The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Up to No Good

Peter looked bewildered. "Oh. Weird. You don't think of thinking as saying things to yourself, but I s'pose you're right, it is in a way, isn't it?"

James rolled his eyes.

"But it's more than that, too, even," Sirius broke in, "It's not like thinking a spell. I dunno. I just know I can't stand the idea of Remus going out there alone again, especially right now with him being injured, and bloody hell if I have to wrap myself in one of the suits of armor, I don't care, I'm going out there with him this month."

James took a deep breath, "Alright, mate, calm down. First off, that armor is twice as tall as you are. Second, if you haven't noticed, it's also apparently already occupied by some spirits or something, how else would they move about like they do?"

"Dunno, but I'm desperate enough to tell whatever's in there to shove over," Sirius replied.

Peter looked nervous, "Do you reckon they're ghouls in there? You don't want to be crammed in a suit of armor with a ghoul. They're very nasty, ghouls are."

James shook his head, annoyed. "Peter, it doesn't matter, he was just being dramatic anyway, bloody hell." He looked at Sirius with an expression that clearly asked can you believe this kid?

Sirius chuckled. "You think that, but I'm ruddy serious."

"Your Sirius-ness is exactly what I'm worried about," Peter squeaked.

Sirius asked, "You remember the charm?"

"It's homorphus," James said with a nod.

"Homorphus," whispered Peter, echoing James's voice under his breath over and over, trying to remember the charm.

Sirius nodded, "Alright. Then here goes nothing." He closed his eyes and the other two breathlessly stared at him, instinctively taking a couple steps back, their wands out and ready.

At first, it seemed as though nothing was happening. Sirius just stood there, as normal as ever, eyes closed, palms out. James was just about to tell him it was alright, and say that he'd given it a good go and they'd try again sometime, when Sirius dropped to his hands and knees on the floor. Peter leaped behind James to hide his face in James's spine between his shoulder blades, "Tell me when it's over!" he yelped as Sirius's skin bubbled and popped and long, shaggy black fur erupted from beneath it. James's eyes were wide as he watched, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of Sirius's transformation, which was simultaneously terrifying and mesmerising. Sirius's shins and knees seemed to bend the wrong way, his toes coming together into padded feet, the same as his fingers and palms. His arms elongated into front legs and his spine reshaped itself, bending him so that his torso and neck curved upward, his face sprouting into the snout and long yellowy teeth dropping beneath his black lips, long tongue lolling out the side. Within seconds, James had watched his best mate morph into the gargantuan black fluff ball that had been his family pet for the summer.

When the transformation was complete, they all stood there in silence as Peter was shivering into James's back. "Well," James said after a long pause had passed them by, "Hello again, Snuffles."

The dog seemed to bow, lowering his head toward the floor. He barked and ran a quick circle around James, playfully jumping and nipping at Peter until the boy turned and looked at the dog with fright in his eyes. "That was horrible," he said, "The way that looked - and sounded -- ugh..."

James laughed, "It was pretty bad." He watched as Sirius ran about the room, then, smirking, he picked up the dog biscuits he'd found and shook the package, attracting Sirius's attention. Sirius bounded over quickly, throwing himself at James's feet. James took a biscuit out of the box and tossed it at his friend, who caught it mid-air with a terrific crunch. "Brilliant," James said. "Now, can you turn back or what?"