A/N: Again, so sorry this is late! Strange the people you meet, for I met a guy who looked like he could easily be part of the Weasley family. Strange. Now if only I could see somebody that'd fit in the Black family…just kidding. Or am I? :)

Oh, and I'm so very happy! You know why? ON JULY 15 I OFFICIALLY FINISHED WRITING THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SERIES! Yay! (And I'm extra excited 'bout that 'cause I finished this first book when the very last HP movie came out in theaters, which I sadly haven't been able to see yet. I kid you not, when I see the bitch Bellatrix die, I will jump up and scream with joy. So if you hear someone who sounds like they're on crack at that particular seen…yup, that's me.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the stuff J.K. Rowling created.

Chapter Ten

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs' Secret to Mischief

"Well someone's got to wake them up or they're gonna get in trouble," said a voice from far away. I think it was James.

"I'm not doing it. I've already done enough to them," Remus said.

"It won't be me!" Peter piped up. "The girl scares me even more then Padfoot!"

"Fine you scaredy-cats," James said in revulsion.

"I hate cats!" Peter exclaimed in a frightened voice.

I opened my eyes and saw James, Remus, and Peter standing over me. It was starting to get light outside.

"Morning," I said, sitting up.

Sirius shifted and muttered, "It can't be eight o' clock yet."

James rolled his eyes. "Get up Padfoot. We've got to get back in school before someone notices we're missing."

Sirius yawned and opened his eyes. "You didn't lose it this time did you?"

"It was an accident last time!" Peter said hurriedly.

James helped me to my feet. "You alright?"

"Yeah." I turned to Remus, who looked away, ashamed. "How about you?"

"Me? You're seriously asking me if I'm okay?" He looked a little bit better this morning, except for the fact that he seemed about ready to punch someone and he had several closed wounds and bruises. Without letting him know, I healed him with my mind. He looked down, and then looked at me thankfully, which I acknowledged with a smile.

"She asked me the same thing last night," Sirius said. "I don't think she realizes exactly what happened, or what could have."

"Yes I do! And none of it was his fault!"

"I never said it was," he replied.

"Nike I'm so sorry. For awhile I knew you and then It returned," Remus said, looking sick of himself. "If you want to walk away, go ahead. I can understand if you hate me."

I laughed, earning a confused look from him, James, and Peter. Sirius however, seemed used to my sense of humor, or used to mad-sounding laughter.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to get rid of me. As of right now, you four are stuck with me." When he didn't say anything, I tried again. "Look Remus, you never really know or appreciate your friends until they try to eat you, right?"

He smiled. "I'm not sure who's worse. You, James, or Sirius."

"We better get back," Peter said, looking at the sky timidly. I could just see the sun rising.

James took something out of his pocket. It looked like a folded up map.

"This," he said, handing it to me carefully. "is how we get around the school and cause trouble so easily."

I took it and just stared at it. Nope, it wasn't a map. "It's a blank sheet of parchment," I said. "That's original. Never heard of that one before. I'll have to try it out sometime."

Remus made a sound in the back of his throat, but I didn't understand what it meant. He took out his wand. "You mustn't tell anyone about this."

I was about to give him the same lecture I had given Sirius, but Sirius beat me to it, scowling at his friend.

"What kind of girl do you think she is? Do you honestly believe she would betray her friends?" he mocked me.

I smacked him. "That's my line, not yours. And I do not sound like that."

"Anyways, you just tap the map like so with your wand," Remus said, ignoring Sirius. "and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'" Right before my eyes words appeared on the parchment. It read;

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

are proud to present

THE MARAUDER'S MAP

"Whoa!" I gasped, opening the map. I saw all of the rooms of Hogwarts and that there were people moving around. I saw Lily and Tonks were in the common room, Professor Vera was in his office with Professor Damant, and Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, and I were standing on the school grounds next to a tree labeled Whomping Willow.

"You made this?" I asked, astonished.

"Pretty cool, huh?" James said.

"How?"

"Magic," Peter answered. All of us looked at him strangely, trying not to laugh at his stupidity. "What? He did!" he said, shrinking back, pointing at Remus.

"We just finished it during the summer," Sirius said proudly.

"Remus did all of the complicated spells and charms while Sirius and I found all these secret passageways," James said.

"And you two also sketched the map," Remus added.

We walked towards the school, and then veered to the left, walking to a spot that was obscured by a column of stone wall. James tapped it with his wand and it slid backwards, allowing us to step inside. This was awesome.

"When did you start on it?" I asked, turning my attention back to the map so I could observe it. It was brilliant.

"Let's see…we started working on it our first year here when we became the Marauders," James answered.

"Lumos," Remus muttered, and immediately the passage was filled with light coming from his wand.

I gave James back the map. "So did you get Lily to break off your promise?"

James froze. "What do you mean?"

"Obviously you all are breaking it right now, and I thought since she agreed to let you put me on the team you were getting somewhere."

"How do you know about this? Sirius! You weren't supposed to mention it to her! I told you I would fix it!"

"He didn't! I, uh, kinda overheard you and Lily talking yesterday."

James ran his fingers through his hair tiredly, making it, if possible, even messier. "We have no idea what's going on. She's very protective of you."

"As is Nymphadora," Remus added. "Last night I talked to her about Nike going to Azkaban and she freaked out. She used a lot of restraint to not go drag Lily away to demand answers. That girl is feisty. She's something else."

"Remus!" James snapped.

"No, it's fine. I already knew about the chance of me going to Azkaban. I overheard you and Lily talking," I said, already knowing what James' question would be.

"I think it'd be best and easier for you to continue on here with a normal life. I think you'd be safer that way," James continued. "I've almost got Lily's agreement. But something big is going on and we don't know what it is. But neither me nor Lily likes it, so you know it has to be bad if we're getting along and agreeing." We came to the end of the passage, and the end looked like a canvas.

Remus muttered, "Knox," and his wand-light disappeared. He pushed against the canvas and we stepped out into the hallway that the Fat Lady's portrait was in. I turned around and saw a wizard leaning against a table, fast asleep. Peter closed the door quietly.

"So just behave and stay out of as much trouble as you can." Now that sounded strange coming out of James' mouth. He tapped the map with his wand and said, "Mischief managed!" Thinking better of it, he added, "At least for now."

A/N: Ahh…the Marauders Map. I wish I had something like that *daydreaming*.

And yes, if you haven't figured it out yet, Peter is just a bit weird…but that makes him a fun character to write.

Again, I'm sorry that this is the second short chapter in this story…I'll try to quit doing that, but I had some things I wanted to put in here and this was the only way.

I don't have much more to say about this chapter…so…on with my begging (which I really hate doing, and if you know me, it sounds weird…)…

Please Review! And remember: however many reviews I get is how many chapters you get on the next update!

Next chapter will have Howlers!

Nike