We're Called The Marauders

Eleven: Remus

REMUS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what do you call yourselves again?" She was just beginning to catch on. James huffed out a breath, glancing between the other three boys and cracked a smile.

"We're called the Marauders." Remus repeated to her.

"Marauders." She repeated, mocking the local accent. The boys gave a short laugh.

"Finally!" Sirius threw his arms to the side. Calysta glared at him; he didn't notice.

"And you're...Moony." Calysta said cautiously, pointing to Remus. Remus gave a weak nod.

"Padfoot. You're the dog, so I'm told." She pointed to Sirius, who smiled in triumph. Next she pointed to James. "Prongs. Deer, er, stag. And Peter is Wormtail. He's a rat." Calysta finished, earning a nod from Peter. James clapped his hands jokingly.

"Congratulations. Would you like a prize?" James laughed. Calysta slapped his leg from her spot on the ground.

"I deserve nothing less," Calysta played. James didn't pause. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rough-looking quill, likely messed up from being sat on. Calysta placed a hand over her heart.

"Oh, James, I'm honored!" She sighed dramatically. Their group broke into laughter. Calysta chucked the ugly quill back at James. The five sat under a willow tree in the court yard. Sirius was lounging in the lower tree branches. James was the base of the tree, leaning against the twisting trunk. Peter and Remus were sprawled on the grass. Calysta's legs were resting across Peter's back as he laid on his stomach. They took advantage of the free period to sit around the outside of the castle. It wasn't hard for the Marauders to convince Calysta to leave the grounds.

"So when are you going to show us your Animagus form?" Remus asked, propping himself up against the tree trunk. Calysta looked at Remus quickly. She seemed taken aback, but the look in her eyes said she now registered what he asked. Calysta shrugged, taking her legs off of Peter and sitting cross-legged.

"Anytime you want me to, I guess," She glanced at the four boys expectantly. Sirius sat up straighter, bending one knee to hold himself. They all looked at her as if to tell her to go ahead. "Alrighty then." She mumbled, standing up.

The boys followed her every movement; they were eager to see something new. Calysta cleared her throat and jumped in the air. As soon her her feet left the ground, her nose grew longer and her body began to shrink. Then, it was all a blur. All that was left in the air was a brown and white speckled falcon with piercing yellow eyes. It swooped over everyone's heads and landed on Sirius' knee.

"Whoa!" Sirius' mouth fell agape. Remus, James, and Peter gazed in amazement. Sirius reached out with a finger to stroke the soft feathers. The falcon--Calysta-- turned its head and nipped at it. Sirius retracted his finger, scowling at the sleek bird. It made a noise that could be reasonably called laughter. It hopped off the boy's knee into the air, growing larger as it did. Calysta landed gracefully back on her feet, flipping her hair back.

"Ta-da," She giggled, placing a hand on her hip. The Marauders clapped.

"That was awesome," Remus and James said in unison. Sirius scowled, but his eyes were calm.

"You bit me, but it was still cool." He gave her a typical Sirius-wink. Calysta rolled her eyes, letting out a short laugh.

"I didn't bite you," Calysta walked up to his dangling feet. "Your turn."

"Fine. This is how you transform. Watch and learn, mates." He jumped off the tree, causing Calysta to take a few steps back. The other three boys rolled their eyes at Sirius' comment. Sirius hiked to the small open area where Calysta transformed and smirked at them all, holding his hands flat and towards his audience. He created a show of making sure all eyes were on him.

"Get on with it, Black!" Remus shouted.

"Patience," Sirius closed his eyes as if meditating. Then, he opened them and started a back-flip. The four gasped lightly. In mid-flip, Sirius' body turned fully black and his hair grew out. Upon landing, a German Shepard replaced Sirius. The dog barked, prancing around in a circle and wagging its tail. Remus laughed at his knack for showing off. Calysta smiled widely, watching the dog.

"Alright, quit showing off, mate." James laughed at his friend. The black dog scratched behind its ear with its back foot then stood on it's hind legs. It grew taller and morphed back into the familiar face of Sirius. James gripped his hand and shook it once. "Well done,"

"Show 'em how it's done. It won't be as good as me, but it'll be a close second." Sirius teased. James glared at Sirius over his shoulder as he went to the open area. James wasted no time to get on all fours, putting pressure on his finger tips. He tilted his head up to smile at his friends. He closed his eyes. His change was much slower than Sirius'. His limbs grew longer and antlers grew from his head. A great stag bowed its head until the tips of the antlers brushed the ground. The stag reared on its hind legs; his antlers became tangled with the branches. A distressed sound escaped the creature's mouth, and it shrank back into James Potter.

"Damn," James grumbled, pulling bits of leaves from his hair and mouth. The comment was aimed at Sirius, whom of which snickered, high-fiving Remus. Everyone looked at Remus and Peter. Remus gave them a look that said "really?"

"Don't worry, you'll see mine in a few days." Remus said bitterly. How could his friends have forgotten? Even Remus forgot for the moment that the full moon was only two days away. His body wanted to jump out of itself. He noticed the four around him grow a little uncomfortable. Peter jumped to his feet awkwardly.

"I guess I'm up then." Shaking himself out, he cracked his knuckles. "I have a little difficulty with enchanting my clothes to go with me and come back again, so I'll need these when I transform back." Peter rounded on Sirius, "Don't you dare steal my clothes again!" Sirius smirked.

"I make no promises." He told Peter. Peter scowled, opening his mouth to say something, but Calysta stepped in.

"I won't let him. I'll peck at him if he tries." Calysta patted Sirius' shoulder kindly. They stuck their tongues out at each other. Peter smiled in relief.

"Here goes," Peter lifted his head. His body grew smaller and his clothes fell off his shoulders, leaving nothing but a small lump in the material of his shirt. The lump moved, making squeaking noises. Calysta laughed softly, unraveling the shirt sleeve to make a hole. A brown rat crawled from the hole and onto Calysta's hand. She gasped, but it turned into a laugh.

"Hi, Peter." She whispered. "You won't bite me will you?" She asked pointedly. The rat shook its head, allowing Calysta to stroke his head a few times before jumping off her hand and running back into the pile of clothes. Calysta was reduced to sitting back with Remus. Peter's clothes moved upwards like they were enchanted. Then out popped Peter's blond head of hair. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing his arm.

"Not as cool as James or Sirius, but what are you gonna do, eh?" He shrugged, joining his friends. They were all seated on the ground now.

"You're all wonderful. I think they all show your personalities pretty well." Calysta said.

"When did you become a Animagus?" Remus' knees were held to his chest, resting his chin on them.

"I was fourteen." Calysta said. She snapped her fingers. "Did you know the first ever recorded Animagus was a falcon?" She asked excitedly. The boys shook their heads, save for Remus.

"I think I've heard that somewhere in a textbook." Remus stated. Calysta laughed.

"That's pretty cool if you ask me!" She said. A loud bell toll took away the free feeling of the day. Remus walked over to Calysta as the other boys were getting their stuff packed away. Calysta was making conversation with Sirius, which ended in them high-fiving.

"Ready for care of magical creatures?" Remus said once Sirius turned away. Calysta nodded solemnly.

"I don't like that class." She pouted, shifting her bag over one shoulder. Remus laughed shortly.

"Not a fan myself. See you guys later." Remus raised a hand in a wave to the other three guys laughing under the tree. They returned the gesture.