Chapter 2
James had just gotten out of the shower and was sitting down to continue his Transfiguration essay. From his window he could see only the very last of the sunset; Moony would be almost fully changed by then. He hadn’t received any message from Sirius, so he had to assume that everything was fine. But just to be sure, he went to fetch the Marauder’s Map from Remus’ desk.
“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”
He found his own label on the map and used that to orientate himself. With his finger he traced the way down to past the Whomping Willow and with a relief saw Remus and Sirius’ tags. James was satisfied with what he was shown and made to close it before something caught his eye. There was a third label in the Shack, hidden on the staircase. Severus Snape. He reread the map several times before he could move.
How did this happen? Some voice in the back of his head blamed Sirius, but regardless, he was in danger too. James needed to do something, but what if he was too far away, or too late? Fucking hell. He didn’t have his broom; it was safely locked away with the rest of his Quidditch gear. He had his invisibility cloak, but that wouldn’t help in the way of speeding him along. He had, however, a last-resort idea that could get him in a lot of trouble, but it was fast…
He rushed out of his dormitory and through the common room. He heard someone call his name, but he didn’t stop. In the corridor he glanced around and seeing that he was alone he transformed into Prongs.
Plenty of students stopped to watch him and wonder how a deer had gotten that far in the castle without detection. Thankfully, no one tried to stop him, but some did follow. Perhaps he had been naïve to believe he could run from the Gryffindor Tower to the Whomping Willow as a stag without causing a disruption.
For once James was grateful for the parts of Hogwarts that were floored with uneven and unpolished stone on which he had so often stubbed his toe; far easier for hooves to traverse. When he at last reached the Great Hall, he was faced with one last obstacle: Filch. He was standing between the two castle doors, looking smug. With everything on the line, Prongs would gladly gore the caretaker to get through, but he knew from playing many games of chicken with Padfoot that a charging stag can be a bit intimidating.
To his credit, Filch held his head high at first, believing that the deer would surely stop, it was only an animal after all. But Prongs kept advancing and when he lowered his head to rush antlers-first, the man surrendered. He fell to the ground in fear just as the deer sprang right over him and out of the castle.
To his great relief the doors closed behind him, and he was not followed. When he arrived at the Whomping Willow, James reassumed his human form. With a flick of his wand, he threw a handful of rocks and sticks at the important knot near the tree’s base. One must have hit it, for the tree slowed in a sort of trance. A few seconds later, he was in the tunnel.