"Ok" said Sirius gleefully, "but we still have to walk through the school
to get outside."
"No we don't" Auria replied with a devilish grin.
"I beg your pardon? We're in a windowless room," Sirius said, motioning to the walls.
"We don't need a window"
Sirius just stared at her.
Although being loaded down with homework Auria had still managed to find time to experiment with her new powers. At night, once everyone else in her dormitory was asleep, Auria would transform and go for short midnight flights. She loved feeling the cool air rush through her wings as she soared through the winter sky. In the beginning, she had left her window open for easy in and out access, but she soon realized that that was not necessary. She found that once in phoenix form she could apparate invisibly, in and out of the school.
"You can fly through walls?" Sirius said in disbelief.
"No, but I can apparate through them" she answered proudly.
"But I thought people couldn't apparate in or out of Hogwarts?" he said puzzled.
"You're right, people can't, but then transformed I'm not a human am I?"
Sirius grinned. "This is great. This means that you can sneak out of the school anytime you want.
Auria nodded. "And I can take you with me. Phoenix's are really strong, so I can carry you.
Sirius gazed in wonder at her.
"She's so intelligent and powerful," he thought to himself. "What great person to have as my partner in crime."
Auria was just about to transfigure when he stopped her.
"Wait!" he cried, holding out his hand. "I have to tell you where we're going before we leave, because I have to arrive in dog form."
"We're going to the shrieking shack right?" she asked him.
"Yup. You can apparate into there too right?"
Auria nodded, preparing to change again. Just as the first feathers appeared she changed back.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, a black tail and ears quickly disappearing as well.
"I can't go" she replied embarrassed.
"Why not?" he said, sounding frustrated.
"Because I don't want Peter to know about me. I don't mind if Remus and James know, I just don't want Peter to" she said quietly.
"Why not?" Sirius inquired sounding confused.
"I don't know. I just don't feel comfortable telling him. Some sort of instinctive feeling is telling me not to. Maybe because I know he'd ask a lot of questions that I don't want to have to answer" she said in an attempt to explain the nervous feeling she got in the pit of her stomach when she thought about telling Pettigrew.
"Alright, it's your choice" he said sounding slightly angry, but then in a happier tone added, "You can still come tonight though. Peter won't be there. He got detention with Verge remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot" she replied quickly. "Then in that case let's go."
She and Sirius transfigured together. Sirius felt strong claws gently grip the piece of baggy fur behind his neck. The next moment he was high above the Hogwarts grounds heading towards the shrieking shack. As they reached the shack Auria dove straight towards one of the boarded up windows. In fear of hitting it Sirius closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw that he was standing in the front upstairs room. Looking around he saw that Auria was perched on the back of a broken chair. Although she couldn't move her beak Sirius knew that she was grinning. He let out a small bark and ran out of the room and down the hallway. Using his paws he opened the door to a room at the back of the house and went inside.
Prongs was standing next to a wall watching Moony, who was lying quietly on the floor. Sirius barked and gently pawed Mooney. The werewolf opened its yellow eyes and growled. It stood up and began to fight with Padfoot for a while before realizing who it was. Suddenly a beautiful note of music filled the room. Padfoot, Mooney and Prongs all spun around. Auria was perched on the fireplace mantle piece. Mooney and Prongs gazed at her puzzled and then turned to Sirius. Having absolutely no idea how to tell them who she was he motioned for Prongs to follow him. They walked out of the room and closed the door.
Auria was now alone with Moony. However, she was not afraid since she could tell that he had no desire to rip her to pieced with his razor sharp fangs. She flew down to the ground in front of him. As he slowly paced closer to her, Auria gazed unwavering into his eyes. Soon he was close enough so that she could feel his hot breath against her feathers. She could hear Sirius and James speaking in regular voices outside the door. Sirius was obviously telling his best friend about her becoming an animagus. A moment later they reentered the room, in animal form. Sirius motioned with his head that they should leave. The three of them walked downstairs while Auria flew overhead. As they slipped through a hole in the floor Auria landed and was forced to hop down through it. After walking along for what seemed like ages, they finally emerged at an exit. As Auria flew up she realized that they were at the base of the whopping willow. Flying low to the ground she followed the three Marauders into the forest. They stopped to rest in a small clearing and Auria landed on Sirius' back.
A second later Moony began to change back into Lupin. Auria looked up through the trees and saw that the moon was being hidden behind a large patch of cloud. By the time she had looked back down the rest of her friends had returned to human form. Slightly embarrassed to now be perched on Sirius' shoulder she quickly flew to the ground and changed back.
"Oh, it's you" Remus exclaimed when he saw her.
Auria blushed and looked away.
"I didn't know you were an animagus," he said leaning back against a tree trunk looking very tired.
"I became one only a month ago" she explained.
"What are you exactly?" he asked looking slightly embarrassed for not knowing.
"A phoenix" she replied sheepishly.
Once again Auria had to explain to James and Remus that people can have magical animagi, but that they have to take special steps. The two of them stared wide-eyed at her in amazement.
"So now she can come out on a full moon with us" Sirius said happily, putting his arm around her.
James and Remus grinned.
"Um, but could you guys do me a favor?" Auria asked looking from James to Remus.
"Sure" they replied together.
"You have to swear to me that you'll never tell another living soul about my animagus so long as you live."
They nodded in agreement.
"And" Auria continued. "I know he's your really good friend and all, but could you please not tell Peter about this."
They looked at her curiously but both nodded again.
"I don't know why, but I just don't want him to know" she said, playing with the corner of her cloak.
"That's fine" James said reassuringly. "But I have to know, why a phoenix?"
"So that I can heal people, and" she paused for effect, "to fight against Voldemort."
The three Marauder's shuddered at the name.
"You're going to fight against You-Know-Who?" Remus asked standing up to stretch.
"And against his Death Eaters" she replied bitterly. "They killed my father and destroyed my family"
Sirius jumped up, pulled Auria to her feet to gazed deep into her eyes.
"And I'm going to fight with you" he said, his voice full of determination.
No one spoke for a moment.
"And if Sirius fights then I fight" James said proudly a moment later as he walked over to them.
Remus sighed but went over to join his friends. "And if you all fight him, then I will too" he said holding his head up.
The four of them stood in a circle gazing at each other in wonder.
Suddenly Auria put her hand into the middle of the circle and said, "for love."
"For freedom" Remus said putting his hand on top of hers.
"For happiness" James said adding his hand to the pile.
Lastly Sirius stuck his hand in and said, "For life."
Auria's eyes filled with more and more tears as each person added their reason. As Sirius spoke a single tear fell down her cheek and landed on his outstretched hand. In that moment a silent promise was made between them, to fight Voldemort till the end, for friendship and for each other. They stayed that way for a long time, soaking in their new sense of purpose and duty. Finally, in one simultaneous action, they broke apart. Sirius and Auria sat down near a fallen tree while Remus and James walked back to their places.
"Well now that we're a group we have to have a name" James said, throwing himself down at the base of a large pine tree.
They all scrunched up their faces in thought. It was Sirius who finally suggested a name. He turned, looked straight at Auria and said, "how about the Order of the Phoenix?"
Note: Please review my fic, your feedback really helps!!!
"No we don't" Auria replied with a devilish grin.
"I beg your pardon? We're in a windowless room," Sirius said, motioning to the walls.
"We don't need a window"
Sirius just stared at her.
Although being loaded down with homework Auria had still managed to find time to experiment with her new powers. At night, once everyone else in her dormitory was asleep, Auria would transform and go for short midnight flights. She loved feeling the cool air rush through her wings as she soared through the winter sky. In the beginning, she had left her window open for easy in and out access, but she soon realized that that was not necessary. She found that once in phoenix form she could apparate invisibly, in and out of the school.
"You can fly through walls?" Sirius said in disbelief.
"No, but I can apparate through them" she answered proudly.
"But I thought people couldn't apparate in or out of Hogwarts?" he said puzzled.
"You're right, people can't, but then transformed I'm not a human am I?"
Sirius grinned. "This is great. This means that you can sneak out of the school anytime you want.
Auria nodded. "And I can take you with me. Phoenix's are really strong, so I can carry you.
Sirius gazed in wonder at her.
"She's so intelligent and powerful," he thought to himself. "What great person to have as my partner in crime."
Auria was just about to transfigure when he stopped her.
"Wait!" he cried, holding out his hand. "I have to tell you where we're going before we leave, because I have to arrive in dog form."
"We're going to the shrieking shack right?" she asked him.
"Yup. You can apparate into there too right?"
Auria nodded, preparing to change again. Just as the first feathers appeared she changed back.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, a black tail and ears quickly disappearing as well.
"I can't go" she replied embarrassed.
"Why not?" he said, sounding frustrated.
"Because I don't want Peter to know about me. I don't mind if Remus and James know, I just don't want Peter to" she said quietly.
"Why not?" Sirius inquired sounding confused.
"I don't know. I just don't feel comfortable telling him. Some sort of instinctive feeling is telling me not to. Maybe because I know he'd ask a lot of questions that I don't want to have to answer" she said in an attempt to explain the nervous feeling she got in the pit of her stomach when she thought about telling Pettigrew.
"Alright, it's your choice" he said sounding slightly angry, but then in a happier tone added, "You can still come tonight though. Peter won't be there. He got detention with Verge remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot" she replied quickly. "Then in that case let's go."
She and Sirius transfigured together. Sirius felt strong claws gently grip the piece of baggy fur behind his neck. The next moment he was high above the Hogwarts grounds heading towards the shrieking shack. As they reached the shack Auria dove straight towards one of the boarded up windows. In fear of hitting it Sirius closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw that he was standing in the front upstairs room. Looking around he saw that Auria was perched on the back of a broken chair. Although she couldn't move her beak Sirius knew that she was grinning. He let out a small bark and ran out of the room and down the hallway. Using his paws he opened the door to a room at the back of the house and went inside.
Prongs was standing next to a wall watching Moony, who was lying quietly on the floor. Sirius barked and gently pawed Mooney. The werewolf opened its yellow eyes and growled. It stood up and began to fight with Padfoot for a while before realizing who it was. Suddenly a beautiful note of music filled the room. Padfoot, Mooney and Prongs all spun around. Auria was perched on the fireplace mantle piece. Mooney and Prongs gazed at her puzzled and then turned to Sirius. Having absolutely no idea how to tell them who she was he motioned for Prongs to follow him. They walked out of the room and closed the door.
Auria was now alone with Moony. However, she was not afraid since she could tell that he had no desire to rip her to pieced with his razor sharp fangs. She flew down to the ground in front of him. As he slowly paced closer to her, Auria gazed unwavering into his eyes. Soon he was close enough so that she could feel his hot breath against her feathers. She could hear Sirius and James speaking in regular voices outside the door. Sirius was obviously telling his best friend about her becoming an animagus. A moment later they reentered the room, in animal form. Sirius motioned with his head that they should leave. The three of them walked downstairs while Auria flew overhead. As they slipped through a hole in the floor Auria landed and was forced to hop down through it. After walking along for what seemed like ages, they finally emerged at an exit. As Auria flew up she realized that they were at the base of the whopping willow. Flying low to the ground she followed the three Marauders into the forest. They stopped to rest in a small clearing and Auria landed on Sirius' back.
A second later Moony began to change back into Lupin. Auria looked up through the trees and saw that the moon was being hidden behind a large patch of cloud. By the time she had looked back down the rest of her friends had returned to human form. Slightly embarrassed to now be perched on Sirius' shoulder she quickly flew to the ground and changed back.
"Oh, it's you" Remus exclaimed when he saw her.
Auria blushed and looked away.
"I didn't know you were an animagus," he said leaning back against a tree trunk looking very tired.
"I became one only a month ago" she explained.
"What are you exactly?" he asked looking slightly embarrassed for not knowing.
"A phoenix" she replied sheepishly.
Once again Auria had to explain to James and Remus that people can have magical animagi, but that they have to take special steps. The two of them stared wide-eyed at her in amazement.
"So now she can come out on a full moon with us" Sirius said happily, putting his arm around her.
James and Remus grinned.
"Um, but could you guys do me a favor?" Auria asked looking from James to Remus.
"Sure" they replied together.
"You have to swear to me that you'll never tell another living soul about my animagus so long as you live."
They nodded in agreement.
"And" Auria continued. "I know he's your really good friend and all, but could you please not tell Peter about this."
They looked at her curiously but both nodded again.
"I don't know why, but I just don't want him to know" she said, playing with the corner of her cloak.
"That's fine" James said reassuringly. "But I have to know, why a phoenix?"
"So that I can heal people, and" she paused for effect, "to fight against Voldemort."
The three Marauder's shuddered at the name.
"You're going to fight against You-Know-Who?" Remus asked standing up to stretch.
"And against his Death Eaters" she replied bitterly. "They killed my father and destroyed my family"
Sirius jumped up, pulled Auria to her feet to gazed deep into her eyes.
"And I'm going to fight with you" he said, his voice full of determination.
No one spoke for a moment.
"And if Sirius fights then I fight" James said proudly a moment later as he walked over to them.
Remus sighed but went over to join his friends. "And if you all fight him, then I will too" he said holding his head up.
The four of them stood in a circle gazing at each other in wonder.
Suddenly Auria put her hand into the middle of the circle and said, "for love."
"For freedom" Remus said putting his hand on top of hers.
"For happiness" James said adding his hand to the pile.
Lastly Sirius stuck his hand in and said, "For life."
Auria's eyes filled with more and more tears as each person added their reason. As Sirius spoke a single tear fell down her cheek and landed on his outstretched hand. In that moment a silent promise was made between them, to fight Voldemort till the end, for friendship and for each other. They stayed that way for a long time, soaking in their new sense of purpose and duty. Finally, in one simultaneous action, they broke apart. Sirius and Auria sat down near a fallen tree while Remus and James walked back to their places.
"Well now that we're a group we have to have a name" James said, throwing himself down at the base of a large pine tree.
They all scrunched up their faces in thought. It was Sirius who finally suggested a name. He turned, looked straight at Auria and said, "how about the Order of the Phoenix?"
Note: Please review my fic, your feedback really helps!!!