James calmed his heart, and took his invisibility cloak, placed it over his shoulders, and went out quietly, making sure not to wake anyone. Sirius and the others were still sleeping like little angels. It wasn't even six in the morning yet.
He left the common room through the portrait of the Fat Lady in the direction of the hidden balcony Gwen had shown him last year.
He didn't choose the Room of Requirement, as he doesn't know if he is in the same space as Hogwarts. He could be in a different space where there is no thunderstorm, and his transformation could go wrong, and that would be dangerous. He doesn't want to end up half human, half animal.
When he reached the hidden balcony, he looked out the small window at the sky. Lightning was lighting up the night, and rain was coming in through the window because of the fierce wind.
'Perfect,' thought James, taking off his cloak and leaving it in a sheltered place.
From one of his pockets, he pulled out a wallet, different from the one he always uses. Carefully, he pulled out a glass vial. He had kept the jar for months alone in a dark place. The liquid inside glowed bright red, confirming that everything was in place.
Before continuing, James knelt and drew his wand. He scanned the balcony for a suitable object for his purpose. Finally, he settled on a small, smooth stone that he found in a corner. He held it in his hand and, in a steady voice, uttered a transfiguration spell.
The stone began to vibrate and slowly transformed into a simple but functional mirror. James placed it on the ground in front of him, knowing that he would soon need to see the result of his transformation.
Without wasting any more time James drank the potion. At first, he felt nothing, but after a few seconds, he began to feel a burning sensation all over his body that trembled slightly.
From one moment to the next, he felt his whole body begin to shrink. His bones were changing. Not a nice feeling, but James endured it. After a few minutes, the process was over.
James slowly opened his eyes and noticed that his height was much shorter than when he was human. It was to be expected unless he transformed into a giraffe. His gaze landed on the mirror, and what he saw made him smile internally.
'A falcon!' thought James with surprise, looking at the animal in front of his eyes that was him.
It spreads its wings are long, narrow, and pointed. It should have a wingspan of about 40 inches. The falcon's height was about 23 inches. James looked odd to see everything from such a low place.
'It's amazing!' thought James as he started to move with his new body.
He used the hidden balcony room to get used to his new body. He wouldn't go out in a thunderstorm. He didn't want to have a glitch fly in and end it all fatally.
In the process of becoming an animagus, you can't choose what kind of animal you can transform into. No known animagus has shown the ability to transform into magical creatures such as a dragon or a phoenix.
For James to transform into a bird of prey is a great fortune for him. He can fly at great speeds which will give him a great advantage in many situations. As far as he knows the peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world and one of the fastest animals in the world. This is not counting magical creatures.
This form is much better than a cat, dog, giraffe, or other animal. In addition, it has sharp claws and spectacular eyesight.
After an indefinite time, James imagined his human self, as clearly as he could. After a few minutes, he returned to his human form in his Gryffindor robes thank goodness.
'That felt strange,' thought James, looking at his now human hands. It felt strange and a slight ache. He supposed this would get better with time and his transformation could be complete in a matter of seconds.
The thunderstorm had ended. James for the past hour has been on the balcony hiding. He was right to hurry, as usually thunderstorms in winter are of short duration.
He returned to the Gryffindor common room and his dormitory. Everything was still the same. It was barely dawn. Fifteen minutes later Lupin and the others woke up and together with James headed to the Great Hall to have their last breakfast at Hogwarts.
They would all be going home. Specifically to Potter Manor. James invited everyone, and they would be spending the vacations at the grand manor. Deciphering the scroll and preparing for the final vault.
In addition, James was to take care of some business as Lord Potter. Especially, the investments he made in the Muggle world. He must follow up and see that everything is in order. He could also make new ones since he earned a large sum of money thanks to Dai Ryusaki.
"Happy for the vacation?" asked Lupin, looking at James' good mood today. He usually has a good mood, but he doesn't show it on his face with a wide smile like the case this morning.
"I suppose. My happiness lies in another occurrence," replied James, speaking eloquently and with some mystery.
Sirius, who was enjoying his breakfast looked up and looked at his friend curiously, "What happened? If I have the right to ask," said Sirius, also speaking eloquently.
"Of course, you can ask. Today, gentlemen," said James, speaking clearly and with pauses. He looked at his pocket watch for a moment and continued, "Exactly one hour and nineteen minutes ago, a fast and fierce thunderstorm occurred,"
The marauders' eyes widened in surprise. This could only mean one thing they knew very well. James had explained to them the process of becoming an Animagus, and they knew that he was still in the process of becoming one.
Before Peter and Toby could shout, "Animagus!" James and Lupin covered their mouths and signaled for them to speak in low tones.
"Sorry," they both said in unison, controlling their excitement. Even though they weren't the ones who turned into Animagus, they were very excited to find out what animal James turned into.
"Why do you look so calm, you bastard? Tell us what animal you turned into," Sirius said, controlling his tone of voice so that no outsiders would hear them. Like the others, his curiosity was very high.
"I got very excited an hour and nineteen minutes ago," James said. He was now calm, but very happy about his transformation.
"As for what animal I transform into you'll know when we get to Potter Manor," James added without talking about it anymore despite his friends' pleas. He wanted to show them his transformation in a practical way to make it cooler, and he could practice his flying at Potter Manor freely.
Breakfast over it was time to leave for the students heading home. James along with the marauders began to head out of the castle led by Professor Slughorn.
The marauders would not be the only ones staying at Potter Manor. Severus Snape would also be going to the manor and spending the vacations there. He already had his mother's permission, and together with James, they would spend their time translating the scroll. Regulus would not go as James did not want it known that the youngest Black boy was his close friend.
Before walking out the large door of the castle, James said goodbye to Gwen, who would not be returning home this year and would be staying for the vacation at Hogwarts.
"Will you be okay spending Christmas alone?" asked James in a worried tone, looking at Gwen. He knew she always spent Christmas with her parents. It was strange for her not to go home.
"Don't worry. Diana is staying too. My parents told me I couldn't go home... Strange," Gwen replied with a thoughtful look.
"Do you think...?"
"Yes. It must be about the new hobby they have. Which isn't legal at all," Gwen said with a frown. She already knew her parents had joined the death eaters, and she didn't like it one bit.
Her supremacist ideology had left her behind long ago. Her sister was a half-blood and wouldn't let any of these madmen touch a hair on her head, and she was in love with James, who hated supremacist ideals and defended all wizards equally.
'She should stay in the castle,' James thought wordlessly. He preferred Gwen not to go to a possible house where there were death eater gatherings. Everyone knew about Gwen and James' relationship. Even the girl's parents didn't agree, but Gwen didn't care.
"Take care and have a Merry Christmas," said James, who began to hear Sirius and the others shouting, calling for him to go.
"Thanks, you too. Send me a letter every day, or you'll see," said Gwen with a smile, giving a quick kiss goodbye to James, who hurried towards the group walking away from the castle.
'I'd like to spend Christmas with him,' thought Gwen with a sadder look on her face than the one she showed James. She didn't want to worry him and she knew that, if she told him that, he would get the method for her to escape Hogwarts without anyone knowing and spend Christmas together.
She also wanted to spend Christmas together with Emily. It had been a long time since they had spent a good Christmas between sisters. She knew Emily would finally have a merry Christmas, as she was with Euphemia and Fleamont, who are very loving.
"Sad about being left alone at Hogwarts?" asked Diana, coming to Gwen's side, who looked at her with a more cheerful expression as she saw her friend.
"Of course not. I'll finally get to spend Christmas here. I'll make the most of my time," said Gwen, returning to her usual confidence.
...
On the Hogwarts Express in one compartment were: James, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, Toby, Snape, and Emily. A combination is rarely seen on the train.
"How does it feel to travel with the most popular Gryffindors?" asked Sirius, looking at Emily and Snape, who had grim and dull looks on their faces as usual.
The dark eyes of both Slytherins were fixed on Sirius' smiling, confident face that did not flinch at the icy stare of the two. He was used to it.
Snape just clicked his tongue slightly and went back to looking out the window at the scenery. At first, he was hesitant to befriend the Gryffindors students who had a hatred of his house, but he no longer cared. His decision was made and he had already met the cold stares from the students of his house, but he didn't care and even stood defiant in the face of the bullies.
He had fought to the death through the vaults and trained many times with Sirius, James, and the others. He wouldn't let them bully him, though it was rare for them to do so, as many feared James.
With the marauders he was much more comfortable than with his "old friends" Antonin Dolohov and Evan Rosier. Two students in his year and purebloods that he first bonded with when he entered Hogwarts.
Rosier and Dolohov always looked down on him because of his Muggle surname and half-blood status. They were both inferior to him in everything: DADA, Potions, dueling, etc. But they thought they were superior because they were purebloods, so he never considered them his true friends. He only considered Lily Evans a true friend, and these two boys despised her for being a mudblood.
His true friends grew wider since meeting James and the others at the vault affairs. He never thought he would become better friends with those he considered his arch-rivals.
"Don't you ever get tired of talking?" said Emily with annoyance in her tone. Ever since the train had been in motion, Sirius hadn't stopped talking. Which Emily found very annoying, as she liked the silence and quiet.
Sirius's smile widened. At least one person fell before his taunts and managed to be annoyed. Snape had gotten used to how annoying Sirius was by now so he ignored him, but it wasn't the same with Emily.
'It's weird to see her annoyed,' James thought, looking up from his book and seeing Emily's pissed-off expression. Although her expression was barely noticeable, James did notice it, since he lived with her and knew her.
"One of my great family's gifts is talking up to my elbows. Don't you think I should take advantage of that, Miss Goth?" asked Sirius.
He called Emily a goth because of her appearance. Pale skin and a dark shadow under her eyes. Black nails, black boots, and all dark-colored accessories.
As Emily and Sirius were arguing, Snape looked at James, who noticed his stare, "Is something wrong?" asked James.
"Later we should talk," said Snape without being very specific.
"Mm, about your mother?" asked James, and Snape nodded.
"Good. Then we'll talk in private," said James, looking back down at his book. He knew what Snape wanted to talk about. It was about his mother: Eileen, a member of the pureblood family: the Princes.
Eileen was currently staying at Potter Manor.