Chapter Four

Full Moon

A piece of parchment slid onto James' desk. Blinking, he glanced around furtively-- as it was Professor Binns's class, most everyone was in a near-comatose state and didn't pay him any mind-- before opening it. Written on it in Remus's handwriting was a single word: Go.

James dipped his quill in the ink pot and scrawled his reply (No) before passing it to Sirius, who passed it to Peter, who passed it to Remus, whose mouth tightened as he glanced at it. His slender hand tightened determinedly on his quill.

When the parchment reached the end of the line again, this time it said:

James, I survived for years without any of you three. And besides, I'm sure Wormtail and Padfoot will be able to control me without you. You're the biggest, but Padfoot is fairly large, himself. There's nothing to worry about. Go on your date.

"That's not the point!"

Every person in the room gave a collective start, including Binns's spectral form. "But it is," the professor insisted after a moment of everyone staring at James. "You see, the fact that the legislation was drawn in the summer of 1912 resulted in the very consequences of which I have been speaking. The giants..."

James stopped listening, glowering at Remus, who looked back at him flatly, immoveably. Bending back over the parchment, James wrote:

The point, Moony, is that I'm here for my friends. We've been together in this ever since fifth year and it's not going to change now, just because I made a date for the wrong day. I can ask Lily to change it to tomorrow, and no harm done. Besides,

James hesitated, gnawing on his quill, unsure of how to phrase the next bit without sounding like a ponce.

Besides, you mean as much to me as Lily does. I'm sticking with you through every full moon, okay? I'm not going to turn away from a friend for a girl.

James sent it on down, and by the time it returned to him, it had two replies.

Fine. Okay, James, if you're really sure about this. I just feel bad for making you miss out because of me. But if that's really what you want, well, I'm grateful that our friendship is that strong. It really means a lot to me.

The second reply said simply, You big girls.

The class ended as James thwacked Sirius over the head with his textbook and Remus watched with quietly vindictive glee.

-----

"So why is it again that girls travel only in packs?" James asked, peering around a bookshelf to see Lily seated at a table with about five other girls, doing their homework and speaking quietly amongst themselves.

"It's a mystery of the animal kingdom," Sirius said solemnly from behind him. "Did you know they even go to the bathroom together? And none of them can tell you why, either. I asked Annette Richards once, and she looked at me like I was asking why water was wet, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But I don't think she really knew, either."

"Oh, there goes Peter," James said suddenly, watching as the aforementioned Peter shambled out from behind a shelf. He stared at the girls with obvious nervousness, licking his lips, then abruptly buckled as if his knees had given way, collapsing dramatically on the library floor with a strange yelp. It was supposed to be a groan of pain, but James thought it would do.

Sure enough, with concerned noises the girls all stood up and went over to see if he was all right. Before Lily could, though, James reached out and snagged her sleeve, tugging her behind the shelf with him as Sirius and Remus quietly slipped away. "Oh, m-my tendons! I think I injured them!" he heard Peter exclaim lamely.

"J--Potter? What--?" Lily blinked up at him then half-turned back towards Peter before rolling her eyes. "Oh, wait-- is that part of another stupid scheme you four are always pulling off? Well, what is it this time?"

"Er," said James.

"Eloquent, aren't you?" Lily snapped, then appeared to realize how waspish she was being; Taking a deep breath, her expression was forced back to some semblance of calm. "Sorry."

"It's all right," James said, feeling rather encouraged by the fact that she was making as effort not to be so mean to him. "It's just-- I needed to get you alone to tell you that... well, about tonight. I kind of have... a previous engagement."

"A what?" Lily's eyebrows rose halfway to her hairline. "Wait, are you saying you have a date with someone else?"

"No! No." James rose his hands defensively. "It's not a date. Trust me, you're the only girl I want to date. You have been for a long time, actually.

The affronted look faded from Lily's face and turned into something unreadable. "Oh," she replied quietly. "Well, what is it, then?"

James shuffled his feet back and forth. "Just something I forgot that I had promised to do," he finally muttered evasively, wishing he'd had the foresight to think of an excuse ahead of time. "So anyway, would it be okay if we changed the date to tomorrow night, instead?"

"I guess so," Lily said slowly. Her expression now held a hint of suspicion, and James felt a flutter of nervousness in his stomach. She seemed as though she... suspected something.

Before she could ask any more questions, he shot her a smile and said, "Well, see you later, then!" He darted off, past the place where Sirius was pretending to help Peter to his feet (Remus, so close to the full moon, looked as though the weight of a tissue would be enough to snap him in two, so he wasn't helping), and out of the library, relief battling unease in his stomach.

-----

"Wonder if Moony's doing all right?" Peter asked, as he, James and Sirius approached the Whomping Willow.

"He's fine as he ever is at this time, I'm sure," Sirius answered. "Waiting for us at the Shack, unhappy and weak but brightened by the thought of his wonderful friends coming to help him through his difficult transformation." He grinned toothily.

"Sure you still want to come, Prongs?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "You could still change your mind, you know. Lily Evaaaannnss..." he added as if tempting him with a delicious treat.

"I told you, I'm coming." James gave them a level look. "Seriously, this is something we've been doing since fifth year, and it's for Remus's sake. Besides, Lily agreed to go out tomorrow, instead, so everything worked out fine, didn't it?"

"Guess so. Hey, what excuse did you give her, anyway?"

"Nothing, really. I just said I had a previous engagement." They slowed to a halt as they reached the tree, which had already begun to flail its limbs threateningly.

"A previous engagement?" Sirius snorted.

"Well, what was I supposed to tell her? 'Sorry I can't come tonight, Evans, but I totally forgot that one of my best friends is a werewolf and tonight's the full moon so we all have to head down in our illegal Animagus forms to keep him under control.'" He rolled his eyes as Peter transformed, rapidly shrinking down into his rat form, so he could touch the knot on the trunk.

And a strangled gasp came from behind them.

All three of them spun round, including Wormtail, to stare at Lily Evans, who was stepping out uncertainly from behind a tree, looking stunned.

Simultaneously, James and Sirius said, "Bugger." Peter gave a squeak that also sufficed as a fervent swear word.

"You," she said, staring wildly from one to another. "You... that..."

"That," Sirius announced loudly, "was a joke. Because we knew you were following us, so we said that to shock you! And it, it worked. So. Ha ha! Good on us."

Lily simply stared at Peter and James sighed. She wasn't going to buy it.

"Peter Pettigrew," she said as if determined to prove him correct, "just transformed into a rat in front of my eyes. And... and that's where Remus goes so regularly, isn't it? Everyone's noticed, that every month he starts to look even worse and more ill than usual, and he disappears for a few days, and... and it's because he's a werewolf. A--a bleeding werewolf!"

Sirius and James exchanged stricken glances. "No. Joke. That was," Sirius attempted in a small voice.

James took a step towards Lily, his hand outstretched. She flinched away as if suspecting him of being a Dark Creature that wanted nothing better than to make a snack of her flesh. "Look, Lily, let me explain," he said, letting his hand drop.

"We don't have time," Sirius said, dropping the act and glancing upward. The orange-red of the sunset was already beginning to fade into a dusky purple. "Prongs, we've got to get there. He's going to change soon."

James hesitated. "You two go ahead. I'll stay behind and explain." He had no choice in the matter, really. Lily looked as if she might any minute flee for her life, or perhaps to warn the entire school that one of the students was a vicious monster.

"All right," Sirius muttered after a moment. Peter scampered toward the trunk of the Willow, easily evading any branches that swung his way, and touched the knot, freezing the tree's limbs in place. Sirius glanced at Lily, shrugged, muttered something under his breath, and transformed into his own Animagus form. With that, both rat and dog slipped into the tunnel leading to the Shack.

Leaving James with the responsibility of calming Lily down and explaining everything to her. He'd rather face the werewolf, himself.

"What's going on?" she demanded finally. "You're illegal Animagi!? You... sneak out to control your werewolf friend?"

"Remus is our friend," he snapped. "And the fact that he's a werewolf doesn't change that a damn bit. He's a werewolf one night a month, but a living, breathing, feeling human the rest of the time."

"Don't be an idiot," she shot back. "I'm not saying you should stop being friends with him because he's a werewolf, and I'm perfectly aware of the fact that he's a living person. I happen to think that the way wizarding society treats werewolves is abominable, for your information, and if I feel anything new towards Remus, it's pity."

That took the wind out of James' sails quite well. He stared at her, admiration stirring inside of him as he realized he'd found a new reason to like Lily in that way. "Oh."

"I'm just... surprised, is all," she muttered, sinking back to lean against the tree she'd emerged from behind. "Well, shocked would be a better word for it. I followed you thinking I'd see your four up to some silly prank designed to land yourselves in detention, not something so serious."

"Oh. Yeah. Nosy of you, by the way," he added, quirking an eyebrow.

She reddened, but stared back at him defiantly. "Well, you're one to talk."

"Oh, it was a compliment, I assure you." He offered a slight grin, and after a moment she returned it.

"So what sort of animal are you, then?"

James blinked. He hadn't expected that question. "A stag," he replied cautiously.

"Really?" She tilted her head, gazing at him, and he shifted slightly under her scrutiny. She suddenly looked uncharacteristically hesitant. "Can I... see?"

"I guess so." James shrugged and willed himself to turn-- that was all it took anymore, after so much practice at it-- and felt the very fabric of what made him himself shift and change, writhe and separate and reform differently, the sensation now familiar rather than odd. A split second later and he stood on four slender legs, gazing down at Lily; The part of him that was James was now muted, still there, but not as prominent. Instead, he was Prongs, proud, majestic and calm.

Lily stared at him as if she'd never seen an Animagus transformation before, though she'd just seen Sirius and Peter and before that Professor McGonagall. This girl was unfamiliar to Prongs, but James's feelings for her were still there somewhere, and he didn't like her looking at him as though afraid. So he took a step towards her and lowered his head, nudging her shoulder gently with his nose.

She gace a start, but then tentatively lifted her hand to stroke his broad shoulder. "This is... unbelievable," she said in a great rush of breath.

Seized by a sudden mischievous impulse, James took back over and Prongs retreated as he transformed back into his human self, short fur and antlers retracting. In a heartbeat, James stood there, Lily's hand still resting on his shoulder, and he smiled suggestively.

Lily pulled her hand back as if burned and scowled at him. "Idiot," she mumbled, but it sounded more absent-minded than angry.

"What did you think?" he asked, feeling suddenly nervous, as if her opinion of his Animagus form was something deadly important.

Lily gazed at him for a long moment, then simply said, "You-- I mean-- The stag-you-- are... beautiful." She finished barely above a whisper.

James felt a surge of something-- not the absurd pride and self-satisfaction he expected, but something deeper, and profoundly more disturbing. He swallowed. "Thanks." Feeling the need to lighten the mood (not that this was an entirely bad atmosphere right now, but certainly unfamiliar, and being casual was what he was most comfortable with), he said, "So that's obviously where our nicknames come from, if you haven't realized yet. Prongs the stag, Moony the werewolf, Padfoot the dog, and Wormtail the rat."

"Oh, of course." Lily looked rather dazed, and James couldn't blame her. It had to be an awful lot of information to take in, after all.

"Hey, want to go for a ride?" he asked impulsively.

"A... ride?"

"Yeah. A ride on Prongs, round the lake." He wasn't sure what made him suggest it. Maybe it was that she seemed to like his other form, and Lily actually liking something about him was a novel and wonderful concept.

"I... I suppose so." She bit her lip, looking unsure.

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall or anything." He smiled at her, and she actually looked reassured.

-----

That night, Prongs cantered along the water's edge with the girl who inspired such complex feelings in James, the play of moonlight and shadow making them appear to flit in and out of existence like ghosts, and it was the most beautiful experience James had had.

He rather suspected that Lily felt the same.