Chapter 6
A few days later, Sirius and Roseline were to be found sitting side by side on the lake shore, finishing off their transfiguration project.
"There," said Sirius, ending his sentence with a flourish. "All done."
Roseline sighed with relief and collapsed backwards into the grass. Sirius yawned and leant back onto his elbows. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Roseline spoke again.
"Sirius?"
"Hmm?"
"You never did tell me about how you became an animagus."
"Sit up."
Roseline propped herself up against the trunk of a large beech tree. "All right," she said. "I'm sitting up."
Sirius looked around carefully.
"Now, you swear not to tell anyone?"
"Of course not."
"Okay. The first thing you should know is that I didn't do it alone."
"But-"Roseline began, but Sirius held up his hand.
"I didn't have professional help. Myself, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew are all animagi."
Roseline gaped at him. It was a few seconds before she could speak, and then a few more as she tried to decide which of the many questions racing round her head to ask first.
"But why not Lupin?" She asked. It wasn't the first question she had thought of, but it was the only one she thought she could trust herself to say correctly at the present time.
"I'm coming to that. You see, there was a reason that we all became animagi, a proper reason. I mean, obviously, we thought it would be cool and everything, but that on its own wouldn't have been enough. Last year, however, we discovered something about Remus. He had a terrible secret, which he had been hiding all his life. But we guessed the truth, so he gave in and confirmed it himself. Remus Lupin is a werewolf."
Roseline's mind was spinning even worse than before. Remus Lupin, a werewolf? She never would have thought it, ever. But now that she thought about it, she began to see that it made sense. So that's why he always looks so tired, she thought. That's why he's always sick.
She suddenly realised that Sirius was watching her carefully. He seemed to be trying to deduce if he had just made a massive mistake in telling her. Noticing this, Roseline snapped out of her daze.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's okay. Now, we guessed that we could use this to our advantage. We thought that, if only we could make it safe for ourselves, it would open up a world of possibilities. Remus wasn't so sure, but we convinced him. So we set about thinking of ways to make it safe for ourselves. We decided to become animagi. We had long been contemplating the idea, and we could see that it would have all things we would need for our plans. If we were animals, no-one would recognise us, and not only that, we would be safe, because a werewolf is only a danger to humans. It took us almost a year, but we did it. We became animagi. Since then we've snuck out of the castle every full moon to have an adventure."
Sirius paused in his storytelling and looked to Roseline, a mischevious smile playing on his lips.
"Have you ever noticed the nicknames that we use with each other?" He asked. Roseline thought about it.
"Yes," she said slowly. "You're Padfoot. Remus....Moony?" Sirius nodded.
"Oh, I see now!" Said Roseline excitedly as she suddenly realised what he was talking about. "Of course! A werewolf is Moony. A dog is Padfoot. But what are the other two names?"
Sirius opened his mouth, but Roseline beat him to it. "Oh wait, I remember now, James is Prongs. I've heard you call him that a few times. But what creature could that be? And what's Peter?"
Sirius grinned. "Peter is Wormtail, a rat. Prongs is a stag."
Roseline stared at the ground for a moment. "Wow."
"So you're not going to report me?"
"No. Especially not now."
Sirius looked at her questioningly, but she didn't see him.
"You guys became animagi for your friend," she mused.
"Yeah," said Sirius, who was starting to feel nervous, although he wasn't entirely sure why. "That's what friends are for, isn't it?"
Roseline remained quiet, and lay back in the grass again. "That's really sweet," she said.
Sirius hadn't expected that. He lost his balance, and fell back onto the ground, landing with a thud beside her.
"What? I mean, sorry?"
Roseline didn't answer. Instead she rolled over so that she was facing him, and cupped his face in her palms. His dark eyes widened in surprise as she leant forward and he felt her soft lips brush against his. He came to his senses and closed his eyes as well, returning the kiss gently. Roseline shivered as his fingers caressed her spine, and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her slender figure.
Eventually they drew apart. They were both flushed and slightly out of breath, and both decidedly ruffled looking. Roseline's eyes were shining, and looking at her, Sirius thought to himself that even with her robes all scuffed and her hair even untidier than usual, she was still one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen.
As Sirius helped her to her feet, Roseline noticed that he still bore the marks of his battle with the spider. She felt a twinge of guilt as she spotted the nasty gashes on his arms and the large purple bruise on his collar bone.
"Did you not go to Madam Pomfrey that time?"
"I don't need it. I'm grand."
Roseline shook her head. "I'm serious, I think you should. Those cuts look nasty."
"I told you, I'm fine. Now come on, don't ruin a good afternoon by fussing about me like an old mother hen."
Roseline smiled despite herself as Sirius bent down to help her collect their transfiguration work. His hand brushed against hers and she felt a shock run through her body, but when she glanced at him he was looking the other way. He straightened up and waited for her as she gathered her things before they set off back to the castle..........
A few days later, Sirius and Roseline were to be found sitting side by side on the lake shore, finishing off their transfiguration project.
"There," said Sirius, ending his sentence with a flourish. "All done."
Roseline sighed with relief and collapsed backwards into the grass. Sirius yawned and leant back onto his elbows. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Roseline spoke again.
"Sirius?"
"Hmm?"
"You never did tell me about how you became an animagus."
"Sit up."
Roseline propped herself up against the trunk of a large beech tree. "All right," she said. "I'm sitting up."
Sirius looked around carefully.
"Now, you swear not to tell anyone?"
"Of course not."
"Okay. The first thing you should know is that I didn't do it alone."
"But-"Roseline began, but Sirius held up his hand.
"I didn't have professional help. Myself, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew are all animagi."
Roseline gaped at him. It was a few seconds before she could speak, and then a few more as she tried to decide which of the many questions racing round her head to ask first.
"But why not Lupin?" She asked. It wasn't the first question she had thought of, but it was the only one she thought she could trust herself to say correctly at the present time.
"I'm coming to that. You see, there was a reason that we all became animagi, a proper reason. I mean, obviously, we thought it would be cool and everything, but that on its own wouldn't have been enough. Last year, however, we discovered something about Remus. He had a terrible secret, which he had been hiding all his life. But we guessed the truth, so he gave in and confirmed it himself. Remus Lupin is a werewolf."
Roseline's mind was spinning even worse than before. Remus Lupin, a werewolf? She never would have thought it, ever. But now that she thought about it, she began to see that it made sense. So that's why he always looks so tired, she thought. That's why he's always sick.
She suddenly realised that Sirius was watching her carefully. He seemed to be trying to deduce if he had just made a massive mistake in telling her. Noticing this, Roseline snapped out of her daze.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's okay. Now, we guessed that we could use this to our advantage. We thought that, if only we could make it safe for ourselves, it would open up a world of possibilities. Remus wasn't so sure, but we convinced him. So we set about thinking of ways to make it safe for ourselves. We decided to become animagi. We had long been contemplating the idea, and we could see that it would have all things we would need for our plans. If we were animals, no-one would recognise us, and not only that, we would be safe, because a werewolf is only a danger to humans. It took us almost a year, but we did it. We became animagi. Since then we've snuck out of the castle every full moon to have an adventure."
Sirius paused in his storytelling and looked to Roseline, a mischevious smile playing on his lips.
"Have you ever noticed the nicknames that we use with each other?" He asked. Roseline thought about it.
"Yes," she said slowly. "You're Padfoot. Remus....Moony?" Sirius nodded.
"Oh, I see now!" Said Roseline excitedly as she suddenly realised what he was talking about. "Of course! A werewolf is Moony. A dog is Padfoot. But what are the other two names?"
Sirius opened his mouth, but Roseline beat him to it. "Oh wait, I remember now, James is Prongs. I've heard you call him that a few times. But what creature could that be? And what's Peter?"
Sirius grinned. "Peter is Wormtail, a rat. Prongs is a stag."
Roseline stared at the ground for a moment. "Wow."
"So you're not going to report me?"
"No. Especially not now."
Sirius looked at her questioningly, but she didn't see him.
"You guys became animagi for your friend," she mused.
"Yeah," said Sirius, who was starting to feel nervous, although he wasn't entirely sure why. "That's what friends are for, isn't it?"
Roseline remained quiet, and lay back in the grass again. "That's really sweet," she said.
Sirius hadn't expected that. He lost his balance, and fell back onto the ground, landing with a thud beside her.
"What? I mean, sorry?"
Roseline didn't answer. Instead she rolled over so that she was facing him, and cupped his face in her palms. His dark eyes widened in surprise as she leant forward and he felt her soft lips brush against his. He came to his senses and closed his eyes as well, returning the kiss gently. Roseline shivered as his fingers caressed her spine, and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her slender figure.
Eventually they drew apart. They were both flushed and slightly out of breath, and both decidedly ruffled looking. Roseline's eyes were shining, and looking at her, Sirius thought to himself that even with her robes all scuffed and her hair even untidier than usual, she was still one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen.
As Sirius helped her to her feet, Roseline noticed that he still bore the marks of his battle with the spider. She felt a twinge of guilt as she spotted the nasty gashes on his arms and the large purple bruise on his collar bone.
"Did you not go to Madam Pomfrey that time?"
"I don't need it. I'm grand."
Roseline shook her head. "I'm serious, I think you should. Those cuts look nasty."
"I told you, I'm fine. Now come on, don't ruin a good afternoon by fussing about me like an old mother hen."
Roseline smiled despite herself as Sirius bent down to help her collect their transfiguration work. His hand brushed against hers and she felt a shock run through her body, but when she glanced at him he was looking the other way. He straightened up and waited for her as she gathered her things before they set off back to the castle..........
