Chapter 18: Moonlight Sonata
"They know!" Lily asked, completely shocked at what her best friend had just relayed to her, "How do they know?" Sairina sighed and rolled her eyes. The two girls were currently in the library attempting to do homework, but Sairina had told Lily that all the Marauders now knew she was a princess.
"Yes they know," Sairina said looking up from her transfiguration essay, "Remus slipped up and they pounced on him and got all the information out of him they could." She went back to her essay.
"So they know," Lily confirmed twirling her quill, "How much do they know?" Sairina sighed and set down her quill. She could tell this was going to go on for a while.
"They know as much as Remus knows," Sairina said.
"Does it not worry you that they know?" Lily asked cocking an eyebrow. Sairina rubbed her temples.
"No, I'm not worried that they know because Remus knows that even though they know they won't do anything with the information they know," Sairina said. She hated playing this game, but because they were in the library they had to keep things general so they wouldn't be overheard.
"How do you know this for sure?" Lily asked. She was concerned about her friend and feared that the simple lifestyle she had established here was in jeopardy because the Marauders knew her secret.
"I know because Remus told me so and he knows them better than anyone else in this school," Sairina said. Lily gasped suddenly.
"Do they know you know?" Lily asked. Sairina raised an eyebrow.
"Do they know that I know what?" Sairina asked quickly getting tired of this game.
"Do they know that you know that they know?" Lily asked. Sairina pondered this for a moment.
"I'm pretty sure they know that I know that they know," Sairina said, "Remus said that he had told them that he was going to tell me that they knew. So I'm pretty sure that they know that I know that they know. I'm pretty sure that they know that you know too."
"They know that I know?" Lily asked, "How?" Sairina groaned in irritation.
"It's obvious that you would know because you are my best friend," Sairina said through her teeth, "It would only be logical that you would be the first to know about it; therefore they can assume that you know whatever they know if not more so because we are closer and you know me better," Sairina was starting to get dizzy from all this talk, "To put it more simply: you, James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus are the only students who know what I am, to what degrees everybody knows me is questionable. But all of the people I just mentioned know." Lily nodded.
"Got it," she said smiling and turning back to her essay, but Sairina tapped her arm.
"Good," she said smiling sarcastically, "Now explain it to me." Lily rolled her eyes and went back to working on her essay. Little did the girls know, Remus was having this same conversation with the boys in their dormitory.
"So she knows?" James asked and Remus nodded.
"Does she know everything?" Sirius asked looking intently at his friend. Remus let out a sigh.
"I do not want to play this game," Remus said snapping his book shut, "She knows I'm a werewolf; she knows that you lot knows she's a princess; she does not know that you are in the process of becoming illegal animagi." The other three boys nodded and the room fell into silence, but it was short lived.
"How did she react when she found out that we know," Peter asked looking up from his Charms textbook. Remus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"She was very calm," he said tiredly, "she actually said she was planning on telling you before the end of the year, but she was waiting until she was more comfortable around you." The other boys nodded and James looked at his watch.
"Sirius, we need to get going," James piped up, "We were supposed to be at the Quidditch Pitch . . ."
"How much time do we have before practice?" Sirius asked hopping up from his bed and stretching. James looked at his watch again.
"We were supposed to be there five minutes ago," James said, and both boys sprinted out of the small room uttering strings of swear words.
/0/0/
The Saturday of the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match dawned gloomy and rainy. This caused the entire school populace to groan, more so than the players. It wasn't just a light shower either. It was a full torrential downpour complete with high winds and rumbling thunder. Sairina sauntered down to the Great Hall and sat with the rest of her team when Adrian strode in and handed them their rain gear.
What startled his teammates was the maniacal smile on his face.
"Umm, Baine . . ." Dave Brody, one of the beaters, said uncertainly, "Are you alright? Perhaps you have something to share with the rest of the team?" Baine's smile, if it were possible, grew wider.
"I love rain," he said and everyone stared at him confused, "Gryffindor's seeker is your typical seeker, light, thin, agile . . . He won't stand a chance in this weather . . . whereas, our lovely Mr. Hunnington here has got a bit more meat on his bones with the same agility level." The rest of his team began laughing. After getting a quick bite, the team stood and left the hall. Cheers from Ravenclaw and Slytherin followed them out. The team rolled their eyes collectively when they saw the green clad students stand to give them an ovation.
The only reason they were cheering for the Ravenclaw team was because they didn't want Gryffindor to win.
The Ravenclaws went to their locker room in complete and utter silence, allowing the falling drops of water to be the only noise. Once they were dressed in their Quidditch robes, pads, and rain gear, they sat in silence as they listened to the stands fill and the rain fall. Finally turning to his team, Adrian began to speak.
"We can do this you guys, I know we can," Adrian said confidently, "Just a few things before we go out there. Telcontar and Whithers, you two are obviously on the lighter side of the weight spectrum, so be careful out there and keep a firm grip on the broom. You guys could feel how windy it was walking to the pitch; well it's only going to be worse once you're in the air.
"Brody and Keller, the bludgers are going to be wild with this wind," Adrian said carefully, "Do your best to keep them under control. Wright and Telcontar, it'll be hard, but keep focused on each other and me, we need to work together flawlessly because visibility is low. And Hunnington . . . catch that snitch as fast as you fucking can." The team laughed at this last remarked before putting their hands in.
"One, two, three," Adrian said calmly.
"RAVENCLAW," the team shouted as they grabbed their brooms and walked to the holding area. The players of both teams were quickly announced by Ludo Bagman (a seventh-year Hufflepuff beater), the newest commentator after a long line of failures since Sam Jordan graduated. While he did commentary for most of the games, people were going to have to be rotated in and out whenever Hufflepuff had to play.
After doing a quick warm-up lap (and getting thoroughly soaked) both teams met in the center of the field. James Potter and Adrian Baine stepped forward to meet.
"I want a clean game, boys," Madame Hooch said sternly, "Shake hands and wait for my whistle." The boys shook hands and rejoined their respective teams. "Mount your brooms." The teams did so and Madame Hooch looked around locking eyes with the seekers, "For God's sake, lads, catch this snitch quick. On my whistle: three, two . . ." A loud screech filled the air as the players kicked off and the balls were released. Sairina quickly darted forward (pushed mainly by the wind) and grabbed the quaffle and hurled it to Adrian. The game was on.
An hour and a half later, there was no sign of the storm letting up or the snitch being found. If anything, the storm was getting worse. As far as the players could tell from the distant muffled commentating, the score was 180-100, Gryffindor winning. Adrian looked to his teammates and could see that battling the wind and rain along with the Gryffindors were draining them of all their energy. He shot a look at James who, from the look in his eyes, could tell his team was beginning to feel the strain as well.
The captains locked eyes as both their hands locked on the quaffle at the same time.
"This is getting ridiculous," Adrian said and James nodded.
"Do you think if we both approached Hooch, she'd call it on weather?" James asked as they pretended to struggled for the quaffle. Adrian shook his head.
"She'd make one team forfeit," Adrian said, "Right now that would be us because I think we're behind, and I'm not ready to throw in the towel quite . . ." Suddenly there was a tumultuous roar as the seekers went shooting down the field, Hunnington in the lead because Michael Goings (the Gryffindor seeker) kept being blown off course, just as Adrian predicted. Adrian released the quaffle and James cringed at the look of triumph on Adrian's face.
Hunnington suddenly stopped and held the snitch up in his soaked hand. Ravenclaw won: 250-180.
The players all flew down to the field quickly as students began filing out of the stands to seek the shelter of the castle. Standing in the middle of the field, all the players (not caring about getting wet further because they were already soaked) shook hands and congratulated each other on the well played game despite the weather. Sairina went to shake Sirius Black's hand, but was startled when he gave her a small flourished bow instead.
"Milady," he said with a charming smile and his long wet black locks in his eyes before turning with the rest of his team and going back to the Gryffindor lockers. Sairina laughed to herself as she watched him go. Her teammates looked at her questioningly, but she just shook her head.
"What was that about?" Samantha asked as they went back to their lockers. Sairina smiled.
"Nothing," she said lightly, "It's just a little inside joke."
/0/0/
The days dragged on for the students in a monotonous manner. Day in and day out it was the routine all students worked themselves into around this time of the year. The weather grew worse and worse outside; and the subjects grew steadily more difficult. Remus had arrived at Transfiguration early and sunk into his seat with a great sigh.
"Is something wrong Mr. Lupin?" Professor McGonagall asked as she looked up from the essays she was grading. Remus yawned tiredly.
"Just to much stress," he replied slowly, "Preparing for the O.W.L.s, Prefect duties, keeping my friends in check, being in a steady relationship," he paused and looked around the empty room and back at the door before continuing, "Transforming into a terror once a month . . . It's just a lot to deal with." The professor gave one of her rare smiles to Remus.
"I'm sure you'll be able to handle it all," she said astutely, "'What does not kill us, only makes us stronger,' or so they say. Perhaps you could cut a few things out of your schedule." Remus let out a snort.
"You want the others to start again with their complex pranks instead of the little ones they have been doing?" Remus asked the professor who laughed.
"No, Mr. Lupin," she replied removing her glasses, "but who is this girl you're seeing? Perhaps you could take a break for a while." She went back to grading papers.
"It's Sairina Telcontar, Professor," Remus said smiling as the older witch started at the mention of the princess's name, "And don't worry, I know. She told me last year when we started dating. I had to get her father's permission." Professor McGonagall stared at him in amazement.
"That long," the Professor murmured half to herself, half to Remus, "I must be really out of the loop on student gossip . . ." Remus laughed, but the classroom suddenly began to fill with students, cutting their conversation short.
"Hey Remus," James greeted his friend as the rest of the Marauders approached his table, "Practice tonight?" Remus nodded. Over the weeks, both Sirius and James had mastered the Animagus transformation, and Peter was nearly there.
"I think I'll be able to do it tonight," Peter said excitedly as he claimed the chair next to Remus. Remus smiled at his friend.
"Good," he said with a broad, vindictive smile, "because I have your nicknames all picked out." His friends groaned; they had forgotten about the nicknames.
"Just remember," Sirius said shaking his finger at his friend, "yours isn't that bad." The four boys laughed as Professor McGonagall stood and started that day's lecture.
/0/0/
It was seven thirty and the boys were once again in the Room of Requirement. Remus, James, and Sirius were all perched on various chairs or tables comfortably. They were all cheering their smaller friend on.
"C'mon Peter," Sirius said as he kicked his legs up onto a nearby table, "We know you can do it."
Peter closed his eyes and pulled into himself. Almost at once, he began to sprout fur and shrink. His features changed and became more rodent-like. His limbs shrunk into his body and he sprouted a tail. Before the others knew it, Peter was gone and there was a large gray rat in his place. The boys let out a cheer.
"Wait," Remus said, "he has to hold it for five minutes and willingly change out of it. This is the part he had trouble with . . ." The boys continued encouraging their friend, and Sirius kept an eye on his pocket watch. After the longest five minutes in the world, a roguish smile spread across his face.
"Time," he said and all the boys turned to the rat who changed steadily back into their friend. All three boys rushed forward and began shaking their friend's hand and slapping him on the back. The air was filled with, "Good job, Peter," and "Brilliant mate." Remus cleared his throat loudly and the other boys looked at him with the slightest traces of worry on their faces and in their eyes.
"Now for the nicknames," Remus said as he paced before his friends, "I've been giving these a lot of thought at night before I go to bed. I think they're accurate and appropriate . . ." he turned to Peter first, "Wormtail." He looked at Sirius, "Padfoot." Finally he locked eyes with James, "Prongs." The boys all groaned somewhat, but then James smiled.
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," James said aloud, "I like it." The other boys began to nod and gave murmurs of agreement. Suddenly Peter started forward and grabbed their map off the table. Turning to the others he smiled.
"We can give it that final Marauder flare," he said triumphantly. The other boys all smiled as they summoned up the map. They looked at the empty expanse above the map.
"Alright," James said pulling out a quill and dipping it in a bottle of green ink, "Misters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs . . ."
"No, no," Sirius interrupted, "It needs to have more flair than that, 'Messieurs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.' Oh, but abbreviate Messieurs, it'd be M-e-s-s-r-s period." James in very exquisite calligraphy wrote out the first line.
"Amazing, Prongs," Peter said brightly, "now we need some type of unofficial title."
"Yes," agreed James, "we intend to pass this on to future generations of pranksters, correct?" The other boys nodded.
"How about 'Providers of Help . . .'" Sirius began, but was quickly interrupted.
"'Purveyors of Aids,'" Remus said, "It sounds more classy." The other boys laughed.
"'Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers,'" Peter said and the other boys looked at him, "What?"
"Brilliant mate!" Sirius exclaimed as James wrote it down.
"Well it needed to have alliteration," Peter said astutely, "'Solemnly swear' and 'mischief managed' have alliteration, so it would make sense that our title would too." The three other boys stared at their friend, "What!" he demanded again.
"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Peter?" Sirius asked and was promptly smacked in the face by a pillow. James looked back to the map.
"'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers . . .'" he read aloud getting the group back on track.
"Are proud to present," Remus said and James wrote it down.
"The Marauders' Map!" Sirius and Peter chimed in. James began writing but stopped.
"Should the apostrophe come before or after the s?" He asked his friends. They pondered this quandary for several minutes.
"Technically it is our map," Sirius said, "since we did create it an all . . . so I would say after the s. . ."
"But we establish that it's ours in the first lines," Remus countered, "Plus we don't know if there will be one or more troublemakers using it in the future. I say before the s, because it's for anyone wanting to cause trouble, not just us." The boys nodded. His argument made sense.
"Before the s it is then," James said as he finished writing. Using his wand he did the spell that they used for the rest of the map so that the ink would disappear and reappear when properly summoned. Sirius jumped up and snatched the map from James after he tested it to make sure the new spell worked properly.
"Mischief managed," he said tapping the map and grabbed another quill, "I've been waiting to do this part a long time."
"What, Sirius?" Remus asked curiously as he took the offered quill.
"Just write, 'Mister Moony,'" he commanded. Remus very carefully wrote what he was told, and Sirius went around the group, and each person did as they were told. When they had finished, the parchment now had Mister Moony, Mister Wormtail, Mister Padfoot, and Mister Prongs written on it each name in the distinctive handwriting of the nickname's owner.
"What is the purpose of this Sirius?" James asked, but Sirius just shushed him and muttered some charm, and the ink disappeared into the paper. Smiling he looked to his friends.
"Now watch this," he said grinning like a madman and tapping the map with his wand, "I, Sirius Black, of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and Most Handsome and Sought After Student at Hogwarts, demand that you reveal your secrets!" Nothing happened for a moment, and then ink started to appear as if an invisible hand were writing on the page.
Mr. Moony presents his salutations to Sirius Black, and asks that he ignore this parchment and go back to his harem.
Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Sirius Black's pureblood background is not all that it is cracked up to be, the stupid fanatic.
Mr. Padfoot would like to express his astonishment that someone as ugly as Sirius Black could even have a harem.
Mr. Wormtail bids Sirius Black good day, and suggests that he should crawl back to the egotistical pureblooded hell hole he came from, the git.
All the boys were rolling with laughter while Sirius did a few bows.
"That is brilliant," James said laughing hard, "Absolutely classic!"
"I figured one more security precaution couldn't hurt," Sirius said as his friends continued to laugh. Remus was actually laughing so hard he was crying. After five solid minutes of laughing, the boys finally settled themselves.
"You know what this means now," James said stretching and the other boys shook their heads, "We need to start planning what we're going to do on the next full moon."
"When is the next full moon?" Peter asked looking at Remus.
"One week," Remus said, "but we're not doing anything extravagant. We need to see how the real 'Moony' reacts to Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." The other boys nodded.
"We could still make plans though," Sirius said hopefully after a moment, "if Moony takes to our Animagi forms."
"Fine," Remus gave in, "but nothing spectacular."
/0/0/
Sairina was restless. She didn't know the reason why, only that she was. She sighed as the clock in the common room chimed eleven-thirty. She was, of course, the only one up since ninety nine percent of Ravenclaws believed in the philosophy of getting their homework done early and turning in early.
Sairina shut her History of Magic book and stared blankly out the window. The rolling grounds were basked in the ethereal glow of the full moon, making them appear as if they were radiating their own soft, glowing light. While the grounds glowed, the still lake perfectly mirrored the starry night sky perfectly.
Full moon thought Sairina as her mind and thoughts drifted, Remus would have transformed by now. She smiled sadly. Her poor, sweet, gentle Remus: damned to become an uncontrollable monster once a month. He had told her more about it before dinner which had been only a few hours earlier.
Sairina had just stepped out of her Ancient Runes class and was talking lightly to Lily when she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Remus jogging down the hallway. He looked tired and worn, but had the sweetest smile on his face as he approached his girlfriend.
"Hey Sai," he breathed embracing her in a tight hug. She smiled warmly.
"Hey Remmy," she said returning the hug, but noticed the preoccupied look on his face, "What's wrong?" They walked very slowly, side by side, for awhile, allowing the masses of students to run ahead so they were alone in the hall where they couldn't be overheard.
"Nothing," he responded, "it's just that . . . the full moon is tonight."
"I know," Sairina said sadly, "Are you going to be alright?"
"Don't worry," Remus said smiling, "I've been doing it for about twelve years. Its painful everytime, but I'll survive. I always do." Sairina could see that he was trying to mask his sorrow, but decided not to comment.
"When are you leaving?" She asked slipping her hand in his as they walked toward the Great Hall.
"Right after dinner," he responded, "Madame Pomfrey makes sure I get to the tunnel under the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack beyond that, and there I'll be for the rest of the night."
"After you transform back, what'll happen?" Sairina asked as they continued walking.
"I'll be excused from classes tomorrow," Remus replied, "I'll be in the Hospital Wing recovering. After that I'll be good as new." Sairina smiled coyly.
"I'll have to come visit you and keep you company during my free period," she said as they reached the Great Hall, where the tables were full of hungry students. Kissing her softly on the cheek, they separated their hands almost unwillingly and went to their respective tables.
Tomorrow, she would be able to visit him and be with him. But for right now, she was restless.
After sitting in silence for a few more moments, she darted back to her dormitory and returned shortly after with her blue cloak draped over her shoulders. Moving to the entrance of the common room, she exited silently.
She had decided to go for a walk in hopes of settling down.
/0/0/
The Marauders, on the other hand, were having a blast. James, Sirius, and Peter had used James's invisibility cloak to sneak down to the Whomping Willow. They had gotten to the Shrieking Shack before Remus began his monthly transformation and were able to be with him (in animal form) as he transformed.
At first, Moony didn't know how to respond to the dog, stag, and rat that were standing before him. He challenged the large bear-like dog, who just barked playfully at the wolf. After a small skirmish between the two, Moony decided that the dog was not a direct threat to him. Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail could see that the wolf was comfortable with their presence and decided to continue on with the plans for the night.
Wormtail climbed onto Prongs' back as the stag led the way out through the tunnel followed by the dog and the curious wolf. Once the four animals emerged from beneath the Whomping Willow, Prongs and Padfoot made a break for the forest with Moony happily running behind them.
Moony hadn't felt this much freedom since . . . ever. His recollections were always of small enclosed spaces, alone, and he was forced to find ways to entertain himself and satisfy his thirst for blood. Normally, his self-mutilation kept him occupied for the whole night, but now he was free. He could run and stretch his muscles, enjoy the cool night air, howl loudly at the moon, and be free from confinement.
The four animals ran through the forest, but not wandering too far in. There was running, jumping, barking, howling, and mock fights. This manner of rambunctious play carried on for a few hours, light and frivolous, until . . .
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were running through the forest by the lake when Moony suddenly froze. He stood completely still; sniffing the air with the hair on his back bristling and standing up on end. Padfoot sniffed as well, and let out a loud whimper and a worried bark. A low growl sounded from deep within Moony before he began running towards the lake. Padfoot was hot on his heels followed by confused Prongs with Wormtail clinging to his back.
Padfoot tackled Moony and knocked him off his feet and began growling at the large wolf. Prongs was still looking for the reason for Moony's sudden switch of behavior. Padfoot let out a bark and motioned with his head to further down the lake shore. He stared with his large brown eyes, and Prongs gave a startled jerk when he realized that there was somebody lying by the edge of the lake, completely oblivious to the danger they were in. Shooting a glance at Padfoot, who seemed to have Moony preoccupied for now, he galloped to the person.
Sairina hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep by the shore of the lake until someone or something was nudging her urgently. She remembered she had been staring out at the vast expanse of the lake singing to herself, and then nothing. Suddenly she was being rudely awoken. She was startled to find that a magnificent-looking stag was willing her to wake up. Groggily she opened her eyes and yawned and looked about her surrounding and she realized where she was.
Oh, shit. Damn this is not good. Not good at all, were the only thoughts running through Prongs' mind as he attempted to wake Sairina and get her out of trouble. He could hear the sounds of the fight between Sirius and Remus getting louder, which meant they were getting closer. Prongs was beginning to panic, knowing that there would be grave, dire consequences if Sairina were hurt. Praying to any deity that happened to be listening, Prongs hoped that Sairina would wake before it was too late.
Sairina stood slowly as the stag began to nudge her back towards the castle. Half asleep and confused by the creature's actions, Sairina took a good look around. She let out a strangled cry as she realized that there was a large dog and an even larger wolf fighting several yards from her. She could tell that the dog was attempting to keep the wolf at bay, and that suddenly struck a chord with Sairina.
"By the Valar; Remus," she murmured before hiking up her nightgown and cloak and began sprinting back towards the castle. She heard a dog like yelp and a feral growl before looking back. The wolf, Remus in his werewolf form, was gaining on her. Sairina was now completely awake and running for all she was worth. She began to feel the familiar burning sensation in her legs meaning that they were getting tired; Sairina was near tears. She felt a sudden tug on her cloak that nearly sent her tumbling backwards. Fighting through the fear and for her life, Sairina cast off the cloak and continued running.
She heard another yelp and cast a quick look back. The wolf had been knocked off course by the stag that had woken her up. Heaving a sigh of relief, she didn't stop running until she was safely back in the castle. Shakily she made her way back to the Ravenclaw dormitories where she pulled a book off of the bookshelves and attempted to read it and block the shocking memories of what had just happened.
Her walk hadn't helped in calming her down at all.