Disclaimer: JKR owns them all. Only the plot is mine.
A/N: Yeah, this is a sequel to Engraved. It's also just dug from some of my old notebooks, with a few modifications here and there.
Anyway, I hope you like it. ::brilliant smile:: But of course you'll do, right?
New Marauders
Moony was in pain.
He hurt all over. The transformation was hardly over, and his body was in fire. His newly arranged muscles and bones protested against every movement, and he could hardly even stand up on his four feet.
At last, he got up, and looked around himself. Number twelve, Grimmauld Place was completely empty of all life. No matter how many people usually resided there, nobody stayed during the full moon. Of course he was completely harmless with the Wolfsbane, but the wolf still felt uncomfortable with people around.
He slipped out of the room and began exploring the house. His instincts screamed of silver everywhere, urging him to escape to the safety of his own, surely silver-free rooms, but he chose to ignore them. He was in no danger, not with his instincts warning him. Besides, all the silver had been put away in lockers and drawers when he had moved to the house. This of course prevented him opening any drawers, but at least he could move around without fearing running accidentally into something that would kill him.
In the stairway Moony stopped. He had caught a new, unfamiliar scent. It was almost recognizable, but not clear enough. He couldn't even say whether it was a human or an animal - the scent was too unclear.
Then the wolf heard a soft hoot above his head. As he raised his eyes at a snowy owl, he knew immediately that this was the owner of the unfamiliar scent.
He still felt confused. Nobody in the Order owned a snowy owl - in fact, Hedwig was the only one of her kind he'd seen for years. And this wasn't Hedwig.
I'm Cloud, the owl called, flying down from her perch and landing next to him.
An Animagus? Moony asked, although he knew the answer already. Not a normal animal could talk with a werewolf, other than wolves, of course. It was somehow connected with the Animagi being also partly human.
He watched the owl attentively. She looked absolutely normal, but he still looked for some mark, some sign - he knew that every Animagus had some sign of their true identity.
Then, he noticed it. The feathers on the owl's head weren't as smooth and shiny as those covering the rest of her body. The looked almost flurry. Almost... curly.
Hermione? the wolf asked in disbelief.
Myself, was all that the owl replied, sounding a bit smug. And the others will come shortly.
The others...? He turned around as he heard something approaching.
He stared as a ginger cat, almost fiery red in his colour, and a black cougar pawed up the stairs. The cat had tiny spots of darker red all around his face, like freckles, and the cougar had emerald green eyes and a white shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead.
Ron and Harry? Moony couldn't believe this. He just couldn't.
Or Flame and Shadow, either way, Hermione - Cloud - replied.
Hello, Moony, Shadow said, and grinned like only a feline creature could.
But... How... he stammered. The transfiguration was far too complicated for them to learn it without any help!
We found the Marauder's Room and all the instructions you'd left there, Shadow explained. They proved quite useful.
I see... The wolf still felt somehow confused. Something was distracting him. Something about scents...
Then he realized it. Okay, he said, where's your friend?
The two smaller animals stared at him. What friend? Flame asked, obviously confused.
Shadow, however, grinned again. Come here, he called at something out of sight.
Slowly, without a sound, an albino snake slid into sight from the top of the stairs. The four animals watched attentively as it approached them.
May I introduce you, Shadow said, smirking, this is my friend Sin.
Sin, eh? Moony couldn't help but chuckle despite his exhaustion and still sore body. May I ask who he is in his human form?
You can alwaysss asssk, the snake hissed and smirked. Anssswersss can be more difficult to get...
Shut up, will you, Shadow chuckled and nudged the snake with his muzzle. Sin grinned and raised his head and upper body from the ground. Shadow lowered his head, allowing the snake to wrap his body around the cougar's neck. Then the snake pressed his head against the large cat's cheek like caressing it.
Yuck, Flame said. You do realize that that's really gay, mate?
Might be because I am gay, Shadow replied calmly.
Flame looked as shocked as a cat only can - that is, hardly even surprised. So who it is? he asked, nodding towards the snake who was currently resting his head atop Shadow's. Whom you find trustable enough to let him in to this everything?
He didn't, Sin hissed. I was present when he found those instructions.
Cloud hooted softly. So it was really you whom we saw in the corridor that day!
Flame almost choked. Oh, fuck... Malfoy?
Weasel, Sin replied calmly. I'm in fact surprised that you're a cat and not a weasel.
Not a bigger surprise than that you're a snake, ferret-boy, the cat spat. Although maybe that was only to be expected - slimy and low-mannered as you ate.
Moony flinched. He felt bad observing the youngs' row. He personally had no affection on Draco Malfoy, the boy had been nasty enough when he'd been teaching, but Harry wasn't stupid and had a good eye for people. The wolf also felt restless, being in the middle of so many animals and not doing anything. He started carefully slipping away.
His escape didn't go unnoticed, however. I came here to be with Moony, Flame, Shadow growled. And Draco's on the same mission. Choose your side, mate - in or outside?
Flame was quiet for a moment. Then he gave them a small cat-nod. Okay, he said. I'm in.
Long live the Marauders! Cloud hooted on a rare moment of enthusiasm.
Then the five animals began looking around the house.
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," read an engraving on the wall of the Marauder's Room.
The day after the full moon, four seventh years sneaked into the room.
When they left, there were two new lines under the text.
"Cloud, Flame, Moony, Shadow, and Sin," they read.
"Long live the new Marauders."
A/N: Yeah, kind of stupid, I know... But, it's what it is, don't blame me, blame my notebook for containing it!