Up To No Good

Chapter Twenty-Two

Just before they left, James turned to Sirius.

"Padfoot," he muttered under his breath, "What do you think would happen if we Apparated in Animagus form?"

Lily facepalmed, sounding as if she was smothering a laugh. "No," she insisted. "You're both unregistered. The last thing we need is for you two to get thrown into Azkaban."

"Alright," James sighed.

With a faint pop-ing sound, James briefly felt as if he was being squeezed tightly by metal. When he came back to his senses, he was standing in a thick wood full of evergreen trees, the scent of pine needles filling his nose. The sudden chilliness was startling.

Sirius and Lily Apparated into being beside him. None of them were quite used to it yet: they were barely old enough, and two of the three of them lived in Muggle neighborhoods. It took them a few moments to catch their bearings.

Lily swore under her breath. "I didn't think to bring a light," she muttered. "And we can't use our wands."

"If we're seen," Sirius added unhelpfully.

"We can extinguish them when we get to the village," James suggested. "Lumos."

His wand tip illuminated the forest floor around them. They could see wisps of smoke not too far ahead, which meant that the village was close. Lily pulled out her wand, lighting them it well.

"I'll go ahead and investigate. It'll be easier for us," Sirius offered.

Sirius disappeared, his shaggy dark head transforming into a great black dog. Lily gasped audibly. She had known, for a considerable time now, that they were Animagi, but she had never seen them transform in person; it was clear that she found it fascinating.

Sirius trotted ahead, straight through the forest where his dogs' eyes were more suited to the dark. James and Lily exchanged glances before pressed on.

It was a few minutes before Sirius returned, first trotting in through the trees on four legs and then transforming back into his human form.

"It's not too far," he explained. "I'll let you know when to extinguish your wands."

The trees thinned, giving way to a cobbled street. It was considerably quiet, giving James the impression that the village was even smaller than he thought. At Sirius's nod, he whispered "nox," and placed his wand back into his pocket.

"How do we know which one it is?" James turned to Sirius, brow furrowed.

"Dumbledore told you, didn't he?" Sirius asked him.

Lily sighed, glancing around and keeping her voice down. "Dumbledore must have put a Fidelius Charm on it, which would make him the Secret Keeper. Only he would be able to tell us where it was."

"Prongs! Padfoot!"

Their tree heads turned to see Peter, one foot out of a peeling doorway just a few doors down from where they were standing. He was beaming, beckoning to them inconspicuously.

"Wormtail," Sirius grinned.

They strode over to him, where he showed them inside. "Sorry, the foyer's a bit narrow," he muttered, edging inside. "Welcome!"

It was a quaint place, and equally cozy. A fire smoldered on the hearth on one end of the room they stood in. Soft armchairs surrounded a low table ordained with a doily. It reminded James a bit of the Gryffindor common room, and for a moment he missed those days where they would sit alone in those new hours of the morning scheming about the Marauder's Map.