Prongs {Book One}

Chapter Fifteen - Hypothetically

SEV.

"I can't believe Gryffindor is going to win the house cup again," Lily sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"Ravenclaw's pretty good," I said, "Anyway, since when do you care so much about quidditch?"

"I don't care about quidditch, I just care about how another win is going to make Potter even more arrogant and unbearable," she sighed again, "And you know Ravenclaw doesn't have a chance. The annoying thing about Potter is that he's actually as good as he thinks he is."

"Yeah," I muttered, "whatever."

"Mary's going to kill me if I don't support Gryffindor, though. And I guess I should. I mean, I would if Potter wasn't on the team, so I should despite him being on it. Right?"

"Yeah, but quidditch is just a game, Lily."

"But it counts towards the house cup."

I turned to look at her. "Only last month you were lecturing me on what an irrational concept the house cup is, and how it only widens the breach and rivalry between the houses."

"I know, but don't you think just a little rivalry is good? I mean, it's fun to have a little competitiveness."

I stared at her. "Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?" The words best friend stung. I pushed it away for the millionth time.

Lily laughed. "People change, Sev."

"Yeah." It's not always good, though, I thought.

It was the last day of the holidays, and we were savouring the final hours of freedom with a walk on the grounds. The late April air was chilly, but the warmest the year had been so far, and Lily seemed to be enjoying it.

The sun was slowly sinking down behind the mountains in the distance, and I sighed, thinking about how I'd have to spend the rest of the evening alone in the Slytherin common room, while Lily was in Gryffindor tower.

I thought for a second about suggesting that we spend the night in the prefects' bathroom, but pushed it away.

Lily would never agree to that. We were prefects, she'd say, and we had to follow the rules, and that meant staying in bed at night.

I would be spending tonight without her, just like every other night, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

---

JAMES.

We arrived back at Hogwarts late on the night before term started, which was also a full moon. Remus was almost immediately taken out and down the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to transform, and we followed ten minutes later under the cloak.

"Does this thing seem like it's getting smaller?" Sirius muttered as we inched across the grounds.

"It's because you've grown at least four inches over the summer, Padfoot," I hissed, "If we were all as short as Wormtail, there'd be no problem."

"Shortness isn't good for anything else, though," Peter noted, slightly wistfully.

"Sarcasm," I rolled my eyes. Not that they could see me doing it.

"Finally, there's the Willow," Sirius said, chucking the cloak off and throwing it into the branches of the tree.

"Oi, be careful with that! You'll rip it!" I said, punching Sirius lightly on the arm.

"Mate, that thing's designed not to be destroyed by any magic. I don't think a little tree branch is going to do anything."

I sighed and scowled as Peter transformed and scurried through the grass to the gnarled root of the Willow that stopped it from murdering us.

When he'd touched the root, Sirius and I changed into stag and dog, and went down the secret passage.

I went last, my antlers snagging on the roots on top of the tunnel. I heard Sirius' bark that meant he'd exited the tunnel and got into the shack with Remus.

Once in the shack, we did our usual calming Remus, and then went out of the house into Hogsmeade.

The village was always amazing in the night. 

It was deadly quiet, dark, and seemed to have an aura of magic that it lost in the day time. We roamed around the streets for a while, and then headed out of the village into the countryside.

But as we were heading out, a door banged open, and voices echoed through the streets.

"I don't want you anywhere near here anymore. You've been bothering me ever since you arrived in Hogsmeade!"

It was Madame Rosmerta. She had just kicked out a man onto the streets.

Moony's nose twitched.

We acted fast. Almost before Moony had started to howl, Sirius had tackled him, moving him away from the man, and I had charged toward the man, trying to get him to run away from Moony and Sirius.

It didn't work. The man cursed, and clearly drunk, dodged me and lurched towards Moony.

I went after him, but Moony had thrown Sirius off and was charging towards the man.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion.

As Remus neared the man, his mouth opened, and made to clamp down on him, but at the last second Sirius dived in front of the man and Remus' jaws clamped down on Sirius' neck instead.

With a whimper, Sirius fell to the ground.

Remus paused, then howled and sprinted off into the night.

Peter and I changed back into human forms immediately.

"Sirius!"

He lay in dog form on the ground, unconscious.

I felt panic rising in my chest.

"Uh, um, get, get him back to... to the tunnel." I ran a hand through my hair, "Levitate him. I'll run to... to McGonnogal. We'll have to tell her. Everything. Um... right. Yes." I felt dizzy. Blood was all over Sirius' neck, matting his fur. "Try to st-stop the bleeding."

I ran as fast as I could, leaving the cloak in the tree, not caring if Filch caught me.

"Professor McGonnogal!" I called as I skidded into her office, "Professor!?" There was a fumble from behind a door in her office and McGonnogal stepped out in her tartan dressing gown.

"P-Potter? What are you doing out of bed?"

"Um, I have a, uh, hypothetical question for you."

"A... A what, excuse me?"

"A hypothetical question."

"At.. at 3 in the morning?"

"Uh, well yes. It's quite urgent."

"Er..."

"So, um, animals aren't affected by werewolves' bites, right?"

"No. But Potter, what..."

"So if an animagus gets bitten in animal form, would they, uh, be affected?"

McGonnogal's face went white.

"Hypothetically," I added weakly.