Playing Stupid

The full moon was shining though the window of Gryffindor tower, and all of the Marauders expect Remus sat in the common room. I sat close to the window, watching the Whomping Willow wave its branches menacingly at some bats. James and Sirius were supposed to be practicing the Growth Charm, but were playing a game of Gobstones instead. Peter let out a shrill laugh, and I turned to see Sirius covered in goo. He didn't look happy. While Sirius was pulling out his wand to glean himself up, a howl pierced though the otherwise silent night air. Peter looked up, white-faced, and I turned my attention back to the window. "I wish we could help you, Remus," I said to myself as I looked out. I knew one day there would be the Wolfsbane Potion, but as I was failing miserably at potions, I knew I wouldn't be the one to invent it.

"What was that, Juliet?" asked James, who was walking to the window.

"I want to help Remus," my mouth said with no consent from my mind. I screamed at myself inside: You fool! Of course he'll be helped! Didn't you read the third book?

"That's not a bad idea," muttered James, ruffling his already untidy hair. "Not a bad thought at all..."

It took one week and a well-placed Transfiguration class for James to get the idea of becoming Animagi. We had a substitute teacher named Professor Deneb for the Transfiguration class on the next Monday. He explained that Professor McGonagall had to go to the Office of Regulation and Control of Animagi at the Ministry of Magic in London to get her license renewed. Without that, she wouldn't be allowed to transform. James, always alert in Transfiguration, caught this, and I could practically see his ears prick up. James innocently asked a few more questions, and ended up with a small list of books on Animagi that could be found in the Hogwarts library.

After dinner was over, James fetched the Invisibility Cloak and we made our way to the library. James, after four hours of reading, finally announced what he had been thinking: "We should become Animagi," he whispered, "to help Moony." During the week, Sirius had pulled the name 'Moony' out of thin air for when we were talking about the times Remus was transformed, but it had become his nickname. "It says here that Animagi in animal form can't be tuned into werewolves! We can help him, for sure."

"That sounds hard," said Peter, a quaver in his voice. I looked around at the faces of the other Marauders. Sirius and James had their noses in Animagi books, and Remus... he looked hopeful.

"James, we're only first years, we can't do magic that hard," I said before I could stop myself. Lately, I had been noticing that happening, knowing that one thing would happen, yet saying the complete opposite.

"I know it's tough, and it takes a few years, but we could do it by fourth or fifth year-"

He was cut of by the sound of a door opening, and McGonagall, who had returned earlier, saying "Who's in there? I hear you!" James through the Cloak over himself, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and mouthing "Sorry," while he did it. McGonagall's candlelight blinded me for a second, but then my eyes adjusted. "What are you doing here, Reilly?" she asked.

I decided to play stupid (maybe a little too stupid). "I don't know," I said.

"Don't lie to me, girl, I know you're one of... one of them."

"One of who?"

"You know... Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew."

"Who?"

McGonagall turned red "Your friends, idiot girl! The boys you are constantly causing trouble with! What do they call themselves? The Mess-Arounders, or something!"

"Come again?"

"You know! Them! The Thingies... the Messers... the Marvelous ones... Merlin! Help me out here!"

"With what?"

"The boy with glasses! The tall one with long hair! You know, Potter and Black!" screamed McGonagall.

"Huh?"

"Short one with blonde hair! Brown hair- Pettigrew and Lupin!"

"Who are...?"

"Your FRIENDS, idiot girl!"

"Which are...?"

"Friends! Partners in crime! What ever you want to call them!"

I was getting to her now. "Call what?"

She was shaking with fury. "Get to bed, girl, get to bed quick!"

"Where?"

"GRIFFINDOR TOWER!"

"Oh... Where's that?"

"You know perfectly well where it is, girl, now get out of here!"

I left that time, waiting outside for the others, who pulled the Cloak over my head. "That was brilliant!" said Sirius. "You should have seen McGonagall after you left! It was absolutely incredible!"

Yes, being called 'brilliant' by a Marauder was... interesting. Part of me thought a bout the books I loved, and another part thought about my friends, and well, life. It was all very hard. This was Sirius Black, favorite character, Marauder, friend.

You have no idea what that's like.

In time, we all agreed to the Animagi idea, but we all decided to wait a while- until we knew more magic. This meant, some research, but mostly normal life, which included waiting for the Christmas Holidays. Presumably, I'd be going 'home'. Unfortunately, although I knew I lived in Ireland, I was at a loss for where. It was odd, not knowing. The details of my life that I had made up so far were true, but it seemed a little confused inside my own head. It felt like someone had filled my head with the details, and then added some cotton wool and took out a few major details, just to make it a little more fun.

I wasn't laughing.