Finally, the night had come to continue their experiment and in the bright light of the full moon, Sirius and the others gathered on the terrace at nightfall. For a moment they stared at the four mandrake leaves which Sirius had prepared for them on a plate. Then they grabbed them and put them to their mouths. When Sirius looked at their faces, he saw a determination that they had lacked at the first attempt. None of them wanted to fail this time nor be the first to drop out. One by one they returned inside the house until Sirius stayed behind by himself. He fell into a chair and for the first time since Cygnus had left the house in a rush, he conjured up a bottle of whisky and a glass. He poured himself a drink and lit a cigarette. Then he tipped his chair against the wall and put his legs on the table. He reflected on the previous year and couldn't understand what had been the matter with him then. The boredom and his constantly depressed mood now were blown away and he was bubbling over with ideas. He still missed James deep down inside. But the void that the loss of his friend had left now slowly filled up, became smaller and less painful. Sirius felt at ease and if it had not been for Cygnus... His reflections were interrupted. Was it in fact not thanks to Cygnus that he had been put back on track? If it had not been for his son's schemes, Regulus and Gavin would be living on Grimmauld Place in London, Lucius would be in Malfoy Manor and Andromeda would be at her home. He himself would live a quiet, secluded life with his family and - suddenly he was convinced of this - would be terribly bored. Because there would be no budding Animaghi, no tuned motorbikes, no measures to protect himself from possible attacks by his son and his friends, no tutor. In short, none of the things that currently so intensely absorbed his thoughts and time would be conceivable without Cygnus.
Sirius raised his glass and said, "Cheers to you, my son. You have given my life a purpose again". "I do find that rather sad". He turned and saw Mercuria standing on the threshold to the living room. She stepped forward and looked down at him. "On the other hand, I can perfectly understand your ponderings. For someone who has been cheated out of twelve years of his life, and who could do nothing, absolutely nothing, during that time, and who afterwards had to make up for everything he had missed, it is certainly hard to understand that those who in the meantime had to struggle through are glad to enter calmer waters now". She took him in her arms, and he leaned against her, "We'll find something to keep you busy once this Cygnus affair is over". Sirius looked at her. "Honestly, I'm afraid Cygnus will be on our minds for quite a long time. Well, it's fine with me. The way things are currently going, I'm feeling pretty good about it". He gave her an apologetic smile and Mercuria kissed him on the hair. "Are you staying or coming?". He stood up heavily, put his arm around her shoulder and led her into the house.
This time, their attempt at becoming an Animagus went much better for the four involved. When, after two and a half weeks, all four still carried their mandrake leaf in their mouths, Sirius started to prepare for the next step. First, he wandered about his property in search of a suitable site. When he finally found it, he cast a protective spell about it. The evening before the great day he informed the others, "Only one more night and you're done. Tomorrow the time has come. Then we will have a full moon. Keep your fingers crossed that the night will be clear and cloudless, otherwise all has been in vain". For the last time, the four of them went to bed with the mandrake leaves in their mouths. Sirius was up long before dawn again and walked to the site he had chosen. There he collected the dew from the leaves and stalks which he had protected from sunlight and human footsteps for seven days before he hurried back to his laboratory and stowed his harvest in a dark and chilly place, where the dew could not evaporate in the warmth of the day. Everybody was tense and excited all day long, but in the evening, disappointment set in, because as the afternoon progressed the sky had become more and more overcast, and the moon was not visible behind the clouds. Mercuria tried to console them, "Wait and see. The night is still young. You can take the next step for as long as the full moon is in the sky. I am sure that you'll get your chance". One by one, the women went to bed and the men settled around the living room table, hoping that the full moon might show itself. At some point Sirius nodded off. He was awoken by a bright light. He blinked and gazed through the windows. The clouds had vanished, and the full moon stood high in the starry night sky. He straightened up and looked around. The others were sound asleep. Without waking them up Sirius got up and ran down to his laboratory, where he hurriedly sorted the ingredients and utensils needed for the next step onto a tray, which he placed on the terrace table. Then he woke the others, who drowsily shuffled behind him onto the terrace.
When they saw the tray, they became wide awake with a start. Sirius stepped up to the table and explained, "Each of you take one of these phials that have absorbed the moonlight and put the mandrake leaf inside along with a single hair". He watched as all four followed his instructions. "Now with this silver teaspoon add some of this dew which I collected this morning from a spot untouched by a sunbeam or a human foot for seven days". Sirius waited until everyone was ready. "The final ingredient is the chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawk Moth. Add this to your potion". When they had finished, Sirius sealed the phials, marked them with the names of their owners and pocketed them. Then he turned to the others. "The last step can only be done during a lightning storm. We must wait for it now. Until then, every day at sunrise and sunset you must place the tip of your wand over your heart and say the incantation 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. After a while you will feel two hearts beat in your chest. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. You should now go to bed. Make sure that you wake up in time for sunrise to perform the ritual and speak the incantation. I will take care of the rest". When they had left, Sirius pocketed the phials, summoned his motorbike, and flew to the cave where he had already stored Cygnus' phial while they had waited for a thunderstorm. Carefully he placed them inside and protected the cave with an Intruder Charm. Then he returned to the house and went upstairs to the bedroom. Mercuria woke up when he lay down beside her and asked sleepily, "How did it go?". He hugged her tightly and said, " Everything went well. The moon came out in time to brew the potion. Now we must wait for the next electrical storm. This time it shouldn't take as long as when James and I did it". He kissed her and they snuggled together.
Like Sirius had predicted, only a few days elapsed before a thunderstorm came up. As soon as the first flash of lightning lit up the sky, they flew to the small cave where Sirius had hidden their phials. While he removed the Intruder Charm and went into the cave, he called out to the others, "You better strip. The transformation is easier without clothes the first few times". Awkwardly, they stood in the clearing by the lake. Sirius leaned against a tree and watched them, while he remembered the night when he had transformed for the first time. James and he had not bothered to take off their clothes because having used the boys' common showers for years, they had often seen each other's naked bodies. Peter had been coy and had squirmed with embarrassment until finally James had snapped at him gruffly urging him to hurry up. Feeling unobserved, Peter had cast James a look so full of hatred that Sirius, who had watched it, had been immensely surprised. Suddenly it had struck him that he had never seen Peter naked before. When he thought about it more thoroughly, he remembered that Peter had never taken showers together with them and that he sometimes had used the most absurd excuses to avoid undressing in their presence. For an instant, Sirius had wondered why. When Peter had undressed and Sirius had seen him naked for the first time, a sudden understanding had struck him. Peter's shoulders were hunched forward, he had covered his crotch with his hands, and he had avoided making eye contact with his friends. His short, chubby body had stood pitifully out against James' athletic figure. The latter had innocently approached Peter and had soothingly patted his friend's back. Peter had been ashamed of his own appearance and envious of his friends at the same time. Looking back, Sirius admitted that this had been one of the many moments which should have opened his eyes to Peter's emotional state and his view on his friends. But he had not attached any greater importance to the scene and had not given it any further thought.
Sirius shook off the gloomy memories and concentrated on the others. Gavin and Regulus had quickly shed their clothes. No wonder. They knew each other inside out and shame was not part of their repertoire. Surprisingly quickly, Marius, whom Sirius had expected to be bashful, also stood naked. He smiled. When you've been living on the Cote d'Azur in France for years, nudity was probably considered such a normal thing that you didn't think twice about it. Only Lucius was obviously fighting an internal battle with himself. Sirius suspected that this was not so much due to the situation as to his own presence. Mercuria had once told Lucius that a naked man can only attract a woman with his body and that money, reputation, and everything else no longer matters once he drops his pants. In this regard, Lucius had definitely lost out to himself. At least with Mercuria. Sirius smiled as Lucius gave him an annoyed look and then resolutely stripped. It started to rain heavily and in no time, they were dripping wet.
Sirius took the phials and checked whether all four contained a blood-red liquid. He handed each their phial. "Now you must press the tip of your wand against your heart once again, recite the incantation and then drink the potion. You will feel a fiery pain and a double heartbeat. In your mind will appear the creature into which you will transform. There is no turning back from this point. Do not be afraid. Be confident. When the transformation is complete and you wish to change back, imagine your human self as clearly as possible. The process of transforming back may take some time. There is nothing to worry about. Are you ready?". They nodded. Secretly Sirius was concerned but hoped that there would be no problems. If any of the candidates failed to transform completely, the consequences would be irreversible. However, he did not tell them. He watched as they performed the procedure. Regulus and Gavin carried out his instructions immediately and shortly afterwards a lion and a squirrel appeared on the lake shore. Malfoy followed, and his lynx joined the others. Marius hesitated. Sirius was about to intervene and stop the experiment. Fear was not an advisable feeling during the transformation. Then Marius performed the necessary steps and downed the potion. Now it was too late to stop the process. Sirius cursed and watched his son writhe in pain. But suddenly he turned into an eagle, took off and under the pouring rain circled high above them. By now a heavy thunderstorm was racing and Sirius quickly gathered their wands and clothing and sought shelter in the cave. After a while the Animaghi followed him one after another. Regulus was the first to change back. He fell around Sirius' neck. "Thank you, brother. Thank you so much". Gavin, who was next to regain his human shape, also thanked Sirius warmly. When Malfoy was himself again, he nodded briefly to Sirius and quickly dressed. Regulus and Gavin also took their clothes. They formed a circle around the eagle and waited for Marius to resume his human shape as well. But it took him a few more minutes to do so. Embarrassed, he dressed. Sirius hugged him, "You have done well, my son". And to all of them, "With some practice, you can change into your animal form and back without using your wand by simply imagining your animal shape. It's very easy. Then you can also keep your clothes on. As I said, you just need some practice".
Over the next few days, the four disappeared again and again, and often stayed away for hours. Andromeda finally asked, "What are they doing all the time?". "They're practising". Andromeda looked at him quizzically, but when Sirius offered no further explanation, she acquiesced. Since the new Animaghi did not intend to register with the Ministry, they had agreed to keep the circle of confidants as limited as possible and thus had told neither Andromeda nor Sophie about what exactly they were up to. After a week, Sirius said, "You have already asked me several times why I brought the motorbikes to the compound. For one very simple reason: to let you try them out. I have added some Muggle tricks and applied several magical features too. You can drive them on the road the Muggle way. But they can also turn invisible and fly". The others laughed. "Yes, that's a good idea". Only Malfoy seemed less than enthusiastic. A crease formed on his forehead as he listened. Finally, he asked smugly, "Can you give me one, just one, valid reason why I should ride a Muggle vehicle?". Sirius, who had been expecting this question, explained, "Currently, our mobility is very limited. We have disconnected the house from the Floo Network, and it should stay that way. The protective spells we have cast on the estate prevent apparating or disapparating from here. That leaves a broomstick as our most important means of transport. And compared to a motorcycle, this has one major disadvantage: it is above all a sports equipment restricted to the Wizarding World. Of course, you can cover longer distances with it, but we all know that it's not very comfortable to travel with a broomstick between your legs. Besides, with a motorbike you can blend into Muggle traffic and thus remain imperceptible to other wizards". He addressed Lucius directly. "Yes, I know you don't like the idea and that you're not inclined to use Muggle technology. But why don't you just give it a try? Because apart from the advantages I've just described, there's another one: Riding a motorbike is a hell of a lot of fun". Lucius looked at him doubtfully, but then agreed to have a shot at it.
Sirius got up. "Come with me then. I'll show you what to do". They went to the mews at the far end of the building from which Sirius pushed one of the motorbikes onto the yard. He explained how to operate the vehicle and pointed out the levers with which they could activate the magical features. Sirius was taken aback when Malfoy, of all four, mounted the motorbike and rocked up and down in his seat. "You're right about one point at least, Black. This Muggle thing is far more comfortable than a broomstick". It took him several attempts to start the engine but then he firmly grabbed the handlebars. When he accelerated and the front wheel abruptly lifted off as the bike shot forward, he almost fell backwards to the ground. He leaned low over the handlebars and sped around the yard and onto the lawn. Sirius shouted after him, "Not so fast. Take it easy and slow down". But Malfoy did not listen and sped up even more. Just before he crashed into the trees, the motorbike suddenly took off and whizzed at hairbreadth over the treetops. The vehicle circled around and soared over them and the rooftop above. Sirius thought he heard a faint whoop before the motorbike disappeared from their sight. They looked at each other, speechless. Sirius remarked, "That went better than I expected. Who would have thought Lucius would get sorted out so quickly? I hope he finds his way back too". He turned to the others, and they pulled more bikes from the mews. Marius, Gavin, and Regulus climbed onto the vehicles and made themselves familiar with the technology. After a short while, Gavin and Marius drove around the yard and, sometime later, took off and flew over the lawn before landing in front of the mews. To everybody's surprise, it was Regulus who was having an unusually hard time. Sirius had expected that his brother, as a former Seeker, would have no difficulty at all to ride a motorbike. But apparently that was exactly the problem. On the ground, he still managed quite well. But as soon as he took off and flew, he swayed unsteadily and almost crashed time and again. Accustomed as he was to be flying a broomstick which reacted to his smallest movements, he found it difficult to control the more delayed reactions of the motorbike. When he stopped next to Sirius, drenched in sweat, the latter patted him reassuringly on the back. "Take it easy, brother. It demands a bit of practice, but then you'll be as confident flying on the motorbike as you are with a broomstick. Remember, we're trying to get around, not to play Quidditch". Regulus grinned and said, "I'll be fine. Don't you worry about a thing".
Lucius landed next to them and nonchalantly climbed off his bike. "Black, I have to agree with you. That was a special experience". Sirius nodded and said, "You best familiarise yourselves with your vehicles. Each of you has been given the same model. We now must adapt these to your individual needs. That' s what we do at my garage as well. If you want to change or improve something, we will deal with it together. Because we must make sure that the functionality of the bike is not affected by its magical features. When I started to work in the Muggle world as a mechanic, it took me some time to find the right balance. Meanwhile, I can handle almost any task. So, talk to me if you have any ideas". He retrieved his own motorbike from the garage and the five of them set off. Sometimes along the path, sometimes they took off and soared over the estate. They were highly excited when they returned to the house in the evening and joined the rest of the family for dinner in the kitchen. While their conversation mainly revolved around motorbikes, Mercuria informed them that she had an appointment with a client in the city the following day. Sirius offered to accompany her, but she refused. "I will take Alphard with me. He can protect me". She giggled. Sirius had a bad feeling about her trip but accepted her decision.