The Misadventures of Padfoot and Prongs

"Remus, I need to talk to you," asked Sirius as his friend moved about the dorms getting ready for the day ahead of them.

"What about?" Remus had just pulled his jumper over his head as he sat down on the edge of his four-poster, looking at the black-haired boy in front of him. Sirius looked around the room to make sure they were the only ones left (everyone else had gone to breakfast, including James and Peter).

"Lyra."

"Why do you need to talk to be about Lyra? I thought things were great between you two," said Remus, head cocked slightly to the side in confusion.

"They are," said Sirius, "They're more than great actually," a momentary smile graced his face before he came back to the conversation, "It's just that.. I want to tell her about our monthly moon-lit adventures."

Remus looked at him worriedly, "Are you sure that's safe?"

"Why wouldn't it be? As long as she didn't go with us, I think she'd be alright," said Sirius, "I just don't want to hide the fact that I'm an Animagus from her. She knows I'm hiding something from her. I'll need to tell her eventually."

"Would... would you have to tell her about me?"

"Not if you didn't feel comfortable with it," said Sirius, "You know I'd never do something like that without your permission. That's why I wanted to talk to you first. I'm fairly certain she'll want to know why we go out at the Full Moon, and she'll know I'm lying if I try not to tell her."

Remus sighed, "I-I'm not sure I want her to know what I am. She'll think less of me, she may even hate me. Maybe you can tell her that the Full Moon gives better light?"

"I don't think she'll hate you, Remus. She's not like that.. she'll just be worried that you're okay."

Remus thought for a minute, but he finally said, "Alright, how about this: You tell her about your side of this, but I want to talk to her about my side, myself."

"Okay," Sirius nodded. "I'll leave you out of it, but if she asks, I'll direct her your way."

"Thank you," said Remus. "And, I suspect if you are going to do this, do it soon." Once again Sirius nodded and the two made their way to the Great Hall.

When they finally reached the Great Hall, the pair quickly made their way to the group of four already waiting. Sirius took his seat in between Peter and Lyra, while Remus sat on the other side of James. Lily, who had taken to sitting with the boys and Lyra since the Ravenclaw and she became friends, sat on the other side of James.

"Finally," James said. "I was beginning to think the two of you lost your way."

Lyra smiled up at Sirius and gave him a swift peck on the lips. She then turned back to Lily, and said, "I have heard about that Muggle family. Absolutely horrible."

"What happened?" Remus asked as he buttered a slice of toast.

"This Muggle family in York was found murdered in their home two nights ago," said Lily.

"The Dark Mark hung over the house, so we know it was Death Eaters."

"As soon as I am out of here, I'm gonna fight," said James. "I hear rumors of a secret group that is standing up to the injustice. I'm gonna see if I can join."

"I will too," Lily admitted; her eyes ablaze. It was still a shock whenever Lily agreed with James, as he still managed to get under her skin quite often, so the boys had to remember not to gape at her whenever such instances occurred.

Sirius spoke up next, "As will I." Remus agreed with just as much fire, and Peter gave a meek nod of his head.

"Count me in," said Lyra with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind teaching these Death Eaters a lesson on proper manners. You don't go into someone's house uninvited, you don't threaten them in their own home, and you DO NOT kill someone. That is just uncalled for."

The boys looked at Lyra as if she had three heads, until Lily started to chuckle. James caught her eye and the redhead's chuckle became a laugh; a laugh that James shared. Within a few seconds their laughs were shared around the group in a full blown hysteria.

"Merlin's beard," said Lyra, still giggling slightly, "I didn't mean that to be funny."

Suddenly, Lily gasped. Several heads turned her way, and James asked "What, Lily?"

"Look at the time!" said Lily, pointing to a large clock, "We've got to hurry or we'll be late to class!"

The group hurriedly downed their breakfasts and then got up from the table to follow the rest of their classmates out the doors. Sirius took Lyra's hand in his as they walked. When they were far enough away from other people not to be overheard, Sirius decided to speak.

"Lyra?" he asked, waiting for her to look up from the notes she was reading over.

"Yes, love?" Sirius took a deep breath to prepare himself.

"I want you to meet me in the Room of Requirement tonight after dinner." Lyra's lips twitched into a smile.

"Oooh, what have you got planned?" said Lyra, "Nothing against school rules, I hope?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something," said Sirius. Lyra's smile fell from her face.

"Oh," Lyra had heard those words before and things hadn't gone well. Looking at his girlfriend, Sirius saw that whatever she thought he meant, she clearly had the wrong idea.

"It's nothing bad, I swear!" he said frantically to reassure her, "It's just... well, it has to do with what I wasn't telling you before. And I want to tell you now. So, will you meet me?"

"Yes!" Excited at the prospect of finally discovering Sirius' secret, Lyra smiled widely and gripped his hand tighter. "I'll meet you at 8 o' clock, sharp."

"Brilliant," he said smiling. He reached down and kissed her quickly before they parted ways to their separate classes.

Sirius, James, Lily and Remus headed down to the dungeons for Potions with the Slytherins. When they entered the dank classroom, the four of them grabbed a table and sat in front of a cauldron.

"Alright class, today we will be creating a fun favorite of mine: the Alihotsy Draught," Professor Slughorn said, smiling at the class. "Now, can anyone tell me what effect does this potion have on people?" Remus raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Lupin?"

"Drinking or inhaling the fumes of Alihotsy Draught induces hysteria," the boy responded.

"Right you are!" the Professor said. "Thank you Mr. Lupin and please accept 5 points to Gryffindor. Now, the instructions are on the board. Begin."

"Remus," whispered Sirius while Lily was turned around to look at the board. When he didn't look up, Sirius kicked him in the shin under the table. Remus snapped his head up and looked at Sirius, "Distract Lily," he mouthed at him. Remus nodded and turned to the redhead, starting some conversation. "Okay, James, I need to tell you something quick while Lily isn't paying attention."

James looked up at him questioningly and whispered, "What? Can't it wait?"

"It's important."

"Alright... what?"

"I'm-" Sirius looked around himself suspiciously and leaned closer to James "I'm going to tell Lyra about what we can do when Remus has his furry little problem."

"WHAT?!" James yelled out causing a couple people to turn towards the pair, including Lily.

Sirius slapped James' arm, and held up a finger to his lips. Remus quickly drew Lily back into the conversation and Sirius was able to talk again without being overheard.

"It's time she knew. She knows I'm hiding something and the longer I leave it, the worse it'll be when she finds out."

James sighed, ruffled his hair, and then glanced up to see emerald eyes looking questioningly in his direction. Freezing up for a second, James chuckled nervously and patted Sirius on the back.

"Do what you have to, mate!" James stated then lowered his voice again. "Make sure she knows that she can't come with us those nights. Oh, and I think I may have an idea to mess with the Slytherins a bit."

"I'd never let her come with us," said Sirius, straightening up a bit, "She could get killed if she did that. And what's your idea?" A smile broke out near the end of his last sentence.

"So this potion is supposed to cause hysteria? I say we bottle some of Moony's potion and throw it at the Slytherin table. Maybe close to a greasy-haired git? The fumes alone should be enough to give us some entertainment," James grinned mischievously.

"That's brilliant," said Sirius, "When do you want to do it?"

"I'd say we give it a day or two. They'd probably be expecting it today."

"Yeah, and if Lyra's cross with me over it she won't take well to our little secret."

"What little secret?" Lily asked, curiosity etched upon her features.

James and Sirius froze, looked at each other, then to an equally nervous Remus, and finally back to Lily.

"It's-ah- it's nothing, Lils," said James. "Just guy stuff."

"So... why does Lyra need to know?" she questions again.

"Well, she is my girlfriend.." said Sirius, looking around at his friends.

Lily huffed and turned her body slightly away from the group and started adding the next ingredients to her potion. Although there wasn't any words coming from her mouth, the boys felt a little guilty for causing her annoyance. Still, Lily was new to the group and had yet to gain their complete trust.

James hung his head, and continued his work in silence from then on.

That night, at 8pm sharp, the door to the Room of Requirement opened to reveal a very excited-looking Ravenclaw girl. Sirius, who had been pacing the floor of the room for about fifteen minutes, stopped in his tracks and looked at her, an involuntary smile creeping onto his face.

Lyra ran up to Sirius and threw her arms around his neck. He spun the two of them around together and Lyra laughed, giddy from both her happiness and nervous excitement at the notion of discovering his secret.

When he placed her back on the floor, she didn't drop her arms like he expected her to, but instead leaned forward and kissed him. She pulled back entirely too quickly for Sirius' liking, causing him to make a small pout.

"I missed you," she said, biting her bottom lip. "I didn't she you all day since breakfast." Sirius gave a small laugh.

"Yeah, where were you during lunch?"

"Library," said Lyra, "I had a project to finish. Don't distract me from why you asked me here though. I want you to tell me."

"And I will," said Sirius, nodding his head in the direction of the couch the Room had conjured. "Sit down for a minute."

Lyra obliged, taking a seat on the plush cushion. She crossed her legs at the knee and clasped her hands together in her lap, the perfect picture of attention. Sirius sat down beside her, so she shifted her body to face his more directly.

"I... well, I'm not sure how to start," admitted Sirius. He looked at Lyra and smirked, saying, "I think you have some idea of what is going on. Tell me what you suspect and we'll go from there."

"Oh, well.. I think you've been running about the Forbidden Forest for some kind of sick enjoyment out of breaking the rules and doing something dangerous. Remus is somehow involved, but how or why I don't know. I don't quite buy his story about night terrors. And, there's something else.. I'm not sure how it ties in, but the charm bracelet you gave me," she lifted her wrist to show him, "has a dog charm on it. I didn't think anything of it, but Lily thought it was strange."

"She would," said Sirius chuckling. "Well, this would be best if I just show you."

Sirius stood up and moved in front of Lyra. He lifted his jumper over his head and loosened his tie so he could take it off. Lyra raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Next, he unbuttoned his white shirt, paying special attention to the way Lyra's eyes watched his every move. The button-down shirt fell to the floor behind him as he shrugged it off his shoulders.

"Sirius?" asked Lyra, but he didn't say anything, only smiled at her. His hand moved to the top button of his jeans, and just as he undid it and began to lower the zipper, Lyra repeated his name. "Sirius!" she said her face flushed red, "Sirius, what the hell are you doing?"

"It's not what you think," said Sirius, smirking. "Unless you want it to be..."

Lyra flushed a shade darker and let her eyes trail his body, unconsciously biting her lip. Sirius could hear her breathing increase in pace, and he smirked, quite pleased with himself.

Sirius' grin widened, but only spoke, "Just trust me, alright?" Lyra nodded and Sirius continued. However, as Sirius pulled his pants down to his hips, he shifted before the young, dark-haired girl's eyes into a big, black dog.

Lyra gasped, her hands going to her mouth to stop her from making any noise. "Merlin's beard! Lily was right! You are an Animagus!"

The dog gave a bark and jumped up onto the sofa with her. He experimentally moved closer, afraid he might scare her.

When Lyra really looked at the black dog, she saw his eyes; the same eyes she had stared into for so long now. Sirius was still with her. She smiled and reached forward with her right hand. Sirius nuzzled it with his snout, licking the underside of her forearm.

"Gross," she giggled, wiping the dog saliva from her arm. "You make a really cute dog, you know."

Sirius wagged his tail and scooted closer to her to rest his head in her lap. Lyra smiled and stroked his soft fur soothingly, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. Sirius made a noise of comfort that, although didn't sound anything like a human would make, Lyra knew it was a sigh.

After 30 minutes of peace, Sirius decided it was time to turn back. He jumped off the couch and padded his way to his forgotten pair of jeans, picking up an end in his mouth and dragged it behind the couch.

Lyra sat facing forward and waited until her boyfriend was covered properly.

"Any questions?" Sirius whispered into Lyra's ear causing her to jump. The Gryffindor chuckled and hopped over the couch to sit next to his girlfriend.

"Does this mean that we'll have to do it doggie style?"

Sirius playfully shoved her, "Any serious questions, Lyra?"

Lyra leaned her head on his shoulder and then asked, "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that James is a stag, right?" Sirius nodded, knowing there was no point in denying this as Lyra had already semi-guessed it when she saw the antlers sprouting from James' head.

"So what about Peter and Remus?"

"Peter turns into a rat," said Sirius. "As for Remus, he asked me if I would let him tell you himself. Next time you see him, just pull him to the side and ask him for his story."

Lyra asked, "Is it anything bad?"

Sirius looked down at her. He new Remus' lycanthropy wasn't horrible in his eyes, but to others, it was a curse punishable by a life of seclusion. He knew in his heart that Lyra wouldn't care about Remus' affliction, but that didn't stop his head from doubting her.

Sirius released the breath he didn't know he was holding, then answered, "James, Peter, and I see nothing wrong, but others tend to feel differently. Just... keep an open mind. No matter what, he is still the Remus we all know and love."

Lyra was speechless for a moment. What could be so bad that Sirius was warning her?

"Of course," she finally said.

"Alright, I think it's time for Astronomy," said Sirius getting up. He began to dress his torso as he said, "Oh, and Lyra? Don't tell Lily anything about this."