Under the Full Moony

Scroll 6: Animagi

"What was that about, James?" asked Sirius in a bored voice as he sat near the fire. The common room was completely deserted, except for them.

"I found it! It was as if McGonagall practically handed me the answer!"

Sirius yawned, "The point is ...?"

"The papers! That we were filing! Transfiguration!"

Sirius and Peter stared at him blankly.

James grinned and said in a whisper, "I found the way to become Animagi!"

Sirius sat up at this, "What? How!"

James help up the paper he had copied and swiped from their teacher's office, "That answer your question?"

Sirius snatched it from him and studied it, "Wow! This is great! It's a list! It's practically ... plain instructions!"

Peter scanned the page with his watery eyes and pointed at two letters scrawled on the bottom right corner of the page.

"R.S.? Who's that?"

Sirius grinned, "Who cares! We've practically got this in the bag! Let's try right now!"

"First we have to pick what animals we want to turn into," said James knowledgeably. "Then we can turn into them at will ... but you know ... less powerful wizards have to use wands ... you know ... all the time."

Peter frowned, "You mean me, right?"

"So let's get started!"

"Right," began James. "I've been thinking it over and I want to be something you know ... cool ... like a lion or something."

Sirius bit his lip, "I'm picking either a wolf or dog."

James gave Peter a meaningful look, "Thought so ..." James looked Peter up and down, "You remind me of ... something ... twitchy and sneaky ... like a spider ..."

"A rat," said Sirius.

"Yeah! A rat! It'll be easy to prod the knot with me a rat!" said Peter happily.

"Right so this is the spell for rats ..." Sirius looked down the page, " Here's for wolves ... Canis Lupus ..."

"Hey, won't you be too wild? If we're trying to handle two wild wolves ... it might be too much for a rat and a stag ..." James asked, frowning.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Stag? Like ... what's that thing ... Bambi?"

Peter giggled and high-fived Sirius, while James rolled his eyes and looked up the spell.

"So yeah, I've been thinking of a name for me as a dog. How's Padfoot?"

Peter nodded, "We should all have them ... if I'm a rat I could be ..."

"I'm Prongs ... you could be ... Wormtail!"

"Yeah ... we should think of one for-"

"What are you up to?" said a voice from the staircase. It was Remus.

James hid the list behind his back and he pressed together with Peter and Sirius to hide it.

"We ... we're not up to ... anything!" said Peter in his squeaky voice.

"We swear," James piped up, trying to sound casual.

"Solemnly," finished Sirius.

Remus raised an eyebrow skeptically, "You're lying ... obviously ... you're up to no good as usual."

Sirius looked around for a change of subject, "So ... er ... erm ... how'd you get out of the dormitory!"

"Let's just say ... there's a door that needs some serious repair upstairs."

"Heh ... heh ..."

"So, what's that behind your back?" said Remus while approaching them.

Sirius blocked Remus, "Nothing."

"Sirius ... don't lie ..."

"Really ... I'm not ... why don't ... we all turn in!"

Sirius spun Remus around and pushed him to the stairs, "We'll catch up!"

Remus turned around, "Why won't you tell me? What is it you are scheming!"

"We're not scheming!"

Remus frowned, "I demand you tell me!"

"When's the next full moon?" asked James suddenly.

Remus glared at him, "In a day or so."

Sirius' eyebrows raised, "Ah ..."

"Ah ..." repeated Peter.

"Hmm ..." said James.

Remus whipped around and started up the stairs, "Never mind! If you won't tell me, fine! I won't give a damn!"

Sirius let out a sigh, "P.L.S. Poor fellow ..."

The next two days passed quickly. Too quickly for the three boys. They spent every moment they could practicing the spells. They stayed up until sunrise, but still they couldn't manage it. Then all too soon, Remus had gone to the Whomping Willow and everything was a mess.

"If only we had time turners!" said James, flinging his long list of incantations and calculations into the fire. He was so desperate he'd even tried, 'Bambi Morphus!', with no luck.

Sirius threw his wand in the air and caught it, "I feel ... so bad ... "

"On the bright side, we have another month to practice!" said Peter.

James nodded, "We should do out homework ... that thing about types of spells. It's rubbish really, we're not going to deal with them until sixth year but ..."

James flicked through his spell-book, "There's those weird combination-jinxes and counter-curses, nonverbal spells, conjuring stuff out of thin air ... hey, let's sneak into Remus' room and copy his essay!"

Sirius was staring at him, grinning hugely, "JAMES!"

James backed away, "What!"

"JAMES!"

"Okay, I'm sorry! Miranda DID want to go out with you but I told her you were already taken! I'll go and tell her I lied! I'm sorry!"

"JAMES!"

"I SAID SORRY! Her boobs are tiny anyway! You weren't interested in THAT-"

Sirius grabbed James' shoulders, "I LOVE YOU!"

James blinked, "Okay, Peter ... the dog thing went to his head and he drank out of the toilet didn't he?"

Peter laughed and Sirius grabbed his spell-book and thrust it at James' face.

"Ow! My nose-okay! I got it! We do the essay now!"

"JAMES!"

James backed away, "Peter, hand me a ... a brick or something ... Sirius has rabies!"

"JAMES LOOK! READ!"

James cautiously took the book and read the sentence Sirius was pointing to, "Erm ... Next, non-verbal spells, which are incantations not uttered aloud, but though-OH!"

Peter looked from James to Sirius, "Oh what?"

"It's non-verbal!"

James frowned and suddenly turned into a stag. Peter gave a squeak.

Then Sirius turned into a massive black dog.

They turned back, "Go on Peter! With your wand ... it's okay ..."

They grinned in unison as Peter turned into a small, scrawny rat.

"The Marauders are back in business!"

Remus sighed as he sat in the small room of the Shrieking Shack. He studied his hands.

'Still human ...'

Seconds passed slowly. He lied down.

'Nothing yet ... must have a little less than an hour to go ...'

Then he felt the pains in his back, like a heartbeat. They grew stronger until he cried out and curled up on the bed.

He heard voices. Footsteps.

'I'm going mad ... or maybe it's just the transformation ...'

"Think he's gone hairy yet?"

"I don't hear anything being ripped apart, my guess would be no."

'I've gone mad ... I could swear that was Sirius and James ...'

Remus heard the creak of the trap door. He sat up, gasping in pain.

Sure enough, there were footsteps coming up the stairs, then his three friends burst in.

"Surprise!"

Remus stared at them, "What ... get out! I'll go ... wolf any second now!"

Suddenly Sirius disappeared.

Remus blinked his eyes rapidly, "What the- where's Sirius-?"

He felt something warm and wet on his hand. He looked down to see a great big dog licking it.

"What the hell!"

Remus turned to James and Peter to find that they were gone as well. In their place was a stag and a rat.

"I have totally lost it ...'

"Wait a minute ..."

Remus did a double take as the dog ran his paw through the fur on his head.

'Sirius does that ... and that stag has ... markings 'round his eyes ... '

"James! Sirius! PETER!"

With a laugh they turned into themselves.

"What in- how did- " Remus was speechless.

Sirius slumped onto the bed and stretched out beside Remus, "Whenever you decide to speak clear English ... we'll be ready."

Remus pouted and was about to speak when the pain came again, in pounding waves.

Sirius sat up when he saw Remus twitching and pale, "Remus ...?"

Sirius walked away from Remus to James and Peter as they witnessed the transformation.

Remus' face was scrunched up in pain as hair sprouted and thickened, and his bones lengthened. He gasped as his hands too grew and claws cut through his fingers like daggers.

Tears streamed down his face as his teeth grew, in his mouth, into razor-sharp fangs

Remus threw his head back with a whimper of pain that grew into a growl as his face lengthened into a snout. His clothes ripped away from his body as he became ... a werewolf.

Sirius stood transfixed as Remus, now a wolf, threw his head back and howled. The low, piercing, animalistic sound coming from his friend's throat sent a shiver down his spine. James prodded him and they turned into their respective animals.

The werewolf was immediately hostile. He lunged at them, demanding to know why they had come. Padfoot leapt forward, and seized the werewolf around the neck, throwing him backwards. The wolf growled and leapt forward again, but was just thrown back once more.

Padfoot pinned the werewolf down, growling. The werewolf growled back ... but didn't try anything more.

Finally Padfoot joined Prongs and Wormtail.

Inwardly James thought about what interesting creatures dogs and wolves were ... fighting for dominance ... James fought an urge to snigger.

The wolf jumped onto the bed, where it curled up. Nobody else moved for a long time.

Then slowly, cautiously, Padfoot joined the wolf on the bed. He curled up next to the werewolf, looking at him with sad eyes.

Prongs and Wormtail looked at each other and shrugged. They were both thinking the same thing.

'Must be a dog thing ...'

"Thank you! Thank you! How did you manage it!"

That was how Remus woke them up the next morning.

He was dressed with clothes that looked as if they were made of mostly patches and scratched and bruised, but less so than usual.

"I kept my mind ... that was so great! Thank you!"

Remus pulled James, who had been asleep on the floor, up and smiled, "Thanks... and you Peter ... and you Sirius ..."

Sirius smiled groggily, "Right ... well, good-night."

Remus laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him out, "We've got classes ..."

"Furry ..." said James.

Peter shook his head.

"Howls?"

Sirius laughed, "Thinking of a nickname for Remmy?"

"Nickname?"

"Yeah see, I'm Padfoot, James is Prongs, and Peter's Wormtail ... according to our animals ... you know ..."

"Ah, I understand. More of yourinsanity ... "

"Moony," said Sirius. "You're going to be Moony."

James grinned, "Perfect! We're Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs! The Marauders!"

Then James noticed Remus was still holding Sirius' hand as they walked. He nudged Peter.

They started taunting, "Padfoot and Moony, hiding in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

Remus slipped his hand out of Sirius' just as easily as he slipped it in. They walked out of the Whomping Willow after Remus prodded its knot.

"-I-N-G! One's a wolf, one's a dog, they walk hand in hand, and slip away for a snog!"

Peter and James laughed insanely as Remus walked ahead, shaking his head. Sirius caught up to him, "Ignore those two ... they've gone mad ..." Remus smiled at Sirius.

Sirius felt his stomach do somersaults. He grinned back, "So, you're happy we did something illegal?"

Remus laughed, "Well, I think you guys are rubbing off on me ... because yes. Yes, I am. Thank you ... that's the first time I've kept my mind when I transformed."

"That's great! Hey, James, maybe we can sneak out ... do some exploring ... poking around ... you know ... "

James' eyes lit up, "YEAH! Maybe we can sneak into the girl's dormitory!"

Sirius smacked James' head, "Well ... okay, that too."

Everyone except Remus laughed.

Sirius stared at Remus out of the corner of his eye in History of Magic as Professor Binns went on and on about ... well, about something.

"In fact, the Flame-Freezing Charm didn't gain much fame until Wendlin the Weird allowed herself to be caught more than forty-seven times, using said Flame-Freezing Charm and only pretending ..."

Sirius rolled his eyes and scribbled, 'Wendlin Weird-caught 47 times by Muggles-Flame-Freezing Charm and pretended to be in pain-Remus looks cute with glasses on-Uric Oddball tried to prove-'

Sirius stared at his words and scratched out the 'Remus looks cute with glasses on' part out so hard, he tore his parchment in half.

Remus looked over and Sirius blushed, but smiled. Remus smiled back and then turned back to his notes. Sirius bit his lip and mentally shook himself.

'This Animagus thing ... being a dog ... it's messing with my human brain ...'

Sirius' mind wandered and he remembered last night.

Remus stood there, half-hidden in shadow ... He threw his head back, a sliver of moonlight from the cracks in the Shrieking Shack falling over his eyes, and howled. A melancholic howl, dripping with loneliness ... a call for help ... for a mate ... Imagine him throwing his head back ... crying out Sirius' name ...

Sirius fell out of his chair, pale-faced at what he'd just though.

'Bloody hell ... being a dog is driving me insane!'

Everyone in the room except Professor Binns, who was still droning on and on about Emerick the Evil and Basilisks, was looking at Sirius.

Remus held out his hand, "Are you okay?"

Sirius took it, feeling the warmth, as Remus pulled him back onto his seat.

"Y-yeah ... I-I'm ... yeah ... fine ..."

Remus let go of him, leaving Sirius' hand feeling cold and turned back to his notes, not wanting to miss anything.

Sirius put his face in his hands and let his hair fall onto his face, hiding him from view,.

'What the hell is a matter with me! It's ... it's just because he's a wolf and I'm a dog ... that all ... it has nothing to do with me ... I just have to learn to block out my doggish thoughts ... my god ... that image keeps popping up!'

He looked at Remus out of the corner of his eye and felt as if his stomach had done yet another somersault.

'It's all his fault! He's so ... attractive ... WHY is he so attractive ... what is a matter with me! Did someone slip a Love Potion into my drink! I know who did it! SNAPE! I just KNOW it!'

The bell rang then and Sirius sighed with relief, "Yes! This class is over!"

The Marauders packed up and went down to lunch, Sirius in the lead and trying to avoid catching anyone's eye.

A/N: Two things- 1) Sirius didn't have a wand at Azkaban, but he still turned into a dog. But Peter needed a wand so I came up with the fact he's not as powerful as an excuse ... I guess.

2) Who is R.S.? Well there's one more unregistered Animagus mentioned in HP4 ... maybe it was that person who was at Hogwarts before the Marauders ... and well ... researched and found that information. "wink"

Here's a hint: The Beetle at Bay "lol" Too easy!

Oh, and about the shonen-ai thing ... tell me, are things going too quickly, or too slowly ... hmm ...

Well, anyway!

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