DO THE RESEARCH

J K Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.

NOTE: Something about the Marauders keeping Remus company in the Shrieking Shack has always bothered me, so I wrote this story.

The four Marauders were the best of friends – just like the Three Musketeers as Remus told them (he was the only one who had read Muggle literature). The quote from the book The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas "All for one and one for all" was the motto the Marauders made their own.

However, the "Fourth Musketeer" as Remus was called, had a rather large problem. He was a werewolf and he was told by Dumbledore to keep it a secret otherwise he would not be allowed to have a Hogwarts education. Naturally his three friends found out but they decided to do something to help their friend. They would keep him company during the nights of the full moon so he wouldn't injure himself or feel alone as that was what good friends did!

Therefore, they decided to become Animaguses. Not only would it help their friend but since it was very difficult to do, it would show off their brilliance.

It was not easy to become an Animagus. Not only did you have to be magically powerful, intelligent and dedicated, but, how to explain it, be born with the ability – unless you cheated!

Animaguses were very rare, so rare in Magical Britain that anyone obtaining this accomplishment had to be registered with the Ministry for reasons of security. It was said that there were only seven registered, with their Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, being one of them. Even the great and powerful Albus Dumbledore had never achieved this rare magic. Also, there was no evidence that one could become a magical creature, you could only be a regular, common animal.

However, even Dumbledore didn't have access to certain ancient tomes, but James Potter did. As a child he had found it hidden in the vast Potter library, namely on a top shelf where a boy shouldn't be climbing and since he was not allowed to, well naturally he did. He remembered the book for future use. During the Yule holiday, he got the book and snuck it back to Hogwarts.

The book told the history of the talent BUT it also told one how to get around the nasty detail of not being born with the ability. There were various potions, runes and charms that enabled you to bypass this feature but the potion ingredients were expensive and difficult to make and you had to be really good at charms and/or runes as they were also rare and difficult to master. Also, many of them were dark – very, very dark – hence, thanks to Dumbledore's anti-dark crusade, few people would even attempt it unless they had the inborn ability.

The Marauders never let little things like expense, as James and Sirius were from wealthy families and had access to rare potion ingredients, stop them. Remus was very good with runes and charms. It took them about a year to get everything ready, but after hard work, following the various instructions, very careful brewing, etc., James became a majestic stag, Sirius a formidable and frightening grim and poor Peter was a rat (in more ways than one).

They were so proud of accomplishing this almost impossible task, especially at such a young age, as not only would it allow them to keep their friend company in his monthly trial, but it would be good for pranking. As a stag, James could sneak around Hogwarts as the Forbidden Forest did have deer herds, as well as going to Muggle forests and getting into mischief. Sirius could pass as a big, bad, black hound in both worlds and Peter's form could sneak around, spy on certain people and get into places where a normal person couldn't, so in some ways, his was the best of all if you thought about it. All he had to do was to avoid predators such as cats, snakes and dogs, as those animals liked eating a tasty rat.

Of course, they would not be registering with the Ministry as what they had done was illegal and it would be "fun" to be a secret Animagus. Besides, if they were eventually caught, James' and Sirius' parents would pay any fine to keep them out of Azkaban – and hopefully pay Peter's too – and Sirius' parents would be especially proud that their wayward son had done such a thing.

Although Remus had carved the runes needed, his friends didn't tell him what they were for. At this full moon, they were going to surprise him by entering the chamber where he was confined, shutting the door and then changing into their new forms. Remus would be so happy!

And that is what they did! They changed just as Remus started his transformation, imploring them to leave. They should have told him as he would have warned them and the tragedy wouldn't have happened. But they didn't and it did.

While they had done all of the research for the transformation, they neglected to study werewolves. A werewolf had many of the characteristics of a wolf, not only in viciousness, strength and…appetite.

Wolves eat many things from the smallest of prey such as beavers, rabbits, RODENTS, birds and small mammals to larger animals such as moose, elk, bison, musk oxen and DEER. They will also defend their kill from other predators. A werewolf was also stronger and more vicious than a wolf.

Thus, after his transformation was complete and he lost control of himself, all he saw was a yummy-looking meal in the form of a stag. Before anyone could react, the werewolf pounced on the magnificent creature and ripped out his throat and began noshing. Sirius and Peter had been frozen in shock as it all happened so quickly, but Sirius soon recovered and went to save James. It was already too late to save James but Sirius still attacked the werewolf.

Sirius was fast, strong and fueled with anger and a thirst for revenge but the werewolf was faster, stronger and furious that his meal was in danger. So grim and werewolf fought to the death. Then the werewolf went back to his meal.

Being a rat, Peter hid as best he could and he was too afraid to move. He hoped that once Remus finished his meal, he would be sated. But Peter didn't know how much a wolf could eat at one meal and a werewolf could eat a lot more than a wolf.

After eating the best parts of the stag, the werewolf rested to digest its meal. He dozed for a few hours, while Peter looked on at the bodies of his friends. He planned on staying in his form until Remus changed back and was let out by Dumbledore and Pomfrey. Then he would change back and explain everything to Dumbledore including the "good reason" why they had become Animaguses.

As scared as he was, Peter was exhausted and in shock and he eventually fell asleep. The other three Marauders knew that Peter snored like a dragon with asthma, but they also didn't know that animals make noises in their sleep or rather snore. Peter's snoring eventually woke up Remus, whose excellent hearing and sense of smell soon found the rat, or rather dessert.

Shortly after dawn the next morning, Dumbledore made his way down to let Remus out followed by Pomfrey who would tend to any self-inflicted injuries Remus had acquired during the night. Dawn usually saw Remus transforming and he was always too exhausted or injured to make any noise. However, this morning Dumbledore and Pomfrey heard a truly dreadful sound coming from Remus' cell.

They found the naked boy/man howling in human form, keening out his grief at the sight he beheld. Even Dumbledore was shaken when he saw the slaughter and the strong, I've-seen-everything medi-witch screamed and turned her face away from the chamber of horrors.

Dumbledore sent Pomfrey off to find McGonagall to tell her that something…tragic…had happened to three of her Gryffindors. She ran off to find her colleague while Dumbledore questioned Remus.

Dumbledore sat in his office ruminating on the situation. This could not be covered up as the heirs of two Ancient and Noble, prominent, very powerful and extremely wealthy Houses (and one heir was the last of the line) had been – murdered – there was no other name for it. That they were murdered by a student who was a werewolf and allowed to attend Hogwarts because of Albus Dumbledore. This meant that Dumbledore was responsible for the catastrophe.

Despite the death of three students and the impending death of a fourth (as a werewolf who killed was "put down"), Dumbledore was worried about how this would affect him. Would he lose one or all of his prestigious positions? Would he be prosecuted for allowing a werewolf in Hogwarts? He didn't want to think about it.

Although he hadn't called the Aurors or the Head of the DMLE, McGonagall did! Only Dumbledore and Pomfrey know about Remus' furry little problem and all McGonagall knew was that Remus was "sickly" and being treated by the medi-witch. When Poppy told her what had happened, Minnie rushed to the scene, took one look at it and made a decision. Somehow Albus would try to cover it up and she was not going to let him get away with it.

The Aurors and DMLE Head met with McGonagall at the gates of Hogwarts. She led them to the Shrieking Shack and the scene of slaughter. Millicent Bagnold, the Minister of Magic was called in and she authorized Dumbledore being taken to the Ministry for questioning. Also, once at the Ministry, the parents of the three dead students would be summoned and Dumbledore would be the one to break the news of the deaths. It was his responsibility to do such a thing and although he didn't know it, it would be his last official act as Headmaster of Hogwarts.

He lost his other positions and was forced to "retire" and live quietly and cease dabbling in the affairs of British wizards.

Poor Remus was immediately put down, Poppy Pomfrey had been forced by Albus to treat the student so although she was prosecuted, she lost her position as medi-witch at Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall was promoted to Headmistress and Filius Flitwick became the Deputy Head.

Without the ceaseless bullying by the Marauders, Severus Snape never became a Death Eater, nor did several others who had been bullied by the late Gryffindors.

Snape married Lily Evans, who completed her Mastery in Charms and eventually Potions. Snape became the youngest Potions Master in centuries and eventually he got a Mastery in Herbology and Defense. After their three children were born, Lily returned to Hogwarts to teach Potions while Severus became an Unspeakable. Henry Severus, Eileen Lily and Sebastian Silvanus Snape were excellent students, well-loved by their parents and friends, and would have excellent careers.

Voldemort's reign of terror took a different turn but he did eventually gain power legitimately, like he had tried to do years before but had been prevented by Dumbledore's manipulations.

Minnie McGonagall slowly but surely reinstated the courses which Albus had stopped and the School soon returned to the outstanding for excellence in had held for centuries.

All this happened because three boys were so eager to do what they wanted to do but didn't thoroughly research all aspects.

THE END