The morning came with a bright and chill dawn. This was the day. The train
station bustled with an unusual amount of visitors. One boy in particular
walked with his parents while pushing a trolley that held his trunk, a
suitcase, and something one normally didn't see - and owl in a cage. It was
large, a nice light brown streaked with black and white spots on its wings.
The boy, Sirius Black, had dark brown hair to his shoulders and green eyes.
He was exceptionally handsome for his age, 15, and his father liked to say
that it was from his side of the family. His mother insisted that he had
her eyes, and they would quarrel playfully over it until Sirius almost
shouted at them to stop. But things were oddly quiet this morning.
"You know, Dumbledore's a great headmaster." Sirius' father remarked. "Since he's come in, things have been so much better at Hogwarts. I mean, even putting up the Whomping Willow to help keep outsiders out-even if that means they deserve a beating from a tree." Sirius cringed a bit. He knew the real reason why the Whomping Willow was on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's grounds. His heart suddenly sprung with joy as he realized that this year, he would finally be able to help. yes, help his friend.
Sirius ignored his parents' conversation as they made their way to Platform 9 3/4. They soon stood in front of the wall between platforms nine and ten.
"All right, you first, Sirius. Mustn't miss the train, dear." His mother pushed Sirius forward. He walked towards the wall between the two platforms, and at the last moment, sped up a bit and passed straight on through. Before him stood the huge Hogwarts Express train, blowing steam, signaling that it was leaving in five minutes. Sirius' parents followed him through, helped him to get his luggage on the train and in a suitable compartment, and they said their good-byes. Sirius got on the train, waving goodbye to his parents as the train began to shove out of the station. After he couldn't see them anymore, he hurried off to the compartment he and his friends-James, Lily, Peter, and - his heart skipped a beat - Remus- were sharing. He burst in with a huge grin spread across his face. James jumped up and clapped him on the back.
"Great to see you again, Sirius! Are you ready for our fifth year at Hogwarts?!" Sirius grinned.
"You bet I'm ready." Sirius turned to Lily, who still sat calmly in her seat. "Good to see ya again, Lily. You too, Peter." He spoke to the heavy boy with short dark hair sitting next to her, who nodded a hello in return. Finally, he turned to the last member of the compartment, and he thought his heart would burst, he was so happy. "Remus! Smashing to see you, absolutely splendid!" Remus, a thin boy with light brown hair, but dark brown eyes, stood to hug his friend.
"You as well, Sirius, it's been a while." A mysterious smile covered Remus' face, and Sirius smirked. They sat down on the opposite side as James, Lily, and Peter.
"So James, Lily, how's the relationship going?" Remus asked politely. They both smiled, and James put his arm around Lily, pulling her close.
"Just great. Say, when are you two going to find girls?" Sirius and Remus looked at each other.
"Ah, we're not in a huge rush, James. Don't worry about us. You just keep that beautiful lady you've got there happy." Sirius replied. Remus nodded. They spoke eagerly for the rest of the train ride, catching up on all that they had missed out on during the summer.
~
After the sorting of the first years and an excellent feast, the five friends headed up to Gryffindor tower, where their dormitory was. The password was said to the portrait of the Lady in Pink, and they achieved access to Gryffindor's common room. As full and sleepy as they were, they decided to head up to bed. James gave Lily a hug goodnight, and she went to the girl's dormitories, while the four boys went to theirs. They had their own room with four beds in it, their trunks designating their beds. Sirius' bed was next to Remus', after that it was James', then Peter's. ~ They couldn't have made it any easier. ~ Sirius thought. The lights went out after everyone had changed into their pajamas and climbed into bed groggily. Sirius couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, for a while, all the curtains surrounding his bed closed. He lay on his bed staring up at the top, and was a bit startled when Remus opened the curtain to crawl in bed with him.
"Well?" Sirius whispered. "Is it safe?"
"As safe as it will get," Remus replied, not whispering. "I've cast hearing spells on them both, and the room itself. No one can hear us, until the counter spell is spoken." Sirius grinned. James and Peter were both asleep then. "Are you actually tired, or did you fake it too? I heard you tossing and turning." Sirius was glad for the dark, because he turned red a bit.
"Yeah, I faked it. But that doesn't matter. Us, right now, is what matters." Sirius turned to look at Remus, who was already looking at the darker-haired one.
Sirius took Remus' hand, put his other on Remus' waist, and pulled the teen to him. Their lips met in a kiss that quickly flared and spread excitement across their bodies. Sirius' tongue leapt from his mouth and flicked at the other's lips, asking permission to that wonderful mouth. Remus opened his mouth, allowing access to it, and the kiss was deepened. Sirius pulled Remus over the top of him, to straddle his waist as they kissed. Sirius broke the kiss softly and gazed deep into Remus' brown eyes. He traced a finger down Remus' arm, then brought both hands up to unbutton his lover's pajama shirt, while Remus did the same to his. Pushing their shirts aside, Sirius made Remus lay down flat on him, and as their bare skin touched, it seemed to set them on fire. They shuddered, both loving the feeling, having felt it before. They kissed again deeply, taking their time. In the next several minutes, they had managed to bare both of their bodies, still kissing, only breaking it when necessary. With both their bodies freely touching the other's, Sirius moaned out of pleasure, soon followed by Remus. Sirius traded places with the lighter-haired teen, placing himself on top. He sank down to caress the other's skin with his mouth, licking, sucking, and occasionally nipping where he felt needed. He let his hands roam where they pleased, one running over one of Remus' perked nipples before he proceeded to attach his mouth to it, sucking and nipping, letting his tongue go over it like a flame, causing his lover to emit another, louder moan. He brushed inside the other's thighs, making him quiver even more with pleasure.H Sirius slid up again to greet Remus' lips in a kiss, as his free hand reached into a secret compartment in his headboard, where a small jar was sitting. He moved back off of Remus, spread the other's legs, and sat between them. He opened the jar and stuck a few fingers from his right hand in, and then he placed the first finger in the tight passageway that was now open to him. He moved it around a bit, causing all sorts of noises from them both. A second and soon after, third digit was added, the passage stretched, and then Sirius was satisfied that it was enough. He removed his fingers one by one, and dried them off on a towel, put both the jar and the towel back in the cabinet, and straddled Remus again, leaning down and kissing him deeply as he thrust forward into his lover's now-prepared body. They moaned into each other's mouths, somewhat softening the sound, and Sirius took up medium paced, loving strokes, making sure to hit that pleasurable gland each time. Remus moaned louder as their kiss ended, and Sirius thrust forward a little harder, a little faster. Moaning as well, he captured the other's lips in another kiss. After many long minutes, their bodies began to glisten with sweat, their breathing growing increasingly ragged. At Remus' cries, Sirius quickened his paced, thrusting forward harder than he had dared to before. Remus threw his head back, rolling in his pleasure. Sirius kissed his lover's neck, up to his lips, taking him in one more kiss as he released his seed deep within the other. They both cried out at this, and the Remus spilled his over both their stomachs. Sirius, still gasping, withdrew from Remus, and lay beside him, pulling the other close as they caught their breath. Remus got up after a minute or two, and proceeded to use the towel to clean himself off, then he licked what he had left on Sirius away, smiling as a few moans escaped his lover's lips, drying what he didn't catch with his skilled tongue away with the towel. He lay down again, and they fell asleep close in each other's arms.
~
In the middle of the night, Sirius awoke, dressed both him and Remus, put the lighter-haired one in his own bed, and removed the charms Remus had placed on James, Peter, and the room with a simple
"Hearus Commencios." He got back into bed, smiling to himself as he gazed upon Remus' face one last time before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
~
The next morning came quicker than Sirius had wanted. But still, he got up with the others to go have breakfast in the hall. Neither James nor Peter showed any signs of knowing what had happened the night before, nor did anyone else from Gryffindor tower. Sirius and Remus were content as they were, walking in their group of five, talking as if nothing had happened. And yet, each time their eyes met, their happiness grew. The mail came by owl, as usual, and nothing unexpected happened. In fact, the entire week of lessons passed with no trouble. Remus was more anxious than usual that night as they headed up to Gryffindor tower after dinner. On the fourth floor, he stopped dead. Sirius turned and looked at him. "What's wrong, Remus?" He asked, almost sure he already knew the answer. James, Peter, and Lily stopped and came back. Remus shook his head.
"I'm just going to go to the hospital wing. I'm not feeling too well. Tonight's a full moon." Sirius understood. It was exactly as he thought. James and Peter understood as well.
"We'll see you when you get back, Remus." Sirius said. Remus smiled weakly and nodded, heading for the hospital wing. James, Peter, Sirius, and Lily went on to Gryffindor tower, where the three boys insisted that they were extremely tired and had to go to bed right then. Lily gave in and let them go, but decided to stay up in the common room for a while. The three went back to their dormitory and James pulled a cloak from his trunk.
"Ready? Tonight's the night, boys." He said softly, throwing the cloak over the three of them. They vanished into thin air. Carefully, quietly, they snuck out of Gryffindor tower and made their way down to the hospital wing, to find that Remus and Madame Pomfrey were not there.
"Good. They've already gone down. Just be careful that we're not caught." Sirius said softly. James and Peter nodded, and they continued down to the entrance hall, almost out of the door when someone else entered. The three simultaneously pressed back against the wall, holding their breath. None other than Severus Snape came in, his fifteen-year-old eyes darting about the room suspiciously. His dark hair hung to his chin, and the patch on his robes showed that he was a Slytherin. Sirius glared at him, as he lingered in the hall for several long minutes, before being satisfied that no one was there. He disappeared down the stairs to the Slytherin Dungeons. The three let out their breath and hurried out the door, heading straight for the Whomping Willow. They hid in a dark corner of the castle, still under the cloak, and waited as Madame Pomfrey appeared from the trunk of the tree, and it stayed frozen as if under a spell. They waited further as she entered the castle, then tore off the cloak and grinned at each other.
"All right Peter, you first, since you're the smallest." Sirius said. Peter nodded, and within a few seconds, his body had shrunken and grown fur-he had turned into a rat. He stole under the Whomping Willow and touched a knot on the base, and Sirius and James ran through the twisted branches and entered the small passage at the trunk, as Peter had already wriggled through. Sirius and James grinned at each other again, the anticipation about killing them.
"I'll change, then I'll go in first. I'll let you know if it's safe." Sirius told James quietly. James nodded in reply. Sirius took the form of a huge black shaggy dog, and padded softly through the tunnel to its end, then disappearing. He ended up in an old-looking house. Sirius was suddenly amazed at how his senses had changed-he could no longer see in color, but his vision had improved so greatly that it was confusing at first. His sense of smell had risen so that he could tell exactly where the werewolf Remus was. He could smell a rat and a human boy still in the passageway into the house. And there was a new sense. it told him that something wasn't right about the other 'dog' in the house. His dog body could sense another of its family, but also that it wasn't exactly like others of his breed. Hearing snarling and the crash of wood from upstairs, Sirius proceeded up the staircase and peered into the room. He had never seen Remus up close in his werewolf form, so it came to him as a surprise to see that the form of wolf standing in the middle of the room with its back to him was almost as big as he was. ~ There has to be some way we can talk to each other. ~ Sirius thought. He tried to talk,
"Remus?" It came out as a soft whimper. The werewolf's hair prickled on its back, and a snarl was heard, but Sirius couldn't understand. He tried again, this time using his mind instead of his vocal chords, as the wolf turned around to face him, its ears pinned flat back.
//Remus? Remus, it's Sirius. Can you understand me?// The wolf's ears pricked up, and it cocked its head as if to question.
//Sirius? Sirius? Yes, yes, you transformed!// The wolf let out a joyful howl, then gave Sirius a grin. //You look funny. I can smell others-a rat and a boy. Who are they?// Remus wasn't all himself, it appeared.
//The rat is Peter. James is still himself-he is waiting for my signal to transform, then they'll come up. But he'll have to open the front door first, so we can get outside.// Sirius, in his dog-form, was safe from the werewolf- they were only dangerous to humans, but he couldn't help but to slightly fear this creature before him, that he dared to call his friend.
//Outside? What is this, 'outside'? All I know is that this house smells of old and terror. I don't like it here.// The wolf looked around. //Summon your friends. Let us go outside. Yes?// Another wolfish grin. Sirius nodded.
//Wait here.// Sirius stepped out of the room, then called James with his mind, using this new tool to help him connect with his friend.
//James? James, it's Sirius. Can you hear me?// Sirius waited for a reply, but none came. He frowned, taking in a deep sniff of his surroundings. He could still smell the rat and the boy, and no fear around them. ~ I can only connect to other animals, then. Here goes. ~ He reached out to Peter this time.
//Peter. It's Sirius. Turn back into yourself and tell James to open the front door of the house-make sure he is quiet, Remus is in wolf form. After the door is open, you must both transform, and then you can come up.// Peter, apparently, did as he was told. Sirius sat in the doorway to the room that Remus was in, so that he couldn't get out if he thought he could catch James in time. Sirius kept a careful eye on the wolf. His ears perked up. He took a deep breath.
//Human? Human! Bite, bite, must bite him!// The wolf leapt at Sirius, attempting to bowl him over and get past. Sirius was thrown aback a bit, but snarled, doing what came as instinct to him, burying his teeth in Remus' shoulder and pouncing on him, pinning him back to the ground. He growled defensively.
//Ow, ow, ow, ow!!// The wolf's thoughts came to him. //Let go, have to get human!// With a new strength, the wolf pushed Sirius aside and bounded down the stairs, pouncing in the dark on a shape. Sirius howled and jumped down the stairs after him, knocking the wolf down, right on top of the other shape. The wolf struggled and snarled under Sirius' weight, then stopped dead.
//Where did human go? It's here one moment, I jumps, I don't get to bite because of stupid dog landing on me, and then human go gone. What is this under me?// Sirius, sensing the disappearance of the human smell, recognized another. It was the scent of a stag. Sirius got up, dismissing his hold on the wolf. The stag got up as well.
//Sirius. I'm okay, He didn't get me. Thanks for the warning.// James' voice rang through in Sirius' ears. He panted happily, letting his tongue loll out of his mouth, like an overgrown puppy. The wolf was sniffing around near the closet. A muffled squeaking was heard.
//Oh, Peter, he can't hurt you, you're a rat, not a human!// James scolded.
//Oh.// The rat scuttled forward near Sirius and James. //Why didn't you tell me before?// There came no reply.
//Remus? Remus, c'mon. Let's go, outside.// Sirius called to the wolf, still sniffing around in the back of the room. It looked up and grinned at him.
//Yes, yes, outside. Let's go find -more- humans. Nasty boy got away.// Sirius shook his head.
//No, no biting humans. Would you like a rabbit? We can find you a rabbit to eat.// He tried to turn the wolf's mind away. He seemed to like that idea.
//Yes, yes, rabbit. A nice juicy one.// With that, the four of them bounded outside into the moonlight, and trotted off for the woods, James and Sirius on either side of Remus, with Peter trailing behind. Running through the forest that night gave Sirius such joy and time to think, that he thought back to the night he and Remus had spent together, unbeknownst to James and Peter. They successfully cornered a rabbit and waited patiently while Remus consumed it, leaving the bones and fur. Sirius shuddered inwardly, and they ran around for a while, leaving their cares behind. The night of romping was over far too quickly, as the moon fell from the sky, threatening to set before they got a chance to sleep. They tore off for the old house, and put Remus back in the upstairs room before quickly and quietly leaving. Peter went first, to touch the knot on the tree trunk so James and Sirius didn't get thrashed to death by its swinging branches. Turning back to their human forms and picking up James' invisibility cloak, they made it safely up to Gryffindor tower at three- thirty in the morning. Glad that they didn't have lessons the next day, Sirius fell asleep on his bed, greatly relieved that he had finally helped his friend.
"You know, Dumbledore's a great headmaster." Sirius' father remarked. "Since he's come in, things have been so much better at Hogwarts. I mean, even putting up the Whomping Willow to help keep outsiders out-even if that means they deserve a beating from a tree." Sirius cringed a bit. He knew the real reason why the Whomping Willow was on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's grounds. His heart suddenly sprung with joy as he realized that this year, he would finally be able to help. yes, help his friend.
Sirius ignored his parents' conversation as they made their way to Platform 9 3/4. They soon stood in front of the wall between platforms nine and ten.
"All right, you first, Sirius. Mustn't miss the train, dear." His mother pushed Sirius forward. He walked towards the wall between the two platforms, and at the last moment, sped up a bit and passed straight on through. Before him stood the huge Hogwarts Express train, blowing steam, signaling that it was leaving in five minutes. Sirius' parents followed him through, helped him to get his luggage on the train and in a suitable compartment, and they said their good-byes. Sirius got on the train, waving goodbye to his parents as the train began to shove out of the station. After he couldn't see them anymore, he hurried off to the compartment he and his friends-James, Lily, Peter, and - his heart skipped a beat - Remus- were sharing. He burst in with a huge grin spread across his face. James jumped up and clapped him on the back.
"Great to see you again, Sirius! Are you ready for our fifth year at Hogwarts?!" Sirius grinned.
"You bet I'm ready." Sirius turned to Lily, who still sat calmly in her seat. "Good to see ya again, Lily. You too, Peter." He spoke to the heavy boy with short dark hair sitting next to her, who nodded a hello in return. Finally, he turned to the last member of the compartment, and he thought his heart would burst, he was so happy. "Remus! Smashing to see you, absolutely splendid!" Remus, a thin boy with light brown hair, but dark brown eyes, stood to hug his friend.
"You as well, Sirius, it's been a while." A mysterious smile covered Remus' face, and Sirius smirked. They sat down on the opposite side as James, Lily, and Peter.
"So James, Lily, how's the relationship going?" Remus asked politely. They both smiled, and James put his arm around Lily, pulling her close.
"Just great. Say, when are you two going to find girls?" Sirius and Remus looked at each other.
"Ah, we're not in a huge rush, James. Don't worry about us. You just keep that beautiful lady you've got there happy." Sirius replied. Remus nodded. They spoke eagerly for the rest of the train ride, catching up on all that they had missed out on during the summer.
~
After the sorting of the first years and an excellent feast, the five friends headed up to Gryffindor tower, where their dormitory was. The password was said to the portrait of the Lady in Pink, and they achieved access to Gryffindor's common room. As full and sleepy as they were, they decided to head up to bed. James gave Lily a hug goodnight, and she went to the girl's dormitories, while the four boys went to theirs. They had their own room with four beds in it, their trunks designating their beds. Sirius' bed was next to Remus', after that it was James', then Peter's. ~ They couldn't have made it any easier. ~ Sirius thought. The lights went out after everyone had changed into their pajamas and climbed into bed groggily. Sirius couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, for a while, all the curtains surrounding his bed closed. He lay on his bed staring up at the top, and was a bit startled when Remus opened the curtain to crawl in bed with him.
"Well?" Sirius whispered. "Is it safe?"
"As safe as it will get," Remus replied, not whispering. "I've cast hearing spells on them both, and the room itself. No one can hear us, until the counter spell is spoken." Sirius grinned. James and Peter were both asleep then. "Are you actually tired, or did you fake it too? I heard you tossing and turning." Sirius was glad for the dark, because he turned red a bit.
"Yeah, I faked it. But that doesn't matter. Us, right now, is what matters." Sirius turned to look at Remus, who was already looking at the darker-haired one.
Sirius took Remus' hand, put his other on Remus' waist, and pulled the teen to him. Their lips met in a kiss that quickly flared and spread excitement across their bodies. Sirius' tongue leapt from his mouth and flicked at the other's lips, asking permission to that wonderful mouth. Remus opened his mouth, allowing access to it, and the kiss was deepened. Sirius pulled Remus over the top of him, to straddle his waist as they kissed. Sirius broke the kiss softly and gazed deep into Remus' brown eyes. He traced a finger down Remus' arm, then brought both hands up to unbutton his lover's pajama shirt, while Remus did the same to his. Pushing their shirts aside, Sirius made Remus lay down flat on him, and as their bare skin touched, it seemed to set them on fire. They shuddered, both loving the feeling, having felt it before. They kissed again deeply, taking their time. In the next several minutes, they had managed to bare both of their bodies, still kissing, only breaking it when necessary. With both their bodies freely touching the other's, Sirius moaned out of pleasure, soon followed by Remus. Sirius traded places with the lighter-haired teen, placing himself on top. He sank down to caress the other's skin with his mouth, licking, sucking, and occasionally nipping where he felt needed. He let his hands roam where they pleased, one running over one of Remus' perked nipples before he proceeded to attach his mouth to it, sucking and nipping, letting his tongue go over it like a flame, causing his lover to emit another, louder moan. He brushed inside the other's thighs, making him quiver even more with pleasure.H Sirius slid up again to greet Remus' lips in a kiss, as his free hand reached into a secret compartment in his headboard, where a small jar was sitting. He moved back off of Remus, spread the other's legs, and sat between them. He opened the jar and stuck a few fingers from his right hand in, and then he placed the first finger in the tight passageway that was now open to him. He moved it around a bit, causing all sorts of noises from them both. A second and soon after, third digit was added, the passage stretched, and then Sirius was satisfied that it was enough. He removed his fingers one by one, and dried them off on a towel, put both the jar and the towel back in the cabinet, and straddled Remus again, leaning down and kissing him deeply as he thrust forward into his lover's now-prepared body. They moaned into each other's mouths, somewhat softening the sound, and Sirius took up medium paced, loving strokes, making sure to hit that pleasurable gland each time. Remus moaned louder as their kiss ended, and Sirius thrust forward a little harder, a little faster. Moaning as well, he captured the other's lips in another kiss. After many long minutes, their bodies began to glisten with sweat, their breathing growing increasingly ragged. At Remus' cries, Sirius quickened his paced, thrusting forward harder than he had dared to before. Remus threw his head back, rolling in his pleasure. Sirius kissed his lover's neck, up to his lips, taking him in one more kiss as he released his seed deep within the other. They both cried out at this, and the Remus spilled his over both their stomachs. Sirius, still gasping, withdrew from Remus, and lay beside him, pulling the other close as they caught their breath. Remus got up after a minute or two, and proceeded to use the towel to clean himself off, then he licked what he had left on Sirius away, smiling as a few moans escaped his lover's lips, drying what he didn't catch with his skilled tongue away with the towel. He lay down again, and they fell asleep close in each other's arms.
~
In the middle of the night, Sirius awoke, dressed both him and Remus, put the lighter-haired one in his own bed, and removed the charms Remus had placed on James, Peter, and the room with a simple
"Hearus Commencios." He got back into bed, smiling to himself as he gazed upon Remus' face one last time before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
~
The next morning came quicker than Sirius had wanted. But still, he got up with the others to go have breakfast in the hall. Neither James nor Peter showed any signs of knowing what had happened the night before, nor did anyone else from Gryffindor tower. Sirius and Remus were content as they were, walking in their group of five, talking as if nothing had happened. And yet, each time their eyes met, their happiness grew. The mail came by owl, as usual, and nothing unexpected happened. In fact, the entire week of lessons passed with no trouble. Remus was more anxious than usual that night as they headed up to Gryffindor tower after dinner. On the fourth floor, he stopped dead. Sirius turned and looked at him. "What's wrong, Remus?" He asked, almost sure he already knew the answer. James, Peter, and Lily stopped and came back. Remus shook his head.
"I'm just going to go to the hospital wing. I'm not feeling too well. Tonight's a full moon." Sirius understood. It was exactly as he thought. James and Peter understood as well.
"We'll see you when you get back, Remus." Sirius said. Remus smiled weakly and nodded, heading for the hospital wing. James, Peter, Sirius, and Lily went on to Gryffindor tower, where the three boys insisted that they were extremely tired and had to go to bed right then. Lily gave in and let them go, but decided to stay up in the common room for a while. The three went back to their dormitory and James pulled a cloak from his trunk.
"Ready? Tonight's the night, boys." He said softly, throwing the cloak over the three of them. They vanished into thin air. Carefully, quietly, they snuck out of Gryffindor tower and made their way down to the hospital wing, to find that Remus and Madame Pomfrey were not there.
"Good. They've already gone down. Just be careful that we're not caught." Sirius said softly. James and Peter nodded, and they continued down to the entrance hall, almost out of the door when someone else entered. The three simultaneously pressed back against the wall, holding their breath. None other than Severus Snape came in, his fifteen-year-old eyes darting about the room suspiciously. His dark hair hung to his chin, and the patch on his robes showed that he was a Slytherin. Sirius glared at him, as he lingered in the hall for several long minutes, before being satisfied that no one was there. He disappeared down the stairs to the Slytherin Dungeons. The three let out their breath and hurried out the door, heading straight for the Whomping Willow. They hid in a dark corner of the castle, still under the cloak, and waited as Madame Pomfrey appeared from the trunk of the tree, and it stayed frozen as if under a spell. They waited further as she entered the castle, then tore off the cloak and grinned at each other.
"All right Peter, you first, since you're the smallest." Sirius said. Peter nodded, and within a few seconds, his body had shrunken and grown fur-he had turned into a rat. He stole under the Whomping Willow and touched a knot on the base, and Sirius and James ran through the twisted branches and entered the small passage at the trunk, as Peter had already wriggled through. Sirius and James grinned at each other again, the anticipation about killing them.
"I'll change, then I'll go in first. I'll let you know if it's safe." Sirius told James quietly. James nodded in reply. Sirius took the form of a huge black shaggy dog, and padded softly through the tunnel to its end, then disappearing. He ended up in an old-looking house. Sirius was suddenly amazed at how his senses had changed-he could no longer see in color, but his vision had improved so greatly that it was confusing at first. His sense of smell had risen so that he could tell exactly where the werewolf Remus was. He could smell a rat and a human boy still in the passageway into the house. And there was a new sense. it told him that something wasn't right about the other 'dog' in the house. His dog body could sense another of its family, but also that it wasn't exactly like others of his breed. Hearing snarling and the crash of wood from upstairs, Sirius proceeded up the staircase and peered into the room. He had never seen Remus up close in his werewolf form, so it came to him as a surprise to see that the form of wolf standing in the middle of the room with its back to him was almost as big as he was. ~ There has to be some way we can talk to each other. ~ Sirius thought. He tried to talk,
"Remus?" It came out as a soft whimper. The werewolf's hair prickled on its back, and a snarl was heard, but Sirius couldn't understand. He tried again, this time using his mind instead of his vocal chords, as the wolf turned around to face him, its ears pinned flat back.
//Remus? Remus, it's Sirius. Can you understand me?// The wolf's ears pricked up, and it cocked its head as if to question.
//Sirius? Sirius? Yes, yes, you transformed!// The wolf let out a joyful howl, then gave Sirius a grin. //You look funny. I can smell others-a rat and a boy. Who are they?// Remus wasn't all himself, it appeared.
//The rat is Peter. James is still himself-he is waiting for my signal to transform, then they'll come up. But he'll have to open the front door first, so we can get outside.// Sirius, in his dog-form, was safe from the werewolf- they were only dangerous to humans, but he couldn't help but to slightly fear this creature before him, that he dared to call his friend.
//Outside? What is this, 'outside'? All I know is that this house smells of old and terror. I don't like it here.// The wolf looked around. //Summon your friends. Let us go outside. Yes?// Another wolfish grin. Sirius nodded.
//Wait here.// Sirius stepped out of the room, then called James with his mind, using this new tool to help him connect with his friend.
//James? James, it's Sirius. Can you hear me?// Sirius waited for a reply, but none came. He frowned, taking in a deep sniff of his surroundings. He could still smell the rat and the boy, and no fear around them. ~ I can only connect to other animals, then. Here goes. ~ He reached out to Peter this time.
//Peter. It's Sirius. Turn back into yourself and tell James to open the front door of the house-make sure he is quiet, Remus is in wolf form. After the door is open, you must both transform, and then you can come up.// Peter, apparently, did as he was told. Sirius sat in the doorway to the room that Remus was in, so that he couldn't get out if he thought he could catch James in time. Sirius kept a careful eye on the wolf. His ears perked up. He took a deep breath.
//Human? Human! Bite, bite, must bite him!// The wolf leapt at Sirius, attempting to bowl him over and get past. Sirius was thrown aback a bit, but snarled, doing what came as instinct to him, burying his teeth in Remus' shoulder and pouncing on him, pinning him back to the ground. He growled defensively.
//Ow, ow, ow, ow!!// The wolf's thoughts came to him. //Let go, have to get human!// With a new strength, the wolf pushed Sirius aside and bounded down the stairs, pouncing in the dark on a shape. Sirius howled and jumped down the stairs after him, knocking the wolf down, right on top of the other shape. The wolf struggled and snarled under Sirius' weight, then stopped dead.
//Where did human go? It's here one moment, I jumps, I don't get to bite because of stupid dog landing on me, and then human go gone. What is this under me?// Sirius, sensing the disappearance of the human smell, recognized another. It was the scent of a stag. Sirius got up, dismissing his hold on the wolf. The stag got up as well.
//Sirius. I'm okay, He didn't get me. Thanks for the warning.// James' voice rang through in Sirius' ears. He panted happily, letting his tongue loll out of his mouth, like an overgrown puppy. The wolf was sniffing around near the closet. A muffled squeaking was heard.
//Oh, Peter, he can't hurt you, you're a rat, not a human!// James scolded.
//Oh.// The rat scuttled forward near Sirius and James. //Why didn't you tell me before?// There came no reply.
//Remus? Remus, c'mon. Let's go, outside.// Sirius called to the wolf, still sniffing around in the back of the room. It looked up and grinned at him.
//Yes, yes, outside. Let's go find -more- humans. Nasty boy got away.// Sirius shook his head.
//No, no biting humans. Would you like a rabbit? We can find you a rabbit to eat.// He tried to turn the wolf's mind away. He seemed to like that idea.
//Yes, yes, rabbit. A nice juicy one.// With that, the four of them bounded outside into the moonlight, and trotted off for the woods, James and Sirius on either side of Remus, with Peter trailing behind. Running through the forest that night gave Sirius such joy and time to think, that he thought back to the night he and Remus had spent together, unbeknownst to James and Peter. They successfully cornered a rabbit and waited patiently while Remus consumed it, leaving the bones and fur. Sirius shuddered inwardly, and they ran around for a while, leaving their cares behind. The night of romping was over far too quickly, as the moon fell from the sky, threatening to set before they got a chance to sleep. They tore off for the old house, and put Remus back in the upstairs room before quickly and quietly leaving. Peter went first, to touch the knot on the tree trunk so James and Sirius didn't get thrashed to death by its swinging branches. Turning back to their human forms and picking up James' invisibility cloak, they made it safely up to Gryffindor tower at three- thirty in the morning. Glad that they didn't have lessons the next day, Sirius fell asleep on his bed, greatly relieved that he had finally helped his friend.