Suspicious Behavior

"…so, it is necessary that when transfiguring a person into an animal, you keep your mind centered on that one animal and nothing else," Professor McGonagall was saying to her seventh year class. She noticed the unusual pairings of the students sitting next to each other in their seats. Shayna and Sirius were sitting next to each other, without so much as an aggravated whisper from either of them. Jocelyn and Remus were sitting next to each other, too, but McGonagall wasn't surprised at that. Peter was sitting with Belatrix Black, though Belatrix didn't look very happy about that arrangement. What surprised her most was the couple in the back of the room, holding a whispered conversation. She was so shocked at their sudden friendliness that she didn't think to tell them off for talking during class. She shook her head slightly to make sure she wasn't imagining anything. She wasn't. Lily Evans and James Potter were sitting and talking with each other? Impossible!

"So, you reckon Shayna really fancies Sirius?" James was asking Lily in a hushed voice. He couldn't help being suspicious; come on, it was his best mate they were talking about!

"I don't know," Lily asked, trying to look as though she were just copying notes. "I'd say she does, but I've never really talked to her about this sort of thing."

James sighed. "I'm sorry if I seem a bit obsessive…it's just that it's my best mate we're talking about, and he never really loved anybody as much as he loves her," James said worriedly. "I don't want him to suffer if it turns out that she doesn't feel the same way about him."

"Well if she doesn't then I'm sure they'll still be friends," Lily said, biting her lip anxiously. "I mean, Shayna's not the type of person to just drop someone like a lump on a log. She's better than that. Besides, I'm sure Sirius would bounce back in a few days if that did happen."

"Yeah, you may think that," James said darkly. "But you don't know Sirius the way I do. He never gets this crazy over a girl. He was actually asking me if 'Shayna Black' has a ring to it. If she doesn't think of him like that, then we have a problem."

"But wouldn't Sirius of all people understand if someone doesn't feel that way at the moment?" Lily asked.

"Miss Evans, I believe the question should be 'would the person you are trying to transfigure into an animal understand if you aren't concentrating hard enough on the transfiguration?'" Professor McGonagall said briskly from behind Lily, making her jump.

"Pro—Professor!" she gasped, suddenly realizing that the whole class was staring at her in shock.

"Miss Evans and Mr. Potter, you should be paying attention to what I am saying at the moment, not to…whatever it was that you were discussing," McGonagall said sternly, her small eyes fixed on Lily unblinkingly. "Now, as I was saying, the incantation must be recited exactly the right way, for if it is not then half of the person will transform and the other half will remain human, causing excruciating pain to whomever it is you are transfiguring. Also, the wand must be waved in the exact movement as described in your textbook, for if not the consequences will be quite painful indeed…"

James didn't pay attention to another word she said, though Lily was scribbling notes frantically in an effort to redeem herself in McGonagall's eyes. So that means that Shayna might not fancy Sirius as much as we thought, James thought to himself nervously, drumming his fingers on the table and bobbing his knee up and down. Which means that I have every right to be suspicious. Speaking of suspicious, where's Wormtail? I haven't seen him since…I don't remember. I haven't seen him in a while, and maybe something's up.

He frowned as he battled his conscience.

He's one of your best mates!

Yeah, but he also hasn't been seen outside of classes in a while.

But he's one of your best mates!

But maybe I should tell Dumbledore that he's been missing…

Peter wouldn't do something stupid like joining Voldemort!

Or would he?

"OUCH!" he exclaimed. His knee, which was bobbing up and down nervously, slammed into the desk. He then stared up guiltily as Professor McGonagall's face loomed over him. "Sorry, Professor," he said meekly. "I hit my knee on the desk. It won't happen again, Professor."

James left the classroom ten minutes later with Sirius and Remus. Peter had darted ahead with Bellatrix and her boyfriend Rodolfus Lestrange. "Moony, Padfoot," James whispered, "I think something's up with Wormtail."

"No," Sirius said. "There can't be. He hasn't been going to the bathroom every period like he did the last time he was ill, when he took the Draught of Thirst potion that made him drink two gallons of water…" he laughed as he remembered that incident.

"I'm serious!" James exclaimed, frowning in aggravation.

"No, I'm Sirius. Mate, you might need a Mind-Focusing potion…I'll take you to the hospital wing if you can't remember where it is," Sirius said, shaking his head disapprovingly at James.

"Padfoot, I'm fine." James ran a finger through his messy hair in frustration. "I just think that something's up with Peter. He's been acting funny, and I think we should find out what's up." He paused and dropped his voice to a whisper again. "What if he's gone to Voldemort?" he asked darkly.

Suddenly Remus stopped walking abruptly. "I—I've just remembered, I've got to do some…Herbology homework that I forgot about."

"Okay," James said, eyebrows furrowed. He continued with what he was saying before, not turning to watch Remus leaving. "Padfoot, mate, what if Peter really has gone to Voldemort?" He peered at his friend worriedly.

"We don't have Herbology homework," Sirius said, as though in a daze, rubbing his forehead vigorously as though trying to iron off his skin.

"So what?" James asked, not catching Sirius's drift. "What if Peter went to follow Voldemort?"

"Prongs, don't be thick," Sirius said, still looking rather dazed as he walked along the corridors. "Peter may be a bit dull, but he's not that stupid!"

"Yeah," James said, "I guess you're right. Padfoot, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sirius answered, though not sounding fine at all. "I've just got to go ask Professor Sprout something."

Geez, James thought, why does everyone suddenly have to do something for Herbology?

"Remus, where did you go before?" Sirius asked in the Gryffindor common room with Remus and James (who was told to leave his common room by Lily, who was having a girls-only thing with Jocelyn and Shayna).

"I told you, I went to get Potions homework," Remus said, fidgeting slightly.

"No, you didn't," Sirius said, narrowing his eyes. James was looking from one Marauder to the other, trying to figure out what was going on. Finally it hit him.

"You said you were going to get your Herbology homework!" James exclaimed, slapping his knee excitedly. "Ouch," he said softly, rubbing the spot he hit.

"Well," Remus said, realizing he was cornered. "I was…off with Jocelyn," he said, recognizing defeat and looking at the floor.

"Oh," James said easily, patting Remus on the shoulder. "Well, you could've told us that, mate. We wouldn't have cared!"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Okay," he said skeptically.

James picked the skin on his thumb absentmindedly. What's going on here? he thought, frowning.

A/N: I decided to be nice and give you the chapter early. Just thought I'd clarify the purpose of this chapter…In the third book, Remus asks for Sirius's forgiveness for thinking that he was the spy. Sirius says that it's okay, because he thought that Remus was the spy. After Silverwings (by the way, I hope you're reading her story…it's called Love Throughout Time by SilverwingsJP) read that part of the book, she asked me why Sirius thought that Remus was the spy. That got me thinking, so I wrote a chapter on it. So, this chapter is dedicated to Silverwings, because she got me thinking about it. Until next week :-) Send me reviews and I might update faster ;-) Please?