"How much longer?" Peter whispered. James was pressed up against the door, straining to hear any noise from Remus. Sirius was changing into Padfoot, and back. The moon was almost up . It was almost time. Remus's breathing had been ragged for a few days now, but now it was laboured, deep breathes. A moan was heard. Deep, tortured moaning. All three boys in the next room froze. It was time. They weren't sure how long it would take for Remus to transform. Explosive coughing was heard. Suddenly, this strange snapping, cracking noise started. They could hear Remus grunting, probably trying to keep quiet for their benefit. Remus was getting louder, until he could keep it in any longer. He screamed. The three Marauder boys looked at each other, all in total silence. Sirius had stopped changing, Peter stopped chewing and James just looked at them. This was why they were there. To stop their mate Moony coming to class half- dead, barely being able to stand, massive gourges curved into his body. This is what they spent three years trying to do. James was replaced by a stag, Sirius with a black dog and Peter as a rat curled up on the old, moth-eaten chair. Apparently it was safer for them to wait like this, instead of in their human form. Unfortunately, they could hear Remus's screams louder, clearer, and worse then before. Right about then James realised what the snapping sound was before earlier. Remus's bones were snapping, changing, re-shaping. He was screaming, screaming so hard his lungs sounded dead. And on it went. For hours. They weren't sure how long it took for the snapping and the screaming to stop, replaced by rather deep breathing. Prongs looked at Padfoot, who in turn nodded. It was time. Prongs opened the door by pushing it with his antlers, and the door creaked open. In a millisecond, the wolf was looking at Prongs. It growled, a deep noise in its throat. It wasn't as hairy as the story's lead to believe. Prongs inclined his antlered head towards the open door. The wolf took its chance of getting out of the cramped cell. It ran out of the door, into the open air, accompanied shortly after by a dog, it's coat melting into the midnight. A stag was racing behind them, and if you looked carefully enough you could see the tiny figure of a rat on its back.
