A/N: Well, we're in the double digits now, probably thanks to all my dedicated reviewers! Although now they've all pretty much abandoned me. Anna's gone off to Vermont for spring holidays, Emmy's in the Big Apple, Lola went to Honolulu, and Squibbles is in Tex-ass with all the hot fencing guys. Ah, well. At least I have Artemis. They're gonna kill me when they find out George got first dibs on a new chappie. Teehee. Anyway, here comes… chapter 10! TA-DA!
She tried to clear her mind, but predictably, thoughts like this is stupid and what is James gonna say if it turns out I'm an ant or something kept flitting across her mind. Gradually, she began to relax, basking in the sunlight that fell across the bed. She thought of shady clearings in Wales and the smell of cool earth pressing against her bare feet. The feel of the rough bark of trees and the fresh, clear, fresh scent of wind whipping her hair. Suddenly, she realized that she wasn't just recalling these things. She was in the glade she had envisioned, and it was just as she'd remembered it. There was just one problem: the scale was completely off. And it smelled…different. More exciting and earthy. She…trotted?…to a nearby pond and steeled herself to look at her reflection. What she saw there made her topple head over tail backwards in shock. Literally head over tail. Lily slowly crept back to the edge of the pond and peeked in again. Two large, green eyes peered back at her bemusedly. Lily retreated and and twisted around to look at herself. She had a small, narrow snout and a petite body, the size of a house cat's. A long, bushy tail flicked back and forth teasingly in front of her round eyes. As she began to comprehend what her Animagus form was, the forest began to dim and fade away. With a start, she found herself back in the boy's dormitory, lying on the bed. James looked at her expectantly.
"A fox. My Animagus form is a silver fox," Lily said faintly.
James grinned happily, as did Lily, though hers was more of relief than glee. Well, at least I'm not an ant…she was surprised when James exclaimed, "This is perfect! You can come out with us at night, and-" Lily interrupted him. "Let me find out if I can actually transform first."
"Right," said James, suddenly businesslike once more. "Close your eyes again, and picture your animal. Be careful to focus on the feel, not the characteristics, or you might go mad…it gets safer with practice. Think of your thoughts and opinions in the fox's body…Perfect!" Before him sat a small silvery fox, which jumped up suddenly, tapping his nose with it's tail, before scampering around the room. James watched her for a while, laughing. "Not to burst your bubble, but you should change back now. It's not safe to transform unless you're in the forest. Anybody could walk in," James warned. The fox gave a snuffly little sigh, rolled over, and shimmered. Lily appeared lying on her back with a huge grin on her face. She accepted James' hand, and got to her feet, still smiling. "That," she said breathlessly, "was fun!"
Later, after they had packed all the books away and tidied up, they went to the library to collect Remus and Sirius. However, when they arrived there, they saw only Remus sitting at the table, with his head tilted back on his shoulders and a happy smile on his face. "Wow," said James as they approached the table. "It's really quiet."
"Shut up! I'm savoring it, you idiot!" Remus proclaimed grandly.
"Um… where's Sirius?" Lily inquired, edging around Remus as if he might explode at any moment. She had only known him for about two months, but she knew that this behavior was most unlike him. "Over there," Remus said, pointing to the bookcases. Lily cautiously walked over to the shelves, and peeped behind them cautiously. What she saw there made her laugh so hard she fell over. Sirius was sitting against the wall, and had been bound hand and foot. He even had a piece of what looked like duct tape on his mouth. In front of him, a book floated, turning pages occasionally. "Er…is Sirius… reading?" James asked disbelievingly.
"Well, not willingly, no. He was bothering me, so I took his wand and tied him up. I left the book there, floating, and eventually he got so bored he started reading. It's genius, mate, pure genius!" Remus said proudly. James laughed too, and soon Remus joined in. Madame Pince came over and kicked them out, but James decided to make a grand exit with Sirius, so instead of untying him, James slung him over his shoulder, and exited the library whistling God Rest ye Merry, Gentlemen under his breath, earning many stares and snickers. On the way to back to Gryffindor Tower, Remus questioned Lily as to what her form was, but she just smiled slyly. When they got to the dormitory, which was starting to feel a bit like home to Lily, they unchained Sirius and made him sit on the bed. He was pouting at all of them, but they could see even he accepted the humor of the situation.
"May I present to you," James proclaimed regally, "Lady Silverpaw!" He bowed as Lily shimmered in the air and transformed. Remus and Sirius exclaimed at the fox that sat in front of them, batting its eyes demurely. Lily jumped up and down, looking a bit like Sirius on a good day (A/N: or Squibbles, lol Kathryn). Even Sirius laughed at her overexcited antics. Suddenly, the fox stopped and stood straight, snout pointed at the door. The room went quiet for a moment, and then Lily transformed quickly, conjured up papers for the group, and sat on the floor, saying loudly, "So. Who understands number seven?" the boys looked at her like she was crazy. Lily sighed. "Fine. If you're not gonna cooperate, I'll go study with Rhia. See you at dinner." James started to say something, but Lily shook her head and made a slashing motion across her throat, signaling for them to keep quiet. She went to the door and opened it. "Rhia! I was just coming to find you. They're all hopeless at Charms. Come help me cram." She ushered Rhia away from the door, stuck her head back inside to where the three boys were sitting, shocked, and said simply, "See? Not crazy." Once the door shut, the three Marauders looked at each other. "I think we just found Silverpaw's job," Remus said finally.
A/N: Sorry this one was kinda short… I'm on a tight schedule what with all my SS homework, and I just really wanted to get one out. To all readers who are on Vaca: have fun! (I know that between bibliographies, hot air balloons, self-propelled cars, and dioramas, I am!) Read and REVIEW!