The Malevolence of Turtles

This is the third and final chapter of this little story, and I'm sorry it took so long to write, mixture of bust schedule and major writer's block. Anyway, here it is and I hope you enjoy it!! I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Lily, or if I should do it at all. I'll decide by the reception I get for this story. So tell your friends if you want to see another one!

Chapter 3

"Moony? Come here Moonikins!" James was calling an hour later in increasing desperation. The clock was ticking, and they only had half an hour left until the sun went down, and full moons always rise at sunset!

"Prongs," Sirius began, the unable to conceal the desperation in his voice, "stop that. You're annoying me, and people are staring at us."

This was very true, for as James and Sirius continued to power through the welcoming suburb of Godric's Hollow the neighbourhood had started to stare. Peeking out of curtains and stopping to tie their shoelaces as the two young men tore past, calling incessantly for their lost friend. However, what neither James nor Sirius knew was that the public was not staring at their confusing calls for what seemed to be thought of as a badly behaved Rabbit one of them owned. It was the fact that two grown men, who saw a great deal of each other usually it was noted, were both straddled to the back of a motorcycle that was driving around the block continuously. Things were starting to seem suspicious, and for those who knew of James' marriage to Lily and Sirius' fondness for anyone who was considered a woman by society (except for that one time when he was REALLY drunk, but now is not the moment), thought that maybe they were just stealing a bit of time together, trying to disguise their need for each other by looking for a lost pet. Or "Moony" as James so rightly hollered into the increasing darkness.

"You know Pads," began James perceptively as he lowered his voice to a more normal tone, "I think people are staring at us as we drive around the block holding onto each other calling out to Moony like he's some kind of pet." Which left both Sirius AND the readers to wonder why someone of such "quick intelligence" had thought of that all by himself, but had not grasped the fact that during school Lily did not like his arrogant attitude or his habit of jinxing people, so asking her out for 6 years straight while doing both those things would not be a good idea. As they had both figured it out a while ago, a while meaning when the author wrote it.

"Yeah, okay, whatever." Sirius replied, throwing a contemptuous look at the old ladies who had been whispering together while giving them wide, over-bearing smiles, and two teenagers who had been snogging ferociously against a lamppost, but now were staring avidly at the two slightly older men on the bike. Muttering under his breath James could not pick up on all of Sirius' words, but he was certain he heard "mind" "business" "ruined" and "reputation" a couple of times.

After another ten minutes of increasingly humiliating searching they found the cowering werewolf, huddled up in a shaking ball, rocking back and forth and shooting furtive glances either side of him at random intervals. After a bemused glance at each other, James and Sirius crouched down either side of their clearly disabled friend and it was then they realised they had no idea what to do. So they continued to sit there, patting Remus' back every so often and looking at each other just long enough to shrug their shoulders and pull strained grimaces.

The minutes dragged on, until finally, Remus came to his own rescue by whispering to his own knees wrapped around his hands in a voice so low Sirius and James had to lean in to hear: "I see turtles."

Having unofficially just declared himself insane, Remus permitted himself to be led away by his friends, on to the motorbike, on which Sirius flew him home, tucked him into bed, arranged for him to see a counsellor in the morning and then got the hell out of there just as the full moon appeared behind some low-lying, dull pink cloud.

"Phew, that was close," Sirius said to the cool night air as a howl ripped through the silence. "Now, there was somewhere I was meant to be?" Oh well, he thought, climbing back onto his motorbike, I'll do it tomorrow, and flew off back to his own house, while 5 miles away James Potter stood shivering and swearing as it got colder and darker around him, waiting for the roar of a familiar motorbike that seemed never to come…

"Woah, no offence Remus, but that's just sad," Harry Potter remarked to a much older Remus Lupin nearly twenty years later.

"Yes, I suppose Sirius leaving your father there all night WAS a bit upsetting."

Harry gave him a look that plainly said 'you are a psycho' before replying, "Um…yeah, exactly, poor dad."

A rather relaxing silence then fell upon the pair as Remus continued to reminisce about the past, while Harry was slowly edging away, broken only by Harry when he was about 5 feet away from the table. "So, what did my mum contribute?"

"Huh?" Said Remus, coming out of some long ago memory, "your mum?"

"Yeah, what did she not like that I don't like now?"

"Oh! Umm…I'm not sure." Remus said quickly, not looking at Harry, but instead peering at the incredibly interesting fork lying next to him. "Uh…excuse me Harry, I have to go." And he hurried out.

"Strange man, wonder what he's trying to hide from me?" Harry said to himself as he made to follow Remus out the kitchen door into the hall, when a scream shattered the silence, and he turned just in time to see Remus tearing out of the house without opening the door, and Fred to come into the hall holding what was clearly a baby turtle.

"What the-?" Fred began, but stopped when he saw Harry holding onto the banister for support he was laughing so hard.

"Long story Fred," Harry gasped as he sank to the floor.