Chapter8 - - - Tears in the Moonlight
~ * ~ * ~
Noel clutched at her brother's arm fearfully. "Do you think she's okay, James? She didn't look okay. Oh, gosh, I sure hope she's okay!!"
"Calm down, Noel. I'm sure she'll be fine..." but James didn't sound so sure.
Sirius seemed to be taking it the hardest. He had taken it as a personal insult that "Voldemort would DARE mess with her under my watch!" Right now he was viciously stabbing his food with his fork, muttering angrily.
"Oh, good, there they are! I hope Remus sorted everything out." Troy said, pointing.
Remus had just entered the Great Hall, Maria cradled in his arms like a child. As they watched, she tucked something in her pocket and buried her face in his shoulder.
They Slytherins were jeering. Remus looked over at the teachers's table. Dumbledore winked at him. So he tapped Maria, whispered something in her ear, and she threw something at the Slytherins. They immediately started howling with fury. It was a Flilbuster firework.
As soon as the pair reached the Gryffindor table, Sirius jumped up and removed Maria from Remus's arms. "Are you alright!? I'm really sorry this happened! Don't worry, we'll get revenge!"
"Sirius!" Lily exclaimed.
He turned to her. "Whaaaat!?"
"You're hogging her. She's our friend, too." Lily murmured, giving Maria a swift hug.
"I'll be alright, you guys..." Maria muttered. "It'll be fine..." her hand floated to a pocket in her robes. "Where did Apollo go? Did someone feed him?"
"I did." Troy jumped in.
"Thanks..." Maria rubbed her cheek absently. "We're gonna be late for History of Magic.."
Her friends got the message - she didn't want to talk about it right now. So they finished eating and went to Binns's classroom.
Professor Binns was the only ghost teacher in Hogwarts. His class was very boring and very methodic.
"Today," he said, "Professor Dumbledore has requested that I teach you about the Founders of Hogwarts."
Maria shut her eyes tightly, and patted her pocket again. (Is the whole world out to get me?) she thought. Remus noticed, and squeezed her shoulder.
"No one will find out," he whispered. "No one has found out about anything, have they?"
He was right, of course; Remus was always right.
"Please take your seats and we will begin the lesson."
No one seemed to enthusiastic about this, but they sat down anyway.
"Wake me up when it's over..." James said, yawning.
"The four Founders of Hogwarts were Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin. They...."
Remus yawned, too, and let his mind wander. Tonight was the full moon. He would leave soon. Then Maria would join him...they would have fun....like they did in the old times...
"...all the Founders had a pendant which they had passed down to their own heir..." Binns was saying.
Remus's ears perked up. That pendant.....
Maria elbowed him. "Don't look too interested!" she said.
Remus nodded, and the rest of the class passed uneventfully.
~ * ~ * ~
It was dark and stormy when Remus left Gryffindor Tower.
"Where ya goin', Remmie!?" Sirius said.
"I'm goin' to take my pregnancy test, Siri," Remus answered dryly, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, alright!" Sirius relaxed again. Then..."Waiiit a minute, who's the father!!?"
But Remus was gone.
Everyone laughed. Sirius was so stupid sometimes. But they really did wonder where Remus was going. It was even more surprising when Maria got up to leave, too.
"Now where are YOU going!?" Sirius asked, bewildered.
Maria grinned lightly at him. "I'm the father!" she quipped. Then she left.
Noel, Jenna, and Lily burst out laughing. So did James and Troy.
"But Maria!!" Sirius shrieked after her. "You said you would father MY baby!!" he buried his head in his arms and pretended to sob. 'But really, where did they both go?' He thought. 'I will get to the bottom of this!'
~ * ~ * ~
Remus's transformations were very painful. Being a werewolf was not fun. But Maria always made it better. She was there for him, as she had been when they were little. They grew up together. Parents were friends.
The transformation was complete. Remus threw his head back and looked around. Ah. The petite white wolf, Maria, was already there, swishing her bushy tail at him, a gleeful glint in her emerald eyes.
Just like old times.
~ * ~ * ~
It was late. Very late. But the Marauders were still awake. And Maria and Remus were not back yet. It was totally bugging Sirius.
"Why don't we just go look for them?" James finally suggested.
Sirius's blue eyes lit up. "What a great idea, Jamsie!"
"But all of us can't fit under the Invisibility Cloak." Troy pointed out doubtfully.
"We'll just use the Marauders' Map." Sirius said. "It'll be okay. It's not like we've never been out past curfew before."
So they set off. But Maria and Remus were not in the hospital wing.
"Hey, listen! Hear those howls outside?" Lily asked.
"Let's go check it out!" Jenna said excitedly.
"I thought we were looking for Maria and Remus." Noel frowned.
"Just a little detour." James assured her.
Troy checked his watch. "Wow, it's almost daybreak. We better hurry, you guys."
They ran out the front door, narrowly avoiding Peeves, who was writing rude words on the walls.
"Wonder where the howls came from?" Jenna mused. "The Forbidden Forest, maybe?"
"I heard some seventh years saying wolves lived in there." Troy chimed in.
But instead, they all wanted to check out the Whomping Willow. It was a strange tree, and it didn't like being hit. (lol)
Maybe it was the tree, being so interesting. Or maybe it was the driving rain that soaked their robes and impaired their vision.
Either way, they didn't see the wolf coming at them.
~ * ~ * ~
Maria and Remus were lucky. They could communicate with their thoughts. It helped Remus keep his own mind as a werewolf. But once he smelled human flesh, there was nothing Maria could do. Even as a wolf, he was much larger than her.
She immediately knew what had happened, of course. Their friends had gotten curious about her and Remus's whereabouts. But what had led them outside!?
It took all of Maria's strength to keep running and stay in front of Remus. She had to reach their friends before he did, because if he got there first, there wouldn't be any friends left...
When she was about five feet away and they had finally spotted her through tthe rain, she changed back into a human. "Get inside! Now! Hurry up!"
But they were astonished that she was an Animagus.
"Maria, you're-" Noel started to say, but was cut off by a howl. The werewolf Remus was coming upon the group.
"GET INSIDE NOW!!" Maria shrieked before going back to wolf-form. She lunged at Remus as he flashed past, but it was too late. He was on a direct path to-
'Sirius.'
Maria's green eyes locked onto him fearfully. He was next to James, helping him up. They'd both been hit by the Whomping Willow. She could see the crimson blood on them in the moonlight- blood that would undoubtedly excite Remus. It was up to her, she had to save them-
But suddenly, James and Sirius were gone, replaced by a huge black dog and a majestic stag. Remus skidded to a stop, growled, and took off after Lily, Noel, Jenna, and Troy.
The chase was on. James, Sirius, and Maria were right on Remus's heels...so close...but he was gaining on Jenna...
Noel tripped. That was all it took. Troy tried to help her, but Remus was on them in a second. Right after that, James, Maria, and Sirius joined the fight. They all heard Noel's sharp cry of pain, Troy's curses, Jenna and Lily's pleading screams....
The rain fell harder and thunder and lightning flashed through the sky as Remus howled his victory to the stars.
~ * ~ * ~
a/n: *gasp* Hehe. Hope you liked it. Thanks to reviewers - - - badangel00013, Clare, Sapphire of the Sea, Lil' Lily In A Pond, and WaNdA. Thanks! You guys are great! *hugs* I'll get the next chapter up soon. I'm on a roll, lol! Oh, and sorry, but I thought I mentioned it. They're in their sixth year right now. Sorry for confusion!
~ * ~ * ~
Noel clutched at her brother's arm fearfully. "Do you think she's okay, James? She didn't look okay. Oh, gosh, I sure hope she's okay!!"
"Calm down, Noel. I'm sure she'll be fine..." but James didn't sound so sure.
Sirius seemed to be taking it the hardest. He had taken it as a personal insult that "Voldemort would DARE mess with her under my watch!" Right now he was viciously stabbing his food with his fork, muttering angrily.
"Oh, good, there they are! I hope Remus sorted everything out." Troy said, pointing.
Remus had just entered the Great Hall, Maria cradled in his arms like a child. As they watched, she tucked something in her pocket and buried her face in his shoulder.
They Slytherins were jeering. Remus looked over at the teachers's table. Dumbledore winked at him. So he tapped Maria, whispered something in her ear, and she threw something at the Slytherins. They immediately started howling with fury. It was a Flilbuster firework.
As soon as the pair reached the Gryffindor table, Sirius jumped up and removed Maria from Remus's arms. "Are you alright!? I'm really sorry this happened! Don't worry, we'll get revenge!"
"Sirius!" Lily exclaimed.
He turned to her. "Whaaaat!?"
"You're hogging her. She's our friend, too." Lily murmured, giving Maria a swift hug.
"I'll be alright, you guys..." Maria muttered. "It'll be fine..." her hand floated to a pocket in her robes. "Where did Apollo go? Did someone feed him?"
"I did." Troy jumped in.
"Thanks..." Maria rubbed her cheek absently. "We're gonna be late for History of Magic.."
Her friends got the message - she didn't want to talk about it right now. So they finished eating and went to Binns's classroom.
Professor Binns was the only ghost teacher in Hogwarts. His class was very boring and very methodic.
"Today," he said, "Professor Dumbledore has requested that I teach you about the Founders of Hogwarts."
Maria shut her eyes tightly, and patted her pocket again. (Is the whole world out to get me?) she thought. Remus noticed, and squeezed her shoulder.
"No one will find out," he whispered. "No one has found out about anything, have they?"
He was right, of course; Remus was always right.
"Please take your seats and we will begin the lesson."
No one seemed to enthusiastic about this, but they sat down anyway.
"Wake me up when it's over..." James said, yawning.
"The four Founders of Hogwarts were Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin. They...."
Remus yawned, too, and let his mind wander. Tonight was the full moon. He would leave soon. Then Maria would join him...they would have fun....like they did in the old times...
"...all the Founders had a pendant which they had passed down to their own heir..." Binns was saying.
Remus's ears perked up. That pendant.....
Maria elbowed him. "Don't look too interested!" she said.
Remus nodded, and the rest of the class passed uneventfully.
~ * ~ * ~
It was dark and stormy when Remus left Gryffindor Tower.
"Where ya goin', Remmie!?" Sirius said.
"I'm goin' to take my pregnancy test, Siri," Remus answered dryly, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, alright!" Sirius relaxed again. Then..."Waiiit a minute, who's the father!!?"
But Remus was gone.
Everyone laughed. Sirius was so stupid sometimes. But they really did wonder where Remus was going. It was even more surprising when Maria got up to leave, too.
"Now where are YOU going!?" Sirius asked, bewildered.
Maria grinned lightly at him. "I'm the father!" she quipped. Then she left.
Noel, Jenna, and Lily burst out laughing. So did James and Troy.
"But Maria!!" Sirius shrieked after her. "You said you would father MY baby!!" he buried his head in his arms and pretended to sob. 'But really, where did they both go?' He thought. 'I will get to the bottom of this!'
~ * ~ * ~
Remus's transformations were very painful. Being a werewolf was not fun. But Maria always made it better. She was there for him, as she had been when they were little. They grew up together. Parents were friends.
The transformation was complete. Remus threw his head back and looked around. Ah. The petite white wolf, Maria, was already there, swishing her bushy tail at him, a gleeful glint in her emerald eyes.
Just like old times.
~ * ~ * ~
It was late. Very late. But the Marauders were still awake. And Maria and Remus were not back yet. It was totally bugging Sirius.
"Why don't we just go look for them?" James finally suggested.
Sirius's blue eyes lit up. "What a great idea, Jamsie!"
"But all of us can't fit under the Invisibility Cloak." Troy pointed out doubtfully.
"We'll just use the Marauders' Map." Sirius said. "It'll be okay. It's not like we've never been out past curfew before."
So they set off. But Maria and Remus were not in the hospital wing.
"Hey, listen! Hear those howls outside?" Lily asked.
"Let's go check it out!" Jenna said excitedly.
"I thought we were looking for Maria and Remus." Noel frowned.
"Just a little detour." James assured her.
Troy checked his watch. "Wow, it's almost daybreak. We better hurry, you guys."
They ran out the front door, narrowly avoiding Peeves, who was writing rude words on the walls.
"Wonder where the howls came from?" Jenna mused. "The Forbidden Forest, maybe?"
"I heard some seventh years saying wolves lived in there." Troy chimed in.
But instead, they all wanted to check out the Whomping Willow. It was a strange tree, and it didn't like being hit. (lol)
Maybe it was the tree, being so interesting. Or maybe it was the driving rain that soaked their robes and impaired their vision.
Either way, they didn't see the wolf coming at them.
~ * ~ * ~
Maria and Remus were lucky. They could communicate with their thoughts. It helped Remus keep his own mind as a werewolf. But once he smelled human flesh, there was nothing Maria could do. Even as a wolf, he was much larger than her.
She immediately knew what had happened, of course. Their friends had gotten curious about her and Remus's whereabouts. But what had led them outside!?
It took all of Maria's strength to keep running and stay in front of Remus. She had to reach their friends before he did, because if he got there first, there wouldn't be any friends left...
When she was about five feet away and they had finally spotted her through tthe rain, she changed back into a human. "Get inside! Now! Hurry up!"
But they were astonished that she was an Animagus.
"Maria, you're-" Noel started to say, but was cut off by a howl. The werewolf Remus was coming upon the group.
"GET INSIDE NOW!!" Maria shrieked before going back to wolf-form. She lunged at Remus as he flashed past, but it was too late. He was on a direct path to-
'Sirius.'
Maria's green eyes locked onto him fearfully. He was next to James, helping him up. They'd both been hit by the Whomping Willow. She could see the crimson blood on them in the moonlight- blood that would undoubtedly excite Remus. It was up to her, she had to save them-
But suddenly, James and Sirius were gone, replaced by a huge black dog and a majestic stag. Remus skidded to a stop, growled, and took off after Lily, Noel, Jenna, and Troy.
The chase was on. James, Sirius, and Maria were right on Remus's heels...so close...but he was gaining on Jenna...
Noel tripped. That was all it took. Troy tried to help her, but Remus was on them in a second. Right after that, James, Maria, and Sirius joined the fight. They all heard Noel's sharp cry of pain, Troy's curses, Jenna and Lily's pleading screams....
The rain fell harder and thunder and lightning flashed through the sky as Remus howled his victory to the stars.
~ * ~ * ~
a/n: *gasp* Hehe. Hope you liked it. Thanks to reviewers - - - badangel00013, Clare, Sapphire of the Sea, Lil' Lily In A Pond, and WaNdA. Thanks! You guys are great! *hugs* I'll get the next chapter up soon. I'm on a roll, lol! Oh, and sorry, but I thought I mentioned it. They're in their sixth year right now. Sorry for confusion!