UNDER THE FULL MOON

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

CHAPTER TWO – A DANGEROUS INVITATION

James started to walk towards the portrait hole. Sirius smirked at Peter, who only gave a tentative smile back. Suddenly, from about halfway across the Common Room, James turned and called, "But what do I say?"

Sirius beckoned for him to come back. James complied, his eyes wide under his glasses.

"Alright," Sirius began. "Think. You know her pretty well. What would it take for her to do something you want?"

"I don't know!" James said. "She doesn't want anything from me!"

"Except to be left alone," Peter laughed. James shot him an annoyed glance.

Sirius nodded. "Actually, Prongs, you could promise never to bother her again. Or something of the sort." He checked his watch. "But will you go now? And hurry?"

James started across the room again, and this time he made it through the portrait hole.

Sirius looked at Peter. "I bet she won't even want to come."

The Marauder's Map said that Lily was in the library. James walked quickly, but his destination was far enough away that he had time to think—and worry—about his task. What could he say? He supposed he could tell her that he would never bother her again, but he didn't want to leave her alone. Maybe he could say that if she didn't have a good time, he would stop pestering her.

Well, if she didn't have a good time, she probably never would talk to him again as well as turn them all in. What was he thinking?

His feet brought him to the library sooner than he might have liked. He stood outside, checking the Map again, half-hoping that she'd decided to go somewhere else—somewhere that he couldn't follow, like the girl's bathroom—but the Map said that she still sat at one of the small round tables in the library.

James was thankful that she was at least alone.

He hesitated behind the bookshelf, very aware that he still didn't know what to say. Then he stepped out into Lily's view and cleared his throat.

Lily looked up, and she didn't seem too happy about her visitor. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"Hello," James said awkwardly.

"What do you want, James?" Lily asked.

"Actually, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go somewhere tonight?" This hurried proposition came out in one breath.

"And where did you have in mind?" Lily asked. "I suppose you're going to take me somewhere and show me how to torture unfortunate students like Severus?"

James winced. This was going even worse than he'd imagined. But he kept his voice somewhat even as he replied, "You know, I haven't done that for a long time. Not since…not since you saw me a few months ago. I'm, uh, quitting."

Actually, he'd made a point to only harass Snape and other outcasts when Lily or her friends weren't around. But she couldn't know that, could she?

"Really," Lily said. She didn't sound impressed.

"Well, actually, the place I want you to go… I mean, if you want to go you'll have to be able to keep a secret." The words came out in a disorganized tumble that made James wish for his Invisbility Cloak.

"You want me to do something illegal, don't you?" Lily guessed.

James shook his head quickly. "No, I don't think it's illegal," (Lily raised her eyebrows) "but it does involve breaking some school rules."

"Why do you want me there?" asked Lily.

James took a deep breath. "If I tell you my secret now, will you promise not to repeat it?"

"Only if it isn't going to harm anyone."

"It won't," James assured her. "I'm an unregistered Animagus."

Lily snorted. Her mouth twitched as if she were trying not to smile. "Good for you, James," she said. "And what do you become?"

James said nothing, hoping the library was as deserted as it had been when he'd entered. He concentrated, falling into the trance-like state he still needed to transform. He heard Lily gasp involuntarily.

"You… are," she said.

James concentrated again, and became himself. Transforming from stag to human was much easier than the other way around.

He smiled, suddenly much less nervous. Maybe it was something about transforming, or maybe it was the awed way in which Lily was staring at him. "My friends are also Animagi," he said. "And on some nights, we explore the Hogwarts grounds. It's very pretty at night. Would you like to come?"

"I—" For once Lily seemed lost for words. Finally, she swallowed and said, "No."

"What?" James asked.

"No." Lily sounded more decided now. "I mean, that's a wonderful little trick you've got going, but I don't want to break rules with you."

"Please?" James asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, now I'll do it. Really, James, you can go away." She turned back to her library book.

"Um," said James, thinking fast. Sirius's advice was the only thing that came to mind, so, grimacing, he said, "If you come now, and don't enjoy it, I'll never bother you again."

Lily looked up, and James gave her a small, encouraging smile. She was silent for a moment, no doubt considering his offer.

The she took a deep breath and said resignedly, "Fine. But you really have to leave me alone starting tomorrow." A worried look crossed her face. "You've never been caught, have you?"

"Does it look like I've been caught?" James asked, now grinning fully.

"I must be insane," Lily said, more to herself than to James, as she stood up. She closed her book and put it in her bag. "Where are we going?"

James tried not to jump for joy as he led Lily back to the Common Room. However, he couldn't prevent his step from having a slight bounce as he walked. Lily no doubt thought he was crazy, but she had agreed to come, hadn't she? Maybe Sirius was right, and this would be romantic.

"How many of you are Animagi?" Lily asked.

"Me, Sirius, and Peter," James answered.

"Not Remus?"

"Well…" James stalled. This was the hard part. Once she knew about Remus, she probably wouldn't come, and might turn them in. "Um, he's something else. He's a, uh, well, this is another one of those secrets you're going to have to keep."

Lily sighed. "How many of these delightful secrets are there?"

"Just these, I think," James answered quickly. "But, can you also promise not to worry too much when I tell you this one?"

"Is it illegal?" Lily stopped walking, and stood with her hands on her hips.

James halted as well. "No, it's not illegal. None of us are doing anything illegal. Actually, Remus is a werewolf," he finished as casually as he could.

Lily's jaw dropped. She seemed, once again, lost for words. "Tell me you're kidding," she finally pleaded.

James shook his head. "But," he added, "Sirius and I can control him easily, and when he's with us, he's not out for blood or anything. I swear, you don't have to worry." James began to walk again, hoping Lily would take the hint and follow suit. But she continued to stand in the middle of the hallway.

James stopped again and turned to her. "We do this every month, it's practically down to a science," he said. His voice had more of a begging undertone than he'd wanted.

"Every month for how long?" Lily asked.

"Since we've been Animagi," James said vaguely. "Listen, Lily, we won't let anything happen to you. He's still Remus when he's transformed, and he knows us and listens to us."

"James," Lily began, "I read the chapter on werewolves when we were thirteen. They're barely themselves when they're transformed—"

"—unless they are with loved ones and have the right personality. Which is exactly the case with Remus. And if, for some reason, he decides to act completely different than he usually does and attacks one of us, Sirius will fend him off and we'll run."

Lily looked very doubtful. There was a long moment of silence. James worried that if he broke it, she would come to a decision that he didn't want. Finally Lily was the one to break the moment of quiet.

"I suppose," she said slowly. "And I'm only doing this because I know you're hopelessly in love with me, and if you thought this was actually dangerous, you wouldn't ask me to come."

"It's not hopeless," James muttered defensively, but he was too elated that she was coming to remain annoyed for long. "But alright, the rest of it is true. So are you coming?"

"Will you really never bother me again?" Lily asked in response.

"Only if you don't have a good time," said James.

They began walking, this time in silence, toward the Gryffindor Common Room.

"There you are!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping up from his red velvety chair. "I thought you'd never get here. Oh, hello, Lily."

"Hello, Sirius," she said flatly, sounding about as unenthused as a person could be.

Sirius raised his eyebrows and addressed James. "So does she know the plan?"

Shaking his head, James said, "No, not yet."

"Alright-y then," Sirius said, rubbing his hands together and sitting back in his chair. "We all go out, under James's invisibility clock, and wait for Madam Pomfrey to come back from the Whomping Willow. Once she's inside, James and I usually go to the Shrieking Shack and fetch Mooney—Remus," Sirius added, looking at Lily. "After that, it's all fun. Though tonight, I'll be going in to get Mooney, and the rest of you will stay outside. "

Lily blinked. "Invisibility cloak? Whomping Willow? Shrieking Shack? Was anyone planning on telling me about these things?"

James explained apologetically.

When he was done, Sirius looked at his watch again. The other Gryffindors had gone to the dormitories and the fire had become a glowing mess of embers. "I think it's time to go," Sirius said.

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