Up To No Good

Chapter Nine: 28 August 1974

James was dreaming that there was an earthquake. He could hear the rumbling all around him, vibration shaking him to the core.

"James!"

James blinked his eyes open, groping at the bedside table for his glasses. Shoving them on his face, he stood up.

"James... I'm here."

James reluctantly pulled himself out of bed and squinted out the window. To his surprise, Sirius Black was looking back at him, positively glowing with pride.

"I need to show you something."

"How did you get to my house?" James wondered. "Neither of us can Apparate."

"I'll show you."

James opened the window, swung his legs over it, and found himself outside in the gloomy early morning. His friend Sirius was fully dressed and looking better-groomed than he was, even if he did look tired and unkempt.

It took several minutes for James to take in what he was looking at. He had seen something like it, but it was a Muggle device he couldn't remember the name of. It looked a bit like an armored bicycle. It was the device that had been making the sounds in James's dream.

"It's a motorbike," Sirius explained. "But I may or may not have made a few adjustments."

Sirius mounted the bike, flicked a lever, and both Sirius and the bike suddenly looked as though they had camouflaged into the shrubbery behind them. He could still see his friend's outline, but he had become chameleon-like where he was now difficult to see.

"I flew it over here," Sirius said happily, flicking the lever again and then turning off the engine. "It took a bit of research to find the right charms to use, but finally I can fly this all over Britain."

James blinked a few times before walking around it to get a good look. He had never seen a motorbike up close. Muggles always drove them extremely fast. It had a compartment attached to it--a sidecar, Sirius told him. James gaped as he stared at the vehicle.

"Brilliant," James approved. "Off again?"

"You know it. I think Dumbledore must have a portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, because one of my distant relatives was a headmaster at Hogwarts once. He keeps visiting his portrait at my house at Grimmauld Place to threaten to tell Dumbledore. As if I care," he added. "Most of the time he's not there, thankfully." He shook his head. "D'you think I can stay the night?"

"Sure. You're welcome here any time," James nodded.

Sirius shut off the motorbike, flicking the lever so it became near invisible again, and then followed James in through the window.

"I'd like to ride to Hogwarts in that thing," James mused.

"Sure! You can ride in the sidecar."

The past few years, the Marauders had researched the process of becoming Animagi more than ever. Their goal, they insisted, would be accomplished this year. There was no alternative. They both knew the steps by heart at that point, and it was that that he kept his focus on as summer once more came to a close.

It was their Fourth Year at Hogwarts now. In three, they would be graduated, and no longer would have to put off using magic outside of school. The idea was tempting. His attitude to Snape, too, had been unchanging. While the other boys rarely teased James about Lily anymore, he still more than ever was entranced by her, even if she was not at all interested in him. Sirius was just the opposite. Charming and handsome, he had no problem dealing with girls, but he didn't care about being in love. If anything, he was even more committed to becoming an Animagus.

"It's incredible." Remus took the Invisibility Cloak in his hands, wrapping it gingerly around his shoulders and watched in awe as his body disappeared. "Maybe I'll take it off your hands," he added to James, who snickered.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, though?" James crossed his arms in satisfaction as Remus handed it to Peter.

"Absolutely," said Peter. Mandrake leaves. He smoothed his hand over the water-like material. "Your dad just had this?"

"I guess so." James took the Cloak back, carefully folded it up, and placed it back into his trunk, which the others noticed considering James was not particularly careful with many things.

"Tomorrow night?" Sirius suggested. "We don't need to wait for Potions class this time. Assuming James, Peter, and I can fit under this together, we can just sneak into Professor Beery's greenhouse."

"Good luck." Remus looked doubtful.

"Now this time we can't fool around," James insisted. "We can't swallow the leaves this time. We've got to make it count."

Remus knew by now that they had all decided on it, and that his protests weren't going to shake their desire to become Animagi, to help him or otherwise. Dangerous as it may be, it wasn't in his hands.

"Then we'll need a phial of moonlight and the chrysallis of a Death's-Head Hawk Moth," Sirius recalled thoughtfully. "And eventually we'll have to drink it all."

Peter smiled weakly, while Remus chortled.

"I hope you lot have the stomach for this," he said uncertainly.

Another Gryffindor boy, Frank Longbottom, stepped into the dormitory, and they all went silent at once. Frank looked a little surprised, and maybe a bit hurt, but said nothing as began to get ready for bed and set his things aside.

"Until tomorrow then, lads." James raised his arm in a mock-salute, and the others did the same.

There were no doubts in any of their minds that night for their plan, except maybe for Remus, but he didn't mention them as they gradually changed into their pajamas. James's mind whirled with the possibilities that would come with such an elusive and rare skill. The only problem was the process they would have to go through again. He wasn't extremely keen on having to keep the bitter herb in his mouth again.

His Invisibility Cloak lay safely tucked away in his trunk, and he spent all night dreaming about his first adventures with it.