Guys, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I had a whirlwind couple of weeks so updating was sort of at the bottom of my to do list. But that's why I'm hoping it'll make things up to you by providing two chapters this time instead of just one! And hopefully we'll be right back to our regularly scheduled updates after this. XD

So I have a lot to talk about this time around. We're finally in third year! The theme for this year, as will quickly become apparent, is Animagus. Honestly, this is the year that was giving me the most trouble in writing the first time around. I didn't have any ideas and all the exciting things I wanted to happen were going to happen in later years. I almost considered just skipping the whole thing, but I was conflicted and that wound up making me take the long hiatus XD But once I got inspired to continue the story, the third year chapters spilled out easily and now I think they're some of the best chapters in the story. The struggle now seems to be with fifth year, but that's a story for another day XD

Also, some big news! I got hired for a teaching position starting in September! This is a huge opportunity for me to start my career, so while I plan to continue updating regularly, I definitely won't be able to do any writing of the future chapter. But I don't think that will be a problem just yet. We still have a while to go before we get through everything I've already written.

Finally, I do want to mention that my brothers and I are trying to restart our gaming channel on YouTube, MashingButtons. It would mean a lot if you guys would pop over, just check out what we have. I'm planning on doing a let's play series of Steven Universe: Attack the Light for Android, so that should be fun :D

Kam, CanisLupusHomoSapien, Guest, and katiek121, thanks so much to all of you for your reviews! I'm always glad when new readers find the story and enjoy it, and when old readers keep coming back for more. You guys are the best!

Okay everyone, I will see you in two weeks! Love ya!

~SXS

FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.


Stepping out onto Platform 9 3/4, Remus's eyes were immediately searching out his friends, namely Sirius. He was both excited and nervous to see the other boy; excited because he'd missed him, but nervous because he didn't know what shape the boy might be in after his mother's unjust punishment. Thankfully it hadn't been even half as long as the last time, so if there was any lack of feeding, it wouldn't have had as adverse an effect.

After saying goodbye to his parents, the werewolf decided to head straight for the back of the train, figuring that was the best place to find his fellow Marauders, and he was not disappointed. James and Sirius were sizing each other up, circling slowly as they examined the changes that they had undergone over the past three months, and Peter was standing by with a slightly disappointed expression. He spotted Remus and smiled and waved, which he returned.

"Hey, mates," Remus said as he approached. The two dark-haired boys stopped their examination and turned to him with grins.

"Moony!" Sirius was immediately upon him with a bear hug which Remus returned without hesitation. The pureblood boy was definitely skinnier than he remembered, but not for lack of eating. When they pulled apart Remus was able to really study how his friend had changed.

Sirius was definitely taller, which explained his lankier body shape, though he hadn't quite reached James's new height. But with the loss of baby fat his sharp cheekbones and angular jaw were more defined, making him look much more mature and, to Remus's unease, handsome. His hair had also grown some, as it had the summer before, but it was nicely groomed, with soft waves developing in the silky black locks. Swallowing thickly, Remus found he had to force his eyes away.

"Looks like you've come up a few inches yourself," Sirius commented, looking Remus up and down.

"How come I haven't grown at all?" Peter asked, frowning.

"Sorry, Pete. I guess we're just more mature," James said, running a hand through his mop of hair. When Peter looked even more dejected he laughed a little and clapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, don't be like that. You'll get there. Maybe next year."

"Come on, let's get into our compartment before some first years try to take it," Sirius said, leading his friends onto the train.

"Where's Regulus?" Remus asked as they climbed the stairs of the carriage.

Sirius shrugged. "I think he's kissing my mother's arse one last time before he leaves," he said, more than a hint of annoyance coming through in his tone. "She was fawning over him all summer for being a better son than me, and I think it's gone to his head."

The four took their usual seats and started chatting about their summer experiences. It wasn't long before the train was moving.

A little while into the ride, they noticed some movement in the hall. Anjanette was coming their way, with Harlie in her arms and Regulus following right behind. But just when they thought the pair was about to come into their compartment, they turned in the opposite direction and entered the one across the hall, already occupied by Severus and Lily. The four boys looked to each other in surprise.

"When did Anjanette and Regulus get so close?" Remus asked.

"They were actually writing letters over the summer," Sirius explained. "Plus she and him went with Snivs to swim at Lily's. They must have bonded or something." He faked gagging at the thought of his brother becoming closer to his least favorite Slytherin.

"What's wrong, Remus? Jealous?" James teased, waggling his eyebrows. Sirius looked sideways at the other boy, trying to gauge his expression.

"No, I am not jealous," Remus said firmly. "I told you, I'm not interested in her." For some reason now more than ever he knew that was true. Still, he looked across the hall into the other compartment, curious about this new development.

.:~I~S~S~:.

Anjanette settled into her seat next to Regulus, Harlie curling in her lap and purring softly. She hadn't expected the younger Black to invite her to sit with him, and had certainly not expected him to choose to sit with Lily and Severus over his brother. But while she wanted to catch up with the Gryffindor boys, she had enjoyed spending time with this group over the summer and was hoping that she could get to know them better on the ride. She would eat with the Marauders tomorrow.

"How was the rest of your summer?" Lily asked once they had sat.

"Calm," Anjanette answered, stroking Harlie.

"Boring," Regulus said. "Sirius wound up getting grounded so the house was pretty quiet for a while."

Anjanette glanced over to the compartment across the way, spotting Sirius who was currently talking animatedly about something. Remus happened to look her way at the same moment. The boy smiled and gave her a little wave and she nodded towards him.

"Serves him right," Severus mumbled, causing Lily to look at him with a half-frown.

"Why don't you like him?" Anjanette asked, looking back at the older Slytherin. In perfect unison, Regulus and Lily's heads turned, faces shocked, before watching Severus for signs of an explosion. The boy himself narrowed his dark eyes at her but she remained impassive.

"I would think that you would know exactly why, seeing as you've spent plenty of time with those no good swine."

"Sev," Lily said, touching his shoulder.

"James may be an arrogant berk, but Sirius has stood up for you before," Anjanette said, voice still even, but quirking an eyebrow in challenge. "Remus and Peter haven't done anything at all."

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this," Regulus suggested. He wasn't pleased that Severus didn't get along with his brother either, but he didn't want to a rift between the only friend in his House and the girl he…well, felt something about. They were just starting to all be friends and he had hoped they could form their own little group like Sirius had.

"That little weasel Pettigrew is too spineless to go against Potter. Black only defended me because he likes confrontation. And Lupin…There's plenty of reason not to like him." Anjanette tilted her head, not intimidated by Severus's sneer.

Their argument continued in silent staring, Severus's nearly black eyes smoldering into Anjanette's steady violet. Finally, when Regulus and Lily thought they might go blue holding their breath, the Ravenclaw shrugged.

"I can't make you like them." She then sat back and continued to pet her cat, leaving the other occupants in the compartment, even Severus, bewildered by the fact that she completely dropped the subject.

Another silence ensued, this one less tense and more awkward. It was blessedly broken by the Trolley Witch, from whom Regulus eagerly bought snacks for all of them. Severus eyed Anjanette curiously in the meantime, not fully understanding what her angle was in stirring up his enmity with her friends. But his opinion of them was not about to change because she was playing mind games.

.:~I~S~S~:.

The first full moon of the school year fell nearly two weeks into September, and for once, Remus didn't feel like there was a weight on his shoulders. He didn't have to try to come up with anymore stupid excuses, or try to hold back the horrible shaking that took over his body as the hour of his transformation approached. He didn't have to explain away his scars or any symptoms he experienced in the days before the moon. It was the first time since before he'd come to Hogwarts that he felt carefree. Somewhat.

All three of his friends escorted him down to the hospital wing, though Sirius still bore the brunt of his weight as they walked. James and Peter, while they had seen Remus like this once before, were now more humbled as they watched their friend be taken in by Madam Pomfrey, knowing what awaited him in the night to come.

Which was exactly why they and Sirius rushed back to their dorm as soon as the door was closed.

Sirius was relieved that he no longer needed to conduct his research in the library. He'd never been fully comfortable being there alone in the dark. He was also becoming quite fond of the idea that James and Peter were going to be doing this with him. It was a difficult process for one wizard to do on their own even with a mentor, and they had to do it without any professional help. All in all, James and Peter's accidental discovery of Remus's secret was turning out to be a blessing.

When they finally made it back to the bedroom, Sirius was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hurry up, James!" At this point he'd been waiting nearly two months longer than he'd originally expected to read it, the last two weeks being the hardest. Knowing that the book was in the room with them but that he couldn't even look at the cover for fear of Remus catching him was torture.

"Alright, don't pop a vein," James said, digging around in his trunk. He pushed aside all his clothes and supplies before producing the tome, which was literally at the bottom. He tugged it up and out, and then plopped it on the floor between their four-posters.

Sirius and Peter moved onto either side of James, pressing in close as they looked together at the cover of Transform into a Transfiguration Master. The former reached out and brushed his fingers over the cover, knowing that he'd finally find the answers he'd spent many sleepless nights looking for.

"Here's what I think we need to do," James said, already working on a plan. "We'll write down the ingredients of the potion and the directions for brewing in the back of one of our Potions text books. Then, we can start thinking of how we're going to gather the ingredients. We'll get as much as we can from the castle's stores, but we'll have to figure out which ones we need to buy before the first Hogsmeade trip."

"Then when we have everything we need, we'll set up shop in Myrtle's bathroom," Sirius finished for James, and the messy-haired boy nodded. "Brilliant! Let's do it."

James opened the book to the table of contents, and Sirius only got a short glimpse of it before he was flipping to the page for the potion. One day he'd have to take a closer look at some of the other topics covered; he could never be too sure of what might come in handy for a future prank.

"Here we go," James said, smoothing out the page. "Pete, get your Potions book." The pudgy boy obliged, grabbing his text book and a quill. He flipped to the back where there were a few blank pages and got ready to write.

James began to read off the ingredients and Peter diligently scribbled them down into his book. "Merlin, these are going to be harder to get than I thought," he said when he'd gotten to the end of the list.

"I'm sure Sluggy has some bicorn horn and bloomslang skin. Definitely salamander blood," Sirius said as he skimmed the list. "We can get cat hair from Harlie somehow and an eagle owl feather from the Owlery."

"But the rest we're going to have to get from Hogsmeade," James said. "There's too many animal parts that we don't usually use."

"Do we have to drink this?" Peter asked, looking a little green around the gills at the thought of ingesting a potion made of so many animal parts.

"Only one time," Sirius said, taking the book and looking ahead. "And yes, it's probably going to be vile, but we're not doing this for us. It's for Remus." He flipped through the pages, trying to see what awaited them after this first step.

James pursed his lips. "Have you ever thought about the possibility that the animals that we're going to turn into might be too small to contend with a werewolf?"

Sirius hadn't actually thought about this, and he put a hand to his chin. "Well, we know that your animal has antlers, and I can't imagine that would be something too tiny. And obviously mine is something like a big, majestic lion," he said with a flourish.

"Yeah, sure." James dismissed him easily with a wave of his hand. "But I just hope you're right and that we're not doing this for nothing."

"Have some faith, James," Peter said, causing both of the dark-haired boys to turn to him in surprise. He swallowed and looked down into his lap. "I-I'm just saying…what we're doing could wind up really helping Moony. So, we should be positive." Sirius felt a rush of affection for the dirty blonde boy and he slung an arm around his shoulders.

"That's the spirit, Pete," he said, though Peter looked a little fearful as he met James's eyes. The other boy just gave him a small smile.

"You don't have to be afraid to speak your mind, you know. You're right. I'm being pessimistic." He punched into his hand. "We're going to do everything we can to help Remus."

Sirius beamed at both his friends, heart swelling. Only two years before he had hated James's guts, and Peter's by association. Now they were banding together to do something illegal, without any worry about the consequences except for its benefits. And while he personally felt that he was the most devoted to the idea, he was more than happy to have their support and desire to help their fourth member.

.:~I~S~S~:.

It wasn't until the first week of October that the third years were allowed their first weekend visit to Hogsmeade. Even without the ulterior motives on the minds of three out of four of the Marauders, the boys were excited. They had only ever seen Honeydukes and Zonko's, and were quite looking forward to not having to crowd under the cloak to walk around, considering James and Sirius's growth spurts.

After handing in their permission forms to Professor McGonagall, the four boys headed down the path from the grounds to the little village in the distance, their cheeks gradually turning rosy with the growing chill. Even though it wasn't their first time into Hogsmeade, there was something extra special about going the long way and being able to take their time walking.

"We have to get a butterbeer," Peter said, rubbing his hands together. "I'm already freezing."

James nudged Sirius in the ribs, causing the other boy to turn to him. He jerked his head to the side just a little where he had already spotted their number one destination: J. Pippin's Potions. Sirius gave him an imperceptible nod and then turned to Peter. "Why don't you and Moony head over to the Three Broomsticks and we'll catch up." Peter balked before remembering their plan and keeping quiet.

Remus turned to his friend and quirked an eyebrow. "Where are you two going?"

"Ah…We just wanted to…have a quick peek at the Shrieking Shack," James quickly covered, figuring the tawny-headed boy would have no desire to see the place where he spent his monthly transformations. Remus looked less than placated when he heard this, however, so Sirius stepped in.

"We only want to see how many idiots actually believe there are ghosts in there. Maybe scare a few of them with the cloak," he said, winking at him.

Remus blinked a few times before looking away, face returning to a gentle pink. "I guess it might be a good thing if you're propagating the rumors," he said. "The less people are tempted to go in there the better."

"Exactly," James agreed. "Now you two run along." He pushed Remus and Peter in the direction of the Three Broomsticks, but neither he nor Sirius moved from their spots until the other boys were inside with the door shut.

"We can't be long. What are the ingredients we need?" Sirius asked as they headed for the Potion's shop.

"Filet of fenny snake, lionfish spine, and a wolf tooth," James read from the small piece of parchment in his pocket. They had collected the other ingredients that they needed over the last few weeks, in ways both honest and not so much. "Hopefully this doesn't blow my entire allowance."

"If it does, I'll have to pay you back someday," Sirius said. "When I finally get a job, because I'm sure my inheritance is in jeopardy at this point in my life, whether or not I'm the 'heir'."

"I would think you'd be happy being the heir," James said as they crunched their way through the snow. "When your parents die you have the chance to change your family into something resembling humans again."

Sirius sighed, stuffing his hands in his robe pockets. "I think it's too late for us Blacks. Everyone has to be on board if anything I do is going to make a difference. I don't even know how much I can count on Regulus anymore. Sometimes I feel like just renouncing and letting him deal with it."

James wasn't used to Sirius really opening up like that to him, and he had to take a moment to decide what he should do next. In the end, he settled for clapping him on the shoulder. "Maybe when you're of age. And you know, if you ever want to leave, there's plenty of room at my place. Although I get the feeling you'd probably want to go with Remus over me."

Sirius wasn't ready to admit that James was actually one hundred percent right about that, so instead he smirked and pinched his cheek. "Is someone jealous?" James swatted his hand away.

"Of course not, you big pouf. I just know that you have a different relationship with him." He paused, thinking of the right way to put it into words. "The way that you and I understand each other when we're talking about pranks, you have that understanding with him on other stuff. Mushy stuff."

Sirius could feel his face heat, and was glad that the cold already had him flushed. "You think so?"

"Yeah. There's nothing wrong with it. That's just the way you connect." Sirius smiled a little, in a way pleased with this idea. He didn't get to say anything more, however, as they were now at the door of J. Pippin's.

"You're going to have to be the one to buy the stuff," he told James. Though he didn't like to admit that James had advantages over him, he was a bit taller and looked older because he wore glasses. "If they ask, it's for an O.W.L. level project."

"Got it." James pushed the door open, a tiny bell ringing as he did so, and they entered the shop together. The scent of burning wood and incense immediately hit their nostrils. The shop was small, with various bubbling cauldrons scattered about the floor on pedestals. Glass cases lined the walls, containing shelves full of jars and vials of ingredients. Anything and everything that they might ever need for a potion was here before them, easily accessible. James and Sirius split up and started to search out their target purchases.

They worked quickly, finding exactly what they needed and reconvening at the counter to pay. The witch behind it was young, almost freshly graduated. She had wavy blonde hair and green eyes that scanned James up and down as he pulled out his pouch of Galleons.

"Can I see some ID?" she asked in a soft voice, full lips curving into a half-smile. Sirius very nearly panicked, knowing that if she checked either of their wands that they would be busted, but James just smirked and leaned an elbow on the counter.

"Now I know you're joking," he said confidently. "A lovely lady like you can surely tell that we're fifth years."

"That depends," the witch said, moving so that she was bent at the waist, allowing James and Sirius a better look at the way her shirt dipped in the front. The former was completely unfazed by this, only growing cockier in response, while the latter suddenly felt like he was intruding. "What exactly are you using these ingredients for?"

"An O.W.L. level project. Personal study," James said, running a hand through his hair. "Slughorn is rather fond of me."

She giggled a little. "That makes two of us." Sirius thought he might just vomit. He cleared his throat loudly.

James pouted a bit, but he made himself focus on their task. "Well, Ms…"

"Clearwater. Jessica Clearwater," she said, and held out her hand. James took it and kissed it. Now Sirius was certainly going to be sick.

"Ms. Jessica, we have to meet with our friends soon, urgently. If you could wrap these up, I'd be so grateful." James flashed her a dashing smile and she giggled again, already grabbing a bag for their purchase. He paid what was due, plus a bit extra, and then he and Sirius left the shop. Once outside, James covered the bag with the cloak, holding the handle through the material.

"What the hell was that?" Sirius asked when they were on the path to the Three Broomsticks. "I've never seen you turn on the charm that heavy for anyone but Evans."

James just shrugged, walking a bit taller than he had been moments before. "We needed to distract her from trying to ID us. Besides, she was fit. If for some reason Evans doesn't come around, which she will, Ms. Jessica would be quite a close second."

Sirius raised a brow, not sure he and James were seeing the same person exactly, but didn't protest. They made their way into the Three Broomsticks and spotted Remus and Peter sitting towards the back at a round table. Peter had two empty mugs of butterbeer in front of him, with a third half-done in his hand, while Remus was still nursing his first. James and Sirius sat down, the former being careful not to let the werewolf notice that he was holding something.

"How was the Shack?" Remus asked, looking a bit more amused about the thought of their visit than earlier.

"Nothing special," James said with a shrug. "But there were plenty of suckers who ran like hell when they started hearing voices." He and Sirius high fived, and both were thinking about the possibilities of actually pulling off their cover prank.

A busty witch made her way over to the table at that moment, smiling at the newcomers and asking for their order. Both purebloods ordered butterbeer, though James was more flirtatious as he did so. Sirius looked over at Remus and opened his mouth, tongue lolling out, and pointing inside as if to gag himself. The other boy chuckled.

"When did you become such a ladies' man?" Remus asked as the witch walked away.

James just gave a light laugh, running a hand through his hair. "I figured that since I'm now tall and mature looking that I should use my blessed good looks to my advantage. People like doing things for you when you're handsome."

Remus gave him a wry smile. "And you don't believe that this hurts your chances with Lily?" he asked. "If you actually had any at all, that is," he amended.

"Evans will come around eventually," James said for what must have been the millionth time since they'd known him. "But there's nothing wrong with exploring my options in the meantime."

"You mean for the rest of your life?" Sirius teased, earning a swat from James.

After enjoying their drinks, the Maraduers decided to explore the rest of Hogsmeade. Most of the shops were similar to what could be found in Diagon Alley, selling general magical supplies, books, and wands. There was one horrifying looking tea shop where they spotted snogging couples through the window, and so they turned right around and went back towards the two most important stores in the village.

They stepped into Zonko's and found it just as crowded as it had been the year before when they purchased their Spyballs. While this time they weren't coming in with something in mind to buy, Sirius and James were hoping being surrounded by the various novelty items would spark some inspiration for their Treaty-mandated prank.

"Didn't McGonagall say that if we ever pulled a school-wide prank again that we'd be in big trouble?" Peter asked as he watched the reverent expressions of his friends, taking in the shelves of prank fodder.

James slung an arm around Peter's shoulders. "Yes, indeed she did," he said. "But we are the Marauders, and we must prank. It's in our blood. Our genes even!"

"Without pranking, we could die," Sirius added, not a hint of jesting in his tone. "It's not just a desire. It's a physical need. You wouldn't want us to die, would you?"

"W-Well, of course not, but-"

"Exactly. It's our duty and our birthright to be sure that we brighten everyone's lives with our creative brand of mischief." Remus sighed and removed James's arm from Peter.

"Don't worry, Peter. If things get really bad, I'll vouch for you not being involved," he said, and he was given a grateful smile in return.

"I was wondering when you lot would show," a voice near them said, and they turned to see Anjanette standing near a shelf of exploding candy. The group smiled at her and moved closer.

"You were waiting for us?" Remus asked.

"It seemed obvious to me that you'd come for supplies the first chance you got," she said, giving them a small grin. "I want in on your prank this year."

James looked skeptical. "Don't you think that your buddy Snivelly would disapprove?"

Anjanette shrugged. "I don't worry about his opinion."

"Excellent," Sirius said, clapping his hands together. "Then we will assign you a project, just as soon as we figure out what it is we're going to do." He then started to survey everything more closely, looking for just the right item for pulling off the kind of massive prank they wanted.

The group moved as one, examining shelves, brainstorming, but ultimately not coming up with anything concrete. They had circled the store three times before James finally crossed his arms over his chest in defeat. "None of these things have the…grandeur that we need."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Not that they aren't good for some small scale gags, but not the sort of thing that the school will talk about for years to come." His arms were full of various items that he had some plans for already.

Peter was a bit relieved that his dark-haired friends hadn't found anything, but before either could suggest that they give up and move on, Anjanette suddenly walked to a rack of fake beards. She picked one up and then put it onto Peter, stepping aside so that Sirius and James could have a look. Remus didn't even have to turn to the other boys to know that their heads were lighting up with ideas.

"Anjanette," James started. "I don't think I've ever told you how much I appreciate your contributions."