(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, and my
situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by
copyrights.)
James could be seen sneaking across the grounds, and to the Whomping Willow. Lily shut the oak doors behind her very quietly, before following him to wherever he was going. The Whomping Willow?
Why was he heading towards that old thing?
And then she saw it. A small rat emerged from a hole underneath the trunk, and ran to James. James looked at it in curiosity.
Lily ducked behind a tree as James knelt down to speak to the rat. But that was so impossible! Unless he had totally lost his sanity . . .
He couldn't speak to rats, could he?
"What's happening?" he whispered.
And then Lily gasped. The rat wasn't there any longer. It was Peter Pettigrew!
What were they up to?
"He's going ballistic," Peter squeaked, "I had to run for my life. I can't do it by myself. He was going to eat me."
James sighed, and then stood, with Peter by his side.
"Well, we're waiting for Padfoot, and then we'll go down."
"What do you mean?"
"He had to walk Princess Elise back upstairs," James explained, "God, I don't know what he sees in her."
A shadow caught Lily's eye, and she turned her attention to the oak doors, where another figure had appeared.
A large black dog, running towards James. It was going to attack him! It was going to pounce on him!
Lily ran from behind the tree, and pointed her wand at the maddened dog.
"EXPELLIRAMUS!" she screamed.
At the same time in which James and Peter were turning around to stare at her, the jet of light shot out of the end of her wand and hit the black dog square in the stomach. With a howl, the dog went flying, and skidded to a stop on the grass a good five feet away from where he had been standing. His legs splayed in the air, the dog looked from James and Peter, to where the light had come from.
And the other two followed his gaze.
"Lily?" James gulped, "What are you doing here?"
"I . . ." Lily stared at the dog, who was trying to stand up, "That . . . that dog was attacking you! He was going to . . ."
Peter let out a laugh, and James turned to look at the dog, "Well, I guess he does look sort of rabid."
The dog growled.
Lily raised her wand to it again, but James shook his head, "Don't, Lily. He's not dangerous."
"And then I saw you appear out of a rat," she started in on Peter, "And I don't know if I'm losing my mind, or . . ."
"Oh, we're done for!" Peter squealed, "We're found out."
"Oh, quit your whining," James sighed, and then looked to the dog.
"I think she deserves an explanation now, don't you think?" he asked it, "I mean, she did give Snivellus a good beating."
The dog groaned, and then to Lily's surprise, actually nodded. She gasped, and pointed her wand back at it, "What is that thing?" she said, "And . . . just . . . what is it?"
"Not what," James said, taking her wand and sticking it back in her pocket. He wasn't nervous at all, "Who."
Lily blinked, "What?"
"Lily," James turned back to the dog, that was now by his side. It was so large. And blacker than anything she had ever seen, "I'd like you to meet Padfoot."
Lily's jaw dropped as all of the pieces were put together. The dog raised one paw, and waved at her, smiling. Her eyes grew wide, and the boys could swear that they saw that twitch in her left eye return.
"You . . . you're an Animagus?" she said in awe, "Sirius?"
And then the dog nodded.
"And Peter?" she turned to look at him, "Wormtail, right?"
Peter nodded sheepishly, turning very red.
And then she looked to James, who had grown very still.
"And what . . ."
"Close your eyes," he said plainly.
"What?" she asked.
"You have to trust me," he said, "Close your eyes."
Lily, not knowing whether or not to trust him, closed her eyes slowly. Padfoot whimpered, and nudged James's leg. James looked down at his friend, and patted his head.
"It's all right," he said, "It's time she knows."
And it was only moments later that Lily heard a snort, and she opened her eyes.
James was no where to be seen.
In place of him, right where he had been standing, was a beautiful creature. It's antlers reached towards the stars above, and it's hooves pawed the ground. It's chest was a beautiful white, and it's black eyes blinked at her.
It was a stag.
"We didn't want to tell you."
Lily turned from the creature, and came face to face with Sirius, who was still in his dress robes. He was clutching his stomach.
"What?" she said.
"Ever since second year," Sirius said, "We've been teaching ourselves to become Animagi. And in fifth year, we could finally do it. And we made up our names."
"Padfoot," she said to him, and he nodded.
She looked back at the stag, "And Prongs."
Prongs nodded.
Lily cautiously walked to the stag, and raised her hand to touch his face.
"It's all right," Sirius said from behind her, "It's still James."
She felt the deer's fur. It was so soft. Prongs nuzzled her face, and she stepped back to stare at this creature.
"It is James," she exclaimed.
The stag nodded again, and then right in front of her eyes, transformed back into the man who she loved.
She looked ready to faint, and Sirius stepped behind her, just in case she did. But she just stayed still, like stone, staring at the three of them in a daze. She knew that they were hiding something from her. But . . . but this?
"Something could have gone wrong," she said, jumping back into reality, "You could have ended up mutated . . . or dead . . . it was dangerous . . ."
"You said that there were things worth risking your life for, right?" James said, coming closer to her.
"We didn't exactly do it for jollies," Sirius spoke up, and she looked back at the tree.
Suddenly, she realized that something was missing. She turned toward James and the other two, and said quietly, "There was another name."
The three boys lost all color left in their face.
"Yeah," James said, "There was."
"And I'm guessing that was Remus?" Lily said quietly.
"Yeah," James said again, and then mussed his hair. The perfect style came undone in a second. Sirius looked protectively at the tree, and then to James.
"We can't," he protested.
"We have to," James argued.
"But," Sirius said, "But there's no reason why! I mean, she already knows enough. Why bring him into all this? And how do we know that she's just not gonna go wailing to Professor McGonagall?"
"Because she would have done that by now," James defended her, "I trust her."
Sirius, his face dropping, sighed, and then turned away from James. James quietly walked to the edge of the Willow, and picked up the stick. Lily watched with amazement as he prodded the knot at the trunk, and the tree went still.
He then turned to Lily, and said quietly, "I think it's time you met Moony."
James could be seen sneaking across the grounds, and to the Whomping Willow. Lily shut the oak doors behind her very quietly, before following him to wherever he was going. The Whomping Willow?
Why was he heading towards that old thing?
And then she saw it. A small rat emerged from a hole underneath the trunk, and ran to James. James looked at it in curiosity.
Lily ducked behind a tree as James knelt down to speak to the rat. But that was so impossible! Unless he had totally lost his sanity . . .
He couldn't speak to rats, could he?
"What's happening?" he whispered.
And then Lily gasped. The rat wasn't there any longer. It was Peter Pettigrew!
What were they up to?
"He's going ballistic," Peter squeaked, "I had to run for my life. I can't do it by myself. He was going to eat me."
James sighed, and then stood, with Peter by his side.
"Well, we're waiting for Padfoot, and then we'll go down."
"What do you mean?"
"He had to walk Princess Elise back upstairs," James explained, "God, I don't know what he sees in her."
A shadow caught Lily's eye, and she turned her attention to the oak doors, where another figure had appeared.
A large black dog, running towards James. It was going to attack him! It was going to pounce on him!
Lily ran from behind the tree, and pointed her wand at the maddened dog.
"EXPELLIRAMUS!" she screamed.
At the same time in which James and Peter were turning around to stare at her, the jet of light shot out of the end of her wand and hit the black dog square in the stomach. With a howl, the dog went flying, and skidded to a stop on the grass a good five feet away from where he had been standing. His legs splayed in the air, the dog looked from James and Peter, to where the light had come from.
And the other two followed his gaze.
"Lily?" James gulped, "What are you doing here?"
"I . . ." Lily stared at the dog, who was trying to stand up, "That . . . that dog was attacking you! He was going to . . ."
Peter let out a laugh, and James turned to look at the dog, "Well, I guess he does look sort of rabid."
The dog growled.
Lily raised her wand to it again, but James shook his head, "Don't, Lily. He's not dangerous."
"And then I saw you appear out of a rat," she started in on Peter, "And I don't know if I'm losing my mind, or . . ."
"Oh, we're done for!" Peter squealed, "We're found out."
"Oh, quit your whining," James sighed, and then looked to the dog.
"I think she deserves an explanation now, don't you think?" he asked it, "I mean, she did give Snivellus a good beating."
The dog groaned, and then to Lily's surprise, actually nodded. She gasped, and pointed her wand back at it, "What is that thing?" she said, "And . . . just . . . what is it?"
"Not what," James said, taking her wand and sticking it back in her pocket. He wasn't nervous at all, "Who."
Lily blinked, "What?"
"Lily," James turned back to the dog, that was now by his side. It was so large. And blacker than anything she had ever seen, "I'd like you to meet Padfoot."
Lily's jaw dropped as all of the pieces were put together. The dog raised one paw, and waved at her, smiling. Her eyes grew wide, and the boys could swear that they saw that twitch in her left eye return.
"You . . . you're an Animagus?" she said in awe, "Sirius?"
And then the dog nodded.
"And Peter?" she turned to look at him, "Wormtail, right?"
Peter nodded sheepishly, turning very red.
And then she looked to James, who had grown very still.
"And what . . ."
"Close your eyes," he said plainly.
"What?" she asked.
"You have to trust me," he said, "Close your eyes."
Lily, not knowing whether or not to trust him, closed her eyes slowly. Padfoot whimpered, and nudged James's leg. James looked down at his friend, and patted his head.
"It's all right," he said, "It's time she knows."
And it was only moments later that Lily heard a snort, and she opened her eyes.
James was no where to be seen.
In place of him, right where he had been standing, was a beautiful creature. It's antlers reached towards the stars above, and it's hooves pawed the ground. It's chest was a beautiful white, and it's black eyes blinked at her.
It was a stag.
"We didn't want to tell you."
Lily turned from the creature, and came face to face with Sirius, who was still in his dress robes. He was clutching his stomach.
"What?" she said.
"Ever since second year," Sirius said, "We've been teaching ourselves to become Animagi. And in fifth year, we could finally do it. And we made up our names."
"Padfoot," she said to him, and he nodded.
She looked back at the stag, "And Prongs."
Prongs nodded.
Lily cautiously walked to the stag, and raised her hand to touch his face.
"It's all right," Sirius said from behind her, "It's still James."
She felt the deer's fur. It was so soft. Prongs nuzzled her face, and she stepped back to stare at this creature.
"It is James," she exclaimed.
The stag nodded again, and then right in front of her eyes, transformed back into the man who she loved.
She looked ready to faint, and Sirius stepped behind her, just in case she did. But she just stayed still, like stone, staring at the three of them in a daze. She knew that they were hiding something from her. But . . . but this?
"Something could have gone wrong," she said, jumping back into reality, "You could have ended up mutated . . . or dead . . . it was dangerous . . ."
"You said that there were things worth risking your life for, right?" James said, coming closer to her.
"We didn't exactly do it for jollies," Sirius spoke up, and she looked back at the tree.
Suddenly, she realized that something was missing. She turned toward James and the other two, and said quietly, "There was another name."
The three boys lost all color left in their face.
"Yeah," James said, "There was."
"And I'm guessing that was Remus?" Lily said quietly.
"Yeah," James said again, and then mussed his hair. The perfect style came undone in a second. Sirius looked protectively at the tree, and then to James.
"We can't," he protested.
"We have to," James argued.
"But," Sirius said, "But there's no reason why! I mean, she already knows enough. Why bring him into all this? And how do we know that she's just not gonna go wailing to Professor McGonagall?"
"Because she would have done that by now," James defended her, "I trust her."
Sirius, his face dropping, sighed, and then turned away from James. James quietly walked to the edge of the Willow, and picked up the stick. Lily watched with amazement as he prodded the knot at the trunk, and the tree went still.
He then turned to Lily, and said quietly, "I think it's time you met Moony."