Following is a fan-fiction of the famous Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling.

By

Aishwarya Bhatkal
Anusha Bhat
Ayesha Dhanani
Chaitrali Johari
Nithya Venkatkrishnan

"This is so frustrating", said Sirius gritting his teeth. "I don't understand why it matters. We've broken a thousand rules already."

"No," said Remus flatly. "I am not doing this. And neither should you."

"Let's not go there, Moony. We've been through this already," frowned Sirius as he jinxed a nearby pot that did a little jiggle before falling off the mantel with a loud thud.

"Precisely. I have said this before and I am saying it again. Don't do it."

"But we've come so far. We are not quitting now" said James irked.

"Fine. Do it then. But don't expect me to get you out of detention this time," said Remus as he stormed out of the room.

He knew he wanted to help them but he was bound by his duties as a Prefect; not to mention the danger they would be putting themselves into. Filch had already caught them several times lurking in the corridors and it was Remus who had been held responsible. He hated to go against his friends after all the effort they had taken. His train of thought was interrupted as someone pulled at his arm. He turned to look who it was only to find a somewhat angry James. Remus sighed.

"What do you want James? I already told you I am not going to help you in this," he said, irritated.

"Don't walk out on us again, Remus. We've been working on this for a long time now."

"If anyone finds out what you're up to, we'll all be expelled from Hogwarts. And I can't let that happen."

"No one will find out. This map will help us find new passageways, Remus. We can keep an eye on everyone. And it will remain a secret. Just tell me what you know."

"Fine. You've already been to every corner of the castle. Now all you need to do is put all of your memories on the parchment. But don't come to me if you get yourself in trouble," Remus said in a relinquished tone.

"Thanks Moony," said James gratefully and headed back to the room.

James, Sirius and Peter sat in a circle, looking over the parchment of paper as the lines started appearing on it.

"It's working. It's really working!" said Peter gladly.

Sirius and James smiled at each other as the lines on the parchment grew longer. They spread across the parchment showing different rooms and passageways in the castle. James was feeling extremely happy that the map was finally working. Is Remus going to be happy about this? Or is he going to be even more concerned?

"Something's wrong," Sirius said suddenly.

James looked up to see a disappointed Sirius.

"What happened," James asked.

"The map. It's not right. It's all messed up," said Sirius.

James looked at the map and said, "This shouldn't happen. We must have done something wrong."

"We did everything Remus told us to do, James. How could it possibly go wrong?"

All three of them burst out of the room in search of Remus. He was the only person who could tell them what had gone wrong. They went into the common room. Remus was sitting near the fireplace with a book on his lap, reading. He got up when he saw the three of them coming in.

"I was just going to come to you. I was doing some reading and here's what I found," Remus said handing James the book he was reading. "The map will not work on just any parchment. We need a parchment made from the trunk of the Whomping Willow."

James turned to Sirius and said, "Maybe that's the problem."

"What problem?" asked Remus, confused.

"The map is disorganized; the paths and the location of all the rooms are wrong. We thought we did something wrong and that is why we came here, to ask you," said Sirius.

"It is not because of the parchment, I'm sure. It has to be something else. I guess we'll have to find out," said Remus.

James knew what he had to do. But he could not tell Sirius about it in front of Remus. He knew Remus wouldn't let them go into the Restricted Section of the library again. James went back to his room and fetched his Invisibility Cloak. He took a lamp in his hand and covered himself with the cloak before getting out of the room. He then slowly made his way towards the library.

"Sirius," James whispered.

Sirius was fast asleep and did not wake up. But James had just found out a spell that could help them organize the map and he needed to share it with him.

"Sirius, wake up," he said. "I need to tell you something."

"Is that you, James?"Sirius asked in a bewildered tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I just went to the Restricted Section of the library and...look what I found," James said showing a torn piece of paper to Sirius.

"Did you just tear this out of a book in the library?"

"Yes. Read it," James said flatly.

James and Peter were sitting in a dark classroom waiting for Sirius. He had been gone for quite some time now and they were getting restless thinking about the worst scenarios possible.

"Do you think he's been caught?" Peter asked sheepishly.

"I really hope he hasn't," said James as the door of the classroom flung open. Sirius quickly came in and closed the door behind him. He turned to face James and Peter and grinned as he showed them the parchment he had just stolen from McGonagall's office.

"You got it!" exclaimed Peter.

"No one saw you?" James asked doubtfully.

"No. No one saw me," Sirius said. "Let's just get done with this. I hope everything works out this time."

"It should. We got the parchment, we have the spell to organize the map and Remus should be here with his spell any second now. There's nothing that can go wrong this time," James said with confidence.

"Remus cannot know how I got the parchment or how you got the spell, James," Sirius said. "I don't think he would be over the moon about the fact that we have broken so many rules in just one night. So it is better we keep him out of this."

"I think you're right. We can't tell him about this," James agreed. "At least not now," he continued as Remus walked into the room.

"I am not sure if this is going to work," Remus said nervously. "I found this locator spell that will help us locate everyone on the map. If it works, we'll be able to know where everyone is and where they are going."

The four of them sat close to each other in a circle with the piece of parchment placed in between. They, then, took turns to put their memories on the parchment and waited for the lines to appear and spread.

"Agnitio ostendo!" said James, casting a spell on the disorganized lines of the map. The lines began to change and organize themselves. All of them looked at each other with excitement as the map was done.

"It's your turn Remus. Let's do it," Sirius said.

"Homonculo!" Remus cast and looked at the map hopefully. But nothing happened. Remus could not understand it. He was wondering what had gone wrong when suddenly four dots appeared on the map; dots named James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

"Look, that's us," Peter exclaimed.

More and more dots slowly started appearing on the map – Professor Dumbledore, Ms. Mcgonagall, Severus Snape, Lily Evans and many more. Some dots were moving while some were still. James looked up at everyone with pride.

"We did it. It's actually working. Do you understand how much this map is going to help us in the future?" he said excitedly.

"You said it was going to be a secret, James. If this map goes into the wrong hands, it can be misused and if anyone finds out about it, we'll get into great trouble. Please tell me you have thought about this," Remus said.

"Yes I have, Moony," James said. "The lines of the map can disappear with a spell and reappear with another. It will just be a blank piece of parchment unless you point a wand at it and say 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good'. I knew you'd be worried about it."

"And what do you do to make the lines disappear?" Peter asked eagerly.

"That, I was prepared with," James grinned. He pointed his wand at the map and said very matter-of-factly, "Mischief managed."

Chaitrali Johari

Peter watched as the full moon shone brightly. It had been a while since he had been alone in the astronomy tower. He thought about his other friends James, Sirius and Remus who would no doubt be somewhere in the Forbidden forest. Best friends for life. He thought enviously. He knew that he was only a sidekick in the group. No one would really miss him. And that's why he stayed back. Calling in sick, he stayed back alone in the old tower.

This was one of the few times Peter thought about his friendship with the three. He knew that they really liked him, and he them… but he couldn't help but wonder whether he was in the relationship at all. James and Sirius were mean to him at times. So why did he hang out with them? It was entirely his fault. He was only an echo of the group. The only person of the three whom he actually cared about was Remus. He was the only one in the group who even unintentionally wouldn't hurt Peter.

Peter sighed as he looked outside the window, flipping the pages of the Marauders map absently. He stopped short when he suddenly noticed the name "Bertha Jorkins" a nosy and peculiar senior, walking up to the astronomy tower. There was no possible way of changing into a rat and dragging the map out without it being seen , so Peter hurriedly pointed his wand to the parchment and whispered "Mischief managed", just in time to see a very angry Bertha walking into the room. She seemed surprised to see him there, this was probably her secret hide out too, Peter thought. "You doing homework in the astronomy tower, Pettigrew? You know the rules, its way past your bed time-" Peter squeaked out a yes and before he knew it Bertha was holding the parchment and examining it. "Why is it empty?"

"Because I haven't started yet"

"Well that's a shame-" she replied nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?"

Bertha looked indignant "That's not how you talk to your seniors and that's none of your business!" said Bertha handing back the parchment looking more irritated than ever. Peter, who was taken aback, immediately started apologizing. "Well that's the only apology I'll be getting today I guess..." said Bertha, who looked nothing short of eager to share her insights. Peter knew he would regret this but he still asked, "Is anything the matter?" which proved as a signal to Bertha to launch into autobiography mode. She told him all her petty problems concerning what she described as her 'friends'. The same group of people who thought of her as dim witted. Something Peter and her friends had in common he guessed.

After what seemed like hours worth of boring, one sided talk, Bertha asked him about his own friends, James Remus and Sirius. "Really obnoxious, that Potter and Black , always getting poor old Severus Snape into trouble. It's not like they're any smarter than him, the rate they're going they're likely to get expelled from Hogwarts! Why do you hang out with them anyway, aren't you the one who follows them around like a lost puppy?" Peter who had never once stood up for himself finally worked up the courage to reply. "You shouldn't talk about my friends or me th-that way. They're much smarter than you think, and they don't go gossiping about their friends the way you do!" he said in one breath.

Bertha looked indignant again as she replied, "Didn't take you for a screamer there Pettigrew… I'd support my friends too if I had nice ones, guess the three of them are on your side eh? Or was that just my imagination?" she continued "I don't see them treating you how 'friends' ought to be treated.

"Well you wouldn't know..."

"Goodnight Pettigrew, you shouldn't be out this late" she said, surprised as she walked out of the room.

Indignance finally letting go of him, Peter stared after her in silence playing her words again and again in his head. "I don't see them treating you how 'friends' ought to be treated"

Aishwarya Bhatkal

Remus Lupin walked into the Gryffindor common room, hating himself. He was overcome with guilt, for helping James and Sirius, with their little mischief. Filch, the caretaker, had already complained to Dumbledore on several occasions, fervently hoping they would be expelled. But he knew he was indebted to them, for helping him during that time of the month. Turning into a werewolf, every New Moon, was not a particularly fun time.

Remus was aware that the map could cause more harm than good. He had wished that the duo give up. Instead, he had contributed to the most integral part of the map. He shuddered at the thought of the map being discovered by Severus. Or worse, Bellatrix. She was the reason Sirius was almost expelled, two years ago.

He flung himself onto a nearby chair, muttering audible expletives. Nymphadora Tonks, a fourth year, looked at him, smirking. Only two days back, Remus had caught her using foul language, in the Great Hall.

"The ideal prefect ignoring school rules. How often do we get to see this kind of objectionable behaviour, by Dumbledore's favourite student?" chided Tonks.

Remus looked at Tonks, his ears slightly red. She had remembered him. His heart did a little somersault, as he tried to look away. He wondered if he should ask her out. The last time he tried, he had ended up telling her off, in a way that most people wouldn't consider romantic, for swearing. Perhaps, he thought, James could help him. He already had expertise in the ladies' department.

"Please, Nymphadora. Why aren't you in bed, anyway? It's past midnight."

"It's T-O-N-K-S. You would fucking hate it, if you were named Nymphadora. Do not call me that!" she yelled.

Remus swallowed. Her eyes were beautiful.

"Yes. Yes. Tonks," he said. "So, er, nice weather outside, eh?"

He wished the ground would open up, and swallow him. The weather, Moony? Seriously? , he scolded himself.

Tonks giggled, sending another tingle up Remus's spine. Her laughter was beautiful.

"Yes. That's the reason I sneaked into Hogsmeade last week."

"Hogsmeade? You, er, aren't allowed there!" Remus interrupted. "I remember Professor McGonagall telling that you didn't have a consent letter from your parents."

She winked; and burst into giggles again.

"That lady, my mother, thought I would get into trouble if she gave permission," said Tonks, rolling her eyes.

"But, she knows what's best for you," Remus argued.

"Yeah. We're talking about the woman who thought Nymphadora is a beautiful name!"

"But how did you get to Hogsmeade?" Remus questioned. "I don't have a consent letter either, and McGonagall never lets me go".

"Why don't you come with me tomorrow?" asked Nymphadora, excitedly.

Remus's heart stopped beating. Was she asking him out? Does this mean she likes him? Should he say yes?

"On second thoughts, forget I asked." she continued. "I'm seeing Michael, and this wouldn't be right," she added apologetically.

She's seeing Michael? Was he better looking than Remus? Why Micheal?

"Oh, I understand", Remus said. "I'll probably be busy anyway. Prefect duties". He tried to smile.

She flashed him a grin, and bolted off.

Remus did not know what he was angry about, some time back. I knew I should have asked her out earlier. She obviously likes me, doesn't she? I wish I could see what she's doing right now. He glanced at the Marauder's map kept on Sirius's cloak, on a nearby desk. It wouldn't be wrong, right? Just one little look at it shouldn't hurt. James and Sirius wouldn't even get to know.

"Accio map," he whispered, as the map flew directly into his hands.

Pointing his wand at the map, he muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good".

The tiny dot named Nympadora Tonks was standing at the stairs leading to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, beside another dot, named Michael Turin. After a minute, the dots disappeared from the map.

Remus looked for her, but she was gone. Putting on his cloak, Remus ran across the Great Hall, towards the classroom, looking for her. The room was empty. He was positive they had been here a few minutes back, and he hadn't seen them returning. He wondered if the map was still inaccurate.

"Searching for the pink haired girl?" asked the portrait of a stout woman, hanging beside the statue of the one-eyed witch.

"Yes, um, she's a friend. Do you know where she went?"

"Right beneath the statue of the madwoman,"giggled the woman, breaking the cup she was holding, against the glass frame.

Remus turned towards the statue, aware of the fact that he looked like an idiot. He tried to push the statue, as the stout woman kept giggling, pointing at him.

He let out a soft gasp, as the statue of the witch spoke.

"Password?" she asked.

He looked at her, distracted.

"I don't know. Could you let me in, please?" he asked, knowing it was not going to work.

Nothing moved.

"Alohomora," he whispered, pointing his wand at the witch.

The stout woman laughed, breaking more cups against the glass.

Remus frowned. He had to go in. He did not know there was a secret room in this part of the castle. Besides, Tonks was here, with that bastard, Michael.

"Dissendium!" he finally said out loud, tapping the statue with his wand. If this doesn't work, nothing else will.

To his surprise, the witch bowed, and moved aside, revealing a long passageway. He made a face at the fat woman, entered the passageway. It was relatively dark, with no human presence. He wondered if this was another trick of James and Sirius.

He could see bright light, at the end of the tunnel. He walked faster, his heart at his Adam's apple.

"Honeydukes?" marvelled Remus, his voice breaking into an excited yelp.

"You followed me?" yelled Tonks, with a grimace.

"No, I was just walking towards the classroom, and stumbled upon – "

"‑ Upon Micheal breaking up with me?"

"Alright, Tonks, I'm sorry," said Remus. "I did not mean to sneak, I had no idea things were this bad between you two. I'm sorry, really".

Tonks wiped her eyes, with the edge of her sleeve.

"It's alright, I guess. I didn't fancy him much, anyway," she sniffed. "I should get going".

"Hey, um, since we're both here, um, well.. Do you want to grab some butterbeer?" blurted Remus, looking sheepishly at her.

Tonks looked at him for what it seemed, like an eternity. Then, she smiled, and held his hand. Remus grinned awkwardly, as they walked towards Three Broomsticks.

He had realized they were probably many such passageways that lead to different parts of Hogsmeade, and made a mental note to tell James and Sirius about this. He looked at the map. James was with Lily.

He grinned wider, as he pocketed the Marauders' map. Remus turned towards Tonks, who held his hand tighter. He pulled her closer, and everything else faded into oblivion.

Meanwhile, in a certain isolated chamber of Hogwarts, Severus Snape was with another person. Bellatrix kept walking to and fro, at the entrance, but did not enter the chamber. None of the Marauders' had seen them.

But the map had named him Tom Morvolo Riddle.

Anusha Bhat

"Lily?" Severus Snape stood there sheepishly, as nervousness took over him. "Yes Severus" Lily said with a smile. "Do you want to go to the meadows tomorrow? You know sit under our usual tree; it's been long that we have spent time together, and ummmm... I have to tell something too." "What is it Severus? Tell it now!" "No I shall tell it to you tomorrow." "Great! I'll meet you near the dining hall" and with this Lily walked away cheerfully, Severus looked at her with love in his eyes. While all this was going on, there was somebody in the room who overheard Lily's and Severus's conversation. James couldn't stand Lily being close to Severus. He envied that Severus knew Lily better than he did, that she hated him until recently and even though he thought he was perfect for Lily, at the back of his head he admitted that Severus was better. His train of thought would have continued if it wasn't for his mates calling him for Quidditch practice.

Severus was going through mixed emotions. He was excited that he was going to spend time with Lily, like old times but he was nervous as hell. Lily was the only person he opened up to, she was like sunshine and it was impossible to be sad around her. He loved everything about her; her eyes which reflected warmth and kindness, her smile which would brighten up his world, her love towards everyone and she was an amazing witch. She was destined to be in Hogwarts. He clearly remembers the first time he met Lily, at the meadows. It was just another day when James had played a prank on him and the whole class laughed at Severus. He often visited the meadows to be alone and enjoy its beauty, but today he wasn't alone. He was surprised to find her there because not many knew about it and the way to the meadows was a tricky one. But when he looked at her closer he saw that she was crying quietly and she didn't realise his presence. He walked and sat beside her and watched her cry. After a few minutes she stopped crying, she wiped her tears with the sleeve of her shirt and suddenly gasped when she found Severus beside her. He gave her a knowing look and patted her shoulder. There was a comfortable silence between them. Lily sighed loudly and spoke, "My friends and family back home find me weird when they saw me levitating a book, they thought I was a freak." She went on telling about her parents and especially her sister Petunia. Petunia was always jealous of her, she still couldn't figure out why. Lily always loved her and did everything she could do for her. Her parents were proud when she got her first letter from Hogwarts telling that she was selected to study there. But there was hate in Petunia's eyes." Now Severus spoke and he poured his heart out to her. He told her how his classmates chided him especially James and everyone called him a freak too because he was interested in the dark arts. They spoke for hours together and would meet at the meadows every weekend until James came into Lily's life. As always he charmed her with his looks and personality but she didn't like him at first. She would say that he was a mean person and that she didn't like him. But he could see it; it wasn't long before she started spending more time with James and that he would make her laugh, which made Severus wonder why couldn't he do that. Even when she spent time with him, she would talk about James and how he was so was so funny and lively, just like she was. He hoped that today's meet would be different and that he could tell what he wanted to from a long time.

Even though he was at Quidditch practice, James was thinking about Severus and Lily. He was agitated by their growing friendship and he was sure that tomorrow Severus would tell Lily that he loved her. He could see it in his eyes; he was surprised how Lily couldn't sense it. It was so inevitable! The thoughts of Lily and Snape together angered James making him scream and leaving the field while others looked at him with astonishment. He went to his dormitory and the long walk there cooled him off a little. "I can't let this happen! Severus and Lily can't be together! I won't let them!" James said to himself, smiling wickedly when he thought of a plan and walked out of his room towards the common room.

"What would Severus want to say to me" thought Lily to herself. She couldn't wait till tomorrow for the suspense to end. Severus was her first friend in Hogwarts and the only one who knew her thoroughly. He was different like her and was extremely kind and soft hearted. But then she thought about James which made her heart race a thousand miles. A blush creeped up on her face and her ears grew hot. He made her laugh and this was the first time in her life that she laughed open heartedly. She hated him at the beginning for ill treating Severus but then his charms won her heart. While she was contemplating over her feeling for James, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw James at the bottom of the stairs. He walked towards her and sat on a sofa beside the fireplace. He fiddled with his fingers for a moment until he asked her, "Will you go out with me tomorrow?"At first Lily was dumbfounded, but then she found her voice and replied "yes" meekly. James grinned widely and said, "Okay so I'll meet you tomorrow at the front of the castle" and walked away to his room. Lily was smiling until she realised that he had left and ran to her room squealing.

James walked from one corner of the room to the other thinking about where he would take Lily. It has to be better than the meadow place where Severus and Lily would meet because he saw the smile on Lily's face when Severus mentioned it. He also had to make sure that no one would walk on them. While he was strutting in the room his eyes fell on the piece of parchment on his bedside. Now that it was working just fine, he could make use of it to win over Lily's heart and make her forget about Severus. He opened the parchment, taps it with his wand saying "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map activates and he could see it coming to life. The minute names showed up and he saw that Lily was in her room. "So it was her squealing" he thought to himself grinning. He looked for secret places or passages or rooms where he could take Lily. He was frustrated after an hour because he couldn't find any place worth taking Lily. He almost gave up and thought of taking her to Hogsmeade when he saw a place which he didn't see before. It was away from the castle but was near a lake. It looked inhabited and nobody visited it. "Perfect!" He exclaimed. "Mischief Managed" he said tapping on the map and went off to sleep excitedly.

Lily twisted and tossed in her bed all night. After all the excitement she realised that she had to meet Severus tomorrow and she didn't want to break his heart. She thought she will meet both of them at different times of the day but then James had sent her a letter saying that he will wait for her at 3 outside the castle and that was the same time she had to meet Severus. She was in a fix and didn't want to choose between the two but she had to. She decided that she will meet James because she didn't want to miss this date. She hoped that Severus didn't have anything important to say. She felt a pang in her heart but ignored it and dozed off.

James was up very early, but the truth is that he didn't sleep last night. He kept thinking about what he would say and and do during this date with Lily. Her beautiful eyes and wonderful smile kept coming in front of his eyes. She was different. While other girls tried to grab his attention, Lily didn't care less about him. She was smart and loving but really mysterious. He was glad that finally she was going out with him and he had a chance to show his feelings for her. He decided to get her favourite flowers and a chain with a heart pendant. Time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace when James was in class but then finally it was 2 and he ran off to get the gifts for Lily.

Severus didn't have any classes with Lily today and couldn't wait to meet her. He tried to keep himself occupied until it was 3 and he ran off towards the dining room and was irritated that the dining room was pretty far from his classroom. When he reached the dining room it was 10 past 3 but he found the dining hall empty. He searched for Lily in and around the dining room, it was 25 minutes passed 3 but she wasn't found anywhere. Dejected, he walked towards the meadows with tears forming in his eyes.

Lily had waited for Severus for 5 minutes near the dining hall so she would tell him that she couldn't meet now but promised to meet him the next day. But he wasn't there and she clearly knew why. She knew his class was far from the dining hall and it would take him at least 10 minutes to reach there. Taking advantage of that she left to meet James because she didn't have the strength to see Severus sad, he had been through a lot already.

James found Lily in front of the castle at 10 past 3 and she looked simply beautiful. She wore a summer dress which complimented her hazel eyes and her long shiny hair spread over her back. She blushed when she found him gazing at her and looked in his eyes, as if asking him what the matter was. He just smiled, took her hand in his and started walking towards the lake. They started talking about general things like how was their day, what was their favourite colour, their favourite books and about their lives so far. When they were nearing the destination, James blindfolded Lily's eyes saying that there was a surprise for her. When they reached, James removed the blindfold and when Lily saw her surroundings, she was astounded. The sky was nearing dusk, the hues of purple and orange filling the sky, a bed sheet spread on the grass and a basket full of sandwiches and juice kept in front of them. Lily was just speechless. James asked her to sit and he sat beside her. Lily admired the scenery while James admired her face. She had a gleam in her eyes and a smile on her face showing how much she was in awe. After eating the sandwiches and chattering a little more, James held a bunch of lilies in front of her which was received by a gasp and a giggle as she accepted them. He looked into her eyes and said, "Lily, you are just like these flowers, beautiful and lively. Since the time you have entered Hogwarts I have had a crush on you. You are different and I think I'm in love with you. It is okay if you don't have the same feelings for me but I would really like you to be my girlfriend. So will you?" There was a moment of silence when Lily was astonished and she couldn't believe that it was true. When James called out her name she came back to the present and said... ummmm yes James I would love to. And yeah! I have the same feelings for you too. James couldn't believe his ears and when Lily finished talking he hugged her tight for a very long time. He showed her the chain and put it around her neck. They watched the sun set and the orange hues replaced by the dark purple sky. They returned back to the castle as it was getting late. On the way back Lily had a sad look on her face and James asked her the reason in case he did anything wrong, she said that she felt bad about not meeting Severus today and that it pained her. James consoled her by saying that it was okay and that Severus would forgive her and he wouldn't want to see her sad. They reached the castle and went to their rooms hand in hand. Both were blissfully happy which was seen on their faces. But there was someone who watched over them who felt the complete opposite. Severus felt his heart shattering into a million pieces when he saw Lily with James and that how happy she was with him. He never saw her so happy all the time she was with him. At first he felt like going to James and fight him to win Lily back but then he realised that Lily was much happier with James than with him. He could be her crying shoulder but not her source of happiness. Even though it pained that Lily was also taken away from him, he wanted her to be happy even if it meant that he had to see her with someone else. End of the day it was Lily's happiness that mattered. He would love her till his life leaves his body. Nobody could take her place. Nobody.

Lily woke up early that morning, reminiscing about yesterday. While the time spent with James brought a smile on her lips, the fact that she had deserted Severus brought pain to her heart. She decided to go to Severus and apologise to him. She got ready and went to meet him but he wasn't found in his usual place in the library so she went out looking for him. After searching the whole castle she had a strong feeling that he would be found in the meadows, and yes she was right. He sat under the tree where they first met and spent almost every weekend, chattering away and pouring out their hearts to each other. Even though she loved spending time with James she missed the times she spent with Severus. He was there for her when nobody else was and she could almost connect to him. She loved him but it was only platonic, her heart didn't race as it did when she was with James. She walked to Severus and softly called out his name. He turned towards her and forcefully smiled when he saw her. He asked her to sit next to him which she did. He looked into the empty space and even though he smiled Lily could sense his pain. "I'm so sorry Severus. I know I have hurt you, very deeply. But it wasn't my intention. But I don't think it will be right if I justify myself. I just hope you don't hate me because I wouldn't be able to take that. Even though there might be others in my life, you will always have a special place in my heart. You are the only one who has seen me in various situations. You know my past and been there for me when I was too happy or moody or angry and even sad. So whatever happens Severus, you are special to me" said Lily while Severus remained silent. There was a moment of silence between them where Lily's eyes depicted sadness and guilt whereas Severus's was just blank. He sighed and turned towards her with a smile on his face. "Lily, I can NEVER be mad at you, even if I want to. You are too dear to me and by being mad at you I can't risk losing you. It's okay. So tell me, now that we are here, what has been going on in your life?" asked Severus with a genuine smile on his face. While Lily ranted about her date with James and how happy he made her, she was scared too because he was her first boyfriend and she didn't want to make any mistake with him. She ended by saying that she loves him a lot and she really meant it because her eyes showed it all. They went back to the castle and parted their ways, Severus went to his dormitory and Lily went to meet James. Severus changed his clothes and sat on his bed holding a chain with a pendant of a doe, tears in his eyes.

Ayesha Dhanani

The common room was slowly emptying. The clock on the wall above the fireplace read 10:20. He felt like it was tampered with, to make it run slow. What other explanation could there be, when he could swear at least two hours had passed since he last saw the clock, but now, it showed that just 30 minutes had passed? He was visibly eager waiting for midnight, so that he could go celebrate Elena's birthday. Elena Oliver was a fourth year Ravenclaw, a charming and witty girl who loved playing pranks along with Sirius. Their pranks ended up bringing them together.

Tonight, he would sneak up to the Ravenclaw tower and wish her on midnight and then they would go on a date at the top of the Astronomy tower, all with the help of James' invisibility cloak and the Marauders map of course.

"Moony, did you keep glasses for butterbeer?" Sirius asked Lupin.

"Padfoot, I kept everything you asked me to, now take a breath and have a chocolate", offered Lupin.

"By the way, you think you're going to get lucky tonight?" inquired James, a playful smirk playing on his lips.

Sirius blushed, but did not reply. He wasn't sure himself.

As soon as it was half past eleven, James did the usual opening of the Griffindor portrait hole, while Sirius crawled out of it under the invisibility cloak. As soon as he came out, he felt well equipped with the invisibility cloak and the map. He now had multiple advantages being able to see everyone and every place, without him being seen.

This wasn't new to him. In fact, he did this every other day. But today was special to him. Elena was special to him. He had never felt this way about any girl.

He now walked through the third floor corridor, taking a secret passageway he discovered to the Ravenclaw tower. She was waiting near a wall, which, apparently was their door. They walked up to the astronomy tower, both under the invisibility cloak and Sirius had his nose stuck to the Marauder's map, looking out for teachers taking an unexpected stroll or Filch lurking around. They reached the astronomy tower without coming across anyone they didn't want to. Sirius then covered her eyes and took her to a place where stones naturally formed a table and two benches. He had it decorated with fairy lights and also, brought food from the elves in the kitchen. Seating her, he opened her eyes.

"It's so beautiful!" she said, surprised.

"Not as much as you" he replied, "Happy birthday, Elena."

"I'm so glad we're here tonight", she said softly.

Sirius tapped the map with his wand and muttered, "Mischief managed."

Nithya Venkatkrishnan

REFERENCES

Filch – Caretaker at Hogwarts

Invisibility Cloak – A cloak that is inherited by James Potter (and later by Harry) which when draped, makes him invisible.

The Whomping Willow – a tree in the Hogwarts grounds

Ms. McGonagall – Professor at Hogwarts

Hogsmeade - A village near Hogwarts

Tom Riddle - Lord Voldemort

Quidditch - A wizarding game

Doe – Lily Potter's patronus