Chapter Five: Flushing Out Secrets

September passed by and - by the end of the third week - Remus was feeling the usual aches and pains that always ushered in the full moon.

Once or twice he was sure he had stumbled across James and Sirius whispering, only for them to stop immediately when they saw him looking. And several times, towards the end of the week, he saw them watching him - with very concerned expressions on their faces.

When alone in the dorm, he stared at himself in the mirror and sighed. No wonder they were looking at him with worry in their eyes. He looked awful. He was pale and peaky, and the dark smudges beneath his eyes made him look like a panda.

He sighed again, and his mind wandered to the first night of term - and to them all sitting in the common room talking about … You know . His parents thought no one would ever want him because he was a werewolf. But looking at his reflection, he rather miserably thought that the real reason he would die alone would be because he looked so deeply unappealing. Who would ever want someone who looked as much of a state as he did?

There was a sudden noise on the stair, and Sirius came stumbling through the door, carrying his bag. 'You alright?'

'Fine. I'm fine.'

'You're not feeling well again, are you?'

'I'll be fine,' he said quickly. Too quickly.

Sirius grinned at him. 'I know you will. But when you inevitably admit defeat and go to the Hospital Wing, I'll do your Transfiguration essay for you.'

'You don't have to.'

'I know - I want to. We know you miss school every month and want to help you keep up.' He held his breath and waited to see if Remus took the hint.

But Remus, it seemed, was in full on lie mode. 'Thanks. But I don't miss school every month. It's not that often.'

'Isn't it?' He shrugged. 'Come on - we're ditching homework and going stone skimming. If you're up to it?'

'Alright,' and Remus grinned back and followed him out.

…

Worse, though, than Sirius and James watching him, was Snape's constant observation.

Friday afternoon - with only 24 hours to the moon - was a feat of endurance that Remus really did not think he would survive.

Double Potions - Slughorn's booming voice - Flobberworm mucus - the stench of burning nettles rising from his own cauldron (they were only supposed to be simmering on a gentle heat!) and Snivellus watching him avidly from across the classroom. He appeared to be hissing in Lily's ear, but she kept swatting him away, like an irritating fly, and eventually picked up her cauldron altogether and moved off to work with Mary McDonald.

When the bell finally rang, Remus all but fled from the dungeon. He wolfed down tea and then went up to his dorm to take a nap.

He came back down to the common room a few hours later to find Pete drawing, Sirius taking apart a telescope and James listening to a Quidditch programme on the WWN. He was greatly relieved that none of them asked why he had felt the need for a mid evening snooze. He sat down in the armchair by the fire, picked up his new (second hand) book on Kappas, Grindylows and other water demons of the deep and read until bedtime.

The next day he got up late, moved slowly and did little. For once, Sirius and James were not using their weekend to mess around or prank or even listen to the wireless. They both had their heads down and were thundering through their own Transfiguration essays. Peter was sat with them - trying to keep up … but his face was baffled and his quill was still. He just couldn't work as fast as the other two boys … he did not understand the theory half as well as they did.

'When you're done will you help me?' he asked rather glumly.

James looked up, 'I suppose.'

'And will you help me with my star chart?'

'Can't you do it?'

'No - I can't tell them apart. My entire chart is a mess of dots and splodges - I think I recorded them wrong.'

'You're an artist , Pete,' James said exasperated. 'Your star chart should be the best of all of us. It's just drawing.'

'I hadn't thought of it like that. My next one will be better, I swear - but this one is a mess and I need help sorting it.'

James glanced at Sirius. 'Can you sort Remus's essay yourself, if I help Pete out?'

''Course I can.'

Remus flushed - embarrassed to be a nuisance … but he felt too weary to protest, pull his bag over to himself and get his essay out to start working on it. James and Sirius didn't even seem to notice, they bent their heads over their parchment once again and continued to scribble furiously.

Peter pushed his own essay away from himself and grabbed another sheet of parchment. He started to doodle something… he kept glancing up at James. After a while he put the quill down, picked up his wand, stuck his tongue between his teeth and seemed to focus really hard. Sparks shot from the end of his wand and hit the parchment. 'Yes!'

'What?' Everyone looked up.

'It worked - look.' He held his drawing up. It was a cartoon of James wielding his wand at Snape (who was depicted as mostly nose and greasy hair). Sparks kept flying from James' drawn wand, they would hit Snape - and the nose would get bigger until he was nothing but a nose with a fringe of hair around the side. Then he would shrink back to normal - and James would hex him again and the whole thing would start over.

'Wow, Pete!' James sounded amazed. 'How did you do that? That's brilliant!'

Peter flushed with pleasure, 'thanks - I'm a bit hit and miss on charming my drawings to move. You can keep it if you like.'

'I'm sticking this up next to my bed. It's great!'

Peter flushed even deeper.

'That's pretty advanced magic, Pete,' Sirius told him.

'Well - I don't always get it right yet.'

'No - but you get it right sometimes. And that's advanced for your age. It's like I've told you before, you're not a bad wizard, Peter - you just lack confidence. When it's something you know you can do, you're good at it.'

Peter hesitated - it wasn't often Sirius said something as encouraging and kind as this … and even then he usually only did it out of a sense of guilt. 'I - I could draw one with you in it - if you like?'

'Yeah - thanks - I'd like that.'

And, looking very pleased with himself, Peter reached for another sheet of parchment and started sketching Sirius and Snape and a toilet.

The hours went by, the sun moved west - Remus checked his watch - and then looked up to catch Sirius looking at him.

'I think it's time you go to the Hospital Wing,' Sirius said. 'It'll be dark soon.'

Remus felt himself go bright red. 'So?'

'So … you don't want Filch to give you a hard time, while you're feeling poorly. Go while it's still light and you won't get in trouble.'

'Yeah … alright.' He got to his feet and headed to the portrait hole, feeling his friends' eyes on him the whole way.

'See you tomorrow evening,' James called after him. 'Feel better!'

'Yeah.'

'What's going on?' he heard Peter whisper, just as he pushed the portrait open.

'Nothing,' Sirius said, 'you know he gets poorly every so often. He's been trying to hide it, but he needs to go to the Infirmary now or he'll only get worse.'

'But shouldn't we go with him - if he's not well?'

'He doesn't like us fussing, Pete - that's why he doesn't talk about it.'

The portrait swung closed behind him - and their voices were cut off and, relieved that they had let him go without questioning, he hurried off to the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey, hoping that tonight would not prove too difficult.

…

He arrived back late on Sunday evening to find Peter working, Sirius doing the crossword and James and Lily in the middle of the common room having a stand up row about something. Presumably the wireless - as they both held one half of it and were tugging.

'Sirius fixed it - we get first dibs on listening to it. It wouldn't even be working if it wasn't for us. I need to listen to this.'

'It's not even a match!' Lily yelled. 'It's just that stupid quiz programme you listen to " A Question of Quidditch" . It's on every week. It's been on every week for the past twenty years and will be on every week for the next twenty.'

'But it's different every week!' he roared.

'And this is only happening once! If we don't listen to this tonight we will never get to hear it again … and this is gonna be huge.'

'Who cares about some pretty boys singing?'

'We do! And they're not … pretty boys . They're musicians. Artists...'

'Posers.'

'Oh it takes one to know one.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

Remus balanced himself on the arm of Sirius's chair and squinted down at the crossword. 'Nine down … carnivorous beast known as "the living shroud" is a lethifold.'

'Thanks,' he scribbled it in.

'So - er - what's going on with - er …' He nodded over at the arguing pair.

Sirius sighed. 'James wants to listen to A Question of Quidditch - but the girls want to listen to something else on a different station at the same time. Some one off music thing that they keep twittering about. Getting their knickers in a right twist about the pretty boys who sing …' He looked disgusted and uncomfortable for a minute. 'I think they might want to … you know with them.'

'Well they're a bit young for now - and they certainly can't manage that through the wireless.'

'Ha!' he barked with laughter. 'No - but we have to watch them go all gooey eyed. Anyway - Lily will win. James will claim he was being chivalrous because he's a Gryffindor and then sulk for the rest of the evening.'

'Sounds about right.'

'I don't know why he doesn't just give in now.'

There came the cracking sound of a loud slap and then a high pitched grunt of exertion, and Lily dragged the wireless out of James' hands and marched off with it.

James appeared beside them then, glowering - a red hand print visible on his cheek. 'She's proper mental, that bint,' he told them. 'I used to wonder why she put up with Snivellus … but now I think it's Snivellus that must be mental putting up with her.'

'You can listen to the quiz next week,' Remus told him, smiling.

'If FlatuLily doesn't invent some other one off event she needs to listen to,' he muttered darkly. 'Anyway - how are you?'

'Better. Fourteen down - first woman Minister for Magic - Artemisia Lufkin,' he said to Sirius.

Across the room came the usual squawking as the wireless was switched on and the correct station tuned in. James glowered even more darkly as the programme came on, and the group of girls gathered around it all squealed in delighted excitement as a Liverpudlian voice floated over the airwaves.

'Well - when we were kids, the muggle charts were absolutely dominated by four boys from Liverpool. Which we all are. They might have been muggles - but they were wizards in their own way and we wanted to share some of their magic with the kids of our world. We're inspired by their tunes - and their messages - but the words are all our own.'

'And you had unbelievable success over the summer with your first ever song "Enchant Me Do",'

The host of the programme said.

'That's right. We can't take credit for it - really - it's the magic the boys weave. We're just borrowing it. But just like the muggles went crazy for it last decade, the young witches can't get enough of it now.'

'And you're going to sing for us, today, your brand new song? Would you care to introduce it?'

' Sure thing, Brian. We're "The Kneazles" and this is our new song called "Diagon Alley" and it's about … well … Diagon Alley.'

There was the sound of a guitar striking a chord. A drum started up. Lily and the girls all screamed. And then Bobby Darrow started to sing.

In Di'gon Alley, there is a man whose name is Fortescue

And he sells ice cream to all who passes by

And even those who don't know why

Stop in to have a try.

On the corner there is Gringotts run by Gob- e -lins

And they keep their gold and silver underground

And thieves who plunder never will be found when they break inside

Terrified!

Di'gon Alley a treat for ears, a treat for eyes.

Where students go to buy their school supplies

I think I'll floo right in

The girls all screamed again. James glowered … but more and more students were looking up - abandoning their books and starting to gather around the wireless…

To Di'gon Alley where Ollivander sells his magic wands

In lots of boxes for a young wizard to choose

And with Olly on the case you cannot lose

So go on, peruse

Remus however - rather than paying keener attention to the WWN had tuned it out altogether. For Sirius had shifted his grip on the paper - and suddenly the article on the next page was visible… and the headline made Remus's insides feel like they had been replaced by ice.

Werewolves Wounding Wizards in Warrington!

He gulped … glad he was back at school now, as Warrington was not so terribly far from where he lived. Much closer than Taunton. And, with the sense of dread rising in him with every sentence, he read the full article.

A body has been found in Warrington, badly mauled, after last night's full moon. There were signs of claw marks and teeth marks, gouging and scratching and flesh shredding. The result was so ferocious that - almost a full day later - we have still not yet been able to identify who the poor victim is.

Readers will well remember that the same thing happened only last month, when there was an unusually vicious werewolf attack in the town of Taunton.

This is now two months, two attacks and it seems no wizard is safe, as our more animal counterparts - the werewolves - are becoming more vicious and their attacks more frequent.

Is this the signs of a more dangerous time - and the werewolf attacks are linked to the disappearances we have suffered? Are there dark forces at work that the werewolves are delighting in exacerbating or joining in with? Are they being encouraged by what they read in our news? Is this a concerted effort to destabilise wizarding society? Or is this just more Ministry incompetence - that they have not sufficiently dealt with the werewolf problem and so we are now feeling the bite … pun very much intended.

Your humble reporter (Mable Grable - with her finger on the pulse of the nation) did some digging into the laws around werewolves restraining themselves on a full moon and was horrified to discover that such laws as exist are incredibly lax and have no way of being enforced.

There is of course the werewolf register (and if I get my hands on that I will be printing it in full for everyone to see) however there is no mechanism by which a werewolf can be compelled to sign it. Therefore the Ministry has no idea how many unregistered ferocious beasts are running free up and down the country once a month (and behaving little better even in their human disguise). This means that - while there are laws on the proper etiquette for observing a full moon (the Werewolf Code of Conduct) - the Ministry does not know who should and should not be following it, have no way of tracking those who break it and it is we who pay the price. As the two mauled bodies in England will testify.

We must have werewolf reform. We must have stricter laws around registering and harsher sanctions around those who do not - and those who commit attacks. Life in Azkaban for just one unregistered werewolf would perhaps get the others thinking about where their priorities lay (if indeed - a slavering beast can think). Executions for werewolves who are found guilty of biting and killing people would perhaps get the others thinking about whether caging themselves during the full moon was truly too high a price to pay.

The Daily Prophet will shortly be launching a petition to the Ministry making demands on them to take better control of the werewolf problem - and we urge all our readers to sign it.

But until then we are left with yet another dead body in Warrington. Somewhere there is a family torn asunder, relatives left to grieve and the knowledge that one of our community died the most agonising, terrifying and lonely death at the jaws and claws of a monster not fit to live. Our hearts go out to this unknown victim and their family, and to the werewolves we say - beware! We are watching, we are preparing and we will take no more!

Remus just stared blankly, feeling sick. His father had not let him see the article from the previous month; he assumed it must have been more of the same.

'Remus?' he heard Sirius say - his voice was unusually gentle. 'Are you alright?'

And the sounds of the common room came crashing back in - the girls squealing, the cheerful pop music…

Di'Gon Alley, Florean serves another iced sundae

And we see the goblins come in after work

And then Oll'vander comes in to lurk - away from the London skies

Very wise

'I - I'm alright.'

'Yeah? Well - don't read that rubbish. You know what Grable's like. She's horrible. You can't take anything she says seriously.'

'Yeah … I … I think I'll go to bed.' He slid off the arm and stumped up the stairs to his dormitory.

Sirius watched him go, sadly, and then ripped the article on werewolves out of the paper, shredded it and threw it on the fire. 'Stupid!'

'What's got into you?' Peter asked him.

'Nothing… I'm off to bed too.' And he followed Remus up the stairs.

…

The next day was a long one, with Double Potions right at the beginning and then Astronomy late at night (though it turned out James and Sirius had made Peter finish Remus's chart for him while he was recovering in the Infirmary, to get some practice in - so at least his homework was done). Tuesday was little better - though it finished earlier - and by Wednesday Remus could not stop yawning.

'You know it's only History of Magic after lunch,' Sirius said, digging into his steak and kidney pie, one eye on Remus. 'We could all just … bunk off.'

'We might … miss something important,' Remus tried to protest, stifling another yawn.

But that made Sirius snort. 'Remus - we could be sitting there in the lesson, quills out and ready, and miss something important. No one ever listens to Binns - he's interminable. He only ever lectures straight from his notes anyway. We'll read the sodding text book before the exam, in the summer - but there's no need to actually go to class.'

'But he'll notice…'

And that made James snort. 'No he won't. He never looks up. Doesn't know our names - probably doesn't know which class he's teaching or who's supposed to be there. Honestly, I don't go in for criticising Dumbledore but … Binns needs to be quietly retired. He's useless. And he's about 150. He could drop down dead at any minute.'

'Yeah - some of that stuff he talks about, he actually remembers - he was actually there - that's how old he is,' Sirius said.

'If he saw it, you'd think he could make it more interesting,' Peter said, 'give it some flavour.'

But Sirius shook his head. 'Nah - sucking the joy out of stuff is his special brand of magic. He's like the dementor of History.' They all laughed. 'So are we gonna do it - bunk off?'

'Where would we go?' Remus asked. 'We'll get caught if we go back to the common room.'

'Hang out in the bogs?'

'Is that really better than being in a classroom, kipping at the back? Lurking among the urinals?'

'Yes,' the other three all said in unison. 'Anything is better than History of Magic,' James said. 'I'd rather be fed to the giant squid.'

So it was decided - they were playing hookey - and, trying to look nonchalantly like they were just stopping off at the toilets on the way to class, the four of them ducked into the boys' loos and proceeded to lurk.

They held one of their competitions - as it seemed as good a place as any to do it (Remus won as usual - though he was so tired his aim was a bit off) and then sat up on the sinks, drumming their heels against the base of them and chatting.

'Maybe we should have gone into the girls' toilets - gone looking for that ghost that haunts them,' Peter said.

'Yeah but - if we get caught in here, we're in trouble. If we get caught in there … McGonagall would have us arrested,' Remus said. 'For being perverts.'

'But we wouldn't be trying to be perverts - we just want to see the ghost.'

'McGonagall wouldn't care.'

'And anyway,' James said, 'worse than the ghost - we might bump into FlatuLily. No thank you!'

Sirius snorted. 'She's in class. Listening avidly to every boring word Binns says.'

'She'll probably tell on us - point out we're not there. Snitch to McGonagall.'

But Remus shook his head. 'I honestly don't think Lily is paying that much attention to us, mate. If she notices we're not there - she's probably relieved - on account of what a gigantic prat she thinks you are.'

'Hey!'

'I'm not saying I think you're a gigantic prat.'

'I do,' Sirius told him, laughing.

James picked up a bar of soap and lobbed it at him.

'Ow! Oi!' He threw a bar of soap of his own. James ducked. It hit the mirror behind him and cracked it. 'Bugger - reparo !'

'That's still seven years' bad luck,' James said to him.

'No - I fixed it.'

'Still counts - your life is cursed from this point on.'

'Well - it's your fault - and I'm dragging you down with me.'

'Tch!' he tutted. 'I'm invincible. Nothing can touch me.'

'Shhh!' Peter suddenly hissed - he was looking very wary. 'You hear that?' The boys stopped their bickering and listened carefully. Footsteps were approaching.

'Big Macca?' Sirius said.

But Peter shook his head, 'flatter boots. And there's three of them. Coming this way - hide!'

They all jumped down from the sinks, grabbed their bags and then banged into each other in their attempts to flee. 'This way!' Remus said impatiently - and led them all to the hidden door they had found the previous year, which led to a concealed staircase which in turn led out to the Hogwarts grounds.

They didn't follow the staircase down, however. As far as they were aware, no one else knew the secret passage was there, so they were unlikely to be found - and, if they suddenly appeared by the Greenhouses, Professor Sprout would no doubt catch them and send them on their way with a chizpurfle in their ear and a detention to boot.

Instead, they lurked - and listened as the door to the boys' toilets was pushed open and Mulciber, Avery and Snape came in.

'God this place is a joke,' they heard Mulciber drawl. 'The lessons are pointless, the teachers are pathetic, Dumbledore is a senile, old windbag … and the riff raff he lets in… Wish I'd gone to Durmstrang.'

'They actually teach the Dark Arts themselves at Durmstrang,' Snape said. And his voice was filled with a hungry longing. 'Not the defence rubbish Tenebris wastes our time with.'

'The winds are changing out there,' Avery said. 'Time will come when we get the proper Dark Arts stuff too … the days of the likes of Tenebris and Dumbledore, the muggle lover, are fast coming to an end.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well - you won't know this … because your dad's a muggle…' both pure blood boys gave a nasty laugh. 'But the old ways are coming back in. Among those of us … of a better class, better blood. We're thinking of taking back what's ours. Not going to stick for the mudbloods and muggle loving any more. Events are already taking place, plans taking shape…'

Behind the hidden door the four boys looked at each other. 'What a load of rubbish,' Peter whispered.

But Remus remembered the missing people, and James saying pure blood mania was getting worse - and … though he hated to think of it - the werewolf attacks … and couldn't help but feel that maybe Mulciber and Avery did know something Snape didn't. Something they - as half bloods and blood traitors - wouldn't know either.

'What's going on?' Snape asked - and he sounded keen - like he liked the sound of what the other boys had to say.

'Well - let's just say that I don't think everyone who started Hogwarts will be finishing with us. By the time we get to the seventh year - those with dirty blood will have been rooted out and thrown back to the muggles where they belong.'

'That's the way it should be,' Snape agreed. He spat. 'Mudbloods - they shouldn't be welcome here. Magic is ours.'

Hidden away, the four of them glanced at each other again. 'If FlatuLily could hear him now,' James said quietly. Perhaps not quietly enough … Snape looked around, frowning.

Inside the bathroom, the boys finished up - flies were buttoned, hands were washed and Mulciber and Avery headed for the door. Snape followed them … and then ducked behind the sinks, pretending to tie his shoelaces.

The four boys waited a moment - heard the door creak closed … and then pushed their own hidden door open and tumbled back into the bathroom.

Snape jumped to his feet - his wand was out already. 'Displodo!' he yelled. The boys all leapt out of the way - and the sparks hit the sink behind Remus. The tap exploded and water started gushing out.

'What did you do that for?'James asked - staring. But Sirius had gone for a more direct approach and just thumped him. Snape raised his wand to hex again - but Sirius gave him a shove, and he slipped through the rapidly pooling water and got sprayed in the face from the gushing tap.

James and Sirius burst out laughing … and then their eyes lit up with the same wicked delight at the exact same moment - as they both had the exact same thought. With barely a glance at each other, they both grabbed hold of one of Snape's arms each and began to bundle him over to the toilets.

'Don't -' Remus called out to them.

'What are they…?' Peter scuttled after the trio - glancing back at Remus, and then glancing back at them as if not quite sure what to do.

Remus wrung his hands and bit his lip … and didn't say anything more.

Sirius and James were cackling madly. Snape was wrestling between them but couldn't get free. And then Sirius kicked open the door of the cubicle, they forced Severus to his knees, gripped his hair and shoved his head down the toilet.

Peter sniggered uncertainly. Remus dithered in the background, wishing he was anywhere but there. Sirius reached for the flush.

'Careful, Sirius,' James laughed. 'The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as Snivellus's head down it before. It might be sick.'

Sirius pulled the chain. There was a deluge of water and Snape gargled and spluttered and struggled while the two boys held him in place.

'Go again!' James said.

'He might drown,' Remus cautioned from way in the back.

'Nah - he's fine,' Sirius said, pulling Snape's head up so he could take a great gasping lungful of air, before he shoved him back under water. He pulled the chain again. More water splashed out - flooding the floor.

'Oh - we shouldn't…' Remus breathed … and then he heard the door open - and turned to look - and felt his heart sink like a stone.

For there was Professor McGonagall - staring at them all, with her lips so white and thin they were barely visible. Her eyes scanned across the room, taking in the exploded tap and the fountain of water and the flooded floor - and the Gryffindor boys bunking off lessons to viciously attack a Slytherin boy, four on one.

'Let. Him. Up.' she hissed through her teeth. James gave a strangled yelp, let go of Snape and stumbled backward. Severus got back to his feet, soaking wet and burning with humiliation.

'Mr. Snape,' she said to him. 'You may go and dry yourself off.'

He grabbed his bag and wand, and pushed his way out of the toilets, not looking at any of them.

'You four .' She barked.

'He hexed us, miss,' James protested. 'He had it coming. We didn't do that tap - he bloody well tried to kill us with that curse.'

'I don't want to hear it. Detention - all four of you. And fifty points from Gryffindor. And fifty more for skipping class. Now get where you are supposed to be.'

And under her furious gaze they had no choice but to meekly pick up their school bags and slink off to the end of History of Magic - and listen to the final few minutes of a lecture on the short lived tenure of Minister for Magic, Basil Flack, who resigned in 1752 after only two months in office, when the rebelling goblins joined forces with the werewolves.

That evening, they lay glumly on their beds in their dorm and wondered if their fellow Gryffindors would notice a round hundred points had been taken from their hourglass. 'Stupid, Snivellus,' Sirius said. 'It was all his fault.'

'Was it?' Remus asked. He watched the enchanted cartoon pinned next to Sirius's bed. Illustrated Sirius grabbed illustrated Snape's head and shoved it down the toilet. The water splooshed over the top in a tidal wave… and the whole thing started again. Remus shook his head.

…

They got their detention slips on Friday morning. They would be headed into the Forbidden Forest that night to help Hagrid with something. 'Could be worse,' Sirius said, shrugging.

Peter looked unconvinced. 'Unless we get eaten by werewolves…ow!' The last was because Sirius had smacked him around the back of the head. 'What was that for?' He rubbed his sore head.

'How many times have I told you there are no werewolves in the forest?'

'And how many times have I asked you how you know and not got a decent answer?'

'I just know. '

They traipsed out of the castle after school, and found Hagrid waiting for them by his hut. He had lit a large bonfire and was throwing dry logs onto it. 'Alright, lads?' he greeted them.

They mumbled their hellos.

'Right then. Professor Kettleburn had a bit o' a problem in his Care of Magical Creatures class, see - when all his fire salamanders scampered off … into the forest, like… Now there's some real interestin' creatures in there - I'm sure yer know but … well, they might fancy themselves a snack of salamander. So it's you boys' job to round 'em up.'

'The "interesting creatures"?' Peter squeaked in fear.

'Nah - the salamanders. Keep yer wands lit, look out for 'em and drive 'em towards the bonfire. They should want to come this way, see, once they smell the smoke. Shouldn't be too hard.'

'Unless we get eaten.'

'Yer won't get eaten … just - er - stick to the paths and keep yer eyes peeled. Off yer go, then - good lads.'

And - with many a backwards glance towards Hagrid - they crept towards the treeline.

The sun had not yet set for the evening, but it was already dark in the forest. The great canopy of leaves overhead blocked out much of the light, and the boys raised their wands and hissed 'lumos' to light them up.

There was a sudden scampering in the undergrowth - and Peter squealed.

'Shh,' Sirius hissed at him. 'That's probably one of them. Come on - chase it.' And he tore off after the rustling noise, not even checking to see if the others were following.

They blundered through the long grass, tripping over tree stumps and roots and getting snagged up in branches … until eventually they caught sight of the salamander making a break for it across a clearing. 'There - don't let it get away!' and Sirius led the charge again.

They circled round the lizard, their wands raised, closing in tighter and tighter - and then James dove on it, wrestled with it a moment and then stood up triumphantly with it clasped in his arms. 'Got it!'

'How many more to go?' Remus asked. He was all sweaty from their dash through the forest - and was hoping they would not have to keep this up for very long.

'Dunno. Here, Pete,' he thrust the salamander into Peter's arms. 'You take this back to Hagrid.'

But Peter looked terrified. 'I'm not going back by myself! Might get eaten! Anyway … I don't even know if I can find my way back.'

They all hesitated and looked uncertain at that. 'We - er - we came from that direction,' James said.

'Let's go back that way, then - we'll all take the salamander to Hagrid, and if we find any more along the way, we'll take those too … we probably shouldn't split up,' Remus said. And together they made their way back the way they had come.

'Do you - er - do you hear that?' Sirius asked, uncertainly - when they had been walking for about fifteen minutes.

'Another salamander?'

'No.'

They stopped and listened. It was the sound of hooves.

'Thestrals?' Peter suggested.

But Remus shook his head, 'thestrals never make that much noise.'

Peter looked frightened. 'Is it me or … do the hooves sound angry?'

But that made Sirius snort. 'Don't be soft! How can hooves sound angry … I mean …' he hesitated. They all listened some more. They certainly didn't sound … happy.

'Let's keep going,' James said.

About five minutes later, they heard another rustle, had another tussle and pulled out another salamander. Remus kept hold of this one. By the time they got back to the bonfire they each held a struggling lizard clamped in their arms.

'How many more?' Remus asked Hagrid, this time. They had dropped the salamanders into the fire and the lizards were now scampering happily through the flames.

'I think there was about ten of 'em,' Hagrid said cheerily. 'Nearly half way there. Go on with yer - back in… be careful how deep you go, mind. There are parts of the forest no one has been to before. Parts the sun doesn't reach. You don't want t' know what manner o' creatures live there. Go careful.'

'We - er - we heard something stampeding around on hooves,' James said.

'Oh - that'll be the centaurs. Keep yer distance. Don't bother them and they shouldn't bother you.'

Gloomily, they headed back into the forest. The sun was very low on the horizon now - and it was pitch dark beneath the trees. However, the darkness made things a little easier. The fire loving lizards were attracted to their wand sparks - now they were more clearly visible - and would scamper out from the long grass to get closer. They always tried to escape when they realised the boys were hunting them … but for the most part they were easier to catch once they were out in the open.

Two hours after they had first returned to Hagrid, they had caught and returned a further five salamanders. And though they had kept hearing the thumping hooves of the centaurs in the distance, they had not come across anything more dangerous during their time there - and were starting to feel a little more bold.

With one last salamander to catch, they headed back under the trees - wands lit - hopeful it would all be over soon. But this last salamander proved fleeting and flighty. They walked for what seemed like miles before they even heard the first sign of it. And for what seemed like hours before they caught sight of its bright red tail whipping out of the wandlight.

'There! Get it!' they began to chase again - once more blundering through the grass and tripping and stumbling and getting snagged and fighting their way free and blundering on once again. But something strange happened - the faster they ran, the further they went, the louder the hooves got.

'I think … we're… too close ... to … the centaurs,' Peter gasped, nursing a stitch in his side even as he stumbled after the others, struggling to keep up on his shorter legs.

'Well this is where the bloody salamander's going,' Sirius called back. He was in the lead once again. 'We've got no choice.'

They came to a little coppice of yew trees, all clumped together and growing across the path. The Salamander was lurking between the roots of the largest tree. 'Got it! Come on, men,' James started to creep forward.

But then the sound of distant hooves started up again - only now they were not distant. They were all too close - sounding like a terrifying drumbeat that shook the earth. 'They're just beyond those trees,' Remus whispered to the others, 'we should go back…'

But then hoofbeats started up behind them as well. 'We're surrounded,' Peter moaned.

'Well, grab the salamander and let's get out of here.' Sirius made a dash forward to try and get hold of the lizard. But the salamander snapped at him and shrank back further into the roots - and the hooves got louder … and the boys huddled together fearfully, wondering what to do for the best.

'Keep your wands raised,' James told them. 'Let's stand back to back - that way nothing can sneak up on us.' And they formed a square - each looking out in a different direction, straining to see the centaurs that sounded so close and yet remained hidden.

'There's something moving out there,' Remus said. 'Something beyond the centaurs.'

'What is it?'

'I don't know - it sounds …'

And then Professor McGonagall stepped out from behind a tree and into their wandlight. She gave them a disapproving look and effortlessly scooped up the last salamander. 'Come on, boys - it's past midnight. You should have returned to the castle hours ago.'

They all just gaped at her - and lowered their wands, feeling slightly foolish.

'We need to go carefully,' McGonagall told them. 'The centaurs are not happy with your incursion into the forest.'

'Our incursion? We didn't choose to come in!' Sirius protested.

'Nevertheless - your presence has angered them. Try not to make too much sound as we go…'

But she had barely taken a step towards the path, when one of the centaurs suddenly broke through the copse of yew trees and stared down at them all. The boys all huddled together again - though McGonagall drew herself to her full height and nodded her head.

'Good evening,' she said politely.

The centaur stared at her - his face was blank and unfriendly. 'You should not come so deep into our home, witch. You are not welcome here.'

'We had reason to come here tonight.' She lifted up the salamander she still held in her arms. 'These creatures would have died had they not been returned to the fire.'

'You have been here before. Deep in the forest. Where no human has gone before. Where the sunlight never shines … You think you are free to travel these paths, witch. You are not. This is our place, and humans are not welcome here. So - take your three human children and be gone.'

James, Sirius and Peter blinked at each other. Though Remus felt the first burning flicker of dread sweep through him… And then… James said it: 'er - there are four of us. Four human children.'

The centaur turned his blank face towards the boys and blinked. 'No,' he said - his voice as expressionless as his face. 'This forest is a home to all creatures. All halfbreeds and animals are welcome here… The wolf may stay if he wishes.'