the Invisibility Cloak.
"Snape!" cried James. "Snape's here! He must have heard our conversation in the ward!"
Remus poked his head around the doorway, bewildered. Snape opened his eyes in fear, and suddenly the realization of what he was seeing struck him. Remus growled a few times at the sight of a human, leapt out into the tunnel, and was blocked by James. Snape bounded up the tunnel faster than he had ever ran in his life. Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus looked at each other from the doorway.
"This will take some explaining," James said quietly, after a few minutes. He pulled the cloak over his head, transfigured, and ran up the tunnel, following Snape.
The End