Presenting the Marauder's Map
Today was the day. Or rather, tonight was the night.
For a few weeks now, James Sirius Potter was spending his days planning. He only had two more weeks until he began his second year at Hogwarts, and September first was his deadline. After all, how could he steal something from his father's desk if he was miles away in a castle?
James wasn't planning on stealing just anything, though. He knew from his sources (Albus would hide and watch the desk for Chocolate Frogs) that the Marauders Map was hidden in one of the desk drawers. The map was something James wanted, since his dad didn't really have a use for it and it didn't seem as if he was giving it to anyone anytime soon. Which wasn't necessarily fair, since James overheard his parents talking about giving Albus the Invisibility Cloak. So James decided that the best chance he had of getting the Marauder's Map would be to steal it, preferably in the middle of the night when no one was around.
He didn't think that such a simple plan like that would go wrong so many times.
August 19-20
James stayed up all night, drinking Butterbeer and reading Quidditch magazines to help him stay awake. Every so often he would check to see if his parents had gone to bed yet, but it wasn't until 12:30 when he noticed that the lights downstairs went out. He heard footsteps on the stairs, and a door open and close before the house was silent again. But just to be safe, waited an extra half hour before sneaking out into the hallway, moving towards his dad's office. He reached the door… reached out a hand to slowly push it open…
"James? What're you doing?" It was his mum, looking at him suspiciously from the end of the hall. When did she get there?
"I, er, was… I was sleepwalking," James said slowly, hoping that his excuse was a good one.
"Sleepwalking?"
"Yeah."
"Into your father's study?" Ginny asked.
"I guess in my dream I was exploring?" he offered.
"Go to bed, James. Goodnight."
"G'night, Mum."
August 21-22
James decided that it would be better to wait a while until he tried again. Of course, he was too impatient, and so not even a few days later he found himself wanting to sneak into the office again. But this time, he tried something different.
He went to bed as usual, but set his alarm for three in the morning. James doubted that anyone would be up this time. So with a mischievous grin, he went to bed, anticipating when he would try his second attempt to get the map.
At three, the alarm sounded, right on time. At first, James wondered why he was up before he remembered his goal. Excitement surged through him, and he pocketed his wand before leaving his room. He stuck to the shadows of the hall, double checking that no one was coming before he opened the door to his dad's study. He went inside, and shut the door with a soft click. James let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Phase one, complete. Now, to search the-
"James?"
He nearly jumped out of his skin. "I was sleepwalking!" James said quickly.
Harry Potter merely raised an eye.
"I'll just go, then," he muttered, and before Harry could say anything, James was already halfway back to his room.
August 22-23
James was getting impatient. He wanted, no he needed the Marauder's Map. And as a Potter, he didn't give up. But since everything he did so far failed (and yes, he did realize he only had two attempts), he decided that maybe he wouldn't actually steal it. The key word there being he.
So on the twenty-second of August, after lunch, James decided to talk to Albus. He even made sure that he had some Chocolate Frogs in his pockets, in case a bribery was needed.
"So, Albus, you'll be going to Hogwarts with me, won't you?" James said, appearing behind his brother quite suddenly.
Albus rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked, by now used to his older brother's odd tactics.
"What makes you think I want something?" James said, pretending to be hurt. It would've made Uncle George proud.
"James, you don't strike up a conversation about Hogwarts like that unless you want a favor," he replied. "So, what do you want?"
"Well I mentioned Hogwarts for a reason, you see. There are many shortcuts and secret pathways and rooms and such, you know. I found out where a few of them are, too," he boasted proudly.
"Just get on with it," Albus said, pretending to yawn.
James rolled his eyes. "There's a map that shows all of Hogwarts. And I mean all of it. It even shows ways to sneak into Hogsmeade. But you know what makes this map extra special?"
"It has a James-repelling charm on it?"
"It shows where every single person is in the school, at all times," he continued, ignoring his brother's remark. "Think about how easy it would be to pull pranks or sneak around, if you know where everyone is!"
"And here comes the catch," Albus muttered.
"So I need you, my dear brother, to help me get this map." Sure enough, Albus was right. James continued in a more professional tone, "It's called the Marauder's Map, and is currently located in Dad's office. More specifically, in his desk. Which drawer is unknown, though."
"Why don't you get it yourself?"
"I tried."
"Let me guess… once?"
"No, twice! Merlin, Albus, either help me or not!"
And there's the famous patience of James Potter, Al thought dryly. "Fine but on two conditions."
"Really? Huh, that was easy," James said, relieved. So he didn't need to use bribery after all. "What're the conditions, then?"
"One, if we get caught, it's all your fault and I'm not to blame."
James laughed. "We're not gonna get caught, Al. Next?"
"I want all of the chocolate you own." Albus smirked as his brother paled.
"But that's not fair!"
"I guess you're right, it's not," Albus sighed heavily. "Guess I won't be able to get that map for you, then." He started to walk away, knowing that within five seconds James would call him back.
"Wait!" James caught up with him. "You know, you're going to end up in Slytherin. Let's come up with a compromise, eh?"
"All or nothing, James. I want my chocolate."
"Half of what I have."
"All or nothing."
"But Albus, I'm your brother!"
"Three quarters."
James studied him. "Fine."
"So, I get three-quarters of your chocolate, and if we're caught it's your fault. Seems like a deal to me," Albus said. The brothers shook hands, traded smirks, and went off to plan. In the back of his mind, Albus sighed. He had sealed himself to his fate, it seemed.
oOoOoOo
"Pssst, Al, coast is clear. Over," James's voice said in Al's ear. They were making use of a Weasleys Wizard Wheezes product George had given Al for his birthday once. It was a set of ears that acted as walkie-talkies.
"Pssst, James, shouldn't we have code names? Over."
"Pssst, now you think of that? Now shut up and go down the kitchen, over." Al could imagine that James was rolling his eyes as he spoke. Making his quiet way to the kitchen, Albus found himself wondering why James hadn't just asked their dad for the map.
"Pssst, James, I was wondering," Albus whispered, and then voiced his thoughts.
"Pssst, Al, didn't I tell you that Dad doesn't know about me knowing about the map? Over."
"Well you might want to try it. Over."
"Pssst, Al, you forgot to say pssst. Also, come on up. Quietly. I'm hiding in the shadows of the hallway by the study. Over."
"Pssst, James. On my way. Over." Albus snuck back up the stairs and down a corridor, which brought him to where their dad's office was. "Pssst, I'm at the location, over."
"Pssst, walk in, and find the wanted object. According to my sources, it should be in the desk," James replied. "Good luck. Over."
Al took a deep breath, and silently pushed open the door, creeping in. He was tempted to walk like those secret agents in the Muggle movies his dad showed him, but decided against it because it would waste too much time.
"Albus?"
His father's voice cut through Al's thoughts, and he looked up as the lights in the room turned on. Both his parents were looking at him suspiciously.
"Pssst, tell them you're sleepwalking, over," James whispered through the ear-talkie.
"James, get in here," Ginny said.
"Pssst, Al, did she hear me? Over."
"Yes, I did, and I know that you can hear me as well. So get in here."
Al heard James groan, and a few seconds he walked into the room.
"Let the questioning begin," Al muttered to James, who smirked.
"What are you boys doing here?" Harry asked.
"It was James's idea," Albus said, looking innocent.
"James?" Ginny asked as she and Harry stared at the other brother.
"Well, you see, I had heard a rumor about this office here," James said, wringing his hands nervously. "Apparently there's a secret portal or something like that here. And it leads to Honeydukes. It seems as if I'm right, since you both are always here… Goodnight!"
Quickly, he grabbed Al's arm and dragged him out of the room. They each sprinted back to their own rooms, where they removed the ear-talkies and got into bed. Both were wide awake with their hearts pounding, but they were both thinking about different things.
Albus was wondering if he would be getting his chocolate.
James was wondering if he should recruit Lily.
August 23
"Al, I think we should get Lily involved."
James and Albus were outside, tossing a quaffle back and forth as James contemplated his next move.
"She probably won't agree," Albus said. "But it's worth a shot, eh?"
With that thought in mind, the brothers went back inside to find their sister. It didn't take long, since she was munching on a Pumpkin Pasty in the kitchen.
"Why hello there, Lily," James said in a deep voice as he snuck up behind her. Predictably, Lily jumped and spun around in her chair, and glared at James.
"Hey, would you like to help us with something super secret and important?" Albus asked her before she could say anything.
"Like what?" she asked, her brown eyes glittering with curiosity. James grinned and filled her in about his recent adventures and the map.
"I'll help you guys, but for a price," Lily said after James was done. "If Al gets three quarters of your chocolate, what do I get?"
"Oh no, another Slytherin in the family," James groaned good-naturedly before grinning. "How about once we get back to Hogwarts, we'll send you one of their toilet seats?"
"A toilet seat? Really, James?" Albus asked, grinning.
"I heard Uncle George, Uncle Ron, and Mum joke about that once," he explained, shrugging.
"You won't forget?" Lily asked, and James shook his head. "Promise?"
"Promise," James repeated, and they shook hands. "Right, since Mum and Dad are suspicious, I say we lie low for a few days. Today's the twenty-third, right? On the night of the twenty-sixth, we'll meet up in my room. Albus will bring the ear-talkies, and I'll owl Uncle George about a charm that would make it so that no one but us can hear each other speaking. Lily, you have the most important job. You have to distract Mum and Dad so that they're nowhere near Dad's office. Got that?"
"Got it!" she repeated, grinning.
August 26-27
Lily was in bed. The time on her clock read 11:30, and she was ready to execute her part of the plan. She whispered into the ear-talkie that she was about to distract their parents before hiding the device under her pillows. Then she let out a shrill scream before clutching her covers close to her.
A few seconds later, her parents entered her room, wands out and looking around. Upon spotting Lily in her bed and no one attacking her, they put away their wands and sat down on the bed.
"Lily, what's wrong?" Ginny asked softly.
"I had a nightmare," Lily replied, sniffling. "It was scary."
Ginny wrapped her arms around her daughter, rocking her back and forth.
"What happened?" asked Harry, also sitting down on the bed.
"I dreamt that Voldemort.. He hugged you, Daddy." Both Harry and Ginny shuddered, remembering when Draco Malfoy had been hugged by Voldemort at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts.
"Is that it, honey?" Ginny said. "Or was there more?"
"No, there was more," said Lily shakily. "James was one of the surrounding Death Eaters."
oOoOoOo
James and Albus heard both the pounding footsteps of their parents running towards their sister's room. Exchanging excited grins, the boys silently left the room and headed towards the study.
"Now remember, we don't have much time," whispered James as they lingered at the door. "You wait here and alert me if anyone's coming. I'll go in and find the map."
Albus nodded, and James snuck into the study. In the dim light, James could make out the desk with its many drawers. Starting at the bottom, he started pulling them out and going through them, making sure that he didn't move anything too much. In the middle drawer, underneath loads of parchment and pushed against the back, James felt a thick piece of parchment that seemed to be worn out. Carefully, he pulled it out, holding what had to be the map delicately. He tapped it with his wand.
Words started to form on the page, and James waited excitedly as five messages appeared.
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs present the Marauders Map to Prongs's heir in the wish that the heir uses this well.
Mr. Prongs would like to add that he is so very proud of the one reading this message.
Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Prongs and wishes good mischief-making to the current user of this map.
Mr. Moony presents the passwords to use this map. To open it, simply say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' and tap your wand on the page. To close the map, say 'Mischief Managed.'
Mr. Wormtail bids you good luck with future pranks and not being caught pulling them.
James smiled. "Mischief managed."