Hogwarts with the Marauders (II) [OLD]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - The Metamorphmagus

Time froze. Well, that wasn't exactly true. The hooded man, which the Marauders now understood was the Grim Reaper, was frozen. He was still reaching for Lily, who was clinging onto James for dear life. James, of course, was enjoying every minute of it.

"How-" Peter began, speaking for the first time since they had discovered Alessia.

"Look!" Remus exclaimed, pointing over the Grim Reaper's shoulder.

A middle-aged man with shaggy black hair (much like James') and brown eyes was limping towards them.

"Who are you?" Sirius asked, shakily.

"It's me." huffed a familiar voice. "Liam; didn't I tell you I was a Metamorphmagus?"

The limping man turned into Liam right before their eyes.

Alessia suddenly took a deep breath in, and she started breathing normally again. The Grim Reaper couldn't keep her grasp on her if he was frozen.

"But how did you-" Lily began.

"I'm a special type of Metamorphmagus - when I turn into someone, I also take thir abilities. The man I was can freeze people, cut of their senses. Who's that guy, by the way?" Liam stabbed his thumb in the hooded man's direction. "Not a Dementor, I heard him speaking."

"The-" Alessia whispered, her eyes still closed. "Grim-" She breathed in, slowly. "Reaper."

Sirius hugged her tightly, though she was still paler then a ghost. Peter went over to kneel next to them and asked Alessia how she was feeling, which Sirius remarked as a rather stupid question.

"Holy crap." Remus and James muttered at the same time. That seemed to snap Lily out of it because she quickly let go of James.

"Really? I heard him say he lived here... Aren't you six supposed to create your school here?" Liam asked, worriedly.

"Yeah." Peter muttered as Sirius helped Alessia into a sitting position.

"How long until the effects wear off?" Lily asked, nodding to the Grim Reaper.

Liam looked uncomfortable. He looked down, suddenly ver interested in his shoes, and muttered, "I don't know."

"Okay, then let's get out of here while we can!" James said, starting to walk towards the exit.

"We can't," Peter said. "We have to found Hogwarts; let's just move the Grim Reaper somewhere else to buy us some time!"

"Okay, you four do that, I'll bring Alessia back to Liz's place." Sirius said, slipping his arm around Alessia's waist to support her. He was carrying all of her weight, really, Alessia was just stumbling along beside him.

"No, wait, we need you-" Liam began.

"Liam's right." Lily said. "We need someone strong; I'll take her."

"What?!" Sirius demanded, as if it were the stupidest idea in the world. "No!"

"Come on, Padfoot." James encouraged.

"We need you here, bud." said Remus.

"Fine." Sirius spat, handing Alessia over to Lily. "But I doubt you can carry her."

He was right of course, Remus was at Lily's side in a second, catching Alessia.

"All right then, let's think logically..." Lily said, pensively.

"Lily can't take Alessia because she can't carry her, and neither can I..." Peter started.

"Remus is the strongest out of all of us, because of his... 'furry little problem'." James winked at his friend. "So he's helping us... uh, drag... the Grim Reaper."

"So either James, Sirius or me is carrying Alessia home." Liam finished. "I think I should."

James instinctively grabbed the back of Sirius' robes to stop him from strangling the Metamorphmagus.

"I'm her boyfriend!" he yelled, angrily.

"But I know a boy who's very quick, so I could turn into him and run there while I carry her and be back in two minutes." Liam insisted.

"He is fast." Peter commented. Remus blocked Sirius' hand from
making contact with poor Peter's face.

"Just let Liam do it! We don't know how long the charm will work!" Lily yelled, impatiently.

"Liam, take her," James tackled Sirius from behind, pushing him to the floor and trying to contain him. "I got Black, here." He grinned.

Sirius and James struggled ok the floor as Remus handed Alessia to Liam and Liam transformed. He basically disappeare before the Marauder's eyes, that's how fast he was running.

Peter went over to James and Sirius, saying that Liam was gone with Alessia. Sirius practically jumped onto Peter.

Remus sighed loudly. "Okay, Lilz, you help me for now. Let's see how long it takes them to realize we've got the Grim Reaper and we're - holy crap, we're dragging the Grim Reaper, who tried to kill Alessia, out of the castle he lives in that will soon become Hogwarts."

Lily almost laughed. She would have if the situation wasn't so damn serious. It was already one thirty in the afternoon and they still had to get rid of the Grim Reaper, make sure he never comes back, and finish creating Hogwarts. Then, the acting would begin, because they would have to tell everyone about it.

"Our lives are screwed up." Lily and Remus said at the same time.