Chapter 14 - The Animagus Transformation
The Marauders had never seen such a difficult spell in all their lives. James had no idea how on earth they were supposed to manage it, but they'd decided that there was no point in delaying it; they could tell that it was already going to take years as it was. That night they agreed to wait until everyone else was in bed and to perform the first enchantment that night at midnight.
No one had seen Sirius and James as quiet as they were that night. They were studying the piece of parchment with the spell on, slavishly figuring out how to pronounce all the complicated Latin words, and swishing and flicking as if their lives depended on it. There were diagrams that James had hurriedly copied down with arrows demonstrating the way the wand was supposed to move. It required wrist movements the like of which James would never have imagined possible. It would also take a powerful burst of magic behind it that James wasn't sure he had.
They didn't have very long to work on the spell, and it was lucky for them that it wasn't completely beyond the realms of possibility for James at least. Sirius was also feeling confident (though he often was) but Peter seemed terrified. James had tried to talk to him about him, to let him know that he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to, but Peter had insisted on not being left out. He hated being left out of anything. It meant a lot of hard work for James, teaching him how to do everything two or three times. Remus took over every now and again; he was more patient than James and gave him a much-needed break at intervals. In the end, though, Peter got the hang of it, and the three of them were ready to start the process. They sat up in the dormitory, hardly speaking, waiting in tense anticipation of midnight, a quiet tower and solitude.
When the minute hand finally ticked towards twelve, James stood up, pale and wiping his sweating palms on his robe. Looking around, he knew that the others were feeling the same way. For a start Sirius hadn't said anything for a while, and a silent Sirius was often a sign that something wasn't quite right. Peter was actually shaking, and Remus was paler than James had ever seen him (and Remus was often pale and sickly looking) and he was staring out of the window at the moon. James cleared his throat, as the strongest student in the year he had taken it upon himself to organise the whole affair. The others looked at him, determination was written on every line of their faces.
"I'll go first shall I?" He said, struggling to keep his voice steady. The others nodded, looking relieved that someone had volunteered. He moved into the middle of the room, knowing that he needed some space in case something went wrong, also, he didn't know how big an animal he might turn into. He flicked his wand up, and then down and around in a circle, making complicated patterns with his wrist while muttering the words to the spell under his breath over and over again;
"Magia Mutare persona ad bestia fera." For a few moments nothing happened, but he kept going, knowing he had to keep going until something started to happen. It took a few minutes before something started to happen. James started to feel a strange sensation in his head; as though something was trying to fight it's way through the very top of his skull. It was a very weird sensation. At the same time he was starting to get a prickling feeling all over his body. Weird! The feeling lasted for about five minutes, and the others were watching him, round-eyed and in awe. When the feeling finally wore off he looked around him,
"Well, did it work?" "Yep, you looked like you were growing hairs all over your body and the top of your head started to move as though there was something fighting to get out. It was really odd.
Emboldened by the fact that James was still in one piece Sirius picked up his wand and decided to give it a try. He also has some success, though he said that the weirdest thing was that his backside had felt odd, and that his teeth were becoming pointier and longer. He emerged from the spell grinning, though looking puzzled.
Peter also reported a strange feeling in his backside, but he also said that he felt pressure from all sides as though something was pushing him inwards, forcing him to be smaller. He didn't emerge grinning, he was still shaking, though he looked as though he was feeling relieved that the feeling was over.
James was satisfied; all in all, with the way their first attempt had gone. He knew that there was no way that they were going to get it straight away, it was going to take years to perfect the spell and get the hang of the magic necessary to give themselves the ability to change into an animal at will. They all knew that they would need more practise and magical ability, something that only time would be able to supply.
When they got up the next morning all the boys were looking a lot more cheerful than they had in a while. James and Sirius were feeling very clever, they had figured out how to do a very complicated (and highly illegal) spell. Peter was just looking happy that he'd been allowed to join in with something exciting, and Remus, of course, was just satisfied that there was a chance that he might have company during his transformations in the future.
The first person James saw in the common room was the one person that could bring him down from his high point, Lily, her green eyes were boring into him, making him feel like all his secrets were being laid bare. He really wished she wouldn't do that.
A/N Sorry, once again a little on the short side.
The Marauders had never seen such a difficult spell in all their lives. James had no idea how on earth they were supposed to manage it, but they'd decided that there was no point in delaying it; they could tell that it was already going to take years as it was. That night they agreed to wait until everyone else was in bed and to perform the first enchantment that night at midnight.
No one had seen Sirius and James as quiet as they were that night. They were studying the piece of parchment with the spell on, slavishly figuring out how to pronounce all the complicated Latin words, and swishing and flicking as if their lives depended on it. There were diagrams that James had hurriedly copied down with arrows demonstrating the way the wand was supposed to move. It required wrist movements the like of which James would never have imagined possible. It would also take a powerful burst of magic behind it that James wasn't sure he had.
They didn't have very long to work on the spell, and it was lucky for them that it wasn't completely beyond the realms of possibility for James at least. Sirius was also feeling confident (though he often was) but Peter seemed terrified. James had tried to talk to him about him, to let him know that he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to, but Peter had insisted on not being left out. He hated being left out of anything. It meant a lot of hard work for James, teaching him how to do everything two or three times. Remus took over every now and again; he was more patient than James and gave him a much-needed break at intervals. In the end, though, Peter got the hang of it, and the three of them were ready to start the process. They sat up in the dormitory, hardly speaking, waiting in tense anticipation of midnight, a quiet tower and solitude.
When the minute hand finally ticked towards twelve, James stood up, pale and wiping his sweating palms on his robe. Looking around, he knew that the others were feeling the same way. For a start Sirius hadn't said anything for a while, and a silent Sirius was often a sign that something wasn't quite right. Peter was actually shaking, and Remus was paler than James had ever seen him (and Remus was often pale and sickly looking) and he was staring out of the window at the moon. James cleared his throat, as the strongest student in the year he had taken it upon himself to organise the whole affair. The others looked at him, determination was written on every line of their faces.
"I'll go first shall I?" He said, struggling to keep his voice steady. The others nodded, looking relieved that someone had volunteered. He moved into the middle of the room, knowing that he needed some space in case something went wrong, also, he didn't know how big an animal he might turn into. He flicked his wand up, and then down and around in a circle, making complicated patterns with his wrist while muttering the words to the spell under his breath over and over again;
"Magia Mutare persona ad bestia fera." For a few moments nothing happened, but he kept going, knowing he had to keep going until something started to happen. It took a few minutes before something started to happen. James started to feel a strange sensation in his head; as though something was trying to fight it's way through the very top of his skull. It was a very weird sensation. At the same time he was starting to get a prickling feeling all over his body. Weird! The feeling lasted for about five minutes, and the others were watching him, round-eyed and in awe. When the feeling finally wore off he looked around him,
"Well, did it work?" "Yep, you looked like you were growing hairs all over your body and the top of your head started to move as though there was something fighting to get out. It was really odd.
Emboldened by the fact that James was still in one piece Sirius picked up his wand and decided to give it a try. He also has some success, though he said that the weirdest thing was that his backside had felt odd, and that his teeth were becoming pointier and longer. He emerged from the spell grinning, though looking puzzled.
Peter also reported a strange feeling in his backside, but he also said that he felt pressure from all sides as though something was pushing him inwards, forcing him to be smaller. He didn't emerge grinning, he was still shaking, though he looked as though he was feeling relieved that the feeling was over.
James was satisfied; all in all, with the way their first attempt had gone. He knew that there was no way that they were going to get it straight away, it was going to take years to perfect the spell and get the hang of the magic necessary to give themselves the ability to change into an animal at will. They all knew that they would need more practise and magical ability, something that only time would be able to supply.
When they got up the next morning all the boys were looking a lot more cheerful than they had in a while. James and Sirius were feeling very clever, they had figured out how to do a very complicated (and highly illegal) spell. Peter was just looking happy that he'd been allowed to join in with something exciting, and Remus, of course, was just satisfied that there was a chance that he might have company during his transformations in the future.
The first person James saw in the common room was the one person that could bring him down from his high point, Lily, her green eyes were boring into him, making him feel like all his secrets were being laid bare. He really wished she wouldn't do that.
A/N Sorry, once again a little on the short side.