20th May.
"Merlin, it's freezing out here," Sirius remarked rubbing his arms with his palms vigorously, trying to warm up as much as he could. Audrey pulled him into a side hug, trying to provide him heat best to her abilities. A loud clap of thunder sounded, just a moment after the white bolt of lightning struck, and James Potter let out a high pitched scream.
"Good job mate, let the entire castle know we're here." Remus remarked with a sarcastic smile. James mimicked him before turning away, making the rest four erupt into further chuckles.
"When is this storm supposed to strike anyways?" Peter asked looking out towards the sky. Tonight would be the last day of their training. If they had done everything right, they would be able to transform into their Animagus forms tonight.
"Right about," Audrey muttered looking at the clock, "now." A loud bang of thunder sounded, and Sirius had to slap a hand over James' mouth to contain his scream.
"Honestly mate, it's not that scary," he sighed.
"It's scary and I won't hear another word Black," James said raising a palm to Sirius' face.
"If you two are done with your antics, may we please proceed to the ROR?" Audrey said in a faux formal voice, and Peter nodded.
"I'll meet you at the Shrieking Shack, okay?" Remus asked addressing the four, and they all nodded in agreement. The Lupin broke into a ran under the rain, wand in hand, disappearing near the Whomping Willow. The other Marauders reached the Room of Requirement, opening it up to find the same scene as they did a few weeks back. A dark place full of junk and a small brown cabinet. They made their way towards it, almost scared to see the result. The four were so afraid of failure, after having worked so hard all that time. Audrey drew in a deep breath before turning to the four behind her.
"Should I do it?" she asked. James nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, go ahead and do it. Now or never."
She turned back facing the cabinet, and twisted the handle, but not pulling the door. Now or never. She pulled it open, anticipation filling her body.
Inside, sat four vials with blood red liquid.
"It worked," she breathed out in surprise, barely making a sound.
"What?" Sirius asked.
A large grin grew on her face replacing the initial shock.
"It worked!" she exclaimed loudly, turning back to face them. The three boys looked at her with widened eyes and slightly parted mouths. She moved out of the way hurriedly as the three crowded the cupboard. Sirius was the first to turn back, pulling her into a hug, which she returned excitedly. The smell of old leather filled her senses, while Vanilla filled his as he buried his face into her blond hair, both ecstatic. A second clap of thunder sounded ferociously.
"We should move, quickly. We're running out of time." Peter said, looking out the window, a vial clutched tightly in his hand. The others grabbed theirs, and broke into a sprint out into the hallway and to Remus in the Shrieking Shack. The willow was already frozen in place, the only thing seemingly calm in between the storm. James cast a wary look around them, only to be faced with the deserted corridors. The upcoming storm had made people sit inside their common rooms, not daring to venture outside. An opportunity perfect for the Marauders.
"Quick, c'mon," Sirius said, grabbing Audrey's wrist, as he helped her down the passage. James stumbled in next, followed by Peter who shut the tiny door once more, as the Willow came back to life again. They saw Remus' head peaking out of a door at the far ended of the shockingly long corridor, and he gestured them to get into his transformation room. The four scurried into the huge room, eyes widening at the scene that lay before them.
A huge bed lay at a side, a torn red tapestry behind it. The old wallpaper was peeling from the yellowing walls surrounding them, long scratches tearing through them. Dried pools of blood stained the dark wood beneath their feet. A smashed jumble of wood lay in a corner, something that could've been a chair, or a desk, no one could make out. Cobwebs hung at the corners, and the entire room smelt distinctly of blood.
Remus scratched his neck nervously, looking at his friends who were surveying the room with surprised faces.
"Always surprised at the nice place you've got here Lupin," James said with a slight grin. Remus let a relived grin grow on his face as well, breathing out in joy or satisfaction, or maybe both.
"Are you absolutely sure about this?" He asked one more time.
"Rem, we haven't carried around a nasty mandrake leaf in our mouths for a month and faced detentions from Filch for trying to find books in the Restricted Section, if we all didn't want to do it. We are going to do it, and we're sure about it." said Audrey. Lupin sent a small smile her way, and exhaled turning around, and gesturing to the room.
"Welcome to living hell. You'll hate it here, but that's the entire point of it," he remarked, the sparkle in his eyes returning.
A third bolt of lightning.
"Now." Sirius said, looking outside of the window.
Four wands went up simultaneously, raised to their hearts. One last nod was shared between the five. Remus backed away to a corner.
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," their voices chorused together. The clicks of the corks of the phials popping sounded, and four corks fells onto the ground one after other. Four hands pushed the liquid down their throats, the bitterness filling their senses.
It started slowly. First, the liquid burned her throat. Fire danced around in her stomach. Then the fiery pain reached her heart. She let out an involuntary groan out of pain, gripping the fabric of her sweatpants tightly, trying to subdue the burning pain. Her knees buckled suddenly, causing her to fall onto the ground on her knees. Her hands fell onto the wooden floor, trying to support her morphing body. An intense double heartbeat flowed through her body, the rushing of blood, the thumping of her heart in her ears. Her bones cracked violently, and she let out a scream in agony. She could faintly hear the sounds of the three boys beside her, but she couldn't get herself to look at them, her neck didn't allow for that to happen.
Her arms started sprouting black fur, slowly turning into an orangish-red. She shut her eyes tightly, gasping for breaths as she morphed painfully. And then everything suddenly stopped.
***
Is she dead?
Sorry, cliffhanger. I'll have the next chapter out by tonight.
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-Kaash.
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Éthérée
Fanfiction*A Sirius Black love story* 'You scare me' he whispered into the cool air, his breath turning into mist. 'Why?' she asked, turning towards him. 'Because I tell you things I can't even tell myself...' he whispered back, facing her, their faces merely...
