Animagi
Lily didn’t say a word to the Marauders for the rest of the day. Not even to Remus, which was strange. They got through Care of Magical Creatures then Lily went to the Common Room and made her homework. She was quite mad at Professor McGonagall for giving them homework even if it was their seventh year and they were a few months away from their N.E.W.T.s. She somehow completed it and then headed straight to Madam Pomfrey’s healing class from which she was a few minutes late.
“It’s okay, love!” Madam Pomfrey smiled at her when she apologised “Now, let’s get started, come on, come on” she clapped.
They started with the basics like Reparifors, Episkey, Brackium Emendo, and the matron also showed them some healing potions. Lily soon caught herself enjoying these classes. She had thought about becoming a healer before because the only subject she really enjoyed were Potions. She told that to McGonagall when she asked her in fifth year about her plans for the future, and the Professor immediately recommended the Healing profession.
She hasn’t really thought about it ever since. She buried the future deep down in herself. The truth is that Lily was terrified of the future. With the war going on she didn’t know if she will ever be able to find a job, considering that she was a muggle-born. If she makes out alive.
She started her night patrol with those deep thoughts. Being hungry, feeling lost and overwhelmed, and also doing Head Girl duties all alone is not a good mixture. She walked around in the corridors lost in her thoughts with only a small light coming from her wand. She asked a few fifth-years to go to their dormitories. She didn’t feel like giving detention to anyone. She didn’t feel like doing anything at all. She was tired, and really, really hungry. And mad. She was mad at James.
Suddenly, she heard something. She froze. It was very quiet at first, she almost convinced herself that it was just her imagination caused by her tiredness. But as she moved closer to a statue near her she started hearing squeaking and fumbling. She raised her wand ready to defend herself. It cannot be a Slytherin because it wouldn’t squeak. Or maybe it is a Slytherin who just tries to terrify her just to hex her in the right minute.
Suddenly a little animal ran past her. She left out a scream and lifted her wand. She stopped herself from cursing the little animal in the last second. It was just a mouse. Or perhaps a rat. She put her hand on her chest and tried to calm her breathing. The little animal ran towards the Gryffindor Tower, leaving its wet footprint behind it.
Or no. It wasn’t water nor dirt.
“It’s blood!” Lily realised. Quite a lot of blood.
She stood there for a few minutes but then she convinced herself that this little animal is probably so far away now that she wouldn’t be able to help. She finished her night patrol, and went straight to her bed. As the moonlight lighted up her bed she couldn’t stop thinking about Remus. She had a very bad feeling. She couldn’t tell why but she new in her guts that something was wrong. And Lily’s instincts were always right.
***
She woke up in the next morning and found the dorm to be empty. Her head hurt, her eyes were puffy, and her hair was a mess. She only slept around 3 hours, and even then she kept dreaming about bloody mouses and the moon.
She stood up, stretched her back, and walked towards the bathroom. She walked by Marlene’s bed, and found the Daily Prophet lying on it.
Bloody werewolf attack in Scotland: 36 people died
She picked up the newspaper and started reading it. As she read more and more sentences her eyes got full of tears. She aggressively pushed her hair back as it got in the way, and when she was finished she threw down the newspaper and quickly put on a jumper above her pyjama. She stormed down to the Common Room where a lot of Gryffindor and even non-Gryffindors were sitting in smaller groups, holding the newspaper, talking about the news.
“25 children! That’s horrible!” Lily heard a girl saying when she walked past them.
“Do we know how many survived and became a… you know what?” a boy whispered.
“No. But better death than becoming a werewolf in my opinion. I couldn’t live with that.” the girl answered.
Lily left the Common Room and walked as fast as she could to the Hospital wing. She was worried for Remus. According to the newspaper the attack was in Scotland just a few miles away from Hogwarts in a little wizard village. As far as Lily knew werewolves have amazing sense of smell and if the attack was so close Remus must have noticed it. And Lily didn’t know if the Shrieking Shack was massive enough to be able to resist the power of a fully developed werewolf. Because if Remus got out… Lily shook her head. She mustn’t think about it.
When she arrived to the Hospital Wing to her biggest surprise she found Peter, James and Sirius sitting on the floor, their back leaning against the wall. Peter was puttering with the bandage on his arm, and Lily could see some bruises on his face. James’ eyes were closed with his head tilted back but his arm was tied up which made Lily think that he might have broken it and Madam Pomfrey had just healed it. His face was the worst. It was full of bruises and cuts, and it was covered in purple which was probably the Wound-Cleaning Potion. But it didn’t seem to work. And Wound-Cleaning Potion always work! Except on…
On magical wounds…
Sirius seemed to be healthy but he was in the worst condition. He kept shaking his leg, biting his lips, folding his hands and he didn’t take his eyes of the door.
“Hello Lily!” Peter noticed her “What are you doing here?”
“What happened to you?” Lily asked.
“Oh, Wormtail and I just got into a fist fight.” James waved a hand but he hissed in pain.
“And he did that to you?” Lily asked in doubt. She loved Peter, but she knew he wasn’t that strong and he would never ever get into an actual, physical fight with James.
“Yeah, turns out small rain lays great dust” James said but he didn’t look into Lily's eye. Because James in fact couldn’t lie. Not to Lily at least.
One word got caught up in Lily’s mind: wormtail, wormtail, wormtail…
Why would they call each other Wormtail, Prongs and Padfoot. Moony had a meaning. These three must have a meaning too. And Lily doubted that they just chose their favourite animal and gave a nickname to themselves.
The door of the Hospital Wing opened, and Madam Pomfrey walked outside.
“He’s awake now, you can come in.” she said “But you know the rules: be quiet, no mischief!”
Lily walked in without a hesitation. She was the first to arrive to Remus’ bed. He was in a bad condition: he was sitting, but Lily could see that it caused him great pain. And yes, he had new scars.
“Didn’t expect you Lils!” he smiled weakly.
“Did you get out?” she asked while the boys sat down on their chairs.
“What?” Remus was confused.
“Did you somehow get out of the Shrieking Shack, Remus?” she repeated the question.
Remus looked at the boys for a few seconds, then turned his head away with guilt.
“No.” it was an obvious lie “Why?”
“There’s been an attack.” she said quietly. The boys looked at Lily terrified “Here in Scotland just a few miles away. Twenty-five children out of thirty-six deaths.”
Remus hung his head sadly.
“Oh, so that’s why he wanted to run away so badly from us!” Peter said suddenly.
James kicked his leg, and all the boys looked at him angrily. Peter’s face gone red, and he started mumbling words like “sorry” and “didn’t mean to”.
And suddenly the realisation kicked in Lily’s head. Wormtail. The bloody rat from last night. James missing out on Head Boy duties.
“Holy hell! You’ve all became animagi, just to have fun with Remus on the full moons!” she yelled.
“Shh! Lily please! If Madam Pomfrey hears you…” Sirius begged.
“Do you know how irresponsible it is? You could go to Azkaban because I bet you three aren’t registered, because why would you! It wouldn’t be so fun, would it?! You attention-seekers, you irresponsible, arrogant, idiots! You…”
And it kept going and going. Lily was so mad she just couldn’t stop talking. Sirius casted a Muffliato spell at some point so Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t hear them. The boys just sat there, listening to Lily hanging their head guiltily. Except Sirius. Sirius looked directly into Lily’s eyes the whole time.
“So what? You just run around Hogwarts, with a damn werewolf, not thinking about the other students who you put in terrible danger?! It is what happened now, right? You were happily running around, when the wolf smelled the others and wanted to join them, and you three were in his way. Do you know how lucky you are to be alive?” And that Remus didn’t get involved in the attack?!”
“Lily! Shut up!” Sirius yelled suddenly.
“Oi, mate!” James grunted.
Lily was shocked and Sirius used the moment of silence.
“We didn’t do it for fun, okay? Yes, we are idiots, but not that much. We don’t have a death wish.” Lily wanted to interrupt but Sirius held his hands up “In third year James had this idea that we should become Animagus. We did a lot of research, asked McGonagall, and other wizards, and by fifth year we all became one.”
Fifth year? Lily was truly surprised at the boys talent. Becoming an Animagus is not easy, lot of grownup wizards and witches tried it before and failed.
“Deer.” Sirius pointed at James “Rat.” he turned to Peter “Dog” he pointed at himself “Prongs, Wormtail, and Padfoot, but I guess you sort of figured that one out.”
Lily nodded.
“We didn’t do it for fun.” Sirius explained “Yes, after a while it became fun. We started enjoying it, running around in the forest, playing, teasing each other. But that wasn’t the main reason. Why do you think Remus hasn’t got any new scars recently?”
“Werewolves don’t hurt animals, Evans.” James said.
“The wolf is hurting Remus because he hates being prisoned. He hates being in that room, and if you had seen that house, you would say the same thing. But when we’re out, running around and playing, the wolf is happy. And it doesn’t hurt Remus.” Sirius leaned back on his chair “So regardless of how much I like you Lily, I won’t let you give us shit for helping out our friend. And if you don’t stop yelling, I’ll ask Madam Pomfrey to take you out.”
A tear fell down on Lily’s face and many more followed.
“You stopped him from going there, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Well, James did because he is the biggest one. I tried helping Pete.” Sirius answered.
“I’m sorry!” Lily cried “I didn’t mean to yell I was just so…”
“It’s okay!” James stood up and pulled Lily into a small hug with his uninjured hand.
Lily’s stomach dropped, as she breathed in James’ significant smell. The butterflies woke up in his stomach again, and she couldn’t help but smile as she leaned her head against James’ chest.
“It was your idea?” she murmured into his chest.
“Well, sort of.” he said, and Lily could hear that he was grinning “Soo, does this excuse me from my Head Boy duties on full moons?” he asked.
Yes. Yes, it did.