Good Things • Remus Lupin •

5: Animagi

"Alright boys, here's the plan-" Meg clapped her hands together.

At that moment Remus had stopped his pacing around the 5th year boy's dorm, "Nope! I've decided. None you guys can help me. I'm putting you all in so much danger. I can't do that. I'm a monster. A monster-"

"I'm sorry, I just met a monster. A monster that folds socks and eats chocolate. So excuse me while I shit myself!" Sirius roared.

Meg got up and placed a hand on Remus's shoulder, "Just sit down, would you?" Remus hesitantly sat down beside Peter, "My plan is we become illegal Animagi!"

James got up and high-fived her, "Nice! But how in Merlin's receding hairline are we suppose to do that?"

"Well, I've found as many books as I can, many from the restricted section, on how to become an Animagus," She inhaled deeply, "It's a long process, but it'll be worth it."

Remus got up and hugged her, "Thank you, you know you don't have to do this?"

"Yes, I do, you're my bestfriend, Remus and I couldn't live knowing you were going through something as horrible as that alone." Meg smiled.

"Are you two about to kiss?" James asked, his head tilted a bit. Remus and Meg pulled away suddenly,

"What a way to ruin the moment."

-

"It's now or never." Sirius said.

"Anyone want to back out?" Meg asked. None of them flinched.

They all sat down in a circle in the boy's dorm, clutching a leaf in one hand and a wand in the other.

"Now." And they all stuffed the leaf into their mouths, muttering an incantation that would let it stick to the roof of their mouths.

-

A month had passed since they kept the Mandrake's leaf in their mouth. It was uncomfortable and annoying but they got through it. Remus, the only one who didn't have to carry a leaf around in his mouth for a month, looked up and used the counter-spell to remove the leaves from their mouths.

"So what are we suppose to do now?" Peter asked, dangling the saliva-drenched leaf mid air using his wand.

Meg pulled out four phials from her pocket and handed them around before opening a book and reading out the instruction, "Find a 'small crystal phial that receives the pure rays of the moon', put your saliva-filled leaf inside, and add one of your own hairs."

They stuffed their leaves into the phials, plucked a single strand of hair from their heads and placed it alongside the Mandrake's leaf.

"Add a silver teaspoon of dew from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched for a full seven days. Add the chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawk Moth to the phial as well." She said.

"How the hell are we suppose to get that?" Sirius asked her, outraged. 

"Well, I raided Slughorn's yesterday and I found he had a bottle labeled 'Dew from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched for a full seven days'." Meg pulled out a small bottle with the very label and a small, silver teaspoon.

James's jaw dropped, "Do you think someone is onto us?"

"Well if they are, they're helping us and I thank whoever it is." Sirius said, instantly grabbing the bottle and spoon from Meg and measuring out the amount needed for the potion. Once they all finished pouring, Meg then pulled out a small box of Death's-head Hawk Moth chrysalis' and handed on out to each of them.

"Then put this mixture in a 'dark, quiet place' until the next electrical storm." Meg read out.

"And when's the next electrical storm?" James asked patronizingly.

Remus had pulled out a book named 'Magical Forecasting' and began to skim through the pages, "Next week Saturday!" He exclaimed.

"But isn't that our Quidditch match? Gryffindor V Ravenclaw?" Meg asked James, as he was Captain for Gryffindor.

"Oh Merlin, it is!" He shouted, "I'll have to get Madam Hooch to change the dates."

"But in the meantime." Peter said, "Where should we keep the phials?"

"We'll keep our own, so we don't mistake them for someone else's," Meg said, "Except for you, Sirius, Remus can keep yours, the amount of things you've lost over the years is worrying."

"Wow, thanks a lot." Sirius huffed.

Once they all finished hiding their phials, Meg pulled up the book again and read, "Whilst waiting for the storm, at sundown and sunrise of everyday until the storm you must repeat the incantation 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. Well that sounds easy enough."

-

They all met at the portrait hole, the rainy Saturday, each holding the crystal phial now filled with a ruby-red liquid.

"James, have you got your invisibility cloak?" Meg whispered. He nodded. "We get out, make sure the coast clear, then get under the cloak and get to the Forbidden Forest, alright?" The boys nodded.

"Lets go."

They all got to the Forbidden Forest in one piece, even if they were a bit wet. They took shelter under a thick canopy of leaves so rain wouldn't get to them.

"Now we wait until there's lightning in the sky." Meg sighed and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest. Remus sat down beside her and put an arm around her. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. They watched the grey skies and suddenly, there was a great thunder and a flash of lightning. She got up and pulled out the stopper of the phial and downed the liquid in one gulp along with the others. She brought her wand to her heart and began to chant, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus", the others following her lead.

Meg winced at a sharp pain in her chest, she could see the others were struggling too, then suddenly, her heartbeat quickened and she could feel an odd kind of double heartbeat. She shut her eyes tight and a dark figure appeared before completely consuming her vision. She felt her pulse slow down to a normal pace and she opened her eyes.