IMAGINE ｡ SIRIUS BLACK

03. WHAT'S AN ANIMAGUS?

chapter three ; what's an animagus?
1973

"TEMPEST, PLEASE SLOW DOWN," PETER PETTIGREW PANTED AS HE FOLLOWED TEMPEST DOWN THE HALLS LEADING TO THE HOSPITAL WING.  He stumbled slightly as she turned yet another corner, and he debated whether or not to give up in chasing her. The halls were scattered with a few students and the occasional member of staff, but the two Gryffindors were far too distracted for that matter. The look in the thirteen year old girl's eyes was a mix of terrified and angry, which meant the tubby boy struggled to keep up with her fast pace. "Tempest!"

It was seven o'clock in the morning and she hadn't had a wink of sleep, as she was up all night, mumbling to herself about what she had overheard at Hogsmeade the previous day. She hadn't put a thought into what she was wearing or what she was thinking -- she only knew where she had to be at that moment, even if she was parading across the school grounds in her striped oversized pyjama shirt and pants. Her hair was a mess but she didn't care at all, instead focusing on bringing the ridiculously thick advanced Transfiguration textbook to the hospital wing.

Upon leaving the Three Broomsticks yesterday, she had been plagued with worry and a strong sense of purpose. This was because when she was going to the bathroom after accepting Fergus Harrington's challenge in drinking a whole glass of Butterbeer in one go, she decided a trip to the ladies room was needed. But, on her way towards the door she had passed a table containing four of her fellow Gryffindors; James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. She generally avoided them unless she was bored (they happened to be a very entertaining group of individuals), but something James had said caught her ear.

They were speaking in hushed voices, but something she distinctly heard was "we need to figure out a way to help you with your 'furry little problem', Remus. If you didn't realise, full moons happen every month and we don't want you to go through this alone."

First, Tempest wanted to tell them to keep their voices down seeing as they were awful at whispering, but at the same time, a wave of concern washed over her at what he had said. So, she rushed into the ladies room and locked herself in a stall, wide-eyed and unsure of how to act.

There was no denying what James had meant -- furry little problem, full moons? As far as she knew, Remus Lupin wasn't one of the evil bearded warlocks she had read about in stories, so it only meant one thing.

Remus Lupin, one of the kindest, most selfless boys Tempest had ever met, was a werewolf.

It explained plenty. She had always wondered about the scars that adorned his face and the way he tensed up during their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson a few weeks ago when they began the subject of werewolves. Even when she asked him if he was okay from where she sat with Lily Evans at the back, he politely smiled and returned to his detailed work. On the days and nights leading up to full moons he was jumpy and irritable, and showed up late to class the day after.