James' ears pricked up at the sound of soft voices, voices he recognized. Certain that they were now among friends, he changed back and made his way over to the group, smiling at them all.
"You all made it," he said. "Right. We're going to the castle through the forest. Moony and I can lead the way. It's really unfortunate I can't carry all three of you, we need to move fast... but it'll be alright. Just be careful not to fall behind."