Lily's head drooped onto her shoulder, heavy eyelids shutting over emerald green eyes. A boy of twelve with a nest of jet black hair, glasses, and a permanently mischievous glint in his hazel eyes watched in fascination from under his invisibility cloak. James Potter had been doing nothing else for the past three hours. He wouldn't have otherwise, seeing as he would never see the end of it if his friends found out he had a certain fixation for the Evans girl. But Sirius had put him up to it, and of course, he gladly accepted. What was better than getting to spy on the most beautiful girl in their year for hours on end?

The only thing he disliked about this plan was that Sirius and Remus were up in the dormitory, plotting a prank to be played on Lily. She had done nothing to deserve this…except perhaps the fact that she hated James’s guts. She might notice him if she weren’t so wrapped up in her "Sev." Or, as he preferred, Sniv. What she saw in that greasy little twerp was beyond him. Snape, however, was totally in love with her. Disgusting though it might be, who could blame him? Lily was pretty, smart, kind, had a great sense of humour and irresistible silky red hair…No. He must stop thinking about her in that way. She'd never see him as anything more than an annoying little prankster. James sighed.

He waited a few more minutes to ensure that Beauty was really sleeping, and then crept up the stairs to the boy's dormitories. Silently, he opened the door to the second year's room and crept up behind Sirius. "She's asleep," he whispered loudly in Sirius's ear. Sirius yelled and looked around wildly for the source of the voice. Remus snickered and yanked off James's invisibility cloak.

"James! You scared me," cried Sirius.

"It's what I do," said James modestly.

"Are we ready?" whispered Peter eagerly out of the darkness.

The other three stifled a groan. They had thought he was asleep. He would only hinder their plans by making some small noise or backing out at the last moment. Remus, always the kind-hearted one, forced a grin.

"All right, Peter, but just this once."

"And don't make a sound," Sirius hissed.

"Let's go," said James, beckoning his friends out the door.

The four second years tiptoed silently down the stairs to the common room.

"Who's first?" James whispered.

"I am," said Remus, "Then you, James, then Sirius."

"What about me?" Peter whined. They ignored him.

Remus tiptoed to the sleeping Lily, wand outstretched. He glanced back at the others. James forced an encouraging smile. Why exactly were they doing this again? It would only make Lily hate him all the more. Remus pointed his wand directly at her face and muttered an incantation. Something slimy flew from the tip of his wand and landed on her chin. "Permanent drool," he whispered.

"Not permanent?!?" said Peter, horrified.

"No, not really… she'll just have to search really hard for the counterspell!" Sirius whispered gleefully.

"My turn," said James, walking over to Lily. He pointed his wand in her ear and softly murmured a spell, careful not to let the others hear. A pink substance floated from the end of his wand, finding its way into her head through her ear. He blocked it from the view of his friends with his body. If they saw it, he would be in for endless taunts. Actually, he'd get teased anyway, as this spell had no immediate visible side effects. James walked back to his friends, a grin pasted stupidly on his face. The others looked at him suspiciously.

"Your turn, Sirius," James said.

"Get ready to make a quick escape, you three," he said,� And James, hand over that cloak," he added, snatching it and tossing it over his head. They heard his light footsteps as he made his way to Lily. They retreated into the dark corner of the room near the boy's staircase, laughing silently. A minute later, Sirius was back, grinning maniacally and frantically throwing the cloak over the others. He motioned them to look at Lily.

"Three…two…one!" he whispered. On one, Lily shot up from her chair and looked around in a panic. All at once, a dreamy look came over her and she sighed, a silly grin plastered on her face. James flushed. That wasn't supposed to happen…

"What did you do to her, James?" Sirius hissed, horrified.

"I-nothing!" he said quickly, blushing furiously.

"Aw, James! We were doing this for fun. She didn't look scared at all," said Peter.

"Let's go," James said, pulling the others up the stairs.

As soon as they were in their dormitory, James threw off the cloak and dived into his four poster, flicking his wand so the curtains drew shut around him. A second later, three curious faces poked through the legendary tear they had made on the very first night at Hogwarts.

"Ooooh, I think ickle Jamesie's got it bad for somebody!" Sirius cried gleefully. James blushed.

"I don't blame him, either," Remus said, "Lily's perfect! That red hair…those stunning green eyes…the freckles…the beautiful form…" He let out a mocking, infatuated sigh. James slugged him in the arm.

"OUCH!" Remus yelled, dropping to the floor and writhing in agony.

"C'mon, Remus. It couldn't have hurt that bad," said Peter nervously. Sirius and James laughed; sure that Remus was just acting. They waited a full minute, expecting him to leap up at any moment, laughing. The grin on Sirius's face slowly faded to an expression of concern. James got the pitcher of water from the windowsill and splashed a little on Remus's pale face. Remus didn't stir. Peter got nervously to his feet.

"I'll go get help…Professor McGonagall…" he muttered, already retreating from the dorm, white faced. Sirius and James sat on the floor staring in shock at Remus.

"What's wrong with him?" James finally asked.

"No clue…" Sirius said absently. He was staring into space, apparently very deep in thought. James watched as Sirius's pensive expression changed to one of realization, then gradually to one of fear.

Suddenly, Sirius asked, "What day is the full moon this month?"

"Oh no, not you too," James groaned. Remus obsessed constantly over the cycle of the moon. It drove the others insane, how each month he would meticulously record the exact day and time of the full moon on a calendar hanging on his bedpost.

"No, I'm serious. What day is the full moon?" Sirius insisted.

"I dunno, in a few days, I guess…" said James.

"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" There was urgency in Sirius's voice that made James get up and check Remus's calendar. There were red x's on all the days until the nineteenth. That was today. On the twentieth in miniscule letters was written:

"December Doomsday: 9:46 P.M."

December Doomsday? To think that terribly of a mere full moon, you either had to be incredibly superstitious or a Lycanthrope. Remus was neither. Was he? James looked back at Sirius, who again wore a thoughtful expression. James could sense his concern for Remus. It was layered thickly in the air. Yet there was still the slightest trace of fear. Sirius wasn't scared of virtually anything. Growing up in a home laced with Dark Magic, James didn't blame him. Yet Sirius was scared of Remus. Or rather, what Remus became at the rise of the full moon each month. Impossible though it may seem, Remus Lupin was a werewolf.

"You're right, mate. There's a full moon tomorrow," James said gravely.

Sirius gasped. "Then…James, I think Remus is a-"

"Werewolf, I know," James said, Sirius having confirmed his suspicions.

"Should we tell Peter?" Sirius asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Definitely not," said James, "Let's not tell Remus we know either. At least not yet."

"Good idea." Sirius turned to Remus's motionless form. "We're there for you, mate," he said, stating what was on both their minds.

"Yes, Remus. Always," said James, gently patting his friend on the shoulder.
The door to the dormitory burst open, startling the boys. Peter was back with Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey. The nurse busily conjured a stretcher out of thin air and levitated Remus onto it. McGonagall turned to the others.

"Boys," she said abruptly, "back to bed. Lupin is being taken to the Hospital wing for the time being. There will be no need to visit him, as he will be his normal self when you come back from Holiday." This seemed to calm Peter, who was whimpering in the corner. "Good night," McGonagall said crisply, and she shut the door noisily behind her.

"Well, g'night," Peter said cheerfully, climbing into his bed. The other two shook their heads at how unconcerned he seemed. Part of James wished it could be that simple for him. He knew tonight would be sleepless, no matter how exhausted he was.

~~~~~

James groggily opened his eyes, groping for his glasses.

"Stupid alarm clock," Sirius muttered from his bed, hitting it repeatedly over the top with his wand. It turned a blinding shade of pink, but the annoying blare didn't stop.

"Let me get that," said James. He tapped the clock and muttered "Wingardium Leviosa."
It shot up in the air. He guided it to where Peter still lay sleeping like a baby and let it come to a rest right by his ear. There was a scream and a thud as Peter fell out of bed. Sirius rolled around on his own bed laughing hysterically. A second later, there was another thud: Sirius had fallen off too.

"What is it with my roommates this morning? No class today and you're already out of bed? The world must be coming to an end!" James said, snickering.

"For Remus, it might seem like it," said Sirius softly, breaking the light mood.

"It won't for long, though. Not if we can help it," said James.

The two boys had sat up for hours after McGonagall had left, discussing Remus's situation. Any other person would most likely have cowered and exited the relationship immediately after finding that their friend was a werewolf, but not Sirius and James. If anything, the dreadful discovery had only strengthened their bond with Remus.

The two had come up with a plan. One that would take at least a year of intensive work to master. The magic was said to be very difficult. No one would think two twelve year old children could pull it off. Yet they were going to try. Oh, yes, they were going to try, because when James and Sirius got it into their heads that they could do something, nothing got in their way. Not even the fact that it would break several rules at Hogwarts, not to mention laws at the Ministry. This particular plot was especially brilliant, and mandatory in Remus's time of need. They were going to attempt a most difficult form of transfiguration: becoming an Animagus.
~~~~~


James rose out of bed reluctantly and pulled on his Muggle clothes. The denim of the jeans felt strange on his skin, but he liked the sensation. It reminded him of Lily, who had worn blue jeans under her robes every day in their first year. A comfort thing, he supposed. It would be odd to come to a world you had heard nothing about until you got the letter. He felt a bit sorry for Lily. At times, she seemed sad, despite her many friends at Hogwarts. James could sense her discomfort at being Muggle-born. That wasn't to say he was at all sorry about her coming to Hogwarts. Lily was the best thing that could have happened to him. She was someone to bring him to his senses.

"I got some Dungbombs from a fourth year," Sirius said, waving the smell proof bag in James's face. James grinned.

"Great. Let’s make sure we know where Snivellus is sitting on the train today. I've got plans for those!" Alright, so even Lily couldn't bring him to his senses when it came to torturing Snape.

"Snivellus! Ha-ha! I still can't get over that one, mate!" laughed Sirius.

"That's mean," said Peter innocently, "I'd hate to be called Snivellus."

"That's the point," Sirius said. Peter looked hurt. James and Sirius exchanged annoyed glances.
Peter let out a shaky laugh.

"Ha-ha…Snivellus. I bet he'll think that's funny…" He said weakly.

"Peter, do you even know who we're insulting?" asked James.

"Erm…Professor Flitwick?"

"You're hopeless, Pettigrew," said Sirius. Peter shrugged and trotted off to the Great Hall for breakfast. Sirius began to follow him.

"Wait," said James, “I have a better idea. Follow me." He led Sirius down six flights of stairs to the big double doors that led to the Hospital Wing. James had his hand on the doorknob when he heard the click of footsteps on the stone floor. McGonagall was approaching.

"Your finger got crushed in the door this morning," Sirius hissed suddenly in his ear.

"Huh? Oh, right. Ow!" James said, holding his left ring finger tightly and wildly forcing an expression of pain onto his face.

"Hi, Professor," Sirius said brightly. McGonagall looked at him suspiciously.

"I thought I told you boys no visits," she said.

"No, no, Professor, it's nothing like that. James got his finger caught in the door. I think it's broken," Sirius said. James vigorously nodded in affirmation.

"Best get it mended then, Potter," she said, unusually kind, and strode off down the corridor.

"That was easy," said James, entering the Hospital wing.

"You two are here illegally, you know," came a quiet voice from the far bed.

"No, we're not," said Sirius. "I got this horrible gash on my thumb, see?" he said, waving it around for all to see. There was a miniscule paper cut on the very tip. In spite of himself, Remus laughed.

"Been studying too much lately, have we, mate?"

"Yeah. And I've got terrible writer's cramp too, see," Sirius said, bending his wrist and pretending to shriek in agony.

"Really, though, you shouldn't be here," said Remus.

"Since when has a mundane little rule like that stopped us from coming to see our best friend in the Hospital Wing?" said James.

"I'm actually glad you came," said Remus softly, looking quite uncomfortable. "There's something I need to tell you. I've been meaning to for a long time. You really need to know this. What I mean is…well, hear me out. Then you can decide whether to hate me. I won't feel bad if you do. I understand if you never want to see me again…"

"Tell us, Remus," said James gently. They sat through Remus's explanation of why he missed the first Quidditch match of the year, of all his feeble excuses, of his tiredness each month. He apologized profusely for not telling them earlier and again stated he'd understand if they hated him later.

"If you don't want anything to do with me, I don't blame you…" Remus concluded, a determined expression on his face. Despite that, however, James saw tears welling up in his friend's eyes.

"We're your friends more than ever, Remus," James said. Remus looked startled. He'd obviously expected them to react differently to his confession.

"B-but," he sputtered, "I'm dangerous! How could you not hate me for what I am?"

"Do you want us to hate you?" asked Sirius.

"N-no, no, of course not, but I'm a wer--"

"You're a twelve year old kid with brains, wit, and courage. Above all, courage," Sirius interrupted.
"There's no way I could have born that sort of a burden alone for so many years."

"No wonder you were made a Gryffindor," James said.

"Thanks for understanding, James, Sirius…" said Remus, his voice choking off with emotion.

"That's what friends are for, right?" said Sirius. The boys moved together simultaneously and hugged tightly. Sirius and James exchanged a grateful glance. Neither would have been able to keep the fact that they knew Remus was a werewolf a secret for long.

"Wait," said Remus, pulling away. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?" said James innocently.

"You knew I was a werewolf. How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Oh, I knew the minute you stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. No, platform 9 ¾. Let's make it King's Cross," joked Sirius.

"Seriously," Remus said.

"Actually, we only figured it out last night," James confessed.

"Really? I'd have thought it was glaringly obvious from the first month! You're dumber than you look," said Remus, smiling.

"No, you're just better at hiding it than you thought," said Sirius.

"Thanks again," said Remus. He pulled them into another three way hug. A shrill voice came suddenly from behind.

�No visitors, that was made clear to you last night! Out! Out!" said Madame Pomfrey. Sirius and James left, grinning at Remus as they did so.

~~~~~

After a hurried breakfast of eggs and toast, James, Sirius, and Peter departed Hogwarts for home. Filch, the brand-new caretaker, prodded them with a Secrecy Sensor on their way out. Sirius gave him a dirty look.

"Be nice, Black, he's new at his job," hissed Amos Diggory, the Head Boy, as he passed the boys. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Like he'd quit that any time soon; they never do."

The boys boarded the train just behind Lily and Snivellus. The perfect opportunity to plant Dungbombs. Sirius discreetly slipped the contents of the bag into Snape's back pocket. "They have a delayed reaction, don't worry," he whispered to James. The boys slipped into a compartment and promptly dumped their things on the extra seats so no one else could enter.

"Wish we could tell Remus about The Animal Project" said James, using the code name for their plan.

"Yeah, but I can just picture his reaction," Sirius said. He slipped into a tone highly reminiscent of Remus, "You could get into so much trouble over that! You could be killed, or worse, expelled! Do you have any idea how dangerous that type of thing can be?"

James snickered. "Danger is my middle name!"

"Couldn't agree more, mate," said Sirius, grinning.

"Hey," said Peter, startling the other two, "What's the danger? Why would you be expelled?"

Sirius looked at James, a sly grin spreading over his face. "Oh, James here is thinking of brewing a love potion for a certain red-haired girl we all know," He invented, a mischievous glint in his eye. James kicked him in the shin.

"What makes you think I even like her?" he said, trying not to blush.

"Ooooh, James fancies Lily…" Peter sang. James stared daggers at Sirius. Sirius just grinned evilly.

"Don't think we're stupid, mate," said Sirius, "Well, you can think he is," he added, gesturing to Peter, who pouted. "But Remus and I saw that pink smoke coming from your wand last night. That could mean only one thing…you used that charm Flitwick mentioned!"

"No I didn't," said James too quickly.

"Ha! Caught you, didn't I?" cried Sirius. "How could you have known what charm I meant? Flitwick is obsessed with introducing new ones, you know."

"Exactly, so how could you have known what charm I used?" said James.

"Er…I must have been paying attention when he mentioned it…" said Sirius uncomfortably.

"Right. Likely story. You must have been practicing it too!"

"For use on whom?"

"Let's think…a certain Miss Laura Sinistra, perhaps?"
Sirius blushed. "I knew it!" cried James gleefully.

"What charm are you talking about?" asked Peter.

"The one where you can make your true love dream about you," Sirius said, a furious blush creeping onto his and James's cheeks as he spoke.

"Okay, I admit it, I did charm Lily last night," said James,�But I was not thinking of making a love potion for her. You think I'd humiliate myself like that in front of Miss Potion Queen?" James said.

"Okay, okay," said Sirius, holding his hands in the air in a gesture of mock surrender, "But don't think I'll let you forget it that easily!"

"Same goes for you, mate," James retorted. Out in the corridor, a flash of dark red caught his eye. Lily had just passed. His heart beat double time.

"I-I'll be right back," he said, throwing on his invisibility cloak.

James, under his cloak, slipped into the compartment that Lily and Snivellus had just entered. He took a flying leap at the luggage rack, and thankfully, landed safely and without exposing any part of his body. He watched in revulsion as the other two sat across from each other. Lily blushed and giggled a bit when their legs accidentally brushed.

"What's that on your face, Lily?" asked Snivellus suddenly. Her hand came up self-consciously in a feeble attempt to hide it.

"Oh, that," her lips curled back to an expression of distaste. "I was staying up late last night reading, and that little twerp Potter and his friends decided they’d have a little fun with me. This was Lupin, I believe,� she said, indicating her chin, which was shiny with synthetic drool.

“Permanent drool, eh? I know how to get that stuff off. Cissy and Bella did that to me once,� said Snape. He pointed his wand at her and whispered an incoherent spell. The slime on Lily’s chin vanished.

“Thanks, Sev,� she said, smiling at him. He grinned back, flushing slightly. James suppressed a groan from the luggage rack. If only he knew how to do nonverbal spells…oh, what he could do to Sev…

Lily was currently staring at Snape as he looked out the window. He stole a furtive glance at her, and they both flushed when their eyes met. James couldn’t take it any longer! He had to intervene. Pulling out his wand, he dropped to the floor, careful to land silently on his feet. Before he uttered a jinx, however, a foul odour began emitting from Snivellus’s back pocket. Of course! The Dungbombs were taking effect. He turned quickly to leave. Unfortunately, his invisibility cloak slipped off in the process, causing both Lily and Snape to jump.

“Potter,� hissed Snivellus.

“That’s my name,� James said, grinning.

“Not funny, Pothead,� said Lily. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “What is that smell?�

“What smell?� said James innocently, “Oh, you mean that smell. I believe it’s your boyfriend here. You see, he never learned to wash his--� James was cut off abruptly as he was pinned to the wall by Snape.

“You little-“

Snape’s insult, however, was cut short as the compartment door slid open once more. A tall, blond, sneering seventh year entered, smiling darkly.

“Oh, what have we here? Ickle second years…did Mummy never tell you not to fight? Well, it is not tolerated here on the Hogwarts Express.� On the last word, he pulled the two apart forcefully. “Severus, I congratulate you, however. Of all the people to be caught pinning up against a wall, that little twerp Potter is the best one. He and his little mates put pimple potion in my girlfriend’s drink recently. You have every reason to harm Potter. Carry on, but don’t let any of the other prefects see. I doubt they would be nearly as forgiving.� He turned to leave, a superior expression on his pale face.

“Leave, Potter, and don’t come back,� said Lily nastily, when the prefect had gone. James backed out into the corridor, hands in the air.

“Wait, before you go, I need to give you something, Pothead,� Lily said sweetly. James turned to her, grinning. She threw an expert punch at his face. Luckily, he dodged her fist at the last moment, or he would have had a most brilliant black eye.

“Good one, Evans, but not good enough. I could show you how, if you want,� James said, shaking a threatening fist at Snape.

“If you do, Potter, I think it’s only fair to warn you that I am very proficient at several curses. Sev’s been teaching me. He’s really very clever. You see, he’s even invented…� Lily stopped. Snape had sent her a warning look.

“Don’t, Lily,� he said quietly. James watched this little exchange with curiosity.

“I’ll find out what this is all about,� he said, stepping out into the corridor before anything else happened. He sprinted off to his own compartment, where Sirius and Peter were waiting with a large pile of sweets from the cart.

~~~~~
A half-hour later, they had consumed all the sweets and Peter was sprawled out on the seat, fast asleep. Sirius and James prodded him to make sure he was truly asleep, and then launched into an intent conversation about The Animal Project.

“Sirius, I just thought of something,� said James.

“Tell me,� Sirius said eagerly.

“My Grandpa Harold has a book about Animagi. I bet he’d let us borrow it.�

“Brilliant!� cried Sirius. “Oh, come to think of it, my mum is bound to have some sort of book about that too. She owns just about every book published by a Pureblood author. I’ll get that from her.�

“Bring it back after holiday,� James said.

“I will if I can, but knowing my mum, she’s bound to have some sort of charm on all her books. You need to bring yours. Owl me when you get it,� said Sirius.

“I will,� said James. The train was slowing, and it came to a stop at the familiar Platform. Sirius shot a jet of frigid water from his wand to wake Peter, who should have been used to that sort of thing by now, but still jumped, screaming, out of his seat. The three shoved their way down the corridor packed full of students eager to spend Christmas with their families.

“Don’t forget to ask your grandpa, James,� Sirius said, stepping off the train.

“I won’t. Good luck getting that book from your mum.�

“Thanks. I’ll need it. See you soon,� Sirius said. James’s mum and dad had spotted him and were frantically herding him toward them.

“Bye, mate!� James called as Sirius was swallowed up by the waiting crowd. Suddenly, he caught sight of Lily. She was craning her neck, looking for her family. Apparently, she saw them, and headed to a man with a long, thin neck and a comfortable looking lady with traces of Lily’s red hair among the grey. He noticed a girl of about fourteen with a scowl prominently fixed on her long features. Clearly, she did not want to be there, and was trying her best to become invisible. Her frown grew more pronounced as James’ dad sent a shower of purple sparks through the air, no doubt meant to summon his son. James pried his eyes away from Lily’s family reluctantly and went to his parents.

“James, dear!� his mother cried, smothering him in a bone-crushing hug.

“We’ve missed you, son!� said his father, clapping him rather hard on the back. James pasted a smile on his face.
“Good to see you too, Mum, Dad.� He tried to slip away form his mother’s grasp, but to no avail.
“James, dear, you seem a little preoccupied,� she said worriedly.

“It’s nothing, Mum,� James lied, taking hold of his father’s outstretched arm.

“Are you sure you want to do this, James? I mean, there’s always Muggle transportation. We could get a Runt-all car,� said Mr. Potter.

“Percival, dear, I think you mean a Runt-all cart,� said his mum.

“Of course that’s what I meant, Gwendolyn!� he said, exasperated.

“Mum, Dad, you’re both wrong. The proper term is a rental car, but I don’t think we’ll need one. Dad, you’re perfectly good at Apparition, and I don’t think you could even figure out how to work those things. We’d get arrested by the Muggle police. Please, let’s just go,� James said.

“James, how do you suddenly know so much about Muggles? You didn’t enrol in Muggle Studies while I wasn’t watching, did you, you naughty boy, you!�

“No, no, Mum, nothing of the sort. It’s just I have…well…a friend who’s a Muggle, and I wanted to do some research to…er, you know, make her feel more at home at Hogwarts,� he explained, glancing over at Lily’s family, who were utterly enthralled by something in a box Lily was holding.

“Help her feel at home, James? I see,� his father said knowingly, “and would she be that enchanting girl with the red hair you keep staring at?�

“Let’s just go,� James said, blushing. He gripped his dad’s wrist tightly and braced himself for the uncomfortable sensation of Apparition. The crowd disappeared as the Potters were pressed through the familiar black tunnel. To James’s great surprise, they landed in front of a Muggle house. He sent his father a questioning look.

“Heightened security,� he said, rolling his eyes. “Some mad idea of your mother’s. Apparently, there’s some sort of a dark wizard on the rise…Witch Weekly nonsense, you know.�

“Percival, I heard that!� said his mother. “James is only a child! Honestly, these things are not meant for his ears…� James and his father exchanged an annoyed sidelong glance.

All the lights in the Muggle house were out, so James assumed the Muggles were on holiday. The Potters walked casually up to the door and opened it by magic. James strode confidently through the house and into the parlour. To his surprise and horror, the Muggle family sat on a sofa, intently staring at a strange box with light and noise coming from it. A teevee, he remembered. Lily had mentioned it once. His parents came up behind him.

“Excuse us, just passing through,� said Mr Potter cheerfully as he walked to the fireplace and conjured a magical fire there. A Muggle man yelled in shock and whipped around to see three very strange people in long cloaks staring back at him.

“I’ll take care of this, Gwendolyn,� said his father, drawing his wand in a very business-like way. James cringed. He despised it when his parents treated Muggles like they were objects.

“Here, James dear,� said his mother, holding out a small pouch. James took a generous pinch of Floo Powder from her. He threw it into the blazing orange flames, turning them a familiar emerald green. “14, Gryffin’s Circle,� he shouted, stepping into the waiting fire. He heard the familiar spell—Obliviate!—before he spun rapidly, and after a few seconds, fell sputtering onto his own sitting room rug. He smiled broadly. Grandpa Harold was reclining in his favourite easy chair. A copy of The Daily Prophet obscured his face, but James wasn’t fooled. Sure enough, as he peeked around the newspaper, the current issue of Quidditch Illustrated lay open behind it.

“Your mother doesn’t approve,� Grandpa Harold said, smiling, “She thinks since I can’t be on a broomstick anymore I can’t read decent literature. Of course, in her opinion, the only things I should be reading are The Daily Prophet or Witch Weekly. Whole lot of codswallop, really.�

James grinned. “Hi, Grandpa.�

Grandpa looked at him shrewdly over his reading glasses. “Now, James, what is on your mind? You’ve been home for a whole thirty seconds and there hasn’t been a single practical joke,� he scolded, winking.

“Nothing, Grandpa,� James said quickly. His parents had appeared by now, and James didn’t dare let them overhear anything about The Animal Project.

Grandpa smiled and mouthed, “Later.� His eyes went back to the “newspaper.�

Later that evening, the Potters enjoyed a wonderful supper, courtesy of the three family house elves. The few bites James ate were delicious, though not quite like the Hogwarts feasts. Especially since his friends…and Lily…weren’t there to share it. Lately, though, Lily had taken to eating with Snivellus at the Slytherin table. James frowned, remembering. He wondered what he could possibly do to convince her to come back. The incident on the train certainly hadn’t helped matters.

After supper, James’s mum convinced his dad to go along with her on her final shopping trip before Christmas. His parents left in a flurry of winter gloves and scarves, leaving James free to talk with Grandpa Harold in private.

James walked into the parlour where his grandfather sat, asleep in his favourite armchair.

“They’re gone,� James said.

“They are? Ah, excellent. Talk to me, James,� said Grandpa, opening his eyes abruptly. James suppressed a laugh.

“Okay. But promise me you’ll do what I ask first,� he said.

“Ah, James, very clever. Something I might say. You’ve learned well. But I’m not making any promises until you tell me what this is all about.�

James groaned. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Well…it’s about…erm…�

“Spit it out already, son,� said Grandpa.

“It’s about Animagi,� James said quickly.

“Animagi, eh?� said the old man, his eyes lighting up at the thought. “Now what do you know about Animagi?�

“Nothing, really,� said James. “But I was kind of hoping you’d teach me.�

“Teach you? What makes you think I know anything about the subject?�

“Well, I saw this book in your room one day about it. I just thought…well, that you could tell me about it.�

“Oh, I can do more than just tell you about it,� Grandpa Harold said, glancing around furtively. Suddenly, there wasn’t a man sitting in the chair. It was a large elk with magnificent antlers and markings on his nose that closely resembled reading glasses. James gaped.