The Marauders: Year Four

Seeing Snuffles

Seeing Snuffles

"SNUFFLES!" James called when he saw the dog come out the back door of the house. Remus looked up, but he didn't see the black fluffy mess of a mutt until Sirius had crossed over the line of the Fidelus Charm, carrying the now squirming rat in his mouth loosely. Snuffles ears went up at the sound of James's voice and he sniffed the air, carrying Peter as he ran into the woods. James stood up as Sirius ran over, leaping clear over the log they were hiding behind and knocking Remus and James over in a single bound. James and Remus both hit the bracken with Sirius a top them. He dropped the rat and started licking their faces happily, his tail wagging as he jumped about, barking.

"Shut it before my dad hears you!" James hissed, pushing Snuffles off him, laughing, "He's like to come out here and find us all and then we're in big trouble!" Sirius stopped barking, but continued on leaping about merrily, his tail swiping at the brush they were crouched behind, sending leaves flying every which way.

Peter changed back into himself a few feet away, swiping gobs of dog saliva from the back of his neck and wiping it on his pants, "You've got so much spit, mate, Merlin! It's as though I've taken a bath in it!"

Snuffles sat and if dogs could grin he certainly was, his tongue hanging out.

Remus wrapped his arms about the dog's shaggy neck, "I thought we'd lost you," he murmured into his fur.

"C'mon, let's change him back," James said after a few long moments of Remus clutching onto his Snuffles, and he drew his wand from his pocket as Remus did the same. "Ready?" James asked.

"Never been readier," Remus replied, standing and aiming the wand the same as James was. "On three, then?"

James counted, "One, two, three ---"

"HOMORPHUS!" they shouted together and their spells struck Sirius at exactly the same time and with the crack of a few bones, he was back to a human.

Remus hurried to hug him again and Sirius hugged him back, smiling so hard he was nearly in tears. "Ohhh, I missed you, Moony... Bloody hell you lot!! I can't believe you're here, what're you doing? Are you all mad?!" He was clutching Remus to him, but looking over his shoulder at James and Peter.

"Saving you!" Peter was clutching his chest, "Bloody hell! I thought you were going to eat me for a minute there in that basement!"

"You scared the bloody hell out of Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, "I wasn't about to eat you - just kill you is all..."

"Well-that's-the-part-I-was-most-concerned-with-anyway!" Peter hissed in one long breath. "Bloody hell."

Sirius smirked. "Well I didn't, so you can relax. How did you get here?"

"We floo'd here from Dumbledore's office," James said.

Remus nodded, breaking their hug apart to reach in his pocket, "After we snuck in to get you this!" he held up Sirius's wand.

"Blimey," Sirius gasped, "I never thought I'd see it again!!!" He took it and held onto it with excitement. "Thank Merlin!"

James said, "Now you know how we got here, but the real question is how in hell you got here and what the bloody hell happened at Number 12?!" he reached forward, punching Sirius on the shoulder quite hard, "And if you bloody ever write me a letter like that again without at least a hint of where you're going, I'll kill you myself! You had all of us ruddy terrified, mate."