chapter seven ; the transformation

"HOW DO WE KNOW IF THIS'LL WORK?" PETER ASKED, ANXIOUSLY ROCKING BACK AND FORTH FROM WHERE HE SAT, PERCHED ON A BOULDER ON THE SHORE OF THE BLACK LAKE. His small eyes were wide and afraid, though that was nothing compared to Remus. 

"We don't," he muttered, carefully putting down the wooden chest their potions had been setting in since the lighting storm that afternoon. Remus had been put in charge of carrying them down into the forbidden forest, as he was the most careful of the group (and because everyone else was holding other ridiculous items they thought they needed).

It had taken nearly three years to research and perfect the animagus potion, and if it weren't for Tempest's father giving some much needed information while drunk on Firewhiskey, they'd still be scratching their heads. They'd made it relatively far in their experimentation, but McGonagall was growing suspicious, especially after she had overheard them muttering about mandrake leaves in her transfiguration class a few months ago. 

Leaving for Christmas break in defeat, Tempest and her fading red hair had parted with the rest of the group, as she was going home to spend a couple of weeks with her falling apart family. Tanusha didn't make it, as she was far too busy with work, and Edward was only there for a few days due to the fact his girlfriend's family (who was far more entertaining), lived in Scotland and he had chosen to spend time with her. He was reluctant to admit to his relatives that he had only come up to Brighton because of Tempest, his good heart and inoffensive nature getting the best of him. 

So besides the few glorious days her older brother could whisk her away to the winter fair or the Saturday markets, Tempest was stuck in a house with two parents who hated each other more than anything. As a child, she had never really noticed, but the arguments her mother and father had managed to conjure were borderline ridiculous, and she hated the looming sadness hanging over her childhood house. Her muggle friends, Bhavna and Michael had tried to help pass the time, but even they couldn't take her mind off of the hateful home she lived in.

One Tuesday night, two days before she was due to return to school, Tempest's father decided to pop open a bottle of alcohol and drink it straight. She could only watch as he downed his sorrows from the stress of his work and his home life, her heart aching. He had never really been a good father to her, but he didn't deserve to be so unhappy. It was nothing compared to her mother though, she was constantly out on the town, coming back stoned, crying, or both. They had tried to hide it from the fifteen-year-old, but the façade had lasted a mere four days before they cracked. 

As she sat next to her father in the living room that cold Tuesday, Tempest looked up from her notebook containing everything she had written about the animagus potion (it was filled with messy scribbles and crossed out ideas). Her gaze resting on the man who was blankly staring at the decorative wallpaper, she sighed quietly. "Dad?"

Her father had 'humph'd' in response.

"What do you know about the animagus potion?" She had continued carefully, knowing the confidentiality surrounding the concoction. It wasn't by any means an illegal procedure, just extremely complicated and dangerous, especially for her, a wizard who didn't plan to document her involvement for the sake of her friends. 

Though to her surprise, her father didn't hesitate in running through everything she had been missing out on. He had claimed he had attempted to make the potion back when he was in his twenties, but had failed to turn the liquid red. He sounded irritated as he spoke, but there was something reminiscent in his voice as he recalled the faint memory. He told her about how the user had to soak a mandrake leaf in their mouth for an entire month (which she knew, thanks to James' subtle interrogation of Professor Pomona Sprout), then mix it with untouched dew and a hair sample in the light of the moon. Then, the user would leave it in an undisturbed place until the next lightning storm when the liquid would turn blood red on the first strike. 

Tempest took plenty of notes. 

When she returned to school, she eagerly showed the boys the process, and they were thrilled to see that they hadn't been far off in their own research. Even Sirius, who enjoyed teasing Tempest on every given occasion, was impressed. 

So, two months and a failed attempt later, the group of teenagers found themselves ready for the grand reveal. The last time they gather, none of their potions had worked on account that they hadn't properly soaked their mandrake leaves (and Peter had accidentally stepped on his dew before collecting it). Remus held the box the vials were being held, holding his breath as he set it on the ground and opened it. 

Tempest gasped in joy from where she stood beside Sirius, a wide grin spreading on her face once she saw the ruby coloured substance inside the glass tubes. She excitedly grabbed the long-haired boy's arm (to his surprise), and jumped up and down. "We did it, by Merlin we did it!"

"Not yet," Remus muttered, carefully handing each fifth-year their vial he insisted they put their names on, his voice slightly wavering nervously. "We don't know until you taste them."

"Oh come on, Lupin," James chuckled, looking down at the blond haired boy enthusiastically. "Besides Evans, we're the smartest in the year! Especially you and Grover, we couldn't have done it without you!"

Remus sighed anxiously as he watched his four friends gather in a circle, holding their individual vials between their fingers. Peter was beginning to hyperventilate, so Tempest nudged him slightly and offered him an encouraging smile. Sirius and James didn't seem to be nervous at all, though that might have been the cool front they had been putting on since first year. 

"Well, bottom's up," James inhaled, holding out his vial. Everyone else followed, before downing the potion in one mouthful. 

Tempest had no idea what the effects of the potion would do to her. Remus had scared her a little bit earlier on by saying that failed attempts had turned wizards into half-animal hybrids that couldn't be reversed, while some took the form of bugs or whales (which wasn't the most convenient when all you wanted was to spend time with your werewolf friend). 

The first thing she felt was a fiery pain that began in her throat before stretching across her entire body. She wanted to throw up and faint at the same time as the potion took immediate effect. Everything in her vision suddenly became blurry, her friends only indistinct shapes in the distance. She stumbled further down the shore before falling onto her hands and knees, her heart beginning to race at a speed nearly twice as fast as usual. 

Heaving for breath, Tempest's body began to twitch as an image began to appear in her mind. She didn't know what it was for a moment, until she saw the clear outline of an animal; a cat. An even stranger sensation took over her being and she sharply sucked in a breath as her legs began to shrink beneath her. 

Her body began to heat up as a strange sensation grew over her skin, and she looked down to see black fur and paws where her hands used to be. Her chest rose and fell at the speed of light and she felt her eyes growing heavier as she repeatedly blinked. Looking up, she flinched as everything seemed a lot bigger to her. 

"Tempest, are you alright?" She heard Remus ask warily, and she jumped five feet in the air in surprise. Whipping around to look at him, her back curled up in shock. He was a giant to her now, and she realised that the potion must have worked. She ran over to her friend as he bent down to see her, jumping onto his shoulders and settling anxiously. Remus chuckled and patted her head. "I guess it worked, didn't it?"

"I guess it did," Tempest muttered in response, thinking Remus could understand her. Clearly, he didn't, since the English she though she was speaking appeared to be a series of meows. 

Looking up from where she was perched, her eyes widened when she saw three different animals before her. One was a giant stag, towering over Remus with a clearly frightened expression. Somehow something sparked inside Tempest, and she knew it was James. She didn't know what compelled her to think so, maybe it was the aura surrounding him or the faint grew outline around his eyes, kind of like his glasses. 

Beside him was a shaggy black dog, panting heavily. Sirius. It was somewhat amusing to Tempest that his animagus was the exact opposite to hers. His dark locks mirrored the uncut mane the popular boy possessed, as well as the taunting eyes that Tempest found teasing and challenging. 

And last but not least, a scrawny brown rat running around the heels of Remus' feet. Tempest's head whirled around, curiously watching the panicked rodent. With her yellow eyes alert, she jumped down from Remus' shoulders and landed perfectly on her feet, observing the newfound rat inquisitively. 

"Ah, Peter," Remus chuckled, squatting to catch Peter and calm him down. Remus had that kind of peaceful air about him. Peter stopped squirming moments later, and Tempest listened to his loud breathing with her overwhelming new hearing. Her ears twitched as she listened to a series of new sounds, from the magnified crashing of water to the sharp breathing of her friends, she felt like she was living in a whole new world. 

The werewolf placed Peter down and got to his feet, watching as Tempest bounded between Sirius and James. Both boys bowed their heads down to see the black cat, watching as she settled between them and began to purr peacefully. There was a mutual understanding between them all, like an unspoken language they could all communicate with. It was a completely different and unfamiliar atmosphere, but it was so welcoming and pure at the same time. 

"Now, the real task is whether or not you can switch back," Remus said, pulling a small notebook from his coat pocket and flicking through it hastily. "Picture your human form and you should transform."

Tempest shut her eyes and tried to concentrate, and sure enough, she felt herself grow taller and colder. Gasping once she felt regular once more, she looked down and saw that her clothes had returned. Her hands rushed to her face and she exhaled in relief, glad that all everything was still in place. 

Before she could get a word out, she was tackled into a hug by James and Sirius, both of the boys cheering in triumph. "It works, it works!"

"God, it's brilliant!" Sirius laughed, before breaking away and running down the shoreline, jumping in the air and transforming into his animagus. It was a splendid sight to watch, as he rushed across the stretch with so much speed he could've bounced along the surface of the water. 

Tempest laughed and rushed after him, transfiguring into her cat form and sprinting in pursuit. She soon caught up with Sirius as he stopped, and began winding though his legs energetically, before sitting as his side. James and Peter soon joined them, followed by Remus, who was just as pleased with the outcome. 

"Don't forget that we have to be subtle about all this, you can't go around changing in front of the other students," Remus bumbled, crossing his legs as he sat in front of his animal friends. "None of you are registered, and if anyone finds out we'll be in a colossal amount of trouble. Imagine if McGonagall saw us, or Dumbledore, or even Lily or Severus-"

Sirius barked, cutting him off. Tempest didn't know whether or not the smile on her face was visible in this new form, but the quick change from joy to irritation on Remus' face was highly entertaining. 

"I'm just saying, you can't be idiotic about this," he continued. "Only transform when absolutely necessary, like on a full moon when you're giving me company. Understand?"

A series of sounds chimed in response, causing the boy to chuckle slightly. "Merlin, I can't believe we did it."

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