Priori Incantatem [HARRY POTTER FANFICTION]

Chapter 6: Rabid Creatures

Chapter 6: Rabid Creatures

It was now 6 PM and James and Peter were waiting for Sirius in their dormitory; Peter fidgeting about nervously and James alternating glances out the window at the steadily darkening sky with checking his watch.

Though they had done it before, none of the Marauders fancied taking their monthly full moon excursions without each other. If Sirius didn't show soon, James and Peter would have to go to the Shrieking Shack alone, and, though James would never say it, he didn't much fancy taking on Remus in werewolf form with only Peter for assistance.

Madam Pomfrey and Remus should have gone to the Shack nearly a half- hour ago and Remus would begin his actual transformation soon. It was time to go; none of them liked to leave Remus on his own during his extremely painful lycanthropy. James moved away from the window and collected the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak from his bed.

"C'mon, Wormtail, Sirius'll catch up," James urged as he pulled out his wand. He tapped his wand on the map and said: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Instantly lines of ink began to form on the parchment. Peter came over to study the map with James.

"Damn! Peeves is right by the statue!" Peter exclaimed.

"Don't wet yourself over it, Wormtail," came a familiar, if unexpected, reply.

James and Peter jumped, then spun around. "Padfoot!" James exclaimed, his grin spreading from ear to ear. "About bloody time you got here. We were about to leave without you."

"How'd you get out?" Peter asked breathlessly, as though he expected Sirius' tale of getting out of detention to involve planted explosives and an extraction team of Hit Wizards.

Sirius shrugged. "Turns out Colander was pretty impressed that I'd managed to make a Dissolution Solution at all, so she let me off rather easy after a dire warning about the evils of abusing potions and made me promise not to do it again."

All three snorted at that last statement. "Shall we?" James asked, holding open the door. They hurried down the stairs and out of Gryffindor Tower, stopping in the corridor just outside, where James pulled out his invisibility cloak. The three boys squeezed under it - a feat that became more and more difficult as they grew older and taller - for the most dangerous part of the trip, the part from inside the castle to the Whomping Willow, where they could safely transform.

The three made their slow and careful way down the stairs to the corridor below, where a secret passage would take them outside of the castle.

"Wormtail," hissed Sirius, "you have got to lose some weight, mate. We barely fit under this thing."

"Shhh!" James whispered.

"There's no need to be such a wanker about it," huffed Peter. "And if you stand on my foot again -"

"Look, you lot," James said as loudly as he dared. "If you don't stop bickering and shut up I'll toss you both out for Filch to catch."

"Sorry, Dad," Sirius quipped. "And will you turn this cloak around too?"

That little remark earned him a fulminating glare from James as well as a kick in the shin.

"Ouch!" Sirius exclaimed, glaring back at James. Finally the trio reached the right statue and, murmuring the password, entered the passageway without further incident - they were too good at this little game after so much practice - and pulled off the cloak for the time being.

Finally in front of the Whomping Willow, James threw off the cloak again. Glancing quickly round one last time to make sure no one could see them, James, Sirius, and Peter faced the tree and closed their eyes.