Up To No Good

Chapter Thirteen

They were all standing in the shack Remus had pointed out in Hogsmeade. The wood below them was rotting and creaked with every step. The windows were boarded, just like the outside, letting in only slight slivers of moonlight onto the floor.

"Transform," Remus told them. "Quickly."

Remus slumped to the floor, covering his face. James felt so incredibly sorry for him, but he didn't say anything. He closed his eyes, trying to picture his Animagus form in his mind as clearly as possible. He could see the stag, slender in form, with long, graceful antlers...

It took him a few moments of deep concentrating, until he felt the double heartbeat. It was slower than before, and he had to slow his own breath before at last he felt the transformation take hold again. He left his human body, and soon he had taken his stag form. He was very glad he had left his wand behind. He had no idea what was about to happen.

Sirius transformed next to him, a rather menacing-looking dog, but he sat down like any other and began to wag his tail contentedly. James was tempted to make a joke, but he couldn't speak. Not as long as he was transformed.

Remus's breathing became heavier and more labored. It was time. He groaned as his skin began to stretch grotesquely; if James had been in human form, he might have screamed. Thick silver hair began to grow all over Remus's skin at an alarming rate. James's hooves tapped on the floor as he stepped back. He face changed as his nose became a snout and his ears became pointed and neared the top of his head. His eyes became a striking, bright yellow, with slits for pupils, and his teeth became sharper and longer--

He couldn't watch. He could hear Remus shriek as he transformed, and he wished for it all to be over soon. He turned away, his antlers unceremoniously knocking the wall as he remembered he wasn't human. Sirius was staring at the floor, ears flattened. Peter was the only one who looked mainly unfazed, only squeaking lightly as his nose sniffed the air.

The transformation complete, James turned around again. Remus was unrecognizable. Whatever James had pictured a werewolf to be, it wasn't like this. He looked nothing like a true wolf, although he might have similar features. He looked bent over, hunching his broad shoulders. His eyes narrowed, licked his sharp canines, and then let out a piercing howl.

James would never forget that howl. It was high, cold, and long, and seemed to last for several moments as the Animagi sat in relative silence.

He glanced at Sirius, who looked back at him with round, baleful eyes. There was no turning back now. James had a moment of doubt. What if he attacks us? He thought. What is werewolves are hostile to other animals? His mind whirled, and he tried to push the thoughts away, not wanting to admit, even to himself, that he was afraid.

James no longer felt tired during the hours that followed. A few times, Remus paced around the room, shaking the boards on the windows before shrieking and howling and eventually going quiet again. Peter lay in a corner, eyes wide, silent.

After what seemed like an eternity, dawn began to break. The moonlight turned into pink-purple streaks peeking through the boards, and Remus quieted once more. Over the course of several minutes, his teeth shrank and flattened. His body returned to their normal proportions. The grisly silver hair that had grown all over his body receded, turning his skin back to its customary pale. His hair turned back to where it was straight and brown, and then it became extremely quiet.

"Moony?"

Peter had transformed again, still sitting in the corner, his voice shaking a bit.

Remus looked up, dark circles under his eyes, brushing his mousy hair out of his face. "I'm alright," he insisted. "You lot can change back. It's fine now."

After a few attempts, James managed to find himself back on two legs. The transformation was still uncomfortable and inconvenient, and he only hoped that he would master it as time went on. His head was spinning; he felt dizzy. He sat down, sweating slightly, and his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose.

The black dog beside him turned into the dark-haired Sirius once more, who was quiet but otherwise unchanged.

While watching his friend transform into a werewolf was in no way pleasant or gratifying, James was only glad that he was able to, if anything, make it easier on him. He was safe as long as he was in Animagus form, and Remus needed them. He wiped his face with his sleeve, exhaling before standing up again.

"Do you need a moment before we go?"

Remus stood up, looking peaky. "Don't worry about it. Let's go on before we're in trouble."

"Wormtail," Sirius barked at Peter, "Your tail."

Peter squeaked in embarrassment as he realized his transformation was not quite complete. His tail stuck out of his round bottom, and as he concentrated on it it disappeared once more. The other three of them smirked as they found their way back to the tunnel.

"Well," Remus began in a humorous sort of mock-cheerfulness, "What did you think?"

"A lot harder than an Animagus transformation, mate," Sirius pursed his lips.

Remus only laughed. "Glad you enjoyed."

"Do you retain any of your consciousness as a wolf?" James asked, squinting as he tried to make sense of his environment ahead, groping around blindly in the dark tunnel.

"No. I go completely animal," Remus explained. "I was bit when I was quite young, and it's been my routine ever since. I must say though, Padfoot, you make a convincing dog."

Sirius chuckled.

"There's the exit," Remus pointed to a small sliver of light coming from up above them. "Wormtail, change back."

It took a few minutes for Wormtail to transform, and in rat form he crawled past them all, disappearing up through the tunnel to press the knot to stop the Whomping Willow. As they pushed through the tunnel and the morning light pierced them all, James stopped to catch his breath.