Chapter Six - Mammals

It had been ten days since Harry's birthday party. In less than a month, he would return to school. One day passed much like another with his homework, his lessons, meal times, mild bickering between Sirius and Mr. Malfoy, and exchanging complaints of boredom via owl with his friends. All had been tranquil. Everything had been strictly routine. The summer had been quiet. Too quiet.

Azkaban was still in Voldemort's hands, and that could not be allowed to stand. Every so often there would be an attack, and the morning Daily Prophet would contain the names of those who had disappeared in the night. It was no secret that they were likely spirited away to Azkaban to be incarcerated and broken. The useful ones, that is; the purebloods. The impure were simply murdered. Harry read every name, promising that someday Voldemort would answer for each witch or wizard killed.

There were no more meetings of the Order of the Phoenix, at least none that Harry was told about. Sirius might have been sneaking out after Harry went to bed, but from his general attitude whenever the subject was brought up, Harry didn't think it likely. Sirius, like Harry, wanted to do something. He tried to pretend that all they could do was to get Harry's skills as sharp as possible, but it was plain that he wanted to be more active. Being confined to the house for the summer was as frustrating for him as it was for Harry.

Animagus practice had become a nightly thing with Harry. He was nearly the Master of his form. He was very busy during the days now with Apparition lessons, homework, and weight-lifting, but the most difficult part of his change was sleeping while transformed. Harry never woke up when he changed back, but he hoped he was lasting longer on each successive attempt. A couple of nights he'd tried to stay awake the whole time, but he'd been so groggy at Apparition lessons that he'd Splinched himself twice more. Looking down and seeing his hand missing had been bad enough. Losing his whole arm - his wand arm at that! - was truly horrifying. It was an experience he never wanted to go through again.

Apparition lessons had been going for just over three weeks, and neither Harry nor Draco had managed to get it right yet. They were frustrated, and so was their instructor, Mr. Malfoy. He was a hard taskmaster, more brutal than even Professor Snape could be. He berated them thoroughly for their lack of progress. He constantly reminded the boys that mastering Apparition might one day mean their lives.

Harry was determined that today would be the day he succeeded. He'd had enough of this stalled period. He wanted to have that breakthrough, to feel that rush of performing new magic for the first time.

Today, Elan had decided to join them. Though they were confined to the houses, they had not seen him much other than at meals every other evening. He spent much of his time in his room, writing letters urging people to support the Ministry effort against Voldemort. When Theo had needed someone to sit with him, Elan had volunteered. Harry was sure that it was Elan's urging that had made Theo decide to go to the party.

"There's been no change in Theo," he reported. "He still won't speak."

"I wonder if he's going to be like this when classes start," Harry said.

"Classes?" Draco said "Is he even going to be prepared for classes? He needs new books, robes, ingredients, and everything."

"Maybe Snape will take him."

"There's a sight I'd like to see. Snape doesn't exactly seem the paternal sort, does he?"

Harry considered Snape as a father. "I could see it. I think he'd figure it out eventually."

"Probably. Snape can do anything."

"How are you, Elan?"

"Draco asked me to provide a distraction. Father makes him nervous. I'll be showing off a bit."

Sirius and Mr. Malfoy finished their conversation and turned to the boys.

"You have been Side-Along Apparated a number of times," Mr. Malfoy said. "You know what it feels like. You can do this. Remember the three D's. Destination, determination, and deliberation. Just turn on the spot and step sideways."

Elan demonstrated, popping across the room to where Sirius stood. "You're making it too complicated. You're over-thinking. Just relax and do it. This will eventually be second-nature to you."

Mr. Malfoy kept up his running monologue, a combination of exhortion, instruction, denigration, and damnation for an hour with no progress. Harry broke out in virtual rivers of perspiration. His muscles all ached, and he hadn't lifted a single weight.

"I wish I knew what I was doing wrong," Harry complained, glaring at the innocent circle on the floor as though it were to blame for his lack of progress. He'd been shown the process many times, and as Mr. Malfoy said, he'd been exposed to it second-hand on many occasions. He should be able to do this.

"Focus on your destination!"

"My destination is the shower," Harry muttered. Draco snickered.

"Concentrate!"

All Harry could concentrate on was how tired he was, how beaten up and grubby he felt. For not having achieved anything, he certainly had worked up a good sweat. His muscles were sore and starting to tighten up. His legs and back ached like something awful. He honestly felt like someone had been hitting him with a stick. He started to daydream about a hot bath, which was dangerous. Daydreaming could lead to Splinching.

Harry tried to think about the circle on the floor, but he just couldn't do it.

"I was thinking," he muttered to Draco. "I really, really want to be in my bath right now. Perhaps more than anything else in the world, I want to be in the bath. So I wonder if-"

Harry closed his eyes. A blissful, peaceful expression came over his face. He turned on the spot and popped out of existence.

The magical journey through the ether took only an instant. The horrid compressive feeling was already fading as Harry opened his eyes. The tile of the bathroom next to his bedroom greeted him. He'd done it.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bathtub before his legs gave out on him. His whole body felt drained. He closed his eyes and just existed for a moment.

There was a commotion out in the house that was faintly heard through the bathroom door. Someone was coming up the stairs at a great hurry.

"Harry?"

Sirius sounded panicked. Harry called out reassuringly, "I'm in here, Sirius!"

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I did it!"

"No missing parts?" Sirius was very worried.

Harry quickly checked himself. Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes, and the very important naughty bits were all accounted for.

"No, I'm all here."

"Well done. I'll be in the sitting room."

Harry pulled off his clothing bit by bit, dropping it carelessly to the floor. He turned the knobs of the tap and drew himself a hot bath. The shower would have been quicker, but he didn't trust his legs to hold him up. It was all he could do to get into the tub, because his knees were trembling with fatigue.

Steam rose in lazy currents. It looked so tremendously inviting. He stepped into the soothing water with a sigh of relief. The heat felt wondrous on his aching muscles. He lay back and closed his eyes. By Merlin, he was worn out, but he'd done it! He'd finally managed to Apparate!

Now that he'd done it once, he would have to do it again. Harry hoped he would be able to recreate that determination. Right now, though, the very idea of Apparating again made him yawn. He didn't go to sleep, per se, but he did lose track of time as he relaxed.

After being in the bath for what his watch informed him had been nearly an hour, Harry felt much better. He dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and headed to his room. The air of the room circulated through the open window, generating a breeze that ruffled the curtains and felt good on Harry's skin. He casually dropped the towel to the floor and strode over to his dresser to pull out some clothes.

"Oh, how scandalous!" his mirror said. Shoshi had a pleasant alto voice, was decidedly female, and could be absolutely pushy. "Young man, put some clothes on at once!"

"I'm in the privacy of my own room," Harry retorted, "and I'm getting there."

He put some pants on first, then a pair of short trousers. Now the mirror was not so shocked.

"You should wear a tight shirt to emphasize your chest," Shoshi advised. "Those muscles are dreamy, and the girls will be swooning left and right."

"Not like I'm going to be seeing a lot of them," Harry said ruefully. "I'm locked up here all summer."

"Then your absence will make their hearts grow fonder," the mirror declared, "and you must be prepared for when they see you again. I'll get right to work on that. You're going to look fabulous!"

Harry couldn't help but grin. The enchanted mirror had been a birthday present from Elan. Upon first setting it up, he'd been shocked to hear it introduce itself. He'd gone through a grilling for information about his wardrobe, his social life, what his general needs were. It had taken hours, and he'd cursed Elan quite vociferously. Once it had settled down, however, the mirror had become much more subdued, only occasionally asking questions about changes in lifestyle. Now it just offered really good fashion advice.

Once he was dressed, Harry left his room and went to look for Sirius. It wasn't quite time for lunch yet, and Sirius was found in the sitting room reading his post. Mr. Malfoy was also there, reading a scroll of parchment.

"Hello."

"Harry, there you are. Everything all right?"

"Yes, Sirius, I'm fine."

"Congratulations, Harry."

"Thank you, Mister Malfoy."

"You have done it once. Tomorrow you will do it again. Into the circle, if you please."

"Yes, sir. Where are Draco and Elan? I thought we could play cards."

"I sent them home to deliver a message to Narcissa. Perhaps you could go over to the manor later tonight?"

"No, I've got plans." The full moon was tonight, and Harry planned to be down in the basement with Padfoot and Moony in his Animagus form, but Draco didn't know about that yet, so Harry wanted to change the subject. He looked at Sirius. "Anything exciting in the post?"

Sirius smiled. "Well, I've found one."

"One what?"

"Pensieve."

"Really?" Harry asked. "That's the thing you put memories in, right?"

"Indeed, Harry. I've been asking around, and I finally managed to locate an Artificer who knows how to make one. She sent me an estimate, I arranged payment, and she just sent me notice that she's begun working on it. It should be ready in about six months."

"You're paying for a new Pensieve, cousin?"

"I am, Lucius."

Mr. Malfoy cocked his head slightly. "Why?" he questioned, throwing all kinds of inflection on to the single word.

"Because I want one."

"You should have told me you were looking for one. I have one sitting in my vault at Gringott's that is supposed to have been made by Llewellyn the Longsighted."

"That's very generous of you, Lucius, but it suits me to have my own. For some reason, there isn't one amongst the many treasures of the Black family. Not that I've found anyway."

"How much are you paying this Artificer?"

"Twenty thousand Galleons."

Mr. Malfoy winced. "Cousin! Is that the best you could bargain to?"

"I talked her down from thirty."

"That's sheer extortion."

"Yes, that's one word for it," Sirius said pleasantly. "It's simple economics, Lucius. I have a demand, and there's no supply except her. It took me ages just to find her."

"I'm sure I could have expidited things. I could have found someone willing to sell."

"I'm sure you could have, Lucius, but the fact is I decided to engage in my own dealings." Sirius sounded like he was getting irritated. "You think I overpaid? Fine, but remember that I am a Black. We know how to spend money. We don't do it often, but always with style and flair."

"That's a lot of flair, Sirius."

"You're just mad I didn't involve you."

"I am a businessman."

"Looking for a commission?"

"I only want to wet my beak."

Sirius snorted rudely and picked up another letter.

"Do you think we'll see Remus for lunch?" Harry asked, saying something to fill the awkward silence.

The door to the sitting room was open, and a floorboard creaked with a sudden footstep.

"Did somebody say Remus?"

"Why yes. I was just asking if we'd see you for lunch."

"How's business, Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Not good, Sirius. Not good."

"Not warm enough for ice cream?"

"It's always warm enough for ice cream. No, the weather is agreeable enough. It's quite hot out. There are plenty of people out and about as well, but they just seem to be avoiding me today."

"You don't look well, Lupin."

"Thank you, Malfoy. I appreciate the concern." Remus did not seem appreciative. "I think I will stay in for the rest of the day. There's no point in being out there and having my product melt."

"Certainly not."

"Are you hungry, Remus?" Sirius inquired.

"I feel a mite peckish."

"Let's eat, then."

In the dining room, Kreacher took orders for preparing lunch.

"Bread for sandwiches. A selection of sliced meats," Harry said, going first. "Cheese. Yellow mustard."

"Anything exciting happen since breakfast?" Remus asked.

"Nothing much," Sirius deadpanned. "I got some good news about a special project I've been working on, Lucius and I had a disagreement, and Harry managed to Apparate."

"Congratulations, Harry!" Remus shouted. He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Well done!"

"Thanks, Remus."

"Now you have to do it again tomorrow."

"That's what they tell me," Harry said ruefully. "I hope it's easier now that I've done it once."

"I believe it will be. It was for me." Remus looked to Sirius. "What was in the post? Is there any news about Theo?"

"No word lately from the castle."

Harry shook his head. "Elan says he's still not talking. I hate seeing him like this. I just feel so- so-"

"Helpless?"

"Yeah. There's nothing I can do for him."

"I know it doesn't feel like you're doing anything," Remus said, "but simply being there is a lot. He's got to be trying to wrap his brain around everything. Until he can come to terms with what he's done, he's not going to be his old self. It was a good sign to see him at the party. He knows his friends are still here, even if for the time being, he's choosing to face his daemons alone."

"You sound pretty certain."

"I know a thing or two about facing one's daemons."

"Do you think you could help Theo?"

"If he should seek my help, I will gladly give it."

"I'll make sure he knows that."

"Good," Remus said, wiping his mouth on his napkin. "Excellent lunch. Thank you, Kreacher. Now, I think I'm going to visit the library. It's nice and quiet in there. Plenty of dim light to sooth the eyes. I've got a monster of a headache."

"I have more communications to make with various Ministry officials," Mr. Malfoy said. "Also a great deal of headache."

Remus smiled at the joke. He exited the dining room and walked across the entrance hall to the library. Mr. Malfoy followed him out but headed to the staircase.

"Feel up to some lifting?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe," Harry said after a moment's consideration. "I'm still pretty knackered from this morning."

"Understandable. Let's take it easy. We'll do low weight, high reps."

"Sounds good."

Harry and Sirius headed to the first floor weight room. Harry didn't bother to look through any of the music crystals and simply tapped his wand to begin whatever they'd left in last time. It turned out to be Wand Smasher, and one of Harry's favorite tunes began. They'd played "Irresistible Force, Immovable Object" at his first show - dedicated it to him, even. The song was incredible, and he'd been a fan of the band ever since.

The light workout was actually making Harry feel somewhat better. Once his muscles warmed up, he actually thought he might be able to lift a bit more weight. He reached for his wand.

"Something wrong?" Sirius asked.

"No, just going to increase the weight a bit."

"Too light?"

"I just think I can do some more."

"Be careful. Remember we're going to do lots of reps."

"I will."

He turned the density up by only one point instead of the two he'd intended. He raised the bar up twice to test it. He nodded. Sirius had been right. The weight was good, and while he could have easily lifted an additional point, he probably couldn't do it for a great length of time.

Harry had settled down into a good rhythm, lifting with the beat of the music. The sudden end of the song (it ended on a three-beat) caught Sirius off-guard as it always did, and he dropped his weight. It clanged loudly in the sudden quiet; the album was over.

"Graceful," Harry said teasingly. "Practice that one a lot, do you?"

"All the time. It's always better to let a weight fall than try to catch it if you're not set. The ground doesn't get hurt. You do."

"Right. I'll remember."

"How's your homework coming along?"

"It's coming. I'm almost done with everything."

"You've got less than a month to go, kiddo. Any assignments complete yet?"

"A few. I tried to get McGonagall's out of the way first, but I think I might have to go back to it. History was easy enough, if a bit boring."

"This from the boy who likes history?"

"Yup. Binns is a boring teacher, and his assignments aren't very fun either. I wonder if there's some way we can get him replaced by someone a bit more alive."

"But then what would poor old Binns do?" Sirius asked. "His whole reason for remaining on this plane is to educate young minds."

"Maybe we can help him move on somehow. I'd love to see Abraham Montague come back to Hogwarts to teach. He's the one who really made me see that History could be interesting."

"The ability to inspire young minds is a rare and valued quality in a teacher. Plenty don't have it."

"Is that a dig at Snape?"

Sirius grinned. "I don't know what you could possibly be talking about."

Harry snorted. "A likely story. Snape's a great teacher. He just has no use for idiots and time-wasters."

"Never did have a lot of patience, Sniv. I must say, it really is surprising that he's teaching. I thought he'd be holed up in some windowless dungeon brewing potions and inventing nasty new hexes. Do you know he arrived at Hogwarts knowing more jinxes than most of the third years?"

"Nothing wrong with knowing a few spells."

Sirius put down his weights and took a long drink of water. He mopped at his forehead with a towel.

"Care for a rest?"

"Sure."

"Pick a new music crystal."

Harry poked through the rather large selection of bands that they'd acquired. Sirius had gone into Mortimer's Music and bought one of everything. Harry pulled out something new.

"I wonder what The Spellbinders sound like."

"Let's find out."

The first song was very melodic, with few words for the first five minutes or so. The guitar was like nothing Harry had ever heard before. It felt like a rippling river as it moved from chord to chord. The drums weren't very dominant but more of a background thing, soft and emphatic rather than driving.

"Interesting," Harry said.

"I like it. It's very relaxing. I don't know that it's appropriate to lift weights to. I think something to get the adrenaline pumping would be better, but I do like it."

"Shall I swap it out?"

"No, let's keep listening. We're doing low weight anyway."

They continued to lift and listen. The next song had a bit of a livelier feel and also lyrics, which helped. It was two sisters trading verses about their childhood, and Harry wished he had siblings so he could identify more with the story. The third tune was just starting when they were interrupted.

"I found it!" came a shout from downstairs. "Sirius! Harry! I found it!"

Harry and Sirius looked at each other with inquisitive expressions. They both put down their weights and reached for towels to wipe the sweat off their brows as they headed for the ground floor.

"Remus?" Sirius called out as they entered the library. "Everything all right?"

"I found it, Padfoot!"

"What now?"

"I know what animal Harry turns into!"

Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. "What am I?"

"Take a look for yourself." Moony spun the book around and shoved it towards Harry.

Mongoose

Mongooses (Herpestidae) are a family of 33 species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. The mongoose ranges from 1–4 feet (0.30–1.2 m) in length. Mongoose range in weight from the squirrel-sized Common Dwarf Mongoose, at 280 g (9.9 oz), to the cat-sized White-tailed Mongoose, at 4 kg (8.8 lb). Some species lead predominantly solitary lives, seeking out food only for themselves, while others travel in groups, sharing food among group members.

The mongoose is impervious to neurotoxic snake venoms, one reason why it is known as a serpent killer. The Indian Mongoose and others are popularly used to fight and kill venomous snakes, including vipers. They can do this because of their agility and cunning, their thick coat, as well as the immunity. The mongoose typically avoids the cobra and has no particular affinity for consuming its meat.

"Look at that picture. That's Harry, no doubt."

"A mongoose, eh? Well, there were worse things to be, like a rat," Padfoot interjected.

"Not bad at all," Moony said.

"Pretty cool," Padfoot retorted. "I think it definitely helped him get through that Maze. A hippopotamus wouldn't have been so useful."

"It did at that. I think it's a very good omen," Moony said. "Mongooses are known for killing snakes. I can think of a pretty big snake that needs killing."

It was true that Voldemort - or rather, Tom Riddle - had been a Slytherin. Harry was prophesized to kill him, so his form being a mongoose made a certain amount of sense. Harry didn't know how much he liked the symbolism, though. He was a snake himself, and loyalty to the house and your fellow snakes was paramount. Could he get excited about killing a fellow snake?

He should go find a real snake, Harry realized, and ask it. If snakes would fight each other, then he supposed he could accept being a snake who turned into a mongoose in order to kill other snakes. Or something. By Merlin, he was confused.

"Well, it's good to know finally," Harry said. "I was starting to think I was something new."

"No, I knew I recognized it," Moony said. "I just couldn't place it. No wonder! They're not from around here."

The discovery came right in time for the full moon that very night, the second Thursday in August. Now instead of having to painstakingly picture his animal form in his mind, Harry could use "mongoose" as a trigger. He could change in a flash now. He demonstrated to Padfoot before they headed down to dinner.

"Padfoot, I want to show you something."

He changed instantly into the mongoose. He ran around his godfather's feet once and changed back.

"Look at how fast I can do this!"

He became the mongoose again. He sat back on his hind feet and chattered up at Padfoot briefly. He became Harry. Several more times he demonstrated his transformation. It was so nearly effortless. Knowing what he was changing into had solidified his skill. It was so easy to do! He felt like he could do it all day.

"Enough, Harry, enough!" Padfoot said, holding up his hands. The smile on his face beamed so brightly that he could have steered boats away from dangerous shores. He clapped Harry on the shoulders. "My boy," he said thickly. "I think you're ready. Oh, I wish Prongs could be here for this."

Harry wished that too, but Padfoot had finally said the word. He was ready to enter the special room in the cellar with Moony and face down a werewolf. "Yes!"

"If things go badly, Moony might get his claws into you. Sudden shocks to the body can cause you to revert if you're not all the way there. If that happens, I'll protect you until you can change back. It's harder to change when you're distracted by pain, but with you there as well, he should be a bit more tractable. The more of us there were, the easier it goes for him."

"I've been looking forward to this since forever."

"I always knew one day I'd be helping your dad teach you this stuff," Padfoot replied, his tone and his eyes a bit distant. "I knew one day we'd let you run with the Marauders. Now Moony and Padfoot are the only Marauders left, but tonight we will be three. You need a name."

"Like you said, it will be apparent."

"I can't wait. Let's go eat."

"I don't think I can," Harry confessed. "I'm too excited."

"You'll need your strength tonight."

Dinner was quiet. Mr. Malfoy made attempts to keep the discussion going, but nobody wanted to talk. All Harry could think about was what would happen in a few hours, and Remus seldom had the presence of mind to carry on conversation on the night of the full moon. He was always distracted, as though listening to music only he could hear. As the hour grew later, the worse it became.

After dinner, Harry, Sirius, and Remus headed for the kitchen in the basement. They sat at the table drinking coffee and waited for the hour to grow nigh. They bantered a bit, but as the laughter faded away, Moony stood up. His face was haggard, and his eyes distant.

"It's time."

There was no need for words. All of them knew what to do. Harry and Padfoot stood. Together the three wizards entered the cell. Sirius closed the door. The lock clicked. The bar fell into place.

"Coloportus!" Padfoot spoke the words that activated the magicks on the lock and put his wand away.

Harry closed his eyes. Mongoose, he thought and willed the change. Instantly he was in his Animagus form. Scents assailed his nose. His eyes were sharp and keen. The sounds of spiders weaving webs was plain to hear.

Padfoot flowed into the shape of the enormous, bear-like dog. His scent struck Harry's nostrils with a familiar musk. Padfoot was a friend, a companion, a guardian. Many times they had raced through the halls of Grimmauld Place. The two Animagi had had lots of fun times.

Moony was beginning his own transformation, more painful than theirs. Harry had never seen this before, only heard it. He watched through the eyes of an animal as Moony pulled off his robes and stood there in his pants. His body began to swell, as though he were taking a great breath. His head and body were lengthening. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws.

The wolf glared up at them. Insane hatred blazed out from the yellow eyes. He slowly got to his feet, his head kept low. Growls emerged from deep in his throat. His body heaved with ragged breaths. He howled deep and slow, a call of awakening.

Kill. Chase, tear, kill, devour!

Padfoot stepped forward to face the wolf. He was nearly the same size, slightly smaller, but he didn't give an inch. He also held his head low, to protect his throat. His hackles were raised. He growled right back.

No. Play. Have fun.

Fun?

Chase, play, fun.

Fun!

The growling stopped. The wolf shuddered and then began to shake himself as though shaking off water. His lips pulled back in a ferocious smile. He bowed his head for a moment. His ears, which had been laying flat against his head, suddenly perked up.

Padfoot?

Moony.

Padfoot.

Moony.

The madness had receded somewhat. Moony was clearly in there somewhere, struggling to maintain control over the beast within his soul.

Boy.

Harry did his best to calm his puffed up fur as shivers of fear ran up and down his body. He resisted the urge to chatter warningly. The werewolf was tremendously dangerous, and Harry wanted to flee.

Friend.

Friend?

Moony sat back on his haunches and scratched himself. He stood and began to pace back and forth in the tiny cell, the restlessness of the wolf needing an outlet.

He watched Harry, who crept closer, his own curious nose twitching furiously. Harry was a new smell to the wolf. Feeling Moony's snout snuffle along his back nearly made Harry jump out of his skin. Every instinct of his mongoose form was screaming to him to run away as fast as he could. He forced himself to stand there and be sniffed.

When Moony had finished investigating Harry, he seemed to calm a bit. The pacing slowed a bit, though it did not stop.

Friend.

Harry's euphoria was at once both total and completely alien. It was the relief of the mongoose, which understood with Harry's human brain, that the wolf was not an enemy. He would have to watch for flashes of the rage, but he wouldn't be on edge with anticipation.

The cell was big enough that the two larger animals could race and tussle without too much trouble. Racing was a good way to burn off the wolf's rage, and Moony liked to win. Padfoot was his only real competition. Harry's mongoose was quick, but length of limb mattered greatly. He watched the racing from the centre of the cell.

Padfoot lay down between Harry and Moony. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and his breathing was heavy.

Moony lay down as well, but his head stayed up. Harry hopped over Padfoot and scurried up on to Moony's head. He perched there as Moony tried to look up. He leaned down and peered in Moony's face.

"Ick ick ick!"

Moony barked in what was unmistakably a laugh. He stood up and began to trot around the room, Harry still sitting squarely on his head.

The games went on for several hours. Harry was actually having quite a lot of fun. He was able to garner from what Padfoot was saying that Moony was much more tractable than he usually was. There hadn't been a single fight.

But all things must eventually come to an end. In the middle of yet another race, Moony fell to the floor with a howl of pain. He began to claw at his body, leaving great bloody gashes. Harry moved closer to investigate, but Padfoot caught him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him away.

Moony! Padfoot called out, trying to reach through the madness.

With a snarl, Moony lunged at Padfoot, knocking him aside. He snapped his jaws for Harry, but Harry was quick enough to evade. He chattered at Moony, scolding him profusely. He dodged the teeth again.

Then Padfoot was there. He slammed into the wolf with all of his mass and followed it up with a bite at the throat.

Harry tried to get through to Moony, somewhere under that bad-tempered wolf. Moony!

The werewolf broke away from his struggle with the great dog and curled up on the floor. He clawed at himself again, screaming with pain with each fresh wound that opened up. He threw back his head and howled, a sound filled with agony and anger.

Harry jumped up on Padfoot's back. He chattered quickly, trying to communicate his thoughts.

Moony! they cried together. Be strong!

It seemed that he heard them. His thrashing stilled, and his cries of pain quieted to whimpers. Moony looked up at them with mourning eyes. Padfoot slowly approached and snuffled at his head. He lay down next to Moony, who was having a time of it just to breathe. His side rose and fell in rapid succession, and Harry jumped lightly off of Padfoot's back and over to Moony's other side. He sat back on his haunches and chattered softly.

Most of Moony's energy seemed to have been drained by the last bout of madness. He lay still for quite some time, and Harry dared to wonder if he'd fallen asleep. But no, once his breathing grew less frenzied, Moony leaped to his feet and began his awful pacing again.

Harry was very worn out, but he joined Padfoot as they raced around the cell some more. He hadn't realized how absolutely tiring being up all night with a werewolf could be. He hoped he would be able to make it through. He really didn't want to turn back into a human before Moony did.

Finally the night waned. The moon set, and Moony was finally able to get some rest. The sound of snoring came from his direction. He wouldn't change back into a human until the sun rose, but at least he was no longer in torment.

Harry wasn't quite ready to brave sleeping, though he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He wished he'd drunk more coffee after dinner. He forced himself to stay on his feet, to keep walking around.

The sun at last came up. Though there were no windows in this underground cell, the sunrise was apparent. Moony transformed back into a man with scarcely a whit of the dramatics that accompanied the earlier change. His body shrank, the hair faded, and the face returned to normal, but the horrible gashes where he'd turned his claws on himself remained. They did not bleed, but they practically glowed with an eerie red intensity.

Padfoot roused himself with a great shake. He looked at Moony, back in his human body, and resumed his own proper shape. He smiled hugely, despite the tiredness plain on his face. "Well done," he said to Harry.

Harry also changed back. The first thing he did was to yawn wide enough for Hagrid to walk through. He wondered if he'd be able to make it up to his bed.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Those injuries will fade in a day or so. There are a few salves that can help."

"Let's get out of here."

"Moony, time to get up."

Moony opened his eyes. "Hello, old friend."

Padfoot reached down and gave Moony a hand up. He took out his wand and removed the magical protections keeping the werewolf inside. The locks opened. The three men walked out.

Mr. Malfoy was waiting for them on the other side of the door. He sat at the table in his dressing gown, blond hair tied back with a matching green ribbon, with a pot of tea in front of him and his arms folded across his chest. He seemed very perturbed, and the expression on his face could not be mistaken.

"Sirius, what insanity is this? Why is Harry in this cell? Why are you in this cell? What the devil is going on here?"

"Good morning, Lucius. Would you please not shout? We've had a long night."

"Answer me."

"We kept Remus company. I always do this."

"You what?"

"Oh yes. Since we were lads. It's a hoot."

"Now you've gotten Harry involved?"

"Certainly."

"This is absurd!"

"Not at all. It's his right to run with us, in the place that was his father's."

"James Potter was also a party to this?"

"It wasn't a party unless James was there."

Mr. Malfoy could not seem to summon the words to carry on this conversation. He turned and headed up the stairs.

Padfoot snorted. "What did he think we were doing down here?"

"Maybe he thought we were just hanging out outside the door."

"Maybe."

"Harry, thank you for being there for me last night. I felt more myself than I have in many moons. Your presence helped me keep my mind, anchor my reason."

"I was glad to be there, Moony. How about next time we lock Lucius in the cell and have the free run of the house?"

Padfoot laughed uproariously.

"Since when do you call him by his first name?" Moony asked.

"You and Sirius do it, and so I've come to associate his name with him."

"I wouldn't slip in front of him."

"I haven't. I won't, either."

"Good plan."

"How about the other plan?"

"Locking him up?" Padfoot said. "Sounds perfect."

AN: The entry on the mongoose is adapted from the Wikipedia article and deliberately distorted in a few ways to reflect the wizarding world's lack of scientific method. Please don't leave a review just to complain that I'm wrong. It's a writing choice, not a mistake.