A/N: I know, death to the daft writer for making us wait so long. Please forgive me, I've been preoccupied lately with other stories and getting work done. Here's the chapter you've been waiting for!
Chapter 5
The next morning Harry couldn't help but glance over at James every few minutes. Ever since they'd finished the DADA class yesterday he'd looked very thoughtful, especially when his gaze landed on Harry. Hermione would tell him several times that there was nothing to worry about but if it was true that Harry was a lot like his father, then James wouldn't give up until the problem that bugged him was solved.
They were all in Transfiguration today, attempting to change cats into stools. James, Remus, and Hermione were doing quite well, but everyone else couldn't seem to get it completely down the first time. Sirius was playing with the tail of his, um… cat/stool, and Peter had only managed to get his cat as stiff as wood (A/N: How did those two manage to become animagus? sighs) . Harry and Ron weren't that bad, but there were still some whiskers visible on Ron's first try and Harry's had a small tuft of fur on the seat. Harry at the moment was wondering why McGonagall would use cats for such a thing when her animagus form was a cat, when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around to see James looking slightly nervous, something that Harry had never seen on his face before. Harry didn't say anything, just looked at him expectantly. Finally, James seemed to get out what he was trying to say.
"Do you know why you're Patronus is a stag?"
"What?" Harry had expected him to ask anything but that. Perhaps, 'Do you realize your Patronus is me?', but this?
"There must be a reason why it's a stag. Professor Manning said that it takes the shape of what you feel protects you, correct?" Harry nodded his head.
"Uh, yeah."
"So?"
"So, what?" Harry knew he was acting rather childish now. He knew perfectly well what he was asking, he just didn't want to answer it and playing dumb was his only means of stalling at the moment. James sighed and repeated his question.
"Why is your Patronus a stag?" Now was the time for lie or truth. Harry chose both.
"The stag…It's sort of a symbol of someone I once knew. They… gave their life for me." James just stared for a moment as Harry resisted the urge to fidget under the calculating gaze. It wasn't quite a lie, but it wasn't quite the truth either. If James only knew that the life that he spoke of was not yet given up, but standing right in front of Harry.
"They must have loved you very much… to give their life." Harry nearly jumped when James spoke again, scolding himself for being startled by a voice. He nodded, knowing that the pain of the memory was now filling his eyes.
"They did." James opened his mouth a few seconds later to say something, but was interrupted by the shrill, commanding voice of McGonagall.
"Class, please return your projects to me. Those of you, who have finished transfiguring your cats, prepare to work on transfiguring something larger next class. Anyone who has not successfully done the spell will write a foot long essay on the importance of wand movements for transfiguration, which will be due next class along with an expected successful transfiguration in class. You are dismissed, good day." A few people groaned around them, obviously ones that didn't finish. Harry sighed as he brought his completely transfigured stool up to the front of class. He noticed, as he turned around and joined Hermione and Ron, that Ron and the rest of the Marauders had finished also. It was already time for lunch now, so everyone headed towards the great hall.
As soon as everyone sat down, Ron dove into as much food as he could, as usual. Hermione rolled her eyes at the red whirl wind that she called friend and took a sandwich and ate it in a civilized way. She then turned to Lily, who was sitting next to her to have a long discussion about what they learned the day before in Arithmancy, which Lily was in also. Before they could get far into the discussion though, a small note fell into Hermione's lap. Harry looked down to find one on his plate, and noticed that Ron had one too, which he fortunately noticed before he stuffed it into his mouth along with his meal. Harry opened his and it read:
Dear Harry,
Please report to the DADA classroom after lunch. You will be excused from your afternoon classes.
Sincerely,
Professor Manning
"Excused from afternoon classes? What does Professor Manning want with you?" Harry looked up to see Sirius reading over Ron's shoulder, who he was sitting next to today.
"It's not just him. Harry and Hermione got one too," pointed out Remus. Eyes locked on both Harry and Hermione now as Harry folded up the note and placed it in his pocket. Harry just shrugged, looking as casual as possible.
"Professor Manning probably wants to go over something with us. He was our DADA teacher at our other school after all."
"But for the rest of your classes? I wonder what he wants to discuss." Again, Harry shrugged as he quickly drained his goblet of pumpkin juice and set it down. He rose, quickly followed by Ron and Hermione.
"Well, we'd better go. He's probably waiting for us right now." That was probably true, seeing as "Snuffles" wasn't up at the staff table at the moment. They all quickly exited, leaving the Marauders to look confused behind them. Finally, after a moment of silence, Lily spoke up in a thoughtful tone.
"Does anyone find something strange about those three?"
"Besides the fact that Harry looks like James, Hermione is about as obsessed if not more with books as you and Remus are, and that Ron seems to inhale his food?" Sirius' comment earned him a glare from both Lily and Remus.
"I'm serious." Seemingly unfazed by the glares, Sirius just couldn't pass this line up.
"Oh? And all this time I thought I was Sirius." This earned a snort from James, who had just brought his drink up to his mouth, and a snicker from Peter. Remus only shook his head, going back to the book in front of him, and another glare from Lily.
"You know what I mean! Those three seemed to go to Professor Manning more than most would, as if he's more than a teacher."
"So what, they have a favorite mentor. Doesn't mean they're up to something."
"Lily has a point," James suddenly piped in, after recovering from his near inhalation of pumpkin juice, "First, they went to him before our DADA class yesterday since they were the first there, second, did you see Harry's Patronus?"
"Yeah, it looked just like you, Prongs." James nodded.
"Exactly. He told me it was a symbol of someone that gave up their life for him though. It doesn't make sense. How can it look so much like me?"
"Is that what you were talking about with him in Transfiguration?"
"Yeah, he seemed really sad about it too. I never got to ask him what happened though."
"Well, we can continue your discussing of the mystery that is our new friends, but not right now," they all turned to see Remus closing his book and putting it into his bag, "It's time for our next class." The group of friends obeyed, finally noticing the movement around them as the other students filed out of the great hall. There thoughts didn't trail far from their discussion though, as they made their way to their next classes.
The three friends had managed to reach the DADA class before the bustle of students and found him in his office in the back. They knocked before entering to find Professor Manning sitting behind his desk, his face hidden behind a large, untitled book. He snapped it shut as he heard them enter and smiled at them cheerfully.
"Ah, you made it. Good, come sit down you three." They all obeyed and sat down in comfortable red and gold arm chairs. He had apparently done a lot of redecorating, Gryffindor style. The desk he sat behind had a gold lion on its front, which was pacing back and forth at the moment, letting out a silent roar every few seconds. Everywhere you looked even, made it evident what house he favored. For a moment, they all just sat there and looked around at the room before Harry finally spoke up.
"So, er, why are we exactly here Professor?" Manning, who at the time was straightening the books in front of him, froze and looked up.
"I thought this would be the perfect time for you all to begin learning something."
"What would that be?" Hermione asked suspiciously. Manning smiled his lopsided grin that just happened to be on his younger self not too long before in the great hall. He stood up and went over to a large pile of books. He picked them up and handed a few to each of them.
"These are a few books I picked up from a muggle bookstore on animals. I suggest you read them, get to know a few of the animals so that you might be prepared."
"Prepared for what," Harry asked in confusion as he looked down at the books in his hands. Professor Manning arched an eyebrow and looked amusedly at them.
"Why, to become an animagus of course."
A/N: Ohh, look what's happening now! Are you glad that I finally got this chapter in? I hope so! The serious, Sirius comment… I just had to put that in. It's really what got me into finishing this chapter actually. I was reading something one day and as my mind usually tends to do, wandered a little. I got on the thought of how Sirius could easily make a joke out of his name. It had crossed my mind before but I finally decided to do something with it. Hope you enjoyed! Thank you to those that have reviewed this story and please review! Also, if anyone would care to check out my other recent story, Magic's Essence, please do. Yes, I'm advertising but I don't really care.
Good day, good night, and good riddance to the so called "good mornings" that I had to endure during school days!