One word: Run
Peter didn't need telling twice, he didn't even need telling once. Even before Remus had muttered his warning, Peter had turned on his heel and taken off up the corridor, heading for the teachers' lounge, and praying that a few teachers had stuck around.
"Run!" Remus wasn't giving muttered advice anymore, now he was shouting, trying to knock his friends out of the trance of fear that seemed to have taken hold. The loud shout from the normally quiet boy was enough to snap both James and Sirius back to reality.
Remus had already turned around, and made a mad dash to catch up with Peter.
James and Sirius followed his example, only looking back long enough to see the little 'girl' transform silently into some four-legged monstrosity, with horrible red eyes and large, hideous, slavering jaws filled with jagged teeth. It was all the incentive the two boys needed, to run faster than they had ever ran before.
"This way!" James gasped, taking a quick left behind a statue of an old wizard mixing a potion. Sirius hastily followed. James had to admit that he had never felt more scared in his life, with the sounds of his and Sirius's shoes pounding the stone floor, accompanied by the fearful noise of the creature behind them. James couldn't have been happier when the passageway emptied out, right into the hallway Remus was running down.
The three boys didn't even acknowledge each other's existence as they raced for the door to the teachers' lounge.
Thirty seconds seemed to stretch for hours, as the creature gained on them, but in a flash they saw Peter reach the door and tug it open, then they were to it and frantically rushing inside and slamming the door shut, before leaning against it, panting heavily.
"What are you four doing up at this time of night?!" McGonagall asked sternly.
Peter attempted to say, but couldn't seem to form the much-needed words. Finally, he seemed to catch his breath a little. "I'sa'monster," He gasped, "Trytaeatme."
"Speak a little more clearly, Mr. Pettigrew," she said, clearly irritated and not amused.
"A monster, it tried to kill us!" Peter shouted, pointing towards the door.
A sudden, loud thump of something slamming against the door caused Peter to dive for cover behind McGonagall. James, Sirius, and Remus stared in alarm from their position on the floor as the doorknob turned.
With one last shove, Professor Hikage stormed into the lounge, glaring daggers at James, Sirius and Remus who had been knocked forward onto the floor by his throwing the door open. "Potter...Lupin...Black...what are you three doing here?"
"They have been attacked," McGonagall supplied, "I shall go to alert the Headmaster. We must search for it immediately!"
Filch peered into the lounge from behind Hikage, "What d'yeh wan' me ter do, Professor?"
"Take these boys back to their common room," McGonagall answered.
The Marauders frowned in dismay. Déjà vu… It seemed Filch was always the one dragging them back to the common room.
-
The school was searched immediately, but yet again the elusive creature escaped capture.
The next morning there was a flurry of packing as Hogwarts students prepared to go home for Christmas. Up in the dorm of the Marauders, plus Frank, there was chaos.
"Where's my toothbrush???" Peter yelled from the bathroom, "It's gone!"
"Ask Allysia, I think I saw her cat up here again last night," Remus suggested, the cat was notoriously known for it's liking of odds and ends and it's subsequent stealings of them.
"My chocolate frogs are all missing, where are they?" Frank questioned furiously, as he dug through the items in his trunk.
"Sirius, Peter, and James ate them on Halloween while you were down at the feast."
Frank scowled and went back to packing.
"Where's my Transfiguration homework?" James asked, as he searched the room.
"Under Sirius's bed. Lost forever I'm afraid."
This went on for several minutes until everyone, with the exception of Sirius, was packed.
Noticing this, James managed to be the first to comment, "Did you lose all of your stuff?"
Sirius shook his head, "Nope…I'm staying at Hogwarts for Christmas."
The other boys stared at him as if he had just grown an extra head that had happily proclaimed that Slytherin was the best house ever.
Shifting uncomfortably under the stares, Sirius opted to explain a bit more, "I don't feel like going home for Christmas, so I'm going to stay here instead."
"But don't you want to go home to see your mum and dad?" Peter asked, gaping at him.
"Not really..."
"What about Christmas! You'll be here by yourself!" James protested.
"Don't really care, I'm not going home."
"Be reasonable, I'm sure your parents have gotten over whatever diabolical prank you might have pulled on them," Remus said, but was greeted by yet another flat answer.
"I'm staying here."
Sighing in defeat, the first year boys dragged their trunks down the changing staircases and into the entrance hall.
"We'll all search our libraries for anything on that…thing," James promised, as he headed down the steps and out into the chilly December air.
"I'll try to find it too," Peter announced. The others looked at him skeptically. They all knew he would rather run and hide, than become actively involved in pursuing it.
"I've got a rather large library at my house," Remus said. "I'll have a look too, and we'll all write letters, right?"
All of the boys nodded, even Frank.
"See you later then, Black!" Frank called over his shoulder. The four trooped out onto the frostbitten grounds, calling out hurried goodbyes.
-
Sirius occupied himself well during the month he was on his own. Since no one he knew in Gryffindor had stayed over the holiday, Sirius spent his time out on the grounds, relentlessly tormenting three Hufflepuff girls and Severus Snape. For the first week, there wasn't any snow, and after wishing and wishing for the frigid white stuff, Sirius opted to help the weather out a bit.
What resulted was an accidental blizzard and Sirius having to attend detention for the next two weeks.
-
It was finally Christmas, and Sirius was in the common room yawning, his misadventures had finally gotten boring when they forbade him to go within fifty feet of Snape. He stared blankly at the fireplace for a while, before a tap on the window broke him out of his zombie-like state.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sirius muttered, as the medium-sized grey owl tapped again, more loudly than before. Once he had crossed the small distance to the window, he threw it open, and was instantly grateful for his thick sweater, as itchy as it was, as an icy blast of wind blew in along with the owl.
Sirius took the letter off the owl's leg and it hooted happily and settled down, apparently waiting for his return letter.
Sirius opened it, and proceeded to read Remus's tidy lettering.
-
Sirius,
Hope you're having a good time. I heard about the blizzard, it was in the 'Daily Prophet', congratulations- your pranks are getting so bad, that you'll soon earn that title you seem so eager to acquire- 'Danger to Society' (and a quick admission to St. Mungo's while you're at it.) Anyway, I searched about every book we have in the library, (honestly, I only stopped to eat and sleep.) I haven't had any luck, but from the few similar descriptions I have to warn you, DO NOT GO LOOKING FOR IT ALONE! No worries, we'll all be back soon to keep you out of trouble. Merlin knows you need looking after.
Sincerely,
Remus P.S. STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!
-
Sirius frowned at the letter, before addressing the owl, "It's as if they don't trust me!"
The owl hooted in a somewhat sympathetic fashion and began to hop impatiently back and forth, strangely eager to venture outside again.
Shrugging it all off, Sirius quickly scribbled a reply on the back.
-
Remmy,
Don't you trust me? The blizzard was just a huge misunderstanding! Honest! They really exaggerated how much snow fell. Only three people got lost, and they found them five hours later! Only slight frostbite!
Plotting to overthrow the Ministry of Magic,
Sirius Black, Lord of the Purple Hamsters
-
Happy with how his letter looked, Sirius tied it to the owl's leg, walked over to the window, and tossed it out into the wind.
- Jade-chan
