I won’t ever forget the first time I became a dog. James and I (No, I won’t ever mention that rat in the same sentence as us!) had been hoping to cheer Remus up. Yes, we shouldn’t have been attempting it at our age, but we didn’t care! Not only would it help Remus; it would give us something to set us apart from the other Gryffindors. Since we don’t get to choose our Animagus forms, I was so curious about what I would become. We had practiced the incantation for months, without wands. When we finally settled on a day to transform for the first time, I’ll admit, my nerves were creeping in slowly.

“Why don’t you go first?” I asked James.

He grinned knowingly, nudging me in the side with his elbow. “Don’t tell me Sirius Black is scared?!?! Afraid that you’ll turn into a puny rabbit?”

“No!” I wasn’t going to let my friend taunt me. “I’m sure it will be something practical. But I just want to see what you become first.”

James rolled his eyes; then he took out his wand and whispered, “Animagi.” Suddenly, he morphed into a giant stag. His size made me kind of jealous.

I took a deep breath, saying the same incantation. Black fur started to grow all over me, followed by paws and floppy ears. I shrunk as my bones shifted painfully. James could easily step on me now. It took me only a few seconds to realize what I was. I think my sharp teeth gave it away.

I couldn’t help but run off immediately, looking for something fun to do. I felt so free, chasing squirrels up trees and sniffing the grass.

Once I returned to human form, I realized with a grin, this would be really useful for sneaking out of the school!

Sure, it was dangerous; but what did I care? I wanted to be a good friend to Remus; so did James. How ironic that my name means “black dog”. What can I say? It was destiny.