Mischievous-A Marauders Fanfic

23-Luna Plena

The day of the full moon arrived. It was a Wednesday. Sephy had been let out of the hospital wing on the Tuesday, and all seven had kept their ears to the ground on Sunday night for any news of the teachers having succeeded in the task they had been set. It was only when Orson commented to James on the Monday afternoon that three of the Slytherin seventh years had been expelled that morning that the gang began to hope that they might have succeeded in that endeavour.

On that Wednesday afternoon, Remus faded away at about half past two, with hugs and words of comfort from his six friends, reassuring him that they would come down to the Shrieking Shack as fast as they could.

When lessons were over, the remaining six dutifully (well, not in Sirius, James and Sephy's case!) revised until the sun went down, punctuated only by the call to dinner.

"Anyone else nervous?" Samantha asked tentatively, as they all sat warming themselves on the best sofa by the fire.

"No" Sirius scoffed brazenly.

"I'm still thinking about those boys" Halley muttered. "It all seems so easy. They're just gone. Just like that."

"Well, our dear friend the Lethifold is still roaming the forest" James pointed out. "Which they set loose. I wouldn't exactly say it was over or easy, Hal."

Halley smiled a little.

"True."

"Werewolf transformation is supposed to be really painful, though" Samantha cut in, still on her own thread of thought. "I'm not looking forward to seeing that."

"Look here" Peter said. "Look what it says in our book. The monthly transformation of a werewolf is extremely painful and is usually preceded and succeeded by a few days of pallor and ill health. While in his or her wolfish form, the werewolf loses entirely its human sense of right or wrong-"

"Peter, we do get it" Sephy interrupted, not too unkindly.

"Although, as Animagi, we should at least be able to keep him company from now on" Samantha added patiently. "Werewolves are directly attracted to humans, and nothing else. As Animagi, we should be fine."

"Should be" James repeated tensely. "There's still the possibility that he's gonna rip us all to shreds."

"Don't say that!" Peter squeaked.

"Sorry" James apologised.

Halley looked up at the clock on the fireplace. It read half past eight, and the sun was just about setting.

"We'd better go" Samantha sighed. "Bring coats. The castle's cold. Leave wands. We've got to, Hal" she sighed, as Halley looked to protest. "We've got no way of carrying them as animals. James, get your cloak for you, Hal and Sirius. It's gonna be tricky getting down."

"We'll be fine" James reassured them all. "Everyone go their own way, and meet at the top of the hill, outside the covered bridge. We'll hide the Cloak there, and go over all together."

"Plan" Sirius nodded, as they all went off to get coats. Halley, James and Sirius ducked under the Cloak and sneaked to the door, which Peter opened for them before following them out and turning into a rat in the shadows. Samantha was flying out of the girls' dorm window, and that just left Sephy, waiting to give Peter a bit of time to get away before setting off across the common room with her leather coat on.

To her dismay, Nashville came through the portrait hole as she came up to it.

To her further dismay, he stopped her.

"You going somewhere, Seph?" he asked. "Bit late, isn't it?"

Sephy shook her head, licking her tongue around her teeth nervously.