Disclaimer: Do I look like the owner of Harry Potter or its characters? 'Course I don't. J.K Rowling does and she is!

Marauder's Map

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!

"The feast was awesome, man I'm going to miss Hogwarts' feasts and food." Sirius said as he entered the dorm.

"Me too." Remus said dejectedly, "I can't believe that it's over, that we'll never come back again. How are we going to live without Hogwarts?"

"Going out in the real world, the prospect's scary." Sirius shuddered. "Hey, wait. What's this doing here?"

The Marauder's map was on James' bed.

"What a git, James didn't even wipe it. Mischief managed." Sirius said and the parchment turned blank.

"He must have done it on purpose. I mean, he's not that much of an idiot. Talking about him, where is he?" Remus said looking around.

"I don't know, he came back before us, said he had something important to do." Sirius replied. "What's that on your bed, Moony?" he added.

"It's a letter from Prongs!"

Sirius moved behind Remus and leaned over his shoulder to read:

Hey guys, it's me prongs. Well that's a bit obvious isn't it? Anyways, you guys must have noticed the marauder's map on my bed. Look at it again and you'll see where I am. Come, like right now. I've got something very important to talk to you guys. Use the map, I've got the cloak. Hurry up!

Your partner in crime, mischief, mayhem and trouble-forever a Marauder, Prongs.

Sirius picked up the map again.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said and scanned the map.

"He's on the roof." He informed Remus.

"Roof? Couldn't he talk to us here, in our dorm?" Remus said.

"Oh come on, don't whine. Let's go." Sirius told him.

"What? Without Pete?"

"Wormy's in the Great Hall, eating as usual. James is up on the roof. It's a cold night. I bet he'd be cursing us for being late. We should hurry."

"But-"

"We'll tell Peter whatever James has to say later." Sirius cut him in his mid-sentence ad grabbed Remus' elbow. He started dragging him outside.

They reached the roof. There was no one up here. Sirius looked at the map again.

He could see James Potter right in front of him. "Prongs, we're here. Get out of the cloak."

James did as was asked. He was standing with his back on them, facing the grounds.

Remus and Sirius walked forward and stood on either side. They stood there, for a couple of minutes, taking in the breathtaking scene in front of them, of the grounds, the forest and the mountains in the background.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" James asked after a while. "Wish we could stay here forever. Wish we could stay young forever.

Oh I'm going to miss Hogwarts-my home. There are so many memories. Our first day here, meeting in the Hogwarts Express, getting sorted. Our seven years together, made our bond so strong, we Marauders, four friends…best friends…brothers…loyal forever.

I never thought I'd make a friendship this strong. We were four boys…four unique boys. Peter, the clumsy stupid one. Not confident enough to stand up for himself. He being a Gryffindor is something I still can't quite understand.

Then there's Remus…Moony. Who had his own dark secret. Who had been scarred for life by becoming a werewolf at such a small age. You have gone through so much pain. You're the strongest, bravest person I've known. Having a dark creature inside, you are so full of goodness that I sometimes literally see you glow.

The third Marauder, Sirius, showed me that being a rich pure-blood isn't the greatest thing. Being from one of the oldest wizarding families, he is, as he says the Black sheep. No pun intended. The rebellious, disowned Black. I never knew that someone with a mind just like mine would ever exist, but that was before I met you. We truly are inseparable, my bestest-est-est mate.

Then there's me, James. Jeez, I don't know how to describe myself. I mean, I'm the best Marauder, the coolest, awesomest, handsome, great, outstanding, perfect, out of this world, mind blowing, smart, witty, adorable, athletic person."

"Yeah right!" Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Well…I am also very modest and to prove that I, too have some negative aspects like everyone else. I have a big-head, really it's very big and my ego is…well… it's as large as Hogwarts castle itself. I am also been called pampered and spoilt but, hey, that's not my fault, I mean I've been bloody rich and from one of the oldest, most respectable pure-blooded families by birth. Plus, my parents married late so they were pretty old when I was born and I am the only child so they did spend a lot on me.

Well this was our unique group, one very responsible, without whom we would surely have been expelled or failed. One very clumsy and dependent and the two trouble-makers, pranksters, the master minds behind every great, successful prank and…well the unsuccessful ones.

Together we are Marauders, Marauders wouldn't have existed even without one of us and I must say we did fulfill our promise. I think we have become legends.

Together we have done more than pranks. We found out about your secret Moony, we thought to help you by becoming Animagi. Plus, we thought to make the Marauder's map.

"Prongs, now you're being modest. Yes, we did some cool things but finding the secret idea of animagi and map were one of the coolest and best tasks we ever did and you were the master mind behind them. Though we did work together for animagi and map but the credit goes to you as they were your ideas." Sirius told him matter-of-factly.

James smiled, "The Marauder's map, one of our greatest inventions. It is the map because of which I called you guys up here tonight."

"Really? What about it? Why here?" Remus asked.

"Well…today is going to be our last night here. I wanted to have a look, one last time and to stroll in the night under my invisibility cloak one last time. Now back to important business, the map. I've been thinking about it. We can't take it with us."

Why not?" Sirius asked.

"Because it's a Hogwarts map and our time here is up. I say we keep the map here where it belongs so someday someone else benefits from it." James explained.

"Ah…I see…but we can't just leave it around here." Sirius said.

"Padfoot, I've been thinking about it for a few days now and I have it all figured out." James said.

"Tell us."

"Well we will put it in Filch's office." James smiled.

"You have successfully gone crazy." Sirius snorted.

"No I mean it." James said.

"Care to explain." Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Well we'll put it in a drawer there, the one that's marked as Confiscated and Highly dangerous. I bet Filch'll never find the password out."

"You mean you want it to be confiscated. How will that help?" Sirius asked.

"This way only prankster will find and use it." James said proudly.

But the other two gave him confused looks.

"Oh well, lemme explain. We will put the map there so no ordinary student finds it. Let me…err…give you guys a…theory.

One day, perhaps years from now, two students…probably first years and Gryffindors, will enter Filch's office because…they would have pranked or something…Filch must have caught them. Then they will look at this drawer…and…their curious minds will make 'em open it."

"In front of Filch…I don't think so." Sirius said.

"No…they will…err create a diversion. One of them will…yeah throw a dungbomb yeah that's it while the other will open the drawer and pick the map."James said.

"You do realize we have a password, how are these students gonna open it?" Remus asked.

"Err…they'll try different passwords and the map will obviously insult them…but if…if they are truly remarkable pranksters, the map…that is, us…will know and if the map…we find them worthy to be our successor we'll….help them…ya know give 'em a hint or two…but mostly they'll figure it out themselves."

"Oh Mister Future teller! Tell us more about these two successors of ours." Sirius said in a mockingly serious voice.

"Well maybe, what if…they are…brothers." James thought.

"Brothers?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"NO…..twins!" James exclaimed, "Trouble-maker twins…yes and once they figure the map out….they'll use it for mischief of course."

"And soon they'll memorize it." Sirius added excitedly.

"And in their…say…fifth year….they'll pass it on."

"To whom?" Sirius asked.

"Well….someone younger than them, who will then start using it." James answered.

"He….I suppose will then pass it on, right?" Remus asked.

"No, he'll keep it." James smiled to himself, staring back at the grounds.

"Keep it? Why?" Sirius asked, following James' gaze.

"Because he will be…its true owner, after us. Someone related to us, who will know or find out who Moony, Warmtail, Padfoot and Prongs are and….who knows after getting the map, he might even meet one of us."

"Just one of us?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Hey I didn't mean me. Not necessarily just one…can be two. I mean, I just have a feeling that I won't be the lucky one. I don't know but I think, this is it. I'll never come back here again, never see the map again.

On the other hand, I dunno why but I've got a feeling that you guys will." James gaze was still on the grounds.

"Don't know about me but we all know Remus will, our Professor." Sirius teased and James snickered.

"Prongs, you have made this all up." Remus pointed out.

"No…I have predicted the future." James replied.

"Yeah right." Remus said.

"No really, you'll see." James said.

"Honestly Prongsie, you never took Divinations." Sirius said.

"Alright guys, you win. I made it all up but you know what mum used to say that if your belief in something is so strong, then it can come true." James told them.

"Really? Then let's stay silent for a while and believe in it so it can come true.

The three fell silent, believing in James' words, trying to make it come true.

After a few minutes, James took the Marauder's map from Sirius. They went to Filch's office and opened the drawer. They left after whispering two words together:

Mischief Managed!

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Ta Daaaa! Here you go….another one-shot. Virtual cookies for the ones who review, it'll make my day. Just tell me how it was? Was it good? Did you like it?