Simply Sirius
Chapter 4
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything here, because all of these characters belong to the people who created them!!!! All of this material is not mine, and I do not own it. (Well, except for the characters I created. I do own those.) Thank you!
A/N: For those of you who were whining about how long it took to get this up (ahem**coughcough**MOLLY, KATIE!**coughcough**) this chapter is longest yet!
Peter and I were playing chess and James and Remus were playing Exploding Snap when Severus Snape and his cronies walked in.
There were 4 of them: Slimy Snape himself, Nico Malfoy (Lucius and Larson's younger brother- he was sort of the family reject, being ugly, dim-witted, and altogether non-Malfoyish in every sense except for prejudice and idiocy), Joseph Crabbe, and Ben Goyle. (Crabbe and Goyle were almost exactly the same thing: big, boulder-like people with giant muscles and no brain.)
"Well, well, well, look who it is. The Potter gang," sneered Snape. At this, I thought, `Potter gang? James is our leader? Okay with me, just someone should have told me earlier!'
Remus looked up and sighed. "Severus, please leave us alone. We don't want to fight."
"Oh yeah? Well we do," Malfoy said, coming up to Remus. Crabbe and Goyle followed.
"Um, guys, sorry for breaking your mood, but you might want to back up from Remus right about now," James said quietly.
"Why?" asked Crabbe stupidly.
"Yeah, why? You can't make us do anything. You're not our Mom," added Goyle, just as stupidly (if not more).
Their question was answered in a moment. Remus, who had been shuffling the deck of cards, suddenly threw them at Nico, Joseph, and Ben (Severus had been smart enough to stay away), whereupon they exploded loudly.
Seconds of moaning and coughing ensued, and our cabin was filled with smoke. Peter, James, Remus, and I tried to smother our laughs as best as we could.
The smoke cleared, and when we looked up, the band of idiots was gone.
"Hmmm......wonder what happened to them," said Peter thoughtfully.
"I can answer that," said a sly voice from the door. We looked at each other, and the Unicorns walked in. Peter groaned.
"Geez, what in bloody hell are you doing here? We wanted to get away from you!" James moaned.
"Well, we heard an explosion, and came to investigate. Seeing the gang of Slytherin Supreme Jerks, we thought they deserved torture more than you, and used a simple transport spell," Juniper informed us with a grin.
"Now, what you SHOULD be saying, is `Thank you girls, you're the best people in the world, and we owe a lot to you. How ever can we repay you?'" Quinn added, half sarcastically.
We gave them all looks. "Um, thanks?" I tried, raising an eyebrow.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I should have expected that."
"Well, we should be going anyways. We're almost at King's Cross, so we gotta clean up our compartment," said Rika shrugging. And with that, they left, leaving us surprised and slightly stunned.
"Well. That was odd," I commented after a moment. Remus checked his watch.
"They're right, though. We're almost there, so we better clean up," he told us. So, grumbling and complaining, we did so, making sure to pack away our secret prank plans. (Oops, just forget about those! No one is supposed to know, hence the name SECRET plans.)
I got off the train thinking only of how long it would be until I got back to Hogwarts. It wasn't that I didn't like being at home; I just knew I would miss my friends, the permission to do magic, and our prank targets. Plus, I would have to see Warren the Wicked, and that was never a good thing at all.
Shaking my head at these thoughts, I yelled good-byes to James, Remus, and Peter, saying that I would send them all owls and try to have them come over. Then, I walked over to where I was to meet my family. They were already there, Warren included. My mum and dad were waving, smiling, and screaming, "SIRIUS! Oh, he`s home! Sirius, over here!" Warren was doing none of this. Rather, he was frowning, glaring at me, and looking altogether grouchy.
I pushed my trolley over to them. "Hi Mum, hi Dad, hi Warren! It's great to see you all!" I said, forcing a smile.
Mum rushed up and wrapped me in a huge hug, momentarily choking me. "Oh, my baby is home, finally home!" she said happily.
Dad came over and patted me on the back. "Warren, take your brother's trolley. He's had a long trip," he said to Warren, who then shot me a look of pure poison. "So, Sirius, how was it? Did you have fun?"
"Yes," I said after a moment. "It was great." That was all I could manage. There really wasn't any other way to describe it. Then, all of a sudden, I felt glad to be home, glad to be with my family, glad for a break. I gave my parents (and Warren, I suppose) a genuine smile.
I began explaining everything on our way to the car. By the time we were home, I still hadn't finished. (And I had even left out most of our pranks!)
Slowly, I re-adjusted to life at home. Everything was back to how it had been before I left, with the exception that I was constantly writing to my friends, and Warren and I were avoiding each other more than before.
One day, I got a rather exciting owl from Remus. It was about a summer get-together for the Perfectly Ridiculous Super Jokers (a.k.a. us). I was thrilled; actually, I had been meaning to plan something of the sort, but Warren had stopped me. (His threats of having him and Vernon Dursley try and set me up with Vernon's sister, Marge, were too appalling for even me to ignore.)
So, after several owls about arrangements, it was settled; I would travel by Floo Powder to Remus's house, as would James and Peter. I was thrilled at the idea of seeing my friends again. I had already started to miss them all, even Peter! So, the day before we were to meet, I packed as hurriedly as I could.
"Sirius, dear, packing quickly won't speed up the day," Mum said to me patiently.
"I know, Mum," I replied, not exactly paying attention.
"Oh, Sirius! Now, slow down, and be more careful. Look, you're staying the weekend, and you only packed one pair of socks!" she sighed, looking through my bag.
"Mum!" I groaned. The next 24 hours would sure be long.
At any rate, I rushed off to Remus's house as soon as I could. I loved my family, and HAD missed them, but they got to be a bit much at times. With a dash of Floo Powder and the words, "Remus's House!" I got there in no time at all.
I fell back into a puff of ashes, and a hand reached into the fireplace to help me out. "Hey Siri, what's up?" James said amiably. I brushed myself off.
"Not too much, other than the fact that I really hate travel by Floo Powder. How are you two?" I replied, meaning him and Remus. Peter wasn't there yet.
"Great!" Remus replied happily. He was looking better than usual in the sense that he looked happier and less tired than he usually did. I grinned.
"This is gonna be a great weekend," I said.
And it was. We had a lot of fun doing all the things we had done at Hogwarts (minus the magic, of course). This included planning pranks (of course), thinking of lovely insults for Snape, and designing what spells would be useful if we could make them. Actually, Remus came up with a brilliant idea. It was that next year, we would explore the castle as thoroughly as possible, and find every secret passage, shortcut, hideaway, etc. and make a map of them all. This map would have a spell on it so that to the normal viewer, it would seem like an ordinary piece of paper. But, to those who new the passwords, it would reveal everything. We all really wanted to do it, and decided that it was a good thing to put on our to-do list.
Another thing we did was talk about the girls. (A/N: Ooooooooooh, gossip, scandalous! Hehe, lol.)
"Hey, guys, what are we gonna do to the girls as a welcome back this year?" I asked.
"Hhmmmm......good question, Siri, what are we gonna do?" James replied.
"Wait, why are we even pulling anything on them at all? I mean, if you guys give them a chance, they really aren't all that bad," Remus objected.
"I agree with Remus. Well, not that they're not bad, but that we shouldn't do anything. They could get us wicked! Don't you remember the make-up? And the thing with our clothes? And the pumpkins?" Peter added.
"And the Cheering Charm," I said with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up," Peter muttered.
"Guys, are we or are we not enemies with these so-called Unicorns?" James said loudly.
"Well-"
"Hush, Remus, you don't count."
"Um, we're enemies, I guess."
"Correct enough, Peter. Sirius?"
"Enemies, all the way!"
"Correct. Now. What shall we do to greet these enemies when we see them in September?" James questioned regally.
"You know, as much as I think you three would have loads of fun, why don't we plan our prank for our great pal Snape and his highly intelligent friends instead? I think his reaction would be much more worth it, and besides, it's easier to have a Slytherin for an enemy," Remus said.
"Hmmm......not a bad idea, Remus. I suppose we could work on a little something for dear Snapey first, and work on the girls' prank if we have any time left," James said thoughtfully.
"I think that's good. After all, Snape is an all out jerk. The Unicorns are just annoying," I piped up.
"I agree completely," said Peter.
"So, now the question is, what to do to Snape?" Remus announced.
"Something evil," I answered with a wicked grin. James rolled his eyes.
"Well, obviously! Come on now, we have to really think of something good," he said.
"Er....how `bout we throw several Fanged Frisbees at him?" Peter suggested.
"Nah, too simple," I responded. "Maybe we could......get him to eat poisoned candy?"
"Er, no Siri, I think that might kill him.....not that I'm complaining, but we could get into a spot of trouble for it," Remus answered.
"Wait, he may have something there," James said thoughtfully.
"James, no, as much fun as it would be, we can't poison Snape and the idiots!" Remus said firmly.
"No, no, no, not poison them, just enchant them a bit. You know, like put something in their food that'll make them do something stupid and embarrassing. That's okay, isn't it?" James asked.
"It's more than okay.....it's GREAT!" I said.
"Yeah, actually, it sounds reasonable to me," Remus admitted.
"I like it too," Peter added.
"Good. So it's settled then? We do something to Snape's food," James said.
"The food on the train. We'll enchant it so that he eats it right away and does something at the beginning of year feast," I put in.
"Definitely! But who'll do it?" Peter said.
"Well, we should take turns being host for pranks. Who wants to do this one?" I said.
"Me!" James yelled with a wicked grin. I smiled, my face just as innocent (or not) as his. With James Potter in charge of it, this would be good.
"Well, now that we've gotten that all planned out, what about the girls?" Peter said, returning to our previous subject.
"Yeah, what are we gonna do to them?" James asked, looking at me.
"You know, before we get into that, what do you guys think about Rika? Is it just me, or is she not human?" I pointed out.
"OH YEAH! Bloody hell, Siri, I almost forgot about that! Guys, what do you think she is? I mean, if she's not a human, what can she be?" James said quickly.
"I dunno....a veela? But, does it really matter? I mean, come on, so she's not a human......"Remus started, but trailed off when he saw the look on our faces. "What?"
"Remus, How can you be so.....blasé about it?" Peter questioned.
"Well........because.....I mean....well, why not?" Remus said uncertainly.
"Remus. We're talking about another creature here! Don't you think there's something wrong with that?" James asked incredulously. I frowned, thinking about it myself. How on earth could this not be a big deal to him? Then, something clicked.....
"Hey, Remus? Just wondering, but why are you always `sick' during a full moon?" I interrogated softly.
He opened his mouth in reply, but no sound came out for a moment. Then, he blushed, and said, "I...er, um...well, y'see......I.....okay, um......okay, well, y'see, I'm really a girl, and that's when I get PMS!" This was all spoken very quickly, and Remus wore a very embarrassed look.
"REALLY?" queried Peter in astonishment.
"No, Pete, he's covering up for the truth. Which is.........Remus?" James said, catching on to my thoughts.
Remus swallowed and sighed. "Well, guys, I think you already know, or at least have a general idea. I really don't wanna tell you, because I know you'll hate me for it, but I guess you have the right to know. Okay, here goes.......wait, are you SURE you want to know? I mean, can't we just not talk about it?" he said pleadingly.
"Come on, Remus. It's okay, we won't kill you or anything. Just tell us. We're you're friends first and forever, so don't worry `bout it," I said reassuringly.
"Thanks, Siri," he replied with a smile. "Okay, well then....I'm a werewolf."
Peter gave a rather strangled squeak or fright, then looked at James and I. I tried to hide a grin. (I KNEW that's what he was, I did!)
"Well, okay then. But why should we hate you for it?" James said.
"Because.....because.....well, don't you hate giants? They're identified by kind, not individual personality, and well, werewolves don't exactly have the greatest rep. But, oh, you really aren't mad or anything?" Remus said, looking a bit flustered.
"Nope. Not at all. Hey, that gives me an idea! We can call you Moony! It's the perfect nickname. What do ya think?" grinned James.
"It's.....I really like it!" Remus said, seemingly stunned with happiness.
"Well, now we can see why Rika's not being human isn't a major concern to you," Peter said, shrugging.
"Yeah, that's why. But at any rate, what do you guys think she is, if not a human?" Remus - well, Moony responded.
"I dunno. An elf, maybe?" Peter suggested.
"Nah, she doesn't have pointy ears. Maybe a fairy - oh no wait, no wings," James said indecisively.
"Um......could she be a mermaid, but y'know, under an enchantment so she looks like a human?" I inquired.
"No, no, definitely not! Most mermaids around here have seaweed-like hair and yellowish eyes and skin that can't be enchanted to look different, and besides, Rika isn't afraid of sea water," Moony pointed out.
"Why would that matter?" said Peter.
"Oh, I know. It's because when mermaids are in human form, they can't get touched by sea water, otherwise they'll change back, which isn't what they want," James explained.
"Ooohhhh, right. But then, if she's not any of these things, what IS she?" I answered, getting stumped. This was actually something that I couldn't figure out, or even find a clue to!
"No idea. None, whatsoever here," Moony shook his head. "Hey, guys, do you mind if I give you nicknames, too?"
"Go ahead," James shrugged.
"K, James, I'll call you Prongs, because you act so....gallant, and respectful, just like a stag. And Sirius, you're definitely Padfoot, because I mean, you're so loyal, and friendly, like a dog. No offense," he added the last line quickly.
"What about me?" Peter said, looking a bit put out.
"Erm...well, I think for now you can just be Pete, because you have so many great traits, it's hard to choose just one or two to describe you," Moony said, thinking quickly. Truth was, Peter really didn't have all that many outstanding qualities. At the moment, we didn't have a special name for him.
At any rate, our weekend was successfully wonderful. By the time I had to leave, we had planned everything necessary for the school year, including our little greeting for the Unicorns. It was this:
We would bring stuffed animals of every kind onto the train with us (supplied, of course, from James's little sister). There they would be enchanted to, in a way, come "alive" and scare the girls.
In a way, it was a rather immature plan, but we were kind of brain-dead, as far as prank-plotting went. Besides, we had to compromise with Moony and Pete; they had wanted to do nothing at all, but James - er, Prongs - and I insisted on something. So, this little joke was the best we could come up with.
The rest of the summer flew by without too much event. I relaxed, did some quidditch practice with my dad, did my homework when Mum yelled, and steered clear of Warren and his pals at all costs. In my spare time, which was most of the day, I tried to plan pranks for the new school year and wrote to my friends. One day, after having sent 3 owls to each of my friends (plus a Joke Howler to Prongs and Warren), I considered sending prank owls to each of the Unicorns. But, then I realized that Lily's and Quinn's parents were muggles, and would most likely flip out if an owl came swooping into their home. Plus, I was out of paper.
All too soon, the end of the summer came. Before I knew it, Mum and Dad were taking me to Diagon Alley to pick up school supplies. I had wanted to meet James, Remus, and Peter, but Mum said no because stupid Warren had to come.
At any rate, the 1^st of September was suddenly there, and it was time to go back to Hogwarts. I was thrilled. I had begun to miss my second home.
Bright and early that morning, Mum and Dad took me to King's Cross Station. (Warren didn't come; he and Vernon had "plans", which involved "much more important things to do".)
This year, the four of us (meaning Moony, Pete, Prongs, and I) had planned to meet just outside the Hogwarts Express at 10:30. This year, I would NOT be late! Actually, I was there early. My parents and I arrived at 10:15, making me the first one of our group there. Because of this, my parents insisted on waiting with me until they came. This was not a good thing. Every time someone would walk by, they would whisper loud comments to me.
"What an awful person," Mum murmered as Nico Malfoy walked by with his family, whining loudly.
"Merlin's beard, what ditzes!" Dad muttered after a crowd of sixth year Slytherin girls strutted by, giggling and gossiping.
"She could do with a Cheering Charm," Mum chuckled upon catching sight of Minerva McGonagall.
"Well, they look like respectable girls," Dad remarked as the Unicorns walked by. "Do you know them, Siri?"
They heard my name, and looked over. Quinn smiled and waved, as did Juniper. Rika smiled, but very quietly, and Lily sort of scowled. "Well, sort of," I shrugged, not wishing to elaborate. I smiled and waved back at the two who had actually been friendly to me.
Several minutes later, Remus arrived. We introduced our parents to each other's, and started chatting. Soon, Peter came, then James. (Hah, this time it was HIM late, not me!!!!!)
By this time, the train seemed to be getting full, so we said our goodbyes and rushed on, in search of an empty compartment. Fortunately for us, there was one, but it was located sort of close to the Unicorns.
As soon as the Hogwarts Express pulled out, and our parents were no longer in sight, and it seemed like the coast was clear, I said, "Hey Prongs, you ready to prepare the special treat for Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle?"
"Yup. Been planning on it for the past few weeks. Plus, Aeryn actually let me borrow her stuffed animals for our trick for the Unicorns," he replied. James shook his head, but he was smiling. "That girl, I think I'm rubbing off on her. She said she wanted to help us pull pranks when she got into Hogwarts. She's got the makings of a perfect little troublemaker." As he said this, James tried to look passive, but I could see the hint of pride in his eyes.
"Well, what have you got for Snape's Crew?" Moony asked, attempting to keep the excitement out of his voice. It didn't work.
"Um, y'see, my mum has this sort of singing potion that she always threatens me with, and, well, I thought we could use it on them," said Prongs simply.
"What does it do?" said Peter.
"Upon being ingested, it coerces its host to instantaneously vocalize," Remus declared with an air of expertise and boredom.
"And in English, that means....?" I questioned. Pete had a look of stupefied shock on his face.
"Whoever drinks it, or in this case, eats something that is covered in it, is forced to start singing something. I'm not really sure what song, but I guess we'll just have to find out, now won't we?" James answered cheerfully.
"Oh. Well, why couldn't Moony say that?" Peter interrogated, looking somewhere between confused, frustrated, and embarrassed at his lack of understanding.
"I DID!" Remus half-shouted.
"No you didn't," Pete contradicted.
"Yes I did! Just because you can't understand what I'm saying doesn't mean I'm not saying it!" Remus yelled back.
"I think what you're saying is right, but you know Moony, even I didn't really totally get what you said just now," James said, hiding a smile.
"Well, at any rate! Let's get back on track here! We need to get working!" I shouted above Remus's protests.
"Oh my god, Padfoot, you're actually being serious for once!" Prongs said in mock horror.
"What are you talkin' about? I'm always Sirius, it's my name!" I replied with a grin.
"Ha ha, very funny," Moony rolled his eyes.
"What is? I don't get it," Pete interjected, looking confused again.
"Never mind. But anyways, we should concentrate. I have the potion already, but I haven't tested it of course, Do you think we should?" James said.
"Sure!" I said, looking straight at Remus. It took a moment for him to realize this.
"What? No way, not me! I can't sing!" he hollered, getting prepared to run away.
"And just why not?" Peter said, siding with James and I.
"Werewolf thing. We can't sing, at all. Singing, er, makes us, uh, transform quicker! So why don't we test it on you?" Remus countered quickly, ad-libbing the part about werewolves.
"Why don't we just test it on the Slytherin losers and see what happens, okay?" Peter said, looking a bit nervous.
"Good idea. In the meanwhile, we can-" I began, but was interrupted by a sort of shout from a few compartments away. The four of us exchanged glances, and raced out the door.
I was the first to the spot. And, of course, who should be there but Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle bothering the Unicorns? It was a slightly odd situation. The girls didn't seem to be in any immediate trouble, more like they were simply being annoyed to death by the Slytherins. Lily had to have been the source of the shout. She was scowling, and her face was a furious red. If looks could kill, Severus Snape would have very painfully died in an instant. Rika was standing next to her, with an identical expression. Her pale face was tinged pink, and her hands were fists. Juniper and Quinn also stood nearby. They, however, weren't focused on the Slytherins. Rather, they were trying to reach their wands from where they stood, which was a few feet away.
"I told you, GET OUT!" Lily screamed in Snape's face.
"Oooh, temper, temper," Snape replied coolly. "We're not ready to go yet, are we boys?" he said, turning to the other losers. (He would have seen our gang, but we had decided to hide around the corner and listen for the moment; if anything bad seemed to be happening to the girls, we would play hero and come to the rescue.)
"No, we're not ready yet!" Malfoy answered Snape idiotically.
"Tough luck, too bad, so sad, GET OUT ANYWAYS!" Rika shrieked at them.
"But what if we-" Goyle started, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence, and fell to the floor, his large body abnormally straight. Crabbe followed suit.
Before he did, though, we heard Quinn whisper, "Petrificus Totalus!" I peeked around the corner and saw that she and Juniper had gotten their wands.
"You little-" Malfoy began, stepping forward.
"Petrificus Totalus!" I shouted, leaping forward before he could reach either girl.
"What the - BLACK!" Snape whirled around and caught sight of me.
"Petrificus Totalus!" James was suddenly next to me, saying the same curse that Quinn, Juniper, and I had said.
Several moments of heavy silence followed as Remus and Peter joined us in the compartment, and we all surveyed the Slytherins, who were now out of action, as they all had the Full-Body Bind on them.
"Well, thanks guys," Quinn broke the silence, smiling at us.
"No problem. Anytime," I shrugged, grinning back.
"Yeah, it was rather fun, anyways," James added.
"What did they want, anyways?" asked Peter. The girls exchanged glances. For a few silent moments, they held a private conversation with their eyes. Finally, Juniper turned to us.
"It really wasn't that big of a deal. Snape just wanted some...information, and we didn't want to, or rather couldn't, give it to him. But he, being that first-class jerk that he is, decided to bother us some more. It was lucky that me and Quinn had been practicing the full-body bind last year," she said.
"Dare I ask what kind of information he wanted?" James said, raising an eyebrow.
"Er...well...it's not really important," Rika said quickly.
"Yes it is. Spill, we saved you after all," I said.
"Yeah, even though you owed us from last year. Anyways, Severus wanted to know what the deal with Remus is. I mean, I guess we do too, but we're not nosy like him, so we won't ask unless Remus is willing to tell," Lily shrugged.
"What do you mean, the deal with me?" Remus said uneasily.
"Oh come on, Remus. You can't pretend anymore. The four of us, and Snape, at the very least have noticed that you disappear monthly without fail. And, I dunno if Snape noticed, but it's always on the full moon," Juniper rolled her eyes.
"Um...." Remus began, not really knowing what to say.
"Well, what it is, is Remus is really a girl, and his disappearances are THAT time of the month, and it's easiest for him to deal with it by hiding...elsewhere," I said cheerfully, repeating the first excuse that came to mind. Actually, it was the first excuse Remus had given us this summer, just before the truth came out.
"Ha ha, very funny, as if we're stupid enough to believe that!" Lily said cynically.
"Well, you ARE stupid..." James started, trailing off at the frozen glare Lily had sent his way.
"No, seriously guys, tell us! It's okay, we won't blab to the rest of the school. Believe it or not, Remus is our pal, and we won't give away his secret. Just tell us. We won't care, no matter what," Rika said.
"Yeah. Besides, even if you don't tell, I bet we can find out on our own," Quinn added. We just looked at Remus, who sighed.
"You're all right. Girls, you are my friends, (James and Sirius, stop sniggering before I curse you), and you deserve to know too. I mean, yes, even if I didn't tell you, you could probably figure it out, but I will. But.....you just will definitely not like me after this. Do I HAVE to tell you? I really want to keep you as friends, and-" he started, but was cut off by Rika.
"Look Remus, no matter what, we won't care. We know you, and nothing can stop us from being friends with the friendly guy we know. And, in case this helps, I know that since you all know I'm not exactly human, I'll..." Rika paused here, and took a deep breath. "I'll tell you what I am."
"Go for it, Moony," James, Peter, and I said instantly.
After a moment of uneasy laughter, Remus conceded. "Well, I don't know if you'll still believe your words, but...I'm a...I'm a werewolf," he said, blushing and looking away.
"Oh. Is that it? What's wrong with that?" Quinn said.
"You - you mean, you really don't care?" Remus asked, surprised again at the lack of hatred.
"Well, you guys didn't care, did you? So why should we?" Lily replied.
"Oh. Well, that's.....that's great!" Moony said, a lot more cheerful.
"So, now your nickname is Moony?" Rika questioned. He nodded. "That's neat. And, I s'pose I gotta keep up my end of the deal. Okay, well, um...actually, I'm half human. Y'see, my dad was a wizard, but my mum was...my mum was a golden-eyed unicorn, and so..." she left off, not knowing what else to say.
"You're half unicorn?" asked Pete incredulously.
"Er, uh, yes?"
"Wait a sec, just out of curiosity, what's a golden-eyed unicorn, specifically?" Prongs interrogated, voicing the question in my own mind.
"Well, you know how some seals can turn into humans? That's how it is for unicorns, too. Most of them, the ordinary kind, have blue, or gray eyes. However, there are some with gold eyes and horns that can change into humans at will. My mum was one, and when she met my dad, and fell in love with him, she decided to stay with him, as a human. Now, there's me," Rika said shyly. We were all quiet for a moment.
All of a sudden, Remus burst out, "YAY!"
"Um, Moony, what was that for?" Lily asked.
"I finally met someone else who isn't a human! Well, not entirely, at least," he nearly shouted, looking happier and better than I had ever seen him.
"Hey, I'm thrilled too," Rika said, grinning.
Juniper checked her watch. "Hey, I really hate to break up this party, especially since we're actually getting along, but we'll be at Hogwarts in an hour, just in case anybody wants to know," she pointed out.
"Yeah, we should all be getting changed," Quinn said, looking at her own watch.
"Oh. Okay then, bye," Peter said.
"We'll drag out the Slytherin idiots on our way out," James added.
"Bye guys," said Quinn.
"See ya at the feast," Lily said. At that, I thought, whoa, little miss frozen fire is being nice to us! What is wrong here?
"Bye," we chorused on our way out the door.
Once back in our compartment, we changed quickly, then made the plans for enchanting the food for Snape and his cronies. Since it was too late to give him the food now, we decided to somehow pour the potion over his plate at the feast. After this was all laid out, we simultaneously looked at the bag of stuffed animals next to Prongs's trunks.
"Should we?" he asked.
"Well...now, I'm not so sure. I don't think we should anymore. I mean, we're sort of...friends now, I guess," I said, uncertain myself.
"Let's not. I think this year, the Unicorns and our gang should form an alliance against Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle," Remus announced.
"That sounds good to me," Peter said.
"Me too. Padfoot?" James said, looking at me.
"Definitely. But we should have a name for our group too! The girls get one, why not us, too?" I replied. The others thought about this for a moment.
"How `bout the Marauders?" Remus suggested slowly.
"What does that mean?" said Pete, looking confused again.
"Um...actually, something like raider, or prowler, but I think it means trickster too," Remus said, not sure himself.
"Perfect for us. It's all set then!" James confirmed after a glance of agreement from me and Pete.
Thus began our alliance with the Unicorns, our enmity with Snape's gang, and our second year, a year of exploring, pranks, and all around fun trouble.
It was one of many years we would never forget.
**Whew** That was long, wasn't it? Hope it was worth the wait....I certainly had fun writing it! And, yea, Peter's nickname WILL come up, but much later....it's a long story, which you will read as soon as I can write and post it! But, since you've read this part,
review it please!!!!!!!!! I can't improve it if I don't know you're comments, and positive feedback means more time spent on it!!!!!! Also, if you want, you can email me at [1]unicorn726@admin.balita.org but make sure that you make the subject "fanfic" (or at least include that in it). Thanks!!!!
~Tora Q.
References
1. mailto:unicorn726@admin.balita.org
Chapter 4
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything here, because all of these characters belong to the people who created them!!!! All of this material is not mine, and I do not own it. (Well, except for the characters I created. I do own those.) Thank you!
A/N: For those of you who were whining about how long it took to get this up (ahem**coughcough**MOLLY, KATIE!**coughcough**) this chapter is longest yet!
Peter and I were playing chess and James and Remus were playing Exploding Snap when Severus Snape and his cronies walked in.
There were 4 of them: Slimy Snape himself, Nico Malfoy (Lucius and Larson's younger brother- he was sort of the family reject, being ugly, dim-witted, and altogether non-Malfoyish in every sense except for prejudice and idiocy), Joseph Crabbe, and Ben Goyle. (Crabbe and Goyle were almost exactly the same thing: big, boulder-like people with giant muscles and no brain.)
"Well, well, well, look who it is. The Potter gang," sneered Snape. At this, I thought, `Potter gang? James is our leader? Okay with me, just someone should have told me earlier!'
Remus looked up and sighed. "Severus, please leave us alone. We don't want to fight."
"Oh yeah? Well we do," Malfoy said, coming up to Remus. Crabbe and Goyle followed.
"Um, guys, sorry for breaking your mood, but you might want to back up from Remus right about now," James said quietly.
"Why?" asked Crabbe stupidly.
"Yeah, why? You can't make us do anything. You're not our Mom," added Goyle, just as stupidly (if not more).
Their question was answered in a moment. Remus, who had been shuffling the deck of cards, suddenly threw them at Nico, Joseph, and Ben (Severus had been smart enough to stay away), whereupon they exploded loudly.
Seconds of moaning and coughing ensued, and our cabin was filled with smoke. Peter, James, Remus, and I tried to smother our laughs as best as we could.
The smoke cleared, and when we looked up, the band of idiots was gone.
"Hmmm......wonder what happened to them," said Peter thoughtfully.
"I can answer that," said a sly voice from the door. We looked at each other, and the Unicorns walked in. Peter groaned.
"Geez, what in bloody hell are you doing here? We wanted to get away from you!" James moaned.
"Well, we heard an explosion, and came to investigate. Seeing the gang of Slytherin Supreme Jerks, we thought they deserved torture more than you, and used a simple transport spell," Juniper informed us with a grin.
"Now, what you SHOULD be saying, is `Thank you girls, you're the best people in the world, and we owe a lot to you. How ever can we repay you?'" Quinn added, half sarcastically.
We gave them all looks. "Um, thanks?" I tried, raising an eyebrow.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I should have expected that."
"Well, we should be going anyways. We're almost at King's Cross, so we gotta clean up our compartment," said Rika shrugging. And with that, they left, leaving us surprised and slightly stunned.
"Well. That was odd," I commented after a moment. Remus checked his watch.
"They're right, though. We're almost there, so we better clean up," he told us. So, grumbling and complaining, we did so, making sure to pack away our secret prank plans. (Oops, just forget about those! No one is supposed to know, hence the name SECRET plans.)
I got off the train thinking only of how long it would be until I got back to Hogwarts. It wasn't that I didn't like being at home; I just knew I would miss my friends, the permission to do magic, and our prank targets. Plus, I would have to see Warren the Wicked, and that was never a good thing at all.
Shaking my head at these thoughts, I yelled good-byes to James, Remus, and Peter, saying that I would send them all owls and try to have them come over. Then, I walked over to where I was to meet my family. They were already there, Warren included. My mum and dad were waving, smiling, and screaming, "SIRIUS! Oh, he`s home! Sirius, over here!" Warren was doing none of this. Rather, he was frowning, glaring at me, and looking altogether grouchy.
I pushed my trolley over to them. "Hi Mum, hi Dad, hi Warren! It's great to see you all!" I said, forcing a smile.
Mum rushed up and wrapped me in a huge hug, momentarily choking me. "Oh, my baby is home, finally home!" she said happily.
Dad came over and patted me on the back. "Warren, take your brother's trolley. He's had a long trip," he said to Warren, who then shot me a look of pure poison. "So, Sirius, how was it? Did you have fun?"
"Yes," I said after a moment. "It was great." That was all I could manage. There really wasn't any other way to describe it. Then, all of a sudden, I felt glad to be home, glad to be with my family, glad for a break. I gave my parents (and Warren, I suppose) a genuine smile.
I began explaining everything on our way to the car. By the time we were home, I still hadn't finished. (And I had even left out most of our pranks!)
Slowly, I re-adjusted to life at home. Everything was back to how it had been before I left, with the exception that I was constantly writing to my friends, and Warren and I were avoiding each other more than before.
One day, I got a rather exciting owl from Remus. It was about a summer get-together for the Perfectly Ridiculous Super Jokers (a.k.a. us). I was thrilled; actually, I had been meaning to plan something of the sort, but Warren had stopped me. (His threats of having him and Vernon Dursley try and set me up with Vernon's sister, Marge, were too appalling for even me to ignore.)
So, after several owls about arrangements, it was settled; I would travel by Floo Powder to Remus's house, as would James and Peter. I was thrilled at the idea of seeing my friends again. I had already started to miss them all, even Peter! So, the day before we were to meet, I packed as hurriedly as I could.
"Sirius, dear, packing quickly won't speed up the day," Mum said to me patiently.
"I know, Mum," I replied, not exactly paying attention.
"Oh, Sirius! Now, slow down, and be more careful. Look, you're staying the weekend, and you only packed one pair of socks!" she sighed, looking through my bag.
"Mum!" I groaned. The next 24 hours would sure be long.
At any rate, I rushed off to Remus's house as soon as I could. I loved my family, and HAD missed them, but they got to be a bit much at times. With a dash of Floo Powder and the words, "Remus's House!" I got there in no time at all.
I fell back into a puff of ashes, and a hand reached into the fireplace to help me out. "Hey Siri, what's up?" James said amiably. I brushed myself off.
"Not too much, other than the fact that I really hate travel by Floo Powder. How are you two?" I replied, meaning him and Remus. Peter wasn't there yet.
"Great!" Remus replied happily. He was looking better than usual in the sense that he looked happier and less tired than he usually did. I grinned.
"This is gonna be a great weekend," I said.
And it was. We had a lot of fun doing all the things we had done at Hogwarts (minus the magic, of course). This included planning pranks (of course), thinking of lovely insults for Snape, and designing what spells would be useful if we could make them. Actually, Remus came up with a brilliant idea. It was that next year, we would explore the castle as thoroughly as possible, and find every secret passage, shortcut, hideaway, etc. and make a map of them all. This map would have a spell on it so that to the normal viewer, it would seem like an ordinary piece of paper. But, to those who new the passwords, it would reveal everything. We all really wanted to do it, and decided that it was a good thing to put on our to-do list.
Another thing we did was talk about the girls. (A/N: Ooooooooooh, gossip, scandalous! Hehe, lol.)
"Hey, guys, what are we gonna do to the girls as a welcome back this year?" I asked.
"Hhmmmm......good question, Siri, what are we gonna do?" James replied.
"Wait, why are we even pulling anything on them at all? I mean, if you guys give them a chance, they really aren't all that bad," Remus objected.
"I agree with Remus. Well, not that they're not bad, but that we shouldn't do anything. They could get us wicked! Don't you remember the make-up? And the thing with our clothes? And the pumpkins?" Peter added.
"And the Cheering Charm," I said with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up," Peter muttered.
"Guys, are we or are we not enemies with these so-called Unicorns?" James said loudly.
"Well-"
"Hush, Remus, you don't count."
"Um, we're enemies, I guess."
"Correct enough, Peter. Sirius?"
"Enemies, all the way!"
"Correct. Now. What shall we do to greet these enemies when we see them in September?" James questioned regally.
"You know, as much as I think you three would have loads of fun, why don't we plan our prank for our great pal Snape and his highly intelligent friends instead? I think his reaction would be much more worth it, and besides, it's easier to have a Slytherin for an enemy," Remus said.
"Hmmm......not a bad idea, Remus. I suppose we could work on a little something for dear Snapey first, and work on the girls' prank if we have any time left," James said thoughtfully.
"I think that's good. After all, Snape is an all out jerk. The Unicorns are just annoying," I piped up.
"I agree completely," said Peter.
"So, now the question is, what to do to Snape?" Remus announced.
"Something evil," I answered with a wicked grin. James rolled his eyes.
"Well, obviously! Come on now, we have to really think of something good," he said.
"Er....how `bout we throw several Fanged Frisbees at him?" Peter suggested.
"Nah, too simple," I responded. "Maybe we could......get him to eat poisoned candy?"
"Er, no Siri, I think that might kill him.....not that I'm complaining, but we could get into a spot of trouble for it," Remus answered.
"Wait, he may have something there," James said thoughtfully.
"James, no, as much fun as it would be, we can't poison Snape and the idiots!" Remus said firmly.
"No, no, no, not poison them, just enchant them a bit. You know, like put something in their food that'll make them do something stupid and embarrassing. That's okay, isn't it?" James asked.
"It's more than okay.....it's GREAT!" I said.
"Yeah, actually, it sounds reasonable to me," Remus admitted.
"I like it too," Peter added.
"Good. So it's settled then? We do something to Snape's food," James said.
"The food on the train. We'll enchant it so that he eats it right away and does something at the beginning of year feast," I put in.
"Definitely! But who'll do it?" Peter said.
"Well, we should take turns being host for pranks. Who wants to do this one?" I said.
"Me!" James yelled with a wicked grin. I smiled, my face just as innocent (or not) as his. With James Potter in charge of it, this would be good.
"Well, now that we've gotten that all planned out, what about the girls?" Peter said, returning to our previous subject.
"Yeah, what are we gonna do to them?" James asked, looking at me.
"You know, before we get into that, what do you guys think about Rika? Is it just me, or is she not human?" I pointed out.
"OH YEAH! Bloody hell, Siri, I almost forgot about that! Guys, what do you think she is? I mean, if she's not a human, what can she be?" James said quickly.
"I dunno....a veela? But, does it really matter? I mean, come on, so she's not a human......"Remus started, but trailed off when he saw the look on our faces. "What?"
"Remus, How can you be so.....blasé about it?" Peter questioned.
"Well........because.....I mean....well, why not?" Remus said uncertainly.
"Remus. We're talking about another creature here! Don't you think there's something wrong with that?" James asked incredulously. I frowned, thinking about it myself. How on earth could this not be a big deal to him? Then, something clicked.....
"Hey, Remus? Just wondering, but why are you always `sick' during a full moon?" I interrogated softly.
He opened his mouth in reply, but no sound came out for a moment. Then, he blushed, and said, "I...er, um...well, y'see......I.....okay, um......okay, well, y'see, I'm really a girl, and that's when I get PMS!" This was all spoken very quickly, and Remus wore a very embarrassed look.
"REALLY?" queried Peter in astonishment.
"No, Pete, he's covering up for the truth. Which is.........Remus?" James said, catching on to my thoughts.
Remus swallowed and sighed. "Well, guys, I think you already know, or at least have a general idea. I really don't wanna tell you, because I know you'll hate me for it, but I guess you have the right to know. Okay, here goes.......wait, are you SURE you want to know? I mean, can't we just not talk about it?" he said pleadingly.
"Come on, Remus. It's okay, we won't kill you or anything. Just tell us. We're you're friends first and forever, so don't worry `bout it," I said reassuringly.
"Thanks, Siri," he replied with a smile. "Okay, well then....I'm a werewolf."
Peter gave a rather strangled squeak or fright, then looked at James and I. I tried to hide a grin. (I KNEW that's what he was, I did!)
"Well, okay then. But why should we hate you for it?" James said.
"Because.....because.....well, don't you hate giants? They're identified by kind, not individual personality, and well, werewolves don't exactly have the greatest rep. But, oh, you really aren't mad or anything?" Remus said, looking a bit flustered.
"Nope. Not at all. Hey, that gives me an idea! We can call you Moony! It's the perfect nickname. What do ya think?" grinned James.
"It's.....I really like it!" Remus said, seemingly stunned with happiness.
"Well, now we can see why Rika's not being human isn't a major concern to you," Peter said, shrugging.
"Yeah, that's why. But at any rate, what do you guys think she is, if not a human?" Remus - well, Moony responded.
"I dunno. An elf, maybe?" Peter suggested.
"Nah, she doesn't have pointy ears. Maybe a fairy - oh no wait, no wings," James said indecisively.
"Um......could she be a mermaid, but y'know, under an enchantment so she looks like a human?" I inquired.
"No, no, definitely not! Most mermaids around here have seaweed-like hair and yellowish eyes and skin that can't be enchanted to look different, and besides, Rika isn't afraid of sea water," Moony pointed out.
"Why would that matter?" said Peter.
"Oh, I know. It's because when mermaids are in human form, they can't get touched by sea water, otherwise they'll change back, which isn't what they want," James explained.
"Ooohhhh, right. But then, if she's not any of these things, what IS she?" I answered, getting stumped. This was actually something that I couldn't figure out, or even find a clue to!
"No idea. None, whatsoever here," Moony shook his head. "Hey, guys, do you mind if I give you nicknames, too?"
"Go ahead," James shrugged.
"K, James, I'll call you Prongs, because you act so....gallant, and respectful, just like a stag. And Sirius, you're definitely Padfoot, because I mean, you're so loyal, and friendly, like a dog. No offense," he added the last line quickly.
"What about me?" Peter said, looking a bit put out.
"Erm...well, I think for now you can just be Pete, because you have so many great traits, it's hard to choose just one or two to describe you," Moony said, thinking quickly. Truth was, Peter really didn't have all that many outstanding qualities. At the moment, we didn't have a special name for him.
At any rate, our weekend was successfully wonderful. By the time I had to leave, we had planned everything necessary for the school year, including our little greeting for the Unicorns. It was this:
We would bring stuffed animals of every kind onto the train with us (supplied, of course, from James's little sister). There they would be enchanted to, in a way, come "alive" and scare the girls.
In a way, it was a rather immature plan, but we were kind of brain-dead, as far as prank-plotting went. Besides, we had to compromise with Moony and Pete; they had wanted to do nothing at all, but James - er, Prongs - and I insisted on something. So, this little joke was the best we could come up with.
The rest of the summer flew by without too much event. I relaxed, did some quidditch practice with my dad, did my homework when Mum yelled, and steered clear of Warren and his pals at all costs. In my spare time, which was most of the day, I tried to plan pranks for the new school year and wrote to my friends. One day, after having sent 3 owls to each of my friends (plus a Joke Howler to Prongs and Warren), I considered sending prank owls to each of the Unicorns. But, then I realized that Lily's and Quinn's parents were muggles, and would most likely flip out if an owl came swooping into their home. Plus, I was out of paper.
All too soon, the end of the summer came. Before I knew it, Mum and Dad were taking me to Diagon Alley to pick up school supplies. I had wanted to meet James, Remus, and Peter, but Mum said no because stupid Warren had to come.
At any rate, the 1^st of September was suddenly there, and it was time to go back to Hogwarts. I was thrilled. I had begun to miss my second home.
Bright and early that morning, Mum and Dad took me to King's Cross Station. (Warren didn't come; he and Vernon had "plans", which involved "much more important things to do".)
This year, the four of us (meaning Moony, Pete, Prongs, and I) had planned to meet just outside the Hogwarts Express at 10:30. This year, I would NOT be late! Actually, I was there early. My parents and I arrived at 10:15, making me the first one of our group there. Because of this, my parents insisted on waiting with me until they came. This was not a good thing. Every time someone would walk by, they would whisper loud comments to me.
"What an awful person," Mum murmered as Nico Malfoy walked by with his family, whining loudly.
"Merlin's beard, what ditzes!" Dad muttered after a crowd of sixth year Slytherin girls strutted by, giggling and gossiping.
"She could do with a Cheering Charm," Mum chuckled upon catching sight of Minerva McGonagall.
"Well, they look like respectable girls," Dad remarked as the Unicorns walked by. "Do you know them, Siri?"
They heard my name, and looked over. Quinn smiled and waved, as did Juniper. Rika smiled, but very quietly, and Lily sort of scowled. "Well, sort of," I shrugged, not wishing to elaborate. I smiled and waved back at the two who had actually been friendly to me.
Several minutes later, Remus arrived. We introduced our parents to each other's, and started chatting. Soon, Peter came, then James. (Hah, this time it was HIM late, not me!!!!!)
By this time, the train seemed to be getting full, so we said our goodbyes and rushed on, in search of an empty compartment. Fortunately for us, there was one, but it was located sort of close to the Unicorns.
As soon as the Hogwarts Express pulled out, and our parents were no longer in sight, and it seemed like the coast was clear, I said, "Hey Prongs, you ready to prepare the special treat for Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle?"
"Yup. Been planning on it for the past few weeks. Plus, Aeryn actually let me borrow her stuffed animals for our trick for the Unicorns," he replied. James shook his head, but he was smiling. "That girl, I think I'm rubbing off on her. She said she wanted to help us pull pranks when she got into Hogwarts. She's got the makings of a perfect little troublemaker." As he said this, James tried to look passive, but I could see the hint of pride in his eyes.
"Well, what have you got for Snape's Crew?" Moony asked, attempting to keep the excitement out of his voice. It didn't work.
"Um, y'see, my mum has this sort of singing potion that she always threatens me with, and, well, I thought we could use it on them," said Prongs simply.
"What does it do?" said Peter.
"Upon being ingested, it coerces its host to instantaneously vocalize," Remus declared with an air of expertise and boredom.
"And in English, that means....?" I questioned. Pete had a look of stupefied shock on his face.
"Whoever drinks it, or in this case, eats something that is covered in it, is forced to start singing something. I'm not really sure what song, but I guess we'll just have to find out, now won't we?" James answered cheerfully.
"Oh. Well, why couldn't Moony say that?" Peter interrogated, looking somewhere between confused, frustrated, and embarrassed at his lack of understanding.
"I DID!" Remus half-shouted.
"No you didn't," Pete contradicted.
"Yes I did! Just because you can't understand what I'm saying doesn't mean I'm not saying it!" Remus yelled back.
"I think what you're saying is right, but you know Moony, even I didn't really totally get what you said just now," James said, hiding a smile.
"Well, at any rate! Let's get back on track here! We need to get working!" I shouted above Remus's protests.
"Oh my god, Padfoot, you're actually being serious for once!" Prongs said in mock horror.
"What are you talkin' about? I'm always Sirius, it's my name!" I replied with a grin.
"Ha ha, very funny," Moony rolled his eyes.
"What is? I don't get it," Pete interjected, looking confused again.
"Never mind. But anyways, we should concentrate. I have the potion already, but I haven't tested it of course, Do you think we should?" James said.
"Sure!" I said, looking straight at Remus. It took a moment for him to realize this.
"What? No way, not me! I can't sing!" he hollered, getting prepared to run away.
"And just why not?" Peter said, siding with James and I.
"Werewolf thing. We can't sing, at all. Singing, er, makes us, uh, transform quicker! So why don't we test it on you?" Remus countered quickly, ad-libbing the part about werewolves.
"Why don't we just test it on the Slytherin losers and see what happens, okay?" Peter said, looking a bit nervous.
"Good idea. In the meanwhile, we can-" I began, but was interrupted by a sort of shout from a few compartments away. The four of us exchanged glances, and raced out the door.
I was the first to the spot. And, of course, who should be there but Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle bothering the Unicorns? It was a slightly odd situation. The girls didn't seem to be in any immediate trouble, more like they were simply being annoyed to death by the Slytherins. Lily had to have been the source of the shout. She was scowling, and her face was a furious red. If looks could kill, Severus Snape would have very painfully died in an instant. Rika was standing next to her, with an identical expression. Her pale face was tinged pink, and her hands were fists. Juniper and Quinn also stood nearby. They, however, weren't focused on the Slytherins. Rather, they were trying to reach their wands from where they stood, which was a few feet away.
"I told you, GET OUT!" Lily screamed in Snape's face.
"Oooh, temper, temper," Snape replied coolly. "We're not ready to go yet, are we boys?" he said, turning to the other losers. (He would have seen our gang, but we had decided to hide around the corner and listen for the moment; if anything bad seemed to be happening to the girls, we would play hero and come to the rescue.)
"No, we're not ready yet!" Malfoy answered Snape idiotically.
"Tough luck, too bad, so sad, GET OUT ANYWAYS!" Rika shrieked at them.
"But what if we-" Goyle started, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence, and fell to the floor, his large body abnormally straight. Crabbe followed suit.
Before he did, though, we heard Quinn whisper, "Petrificus Totalus!" I peeked around the corner and saw that she and Juniper had gotten their wands.
"You little-" Malfoy began, stepping forward.
"Petrificus Totalus!" I shouted, leaping forward before he could reach either girl.
"What the - BLACK!" Snape whirled around and caught sight of me.
"Petrificus Totalus!" James was suddenly next to me, saying the same curse that Quinn, Juniper, and I had said.
Several moments of heavy silence followed as Remus and Peter joined us in the compartment, and we all surveyed the Slytherins, who were now out of action, as they all had the Full-Body Bind on them.
"Well, thanks guys," Quinn broke the silence, smiling at us.
"No problem. Anytime," I shrugged, grinning back.
"Yeah, it was rather fun, anyways," James added.
"What did they want, anyways?" asked Peter. The girls exchanged glances. For a few silent moments, they held a private conversation with their eyes. Finally, Juniper turned to us.
"It really wasn't that big of a deal. Snape just wanted some...information, and we didn't want to, or rather couldn't, give it to him. But he, being that first-class jerk that he is, decided to bother us some more. It was lucky that me and Quinn had been practicing the full-body bind last year," she said.
"Dare I ask what kind of information he wanted?" James said, raising an eyebrow.
"Er...well...it's not really important," Rika said quickly.
"Yes it is. Spill, we saved you after all," I said.
"Yeah, even though you owed us from last year. Anyways, Severus wanted to know what the deal with Remus is. I mean, I guess we do too, but we're not nosy like him, so we won't ask unless Remus is willing to tell," Lily shrugged.
"What do you mean, the deal with me?" Remus said uneasily.
"Oh come on, Remus. You can't pretend anymore. The four of us, and Snape, at the very least have noticed that you disappear monthly without fail. And, I dunno if Snape noticed, but it's always on the full moon," Juniper rolled her eyes.
"Um...." Remus began, not really knowing what to say.
"Well, what it is, is Remus is really a girl, and his disappearances are THAT time of the month, and it's easiest for him to deal with it by hiding...elsewhere," I said cheerfully, repeating the first excuse that came to mind. Actually, it was the first excuse Remus had given us this summer, just before the truth came out.
"Ha ha, very funny, as if we're stupid enough to believe that!" Lily said cynically.
"Well, you ARE stupid..." James started, trailing off at the frozen glare Lily had sent his way.
"No, seriously guys, tell us! It's okay, we won't blab to the rest of the school. Believe it or not, Remus is our pal, and we won't give away his secret. Just tell us. We won't care, no matter what," Rika said.
"Yeah. Besides, even if you don't tell, I bet we can find out on our own," Quinn added. We just looked at Remus, who sighed.
"You're all right. Girls, you are my friends, (James and Sirius, stop sniggering before I curse you), and you deserve to know too. I mean, yes, even if I didn't tell you, you could probably figure it out, but I will. But.....you just will definitely not like me after this. Do I HAVE to tell you? I really want to keep you as friends, and-" he started, but was cut off by Rika.
"Look Remus, no matter what, we won't care. We know you, and nothing can stop us from being friends with the friendly guy we know. And, in case this helps, I know that since you all know I'm not exactly human, I'll..." Rika paused here, and took a deep breath. "I'll tell you what I am."
"Go for it, Moony," James, Peter, and I said instantly.
After a moment of uneasy laughter, Remus conceded. "Well, I don't know if you'll still believe your words, but...I'm a...I'm a werewolf," he said, blushing and looking away.
"Oh. Is that it? What's wrong with that?" Quinn said.
"You - you mean, you really don't care?" Remus asked, surprised again at the lack of hatred.
"Well, you guys didn't care, did you? So why should we?" Lily replied.
"Oh. Well, that's.....that's great!" Moony said, a lot more cheerful.
"So, now your nickname is Moony?" Rika questioned. He nodded. "That's neat. And, I s'pose I gotta keep up my end of the deal. Okay, well, um...actually, I'm half human. Y'see, my dad was a wizard, but my mum was...my mum was a golden-eyed unicorn, and so..." she left off, not knowing what else to say.
"You're half unicorn?" asked Pete incredulously.
"Er, uh, yes?"
"Wait a sec, just out of curiosity, what's a golden-eyed unicorn, specifically?" Prongs interrogated, voicing the question in my own mind.
"Well, you know how some seals can turn into humans? That's how it is for unicorns, too. Most of them, the ordinary kind, have blue, or gray eyes. However, there are some with gold eyes and horns that can change into humans at will. My mum was one, and when she met my dad, and fell in love with him, she decided to stay with him, as a human. Now, there's me," Rika said shyly. We were all quiet for a moment.
All of a sudden, Remus burst out, "YAY!"
"Um, Moony, what was that for?" Lily asked.
"I finally met someone else who isn't a human! Well, not entirely, at least," he nearly shouted, looking happier and better than I had ever seen him.
"Hey, I'm thrilled too," Rika said, grinning.
Juniper checked her watch. "Hey, I really hate to break up this party, especially since we're actually getting along, but we'll be at Hogwarts in an hour, just in case anybody wants to know," she pointed out.
"Yeah, we should all be getting changed," Quinn said, looking at her own watch.
"Oh. Okay then, bye," Peter said.
"We'll drag out the Slytherin idiots on our way out," James added.
"Bye guys," said Quinn.
"See ya at the feast," Lily said. At that, I thought, whoa, little miss frozen fire is being nice to us! What is wrong here?
"Bye," we chorused on our way out the door.
Once back in our compartment, we changed quickly, then made the plans for enchanting the food for Snape and his cronies. Since it was too late to give him the food now, we decided to somehow pour the potion over his plate at the feast. After this was all laid out, we simultaneously looked at the bag of stuffed animals next to Prongs's trunks.
"Should we?" he asked.
"Well...now, I'm not so sure. I don't think we should anymore. I mean, we're sort of...friends now, I guess," I said, uncertain myself.
"Let's not. I think this year, the Unicorns and our gang should form an alliance against Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle," Remus announced.
"That sounds good to me," Peter said.
"Me too. Padfoot?" James said, looking at me.
"Definitely. But we should have a name for our group too! The girls get one, why not us, too?" I replied. The others thought about this for a moment.
"How `bout the Marauders?" Remus suggested slowly.
"What does that mean?" said Pete, looking confused again.
"Um...actually, something like raider, or prowler, but I think it means trickster too," Remus said, not sure himself.
"Perfect for us. It's all set then!" James confirmed after a glance of agreement from me and Pete.
Thus began our alliance with the Unicorns, our enmity with Snape's gang, and our second year, a year of exploring, pranks, and all around fun trouble.
It was one of many years we would never forget.
**Whew** That was long, wasn't it? Hope it was worth the wait....I certainly had fun writing it! And, yea, Peter's nickname WILL come up, but much later....it's a long story, which you will read as soon as I can write and post it! But, since you've read this part,
review it please!!!!!!!!! I can't improve it if I don't know you're comments, and positive feedback means more time spent on it!!!!!! Also, if you want, you can email me at [1]unicorn726@admin.balita.org but make sure that you make the subject "fanfic" (or at least include that in it). Thanks!!!!
~Tora Q.
References
1. mailto:unicorn726@admin.balita.org