A/N: It's official, I'm done with the AP exams! I'm so happy. So that you can share in my good fortune, here's the next chapter.
Chapter Eight: Memories
Paxton Deere hated full moons. They reminded him too much of when he used to be James Potter, before Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix. But mostly, they reminded him of the friends he'd lost.
James stared out the window of his office, ignoring the huge pile of essays he had to grade before Monday, and let his eyes drift toward Hagrid's hut. His mind wandered to the memory of the last full moon he'd spent in the forest.
It was two years after the twins were born and they were smack in the middle of the "terrible twos" stage. James had needed to get away from the teething, babbling, and general commotion. He'd fed the twins and put them to bed before telling Lily he was leaving for a bit. She'd asked where he was going, but he'd already apparated away.
James hadn't planned to go to Hogsmeade, but when he appeared in the disserted alley between the Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes, he realized it was just where he needed. He quickly transformed into Prongs, rejoicing in the sound of the wind whistling about his antlers and the familiar smells of Hogsmeade.
He started to run. For a while, he convinced himself that he was back in school and that if he turned around, he'd see Padfoot and Moony bringing up the rear. Then he would look back and no one was there.
Somehow his four feet carried him to the clearing where the Marauders had always transformed after leaving Moony. That was where he heard it.
"RUN!"
Before his human consciousness could comprehend the sound, his deer instincts recognized the voice and charged towards it. He galloped through the underbrush, his ears straining to hear more. He heard a sharp whimper and a familiar snarl.
Prongs stuttered to a stop just inside the forest. He saw two of his pack fighting and once again, his animagus's instincts kicked in. He stamped his right-front hoof on the ground, hard.
The werewolf looked up, startled, to see Prongs, his antlers bowed threateningly, asserting his authority as leader of the pack. Prongs saw the recognition in the wolf's eyes and used it to his advantage.
He bucked his head, ordering Moony closer. Moony obeyed instantly, howling hello in greeting.
Prongs started to run, to draw Moony away from his fawn and wounded brother; Moony followed, clearly delighted to have his leader back.
Prongs led the werewolf back into the Forbidden Forest. When Prongs finally stopped in a small clearing, Moony butted against the deer and nipped him in the rear. Prongs recognized the movement as friendly and rubbed his head against the wolf's course fur. Then the moment was gone and Moony begged Prongs to play with him. And play with him, he did.
For those few hours, it was like no time had passed. But all too soon, the bright smell of dawn broke their fun. Moony started to shake as he transformed back into Remus Lupin, and Prongs knew it was time.
The stag waited until Remus was back before he left. He rubbed his head once more against his best friend, saying a silent goodbye and wishing he didn't have to leave before transforming back into James and apparating away.
OOOOO
James had often wondered, as he did now, whether Remus remembered that night. His memory was the only thing that had kept him sane. He knew without it, he wouldn't have been able to hide. The hope that Padfoot and Prongs would once again tame Moony was his only conciliation when he introduced himself to his friends as Paxton Deere, and the only thing that kept the lie going every time he saw Sirius. He'd just never expected one of them to die without knowing Prongs lived.
"Professor Paxton?"
James jumped guilty and ran his hand through his hair. "Yes?"
A Ravenclaw third-year walked hesitantly into James's office. "Do you have a moment? I'm not sure I understand the premise of the snuff-box transformation."
James straightened his stack of essays and mentally slapped himself to clear his mind. He surreptitiously rubbed his eyes clear off the half-spilt tears. "Of course, come in!"
OOOOO
While James was reminiscing in his office, another Potter was also deep in thought. That day had been the Gryffindor Quiddich tryouts, but Harry's new team wasn't forefront in his mind.
The tryouts for the chasers had gone well and Harry had started to feel good about himself. In fact, up until a beater-hopeful smashed a bludger into his nose, Harry had been having a very good day.
The bludger had broken his nose cleanly and it started gushing blood almost immediately. Hermione, and much to his surprise, Neville, had come running onto the pitch to help while the poor third-year had cried her apologies over and over again and Ron had hung, shocked, in the air next to the goalposts.
Harry had closed his eyes tight and motioned for the girl to be quiet. All his Quiddich injuries and run-ins with "Duddikins" hadn't prepared him for the radiating pain of a cracked nose. It wasn't as bad as the Cruciatus, but at the moment, Harry would have put it in a close second.
"I can help!" Neville had panted.
Harry had looked at him with a look of that he'd hoped had said, "thanks but I would much prefer Madame Pomfrey." Hermione must have thought the same, because she'd started, "Neville—"
"Trust me!" Neville had begged, pointing his new, mahogany wand at Harry's nose.
Harry hadn't been able to argue with that, but that didn't mean he hadn't prayed to everything holey his trust wasn't for not.
"Episky!"
Harry felt his face get very cold and then burn, accompanied by a loud CRACK. And then it was over. Harry had felt his nose tentatively, holding his breath. His nose was still a little tender, but no longer broken.
"Wow, Neville!" Ron had said.
Neville had blushed and mumbled something about getting private lessons since the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. From what Harry had been able to catch, Madame Pomfrey had been so impressed by his Herbology OWL, she'd offered to teach him healing when school resumed, but after the Ministry, she'd decided to start during the summer. Apparently she'd decided that if the Gryffindors were going to continue to get into bad situations, they might as well have someone to keep them alive until she could get to them.
Something clicked in Harry's mind. "Hermione!"
Hermione jumped guiltily at being caught watching Ron and Seamus's chess match rather than reading her Arithmancy. "Yes?"
"I need to talk to you. You too, Ron," he added excitedly.
Ron looked longingly back at his knight, who was currently dragging Seamus's rook to the side, and followed his best friends up the stairs and into the sixth year's dorm. "Well?" he asked as soon as he'd shut the door.
"What does an army have?" Harry replied.
Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly, but Ron answered without hesitation. "Soldiers, obviously, healers, and commanders."
"Right! Now what about every soldier? A good one," he added.
Hermione answered before Ron could. "Well, a good grasp of spells and strategy, loyalty to the cause and commanders, and I suppose some battlefield first-aid."
"Exactly!" Harry hadn't felt this excited in a long time. It was almost pathetic how excited he was. "Remember what Neville did today?" he led.
"Wha—?" Hermione started, but stopped when his meaning suddenly set in. She smiled then looked pensive. "Do you think he'd agree to that?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
"I know he's really come out of his shell, Harry, but aren't you asking a bit much?"
"Agree to what? Who?" Ron shouted, looking between his friends in confusion.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really, Ronald! Harry wants Neville to teach the DA emergency first-aid."
Ron looked at Harry in surprise. "Really? The DA's back?"
"Ron! You are missing the point!" Hermione replied, exasperated.
"Then what's the point?" Ron asked, drawing himself straighter.
Harry cut in before the conversation became more of an argument than it already was. "Whether Neville will teach us."
Ron shrugged. "Why wouldn't he?"
Hermione threw her arms up in surrender. "Ronald! Teaspoon!" She left without another word.
"Mental, she is," Ron mumbled before turning back to his best male friend. "So are you restarting the DA?"
A/N: Thank you all for the amazing amount of reviews! I mean, WOW. I got twenty on the last chapter alone. It's very gratifying and it helped me get through the six AP exams I had to take these last two weeks. Plus, I'm gaining ground over my sister. Twenty-six more (I counted) and I'll be ahead until she posts another story! So please continue to review.