On Boxing Day, Lily's mother called her downstairs to take a telephone call. Lily, having only one other Muggle-born friend that had ever called her, did not need to ask who it was.
"Having a good holiday, Maggie? Happy Christmas by the w—"
But Maggie was not in the mood for pleasantries. "Have you seen the Prophet?" she blurted immediately.
"I haven't looked at it yet."
"Okay, front page. Bottom fold. Top right."
"Alright, hang on a minute." Lily sorted through some old mail on the kitchen table. "Mum! Have you seen my paper?"
"No, ask your Dad."
"Dad!" she called, then spoke into the phone, "Hey, Maggie, is everything alright? No one's hurt, are they?"
"No, no, everything's alright. Considering…"
"Alright, good. Dad! Have you seen my paper?" Just then, Mr. Evans came out of the bathroom in a dressing gown, carrying the Daily Prophet.
"I really will never get over these pictures. Moving and everything." He chuckled happily, and Lily knew he probably hadn't even read a word. If he knew what new dangers were arising in the wizarding world, particularly for Muggle borns, she'd probably be chained to her bed and never allowed back to Hogwarts.
"Alright, Maggie. Shall I ring you back when I've finished reading?"
"No, no, just read it, it's not long."
Lily found the article:
YOU-KNOW-WHO TARGETS UNDERAGE WIZARDS
In these times of uncertainty, it is a comfort to think that certain traditions, like celebrating Christmas in peace with loved ones, remain. As sixteen-year-old Hogwarts students Sirius Black and James Potter learned, however, nothing is sacred in You-Know-Who's books.
The boys, who are spending the holiday season in Godric's Hollow, home of the recently widowed Dorothy Potter, could only sit down to Christmas tea after some hand to hand combat with half a dozen Death Eaters.
It began when the pair woke early on Christmas morning like most children and teenagers, only to find a surprise guest sitting in the living room.
"Needless to say, it wasn't Father Christmas," said James Potter, who claims that his first words to You-Know-Who were, "Ever hear of a doorbell, mate?"
An adamant supporter of a "pure" magical world, including pureblood-only enrollment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, You-Know-Who has begun targeting families known for their long wizarding history and "purity."
The Malfoy Family was one of the first sought out for recruitment, and Hogwarts graduate Lucius Malfoy has spoken openly about his loyalty to his leader's dogma. His recent marriage into one of the oldest wizarding families in the world, the Blacks, has led the Dark Lord to what he perceives to be new possibilities for recruitment, specifically young Sirius Black and his closest friend, James Potter.
As the search for likely supporters of his movement continues, it becomes increasingly clear that You-Know-Who's strategy for recruiting new members is one of "anything goes."
Euphemia Potter, horrified by her Christmas guest, was shocked he was looking for such young followers. "And just because we're pureblood? Why, my boys tell me one of the most talented witches they've ever met is Muggle-born!" Mrs. Potter asserts that "if You-Know-Who had any [expletive] sense," he'd realize the potential in any person with magical ability, and thinks it's a tragedy he is trying to impose his ideology on the young, the vulnerable, and impressionable, particularly Hogwarts students as young as her son.
Though Black and Potter might be young, their actions on Christmas day proved that they are far from impressionable and not so vulnerable.
When asked to describe what took place between themselves and You-Know-Who, Black gave a rather cavalier reconstruction:
"Obviously it was wands out straightaway, and we made sure Mrs. Potter stayed upstairs. He started talking to us, trying to play innocent, but we told him he wasn't going to get what he wanted here, and that he'd better just move on."
And, according to Black and Potter, that's exactly what You-Know-Who did, but not before sending a group of his masked cronies to try intimidating them into a change of heart.
Potter and Black managed to deter the six men, and by the end of the day sported only several cuts and bruises and, surprisingly, a pair of cheerful smiles. It was later discovered that another boy, sixteen-year-old Peter Pettigrew, was also in the house, but had slept through the entire ordeal.
Luckily no lasting damage has been done, and the teenagers will not face charges for performing magic outside Hogwarts. Mrs. Potter told The Prophet, "We're just looking forward to spending the duration of the holidays in quiet celebration."
"Well?" asked Maggie excitedly when Lily had not quite finished reading the article. "What do you think of that?"
"Oh my God," said Lily. "I think Hogwarts is going to have a field day over this."
Lily could not have been more correct. Where James and Sirius usually got a lot of attention, these days they could hardly walk down the hall without being accosted by admirers and doting interrogators.
"What does he look like?" someone called.
"Is it true he's part wizard, part snake?"
"Did he try to Avada Kedavra you?"
"Did you really fight six Death Eaters? Just the pair of you?"
It was bad even for people like James and Sirius, who were not only used to attention, but usually reveled in it.
"Don't you lot have somewhere to be!?" James demanded at the end of their first week back at Hogwarts, when a gaggle of third and fourth years swarmed him. Sirius, for his part, looked more bored with it than anything else, his handsome face frowning as he ducked between classes, trying to avoid questions.
When the initial excitement finally wore off and James and Sirius could walk around without being harassed, they were still regarded as Hogwarts role models, and for the first time ever it was for having done something honorable. Though their frequent detentions, admittedly ingenious troublemaking, and various talents ensured they were still looked up to and admired as usual, the incident over Christmas turned them into icons at Hogwarts; young, relatable faces of the resistance.
Between lessons, Quidditch training, and sneaking around with the Marauders, James barely had time to eat. Lily's contact with him was limited, and she was still so humiliated over her behavior at the Three Broomsticks that she usually kept their conversations very formal.
Minimal as their direct contact was, Lily's unchecked habit of focusing her attention on James meant that she kept overhearing some of their more peculiar exchanges. She couldn't help wondering about a mysterious project they were apparently working on, making remarks like "If we're ever going to finish it, we have to get serious," or "We just need some sort of sensory charm to finish it," and "next week we'll have to check out the west wing more and that should do it." They could often be found pouring over a large, folded piece of parchment, several thick books stacked around them which they would check now and again.
Lily was about to leave a Prefects' meeting with Remus one day when she saw it. That same piece of parchment she'd seen them working on, not with quills, but with their wands. It was resting on one of his textbooks, and her curiosity got the better of her.
"How's it going Remus?"
He looked up, his light blue eyes looking tired again. It had been about a month since the Christmas holidays…
"Oh, fine, Lily. I saw your name on the Apparition test list. Excited?"
"Definitely," Lily said, extracting a blank piece of parchment from her bag, hoping it was close enough in size that Remus wouldn't notice an exchange. "It's just a shame I have to wait so long for the test, I'll be seventeen this Saturday."
"Oh, yeah, that's right," Remus said, "Well, happy early birthday! You'll be taking the test with James, Peter, and me. James and I are March and Pete's in June, so Sirius is really moody about not being able to take the test yet. He's not until August," he grinned.
"Oh that's…that's a shame," said Lily, and with the help of her wand and a bit of silent magic, she'd swapped the pieces of parchment. "Though I'm sure that won't stop him Apparating anyhow," and Lily laughed rather loudly out of nervousness. "Well, I'm off, see you later, Remus!" And she left him standing there looking puzzled.
When Lily arrived in the Common Room, she found James at the bottom of the stairs to the girls' dormitory, fully clad in his Quidditch uniform and looking surly. "Eaton! Get a move on! I'm on a tight schedule tonight!"
Lily was sure to hide the piece of parchment when she passed him.
"Shove her along, will you, Evans? We're practicing like rubbish and I don't have long tonight."
She climbed the three flights to their dormitory and was pleased to see that Libby was the only other person in there, zooming around the room looking for something.
"Libby, I'm about to come up there and strangle you!" came James's muffled voice from the Common Room.
Libby stalked to the door, wrenched it open and shouted, "I said I'll only be a minute!"
"Well what the H are you doing up there? Get your broom stuck somewhere it doesn't belong?"
"Just—" Libby couldn't help smiling. "Wait a minute alright?" She looked at Lily while she checked under her pillow for something. "He's so annoying sometimes."
"You love it," Lily rolled her eyes.
Libby smiled, but immediately stopped when she heard James shouting in the Common Room, "Hey, I was wondering if anyone is interested in playing Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Interested Bertram? Kyle? Anyone? Because a spot's just opened up and we've got an effing game this Saturday…"
"I'm trying to find my bloody wrist-guard!" Libby hollered down the stairs. "Keep your pants on, Potter!"
Some of the girls from the other dorm rooms on the spiral staircase had opened their doors and shouted, "What is going on out here?" or "Put a lid on it, will you Potter?"
"Why do you need a wrist-guard for practice?" James shouted, becoming aggravated in earnest now.
"Maybe because some Chasers throw the Quaffle like it's a bloody time bomb and I don't want my wrist to snap three seconds in!"
"Oh, be MORE of a girl, why don't you," James called. "Three on a team is definitely too many..."
"Why don't you just play without it," Lily asked.
Libby looked antsy. "I'm really attached to it, alright? It's…it's lucky," she said, tossing clothes off of her bed and digging under the sheets. Her blue eyes were wide and frantic, and she stopped searching a moment to think. She pulled at one of her spiral curls, biting her lip. "Oh, I'm such an idiot! How could I have forgotten?" and she pulled it out of the pocket of her Quidditch uniform.
Just in time, as at that moment James roared, "EATON! GET YOUR TINY ARSE DOWN HERE, OR I'M KICKING YOU OFF THE TEAM!"
Libby dove for the door.
Lily closed the door behind Libby as James groaned, "That wrist-guard had better be able to score goals on its own."
Lily had an idea why James was in such a rush tonight, but just to be sure, she checked her lunar chart.
"Full moon tonight," she mumbled. She smoothed the parchment out on her bed and hopped on. It was blank, but she knew there had to be more to it.
She placed her wand against it and cried, "Revelio!"
But nothing happened.
She tapped her wand to the parchment and said, "Show your true form!"
And nothing happened.
Lily sighed heavily. She dug in her bag for a quill, not really sure what she was going to do. She uncapped her ink carefully and loaded the quill. She stared off into space thinking of what to write, and a drop of ink fell onto the parchment. She heard it fall anyway, but when she looked down there was nothing there.
Slowly, she dipped the quill in ink again and signed, "Lily Evans."
It vanished.
"Great," Lily mumbled, "Just a stupid piece of parchment that makes ink disappear." She was about to put it in her bag and devise a way to return it to Remus tomorrow when she saw something appear where she'd written…
It was as if someone was writing in a thin, neat hand:
Mr. Moony bids Lily good evening, and advises her not to attempt uncovering secrets that will only disturb her to discover.
Lily blinked. She leaned closer to the parchment. More lettering appeared, this time in a bloated, even script:
Mr. Wormtail agrees with Mr. Moony, begging Lily's pardon—it's for the best!
Then, in very precise, looping print:
Mr. Padfoot sends Lily his regards, but asks her in his irresistibly charming way to return this wherever she found it.
Lily rolled her eyes. Padfoot, eh? Very charming indeed…
Finally, in very angular print:
Mr. Prongs acknowledges Evans's admirably sharp wit, but professes his doubt that a goody-two-shoes like her could work this out.
Lily gasped. "Oh do you, Mr. Prongs? Well, we'll see about that."
She was about to try another charm when more print appeared that Lily recognized as Mr. Prongs's:
You're trouble, Evans. The question is…
Lily stared fixedly at the paper, until he added …do you swear it?
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" said Lily. She tapped her wand to the paper and tried every revealing charm she could think of. And then…
Mr. Prongs—respectfully, of course—would like to register his complete lack of surprise that Miss Evans is still trying to crack this using spells she learned in Flitwick's class.
Lily punched her pillow in frustration, and then another word appeared, still in Mr. Prongs's hand: Swot.
"Ohh, you…stupid…" And she shut her mouth abruptly, thinking…if it wasn't a revealing charm…or anything she's learned in Flitwick's class…what did he say before? Did she swear that she's trouble…?
Lily placed the tip of her wand on the parchment, and very awkwardly said, "Er...I swear that I'm trouble."
Nothing happened.
"I solemnly swear that I'm trouble? I swear that I am not a goody-two-shoes, and that I am a trouble maker."
And nothing happened. Lily tried every variation of this she could think of, over and over. Fifteen minutes in, she said, "I solemnly swear that I am not accessing this as a Prefect, but in the spirit of trouble making," then, "I solemnly swear that my interest in this parchment has nothing to do with being a Prefect or upholding Hogwarts rules."
Mr. Prongs's angular print appeared again: I smell a guilty conscience, Evans! I'm afraid you're up to no good here…
Lily sighed, and put her head in her hands. When she peeked at the paper again, it read,
Well, you are, aren't you?
Lily's eyes narrowed, and as the meaning of Prongs's words dawned on her, she sat up, smiling eagerly.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
For a fleeting instant, the writing appeared again: That'll do it!
And ink spun and spread and wove together, joining and crisscrossing, washing over the parchment like waves. On the top, big looping letters blossomed, reading:
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP
At first, Lily was disappointed to see that it was simply a map. But a second glance showed that it was, in fact, a map of Hogwarts; a spectacular map of Hogwarts, stunningly detailed, though it seemed the West Wing of the school had been left out. So this is what they were working on? Could they really have made this?
It had every floor of the castle, the entire Quidditch Pitch, Hagrid's hut, and even the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It had the lake and even bathrooms.
Her astonishment that such a map existed at all had her so captivated that it was a moment before she noticed the tiny moving dots scurrying all over the map like ants. Could that be…could these be students and teachers?
And they were. Lily looked more closely and saw that four of the hundreds of dots were actually labeled: a tiny dot labeled "Remus Lupin" was walking down the lawn outside; in the Common Room sat "Peter Pettigrew"; Lily noticed that Professor McGonagall's office was inhabited by two dots, one marked "Sirius Black"—probably doing a detention, Lily thought—and out on the Quidditch Pitch, accompanied by six other dots, "James Potter" moved erratically around the map. Lily doubted—but then again she would have doubted that this map could be made at all—that the boys would be able to develop an advanced enough sensory charm to make a label for every student and teacher, but even having the four of them was impressive.
The sensible thing, of course, would have been to return the map to Remus as surreptitiously as possible. But Lily, consumed by a burning curiosity, tucked it into her robes. Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers indeed, thought Lily with a wicked grin that could almost rival James Potter's; she could hardly wait to use it to her aid in discovering—once and for all—what the Marauders got up to once a month.
Lily did not have to wait long after Libby returned from practice until she fell dead asleep on her four-poster bed, still in her Quidditch gear. Less than an hour later, under the light of the full moon and hidden by a Disillusionment Charm, Lily followed James, Sirius, and Peter out onto the grounds with the aid of their map. At first she assumed that they too had Disillusioned themselves, but suddenly it became clear what the boys were referring to all the times they mentioned "the Cloak" in company.
When they approached the Whomping Willow, Lily was at a loss for where they were going or how they managed to get there, and for a full twenty minutes they disappeared from the map entirely. Lily hid behind a tree on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, shivering in the cold January air. It was during this time that her charm wore off, and for a few moments she considered just heading back to Gryffindor Tower and abandoning her plans for discovery.
And, too late, a terrible thought struck her…if Remus was a werewolf, hadn't she put herself in terrible danger just by being anywhere near him? She had been so consumed by curiosity that she had never considered this very obvious, very troubling thought.
And then, from an opening near the roots of the Willow, an enormous dog bounded forward, black and shaggy, leaping left and right happily and snapping its jaws at the wind. Trailing after him was a rat, scurrying between the dog's large paws in an attempt not to be trampled, but both animals appeared to be playing together.
And Lily had never seen a rat and a dog play together…
And then she backed up against a tree trunk, eyes wide with fear, her body frozen; Defense Against the Dark Arts had taught her well, and there was no mistaking what this next creature was. His long, sandy-gray snout raised into the air, sniffing out prey, his long body muscular and strong, the fur brittle, its teeth long and sharp…
But to Lily's surprise, the werewolf romped with the other animals like a house pet before the fourth and final animal emerged to join them.
He was largest of all, a lean, muscular beast with gleaming auburn fur. He cantered after his companions and reared his antlered head to prod the black dog playfully.
Lily struggled to steady herself. Refusing to believe what she was seeing without absolute proof, she peered down at the Map. The four dots that flitted around the Hogwarts grounds were indeed Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, James Potter, and—Lily's and Severus's suspicions were finally confirmed—Remus Lupin, a werewolf.
The animals began trotting toward the Forbidden Forest, far enough away from Lily that she began to relax. Open-mouthed and still, she watched them, three Animagi and a werewolf, until something happened to stop her heart in her chest.
The werewolf stopped in his tracks, sniffed at the air, and Lily was aware she was dangerously downwind of the four creatures. It howled, a sound that chilled Lily to her bones, and she made to run, but too late—the werewolf turned its head toward her, its keen eyesight finding her easily.
The snarling grew nearer as Lily toyed with the idea of bursting into Hagrid's Hut, but she did not know how many knew of Remus's condition, and even at the height of her fear she didn't think she could stand to expose him.
She ran for cover in the Forbidden Forest, and when she chanced a glance behind, she saw that the werewolf had drawn horrifyingly close to her. She willed herself not to scream, not to draw more attention to herself as the werewolf threatened to overtake her. Just in time, he received a powerful jolt from the side; the stag had knocked the werewolf off course, allowing the large dog to overtake him, and Lily forgot not to be frightened when he bounded at full speed toward her. The dog stopped, looked at Lily with a pair of gray eyes that looked remarkably human, and gave a booming, very commanding bark.
Lily knew what to do. She rushed forward, leapt onto the animal's back, and braced herself as he sped forward along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Clinging to its hair, the wind whipping her face, Lily looked back. The stag and the werewolf were engaged in a battle, the werewolf attempting to lunge hungrily after Lily, biting and scratching ferociously at the stag as it hindered him. Lily's stomach lurched to see it sink its teeth into the stag's throat, but soon they were out of sight.
She soon discovered what was beyond the Whomping Willow. The dog crawled inside the passageway and led Lily down a long tunnel and into a very old looking boarded-up building.
The second she climbed off, she stood upright to find a handsome, dark haired teenaged boy glaring at her.
"Sirius" she gasped. "Oh god, Sirius. Sirius, I'm so—"
"Where did you get that?" he demanded, pointing at the parchment in her hands.
"I—Sirius, I'm sorry, I—"
"Where did you get that?"
"I…I saw Remus with it and…and I was curious and…"
Sirius snatched the parchment from her hands, extracted his wand from his robes and touched it to the Map. "Mischief managed!" he said, and it once again took the form of an ordinary, blank sheet of parchment.
Sirius turned his back to her, one hand on his hip and the other covering his face. He was breathing very deeply, clearly shaken, and Lily got the impression he was trying to steady himself.
"Well…" he said very calmly after a while, "I can't fault you."
"What?" said Lily cautiously.
Sirius spun on the spot. "I'd be a hypocrite if…well, let's just say I can't in all good conscience be angry with you for this. Christ, you gave me a fright though, Lily."
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't think…"
"Yeah, well," said Sirius savagely, sliding down a dusty wall into a sitting position. "You're alright, are you?"
"Fine," she answered quickly. Then, after a moment, "Sirius…is James—"
"Don't worry about James, he'll be fine. Now that you're…well, Remus will have calmed down a bit by now. Now you're far enough. It's fine. James can handle him."
Lily nodded, but couldn't help thinking of how viciously the werewolf bit and scratched the stag.
"What is all this? Why have you come out here, why did you follow us?" Sirius asked.
Lily hesitated, then decided it was best to tell the truth. "Severus always told me he suspected Remus might be a werewolf. I thought he was mad, but then…well, I heard you four talking about it and it made me think he might be right. And I wanted to see…Oh, Sirius, I've been so selfish, I'm sorry! I know it was none of my business."
Sirius waved a hand at her. "We'd've done the same thing. Well, we did," he said, gesturing around the building. "And so you know…Snape doesn't 'suspect.' He knows. Just, Dumbledore forbade him to tell anyone."
"Dumbledore knows?" Lily breathed, astonished.
"Course!" Sirius said. "All the teachers…well, they know Remus is a werewolf, anyway but…other things we think it's best to keep to ourselves."
"How long has this been going on?"
"Well, he was only five when he got the bite, so—"
"No," Lily interrupted. "All of you."
Sirius heaved a sigh. "Lily…I've got to say, I'm pretty pleased that we managed to lure a Prefect out of school to hunt werewolves and everything, but I need to know that we can trust you. This isn't just something we do for sport, you know. Remus…well, he's our best mate. He needs this. We all do, really. And if the wrong person finds out—"'
"I'm not going to tell anyone," said Lily quickly.
Sirius considered her for a moment. "You're cool," he grinned. "Tell you what I find really impressive…" and he took the Marauder's Map out again. "Please tell me Remus wasn't stupid enough to forget to wipe this, and that you figured it out."
"I figured it out. Well…Mr. Prongs helped me quite a lot."
"He would, the show-off," Sirius mumbled. When Lily looked at him inquiringly, he said, "James would have wanted you to see it, I imagine. Would've been very pleased with himself. Did we help as well?"
"Not so much, you sort of scolded me actually."
Sirius's laugh was remarkably like a bark. "Sounds about right. Anyway—what was it you wanted to know?"
"When did you become…" Lily could barely utter the word, she was so shocked that such young wizards could really have managed it.
"A big, smelly black dog?" Sirius laughed. "Well, we found out Remus was a werewolf first year. James had his stroke of brilliance the next year, and I regret to say I thought he was mad at first. Remus too, threatened to stop speaking to us if we even attempted it. But we convinced him. And we did our homework. Finally managed it last year."
"Wow…" Lily couldn't quite articulate her astonishment. She had first learned about Animagi in third year, and it had come up in other lessons when it was relevant. She knew it was extremely difficult, very advanced magic. Moreover, it was incredibly dangerous and highly illegal if not monitored by the Ministry. "And no one else knows?"
"As I say, Snape knows about Remus. But everything else? You're the first. And Lily…it's incredibly important that you're the last."
"I know, I know. Don't worry, Sirius. I won't tell."