The boys were sitting in Transfiguration, waiting for Professor McGonagall to show up. "I wonder where she is," said Remus. "She's not normally this late."
"You think they'll cancel class?" asked Peter.
"Nah, they normally just get someone else to cover," said Sirius. "Who do you think they'll send?"
"This kind of subject is too specialized to just send anyone," said James. "I reckon it'll be Dumbledore himself."
"What? No," said Remus. "It's just the one class, all they really need to do is read from a textbook. I'm sure Slughorn or Flitwick could do that, even if they don't know Transfiguration that well."
"Maybe…" started Sirius, as the doors opened. "Never mind, here she…" Sirius cut himself short as he looked behind him to see a cat walk into the room. "What…" was all he could manage as the cat strolled forward with a sense of purpose, as though it belonged there.
"Maybe McGonagall sent the cat to teach us today?" asked Peter, causing many of the students to snicker.
The cat reached the front of the classroom and turned to face them. Suddenly, it changed into Professor McGonagall, causing a few students to jump in surprise. "Very close, Mr. Pettigrew," said McGonagall, a small smirk on her face. "But that entrance was to demonstrate today's lesson. Does anyone know what it might be?"
"Is it about animagi?" asked Lily.
"Very good Miss Evans," said McGonagall. "Yes, today we will be learning about animagi, the ability to turn into an animal."
"Will we have to learn how to do this?" asked Peter.
"No, Mr. Pettigrew," said McGonagall. "You see, to be an animagi, you are required to register this intent. Otherwise, you will face severe punishments, including time in Azkaban. Even those who are registered need a good reason. I, for example, was allowed to become one as a way of deeper understanding the art of transfiguration. On top of all that, it is an INCREDIBLY difficult skill to learn, and messing it up could be harmful."
"Is that how centaurs were made?" asked James, getting a laugh out of the class.
McGonagall simply glared at him. "Very funny, Mr. Potter," said McGonagall, in a voice that made it clear she didn't find it funny at all. "No, centaurs are their own species. However, that kind of deformity can occur when you don't know how to create your animagus form properly."
"Can you choose your animagus form?" asked Severus.
"No," said McGonagall. "The animal in question is predetermined based on things like your personality. If any of you have mastered the Patronus charm, you might find out what you'd transform into from that. There are so many fascinating aspects to an animagus, like how you can communicate with animals and how you are not limited to the animal's normal lifespan. Yes, even if you got an animal like an insect, whose lifespan is usually only a month at most, you could theoretically live like that for your normal human lifespan, though I don't think many of you would want to do that."
"So, are there many animagus out there?" asked a student in the back row.
"No, there's not," said McGonagall. "In fact, in the last century, there's only been seven registered. If you'll open your books to page 117, you can actually see a copy of the Register. You'll note that it is incredibly thorough with what I transform into, including information on colour, stripes and markings…"
Remus was sitting in the dormitory alone when James and Sirius burst in, with Peter slinking up the stairs behind them. "Remus, we've had a great idea," said Sirius.
"And it's a little insane," said James.
"What do you mean little?" asked Peter, looking a little worried at what was happening.
"I'm not sure I'm going to like what's about to happen, but continue," said Remus.
"Okay, now, hear me out," said Sirius. "We become animagi…"
"That's a horrible idea," said Remus. "Wait, that actually was a horrible idea. I just had that response ready to go because, well, it's one of your ideas."
"And I told you to hear me out," said Sirius. "Look, we all know the structural integrity of the Shrieking Shack is a little less than great…"
"That's an understatement," said Remus. "Last time I was there I think I nearly knocked a hole through one of the walls. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore's enchantments are they only thing holding that place together."
"Exactly," said Sirius. "So, our plan is this: we become animagi, and we can keep you in line, just in case you do manage to escape."
"Guys, no," said Remus. "You know what McGonagall said. If you screw up, it'll be pretty obvious what you were trying to do. On top of that, you have no idea what you'll turn into when you do transform. I'd love to see you try and keep me in line if you turn into a bunch of mosquitoes."
"Come on Remus," said James. "You know we're just going to do this anyway, so you might as well just be on board with this."
Remus sighed heavily. "Okay, fine," he said. "One question: do any of you know how to become an animagi?"
The other three stared at each other in confusion. "Guys, I think I found a flaw in our plan," said Peter.
"I knew it," said Remus, lying down in his bed.