Well Merry Christmas everyone! I wrote this last night, and it's currently 5.53 on Christmas morning in Australia (i woke up early to post this coz I'm not meant to be going on the net today, lol. I couldn't resist.) The rest of the house will wake up 6, so i've got to be quick. I hope that u all like this chapter. Lots of Ella and Lupin. I love Lupin. I hadn't had a real good chap on him for a while, so here it is. And there is a little bit of fluff. Anyways, luv u's all, harry a good holidays,

luv Ella Evans xXx

James kept an increasingly close eye on Lily after that. She rolled her eyes at him, laughing, often heard to comment that he would never learn his lesson, but the night he thought she was with Snape had scared him, and he was keen never to let Lily go again.

"Lily, what's that around your neck?" asked Ella, when the girls were getting ready for bed one night. Lily grinned. She hadn't gone out of her way to show her friends James' Christmas present. Dani and Ella stood next to her, in front of the mirror.

"Lily it's beautiful!" Dani exclaimed, holding the charm delicately in her fingers. "Did James give you that?" Lily nodded, grinning.

"Awww." Squealed Ella, turning it over and seeing the inscription. "That's gorgeous! Who would have thought that Potter had it in him?"

Dani flopped down backwards onto her bed.

"Who would have thought that any of this would happen?"

Lily sat down next to her, on the edge of her bed. "Trust me, I know what you mean."

"What are you staring at Ella?" Lily asked, a second later, when she noticed that her friend hadn't followed Dani and herself onto the bed, but was standing at the window, looking intently up at the stars.

"We only have a few more months here guys." She said, though not sounding as sad as Lily would have had she been the one talking. Dani sat up.

"What is it?"

Ella turned back to face them, a small grin on her face.

"Well, I was talking to Remus today…he wants me to move in with him when we leave here…he found a place in London…" she trailed off, and the others jumped to their feet and squealed in delight.

"You're kidding!" Dan I yelled, jumping up and down. "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Ella looked uncomfortable for moment, and Lily realised. "What was Remus going to do when they left Hogwarts? Where would he make his transformations? Would the marauders still be there to keep him in check?"

"I don't know…" she said, "I didn't know how you would react."

She emphasised the last few words, with a meaningful look at Lily, who nodded.

That night when Dani finally calmed down after the evenings excitement, and the other two went to their beds, Ella crept over in the darkness, and lay beside Lily. Lily rolled over.

"What are you going to do? Did you say yes?" Lily asked, trying not to look too concerned. As though they were talking about the weather.

"I trust him. I really do, I was just thinking…I would need your help…and James'…" she trailed off. Lily knew what it was that she was getting at, and she smiled at the extent to which she would go for Remus.

"I'll ask him." Lily said kindly. Ella beamed.

"But you know that it won't be easy, don't you. It took them five years to do it…"

"I know, I know. And I know that it's illegal but I have to. It's the only thing that I can think of."

"I promise I'll talk to James."

"Thankyou so much. Night Lils."

"See you El."

"James!" Lily said over enthusiastically the next morning, when she came down to the common room. James looked taken aback at her more than warm welcome, and she wrapped her arms around him and grabbed him into a giant hug. Sirius, Remus and Peter just stared in astonishment as her forwardness.

"I need your help." She whispered in his ear.

"Anything, if you greet me like this every morning." James muttered back. They broke apart.

"You guys go down without us, ok? Well catch you up later." James told his friends. Before Ella left, she turned back from a confused Dani and mouthed words to Lily.

Thankyou.

Lily laughed, and shooed her away with her hands.

"Now, what do you want my help with?" James asked, grabbing her hand and tilting his head to the side, concerned.

"Ella does." Lily explained.

"What? Why?"

"Because Remus asked her to move in with him…"

"What? Ella and Remus? Since when?" James exclaimed, a maniacal grin on his ecstatic face.
"What are you blind?" Lily said wildly, laughing, "Since we first hooked up!"

"You're kidding! I mean, I knew that it was going to happen some time, but I didn't know that they were, like, together…"

"Anyway, now that we've gotten past that." Lily said, exasperated, "We need to help her."

"What does she need my help with? Does she want me to say yes for her or something?" James asked absurdly. Lily snorted.

"We're not in first grade James! No! She wants you to help her become an animagus."

James was tunned.

"She what? Does she know how hard that was?"

"Yes, she does, but she'll do anything for him James, please." Lily begged. James looked sceptical.

"Does he know that she's doing this?" he asked. Lily shook her head.

"He found a place to live after Hogwarts, and he want to know if she'll come with him. It's in London. But he said that he totally understands if she doesn't. He wont be any different if she wants to stay how they are until the end of Hogwarts, he just didn't know if she wanted to move that far away…"

Ella's parents lived in Australia, and she had been looking for a place in London. Remus must have known that. It was all perfect, except for one little problem…a furry little problem…

"So, will you do it?" Lily asked, looking nervously at James.

He kissed her lightly.

"Of course." He said. "If I can help Peter do it then Ella should be easy."

They went down to breakfast.

"Morning." James said brightly to the group. Ella chocked on her orange juice.

"Calm down Ella, you right there? It's ok." He pointed his wand at her, and he regained her breath.

"Really?" she asked not really talking about the orange juice anymore.

"Hell yeah!" James said, smiling.

"Thankyou so much." She noticed that the rest of the table were staring at the, confused, "Er, you saved my life…"

"Don't mention it." James said, trying to retain their casual code. No one was fooled. Lily noticed Ella open her mouth to say something else.

"No really, don't mention it." She said, and Ella closed it again, giggling.

Ella and James realised what they had done wrong, and so they didn't attempt to discuss the prospect of animagus lessons until the end of breakfast, when the three friend stayed behind, pretending to clean up some cereal that Ella had spilt.

"Thankyou so much James."

"I can't believe that the two of you didn't, I don't know, make some sort of announcement that you were going out."

"Neither did you two!"

"Yeah, but, you know…what were we meant to say? Hello everyone, just so that you know, we're together!"

"Exactly."

Lily talked for the first time.

"Could have done what Dani and Sirius did though, grab each other and just start snogging!"

"Dani and Sirius?" cried Ella, her eyes widening.

"Oh, you weren't there for that…we need to start gossiping again."

"I'll say." Ella nodded, and James gave them a weird look.

"Ok, now that we've got past that, when do you want to start Ella? Is tonight good for you?" Ella beamed, and hugged James. Lily just laughed.

"Where could we do it though?" she asked, her ecstasy dieing a little at the thought. James and Lily shared a smile.

"We know somewhere."

Ella was just as amazed at the room of requirement as Lily had been. Her mouth dropped open in incredulity when she saw that the room was lined with books on transforming, and the walls were covered with pictures of animals.

"Now, are you sure that you want to do this?" James asked Ella, as Lily sat down to watch them, and picked up a book.

"The first couple of times it can be a little painful, and it's really dangerous." Ella nodded, and didn't even flinch slightly at his words.

Remus is pretty lucky. Thought James, as he watched Ella brace herself for what she was about to do. He allowed his thoughts to wander for a moment, and his eyes fell on Lily, who was sitting on a large cushion, reading a book called; friend or foe?;Animagus gone bad. So am I…

He thought with a smile.

"Ok El, now, I want you to fill your body with determination, ok. This could take some getting used to. A little like the force that it takes to apperate. It wasn't that hard when we did it, I've never wanted to do something so badly in my entire life, but-"

"Neither have I, don't worry, I'm plenty determined enough." Said Ella, fiercely.

"I know that, I know you are, but allow it to flood you, feel the determination, and don't think of anything else for a moment."

Ella stood there, and Lily watched as her face because pink, and tears seemed to well in her eyes and make them glassy as she thought of the situation at hand.

"Very good Ella." Lily said, and gave James a look. He was confused. He hadn't noticed, as much as Lily had, however, he didn't really have any doubt in this part of the process. It was the next part that he was scared about.

"Now, you need to focus on one part of your body first. This will take a while. Don't expect to do it tonight. If you're determined enough, then it will happen, but please, please don't expect that much of yourself. And don't go over board and try and imagine your whole body changed at once, because then you might not even change into the right animal, it could be something completely different, and probably smaller, which isn't good, considering what you want it for. Now, ok, focus. Try, maybe your arm first. Your hand, ok, lets try and do your hand."

Ella nodded, and looked down at her hand. She was determined. More determined to do this than she had ever been in her life. She could do it. Even if James though it would take her longer, what did that mean to her if she knew that she could change it, right there, right now.

There was a pop, and where Ella's hand used to be was the hoof of a horse.

Ella cried out, and tears of pain sprung cruelly into her turquoise eyes, but she blinked them back, and smiled at the place where her hand used to be. Lily let out a triumphant whoop, but James just stared, in utter astonishment.

"How the ruddy hell did you do that?" he asked her. Ella shrugged.

"I haven't even read about someone doing it that easily." He stuttered. Lily laughed, and Ella shrugged, her hoof falling to her side. "I guess no one's ever been as determined as me before."

"Ok, I'll get rid of it. Cool animal though, I think you're a horse." Lily said, and pointed her wand, uttering a simple incantation, which changes animagus back to their human form.

"I think that's enough for tonight El. It hurts, doesn't it?" Ella was cradling her arm, where the hoof had been. It felt weak and sore. But she shook her head.

"Not as much as what he goes though each month. I'm keeping on going James." Ella said bravely. Neither of her friends needed to ask what she was talking about.

"Ok, but still practise on something little. Your foot, or arm, or- ELLA!" James cried. Ella had transformed, completely, but she wasn't a horse this time. A tiny wood mouse squeaked up at them from where she once stood, in obvious distress. Lily picked Ella up on the palm of her hand.

"Oh this is not good." She said. James ran his hand through his hair.

"This happened to Padfoot once.'

"Can I change her back?"

"Er, no, that wont work. It takes two or three days to wear off…" Lily clasped her free hand to her mouth, and Ella shrieked and ran around in panicked circle on Lily's hand.

"Well then, how are we going to keep this from Remus?" she cried. James put his arm around her.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something."

"Say that her mothers sick?"

"After him using that excuse for years? I don't think he'd buy it James."

"Don't worry Lily, it'll be alright, I promise you. You two Ella!" he added louder, peering down at her. Ella clapped her hands over her tiny, pointy ears.

"Oh, sorry." He said.

They crept back through the castle, under James' invisibility cloak.

When they got back to the common room, however, they found their first obstacle.

Remus was lying, almost asleep on the lounge chair by the fire, and jumped to his feet when they entered.

"Lily, James!" he cried, looking disappointed and sitting back down. "I thought that Ella was with you. Where were you all tonight?"

"Er, prefect meeting?" James tried, hopefully.

"Prongs you idiot, I'm a prefect too." He said, looking at them strangely.

"Oh! Well then! Er, night! Ella's going to be out later, asked us to tell you not to wait up!" Lily said. James ran up to their dormitory, and Lily went to leave a dejected looking Lupin, but he stopped her, resting a hand on her arm.

"Lily." He said sadly.

"Mmm?" she said, trying to act as vague as she could. A movement in her pocket told her that Ella was listening intently to everything that they said.

"Listen, I know that she's avoiding me," Lily went to argue, but found that she didn't have anything that she could really say otherwise. Remus sat slowly on the couch, and pointed for Lily to do the same. His expression was so upset that she couldn't refuse.

There was a loud squeak from Lily pocket, and she sat up abruptly, adjusting herself so that she wasn't sitting on Ella's tail.

"What was that?" asked Remus. Lily's eyes widened. "Nothing, keep going."

"Listen, I asked Ella to live with me when we leave the other night, and I don't think that she took it all that well." He explained.

"Has she said anything to you or Dani about it? She seemed fine today. Distant, but fine. We went for a walk around the lake and she was talking just fine, but- what was that?" something had snorted in Lily's pocket, and she groaned inwardly. Silently willing Ella not to laugh again, she looked at Remus apologetically, and urged him to continue.

"Well, it's just that, I was thinking, maybe she's changed her mind. Maybe she doesn't want to know about it. I should have kept my big mouth shut. Of course she wouldn't want to live with, with er…with someone like me. And now I've ruined what we've had here, and she wont even see me so that I can make it right." He finished glumly. Ella couldn't help it. She dared to stick her tiny head out of the brim of Lily's pocket, and looked at the depressed expression on Remus' face, letting out a distressed squeak. Lily groaned. Lupin had seen the mouse.

"What's that?" he asked, reaching out so that Ella could climb onto his hand.

"Er, Christmas present. From my parents." Lily lied.

"Your parents are muggles. This looks really magical."

"Why would you say that?" asked Lily, her voice becoming higher.

"Look at her beautiful eyes. They're bright turquoise. No ordinary mouse has eyes like that…they're almost like…" he trailed off.

"See Lily. I'm going crazy just thinking about her. Please get her to talk to me. I don't know what I'd do with out her. Night." He said, and walked up to his dormitory. The mouse's eyes were glazed over with tears, and Lily carried Ella up to their own dormitory.

The next morning, Lily awoke, and immediately looked at the tiny bed she had conjured on her beside table, where Ella sat, sitting on the side of the miniature bed, staring up at Lily sadly.

"Don't worry sweetie, he'll know in the end." She said. "Or, do you want James and I to tell him now?"

The mouse shook its head vigorously. Lily knew why. Remus wouldn't want Ella to go to all that trouble for him, and he would feel responsible for the bad transformation, no matter how much they told him otherwise.

"So, what are we going to do today? Are you coming to classes with James and me, or are you going to stay here all day and think about Remus?" Ella put her tiny, clawed paw up, and scratched her fury chin in mock thoughtfulness.

"Ok, nod your head for thinking about Remus…" she sat there, stationary.

"And coming to class?" the mouse nodded her head, pointed nose moving up and down.

"Good choice. Now, do you want anyone else to know?" she asked. Ella shook her head. "Ok then. I'll make up an excuse for you, don't worry about it."

The mouse hugged Lily's finger, and she picked Ella up and sat her in her top pocket.

"Lily?" said Dani, "why are you talking to a mouse?"

Lily jumped, and Ella squeaked. Dani was sitting bolt up right in bed, giving the pair of them a very weird look. Lily laughed awkwardly.

"I don't know, but have I introduced you? This is Leal, mum and dad got her for me for Christmas." Lily held the mouse up to Dani's eye level, and she smiled, and tickled Ella's stomach, making her giggle ion squeaks and burst. Dani laughed.

"Cute." She said, grinning. "And you talk to her? Isn't she a muggle mouse?"

"Er, no, they found an owl order form in my bed room. I've wanted a mouse for a while now…" she lied lamely. Dani, however, was easily fooled.

"Yeah, she's a cutie." Lily said, and the girls got ready and went down to breakfast.

"Lily? What that moving in your pocket?" Sirius said, leaning across the table and whispering. Lupin noticed.

"Is it that mouse again?" he said, confused. He was still put out from when they had told him that Ella was sick in bed.

"Er, yeah."

"Mouse? Are you going to put it down Snape's back? Because I should probably warn you, he's been aware of that one since we were in second year-"

"No." said Lily quickly, not wanting to hear the details of whatever horrible prank he and James had played at the age of twelve. "No, she's my pet. I got her for Christmas."

"And you bring her to breakfast with you?" Lupin asked, his brow creasing in confusion as he realised that something was not right.

"Mmm, yeah, I thought I might take her around with me, you know? Show her Hogwarts?"

"Show the mouse Hogwarts? That's kind of weird Lil." Said Sirius.

"Er, double electives first guys!" James said, in a desperate attempt to distract them from the mystery of the mouse. "That should be fun eh!"

They began to talk, breaking up into meaningless chatter about homework and other things, while James and Lily breathed a sigh of relief, as did Ella from Lily's pocket.

"We're going to have to be careful." Lily whispered to him.

"Tell me about it." James hissed back.

They reached the common room that night, and flopped down onto the lounge, exhausted.

"What's got you two so tired?" asked Dani, before she sat down on the edge of Sirius' chair, and looked at James and Lily. James sighed. He couldn't share with them the fact that he and Lily had spent the day scaring off cats, and chasing a scared mouse around the floor of the kitchens as they tried to steal her food.

"Do you think that Ella's ok now Lily?" Lupin asked, from where he was sitting opposite them. Lily sat up quickly.

"What?" she snapped, thinking that he was talking about the bump on the head she received when Lily had dropped her, however, it was only a few moments before she and James realised that he was looking pensively at the door to the girls dormitory.

"Oh. I don't know, I guess I could check." Dani raised her eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Where has she been today anyway?"

"Er, she's been up at our dormitory, she's sick in bed."

"No she's not! I was just up there!" Dani said, perplexed.

"Oh, right, maybe she's in the hospital wing then…"

"No she's-"

"Sirius!" James cut him off, as he went to contradict Lily, "Come up to the dorm with Lily and I, ok? We need to talk!"

"What about?' Sirius asked, screwing up his nose in disorientation.

"That's what we need to talk about Padfoot, come on now!" James grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him up to the boy's dorm. Lily ran after them, the mouse hanging dangerously out of her pocket.

"What is all of this about?" Sirius asked, as they sat him down on his bed with a plonk. Lily took Ella out of her pocket.

"Stick out you hand Padfoot."

"No! Why?"

"Just do it!" Sirius put out his hand, and lily sat Ella on it. She waved up happily.

"What? You've already shown me Leal Lily, what do you want to talk about?" Sirius asked. Ella put her tiny hands to her head in exasperation.

"No Padfoot. Remember that time back in fourth year, when we were trying to learn how to become animagus, and you had an…accident?" James asked, slowly. Sirius' eyes widened.

"Who…Nooooo." He peered down at Ella, and raised her up so that they were ye to eye. "Ella?"
The mouse nodded sadly, and plonked back down. Sirius laughed.

"Ow!" he cried, as her tiny teeth dug into his finger. "Ok, ok, I won't laugh…"

"Why did she want to become an animagus anyway?" James begrudgingly told his friend the story, and Lily flopped down onto James' bed. The mouse was rolling around on the ground in anguish, trying desperately trying to do something, but for some reason not being able to. James was the first to notice, when he had finished the story and Sirius was sitting down on the bed, staring at his hands. He looked up when he heard James, pointing to the floor.

"Er, Lily, is she ok?" James asked, gesturing at Ella.

Lily took one look at Ella, and knew, as a result of knowing her for seven years now, what was causing her the excruciating pain. She rolled back onto the bed, carelessly.

"Ignore her. She wants more than anything to pay me out, and make some sort of line concerning me, you and this bed." Lily said blandly. Sirius snorted.

"So, is there anything that I can do to help?" Sirius asked. Lily sat up.

"Stop being an idiot and asking questions about the mouse." She said, obviously.

"And if you can, keep Lupin from going to the hospital wing." Sirius went white.

"What?"

"Well, you two have to baby sit a mouse! I have to keep Lupin away from Ella? Talk about giving me the hard task!"

They laughed, and went down to the common room, where, thankfully, everyone was still sitting, including Remus.

"Well, I'm not going to visit her." Lupin said. Lily's soft triumph was lost somewhat by the sad, lost look on Remus' face. " She obviously doesn't want to see me, so…"

He trailed off.

"I think I'll go up to the dormitory. I'll see everyone later."

"Remus, it's six thirty!" Dani said. Sirius gritted his teeth.

"Ok, nightie night!" Sirius said brightly. Remus gave him a weird look, before heading up to the dorm, his head bowed in defeat.

Lily felt in her pocket, to give Ella a reassuring pat, however, there was nothing there.

"James." She hissed. He didn't here her. "James!"

"What?" he whispered back.

"James, do you have Leal?" James' eyes widened, as he shook his head.

They both looked at Sirius. He shook his head.

Frantically searching the floor, they failed to notice that she was still up in the boy's dormitory….

Lupin threw himself onto his bed, disgusted in himself.

What can I do? He though, desperately. There seemed to be only one thing for it. Something he had seen Sirius do not that long ago… He grabbed his pillow and screamed into it as hard as he could.

When he stopped, and there was silence in the room, a tiny squeak could be heard, from down beside his bed.

"Leal." Lupin said, looking down at the mouse. "Sorry about that. I just can't believe it. I finally find a girl that I…that I…that I love, and I go and blow it…or more my bloody problem goes and blows it…I should have stayed in Chestervalle Le…"

Ella couldn't stand it anymore. She was more determined now than she thought she would ever be. If she could change into a horse when she was a person then why couldn't she do it when she was a mouse…it could get her into a whole lot more trouble…but it could stop Remus from doing anything stupid…

"What…" Remus gasped as the mouse began to grow. It was growing a mane, and a tail. Its nose was filling out, and its tiny paws were turning into large hooves.

And before he knew it, the horse's hooves and spindly legs were protruding, and making way for delicate arms and legs, and her hair was no longer a mane, but Ella's silky soft wavy locks, falling messily over her pretty face.

Remus gasped, and Ella fell down onto the ground, panting in pain.

"Ella!" he knelt down beside her. "Are you ok? What did you…what did you…how…" he gasped, and hugged her as she cried into his shoulder.

"I can do it!" she whispered, in between relieves sobs. "I did it Remus! I actually did it!"

"Shhh…" he soothed, stroking her hair, "It's ok, it's ok, you're ok now."

Ella calmed down, and he lowered her onto his bed, so that she was sitting there, her face red with recently shed tears, and her eyes pink and puffy. Remus sat down next to her.

"What happened? Why were you a mouse?" he asked, putting his arm around her. Ella gulped.

"You'll be mad." She said. "But I can do it now, ok, I can! You can't be mad now, I can do it!"

"You can do what?" he asked, worried.

So Ella told him the story of the last couple of days, and when she was done, she looked at him, hopefully.

Lupin smiled. "I am the luckiest guy in the world." He said, kissing her.

"Can we go and see the others? Only I want to tell James that I did it! And I know that Lily will-"

"Lupin! Have you seen Lea- Arghh!" Sirius jumped, when he saw who was sitting on the bed. "How the hell did you do that?" Ella grinned at him, and Lupin smiled. Sirius looked frightened.

"James! James Lily, get up here NOW!" Sirius called.

"Got Sirius, your such an idiot…" Lupin said, rolling his eyes.

"PRONGS!"

"What did you do to the real Ella?" he hissed at Ella. Ella laughed.

"I am the real Ella Sirius…"

"Ok then!" he cried, when James and Lily were almost up the stairs. "Ok, tell me something that the real Ella would know!"

"Well, I was a mouse for the last day…"

"Oi! Impostor! Remus is right there, shut up!" Sirius yelled.

"What's all the noise Sirius- Ella? How the hell did you do that?" James yelled, though not nearly as hysterically as Sirius, who had calmed down a little at the sight of James, and was now sitting on his bed. Lily stopped short of James, and stared at Ella.

"Wow. Ella?" Everyone in the room was looking at her and Remus, in disbelief.

Ella went red. "I guess I was just really determined." She said, grinning at James. James gave her a hi-five, and let out a triumphant whoop.