~Moony, Bobcat, Padfoot, and Shadowfax~

On Friday night, as the others slept, Sirius left a note for the others so that no one would worry. Harry lay a more specific one on his own pillow for Ron and Hermione should they become concerned in the morning when they woke to find him gone. With a slight pang of guilt, he left Ron to sleep, knowing he would probably be hurt to know that he had missed out on some late night fun.

Sirius was already in the kitchen, waiting for him.

'Remus is outside.' he stated, standing as Harry entered. 'I think he's already transformed and gone into the forest. He's taken his potion, so he's got his senses. It's just a matter of keeping him away from people.'

Harry raised an eyebrow.

'So then we can't change into our human forms at all while with him?'

'No.'

Harry nodded. He was slightly nervous, yet at the same time highly excited. He'd never gone on an adventure with the Maurders before.

'Ready Harry?' Sirius smiled, making sure that everything was set for them to go. He nodded, and together they made their way toward the porch. Immediately Sirius transformed into the big, jet black, bear like dog. With a glance around, Harry went after him.

'Ready?' Sirius yipped.

'Yes.'

Sirius bolted down the steps, Harry following closely at his heels.

'Winded yet?' he turned his head back, his tongue lolling out.

'You wish.' and with a spurt of agility, Harry surpassed him on the street. Sirius growled and quickened his pace, the both of them side by side. They remained that way for sometime, forgetting what they had come outside to do. The race was on, and in the end, Sirius beat Harry only by a whisker's length. 'Next time.' Harry panted.

'We'll see.' Sirius howled in laughter. He stood and bit Harry's ear playfully, when a familiar voice came from the woods.

'Hey lovebirds, can we get a move on?' It was Remus.

'Hey Moony, shove it!' Sirius yipped. A large wolf equivalent to Sirius' size appeared from the brush. For a moment, Harry stepped back. The site was rather awkward. Instead of the disheveled creature Remus Lupin usually was, Harry was surprised to see a solid, burly animal standing before him.

'Good to see you, Harry!' Remus turned and growled friendly-like.

'And you, Professor.'

'Ah, its Moony out here.'

'Err, very well.' Harry wagged his tail, peering around.

'So what are we doing?' Moony turned and asked. 'Padfoot?'

'I don't know. Roaming I guess. Hogsmeade is too far away, find anything interesting in there?' Sirius, or Padfoot, made a gesture toward the forest.

'I didn't look around enough. I was waiting for you two.'

'Well, its something.'

'Hardly an adventure.'

'Well...we could go find some trouble making muggles and-'

'No Moony, I keep telling you, you can't bite muggles. You can't bite anyone!'

Harry was rather surprised at the change this transformation inflicted in his old, highly responsible Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He supposed it was the wild letting go and being unleashed.

'Padfoot you always were one for spoiling my fun.'

'Only on nights like this.'

Harry laughed, trying to cover it with a fake sneeze.

'Have we made a decision yet?' he asked, sitting out of his impatience as the other's debated.

'The forest.' Padfoot growled. 'No where else. Moony, you first. I'll go in next, Harry you can follow.'

Harry nodded. Moony crawled in, Padfoot creeping silently behind him. Making sure none had seen, Harry followed without a sound even his sensitive ears could trace. He caught a werewolf's scent and followed as it delved deeper into the forest, Padfoot's scent mingled with it. He heard a soft growl some feet before him and set off at a trotting pace, stopping a few inches from the two.

'Can't see squat in here.' Padfoot stated with an angry growl.

'I can see.' Moony came.

'You're senses are slightly more heightened than mine.'

Harry looked around, he wasn't having too much trouble seeing. The moon was a great amount of help, and there were open spaces in the canopy of trees above them. Harry was still always slightly amazed at how much larger everything looked from an animal's perspective. He paid little attention to their conversation, his eyes darting this way and that at the new world he was now finding himself in, catching interesting scents and sounds between the pair's yips and snarls.

After a few moments, however, he started to grow bored. He sat with his tail wagging, awaiting a decision from the other two.

'We're not going to get anywhere if you don't stop nagging me.' Moony stated with a slightly aggravated snarl.

'If you'd stop making such stupid proposes of finding someone to bite I'd lay off.'

'You've always been like this. We'd always fight.'

'No we wouldn't.'

'Yes we would. The only thing that kept us from continually fighting was James!'

There was a slight pause. Padfoot cast a quick glance at Harry, who was trying to make his eyes look everywhere but at the two before them.

'Remarks like that aren't necessary right now, Remus. I suggest you stop-'

'Whatever you two are fighting about, you do realize that nothing is going to be happening tonight.' Harry interrupted, though trying not to sound impolite. 'No offense, but your bickering is only going to complicate mattes if we don't head off. We're too close to the edge of the forest to be safely away from any humans, muggle or wizard.'

Padfoot cast an awkward glance at Harry, mingled somewhere between admiration and something else. Respect maybe, but he doubted it.

'Very well, lets head out.'

Harry sighed, following behind once more in amazing silence.

* * *

'Doing all right, Harry?' Padfoot yipped behind them.

'Just fine.'

'Have you ever been through a forest before?' Moony turned, his eyes looking hungry and eager.

'Err, yes.'

'As an animagi?'

'Yes, I have. Ron and I used to sneak into the Forbidden Forest when...um...' Harry suddenly turned away, seeing the unreadable look in Padfoot's brown eyes.

'When you what?' Moony pushed.

'When school was over late at night. We never got caught, so...'

Moony turned and seemed to smile at Padfoot, who looked as though he were somewhere between disappointment and amusement.

'What? We never did anything wrong?'

'You're not supposed to go in there!' Padfoot barked.

'Oh come on, with all the things you used to do when you were my age?'

Moony laughed heartily.

'I guess you are rubbing off on him.'

'That's not the point, with-'

'Oh c'mon Padfoot. Harry, I think you've earned yourself a nickname as a Maurder.'

'Hold on...' Padfoot hissed. 'Do you hear that?'

'I did.' Harry stated, his ears tipped upward and forward. It sounded like a deep purring. 'Sounds like a cat.'

'The lungs are to big to be a housecat.' Moony stated, snarling. 'Dinner!'

'No!' Padfoot barked. 'Harry, go see what it is.'

Harry nodded his head and stepped through the brush. The purring was coming from above him. He cast his eyes upward and angled his ears to hear better, but before he could react, whatever it was pounced down on him, sharp claws sunk into his sides. Harry yelped and threw himself on his back to get it off, but a voice cried out, familiar and only slightly humored.

'Harry, its me!' it was Ron in Animagi form.

'What are you doing here?' Harry growled as Padfoot and Moony came barreling through the brush, teeth ferociously exposed. 'Nothing like scaring the crap out of me, and did you have to use your claws?'

'Oh, sorry.' Ron cast his eyes down.

'What happened?' Padfoot growled. 'Ron why are you-'

'Following.' he stated rather proudly. 'Woke up to get a drink of water...found Harry's note. There's no way I'm missing out on a Maurders Raid!'

Padfoot and Moony exchanged amused looks. Padfoot was first to respond.

'We're not raiding anything!'

'Still, it sounds like fun.'

'I don't see why he can't come along.' Moony stated. 'So long as he knows the risks-'

'Yes, yes I know. I can come though? I can be a...a Maurder?' Ron spoke as if this were some honor next to being knighted.

'Yes you can.' Moony stated with a smile upon his face. 'Does your mother know-'

'Are you kidding? Of course not! She'd flip!'

Harry smiled, thinking suddenly of what Mrs. Weasley might say if she found out her son was hanging out in the presence of a werewolf all night.

'Then you're in.' Moony laughed. Ron looked as though he'd been named the Most Valuable Quidditch Player of the Year.

'Brilliant!'

Ron and Harry both beamed at each other.

* * *

'So, it's settled then?' Padfoot asked.

'Sounds good to me.' Ron smiled.

'And me.' Harry replied.

'All right then. The new generation of Maurders: Moony, Bobcat, Padfoot, and Shadowfax.'

'All right.' said Padfoot. 'Ron, of course, is Bobcat, and Harry, you're Shadowfax.'

'Sounds good.' Harry stated with a smile.

'I hope you're not expecting a certificate or anything?' Moony laughed.

Harry smiled.

'No, I think we're good.'

'Yeah, mum'll have my hide if she finds out what I'm doing anyway.' Ron stated.

'Its a very nice one.' Harry yipped.

'Shut up, Shadowfax!' Ron hissed.