Chapter 1: Capturing the Moonlight
Lily Evans tossed feverishly in her luxurious four-poster bed, her body thrashing as she wrestled with her sheets. Her luminous, pale skin glistened with miniscule beads of sweat, and her cheeks burned like two hot plates as she moaned in her sleep. Her eyelids, heavy and hot, opened abruptly, and her green eyes shone like beacons through the night, so full of light that they seemed to shine like lighthouses through the dark and sleepy room. Lily panted heavily, trying desperately to breathe. The nightmare she had dreamt moments before had shocked the air out of her lungs. On fire with lack of air, her chest felt as though it was going to explode any second. Shaky and clammy, Lily staggered out of bed, towards the water basin. Her tongue felt swollen and pasty, as though she had eaten glue before retiring for the night. Jerkily, she poured water into a cup and drained it in an enormous, painful gulp. The smooth, silk water trickled down her throat and into her churning stomach, which helped quiet her jittery nerves.
Throwing the cup roughly aside, Lily inwardly scolded herself for her silliness. She was in her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and had developed from beautiful adolescence into a mature and striking woman, and she was far too old to be experiencing childish nightmares and terrors.
She had one almost every night now, but usually the nightmares were so strangely absurd that she recalled each nightmare with some fright, but mostly laughter when morning arrived. But once a month, every month, at the rise of the full moon, her nightmares were at their worst.
Well nightmare. It was always the same one. Although it somewhat fluctuated with each passing month, it always ended the same; an icy, chilling cold rushing in her stomach and gripping her spine, and the dead fear clutching her chest as she realized someone she loved fell to the floor, their eyes open with the blank expression of death.
And it happened every month. Every month.
She couldn’t explain this strange cycle, but was secretly grateful for its perfect timing. Wrapping her blankets tightly around her chilled, petite body, Lily quickly grabbed the worn, fragile, checkered book that lay beside her bed table, and scampered down the stairs to the Common Room, intensely eager to witness another monthly event that happened upon Hogwart’s grounds.
All thought of her nightmares thrust aside, Lily raced to her favorite armchair and collapsed into its comfortable padding and fabric. This armchair was her favorite for two main reasons: first, the short distance between it, and the fire was amazingly opportune, and she often received a warm glow from its presence. The second feature was the most important (although preventing freezing to death is important, too), and made Lily’s plagued nights the most enjoyable night of the entire month. The huge window looking out on Hogwart’s craggy hillsides and knotted forests was the best view any Hogwart’s window could offer, and although the view, in general, was breathtakingly beautiful, only one aspect of Hogwart’s grounds intrigued Lily these lonesome, moonlit nights; the Whomping Willow, a massive tree that was unusually aggressive when provoked, standing erectly silent in the quiet moonlight, its long, sad leaves whipping in the howling wind.
Lily sat impatiently, huddled with her many blankets, watching the Whomping Willow with unblinking olive eyes. Her eyes had grown swiftly sharp for signs of movement on these long, moonlit nights, and tonight they quickly darted for any signal for what was about to happen.
In a flash, she saw it, the signal she had been waiting for. Leaning avidly towards the window, her breath fogging the cold glass, she squinted to see the three figures that were stealthily traipsing across the lawn towards the Whomping Willow. Towards the front of the group, Lily could barely make out the tall, lean, but sturdily built James Potter, his jet black hair messily tousling in the wind. Hurriedly dipping her quill in ink the color of James’ hair, she dated the heading of a fresh page from her checkered book and began to record, like many full-moon nights previous.
It’s another full moon night, another nightmare about Voldemort, more terrible and terrifying than any previous one. It‘s getting worse. Way worse.
And another adventure for James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. As always, I’m just an unknown bystander recording and watching.
I can’t believe it’s been five months since I’ve discovered the secret. Although this journal was always meant as further evidence to incriminate Potter and Black, I find myself reluctant to hand it in. Although this nightly routine begins with a nightmare (a horrible one tonight, by the way), it is somewhat…I don’t know…calming to record it’s occurrence. And I find I record less and less about it, and more and more about the deeper ‘stuff’ my friends would be baffled by.
I’m watching James as he transforms. How can someone that horrendously arrogant, conceited, and egotistic transform into something so beautiful? Even from afar, I can trace the lines of the stag’s bold, muscular mass, his silky, dark skin. Looking at that astonishing stag, I can almost forget that he is James Potter. Hm. The moonlight works wonders.
Sirius is transforming now, laughing wildly as he transitions to a dog. Sirius’ Anamagi is completely fitting. Mangy and impulsive, Sirius could walk around school as a mutt and no one would notice.
Peter is my least favorite of the group, although my loathing for James runs deep. His character is fitting, too. A rat? Yes, that’s Peter: sneaky and sniveling, small and lumpy, he should spend the rest of his life as a rat.
Well, Peter’s pressed the knot to the Whomping Willow, and James, Sirius and Peter are gone in a billow of darkness, off to their secret adventures.
I long for such adventures. I mean, what do they do all night? I wish I could join them. Wait, what am I saying?
Ah, we’ve reached it at last, the truth to my reluctance. I don’t blame James and his friends for craving adventures. I would do the same to have my share of a little moonlight.
The Checkered Book by James_Lover
Chapter Notes: As some of you may have noticed, the title of this fanfiction is identical to my last one. After reading the only chapter to the previous Checkered Book, I decided to do some major revising. Although I hate doing that to my readers, I enjoy this chapter much better than the previous one and hope you will too.