The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

The Loco-Motion

The Loco-Motion

James tried very hard that night to turn himself into a stag to show the lads in the dormitory. But no matter what he did, the form wouldn't do. The most he could get to happen was the antlers to sprout up from his head, just as he'd always done. "I bloody did it!" he complained, "I did, I swear to you!" He balled his fists and practically shouted the spell, but to no result.

He tried several times over the next couple days - with and without the other boys watching, incase it was a bit of a stage fright thing he was having. But no, he just couldn't seem to get his body to change into a stag a second time. He wasn't even sure how he'd managed it the first time. He'd been running after Lily and she'd dodged off into the trees - he'd seen her from afar, seen which way she'd gone, seen Snape run off the wrong way... James had paused there among the trees, thinking how angry she'd be that he had followed after her, and as he tried to figure out how to go about explaining to her why he'd followed, he'd suddenly remembered her dreams... how she'd said the stag was always there for her when she needed him... and he'd just... just sort of done it.

"I know she'll go back out there to talk to the stag. To me, I mean," James said, desperate. "I can't miss that."

"Then you'll have to figure out how you did it, Bambi," said Sirius, slapping James on the back.

"Fat lot of help you are," James said accusingly.

"I still don't even know what I do to do it," Sirius explained in a defensive tone. "I just sort of do it." He shrugged.

James sighed.

The exams were that week and everyone was running about nervously studying for the last time before testing day - or E - as in exams - Day as a lot of them were calling it.

Even the Marauders spent a good deal of time pouring over books, punctuated only by the occasional pause to bite into a Zoo Cracker and burst into a wild animal sound. They'd all laugh and look up from the notes and have a bit of a comic relief. They also passed around a bottle of sherry that Sirius had knicked from the kitchens and took great swigs of it as they laughed and slowly the session dissolved from organized studying to a great ball of boys laying on the floor, laughing and passing a bottle around between the four of them, telling horrible jokes and just relishing each other's company.

They went off to their exams next morning with splitting headaches but a good deal of grand memories. James sailed through the questions on the transfiguration course without a single hesitation and looked over, expecting to see Sirius nearly done, but there he was, not even halfway through the test yet. McGonagall cleared her throat and James got up, hurrying to the front of the classroom with his parchment and handed it in to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," she whispered, taking the exam from him.

"Professor," he said in a whisper, "About your offer to study becoming an animagus..."

"Yes?" McGonagall looked up over the edge of her glasses.

James asked, "Are you still willing to teach me?"

A smile twitched at the corner of McGonagall's mouth, "Yes, Mr. Potter, I believe I am."

"So next term then?" he asked hopefully.

McGonagall nodded, "Yes. I'll prepare a curriculum and send you an owl with the details of any supplies you'll need over the summer."

"Thank you, Professor," James answered, smiling. "Or just drop it by sometime you're at my place for the Resistance meetings," he suggested with a wink.