From First to Last

A/N - Enjoy

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"Every wish is like a prayer to God."

--- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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What with homework, projects, occasionally visiting Hagrid, and as far as James and Sirius were concerned, attending various detentions, a month passed by rather quickly. However, it was because of the large work load that James and Sirius began to notice something rather interesting.

It was the week of Halloween and James, Sirius and Peter were all stuck indoors, attempting to finish off an essay for Slughorn. Professor Slughorn, it seemed was rather fond of essays, as he took to assigning them one every other week. James was beginning to wonder whether this was just a clever ruse to avoid teaching the class. It was during one of their painful essay-writing sessions that the presence of one Mr Lupin was greatly missed.

'Hey, where is Remus, anyway?' asked James, throwing down his quill in frustration and gazing down at his pitifully empty parchment.

'His - mum's - sick,' muttered Sirius, writing down words and crossing them out one at a time.

'Yeah? That's odd...'

'Not really,' said Peter, shrugging. His parchment was three feet away from him, hopelessly crumpled and sadly empty. 'His mum's always sick.'

Sirius looked up at James. 'How's it odd?'

'Well,' said James, pushing his parchment away in a notion of giving up, 'his mum gets sick once a month.'

Sirius' face wore a puzzled expression. 'Or, well, he gets sick. Remember that time he went to the hospital wing?'

'That time he said he went to the hospital wing,' corrected James.

Sirius examined James, giving him a confused face in prompt to continue with the theory he seemed to have acquired.

'You know what I've noticed?' continued James. 'He goes missing once a month and it's always at night.'

'And he's only gone for one night,' said Peter, looking deep in thought.

'Yeah...' said Sirius slowly. 'What, does his mum get well overnight?'

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'Oi, Remus!'

Remus entered the Entrance Hall accompanied by Professor McGonagall the next morning. He was looking so tired that James wondered whether he'd caught his mother's illness.

Remus caught sight of James, Sirius and Peter and for a fraction of a second, looked somewhat paler, if that was possible in his current state. Then he fixed his expression into a small smile.

'Hi, James, Sirius, Peter...' he said.

'Right,' said Professor McGonagall, putting a hand on Remus' shoulder. 'Mr Lupin, go up to your dormitory and get a couple hours' sleep. You're excused from my class and I'll inform Professor Flitwick that you won't be able to make it to Charms either. You three,' she added, indicating toward James, Sirius and Peter, 'come along now. I believe you have Transfiguration with me?'

'Yes, Professor McGonagall,' they all chorused.

'Very well, then.' And she hurried off.

There was a moment's silence, and then James and Sirius turned to Remus.

'So, where've you been?' asked Sirius in a slightly sharp voice.

'My mum... she's ill,' said Remus quietly, not making eye contact with any of them.

'Yeah?' asked James, scratching the back of his head. 'Did she get better overnight?'

Remus blanched. 'Er... well, sort of. She's at a stable state now, and she reckons I shouldn't miss too much school.'

'Oh, I see.' Sirius commenced nodding his head understandingly. 'Stable state... That's good... But don't you find that it's odd that she gets really sick every month?'

Panic flashed momentarily through Remus' eyes. 'R-Really? I - er - didn't really notice...'

'Oh, come off it, Remus,' said Sirius. 'Sure you've noticed. We've all noticed. Even Peasegood has noticed.'

'Pease-who?' asked Peter, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Sirius waved a hand airily. 'That bloke in Ravenclaw.'

'Yes, well,' said Remus, sounding rather annoyed as he attempted to leave. 'I've got to get to class.'

'Didn't McGonagall say to go to sleep?' demanded Sirius.

'Well, I'm not tired.'

James raised an eyebrow. 'Remus, you look like a ghost.'

'I don't look like a ghost,' said Remus tiredly.

'Shall I call Nick over and compare the both of you?' asked James.

Remus sighed. 'Look, you lot, I've really got to go...'

'Why are you so tired anyway?' persisted Sirius.

'I was up all night with my mum, alright?'

A loud bell sounded.

'Oh no, I'm late for Transfiguration!' said Remus suddenly, turning to walk away. James sighed. There was no questioning him now.

'No - wait, Remus,' said James, shaking his head. 'Just go back to the dormitory. McGonagall said, remember? Honestly, you look like you're about to collapse.'

Remus paused for a minute, eyeing the three of them and then nodded stiffly.

James sighed as Remus walked away. Now they had to find out the hard way...

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'Ah, Miss Evans, there you are!'

Lily turned round to find Professor Slughorn making his way toward Kalah, Alice and herself.

'Hi, Professor Slughorn!'

Slughorn beamed at her. 'Hello, my dear! Now, Miss Evans, I'm sure you are aware of the little get-together I'm hosting this Christmas?'

'Oh... yes, sir...'

'I look forward to seeing you there. And Miss Prewett too, of course!'

'Yes, sir,' said Alice, with a smile. Lily shifted uncomfortably.

'Glad to hear it,' said Slughorn beaming down at the two of them. 'Good afternoon, Miss Evans, Miss Prewett, Miss - er -'

He glanced awkwardly toward Kalah.

'Ramnath,' said Kalah, with what looked like a fake smile plastered onto her face. 'Kalah Ramnath.'

'Right, of course. Slipped my mind, that's all.'

'Right-e-o, Professor, right-e-o.'

The moment Slughorn waddled off, Kalah's face slipped into a scowl. 'Slipped his mind, did it?' she said wryly, as she glanced back viciously at Slughorn's figure. 'Why, I ought to -'

'And why is the lovely Miss Ramnath raising her voice again?'

Lily glanced back to see Frank approach him, with his bag slung over one shoulder in his signature fashion. 'She's threatening Professor Slughorn again, Frank,' she supplied.

Frank laughed. 'Let me guess - he didn't invite you to his Christmas party?'

Kalah paused. 'No... But that's not why -'

'Oh, wait - he pretended you weren't there!'

'Er... yeah, that too, but -'

'He forgot your name again!'

Kalah narrowed her eyes. 'You prat, you're doing that on purpose!'

Frank grinned. 'But I'm right, aren't I?'

Kalah rolled her eyes and refrained from answering.

'Don't worry,' said Frank, with a grin. 'I didn't get invited, either.'

'Where have you been all morning?' asked Alice, glancing at the delicate chain-like watch around her wrist. 'Jenkins was wondering why you didn't come to Defence Against the Dark Arts.'

Frank's eyes went round. 'He noticed? Ah, bugger, I thought he didn't even know my name!'

'He doesn't,' assured Lily, with a grin, earning a glare from Frank. 'He refers to you as Pants.'

Frank groaned. 'One mispronunciation of the last name and you're nicknamed for life.'

Alice cupped her hands round her mouth as though to project her voice. 'Pants!'

Frank whipped round frantically, checking to see whether the corridor was empty.

'Alice! Shh! Before people find out about -'

'About Pants?' asked Kalah, looking clearly amused. 'Well, I suppose that's what you get for trying to act all chivalrous around us when we're in class.'

She deepened her voice in an imitation that was supposed to resemble Frank, taking a bow. 'Hello, ladies. Fancy seeing you in Charms today.'

Alice sunk into a curtsy. 'Why yes it is, Mr Frankfurter. Very fanciable indeed.' she said. She glanced at Frank. 'That's your long name, right? Frankfurter?' Frank looked scandalised.

Kalah paused. 'Is fanciable even a word?'

Alice shrugged, straightening up again. 'I thought I heard someone say it this morning.'

'That was me,' said Lily brightly, raising her hand. 'We were talking about Mary's new cat.'

'Right, right...' said Kalah, nodding her head in recognition.

'Oi, you lot, I act nothing like that,' said Frank.

'Sure you do,' said Lily, turning her attention back to Frank with twinkling eyes. 'You know, Frank, it's alright to talk to us. Even if we're around other people. You don't have to make it look like you're doing us a favour -'

Frank flushed. 'I don't -'

'Oh, yes you do,' insisted Alice, with a grin. 'What are you, embarrassed of us or something? Don't want Potter and his friends to know you talk to girls?'

Frank seemed to be turning pinker by the second. Lily was almost sure he was going to explode.

'I don't care what James and his friends think,' he muttered.

'Really?' asked Lily, bouncing on the balls of her feet childishly. 'Because it seems like all that people care about is what James Potter and his friends think.'

'Well, everyone seems to think he's a hero,' said Alice.

'They say he saved Davey Gudgeon,' added Kalah.

'At the Whomping Willow,' finished Lily. 'Who knows, maybe it's just a rumour.'

'It's true!' insisted Frank. 'I was there.'

'Were you, now?' asked Alice, a grin widening on her face. 'Fancied a go at the Whomping Willow, did you?'

Frank reddened, but a reluctant half-smile made its way onto his face. 'Yeah, yeah, that's right. Make fun of the chivalrous gentleman, why don't you?'

They all burst into laughter.

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'He's lying,' said Sirius bluntly.

James, Sirius and Peter were all lounging on sofas in the common room on a snowy day.

'Well, obviously,' said James, rolling his eyes, 'but we can't make him tell us the truth.'

'Can't we?' asked Sirius suggestively.

'We're not making him drink Veritaserum, Sirius.' Sirius' face fell.

'Is there even any in the castle?' asked Peter.

Sirius nodded immediately at that. 'Oh, yes,' he said with a wicked grin. 'There's definitely Veritaserum in the castle.'

'Right,' said James, suddenly business-like. 'Now, how're we going to pull this off? I reckon we should -' He cut off quickly at Remus' presence.

'Oi, you lot,' said Remus, approaching them. He had a book in his hands and his eyes were skimming over the words written upon it as he spoke. 'You were saying you need help with that Potions essay, yeah? Er - what's going on?'

James, Sirius and Peter quickly rearranged their faces to resemble someone less suspicious or guilty looking.

'Nothing!' said James. 'Nothing at all. Oh, and don't worry about that Potions essay, we've got it under control.'

'We do?' asked Sirius incredulously; he shut his mouth at the pointed look James was giving him.

'Of course we do,' encouraged James. 'Right, Peter?'

Peter nodded immediately. 'Absolutely.'

'Oh,' said Remus, looking from James to Sirius to Peter, with a slightly confused expression on his face. 'Alright, then. I guess I'll go up to the dormitory and read.'

'You do that, mate,' said James, shooting him a huge grin.

When Remus was well out of hearing range, Sirius shot James an annoyed face.

'We've got it all covered!' he said in a mocking voice. 'Excellent, now we're going to fail Potions!'

James waved his hand airily, dismissing what seemed like a small problem at the time. 'Now, what are we going to do?'

Sirius leaned in, forgetting entirely about his Potions dilemma. 'I reckon we follow him.'

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It was the last day before the Christmas break and the day of Slughorn's Christmas party.

'Kalah, are you sure you don't want to come?' asked Lily desperately.

Kalah grinned from one of the sofas in the common room. She, Mary, Marlene and Frank were in the midst of playing a game of Exploding Snap.

'No, thank you,' said Kalah, munching on a fruit bar. 'Bring me back something good?'

'You mean to eat,' clarified Alice, with a cocked eyebrow.

Kalah grinned cheekily. 'Exactly.'

Lily and Alice made their way to Professor Slughorn's office. Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study, and Lily figured it was enchanted to be so. The ceiling and walls had been covered with emerald and silver hangings; Lily thought this was rather biased. After all, she didn't see any Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff colours in the room.

It seemed as though they were all inside a large tent. The room was crowded and humid, and there were several glowing, green orbs floating around, providing light to the space. Loud singing accompanied by harps and violins came from the center of the room, though Lily didn't see any possible cause for the sound. Many house-elves were slipping through the crowd of people, carrying heavy silver platters of food.

'Ah, Miss Evans, Miss Prewett!' boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Lily and Alice had squeezed in through the door. 'Come in, come in! How are you young ladies today?'

'Fine, Professor,' they chorused.

Slughorn's back bent forward a little into what was an attempt at a bow and Alice almost choked on her pineapple juice at the hilarious sight.

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Remus, who was also invited to Slughorn's Christmas party, was unable to attend. He had told Slughorn that he had to visit his father in Bulgaria that night. Professor McGonagall appeared in the common room to escort him out of Hogwarts.

James, Sirius and Peter feigned innocence as they waved at him; Remus left the common room anxiously. As soon as the Fat Lady's portrait shut, James jumped to his feet. He swept the room with his eyes, confirming its emptiness apart from James, Sirius and Peter.

'Right, let's go.'

Sirius and Peter jumped to their feet, wearing the expressions of soldiers preparing for war.

'What was it that you said would make following Remus easier?'

James grinned mischievously and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, introducing the rare item to his friends.

Peter's jaw dropped. 'An Invisibility Cloak?' he asked in awe. 'My mum's been looking everywhere for one of those!' Peter's mother was a collector of rare items.

James grinned proudly. 'My dad gave it to me for Christmas last year.'

'And you've hid it for all this time?' asked Sirius incredulously.

James chuckled. 'Right - let's go. This thing's big enough to hold all of us. Remus too, I'll bet.'

Once the three of them were well-hidden under the cloak, they stumbled out of the common room.

'Hurry,' hissed James. 'I don't see them...'

'Oi - there!' exclaimed Sirius. 'Oh no, it's just Filch...'

'Shhh!' said James. They all paused as Filch passed by.

'Ow! Peter, that was my toe!' exclaimed Sirius, as soon as Filch had disappeared from view.

'Oh, sorry, Sirius...'

'Shut up, you two. Look, there they are!' whispered James.

In the distance, they saw Professor McGonagall walking swiftly, one of her hands placed on Remus' shoulder firmly. Remus was looking paler than ever, and was looking from left to right in a sort of jumpy paranoia.

Momentarily, they were in the Entrance Hall. James, Sirius and Peter watched as McGonagall pushed open the castle doors and walked out to the grounds. Once they were a safe distance away, James and his friends followed.

'Where're they going?' whispered Sirius. 'I mean, if Remus's going home, shouldn't they be heading toward the front gates to wait for the Knight Bus?'

James made a strangled noise. 'Look!'

Professor McGonagall and Remus had approached the Whomping Willow now. She glanced in both directions and then picked up a twig from the ground. She began talking again. James, Sirius and Peter edged forward to hear what she was saying.

'... So you know what to do, Mr Lupin. The moon should be out in about fifteen minutes, so you have some time... to prepare yourself.'

Remus nodded shakily.

'And do try to refrain from attacking yourself,' added Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows and peering at him knowingly.

'You know I can't, Professor. 'It's in the nature of a wolf to -'

'Very well,' said McGonagall, sounding exasperated. 'Off you go, then.' She handed him the twig.

James watched as Remus crawled between the wild branches and prodded a knot on the trunk with his twig. Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to stone, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.

James heard Sirius groan beside him and he understood why. Last year, they had all tried to touch the branch of the Whomping Willow without getting attacked. Davey Gudgeon had almost lost an eye. If they had known that all they had to do was prod a knot...

But Remus had known. Was this why he refused to take part in the game?

Professor McGonagall watched as Remus entered, and then turned on her heel and walked away toward the castle. James pulled the Invisibility Cloak off Sirius, Peter, and himself, and turned to see the look on his friends' faces.

Sirius' face was blanched with shock and Peter was pale with fright. There was a moment's silence where neither of them could speak. Then James opened his mouth.

'Mates?'

It was starting to get dark now.

'Right,' said Sirius nodding. 'So now we know what the Whomping Willow's for...'

'Yeah,' said James, eyeing the tree and the knot that freezes it. It had regained its ability to move now and was swaying gently in the wind. 'And we know that Remus comes here every month...'

'For only one night,' added Peter, his voice oddly high-pitched.

James nodded. 'Only one night. And...' James looked up at the sky and his eyes widened. The clouds in the sky were starting to part. 'McGonagall said something about the moon...'

'Remus attacks himself...' said Sirius, his voice so low they could barely hear it.

The clouds in the sky were almost fully parted to reveal a bright, glowing orb.

'But he can't stop,' reminded Peter, his eyes darting nervously from the full moon to the entrance to the Whomping Willow. There was a low growling sound.

'Because it's the nature of a wolf...' James' voice trailed off.

There was a moment's silence. Then, a loud, piercing howl filled the night.

James, Sirius and Peter were huddled together as they listened to the loud howl and all realisations came crashing down upon them. James' voice was barely a whisper when he finally spoke.

'Remus... is a werewolf.'

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Neither of them slept much that night. James recalled slipping into bed the moment they snuck back into the dormitory, not wanting to speak. Frank was fast asleep and his curtains were closed. James tossed and turned, replaying past instances in his head. When Remus left every month, claiming that his mother was ill, he was still very close to Hogwarts. And he was a werewolf. James kept saying the words in his head and he still was unable to link the words, 'Remus' and 'werewolf' together.

'Sirius?' called James tentatively.

'Yeah.'

James sighed. 'Can't sleep either?'

'Nope.'

'Peter?'

'Oi.'

James sighed again and sat up. Sirius and Peter followed.

'What... so what do we do?' asked James into the darkness.

There was a pause, where no one said anything. James heard a shuffling coming from his right - Sirius was checking whether Frank was still asleep. Then he sat down at the edge of his bed, leaning forward towards James.

'He's a werewolf, James,' he said, and James could sense the anxiety in his voice.

'I know,' replied James, unsure of what else to say.

Peter shuffled over to them, dark rings already appearing underneath his eyes after missing only several hours of sleep.

'Do you reckon he's dangerous?' he asked.

'Not when he's human,' said James, matter-of-factly. 'You lot know that - he hasn't hurt anyone.'

'And I doubt Dumbledore would let him hurt anyone even when he's a werewolf,' insisted Peter.

'So -' Sirius made a sort of strangled noise. 'So what do we do?'

James regarded him with a slightly shocked expression on his face. 'What do you mean?'

'He's a werewolf, you lot!' hissed Sirius.

'So what?' asked James blankly. He had never seen Sirius lose his composition before.

Sirius sighed tiredly, running a hand through his hair before he spoke.

'Werewolves are - well, they're Dark creatures.'

Peter's eyes went wide. 'But Remus isn't - he's never used Dark magic or anything.'

'I know that,' insisted Sirius exasperatedly. 'But - but you don't know what my mum and dad say about werewolves. Especially this one werewolf that's running round. His name's Fenrir Greyback, and even my mum's scared of him. He attacks kids, you lot. And - and they kill, and they've got no control over themselves and -'

'Remus has never hurt anyone, Sirius,' said James quietly.

Sirius sunk his head into his hands. 'I know,' he breathed.

'And with him being taken out of the school every month, I doubt he will, so long as he's attending Hogwarts.'

Sirius thought about that. 'You're right,' he said, after awhile.

'So -' Peter scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 'Do we - tell him?'

The three of them exchanged glances.

'I don't think that's such a great idea,' said James.

'But what if we're wrong about his being a werewolf?' asked Sirius.

James shook his head. 'I doubt it.'

'Well, then we should let him know. At least... er... gently'

Peter scoffed at that. 'Oh yeah, that should be a nice conversation. 'Merry Christmas, Remus. Oh, and by the way, we know you're a werewolf."

James sighed. 'Well, then... How about we wait until after the Christmas break?' he suggested.

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It was almost eleven o'clock and the train was about to leave. James, Sirius and Peter had caught sight of Remus in the crowd and before James could stop him, Sirius approached him.

'Oi, Remus,' said Sirius cheerfully. Behind him, James slapped his forehead with his right hand in defeat.

'Oh, hello Sirius.' Remus looked up from his book and smiled weakly.

'We know.'

Remus' smile faltered. 'Kn - know what?'

Sirius took a deep breath and looked at Remus with what could have been mistaken for a grave expression. He ignored the constant kicks he was receiving from James.

'We know what you are.'

Shock flashed across Remus' eyes for a split second before he recomposed his face into an amused expression.

'You... know?' he asked, with a raised eyebrow. 'Know what? What I got on my Potions essay? I told you lot, I didn't get an O -'

'We know you're a werewolf, Remus,' said Sirius abruptly, interrupting him.

The effect was immediate. Remus blanched. 'You -' he spluttered, taking in the grim look on Sirius' face. And then, as fast as his expression had become shocked, his face shut down with defeat and he turned around.

'My... parents are here. I've got to go,' he said in a rush, before hurrying off.

'OW! Oi, what was that for, James!?'

'I told you not to tell him we know, you prat,' replied James, sounding annoyed. 'Now he thinks we hate him or something.'

'But we don't,' said Sirius, evidently confused.

James groaned. 'He'll be trying to convince his parents to switch schools all through Christmas break. I know it.'

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--- Sirius and Peter,

Hey, I've got an idea. About Remus'...'furry little problem', if you catch my drift. I've been doing some research on werewolves (yeah, seriously... I have) and I read that werewolves have natural instincts to attack humans. They try to bite and scratch as many as possible each time they transform. But if there are none, it's natural for them to attack themselves. That's why Remus has so many scratches. He can't control himself. He goes to that place behind the Whomping Willow so that he can't attack anyone and since the whole school's scared pissed of it, no one's willing to get near it. And there's more. Werewolves are only a danger to humans. They don't attack animals. So if Remus were to hang around animals when he transforms, he could be more like himself, and less wolfish. Interesting, huh?

--- James

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--- James

Where are you going with this, James? You know, maybe it wasn't so brilliant that I told Remus that we knew. D'you want me to owl him? Explain or something?

--- Sirius

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--- James

Furry little problem? Brilliant name, James! Er - yeah, the bit about the animals was interesting. But I don't quite follow...

--- Peter

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--- S

NO! Don't owl him! Honestly, Sirius, you're going to have him drop out! We'll explain when we get back, alright? In the meantime... remember in Transfiguration when McGonagall was talking about Animagi? See where I'm going with this?

--- J

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--- P

Ah, my poor, naïve friend. Does the word Animagi mean anything to you? Hm?

--- J

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--- J

ANIMAGI! Why didn't I think of that? Right. It's a good idea, but it's bloody hard. I doubt we'd be able to get any books out on it. Must be in the Restricted section.

--- S

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--- J

Are you serious!? That's right tricky stuff, James! And, well... I'm not exactly the cleverest in the year, you know. I suppose you expect this is something you and Sirius could do...

--- P

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--- S

Don't worry about the books. Remember my Invisibility Cloak? Piece o' treacle tart, I tell you.

--- J

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--- P

Don't be ridiculous, Pete. You're as brilliant as the rest of us. Besides, if we all do this together, we can help each other out. We'll talk about it more at school.

--- J

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Remus had not switched schools. James was determined and ready to speak to him on that first day of the new term. He, Sirius and Peter cornered him in their dormitory that morning as soon as Frank left for breakfast; Remus was unpacking his things.

'Remus,' called Sirius.

Remus turned round to face him with a grim expression on his face. It seemed as though he had been expecting this - as though he had been preparing for this very moment throughout the entire Christmas break.

'Look,' he began determinedly, 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you lot about my being a werewolf, alright? I was afraid you lot wouldn't like me anymore. Which, I suppose, you probably don't anymore. And you probably want to stay away from me now; I suppose that's alright, I'm used to it anyway. But,' Remus spoke with a different, fiercer voice, 'I'd really appreciate it if you three didn't tell anyone. I really like Hogwarts and I really don't want to switch schools just because -'

'Is that a threat?' asked James loftily.

Remus looked up so fast he cricked his neck. Holding a hand up to it, he asked weakly, 'What?'

James grinned. 'Is that a threat?'

Remus blinked, and then his expression became a quick scowl. 'Yeah, it is! I haven't hurt anyone alright? And I don't plan on it! So I don't think there's a reason for me to have to move!'

Now Sirius and Peter were grinning as well. Remus looked between the three of them. 'What?' he asked defensively.

James chuckled. 'Well, we've decided we don't care you're a werewolf,' he said.

Remus' jaw dropped. 'What!?' he spluttered. 'What do you mean you don't care? Don't you realize how dangerous I am?'

Sirius shrugged. 'You said so yourself, you haven't hurt anyone.'

'Except yourself,' reminded Peter.

'That's right,' said James. 'I read about werewolves over the summer.'

'And then James had a brilliant idea!' said Peter excitedly. James flushed and ran a hand through his hair. 'Remember when Professor McGonagall was talking about Animagi?'

Remus's eyebrows furrowed. 'Animagi? What are you... No way!'

Sirius grinned wickedly. 'We're going to become Animagi.'

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After classes that day, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter gathered together in the common room. Remus was in a visibly good mood.

'It's really difficult magic, you lot,' he said as he peered at them over the top of his book.

'Yeah, yeah,' said Sirius, lazily waving the matter aside. 'You've said that about ten times already.'

'And we told you we don't care,' added James. 'Besides, I'm always up for a good challenge.

'But how're you going to learn? What resources? Books like that are probably in the Restricted Section! Which teacher will let us take out a book like that!?'

'Ah!' said James dramatically. 'I was hoping you'd ask!' He glanced quickly around him to check whether anyone was looking - no one seemed to be - and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak with a flourish, holding it up for his friend. Remus' jaw fell.

'T - That's an Invisibility Cloak! Where'd you -?'

'My dad. First year Christmas present,' said James, pride thundering in his voice. 'It's what we used when we found out about your... er...' He glanced around. People were still in the common room. '... furry little problem,' he finished slowly.

Peter choked with laughter.

'Brilliant!'

'Alright, coast's clear!'

'Shh, come on, hurry!'

'Ow, Peter, that's the second time you stepped on my toe!'

'Er - sorry Sirius!'

'Shut up, it's Filch!'

'You do realize how loud you are, right?'

James wondered whether he should have gone searching for the book about Animagi on his own. It was midnight, and the four of them were headed to the library.

'OK, he's gone, let's go!'

And they set off, drawing the Invisibility Cloak tight around them as they walked. The library was pitch-black and rather eerie. Remus lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library.

'Alright, Remus, we're here. Go find it,' whispered James.

Remus crept out from under the cloak and made his way to one of the shelves. He held up his lamp and looked along the bottom shelf.

And then they heard it - a sudden shuffling coming from a few aisles back.

'Fantastic,' whispered Sirius. 'Just our luck.'

'Remus?' hissed Peter urgently.

For a while, Remus' face was pensive, and then a moment later, it brightened, as he found what he was looking for.

'Right here! Got it!'

'Brilliant,' said Sirius hoarsely. 'Get it and let's go!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James and Sirius were rather quite eager to begin their Animagi training. In fact, they spent more time studying the theory than they did finishing their actual homework. It had gotten to the point where they were receiving detentions for their incomplete homework.

Soon, the winter snow had all melted and many students found themselves outside more often than they were inside. Lily was no exception. As soon as the flower buds began to appear, Lily and Severus began their usual habit of studying outside near the lake. Easter was approaching and it seemed as though everyone was looking forward to the upcoming Easter egg-hunt.

'Did you know about the egg-hunt, Sev?' asked Lily, as she closed her Transfiguration book and stowed it into her bag.

'Yeah,' replied Severus, taking his eyes off his parchment and glanced at Lily. 'I don't know much about it, though.'

'No? Well, the Head Boy and Girl of the year planned it. I hear it's only for first and second years. They put all the students into groups of five. Then, they hide Easter eggs all over the castle and grounds. I think each egg has a certain amount of points. The team with the most points wins and the House they belong to wins one hundred points.'

Severus' face fell. 'Wait... Houses compete against each other?'

'Yeah.'

'I suppose that we won't be on the same team, then.'

Lily thought about this. 'Oh... I guess not...'

Severus' face scrunched up in dislike. 'I don't really want to play.'

Lily laughed. 'Sure, you do. You'll have fun! Or are you afraid of losing to a Gryffindor?'

Severus grinned. 'No chance. Besides, I wouldn't mind losing to you. But if I were to lose to Potter -' He shuddered.

Lily laughed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Welcome, students, to the Hogwarts Easter Hunt.'

Professor Slughorn's voice boomed to the crowd gathered on the grounds.

'Now, I'm sure you all know the rules... No? Really? Well then, I'll explain. The Head Boy and Girl'---he nodded to the boy and girl at his left---'have kindly made the groups for the hunt.'

He waved his wand in the air and words in the form of blue fire appeared, spelling out names. Lily rushed forward to see her group. She breathed a sigh of relief. They were divided by dormitories. Lily turned, spotted Kalah and shot her a thumbs-up. Kalah returned it with a grin.

'Everyone know their groups? Alright. The rules are simple. There are a number of Easter eggs hidden in the castle and a number in the grounds. There are different sorts of eggs hidden. Some are quite easy to find and are worth ten points. These are the red and blue ones. Some are a little harder and are worth fifteen points. These are the green and yellow ones. And then there are the hard ones. They are each worth twenty points and are purple and orange in colour. When I say harder, I mean that to acquire on of them, you'll have to deal with the spells associated with them. A Disillusionment Charm, a Flying Charm, something of that sort. To make the game a bit challenging, you know.

'Then...' he said with an overly dramatic voice. 'You have the really hard ones. Tricky locations and, er, let's say that they'll be a challenge to get a hold of. These ones are silver or gold, and worth from twenty to thirty points.' There was a loud murmuring in the crowd.

'At the end of the two-hour time limit, the team that has gathered the most points wins a hundred points for their House as well as this wonderful basket of Honeydukes' best chocolate. Everyone set now?' Slughorn looked around the crowd to see hopeful, determined faces. 'Right then, off you go!' Slughorn pointed his wand to the air and red sparks shot out from them into the air. The first and second years scattered off immediately.

Lily pushed through the crowd to find Kalah, standing next to the remaining members of their team. Her brown eyes were lit with excitement.

'Ready to start?' she asked. Lily nodded eagerly.

'Oh, I hope it won't be too hard,' said Mary, in a worried voice.

'Don't worry, Mary,' said Lily, smiling at her. 'We're not being graded.'

'I just want to get my hands on some of that Honeydukes ,' said Marlene, grinning madly.

'Right,' said Alice, clapping her hands. 'Let's get going.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James pulled his arm out from behind the statue of Lachlan the Lanky, clutching a silver egg in his hands.

'This is too easy,' he said, showing the egg to his team mates. Peter cheered.

'Well done, James, well done!'

'So...' said Sirius, counting the eggs in his hand, 'that leaves us with fifty points! Not bad for only a half-hour's work huh?'

Remus took the eggs into his hands. 'No, it's fifty-five points. The silver one's worth twenty-five.'

'Even better!' exclaimed Sirius.

'Alright, where do you reckon we should go next? Frank?'

Frank looked pensive for awhile. 'Hm... I reckon we should try the kitchens.'

Sirius looked thoughtful and scratched his chin. 'Yeah, there might be an egg there.'

Frank grinned. 'That, and I'm starving.'

James snorted. 'The kitchens it is, then. Who knows, maybe there'll be an egg there. Besides, I reckon we've got the most points anyway.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Sixty points!' Lily beamed as she handed their eggs back to Alice, who slipped them into a small pouch.

'Ah... I can taste the Honeydukes already...' said Marlene, closing her eyes as she pictured the scene.

'Is that a candy shop?' asked Lily.

Marlene nodded. 'Yeah, it's a shop in Hogsmeade. They've got the best chocolate - my mum gave me some after a couple of the times she'd visited Hogsmeade.'

'Hogsmeade?'

'Yeah,' said Alice now. 'It's the village near Hogwarts. It's the only entirely non-Muggle village in Britain.'

'Non-Muggle? So that means it's entirely magical!'

'Of course! But we only get to go to Hogsmeade in third year.'

Lily couldn't wait already...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was only an hour left until the end of the contest. Both James' and Lily's teams had each collected eighty points' worth Easter eggs. It was getting harder to find eggs, as many people were starting to find them. James decided that the last place they should check was the school library.

James walked along the shelves; there were thousands of shelves, hundreds of narrow rows. He had almost reached the last row when he spotted a flash of red.

Evans.

He motioned for Sirius and the others.

Evans was reaching up to the highest shelf. Atop this shelf was a golden egg. James grinned. Slughorn was right. The golden and silver eggs would be the hardest to find. How many students actually visited the library? But there was something wrong. Why didn't Evans just use a spell on it? Why would she have to reach for it herself?

Mary had seen James and his friends approach. She quickly nudged Marlene, who spun round, eyes wide.

'Too late, you lot, this one's ours,' said Alice. Lily looked round mid-stretch. Sirius grinned.

'Well, it's not like you've actually got it in your hands,' he said easily. 'So I reckon it's still free.'

'Yeah, well, we did get here first,' pointed out Kalah.

'And yet, you still haven't managed to get the egg,' pointed out Peter.

Lily decided to ignore them and continued to reach for the egg.

'Why can't you just Levitate it over?' asked James. Lily paused, contemplating for a moment whether she should ignore him. A moment later, she turned to him.

'It's spell-proof,' she said after a while. 'You can't use any spells on it.'

She turned back and tried again. Still no luck. She was simply too short. When she looked down again, James was suddenly next to her looking up on egg as well.

'None of us are tall enough to reach it,' he said quietly.

'I think I've realized that already, Potter.'

'Then why are you still trying to reach it yourself?'

Lily flushed. 'I - er - well, do you have any better ideas?'

James was in deep thought for a while, and then he got down on his knees and held out his hands, linking them together. Lily looked at them with a confused expression on her face.

'A boost?' supplied James.

Lily considered him for a moment. She really did want to win this...

'Alright.' She stepped up onto his hands tentatively and reached for the egg. The task was almost too easy now. Her fingers clasped around it in a matter of seconds and she brought it down, stepping back onto the ground. Her team mates were all quiet around her now.

Lily looked down at the egg for a few moments before the dilemma hit her.

'All right, Evans, cough it up,' said Sirius loudly.

'No way, Black, we found it,' said Kalah. Sirius' gaze shifted to her.

'Ah, Ramnath... Have you forgotten how you happened to acquire the egg?'

Lily paused, still looking at the egg. She could feel James' steady gaze on her. Finally, she looked up.

'Alright, Potter,' she said. 'I'll flip you for it.'

James considered her, and then grinned. 'Alright then.'

Sirius began to rummage through his robes. Then, he pulled out a Knut and tossed to it Lily, who fumbled with it, almost dropping it onto the floor. James laughed with amusement.

'OK - er - call it, Potter.'

'Er - what?'

'Call it. Heads or tails.'

'Heads or - what?'

Lily flipped the coin in her hand. 'Well, the side with this bloke's face on it is called heads, and the other side is called tails.'

James' face was lit with recognition now. 'Oh, you mean wizards or beasts.'

Lily furrowed her eyebrows.

'One side always has a picture of a wizard,' explained James. 'And the other side has a picture of a beast. Right?'

Lily looked carefully. 'Oh... right. Whichever. Pick one.'

'Er - heads.'

'OK.' Lily flipped the coin cleanly into the air.

'Let it hit the floor,' said Sirius.

Lily stepped back, allowing the coin space to fall onto the floor, while maintaining its spin. The rim of it hit the floor and it remained balanced on the library floor. Finally, the coin Knut became still, right on its side, revealing neither heads nor tails.

'Oh, for Merlin's sake,' muttered Remus exasperatedly. Frank roared with laughter.

'We need the egg more,' said Sirius quickly. 'I mean, it's pretty obvious our group's the only one with a chance of winning.'

A quick scowl appeared on Lily's face. 'What's that supposed to mean?' she demanded. 'We've got just as much of a chance as you do?'

'How many points have you got?' challenged James.

'Eighty!'

James opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it slowly, casting an anxious glance toward Remus. Lily grinned at him triumphantly.

'What about you?'

Remus took a quick peek into his sack of eggs. 'Eighty...'

Lily looked just as shell-shocked as him and glanced toward her own team.

'Any chance we can break the egg in half?' asked Frank. Remus glanced at him oddly, wondering whether he were joking, before he shook his head slowly.

'Let's just run,' whispered Kalah.

Finally, James spoke. 'Fine, you lot can keep it,' he said.

Lily heard Marlene's quiet, 'Yes!' from behind her.

'What !?' exclaimed Sirius. 'James -!'

'They did find it first,' reasoned James, shrugging and running his hand through his hair. 'Besides, it's still a Gryffindor win. We still get the House points. So who cares?'

He cast a fleeting glance toward Lily and grinned at the astonished expression on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'The winning team!' boomed Slughorn, throwing his arms in the air so suddenly that it caused Mary to jump with fear.

Lily took the basket of Honeydukes' chocolate in her hands as Slughorn announced the second year Gryffindor girls as the winners.

'My, my, Miss Evans, you never cease to amaze me,' Slughorn said as he reached to shake her hand. Lily fumbled with the basket, which Kalah and Marlene took from her rather happily. 'As promised - one hundred points to Gryffindor!'

Lily could see Sirius scowling in the crowd as the students began to file back into the castle. Marlene reached for a sherbet ball.

'My favourite,' she purred.

Lily glanced over at James' crowd; they were already lagging behind near an oak tree. She paused, contemplating. Finally, she sighed and grabbed a few bags of Every Flavour Beans and Fizzing Whizbees.

'I'll be right back,' she muttered, as she promptly walked away. Kalah watched with curiosity, before shrugging and helping herself to Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.

It was Frank that noticed Lily approaching first.

'Oi, Lily,' he said with a short wave. James and Sirius' heads whipped round. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

'We wouldn't have won if you hadn't helped us, alright?' said Lily, all in one breath. 'So here.' And she shoved the sweets in to their hands, turned on her heel and walked away without another word.

'So, Hagrid,' said James, as he leaned back in his chair and attempted to take a bite out of Hagrid's rock cake, 'I was thinking, for our next detention, we should go to -'

'Oi, now see 'ere, James, yeh lot don' get ter choose what yeh do in detention,' said Hagrid sternly.

'Oh come on, Hagrid,' said Sirius easily, as he banged one of the rock cakes on the desk in an attempt to break it. 'You know perfectly well that a trip to the Forbidden Forest isn't much of a detention anymore. Maybe it was the first time.'

'When James thought he saw a centaur,' added Peter, holding back stifles of laughter.

'I did!' exclaimed James. 'I swear I saw a centaur!'

'Yeah, sure, James,' said Sirius, snorting with laughter.

James made an annoyed sound. 'Remus believes me.'

'I believe you believe you saw one,' agreed Remus. Sirius burst out into laughter.

'Alright, yeh lot, cut it out,' said Hagrid. 'James prob'ly did see one. There are a couple o' centaurs in the forest. Haven' met 'em yet, though.'

'See?' said James, with a triumphant grin. Remus rolled his eyes.

It was a Sunday afternoon and James, Sirius, Lupin and Peter had decided to visit Hagrid.

'In any case, yeh lot better stay outta trouble. Don' want to get the teachers too worked up, do yeh?' said Hagrid.

Sirius shrugged, leaning back in his chair as well. 'We don't do anything dangerous, you know... Come on, Hagrid, admit it. All we do is make Hogwarts more interesting.'

Hagrid chuckled again. 'Ne'er met trouble-makers like yeh, yeh know that?'

'We'll take that as a compliment,' said James, grinning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks passed and soon, exams were nearly upon them. Rather than lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle. Of course, this didn't quite stop James and Sirius from going out to visit Hagrid under the Invisibility Cloak. During the last few days before exams started, however, Hagrid had started to refuse the four entry into his hut, telling them, 'I'm doin' it fer yer own good!'

James wrote his Potions exam on a Monday morning, and then his Astronomy exam at midnight, up on the tallest tower. During his History of Magic exam on Wednesday morning, James scribbled everything that Remus had told him about medieval witch-hunts. That afternoon centered around writing the Herbology exam in the greenhouses under a scorching sun; James remembered Sirius telling him he may not even show up to the exam due to the extreme heat.

Their second to last exam, on Friday morning, was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Jenkins (who had replaced the retired Professor Gorgenstein this year) had prepared a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to get past Cornish pixies and other such creatures. Remus seemed to think the obstacle course was an inspired idea.

James was still packing up his school trunk on the last day of term.

'So James,' said Sirius casually, as he stuffed his clothes into his trunk. 'Who gets the book?'

There had been a conflict the past few days over who would get to keep the Animagi book over the summer. James and Sirius had argued that they each were very interested in the matter and wanted to learn over the summer. Peter as insistent on the fact that he needed it the most; after all, he was still reading the second chapter.

Remus found a solution to the problem.

'Pass it here,' he said exasperatedly. James tossed the book halfway across the room where Remus was packing up his own things. Remus placed the book onto his bed, tapped it with his wand and muttered a spell. Immediately, three other copies appeared beside it.

Peter's jaw dropped open. 'You've got to teach me that one.' Remus gave him a small smile in return.

'Oi, why three extra copies?' asked Sirius, peering at the four books. 'You're not planning on becoming an Animagus!'

Remus flushed. 'Well - er - I thought I'd study the theory. Just for fun.'

Peter scoffed. 'Fun!?' he asked incredulously.

'Shut it,' said Remus shortly, throwing James and Sirius each a copy of the book. 'Here, Peter,' he added to Peter, who scuffled toward Remus and took the book.

'Aren't we the daredevils,' said Sirius sarcastically, as he fanned himself with the book's pages. 'We read for fun during the summer.'

Peter snorted with laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Too soon, the end-of-the-year feast had finished, with Ravenclaw as the winners of the House Cup.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter parted ways back on Platform 9 3/4.

'Right, so I'll see you lot, then,' said Sirius, looking rather put out.

James grinned. 'You know, the option's still open.'

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. 'What option?'

'Staying over at my place,' said James simply with a shrug. 'And that goes for you two as well,' he added, glancing pointedly at Remus and Peter. 'My place is real boring, you know.'

Peter chuckled at James' misfortune. His own parents enjoyed travelling, and so Peter visited a different continent every year.

Sirius returned his grin. 'Don't worry. 'I'll take you up on that one day. For now though, we'll stick to owls, right?' He held out his right fist.

James lightly knocked his own fist against Sirius'. 'Right.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Yes, Sev, he is an annoying git,' said Lily as she sprawled herself across the grass and gazed up at the clouds.

Severus watched her greedily and nodded his head. 'I know,' he agreed. 'And he hexed you too. Remember?'

'I remember, Sev...'

Lily was at a grassy area near the playground, with Severus sitting next to her. He had a tendency in bringing up Potter in every conversation they had, and Lily was growing rather weary of the topic. She changed the subject.

'How are your parents?' she asked tentatively.

Because Severus' parents were having troubles again, and Petunia was avoiding Lily more than every, the two often tried to stay away from the house scene.

Severus' face turned sour. 'The same. You know...'

Lily didn't press the matter. She knew well enough what Severus' parents were like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- James

Hey, have you gotten to chapter 4 yet? Let me know when you get there.

--- Sirius

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- Sirius

Hah! Way past you, Sirius, old pal! I'm halfway through chapter 5. Why do you ask?

--- James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- J

Yeah? Well... remember how it mentions picking an animal? Have you decided what animal you're going to choose to transform into?

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- James

Hiya! Guess who just hit chapter three! By the way, I got a bit stuck there. Help?

--- Peter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- P

Chapter three? Whoa, Pete, I'm proud of you. Sure, what d'you need help on?

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

Hm... nah, I haven't given much thought to it yet. I figure I'll learn the theory, and then give it a nice long think. You?

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- J

Yeah, that makes sense. But it says that you should choose animals that are more like you. Personality-wise, I mean. So tell me James, what sort of animal do I strike you as?

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- Remus

Which chapter are you on mate? Tell me you're past chapter 5. James's gloating about how he's past me.

--- Sirius

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

Hehe... Beat you both, I'm on chapter 7. But you know Sirius, it's not a contest. You should take your time when you read it. Don't want to be making any mistakes, do you?

--- R

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- R

Oi, you calling me dumb? I can perfectly well read fast AND understand at the same time, thank you very much.

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

What kind of animal? Hm... I was thinking a pig... or a donkey maybe?

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- J

Har har... real funny mate... but just out of curiosity... why pig?

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

Oblivious to your own eating habits, huh?

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- J

I see. Then I'll make no comment on the donkey thing. By the way, how's your progress coming along?

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

My progress? Need you ask? I'm whizzing through the information with incredible speed and intelligence. Perhaps my progress is (dare I say it) perhaps better than Remus'!

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- J

*snort* Incredible speed and intelligence? Sorry to burst your bubble, mate-o-mine, but Remus is on chapter 7. Hah!

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

Snorting, huh? See what I mean? A pig is perfect, I'm telling you.

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- J

You know, since you have the honour of attempting to pick an animal for me (remember... I said attempt, I haven't said I was actually going to choose your answer) I believe I should have the same honour. Now... what sort of animal suits James Potter?

--- S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- Remus

Hey, are you really on chapter 7?

--- James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- J

Hehe... Sirius told you, did he? Honestly, I don't know why you two are so hung up over who's further on in the book.

--- R

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- S

I refuse to respond to 'your honour'. I wonder what animal Pete's going to choose.

--- J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An owl flew in through Lily's kitchen window as she was eating breakfast.

'Look, Mum!'

Mrs Evans gave a startled gasp. She wasn't particularly fond of owls, but because they were flying in every so often since Lily turned eleven, she was becoming rather used to them. Lily had even been allowed to buy an owl for herself last summer, one she'd chosen to name Tuney, after her sister. If Petunia was flattered, she didn't show it.

Lily was close to giving up in her attempts to befriend her sister again. Petunia gave no signs of open hatred, but Lily was clever enough to pick up the signs. She forced herself, however, not to mind too much about Petunia's lessening care for her. After all, she was still behaving civilly toward her, wasn't she? Besides, Mr and Mrs Evans had told her not to worry about the matter too much. Still, Lily couldn't help but get the feeling that Petunia was only acting civil toward her because of their intervention.

Momentarily, Tuney was at Kalah's house, delivering a letter. Of course, Mrs Evans still didn't think of owls as her favourite birds, but at least now, she wouldn't scream and run out of the room every time one entered the house.

Lily jumped up and approached the owl. She quickly untied the letter from its foot, patted it on the back and resumed her seat at the kitchen table as the owl flew off. She tore open her letter, ignoring Petunia gazing at her suspiciously from the corner of her eye, with her cereal spoon hanging limply from her hand and her mouth partly open.

The letter was quite obviously from Hogwarts, considering coat of arms that was used to seal it. Lily unfolded the letter and her eyes scanned over the words upon it.

Dear Miss Evans,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign.

A list of books for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Third year. Lily gaped at the seniority that seemed to arrive with it. She could remember the day when she received her first letter from Hogwarts. Lily's eyes brightened with anticipation as she read the word 'Hogsmeade'.

Now that the owl had flown off, Mrs Evans had resumed her place at the stove, frying bacon on a pan.

'What have you got there, sweetie?' she asked turning her head slightly to look at Lily.

Lily looked at her and smiled widely. 'Mum, it's my Hogwarts letter. Guess what? Third years get to go to Hogsmeade! Remember that place I told you?'

'Ah, yes, I remember!'

'But you've got to sign my form, alright?'

'Sure, honey. Just leave it on the kitchen table.'

Lily placed her letter and the form carefully on the kitchen table, then got up. She placed her cereal bowl in the sink and left the kitchen in a rather cheerful manner. She was so cheerful, in fact, that she hadn't noticed Petunia's glower toward her Hogsmeade form.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- James

Hey, have you gotten your forms yet? Hogsmeade, mate! Can't wait! My mum's real excited. Not about Hogsmeade, but because little Regulus gets to start Hogwarts this year. She's going over the top, buying him special robes and books and presents and the whole lot. Probably hoping he's not a disappointment like his big brother. Personally, I hope he's in Slytherin too. An annoying little git, he is.

--- Sirius

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Oh, there you are, Lily!' exclaimed Mrs Evans as Lily entered the house, back from a trip to the playground. She held out a slip of paper that Lily recognized as her Hogsmeade form. She took it happily, looking down upon it. A furrow appeared between her eyebrows.

'Er... Mum? Why's it all -?'

'Oh, sorry about that, dear! Petunia was drinking her afternoon tea when I was signing it and she accidentally spilt it all over the form! She's devastated, poor thing.'

'Oh, well, that's alright. As long as Professor McGonagall can read it.' Lily smiled brightly at her. 'Well, I'll just go put this away, shall I?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James and Sirius walked through Diagon Alley a week before September the first, having separated themselves from their parents.

'Remember what McGonagall was saying about animal Transfiguration? It's real similar to Animagi, you know,' said Sirius, walking alongside

James.

'Yeah, I know,' agreed James, 'because for both you need to - whoa, look at that!'

James ran forward to a shop with a window display. Sirius jogged up behind him. It was a broomstick display, around the edges of which stood a variety of brooms. Hovering in the middle of it all, however, surrounded by red and green lights, was a broomstick on its own. James pressed his nose against he glass, gazing up at the sole broom in wonder and amazement.

'It's the new Nimbus 1500!' exclaimed James, eyes goggling upon it.

Sirius surveyed it with his head cocked to one side. 'Not bad,' he said.

'I'm going to ask my dad for it,' said James. 'I'll need a broom when I join the Quidditch team this year, anyway.'

'You're going to join the Quidditch team?'

''Course,' said James proudly. 'Like my dad. I've been practicing with his broom since first year. I can't wait.'

Sirius grinned in response.