Of Deer and Flowers

Chapter Twenty One

Books and Badges

July 1,

Dear Jane,

This is the last of your pages so now I suppose is goodbye.

July 12,

Dear Ann,

Wait till I tell you my good news! Christy is coming to stay with us in three days! Also theirs this boy down the street (Alex) who's really nice. Actually the only way I know him is that his girlfriend Julie saw me working in the garden this morning and decided it'd be fun to invite me to the pool with them. Julie thought I was Petunia's cozen or something and was trying to do me a favor by getting me out of the house. I explained to them about my going to a boarding school, and how that's why I wasn't around. Anyway I did go to the pool with them and had a wonderful time. I'm really excited to have some Muggle friends to hang out with during the summer. They of course don't know I'm a Witch.

July 15,

Dear Ann,

Christy got here last night and the two of us have decided that Alex is positively the bravest guy on the earth. He, Julie, and some of their friends came to pick us up to go to the pool again, and Vernon was there. Well to make a long story short Vernon made some rather 'more than rude' comments and Alex told him off. I have never known anybody to tell Vernon off. You see he has the way of swelling up when he gets angry, and then his face turns purple . . .

Anyway Petunia is of course furious with me. She refuses to speak to me for the rest of the summer. I am perfectly fine with this arrangement, as it is now perfectly obvious that we will never get along like we used too.

July 18

Dear Ann,

One of Julie and Alex's friends (Mike) seems to have taken a fancy to Christy. No matter how often she tells him to go away he still comes back. Needles to say she's almost glad to be going home tomorrow.

August 28,

Dear Ann,

It's almost time for school to start. Julie and I headed to the mall for a girl's day out. I mentioned that the only time I'd be able to wear anything we got would be the weekends, Julie made me get a new outfit anyway. She of course knows I'm a witch, but luckily she's not like Vernon and Petunia. Julie thinks it's the coolest thing in the world that I can do magic. You see her younger brother got a Hogwarts letter . . .

Remus stepped into Diagon alley and looked around. He wasn't sure of either to be incredibly proud of what was in his pocket or ashamed. Spotting the rest of the Marauders over at the ice-cream parlor he sat down beside Sirius and opened his mouth intending to get it all over with. Unfortunately the current conversation put everything out of his mind.

"So anyway," James was saying as he scrubbed a hand through his hair, "now that we've got our animals and the materials we're going to need, we should spend the rest of the year mastering the spell. You know starting small and working our way up."

"Way up to what?" Peter asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "we start small with objects, then move on to living things, then to each other, and finally our selves. It's much harder to transfigure your self than another person. Harder still that an object."

"Oh," Peter said, "but what if something goes wrong?"

"Then we go to Madam Pomfrey and tell her one of our pranks back fired." Peter nodded looking as though he wished he hadn't asked.

"Your . . .you've already . . .I haven't even found . . .yet . . .but . . .It's supposed to take years! You can't just . . ."

"Your not the only one who can read a book Remus!" Sirius grinned taking the leather bound copy of A Guide to Anamagi out of his bag.

"Since when have Sirius and I done things the normal way?" James added.

"Good point." Remus paused, "so what are your animals?"

"Well Sirius is a dog," James explained.

"A big black one like this." Sirius pointed out the picture in the book.

"That's a Grim!" Peter shrieked.

"Is not . . ."

"Peter's a rat," James continued over them, "and I'm a Stag."

Remus nodded and turned his head as something caught his eye. "Is that Sarah Midgewater?" he asked craning his neck to get a better look, as a tall willowy girl with glossy black hair walked by.

"Where?" Sirius asked franticly searching around abandoning his argument with Peter. Remus leaned back in his chair and nodded at a girl who was just entering the shop across from where the four of them were sitting. Unfortunately his chair kept tipping and Remus was deposited unceremoniously on the sidewalk. A small silver (well platinum really) badge fell out of his pocket and rolled into the street.

"Remus," Sirius said in shock as he picked it up, "you're a prefect!"

Remus nodded unsure whether to say anything.

"I'm astounded," Sirius continued, "That a Marauder of all people would have a badge!"

"Hey!" James exclaimed irritably, "I've got a badge!"

"James I hate to be the one to point this out, but Quidditch Captain and Prefect are not exactly the same thing."

"I think it's brilliant!" Peter piped up. Sirius glared at him. "This way we can use the prefect baths!"

"I think we need nicknames," Remus said in an attempt to change the subject. It seemed to work.

"Snuffles!" Sirius said.

"What?" Peter asked.

"That's my new name, Snuffles!"

"If you call yourself Snuffles don't expect me to speak to you ever again!"

"Gee thanks antler head."

"Prongs," Remus corrected, "Prongs is much better than antler head."

"Thanks Moony."

"No problem."

"I still think Snuffles is a good name."

"NO!"