As soon as they reached the great oak doors Auria put a silencing charm on
Jake. Sirius then picked him up and covered him in his cloak.
"Where should we let him lose?" Auria asked.
Sirius looked around thinking.
"The library!" he exclaimed, his eyes full of excitement.
Auria grinned and nodded her head slowly. As they made their way towards the library Jake kept squirming around in Sirius' arms.
"Hold still" he whispered, pulling his cloak back down over the creature's forked tail.
They reached the library, walked inconspicuously inside and hid behind one of the bookshelves in the back. Sirius put Jake down and pulled off the cloak. The niffler did his best to get away but Sirius held firmly onto his collar.
"Wait, wait" Auria said bending down. "We have to take the collar off, or else when he's caught people will figure out that it was us." She undid the collar and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Ok boy, go have fun," said Sirius, releasing Jake. The little brown ball took off down the row and disappeared around the corner. A moment later barking was heard, the charm having warn off, followed by several high pitched screams. Auria and Sirius were doubled up in laughter as the sounds of chairs banging, glass breaking and books falling reached their ears. It was utter pandemonium.
"Catch it, catch that thing" screeched Pince.
Sirius and Auria peeked around the corner to find her standing on a table pulling wildly at her hair. They tucked their heads back in just as Professor Verge entered the library.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON IN HERE?" screamed Verge above the racket.
"There's an animal lose in the library" yelled a terrified girl as she fled from the room, her book losing pages with every step.
Sirius and Auria were now rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Why are you destroying the library?" asked an irritated voice behind them.
They spun around to find a boy standing at the end of the row.
"Tommy!" exclaimed Auria.
"Why are you doing this?" Tommy snapped.
"Because it's funny to watch them all panic" replied Sirius, peeking around the corner again.
"But you're destroying books" he replied, sounding frustrated.
"Look, I love books too, but this is just too great an opportunity to pass up. All the stupid giggly girls come here on the weekends and make so much noise you can't study. Not to mention that Madame Pince is incredibly annoying," Auria said, staring at him, and then turning to Sirius added, "remember how mean she was to me that day after Christmas, when I was looking for that book?"
Sirius nodded.
"Which book?" asked Tommy.
"The Book of Ancient Magic" Auria replied absent-mindedly. She was too busy watching Professor Verge chase Jake around the library to notice the look of amazement on Tommy's face.
"Really?" he asked coming closer to them.
"Yeah, but some stupid git stole it from here" she replied angrily, but then burst into laughter when she saw Pince and Verge crashed headlong into each other. Jake barked happily and ran out of the way just before they were going to collapse on top of him.
Just then Dumbledore arrived.
"Sirius, Sirius" Auria said seriously. "We have to get out of here, we're going to be in such deep trouble if we're caught."
"I know," replied Sirius, his face creased with concern. "But we're trapped, there are two teachers standing in front of the exit."
Auria swore under her breath.
"Here" Tommy said, putting his hand on Auria's shoulder. She spun around so quickly that she nearly fell over. Tommy grabbed her arms to hold her up. Sirius shot daggers at him with his eyes. Tommy simple smirked.
"Oh, Tommy, I forgot you were there" Auria said quickly.
"That would be a first" he muttered under his breath.
"What?" Auria replied.
Oh, nothing. Here" he said to Auria. "Take this." He handed her a piece of silvery material. "It's an invisibility cloak."
"Really? Thanks Tommy. But how are you going to" but he held up his hand to silence her.
"I have my ways" he replied with a small smile.
"Alright then, I'll give it back to you tomorrow, I swear" Auria said grabbing the cloak.
"That's ok" he replied casually. "You keep it." The hard look on his face told her that he was serious.
"No I couldn't" Auria protested anyways.
"Come on, let's go, the doorway's free," whispered Sirius.
"Ok" she said pulling the cloak over them both. "Thanks again Tommy" she added, poking her head out. Then she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"You're welcome," he said blushing ever so slightly as he watched her head disappear.
Sirius glared at her under the cloak.
"He saved our butts from a lot of trouble," she said defendingly.
Sirius sighed, "You're right."
Auria smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.
Just as they were about to turn the corner Auria looked back at Tommy. At that moment he turned his head around to look at her and Auria saw, what she thought, was a hint of red in his eyes. Before she could look again Sirius pulled her around the corner and they snuck out of the library.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the rest of the weekend the entire school talked about nothing but the incident in the library. Jake had been caught five minutes after Dumbledore arrived, and was now tied up outside Hagrid's cabin. However, the stories about him became more and more exaggerated with each passing day. Some of the giggly girls claimed that he was a huge, rabid beast out to kill them, while other said that he was over ten feet tall with metal spikes for a tail. Auria found the theory that Voldemort had sent it particularly funny.
It had taken Madame Pince several hours to fix and reshelf the books and even longer to clean up the rest of the library. She was bitter for weeks after because no body had been caught and she couldn't punish anyone.
Auria and Sirius told the rest of the Marauders about the episode the instant they returned to Gryffindor tower. All three were impressed and decided that it should be recorded in some sort of prank hall of fame. In the excitement Auria forgot all about Tommy and his eyes, and even used his invisibility cloak to sneak some food from the kitchens for a mini party that night. However, as the gossip and stories died away, a new problem haunted Auria, how and when to tell Sirius about her animagus.
"Where should we let him lose?" Auria asked.
Sirius looked around thinking.
"The library!" he exclaimed, his eyes full of excitement.
Auria grinned and nodded her head slowly. As they made their way towards the library Jake kept squirming around in Sirius' arms.
"Hold still" he whispered, pulling his cloak back down over the creature's forked tail.
They reached the library, walked inconspicuously inside and hid behind one of the bookshelves in the back. Sirius put Jake down and pulled off the cloak. The niffler did his best to get away but Sirius held firmly onto his collar.
"Wait, wait" Auria said bending down. "We have to take the collar off, or else when he's caught people will figure out that it was us." She undid the collar and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Ok boy, go have fun," said Sirius, releasing Jake. The little brown ball took off down the row and disappeared around the corner. A moment later barking was heard, the charm having warn off, followed by several high pitched screams. Auria and Sirius were doubled up in laughter as the sounds of chairs banging, glass breaking and books falling reached their ears. It was utter pandemonium.
"Catch it, catch that thing" screeched Pince.
Sirius and Auria peeked around the corner to find her standing on a table pulling wildly at her hair. They tucked their heads back in just as Professor Verge entered the library.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON IN HERE?" screamed Verge above the racket.
"There's an animal lose in the library" yelled a terrified girl as she fled from the room, her book losing pages with every step.
Sirius and Auria were now rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Why are you destroying the library?" asked an irritated voice behind them.
They spun around to find a boy standing at the end of the row.
"Tommy!" exclaimed Auria.
"Why are you doing this?" Tommy snapped.
"Because it's funny to watch them all panic" replied Sirius, peeking around the corner again.
"But you're destroying books" he replied, sounding frustrated.
"Look, I love books too, but this is just too great an opportunity to pass up. All the stupid giggly girls come here on the weekends and make so much noise you can't study. Not to mention that Madame Pince is incredibly annoying," Auria said, staring at him, and then turning to Sirius added, "remember how mean she was to me that day after Christmas, when I was looking for that book?"
Sirius nodded.
"Which book?" asked Tommy.
"The Book of Ancient Magic" Auria replied absent-mindedly. She was too busy watching Professor Verge chase Jake around the library to notice the look of amazement on Tommy's face.
"Really?" he asked coming closer to them.
"Yeah, but some stupid git stole it from here" she replied angrily, but then burst into laughter when she saw Pince and Verge crashed headlong into each other. Jake barked happily and ran out of the way just before they were going to collapse on top of him.
Just then Dumbledore arrived.
"Sirius, Sirius" Auria said seriously. "We have to get out of here, we're going to be in such deep trouble if we're caught."
"I know," replied Sirius, his face creased with concern. "But we're trapped, there are two teachers standing in front of the exit."
Auria swore under her breath.
"Here" Tommy said, putting his hand on Auria's shoulder. She spun around so quickly that she nearly fell over. Tommy grabbed her arms to hold her up. Sirius shot daggers at him with his eyes. Tommy simple smirked.
"Oh, Tommy, I forgot you were there" Auria said quickly.
"That would be a first" he muttered under his breath.
"What?" Auria replied.
Oh, nothing. Here" he said to Auria. "Take this." He handed her a piece of silvery material. "It's an invisibility cloak."
"Really? Thanks Tommy. But how are you going to" but he held up his hand to silence her.
"I have my ways" he replied with a small smile.
"Alright then, I'll give it back to you tomorrow, I swear" Auria said grabbing the cloak.
"That's ok" he replied casually. "You keep it." The hard look on his face told her that he was serious.
"No I couldn't" Auria protested anyways.
"Come on, let's go, the doorway's free," whispered Sirius.
"Ok" she said pulling the cloak over them both. "Thanks again Tommy" she added, poking her head out. Then she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"You're welcome," he said blushing ever so slightly as he watched her head disappear.
Sirius glared at her under the cloak.
"He saved our butts from a lot of trouble," she said defendingly.
Sirius sighed, "You're right."
Auria smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.
Just as they were about to turn the corner Auria looked back at Tommy. At that moment he turned his head around to look at her and Auria saw, what she thought, was a hint of red in his eyes. Before she could look again Sirius pulled her around the corner and they snuck out of the library.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the rest of the weekend the entire school talked about nothing but the incident in the library. Jake had been caught five minutes after Dumbledore arrived, and was now tied up outside Hagrid's cabin. However, the stories about him became more and more exaggerated with each passing day. Some of the giggly girls claimed that he was a huge, rabid beast out to kill them, while other said that he was over ten feet tall with metal spikes for a tail. Auria found the theory that Voldemort had sent it particularly funny.
It had taken Madame Pince several hours to fix and reshelf the books and even longer to clean up the rest of the library. She was bitter for weeks after because no body had been caught and she couldn't punish anyone.
Auria and Sirius told the rest of the Marauders about the episode the instant they returned to Gryffindor tower. All three were impressed and decided that it should be recorded in some sort of prank hall of fame. In the excitement Auria forgot all about Tommy and his eyes, and even used his invisibility cloak to sneak some food from the kitchens for a mini party that night. However, as the gossip and stories died away, a new problem haunted Auria, how and when to tell Sirius about her animagus.