selenophile || remus lupin

chapter seventy six

18 April 1977

10:15 pm

The library had been closed for fifteen minutes and Madam Pince had shouted at Ophelia to get out for the third time, so she was rushing to get her books put away. She was leaving the library quickly, not wanting to get yelled at for the fourth time. On her way back to the Gryffindor common room, however, she heard voices shouting outside.

She walked out onto a balcony overlooking the grounds, pulling her sweater closer due to the cool spring air. She saw Peter, James, and Sirius on the training grounds near one of the castle walls. She also saw Madam Pomfrey and Remus walking out of one of the many large wooden doors. The three huddled marauders quickly threw James' invisibility cloak over them, Ophelia assumed so the mediwitch wouldn't see them.

Her wizard was gripping onto Madam Pomfrey tightly, slightly limping as they walked towards the whomping willow. Remus, of course, had explained to her what she thought was the extent of his transformations. He would go to the hospital wing in the evening and when it was late enough, she would escort him to the whomping willow where the two would go inside and to the shrieking shack. Then, she would leave, he would transform, and he spent the night alone in the shack. In the morning, Madam Pomfrey would come back and see if he needed any medical assistance. If so, she would escort him back up to the hospital wing and treat him as needed. If not, she would leave and let him go about his business. That's how it always was, or so Remus said.

Ophelia watched as the mediwitch shot a spell at the large tree, immobilizing it for a few moments as they walked into the passage and disappeared. As soon as they were no longer visible, the three remaining marauders removed the invisibility cloak and were talking quietly amongst themselves. Sirius looked excited and restless, an odd combination considering the circumstances. Why would he be so happy knowing that one of his best friends was probably transforming at the very moment and would be in immense pain?

Madam Pomfrey soon came out of the whomping willow, to which the three boys quickly put the cloak back on before she saw them, and was quickly walking back up to the castle. As soon as she was inside, once again, the boys threw the cloak off and to the side.

Then, something happened in which Ophelia never thought she would see. First, it was Peter. The boy stepped up to the tree and in just a moment, he shrank down to the size of a mouse, sprang forward, and immobilized the whomping willow. After he ran through, James stepped up, transformed into a deer, and ran forward through the passage. Finally, and this one surprised her the most, Sirius stepped up, transformed into a large black dog, and ran through the passage. Once all three boys were inside, the whomping willow sprang back to life, shaking its branches, and resumed swaying in the wind.

What the fuck, thought Ophelia. What the fuck just happened?

The three boys she considered brothers, including one who was not only her biological brother but also her twin, just transformed into various animals. They had gone over animagi in her transfigurations class with the animagus professor herself, and it was a really difficult task, but if anyone could do it, it was her brother and their friends.

Three unregistered animagi, she thought. Interesting.

Why had no one told her? Remus had to of known, why had he not told her? And her twin, they shared almost everything with each other, why had Sirius not mentioned anything about him being an illegal animagus? She loved having deep, late night discussions with Peter, and she was sure that animagi was a topic they had previously discussed, why hadn't he mentioned it then? And James was sweet, but that poor boy couldn't keep a secret for anything, how had it not slipped out, especially while he was drunk?