Moonlit Exploits [james & sirius]

[Remus Lupin]

((OOC: posting here because although it starts in the Shrieking Shack, they'll probably end up wandering all over the place))

The sun was dangerously low in the sky, last rays of red in the west streaking the otherwise navy sky. A few stars had already begun to glint dimly in the gathering darkness. Remus had cut it slim. He was jogging through the corridors to the hospital wing, slowing down whenever a student walked past so not to look suspicious. There weren't many people about. It being September, the days were still long, so it was getting close to lightsout for the rest of the school. By the time he reached the door, Madam Pomfrey was standing their tapping her feet impatiently. He gave her a sheepish smile. "I was about to come fetch you! I was afraid you'd forgotten," she said sternly but not unkindly. She never was unkind to him regarding this. Remus thought she might feel sorry for him.

How could he forget what was happening tonight? Any self-respecting werewolf kept close tabs on the phase of the Moon. He didn't mark the days in any calender in case someone saw and questioned it, but he was aware all the same. He'd felt tired for the past couple of days, too, his unshaven face testament to unwillingness to do much. He didn't care. Tomorrow he would look far worse.

Without a word of what they were doing, Madam Pomfrey turned and led him out the castle. It was easier on longer days when there were fewer students about. During the winter, more people would ask what they were doing. Being a Prefect, he simply made up some lie about having to help her with something. He'd become good at lying. Today they met no one on their way to the Whomping Willow. That was ideal. At the tree, the nurse gave him a sad smile. She hated leaving him on his own to face it, but it was all right. She wouldn't be able to help. Besides, he wouldn't be alone. Not any more. "Thanks," his smile was half-hearted. He grabbed a long stick, ducked nimbly under a few branches, and tapped the knot that made the tree freeze. He'd done it enough times to know how to avoid being hit. At first he'd suffered a few cuts and bruises, but now he didn't worry about the tree at all. He hurried into the passage before the tree returned to life, not looking back at the school nurse.

Once in the tunnel, he ran. There wasn't much time left before the night was completely here, and he'd rather have plenty of room when it did. He had to duck in some places now he was taller than the eleven-year-old he'd once been, but he knew the passageway well. Reaching the end, he peeked through a crack in one boarded-up window to see how much time he had left. The sky had some light in it, but it looked an awful lot like nighttime to him. He sat down on a ruined wooden chair, waiting.

That was the part he hated most, the waiting. If he had it his way, James, Sirius and Peter - well, Peter was in detention today, so tonight it was just James and Sirius - would escort him to wherever they fancied exploring that night. That would mean telling Dumbledore they were Animagi. That wasn't an option, and anyway, part of the deal of him going to Hogwarts was that a member of staff always made sure that every full Moon it was made certain he was safely in the Shrieking Shack. He'd earned it that name, and laughed when Dumbledore had encouraged it. He was oddly proud of that, if a little ashamed. It was his lasting mark on Hogsmeade even though no one would hopefully ever know his part in it.

Remus drummed his fingers on the one remaining armrest of the chair. He felt nervous but excited at the same time. Excited because these nights were always fun. He could stay in control easier when his friends were around. He was nervous because as ever there was the worry that he'd hurt someone. The transformation itself was always something he dreaded. Animagi didn't experience any pain, but when he was forced to and from his wolf form, it was excruciating. He wondered whether James and Sirius would arrive before or after that transformation. There wasn't much time left, which was his own fault for hurriedly finishing his homework before coming here. It had taken longer than he'd thought, but he wouldn't get much of a chance to do it otherwise and didn't fancy being told off.

Tags: Sirius Black James Potter

[James Potter]

James had spent most of the evening with his gaze alternating between the clock and the nearest window, watching the time, but watching the darkening color of the sky even longer. He was attempting to do homework but he wasn't paying all that much attention to what he was actually writing, and knew without a doubt he'd have to check it through and rewrite it before he could hand it it. At least he had a couple of days to spare before this particular piece was due in.

When it reached the point where the sky was almost completely dark, and only a few glimmers of the dying sun remained, James shoved his books and parchment away and shoved his feet back in his shoes. Wherever Sirius was, James knew he'd be paying just as much attention to the sky as he was. Quickly and quietly, James headed out of the common room and started down through the castle towards the grounds. 

When he reached the stairs leading down to the entrance hall he came face to face with Madam Pomfrey, who narrowed her eyes at him. The old coot didn't trust him as far as she could throw. Did he blame her? Not at all. But he did help to keep her in business with all the students who ended up there as a result of his pranks. She should be thanking him, really. Where would she be next year without the Marauders around to cause mayhem? He smiled politely at her and made subtle move to readjust his Head Boy badge as he passed her. He had an excuse to be out and about the castle now, and there was nothing she could do. 

He feigned heading towards the dungeons and listened until the sound of footsteps had faded into nothing, before heading quickly towards the door and slipping through, casting only a quick glance back behind him. Where was Sirius? 

James stuck to the shadows for a few minutes, edging slowly closer, but his attention more focused on looking around to see if Sirius was already hiding out here somewhere, or if anyone else was sneaking around, for that matter. He always looked and listened to see if there was someone around the grounds, and they usually repeated the same thing before they left the confines of the willow with Remus. The last thing anyone needed was a student sneaking around outside after hours when there was a werewolf running about. James and Sirius had talked about what they would do if they ever did find themselves in that situation, but it wasn't one they ever wanted to have to actually deal with. The situation with Snape had been bad enough. 

Heading towards the willow, James pulled his badge off and shoved it into his pocket, eyes still sweeping the surrounding grounds for anything that wasn't supposed to be there. He picked up a small rock and threw it at the knot at the bottom of the tree, waiting for the branches to still before heading closer and slipping into the tunnel. Despite having done this same thing numerous times before, it still always got his adrenaline pumping and sent his senses on high alert. 

[Sirius Black]

If there was one thing - and it probably was only one thing - that Sirius was never late to, it was reporting to the Shrieking Shack on the full moon. He knew how important it was that he be there for his friend, plus it was a lot of fun, so he made an effort to be on time, and it was amazing how prompt he could be when he tried. However, old habits die hard, as they say, and he was cutting it close this first full moon of the year. He was out of habit and was never all that good at time management anyway; on this evening, he was sure he'd still make it on time, but he walked with an extra kick of speed in his step anyway, and having had no time to look for James before leaving, he walked alone.

Sirius had made a point to avoid socializing today, because he didn't want to get caught up with people and then have to make some lame excuse to leave before dark that nobody would probably believe. So he just avoided people altogether, which was difficult for him, but he had some work to do anyway, so it was a productive way to spend the hours of daylight before nightfall. And in true Sirius Black fashion, he pushed the limits of time a little bit, glancing out the window and seeing the sky darkening and thinking to himself, I can spare a few more minutes. Until he really couldn't justify that statement anymore at which point he stowed any books or parchment and jumped to his feet to leave the castle, and the grounds.

It was more than once a month for the full moon that Sirius had to devise a way to sneak out of the castle without getting caught, and he was very good at it but his record was not perfect, and on these evenings he had to be especially careful because he could not afford to be caught. Peter had already got himself stuck in detention, leaving them one man less than usual, so it would be a great burden on James's shoulders if Sirius ended up there as well. And most people assumed the worst when they saw Sirius walking around so close to curfew, so if he was spotted he was bound to arouse suspicion. It was best to just stay unseen and unheard, so he made use of that extensive knowledge of secret and rarely used passageways, to avoid people but especially teachers.

He waited hidden far longer than he would have liked for some third years to leave the Entrance Hall, when a teacher came around the corner and scolded them to start heading back to their dorms. As they lot of them walked off, the professor's reprimands fading into quietness with distance, he had his opportunity to slip out the door without notice. The grounds were empty as expected, but he moved quickly toward the willow in case anyone wanted to chance a look outside their window and see him. He pulled out his wand and levitated a rock near the knot - perhaps James was a bit ahead of him - onto it so that the branches would slow to a halt, and then as he slid into the tunnel entrance he transformed, it was always easier on four legs because on two his head brushed the top of the narrow tunnel. Plus he was faster on four, so he could catch up with James.

Eventually he did find him, and he thought of transforming back to talk to him but eventually decided against it. Instead he pawed at his ankles to let him know he was there, before slipping past him and taking off at a run toward the end of the tunnel just for the hell of it. At the end he found the dilapidated Shrieking Shack complex, with Remus Lupin sitting in a chair in wait. He transformed and rested an arm on the back of his chair. "Hey Moony, how you feeling?" he said as greeting, knowing that the answer probably wasn't a good one considering the state he was always in before the full moon.

[Remus Lupin]

The shack was quiet. Remus focused on the few sounds he could hear in an attempt to relax himself despite the growing dread of his impending transformation. He could hear the sound of his breathing, forced to be slow and steady. Something dripped from the leaky roof elsewhere in the old house. The wind picked up on occasion. Mostly, he could hear the building creak as it settled for the night.

He hadn't been waiting long before he heard soft footsteps. They were too quiet to be human, and had the rhythm of something moving on four legs instead of two. It had to be Sirius. He smiled when his friend padded into the room, relieved to see the huge shaggy black dog. He stayed seated, looking up at Sirius when he'd transformed back into human form. "Fantastic, Padfoot, you know what wonderful things nights like these do to me," he said sarcastically. He got to his feet, not wanting to become tangled up in the chair in a few minutes. It couldn't be long. He never quite knew whether these nerves were because he was afraid of what might happen, or some reaction his body was having in preparation for what was to come. Other footsteps were echoing down the passageway, louder and from two legs. James. "Prongs made it, then," he managed a smile. "Shame about Peter. Should've brought the map." That map had got them out of so many close shaves it was unreal.

With that, Remus froze. He forced himself to step back from Sirius, knowing he'd realise what was happening and would stand back. This was never a pretty sight. He hated that anyone would see him transforming, his absolute worse state, but the Marauders had accepted him and it was nice to not be all alone.

A deep ache went through him, steadily growing into a fiery pain. He wanted to hit something, but his muscles were too busy warping and changing to move in any other way. Bones crunched as they forced themselves to move over one another, stretching or shrinking painfully. He couldn't help but cry out as he was hunched over, two legs becoming four. All the while his face was changing, jaw becoming a muzzle, teeth and ears becoming pointed, eyes looking more wolfish. Fur sprouted, claws grew, and his shouts became less and less human. Finally a large wolf stood where Remus had a few moments ago, panting from the effort of transforming. He was frustrated and angry, but mostly right now he was tired.

[James Potter]

James heard the soft pad of footfalls just moments before he felt Sirius at his heels, and he cast a glance at his four-legged friend. "You're running late." He wasn't, but he was last in the tunnel, so that was reason enough to call him out for being late. Remus probably hadn't even transformed yet. It was late, but it didn't seem quite late enough for the moon to have taken effect. It would be soon, though.

James continued to walk along until he reached the shack and the room that held Remus. He didn't see the point in transforming just yet when Remus had yet to transform, and it wasn't really any easier for him to get through the passage in his animagus form. His stag form really wasn't any shorter than he normally was standing, especially not with antlers on top.

James could make out the voices of his two friends talking as he neared the room, and heard his nickname mentioned. "Of course I made it." He reached the door and leaned against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. "I have this really nifty badge that allows me to go places without being questioned these days. Helpful little thing. Now I know why you liked that prefect badge of yours, all these years." He grinned, but it faded fast when he saw the change in Remus.

"Sirius." James looked to his friend and stepped back out of the room, expecting Sirius to follow. He knew Remus didn't particularly like to be seen mid-transformation. They'd seen it happen, and it wasn't a particularly pretty sight, so it made more sense to step out and allow Remus a few minutes of privacy. The would know when it was over. "Guess it's time to get furry." James muttered to Sirius with a grin, before allowing his own transformation to take place, turning him from seventeen year old boy to stag in just a matter of seconds. From now on, he'd have to stay in this form. It was the only safe option.

[Sirius Black]

It was reassuring to see Remus smile through the weariness that was really the dominant trait of his appearance on nights like these. Even all these years later, sometimes it caught Sirius off guard just how worn Moony could look around the full moon, whereas Sirius always wore that characteristic grin because he looked forward to these nights, his transformation easy and painless. And today was no different, he was grinning the moment he returned to his two-footed self, leaning on the seat back of his friend's chair. As he spoke, Sirius glanced between him and the nearest boarded up window, where the slightest view of the night sky was visible. James was right, sort-of; though he wasn't late, he had been pushing it, and his friend's transformation was bound to begin any moment now. And speaking of him, he couldn't be far behind, either. "Oh, but you never lose that sense of humor, do you?" he teased at his friend's sarcastic response. Nope, even minutes before he would turn into a massive bloodthirsty beast, he would not miss the chance to throw some sarcasm Sirius's way. But that's how he knew everything was going right.

Sirius remained leaning on the back of the chair and watched as Remus stood out of it. It seemed they heard the approaching footsteps at the same time, because he remarked on James making it. And right on cue, just as he was about to respond, James walked in and beat him to it. "That must be nice," Sirius remarked on the topic of the badge. Yeah, he was certainly the odd man out here - previously, the only one who didn't need the alibi had it. Remus had an escort out of the castle these nights and that nice prefect badge, while the three of them were stuck sneaking around the castle and into the Shrieking Shack. Now James had that wonderful privilege as well, which lessened the risk but simultaneously lessened the fun. It would be not like Sirius to want the easy way out. On nights like this, though, when time had escaped him, it couldn't have hurt. Oh well, he made it. "You know, I -," he began to speak when he heard his name in a rather serious tone from James and noticed Remus step away from him and act a bit oddly, but odd in a way that only the two of them plus Wormtail would understand. "Right."

Sirius stepped beside Moony and ducked out of the room behind James, where they were totally removed from whatever horrible transformation their friend was going through and a safe enough distance and time to undergo their own transformations without risk of being caught as a human. Beside him James muttered something about getting furry and then suddenly he was standing next to an enormous stag. "Right you are," he said, giving himself just enough time to pat Prongs on the head before transforming back as he had moments ago. And just like that, the two boys vanished, replaced instead by the stag and the dog, waiting patiently, or perhaps impatiently, for the much more difficult transformation to take place on the other side of the wall they stood by.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smiled to see James and hear his light-hearted remark, unable to help but marvel at how calm and relaxed his friends were at the prospect of being faced with a full grown werewolf in the near future. As always, he couldn't help but feel gratitude for their presence. Voluntarily risking spending time with him at the full moon was a huge favour, especially since they couldn't have known the first time that being Animagi would even work.

Remus had little time to contemplate anything further as his transformation began. He noticed the two other boys step out the room but little else. That was good, it was even harder to focus when in pain and this bit was far from pretty. He couldn't promise he wouldn't lash out as a reflex when something shifted during the transformation. He could never quite tell how long his transformations took, and he was certain sometimes it took longer than others, but that feeling could equally well be attributed to time perception varying based on general mood. However long it had taken, he was now walking on twice as many legs. The rage inside him was building. He felt a strong urge to find someone and tear at them, bite them... but he could smell something else that reminded him that those feelings were wrong. He should not be thinking like that. It was bad.

In this form, his senses were considerably sharper than as a human. His eyes were not as sharp, but could see much more clearly in the dark. His hearing and sense of smell were significantly improved. The creaking of the old building and living things moved in the next room were plain to him, as were their warm animal smells. No, some part of him thought, triggered from hiding by the familiar scent, there's the smell of my friends there, too. These are people, but I can never hurt them. He shook his head to clear it and padded slowly towards them. It was safer for him to go to them in case they misjudged the time he took to transform. He didn't rush towards them because he was still struggling to keep the urge to rip things at bay. The smell of humans close by would drive him crazy at any point tonight, most likely beyond his own control - there it would fall to James and Sirius to protect whoever the poor soul was who had wondered too close. The animal smell of his friends, however, had no effect on him except to help him recognise through his wolfish mind that these were friends. That was particularly useful to Peter, whose little mouse form would make a nice snack for a wolf. James was a prey animal too, but those antlers meant it was unlikely anything would bother picking on him.

Seeing the stag and dog made him feel a lot more stable in his mind. He could handle this. The desire to kill something was shoved to one side when the human part of him thought of where they might go exploring tonight. It would be a dull year if they didn't at least discover just one more secret passage before the end of their time at Hogwarts.

Beside the magnificent stag he felt positively underdressed, if such a notion could be applied to changing skin as opposed to changing clothes. Padfoot was a lot more scruffy, though. He looked at the other canine for a moment before breaking into a wolfish smile, turning back towards the passageway. He bounded towards it, then turned his head back to see what the others were doing while he stretched out his new body, adjusting himself to the sudden change. Padfoot and Prongs might be able to get more used to their animal forms by shifting as they would, but he always took a few moments to remind himself of just how his other form worked each full moon. He waited for one of the others to lead them out. He didn't really mind where they went or what they did tonight, and it was safer to have a stag or dog lead the party rather than a werewolf in case someone got a bit curious about the hidden passageway built into the Whomping Willow. No one wanted a repeat of the Snape incident.

[James Potter]

James didn't actually know whether he was going to be able to get away with walking straight down the main corridor and staircase without getting stopped. When he'd seen Madam Pomfrey he'd been certain she was going to say something and stop him. He'd had to do his rounds and stuff on the evenings before, but this had been his first opportunity for using it on the night of the full moon, and getting all the way to the doors? Especially with Pomfrey spotting him so close? It was kind of a miracle that it had worked. It felt that way, at least. But, it had worked, and he was out, and the badge did its job. Pretty cool. 

Once the two of them were safely outside the room, James tugged the door over so that it was closed enough to be private, but open enough to not require hands. Neither of them - dog nor stag - were gifted with opposable thumbs for opening door handles. They'd learned that pretty fast. Transforming back, even for just a second to open a door, was a dangerous risk neither wanted to have to take. James glowered at Sirius following the pat on the head, but within seconds his friend was replaced by a rather scruffy black dog. James dipped his head, nudging Sirius with his antlers, trying to unbalance him. 

When the sound of four padding feet reached his ears, James paused, listening closely at the door. Was it done? The sound of footsteps neared the door, so he used his antlers again to shove the door open. He watched Remus making his way out, at first cautiously, but then with a playful bounce in his step. James looked at Sirius with a 'grin' of his own. 

Following along the tunnel, James had to keep his head dipped to avoid his antlers scraping along the 'roof' which was uneven enough as it was, with criss-crossed roots and all sorts. Getting an antler stuck was a pain in the ass, especially at speed. He was pretty sure that his animagus form had grown with him, because back in fifth year it had been much, much easier to wind through these passages. He would take up the rear, just because he knew that if his antlers did snag, he'd have to backtrack a step or two, and he didn't want to be the one stomping on anyone. 

[Sirius Black]

It was difficult to tell exactly when the transformation was complete. They'd shut the door to give Moony the private transformation, but the whole shack creaked and groaned with every little movement. When either of the two of them moved, when the wind gushed outside, or when the werewolf in the other room shifted in some way. They waited for some time before the third member of the party joined them; Sirius wasn't exactly sure how much, because he and James had apparently decided to pass the time annoying each other, which was no surprise. His four sets of claws gripped the floor to maintain his balance once he felt the antlers digging into his sides. In retaliation, he seized an antler with his jaws, initiating a battle of tug-of-war to pass the time until they had to act serious. Well, partially. They had their job to do - keep an eye on Remus and make sure he didn't hurt anyone and that his night was as easy as possible - but they usually messed around and had a good time with it all the same. So far, the responsibility part of it was small. They had a few close encounters with danger but nothing they couldn't handle.

When the sounds of footsteps grew louder over the shack's perpetual creaking, Sirius froze along with James. Time to stop messing around. He dropped the antler and took a few steps from the door so the werewolf could enter. The close proximity to the wolf was enough to make anyone nervous, except of course for the two of them, who seemed more eager and excited than anything. Moony too acted much more domesticated than an average werewolf would, which is why they were there, to dull that instinct to attack and to kill. Instead he bounded back toward the passageway from which they all came, three teenage boys rather than a strange threesome of animals, more like a playful pet than a bloodthirsty beast. Sirius rushed to take the lead, seeing Prongs hang back to take up the behind. Moony, obviously, had to be contained by the two of them, so that he wouldn't run off unexpectedly and they would have to chase after him. 

So he ducked into the tunnel first, stalling a moment only to make sure the other two were following, then taking off at a decent pace. The tunnel was much more navigable on four legs; despite the fact that he was rather large for your average dog, he was still much more fit to do this than the other two. He prowled through the tunnel back toward the grounds of Hogwarts, looking back over his scruffy black shoulder to make sure all was still well behind him. After some time walking, they reached the exit of the tunnel. It was difficult to see all the grounds because of the dark and the swinging branches of the Whomping Willow, but it was pretty safe to assume they were empty. They usually were, at this time of night, long after darkness fell and curfew began. This was usually the point at which Peter would dive out of the tunnel and step on the knot so they could leave without risk of being hit, but that wasn't an option tonight, so it seemed that Sirius was the unlucky soul to step out of the tunnel first, immediately inciting the vicious tree branches, but he leapt onto the knot in the roots without too many collisions so that the other two could emerge safely, keeping his eye on the tunnel so that he knew the werewolf was behaving itself.

[Remus Lupin]

Sirius ahead and James behind, Remus used the time he was safely tucked away in the tunnel to deepen his focus. Out in the open grounds or the forest it was always harder to resist the urge to go running off without warning. Without his friends, his human mind would have been completely unconscious and incapable, but with them there it was dimly aware that stuff was still going on. Effort and practice left him able to let it control him more. As he walked, he smelled the earthy scenta of all the dirt and bugs and roots. They were all well known to him, so he ignored them. All the better to concentrate on staying as much himself as he could be.

When the air grew fresh and colder, he knew they were nearly out. He waited for Sirius to freeze the tree, hearing the angry branches slap the ground around the scruffy dog. Once the sound of moving leaves and branches ceased, he bounded forward, having to duck a little to fit as he left. The tunnel would be more problematic for Prongs, he knew. It was good that two of the other three Marauders transformed into such big animals - they could take on a werewolf - but he was glad they weren't any bigger. It would have been far harder if one of them had been an elephant or something.

He raised his head to sniff the crisp night air. It was one of his favourite smells, so fresh and clean. Within it his sharpened sense of smell could detect the strong woody smell of the forest, the familiar animal smell of Padfoot and Prongs, the faint but distinct touch of smoke from fires keeping the common rooms and dormitories warm back in the castle, and more. The night had only just begun. They had it all to spend adventuring.

Tonight Remus thought they might explore somewhere they hadn't been yet. The Forest was the best place for that. It held just as many weird and surprising discoveries as the castle, only there you could be more certain no one else knew of them. Maybe they could find a secret passage. Ones in the castle could only be found on two legs, but ones in the grounds were easiest to find on four when no one was around to send you back inside. Barking to get his friends' attention, he nodded pointedly at the Forbidden Forest and rushed inside without waiting for a response.

[James Potter]

After a bit of fun fighting to pass the time, it was time to focus on what they were here for - keeping Remus company, but more than that - safe. They always headed out of the Shrieking Shack and onto the school grounds, or into the forest to run and explore, rather than keeping Remus cooped up inside the confines of the shack. It seemed to make things a little easier on him in the long run. The only problem was that leaving the safety of the shack meant that there was always the risk of another person being on the grounds - a student sneaking out after hours, being at great risk. It was their job - James and Sirius' - to make sure that no one got hurt. So as much as they got to have fun and run around, they needed to keep one eye on their surroundings to make sure that no one appeared who shouldn't be there. They had to either get rid of that person or distract Remus and get him somewhere else fast. If the wolf smelled a human they'd be in big trouble. 

Sirius took the lead on the way out and James took up the rear, keeping his head down as much as possible to avoid getting his antlers caught. There was one bit of root that had gradually been growing into an awkwardly placed loom from the roof of the tunnel, and he always managed to get caught in them, and this time was no different. He huffed in annoyance and once again made a promise to come back at some point and cut it away so he could get through easier. For now, his only option was to take a few steps back and try again. Reaching the entrance of the tunnel posed a similar problem again, and he had to do some kind of sideways maneuver to get his head out before he could get properly out of the tunnel and only the grounds. Darn, it had been so much easier two years ago. Why did his antlers have to grow as he got bigger?

No sooner had they made it out and Remus was already bounding away, heading towards the forest. With a laugh (or at least the stag equivalent of one), James shook his head and started after their werewolf friend. He slowed at the edge of the forest to cast a look around the grounds to make sure that everything was as it should be, then bounded in after Remus. 

Once he was running, he kept running, stretching his legs. It felt completely different to run in this form than it did in human form... in fact it felt better. Stags were built to run and four legs made it a whole lot easier than two. This was one of the best parts of their full moon adventures - the freedom of being able to run and dive around the forest without a care.