Disclaimer: I didn't invent this. I'm just playing with JKR's stuff, here. I promise I won't break it and it'll be as good as new when I give it back.

Shhh...be quiet for a minute. Children! Shush! There, that's better. Now, take a break from everything for a second. Listen to the wind blowing in the trees. We are miles away from anything. Just think about that! I know, it's cold. We'll go back inside in a minute...but let me finish first.

Now look up at the sky for a moment. See all those stars? Millions of stars. No moon tonight...you can see everything. No lights from the city to block things out. Can anyone see the Big Dipper? Perfect, honey...what about Orion? Yes, exactly. Very good.

But can anyone see Canis Major? No? Not commonly known, is it? What about Lupus? Didn't think so.

They're right there, see that bright star? It's called Sirius. The Dog Star. That's how you find Canis Major. Then, a little over there...right there. That's Lupus. Not as visible now as it will be in June, but you can still see it.

Do you know what the names of those constellations mean? No? Canis Major is the greater dog. Lupus is the wolf. Both of them are animals. There are more animals in the sky, but...well, I'll tell you that later. But for now, look up again, look at all those stars. There's no moon tonight.

The story I'm about to tell you has been lost and forgotten among the world...but to us, it lives on. Do not tell this story to anyone else, for they would not understand.

It is on a night like tonight, a clear February night with no moon, and not a cloud in the sky, that our story begins.

"James! James! JAMES!"

James looked up at the sound of his name. "WHAT?" he said irritably to the figure sprinting across the Common Room towards him. He had a five foot Potions essay to do, and he couldn't seem to get past the first sentence.

"Look at this! LOOK at this!" Sirius shoved a book in his face, pushing the meaningless essay out of the way.

James sighed heavily. "Werewolves are generally seen as highly dangerous to everything and everyone around them, but this is in fact not true. To other animals, they are perfectly safe. It is only to humans that werewolves are a threat," he read, "So?"

"SO! What do you mean so?" Sirius sighed heavily at James' blank expression, and shoved another book in his face. "Read this, you thick headed numbskull. I knew there was a reason people called me the smart one."

"You wish," muttered James automatically. Sirius didn't reply, as he was busy bouncing up and down impatiently, waiting for James to finish reading.

"The Animagus transformation is an extremely difficult process, and should only be attempted by fully trained wizards, but once accomplished, the witch or wizard can--BLOODY HELL!" James dropped the book like a hot coal, feeling his excitement build. "SIRIUS!"

"YEAH!" Sirius yelled back.

"Have you showed Remus?"

"He's in the Hospital Wing, you idiot."

"Why? It hasn't been a full moon for ages!"

"After that hex Snape got him with? Are you kidding? He'll be there for at least a day."

"Then what are we doing still sitting here?"

"You're asking me? I said we should turn Snape into a multicolored tree frog, but nooo..."

James sighed impatiently. "Not that, you dolt. I meant this! We have to show Remus," he said, "Check and see if it's okay with him. I mean, if we're going to do this for him, we can't just--"

"Okay, okay, I get the point. But then can we turn Snape into a frog?"

"Of course we can."

"What? Why did you argue with me before?"

"Because the Head Girl was standing three feet away from us, you dolt!"

"Ohhhhh..."

"But first we have to talk to Remus. Now come on!" The two boys bounded out of the Common Room, Potions essay lying forgotten on the table.

"--and so, all we have to do is--"

"--the spell, and then, don't you see, we'll be able to--"

"--go with you, and you'll be calmed down, and we can have--"

"Great fun!" finished Sirius excitedly.

Remus blinked up at the two idiots sitting at his bedside, waiting eagerly for his response. "Um, guys--"

"Of course, it'll be complicated," James said quickly, "But--"

"That's the best part!" Sirius interrupted, "We'll be the youngest Animaguses ever!"

James rolled his eyes. "Animagi, Sirius."

"Yeah, Animaguses," Sirius agreed proudly.

Remus burst out laughing in spite of himself. "Don't you have to register and everything?" he reminded them.

The horrified looks on both the boys' faces were classics. "Register?" exclaimed James, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Do it the legal way?" said Sirius at the same time. "You're kidding, right?"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Obviously not."

James caught the undertone in Remus' voice, and his face changed from playfully shocked to serious in a split second. "Remus," he said quietly, "We--" his voiced cracked, and he swallowed. "We know what it's like. Well, we don't, not really," he amended with a small grin, "But we have a pretty good idea. We don't want you to be alone. We want to help you."

"You'll be putting yourselves in danger," Remus reminded them, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice, "All because of me. What if I--" he felt his throat tighten and stopped quickly. "You couldn't do that, just for--"

"Oh, stop it," Sirius interrupted impatiently, "You're worth it, okay? If you weren't, we wouldn't be trying to convince you to let us do this."

"You are both too reckless," Remus cut in sharply, "I've told you all along you're going to get yourselves killed. Sometimes I'm just kidding, sometimes I don't put up much of a fuss because it doesn't really matter. But this--this is serious! This is your lives! This is the law! This isn't just some school rule...you could be put in Azkaban for this!"

"Remus--" James began.

"No, don't 'Remus' me, I'm not done. Listen to me for once, James, Sirius, there's one more thing. Yes, it's against the law, yes you could be killed, but I admit that you could avoid those things. But there's something more serious than that - no, don't use that pun on me."

Remus looked at James, then Sirius, dead in the eyes. "You two have a reputation for being reckless. You curse first years, you torture Snape, you show off in front of the whole school by hexing whoever happens to be in your way...and so far I've just let it go. But if you're going to become the youngest Animagi ever, especially if you're doing it for me, you have to promise me that you will not use it to cause mischief."

Sirius and James exchanged glances. "Ever?" Sirius said at last.

Remus sighed. "Clear it with me first," he conceded.

The other two boys brightened considerably. "Well, I promise!" Sirius said enthusiastically.

"Me too," James said after Remus looked at him.

Remus sighed and leaned back, only slightly reassured. "I'm still not sure," he admitted, "I can't believe you two would give up pranks and all that and attempt to do something this dangerous just because of me."

Sirius looked him in the eyes, and Remus met them, studying them critically. If one ever had any doubts about what Sirius was thinking, all they had to do was look in his eyes. They gave away his emotions without his even knowing; even the professors had picked up that if you everwanted to know what went on inside Sirius Black's head, all you had to do was look in his eyes and you would know if he was being devious or telling the truth.

Malfoy and Snape knew, and could always tell when they were winding him up. James knew, and used them to figure out what prank the boy was planning.

But only Remus knew how far the emotions in his friend's eyes went. Only Remus could spot true friendship, and only Remus knew pure hatred. No one else could tell the difference between dislike and hatred, acquaintance and real friendship.

Perhaps it was because Remus had spent so many hours learning to guard his own eyes. He had guarded his secret from the world since he was very young, and many years of experience had led to him being able to pull that veil over his emotions with little or no effort. He could only hope Sirius would never be like that; that his eyes would remain open and obvious for the rest of his life.

Now, Remus was using this skill to its full extent. Sirius' eyes were, as usual, open books. And in them, Remus read friendship. Friendship, love and loyalty...and he cared. He didn't want Remus to suffer all this time. Remus read the helplessness, the feeling that he couldn't just sit there and wait while his best friend was tearing himself to pieces. And the excitement! The fun of becoming unregistered Animaguses--Animagi--and doing things beyond anything anyone thought them capable of.

Their friendship was on the line again, and Remus knew it. If he refused help, would Sirius abandon him? Remus squinted, studying Sirius' eyes, and grinned. No, Sirius would never. He would probably just do it anyway.

And in that moment, that small moment where everything teetered on the edge of life and death, Remus smiled. "All right then," he said, "But be careful!"

Sirius shot up, his fist punching the air. "YES!"

And their friendship not only left the line, but destroyed it completely. Because now James was holding Sirius back from jumping on Remus' bed and hugging him, and probably killing him in the process, and Remus was laughing, and Sirius was grinning, and James was looking excited, and Madam Pomfrey was yelling at them...and everything was so right.

So, you see, children, that was how it began. What's that? You want more? Oh, no, I don't think so. It's past your bedtime! Your mother will kill me if I let you...quiet, dear, you're not helping! No, I'm not telling the rest. You'll have to wait. What's that? I'm not telling you when, dear child! But I will tell you this. Watch the sky, child, every night. Watch it and tell me where the moon is and how it looks.

And when the moon is right, and the sky is right, I will tell you more of the story.

Now, to bed! Right now! All of you!