Letters From A Stranger || James and Lily ||

A Dog And Stag's Tale

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is that pun in the title :D

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Chapter 49

Lily paced across the length of the common room, occasionally looking at the portrait door. Her gaze fell on the glimmering full moon in the sky outside the window and she sighed in exasperation. Deciding there was no point in worrying alone, she grabbed her abandoned robe and left the Heads' living space.

On stepping into the Gryffindor common room, Lily saw Marlene sitting alone on the floor next to an almost extinguished fire.

"Don't tell me the other boys are gone too."

Marlene looked up at Lily's voice, blinking owlishly at her. "What?"

"James hasn't come back yet." Lily said, "He left saying he'll be back home by ten. It's one in the morning now. Are the others gone too?"

Marlene nodded. "It's full moon."

"What has that got to do with them?" Lily almost yelled, "I understand why Remus is gone but others?"

"Lily, calm down." Marlene said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "We can ask them once they get back. Now you need to go back. I'll stay in your dorm today if you're lonely."

Marlene led a still irate Lily back to the Heads' dorm. The two of them sat in the common room, knowing there was no point in going to bed when they were probably not going to get a wink of sleep.

Another hour had passed until the portrait door opened again and James and Sirius walked in.

Lily stood up immediately, shaking awake Marlene who was beginning to doze off.

"What the hell?" Marlene mumbled on seeing the two disheveled boys with numerous cuts and bruises littered across their bodies.

Sirius, who was holding up a barely concious James, almost tripped over his foot seeing Lily and Marlene.

"What are you both doing here?" he asked after helping James to the nearest armchair. Blood was dripping from the open cut on James's calf.

"What the hell is going on?"

Sirius flinched at the loudness of Lily's voice. "Listen, we can explain. We got into a fight at Hogsmeade with-"

"Cut the crap, Sirius." Lily interjected, "We know Remus is a werewolf."

"You know?" James asked, limping over to the rest of them. Sirius tried to get him to sit down again but James shrugged off his attempts.

"Yeah, we know." Marlene admitted, "But that doesn't explain why the two of you are bloody and bruised."

Several moments of silence passed as the two boys stared at each other. Then with a final nod of affirmation from Sirius, James turned to the girls.

"Don't freak out alright?" he began, "The three of us are unregistered animagi. Sirius, Peter and me."

"My animagus is a dog." Sirius added, "James's is a stag and Pete's is a rat. Like our patronuses. We thought we could help keep Remus tame if we're in animal form. It's all because we didn't want Remus to hurt himself."

"What the fuck? Are you crazy?" Lily exclaimed, "Unregistered animagi? You guys are barely adults. How could you even pull off something this difficult? Not to mention you could be arrested if anyone finds out! What were you guys think-"

"Transform." Marlene said, cutting off Lily's rant, "Shift into your animagus now."

"James is hurt pretty bad." Sirius said immediately, "I don't think he can transform now."