A/N: You will all be thankful that there is no B/N in this chapter!
Anyway, thanks to Chocoliciouz, Egypt's Star, First Light of Eos (yes I
KNOW the men of the world thing was absurd, it was meant to be lol) and Red
Emerald (hav fun with the assignment lol). As to all people who complained
about the cliffie... I would just like to point out that I write each year
as one chapter and send it to Eihwaz who, I quote, 'corrects, slices and
dices' it. So I hold no responsibility for cliffies!!!
Chapter 21
All three of us watched, paralysed by terror and anticipation as he raised the bottle to his lips and drank it. He shuddered, then shut his eyes and began to mutter the incantations. I felt like I would never breathe again. There was a seemingly long, but probably short, pause, then a pop and Sirius disappeared. In his place was a large, black dog. Peter shrieked and leapt back. "It's the Grim!"
Remus and I collapsed laughing. Sirius wagged his tail, and a minute later turned back to his human form. "That," he said wondrously, "was wicked."
Remus and I fervently agreed. Peter seemed less sure - he was happier now Sirius was back to normal. "Could you hear what we were saying?"
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I was thinking normally and everything, only... as a dog! You next, James."
My heart began to pound again, but I took a calming breath and drank the liquid. It was vile, but even as it slithered through me I could feel a strange tingling. Carefully, I worked the human thoughts from my brain and began muttering the incantations. I knew it was going to happen a second before it did. There was another pop, and then the strangest sensation. I would have grinned, only stags didn't really do grinning. I settled for twitching my ears and stamping a hoof instead, then I changed back. They were speechless.
"What?"
"Nothing," Sirius said. "It just seems unusual, that's all. I'd never considered your being something like that. I mean, I just fit being a dog, don't I? But you, a stag... I suppose it's very accurate, when you think about it. Proud, athletic, brave, good-looking..." He chuckled at my embarrassment. "Loved the antlers, Prongs."
I laughed. "And your massive paws, Padfoot. You could be a yeti!"
Moony laughed. "Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and... what? Come on Peter, your go!"
He looked terrified. "I don't know if I should. What if it goes wrong?"
"Look," I said as gently as I could, "we know the potion's fine 'cause it worked for me and Si. You've been practising the rest for months. Come on, let's all have one last practise."
No sooner had Sirius and I began thinking about the concentrating, however, than we changed. I clicked back, laughing. "That better not happen in lessons!"
Moony looked frightened. "Imagine if it did..."
"I was joking! It was only because I tried to do the concentrating. See how easy it is, Peter?"
Finally he nodded. "Can you and Sirius, like, go over there? I can't concentrate with all of you. Moony can stay."
Sirius and I did as bid. "I'll race you as animals," he suggested.
"You're on!"
It was a fair match - we raced to the Quidditch stadium and back, me all thundering hooves, him all bared teeth.
We changed back at the stadium, laughing. "I think I won," I panted.
"But I got the bigger teeth."
"You never know, Peter might beat you."
We were running back just as he transformed into... a rat.
Sirius and I stopped. "Oh dear!" Sirius guffawed.
"Just a little embarrassing..." I nodded. "But isn't this supposed to reflect your personality?"
Sirius nodded slowly. An uneasy but inexplicable shiver ran through me.
The first week back at school apparently set the pattern for the year. Fifth year, of course, was OWL year - not something that worried me or Sirius greatly, but Peter was petrified and even Remus seemed determined to knuckle down and study. Sirius and I still didn't need to. I was busy as Quidditch captain, anyway - I was determined that we would again win the cup and I had been ruthless in my choosing of the team players. Throughout the autumn, I told them, we would be training in all weathers - to my half joy, half dismay, our first match wasn't until December, then late May and then, of course, July as normal. This announcement was greeted by groans from the new people, but nods from the old. They would soon learn, I told myself. I would be fair, but I wouldn't accept less than total dedication. Mistakes happened. Other things were caused.
The teachers were beginning to mark our work in the way the OWL papers would be marked. I was satisfied, and not surprised, when all but Potions came out as Outstanding or Exceeding Expectations - and even for Potions I got Acceptable.
"Looks like I'm set to pass a couple of OWLs, at least," I laughed. Sirius was doing just as well, and Moony. Peter, or Wormtail as we had christened him, got Exceeds Expectations in Herbology, Acceptable in History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures and Poor in everything else, bar Transfiguration and Potions in which he received Dreadful and Troll, respectively.
"But Wormtail," I said despairingly, "we've just spent the last year brewing one of the most difficult potions there is and transfiguring ourselves! What's so difficult about describing in an essay how to turn a stamp into a snail and back? Or brewing a memory potion? It should be simple!"
The first full moon accompanying Moony had been exhilarating. Peter had been small enough to freeze the tree easily and Sirius and I were big enough to control Moony. It was the first time I had seen him as a werewolf since rescuing Snape in third year. We spent the night exploring the Forbidden Forest, and returned Moony to the Whomping Willow in time for morning.
"Hey, Prongs," Sirius said one morning in late November as we sat down to breakfast, "do you realise that soon we'll have better knowledge of the school than even - Dumbledore himself?"
"I wouldn't presume that," Moony said, but I was nodding.
"It must be true. He told Pringle all the passages he knew about so they could be guarded."
"Wasn't that the last head?"
I shrugged and shook my head. "Don't think so. Wouldn't make sense not to tell, really, would it?"
Sirius coughed impatiently. "Anyway, what I was thinking was... we ought to make a map."
"A map? But Padfoot, Hogwarts is Unplottable."
He waved a hand. "Peter can draw it, with our help. And then we can put charms on it."
"Charms to do what, exactly?" I had a feeling he was introducing a good idea, but I wasn't entirely clear on what the idea was.
"Well, what one thing would be most useful to us - above anything else?"
"Knowing where teachers are?" Peter said jokingly. "Yeah right."
But I smiled. "Padfoot... you're a genius!"
He looked smug. "And you, Prongs."
Peter looked bewildered. "What?"
Moony intervened. "What Padfoot means is, we can charm the map to show where everyone in the school is."
"We can charm it to go blank as well, and show passwords to passages," I added.
Peter looked over-awed. "How?"
"Easily. All we need to do is find all the passages in and out of the school. It shouldn't be that hard... we're fairly free to run around as much as we like, these days."
Sirius grinned. "Woof," he said happily.
Chapter 21
All three of us watched, paralysed by terror and anticipation as he raised the bottle to his lips and drank it. He shuddered, then shut his eyes and began to mutter the incantations. I felt like I would never breathe again. There was a seemingly long, but probably short, pause, then a pop and Sirius disappeared. In his place was a large, black dog. Peter shrieked and leapt back. "It's the Grim!"
Remus and I collapsed laughing. Sirius wagged his tail, and a minute later turned back to his human form. "That," he said wondrously, "was wicked."
Remus and I fervently agreed. Peter seemed less sure - he was happier now Sirius was back to normal. "Could you hear what we were saying?"
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I was thinking normally and everything, only... as a dog! You next, James."
My heart began to pound again, but I took a calming breath and drank the liquid. It was vile, but even as it slithered through me I could feel a strange tingling. Carefully, I worked the human thoughts from my brain and began muttering the incantations. I knew it was going to happen a second before it did. There was another pop, and then the strangest sensation. I would have grinned, only stags didn't really do grinning. I settled for twitching my ears and stamping a hoof instead, then I changed back. They were speechless.
"What?"
"Nothing," Sirius said. "It just seems unusual, that's all. I'd never considered your being something like that. I mean, I just fit being a dog, don't I? But you, a stag... I suppose it's very accurate, when you think about it. Proud, athletic, brave, good-looking..." He chuckled at my embarrassment. "Loved the antlers, Prongs."
I laughed. "And your massive paws, Padfoot. You could be a yeti!"
Moony laughed. "Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and... what? Come on Peter, your go!"
He looked terrified. "I don't know if I should. What if it goes wrong?"
"Look," I said as gently as I could, "we know the potion's fine 'cause it worked for me and Si. You've been practising the rest for months. Come on, let's all have one last practise."
No sooner had Sirius and I began thinking about the concentrating, however, than we changed. I clicked back, laughing. "That better not happen in lessons!"
Moony looked frightened. "Imagine if it did..."
"I was joking! It was only because I tried to do the concentrating. See how easy it is, Peter?"
Finally he nodded. "Can you and Sirius, like, go over there? I can't concentrate with all of you. Moony can stay."
Sirius and I did as bid. "I'll race you as animals," he suggested.
"You're on!"
It was a fair match - we raced to the Quidditch stadium and back, me all thundering hooves, him all bared teeth.
We changed back at the stadium, laughing. "I think I won," I panted.
"But I got the bigger teeth."
"You never know, Peter might beat you."
We were running back just as he transformed into... a rat.
Sirius and I stopped. "Oh dear!" Sirius guffawed.
"Just a little embarrassing..." I nodded. "But isn't this supposed to reflect your personality?"
Sirius nodded slowly. An uneasy but inexplicable shiver ran through me.
The first week back at school apparently set the pattern for the year. Fifth year, of course, was OWL year - not something that worried me or Sirius greatly, but Peter was petrified and even Remus seemed determined to knuckle down and study. Sirius and I still didn't need to. I was busy as Quidditch captain, anyway - I was determined that we would again win the cup and I had been ruthless in my choosing of the team players. Throughout the autumn, I told them, we would be training in all weathers - to my half joy, half dismay, our first match wasn't until December, then late May and then, of course, July as normal. This announcement was greeted by groans from the new people, but nods from the old. They would soon learn, I told myself. I would be fair, but I wouldn't accept less than total dedication. Mistakes happened. Other things were caused.
The teachers were beginning to mark our work in the way the OWL papers would be marked. I was satisfied, and not surprised, when all but Potions came out as Outstanding or Exceeding Expectations - and even for Potions I got Acceptable.
"Looks like I'm set to pass a couple of OWLs, at least," I laughed. Sirius was doing just as well, and Moony. Peter, or Wormtail as we had christened him, got Exceeds Expectations in Herbology, Acceptable in History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures and Poor in everything else, bar Transfiguration and Potions in which he received Dreadful and Troll, respectively.
"But Wormtail," I said despairingly, "we've just spent the last year brewing one of the most difficult potions there is and transfiguring ourselves! What's so difficult about describing in an essay how to turn a stamp into a snail and back? Or brewing a memory potion? It should be simple!"
The first full moon accompanying Moony had been exhilarating. Peter had been small enough to freeze the tree easily and Sirius and I were big enough to control Moony. It was the first time I had seen him as a werewolf since rescuing Snape in third year. We spent the night exploring the Forbidden Forest, and returned Moony to the Whomping Willow in time for morning.
"Hey, Prongs," Sirius said one morning in late November as we sat down to breakfast, "do you realise that soon we'll have better knowledge of the school than even - Dumbledore himself?"
"I wouldn't presume that," Moony said, but I was nodding.
"It must be true. He told Pringle all the passages he knew about so they could be guarded."
"Wasn't that the last head?"
I shrugged and shook my head. "Don't think so. Wouldn't make sense not to tell, really, would it?"
Sirius coughed impatiently. "Anyway, what I was thinking was... we ought to make a map."
"A map? But Padfoot, Hogwarts is Unplottable."
He waved a hand. "Peter can draw it, with our help. And then we can put charms on it."
"Charms to do what, exactly?" I had a feeling he was introducing a good idea, but I wasn't entirely clear on what the idea was.
"Well, what one thing would be most useful to us - above anything else?"
"Knowing where teachers are?" Peter said jokingly. "Yeah right."
But I smiled. "Padfoot... you're a genius!"
He looked smug. "And you, Prongs."
Peter looked bewildered. "What?"
Moony intervened. "What Padfoot means is, we can charm the map to show where everyone in the school is."
"We can charm it to go blank as well, and show passwords to passages," I added.
Peter looked over-awed. "How?"
"Easily. All we need to do is find all the passages in and out of the school. It shouldn't be that hard... we're fairly free to run around as much as we like, these days."
Sirius grinned. "Woof," he said happily.