a/n: I don't even know what to say .. I'm sorry? I came back here today, and reread the story, your guys' reviews, and thought about how many people have put this on their favorite list, how many people might have been waiting for the story to finish, and I just felt awful about the whole thing. I've had a rough few months—personal things that I won't get into... but yeah, it's probably changed my writing style a bit since it's changed everything else, so if this chapter seems different, that's why. I don't even know if anyone's going to read it, or like it, but here it is. Hope it makes sense.
The Moon-me
The film starts, focusing on (of all things) the Whomping Willow.
What the heck. I look over at James, who is staring hard at the screen, frowning. I get the feeling he doesn't like this movie much.
The camera focuses in and out on the Whomping Willow, and I'm distinctly reminded of a home video.
"OOMPH."
The camera focuses the farthest out it's been, and Peter Pettigrew (?) is lying on the ground, looking sheepish. Amidst loud laughter in the background, he mumbles, "forgot to transform…"
Transform? What?
Sirius Black comes into view (I'm so confused here), thumping Peter on the back. "Really, Wormtail, it's a mystery how someone as dense as you could even become an Animagus."
Animagus? What?
I look at James, who's still frowning at the screen.
"Come on, let's hurry it up, Moony needs us."
I snap my head back to the screen to see James, holding a silvery cloak (an Invisibility Cloak? How come he never told me he had one?), which, after a wave of his wand, disappears.
"Right you are, Prongs," says Sirius. Behind him, Peter's grimacing, his fists clenched and his eyes shut. I watch as he shrinks into the form of a rat. Around him, Sirius and James do the same, taking the forms of a big, black dog and a stag.
Okay what the hell is going on. This must be some sort of dream or something—I mean, James would have told me if he was an Animagus!
I turn to look at James, who's staring at me, still frowning. He jerks his head towards the screen, and we turn back to watch the three of them enter a whole in the bottom of the tree (for some reason, the branches have stopped moving). The film seems to fast forward, until they're standing in some kind of shabby looking house. Only something's wrong. There are bite marks on the furniture, and the windows are boarded up. Instinctively, I lean closer to James, who puts his arm gently around my shoulders.
James walks forward and pushes his antlers into a door (there's a sentence I never thought I'd say), which slowly creeks open. Peter scampers in ahead of him, Sirius not far behind. The camera focuses on a bed, where a lump is shivering in the middle. Sirius paws back the covers, to reveal a grey, dog-like creature. A werewolf.
Remus.
…
The lights come back on, and the screen goes black.
That was honestly the strangest movie I have ever seen. I mean, really. Seeing your boyfriend scamper around (is that what deers do? Scamper?) with his best friends, also in animal form… I mean, wow. I'm so confused.
I turn to James, who's rubbing his forehead wearily.
"James," I say quietly.
He slowly looks up, giving a small smile. He fingers a small lock of my hair, seemingly lost in thought. "I suppose that made no bleeding sense, to you, huh."
"Well," I say, "not really."
He sighs. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out an old, grubby piece of parchment.
THE MAP!
I try to disguise my renewed excitement, giving the seriousness of the situation and all.
James taps it with his wand, mumbling something, then shoots a look at me, giving a small laugh. "I knew you'd figure it out," he says quietly.
What can I say. I'm pretty clever.
"This," he says, unfolding the map and laying it across our laps, "is the Marauder's Map. Me, Sirius, and Remus invented it. And Peter helped, a bit. It shows every person in the castle's whereabouts." He points at the dot labeled Albus Dumbledore, who is currently pacing his office. "It also," he says, tracing a corridor I've never seen before, "has all the secret passageways on it, too. Even the ones Dumbledore doesn't know about."
"Wow," I mutter softly. "You know, James, this could be a real help in tracking anyone who breaks into the castle. I mean, it's probably more advanced than anything even Dumbledore's come up with."
"I know," he says, sighing again. "And that's why I'm not sure what to do with it. I could turn it in, but it's definitely against the rules, and we've all worked so hard on it. But I'd kill myself if someone broke in and hurt someone, when this could have been what stopped them."
He looks really stressed, poor guy. I'm starting to feel bad for making him tell me this secret.
"Apart from the four of us blokes, you're the only one we've trusted the information with," James continues. "Peter, Sirius, and Remus reckoned we could trust you with it." He smiles. "On that note, I bet you're wondering about—about Remus, and all. About the moon-me."
I nod, not bothering to correct his slip up in muggle terminology.
"Well, Remus is a werewolf," he says bluntly.
"I figured," I say giving a small laugh.
He smiles. "Yeah. Me, Sirius, and Peter wanted to help him out, but we couldn't, being humans and all. So we found another way. It was bloody difficult, mind you." He laughs. "Sirius decided to be a dog, Peter, a rat, and me—"
"—a deer," I finish for him, smirking.
"—a stag," he finishes, frowning. "I'm not a deer, Lily. I'm not… Bandy or that prancing muggle character that all the little kids love."
"Bambi," I correct him laughingly. "I love Bambi."
James cocks an eyebrow. "Got a thing for deer, eh? Well, I'll sacrifice my image and be categorized with Bambi, just for you."
I smile. "So I'm guessing that no one else knows—"
"About the whole Animagus thing? No," he says, his frown returning. "And I'd hate for Dumbledore to find out, after all he's done for Remus. No, I think it's best we keep it between us."
He pulls me closer to him. "Well, how does it feel to be in the know? No more need to be nosy anymore," he says with a smile.
"Oh, I think I'll find a way to use my nosiness," I say, "before it peaks or anything."
My gods. My thoughts are getting even more incoherent as I get closer and closer to James. Damn you James Potter, my craziness is all your fault.
James laughs. "Well, since I can trust you with this secret, I think I've got another one for you."
My heart jumps. A secret.
He nuzzles my cheek with his nose, and his breath tickles my ear, as I expectantly wait for the secret.
"I love you."
And before I have time to say anything back, before I can tell him that I love him, too, he presses his lips to mine, and all coherent thoughts are floating away.
I think I like this secret the best.
FIN.
…
a/n: ta-da! Don't know how good that was, or if it even explained anything. And I want you to know that I'm completely beating myself up over this, because that "I love you" came way too unrealistically soon in the relationship, but I'll shut up before I've brought all the story's flaws to your attention. So now, I'm feeling better, because I've finally finished this. And hopefully at least one person will read it and be glad it's finally finished, too.
And an epilogue? Possibly. If I find out that anyone even cares anymore.
review?
