Into the Pensieve: The Marauders's Past

Chapter Two: Professor Natalier

"What?!" Remus and Sirius said in unison.

"Yeah...I can't find it anywhere," James stated. His eyes furrowed. He looked worried.

"Are you sure you brought it?" Remus asked.

"Yes I'm sure!" James snapped, but he immediately regretted at the hurt look on Remus's face. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be short with you, Moony."

"It's alright, Prongs. I know you were just upset about your Invisibility Cloak," Remus said, brightening a little.

"I'll bet my Silver Arrow ("But that's your best broomstick!" Sirius exclaimed) that Peter took it," James said slowly.

"That rat!" Sirius exclaimed, hitting his hand with his fist. "And I mean literally!" He laughed at the pun. Remus and James rolled their eyes.

"Well, what do we do now?" James asked helplessly, shrugging and holding his palms out simultaneously in a show of defeat.

"I suppose we just stay here and interrogate Peter in the morning..."

"Or when he comes back...whichever comes first," Sirius added.

All three of them clambered into bed without undressing. James lay on his back, smiling despite recent events. He was still thinking of Lily when he drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

After what seemed like a few minutes James felt somebody trying to shake him awake. "Mmm...Geroff," James mumbled into his pillow.

"Wake...come on...not back yet..." someone was saying; James only caught fragments of what Remus was saying.

Suddenly James felt like a huge rock was dropped on his chest and stomach as Sirius jumped on him. Sirius was at least six-foot-two and weighed well over one-hundred-fifty pounds.

"WHAT?!" James yelled, sitting straight up as toppling Sirius off of him.

"Oh, I see you're awake," Sirius said calmly, standing up and brushing off his robes as though nothing had happened. He was already dressed and his hair was brushed, though slightly disheveled from being thrown to the floor.

"It's time to get up; classes start in an hour and we still have to get down to the Great Hall for breakfast," Remus said as he brushed his golden-brown hair out of his eyes.

James groaned and rolled out of bed onto the floor. "Well?"

"Well what?" Sirius said, taking the brush from out of Remus's hair even though he obviously wasn't done with it.

"Where's Peter?" James answered irritably. He wished they hadn't stayed up as late as they had.

"See for yourself," Remus said, motioning to Peter's empty bed, which was neatly made and looked as though it hadn't been slept in. With that he lunged at Sirius and grabbed for the brush.

"Geroff, geroff, Wolfboy!" Sirius said, pinned to the ground under Remus. Sirius suddenly stood up with the tortoise-shell brush clasped firmly in his hand high above his head triumphantly as Remus fell off of him.

"Oy, you stupid git! Give it back!" Remus shouted, ramming his shoulder hard into Sirius's chest.

Sirius quickly recovered and hit Remus over the head with the plastic brush. "Bad wolf!"

"Idiot dog!"

"Oh, why don't you just go howl at the moon!"

"You howl at it too!" Remus protested indignantly.

"That's not the point! At least I'm not part of your wolfpack!"

"Don't make me get the newspaper!"

All the while during this sophisticated exchange of insults James was dressing and using his own brush to attempt to force his untidy hair to look at least presentable but to no avail.

"Got it!" Remus said loudly, snatching the brush from Sirius's hands and running out the dormitory door with Sirius closely following.

James finished getting ready for class and walked down to the common room in time to see Sirius turn Remus's ears furry and pointy like a wolf's.

Remus reached up and felt them with the brush still in hand. When he realized what Sirius had done he aimed a curse at Sirius that gave Sirius a black tail like a dog's.

Sirius's eyes glinted mischievously as he put his wand back into his pocket slowly. His tail wagged very quickly. Remus also put his wand down, but he kept his hand on it warily.

Suddenly Sirius whipped out his wand and cried loudly, "Accio Brush!"

The brush zoomed out of Remus's hand despite his attempts to restrain it. Sirius caught the brush deftly and muttered the countercurse that made his tail disappear. Remus did the same for his wolf ears.

James walked over to Sirius and held out the brush. "You can use mine; I'm done with it now," he said mildly, the corners of his mouth curving into a malicious smile.

"Thanks," Sirius said happily, throwing Remus's brush back to him. Remus turned to James and frowned in a puzzled way as if to ask, "Well, why didn't you give it to him before you brushed your hair?"

James smiled widely and winked, mouthing "Just watch." Remus grinned in return and didn't say anything as Sirius ran the brush through his hair. Suddenly his long hair that casually fell into his eyes, which had been jet-black a minute ago, turned canary-yellow.

James glanced at Remus and saw him duck behind an armchair so Sirius wouldn't notice his laughter. Sirius turned to James. "Does it look okay?" he said, indicating his hair.

"Y-yeah it looks...erm...fine. It looks fine," James said, trying with difficulty to suppress the urge to burst out laughing.

Sirius smiled, oblivious to their chuckles and obvious smiles, as he, Remus, and James walked down to the Great Hall. He grinned and waved at a couple of girls and smiled cheekily at Lily Evans and her group of friend, who all collapsed into a fit of silent giggles.

Lily caught James's eye and he winked. She knew he had pulled the prank.

Sirius, however, remained completely unaware of his new look until they entered the Hall. Several people sniggered and some burst out laughing. A Ravenclaw sixth year came up to him and said, "Rooting for Hufflepuff's Quidditch team, now, Black?" and walked back to his table guffawing loudly.

Sirius frowned after him and turned to James and Remus, who were trying so hard to keep from laughing that they were shaking. "Why does he think that? I've always rooted for Gryffindor," he said, sounding utterly perplexed.

"B-beats me," James said, and against all odds he kept from laughing.

"No idea," Remus said, but as soon as Sirius looked the other way he bent over double in silent laughter.

"Hey, there's Peter," Sirius said, looking at the Gryffindor table. Peter was sitting there alone, staring at his untouched bowl of porridge.

They made their way over to him, not quite as giddy as they had been. Peter looked up and frowned. "Sirius, what happened to your hair...?" Peter said.

"My hair?" Sirius said, surprised. He reached up to feel it. "What's wrong with it?"

"It looks as though it was somehow charmed to turn yellow," Peter continued, not seeing Remus and James's silent attempts to stop him from telling Sirius.

"Yellow? But who would turn it...?" He trailed off, looking at James, who did his best to make his face look innocent.

"What?" James said as though he hadn't even noticed Sirius's hair. "Oh, that. Well...ummm....it's a very good color for you."

Sirius was shaking with fury. "You can charm anything you want and play any prank you want on me, but you do not, I repeat you do not mess with my hair!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry Padfoot," James said unconvincingly, using his wand to turn Sirius's hair back to black. "Anyways," he continued, turning to Peter and frowning. "where did you go last night? You didn't come back at all!"

Was it his imagination, or was Peter suddenly looking very nervous? "Uh-uh, yeah...um, I went to get some food in the kitchen and when I, er...when I got back I couldn't remember the...password," Peter stammered uneasily.

"Oh, is that all?" Sirius said brightly, smiling and sitting down next to him. "You should've brought us with you."

"Y-yeah...I-I'll do that next...er...next time," Peter stuttered.

"Hmmm," Remus said. He looked apprehensive. He exchanged a skeptical glance with James and then sat down next to Sirius.

"Well, the password's 'Black Annis.' It's the name of the famous hag who would lie," James put emphasis on the word "lie" and looked right at Peter as he said it. "to lure unwary travelers into her tree grove and eat them."

"Uh...yeah, er, thanks," Peter said uncomfortably as he looked away from James's fierce glare.

Sirius looked curiously at James, Peter, then at James again. James sat down next to Remus and began to load his plate with bacon and toast.

He was just reaching for the marmalade when Lily and her group of friends walked into the Great Hall, all giggling madly at something Alice Lanette had just said.

Alice was a short, pudgy girl with short, straight hair. As James watched Alice reached her left hand up and ran it through her thick, dark hair. Then she smiled cheekily and winked.

The rest of the girls were bent double, cracking up. Alice had obviously done an impression of someone who was very conceited and egocentric.

James looked at Remus, who leaned in close to James to tell him something. "Gee, I wonder who they're doing an impression of," he whispered sarcastically. They looked up in time to see the group of girls walk over and sit down across the table from the Marauders.

"Ah, look, if it isn't the man of the hour himself," Alice said in her high-pitched voice, looking at Sirius, who looked up with a bewildered expression on his face.

"What 'appened to your 'air?" Bridgette Monceau said in mock sadness. She stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. "I liked it better ze ozair way."

"Yeah, yellow was, like, totally your color," Alyssa Thompson said.

Sirius smiled and leaned back on his seat, nearly to the point where he almost fell off. "D'you think? I thought it made me look rather peaky," he said good-naturedly. He ran his left hand through his hair and, smiling arrogantly, winked.

The gaggle of giggling girls exploded with laughter and clutched their sides.

When they finally finished Lily reached into her bookbag and pulled out ten or so slips of paper. She handed them out to the ten Gryffindor fifth years that sat around her. "New schedules," she explained.

Sirius looked at the schedule. "Double potions with the Slytherins, first thing this morning," he groaned unhappily.

"Then Herbology with the Hufflepuffs after lunch," Peter said brightly. He smiled happily.

"Double Transfiguration this afternoon," James said gloomily.

"But you're the top of the class in that!" Lily exclaimed. "You and Sirius, that is."

"I know, but we're learning how to transfigure people into animals this year..."

"So?"

"So, we already know how to do all that! It's going to be so boring," James answered with a meaningful glance at the rest of the Marauders.

"Ah, I see," Lily said, smiling slightly. "Well, maybe you could be so kind as to explain the circumstances to Professor McGonagall...I'm sure she'll understand."

"No!" the Marauders said quickly as one.

Lily's friends looked at them strangely. They didn't know that James, Sirius, and Peter were animagi, or that Remus was a werewolf.

"Then I suggest that you try and bear with us through the class," Lily said, the triumphant smile evident on her face.

* * *

As they waited in the dungeons for the professor, James and Sirius were listening to some of the conversations that the Slytherins were having.

"I haven't seen her yet, have you?" Antonin Dolohov was saying.

"No, but Severus has, haven't you?" Evan Rosier said, turning to Severus Snape.

Snape shook his greasy black hair out of his eyes and said in a very haughty voice, "Oh, yes, indeed I have. She was schooled at Beauxbatons, in France, you know. She only graduated last year...we're her first class to teach in her entire career."

"Who are you talking about?" James said, leaning forward to speak to Snape. Snape sneered and turned to James "Don't you know, Potter?" he said delightedly.

"Know what?" Sirius growled, the dislike evident in his tone of voice.

"About the new teacher, Black. In potions, you know. Oh, wait, that's right," Snape's scowl grew deeper. "you don't."

"New teacher? But at the start-of-term feast Professor Hawkthorn was present," James said, referring to their usual Potions Master. "And Dumbledore didn't announce a new teacher-"

"Well, excuse me for living, Potter," Snape hissed.

"You're not excused," Sirius said angrily.

"But just because precious Dumbledore didn't say anything doesn't mean she's not here," Snape continued, ignoring Sirius. "I saw her with my own eyes."

"How could you see with that greasy black animal sleeping on your head?" Sirius retorted.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "Ouch, that hurt, Black," he said, his voice oozing with sarcasm. "Tell, me, has your family disowned you yet for hanging around Mudbloods and blood traitors and were-"

"Furnunculus!"

Large, angry red boils sprouted on Snape's face. His eyes flashed angrily as he quickly turned on his heel and walked as fast as he could out the door and to the Hospital Wing.

Sirius and James turned around to see Remus standing behind them with his wand pointing to exactly where Snape had been moments before. Remus looked as shocked as they were that he had broken rules with so many witnesses around.

James looked around the dungeon and saw that every one of his classmates was staring at Remus. "Okay, show's over, people!" he said, annoyed. He turned to Remus. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah," Remus said slowly, sitting down, still in shock. "I just...snapped."

"It's a good thing you snapped right then," Sirius said quietly.

"Yeah," James agreed.

At that moment a woman walked into the dungeon. She had long, silvery-blonde hair that hung past her waist and wide blue eyes that were fringed with thick, dark lashes. She was absolutely beautiful in just about every aspect, and nearly every boy in the classroom was staring at her in awe; Sirius was practically drooling.

She walked up to the blackboard at the front of the room and waved her wand at it. A name appeared there: "Professor Natalier."

"Could someone please explain to me what all zat commotion I 'eard in the 'alls was? And why was Meester Snape covered in boils?" She asked suspiciously. She had a very heavy French accent.

"Well, Professor," Evan Rosier, one of Snape's friends, drawled. "Remus Lupin, right there," he pointed. "performed the Furnunculus Curse on Severus."

"Oh, really? Meester Lupin, could you please explain to me why you did zis?" Professor Natalier said, crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow.

"H-he was provoked, Professor Natalier," Sirius said, pronouncing her name Nataleer.

"My name is pronounced 'Natal-ee-ay," she said, putting the emphasis on the 'ay.' "Eet is French."

"Yes, sorry about that," Sirius continued, blushing slightly.

"You say 'e was provoked? What did 'e say?" Professor Natalier continued, her eyebrow raising higher.

"Yes, he said-"

"I was speaking to Meester Lupin," she interrupted.

"He insulted Sirius-" Remus began.

"'Oo is Sirius?"

"Oh, uh, right there," he said, pointing. "Sirius Black."

Suddenly Professor Natalier looked at Sirius. "You are a Black?" she said, obviously surprised. She glanced quickly at Narcissa and Bellatrix Black, who were looking very amused. "And you are in Gryffindor?"

"Uh, yeah," Sirius said uncertainly.

"Ineresting. Please continue, Meester Lupin," she said, turning back to him.

"Uh, well, he said it more to Sirius than to me so-"

"Fine. Meester Black, please explain to me what Meester Snape said to you." She interrupted exasperatedly.

"Uh, he asked if my family had disowned me yet for hanging around Mudbloods and blood traitors and...and he was going to say something else but Moony here cursed him," Sirius said, smiling slightly at the memory.

"Moony?" her eyebrow raised yet higher.

"Er...Remus. That's his nickname."

"Do you know what 'e was about to say?"

"Yes," Sirius said, quietly.

"What?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"What was 'e about to say, Meester Lupin?" Professor Natalier asked firmly, turning to a very nervous Remus.

"He was about to say..." Remus trailed off avoiding her eyes.

Natalier leaned in close, so close that her ear was with four inches of Remus's mouth.

Remus whispered something inaudible to everyone but her. Her eyes widened in realization and she stood up. "Ah, I see," she said knowingly. She patted Remus's shoulder and made her way to the front of the dungeon.

"Aren't you going to give him detention?" Augustus Rookwood, a Slytherin with an abundant amount of acne said indignantly. "Or at least deduct house points?"

All of the Slytherins nodded their heads and grumbled in agreement; they had been looking forward to seeing a Gryffindor get punished.

"No, I am not going to punish anyone," she said. There was a note of finality in her voice. "Now, let us continue wiz our class 'ere. My name is Professor Natalier. I am filling in for Professor 'Awkthorn ("Ha! I told Snape there wasn't really a new teacher; she's just a substitute!" James said triumphantly) while 'e iz away on business," she explained, tossing her long hair around as she spoke.

"I knew she wasn't at the feast; there's no way I wouldn't have see her there!" Sirius exclaimed quietly.

"Today you will be learning ze Confidence Concoction, which, when brewed properly, causes ze drinker to be more sure of zemselves."

"If you don't brew ze potion for long enough, ze drinker will become timid and insecure."

"Wormtail doesn't need any of that!" James whispered, snickering.

Sirius struggled against the urge to laugh as Peter said, "Hey!"

"Is zair somezing you wish to share wiz us, Meester," she consulted her clipboard. "Pettigrew? And Meester Black?" she added as Sirius struggled to contain his laughter.

"No, ma'am," Sirius answered smoothly, smiling his most charming smile. "We were just discussing the consequences of one's brewing the potion incorrectly."

"Very well, but please try and make sure zat you discuss such matters after class," Natalier said.

Sirius turned to his friends and his smile grew wider. "I still got it," he said inaudibly.

"Now, as I was saying, if you brew ze potion for too long, your drinker will become conceited and overly confident. Ze instructions are on ze board. (She waved her wand and instructions appeared.) You may begin."

The class spent the next hour mixing and brewing. After they finished, they turned to their partner and had them drink the potion. Remus's partner was Peter, who, after testing the concoction, became confident in his abilities; Remus's potion was perfect.

Peter's Confident Concoction, however, did nothing to Remus but make his eyes steadily change from light brown to a green that could rival Lily's eye color. "Your eyes will change back to their natural color on their own by tomorrow morning," Professor Natalier explained. "There's a risk that I would damage your eyesight if I tried to change them back with magic right now."

Sirius's potion had no effect whatsoever on James. "It seems zat you were pretty confident in yourself from ze start," Professor Natalier said. "Full marks, Meester Black."

"Of course I got full marks. Who would expect anything less?" Sirius said, smiling smugly.

"Uh-oh. Potter, it seems zat you brewed your potion for too long: Black has become arrogant and conceited.

"No, it's alright Professor, that's how he always is," Remus assured her as Peter and James laughed uproariously in the background.

* * *

The next three weeks went by uneventfully. Remus had established a routine that the rest of the Marauders were forced to follow: Up at 7:00am, breakfast, classes, lunch at noon, classes, dinner, homework, bed. He wouldn't let them go to bed without finishing all homework that was due the next day, even if most of "doing homework" was copying off of whoever had already finished.

By the end of the third week, however, all four boys were keeping a close watch on the lunar chart. The first full moon of the school year was only three days away.