CHAPTER THREE

The little rat seemed to be fumbling about under the Whomping Willow, which was thrashing about indiscriminately. Suddenly, it stopped, and an opening was revealed near the roots. Peter changed back into himself again and beckoned them to follow him down the passage.

"C'mon lets go!" James was removing the Invisibility Cloak as he spoke. Remus and Sirius moved to follow him, but Lily remained where she was. "Well what are you waiting for? C'mon!" James said urgently.

"You must be joking!" she exclaimed in horror. "I'm not going down there! There could be spiders or something roaming around!" She pointed at the dark entrance with a look of disgust on her face.

"I don't believe this!" said James exasperated. He tried to think of a solution. "What if this time, you stand guard? Then we could fill you in on what plans we've made later."

She snapped back at him. "You honestly think I'm going to stand here, alone in the dark? Are you mad?" Her green eyes flashed angrily.

Remus and Sirius surveyed the scene before them. "Do you two want the entire population of Hogwarts here, or what?" Remus flared. Lily and James blushed with embarrassment. "Right, now let's get a move on, before someone sees us!" He grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her towards the secret opening. She had no time to protest, as James and Sirius were close behind them.

The passage was dark and low so on entering they had to reach for their wands, but with some difficulty."Lumos!" they said. The wands then gave off a small beam of light so they could see where they were going. They moved carefully down the passage, which seemed to go on forever. Their progress was slow because they were more or less bent double. They crawled along until suddenly, the pathway started to incline upwards. A short time later, they came to a small opening, which led into a darkened room. Lily looked round in amazement. The windows were all boarded up, and what furniture was there was in bits, or in need of repair. There was a large unmade bed dominating the room, and as they moved further in, a huge cloud of dust billowed around them like a cloak. There was a musty smell that hung in the air. Lily wrinkled her nose. The room had an eerie feel about it, which she didn't like.

Remus picked up a few chairs that were strewn across the floor, and set them upright near the bed. "Make yourselves comfy," he said, positioning himself on the corner of the bed facing the chairs. "We don't have much time, so can you get the map out Sirius?"

Sirius retrieved the map from his school bag. He unfolded it carefully and placed it on the bed next to Remus. Lily leaned in for a closer look. She couldn't believe her eyes. There was the castle and surrounding areas, corridors, classes and secret entrances; everything that existed in Hogwarts was on this piece of parchment. But what intrigued her most, were the little figures walking around, with names above them.

"There's Snape!" she squealed. "He's going into the Trophy Room!" She looked at the others. "Wonder what he wants in there?"

They shrugged and shook their heads. "Who cares?" said James, in an offhand manner. They looked at the map again. "Right, let's get this thing finished!" James took his wand, and pointed it at the map. "Imprintium!" Blue sparks flashed, and when they had disappeared a new pathway was visible on the map.

Lily grinned. "Excellent!" she said. *

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Severus Snape was sneaking into the Trophy Room, undetected by the Hufflepuff prefect, Verity Adams, who was coming down the corridor at the same time. The room was dimly lit, and the trophies glistened in their cases as the torchlight kissed the gleaming metal. "Are you there?" Snape ventured the question into the still air. He crossed the floor like a predator seeking its kill.

"Yes, I'm here," came the disembodied voice from the void. A tall, thin, pale-looking man stepped out of the shadows. "You've kept me waiting Severus," he said smoothly. "You know I don't like to be kept waiting. It could be dangerous - for you!" he spat acidly.

Severus lost his cockiness, and nervously said, "It won't happen again Mr Malfoy,"

"I know it won't Severus," said Lucius Malfoy.

Malfoy was dressed in a long, black cloak and he had smart, expensive clothes on underneath. His long, blond hair fell loosely about his shoulders. His steely grey eyes looked at Snape like a hawk. "Now, do you have any information for me? Lord Voldemort grows impatient!"

Snape eyed the man before him with contempt. He was actually afraid of Malfoy, but he did a reasonably good job of hiding it.

"Mr Malfoy," Snape oozed greasily, "I do have a little news for you concerning Albus Dumbledore,"

Malfoy gave the young informer a crooked smile and said with vague interest, "And what would that be Snape?"

"Dumbledore has been having late night visits from the warlock Ezra Trimble, and he was also visited by Hilda Roper. She is a very powerful witch in her own right," said Snape knowledgably.

Malfoy gave him an exasperated look. "Credit me with some intelligence Snape," he said icily. Snape shuffled his feet, and coughed nervously.

Malfoy stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder why he's been meeting with them?" he said furrowing his brow. Malfoy started to pace around Snape while he pondered, airing his thoughts to no one in particular as he did so.

Snape watched the other man, quietly wishing that he would hurry up and leave before someone came into the room and discovered them there.

"Mr Malfoy." Snape ventured.

"What is it?" Malfoy replied absentmindedly. He was still trying to work out whether Dumbledore knew anything or not.

"What if Dumbledore is trying to raise support against Voldemort?" he whispered fearfully.

Malfoy's face broke into a smile that seemed to soften his appearance slightly. "No I don't think so," he retorted confidently. "He can't know what we're up to, unless you have been found out Snape." He squared himself up to Snape and stared him in the eye. "You haven't been careless have you?" he spat.

Snape shivered. "No! I admit it's getting harder to find things out, but I have not yet been discovered."

Malfoy seemed appeased by the young spy's answer, and changed his attitude accordingly.

"Very good Severus, you have done well!" Malfoy made a dismissive gesture with a wave of his hand. "Voldemort will reward you for your service to him." Snape smiled uneasily, unsure of how to take the volatile Malfoy.

Malfoy continued, "I must go now Severus. Owl me if anything else comes up." Malfoy moved towards the shadows again, and then disappeared behind a wall hanging, leaving Snape alone.

"I hate it when he does that!" Snape grumbled to himself as he stomped towards the door.

*

The map was almost finished. All that was needed was to put a title to it. They sat and thought for a minute about what to do when Lily said, "Hang on, what if someone finds it?" She picked up the map, and studied it again. "Why don't I put a charm on it, so that anyone who finds it, will not be able to use it?" She smiled mischievously. "Only those who know the spell can view it!"

The boys looked at each other and grinned. "Good idea Lily," they enthused.

"But what are we going to call it?" she asked.

"What about, 'Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers are proud to present: THE MARAUDERS MAP!'" said Sirius with glee.

"It's a bit long winded," she said. "But it's catchy!"

Lily waved her wand over the map and muttered something under her breath. The words appeared in a flourish at the top of the map, and then suddenly the passageways, corridors and every small detail in the map disappeared completely. The parchment was blank.

"Wow!" said the boys in awe.

Remus said, "How do we get the map back though?"

"That's easy!" She touched the parchment with her wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." At once threads of green ink started to spread across the parchment in long spindly tendrils and all of a sudden the map was visible again.

"How do you make it invisible again?" James asked eagerly.

Lily tapped her wand on the map and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map was wiped clean. "Easy!" she smiled.

James took the parchment, now bewitched to appear blank, and folded it up carefully.

"Thanks Lily," he beamed. "I forgot how good you were at charms." He stood up, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He turned to give the map back to Sirius who placed it back in his bag. "Well come on you lot! It's time we were getting back - it's very late," he said looking at his watch.

They all got up to leave the depressing room and headed for the passage that led back to the base of the Whomping Willow in the grounds of Hogwarts. Going back seemed quicker and in no time at all they were back in the Gryffindor common room. There was nobody up when they returned; the room had a crimson glow from the dying embers in the fireplace. They made their way to the doorway that led to the dormitories.

"I think I'll sit up for a while," said Lily moving towards one of the lumpy armchairs by the fire.

"Would you like some company?" James enquired with a hopeful look sweeping across his face.

"Yes, ok!"

They said, "Goodnight" to the other three, and Lily settled in front of the fire while James gave the embers a poke to try and get a flame going. He flopped down in the chair next to her, defeated by the task.

"Where did the names 'Moony', 'Wormtail', 'Padfoot' and 'Prongs' come from?" Lily enquired casually.

James smiled sheepishly, "They're our nicknames for each other." He trailed off into his own thoughts, and stared into the fire.

Lily tried probing a bit deeper. "A bit unusual though, the names I mean. How did you think them up?"

James looked at her, curiosity was written all over her face. He pondered on his answer.

"Well you know about Remus?" he muttered. She nodded. "The thing is, he was alone, and trapped away from everyone at the school." Lily listened wide- eyed and tight lipped as he continued. "We wondered if there was something we could do to help him, as he was always attacking himself, and he'd be covered in bites and scratches." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Sirius and I had the idea of transfiguring into animals, as that would be safer for us to be with him when he became a werewolf." James had a twinkle in his eye, and a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. Lily sensed the excitement building in the air, as James explained about the Marauders' conception.

"How did you manage to hide yourselves, while you practiced? Hogwarts isn't exactly. private, is it?" she gasped

"The Shrieking Shack," he said bluntly. "Dumbledore made the place available for Remus, so he would be safe, and so the Hogwarts' students would be safe. We practiced there." James sat forward, and ran his hand through his untidy hair. "That's where we first came up with the idea of making a map. That way we could prowl around with Remus undetected!" he said thickly. His mood lifted as he recalled the choosing of the nicknames. "Moony is Remus, for obvious reasons; Wormtail is Peter - it was either that or Rat Face and he didn't like the implications!" he sniggered mischievously.

Lily chuckled too, and then she asked, "So what animals do you and Sirius change into?"

James gazed into her eyes, blushed slightly and divulged the information modestly. "I am Prongs, because I can turn into a deer, and Sirius is Padfoot, because he can turn into rather a large dog." He opened his arms as if welcoming a hug. "And together we are The Marauders!" he said theatrically.

Lily giggled, and swiped at his hand. "Oh behave yourself!" she scolded playfully.

James looked at her and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Me? Behave myself? Why Lily, what do you mean?" he said sheepishly. Lily looked bashfully back at him and changed the subject back to Remus.

"What will happen when the next full moon appears, James?" Lily had a look of concern on her face now. "Professor Wadsworth still has to find the right potion for Remus and she only has another two weeks!" she gasped.

"We will just have to keep looking after him, as we have been doing," he muttered.

"I will do whatever I can to help too!" she said wearily. Lily yawned. James smiled warmly at her and grabbed her hand affectionately.

"Come on you," he said pulling her up from her seat. "Time you were in bed, you're tired out!" Lily tried protesting feebly but James was having none of it. He led her towards the spiral staircase that led to the dormitories. "See you in the morning," he grinned, and without any warning, kissed her on the cheek. "Good night Lily," he whispered.

She looked up at him in surprise, and said, "Good night," as she put her hand to the part of her cheek he had kissed. He held her gaze for a few seconds, and then climbed the stairs to his dormitory, leaving her to plod up to her own room in bewilderment.

*

Meanwhile, in his office, Dumbledore was deep in conversation with Ezra and Hilda. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, while the other two looked on, listening intensely.

"I am gravely concerned about the way the Ministry is handling the increase of vicious attacks on Muggles," he said earnestly. Hilda and Ezra nodded in agreement. "Barty Crouch is running around in circles. He doesn't have a clue who's behind the attacks!"

Hilda glanced at Ezra and said quietly, "Do you think it's time to help him find the monster who's causing these atrocities now Professor?"

"Yes, Hilda, I think it is," he said seriously.

Ezra stood and held out his hand for Dumbledore to shake which he accepted. As Ezra and Hilda were leaving, Ezra turned to Dumbledore and said, "I will contact the old order, and see what we can come up with Professor."

Dumbledore nodded gravely and said, "I shall do what I can from here." With that, they left.

All was now peaceful at Hogwarts, for the time being. But it would not be long before that peace would be threatened.

* That night in the back room of a pub in Hogsmeade, plans were being made that would shake the wizarding world. Seated at a large table in the middle of the dimly lit room were several men and women in hooded cloaks. A large, ugly man with long, untidy hair and a nasty, pungent aroma came into the room with a tray of beers. He set it down on the centre of the table, and asked if anything else was required? A tall slim man waved his hand dismissively, and the barman left.

The slim man spoke lazily to the people round him. "You know why I have summoned you all here tonight?" He gazed round to each person, his cat-like eyes burning into theirs. They all nodded sombrely. "After many months of establishing an army, we now have the power to overthrow the Ministry, and I shall rule the wizarding world." He laughed a wicked, high-pitched laugh that sent shivers down the spine of his audience. "But first," he added, "I want to wreak my revenge on Dumbledore. He stopped me completing my task all those years ago, and I haven't forgotten it!" he hissed angrily. The others muttered between themselves. One man spoke to the slim man quietly.

"What task was that my Lord?"

"The task of ridding the wizarding world of those Mudbloods, my dear Malfoy!" he sneered. "There is nothing to stop me now," he said softly with a deranged smile. The crowd around the table clapped Lord Voldemort's little speech, and he told them to come before him, one at a time for their initiation. Voldemort pulled out his wand from within his cloak and aimed it at the forearm of each person in turn. Red sparks flashed from the tip of his wand, and burned a tattoo onto each arm: a mark of a skull with a snake slithering through its mouth, like a tongue. When the last brand had been administered, he turned to his followers and said, "You are now my family, and as such you will do my bidding!" He paused. Every face looked at him in awe. "You will be henceforth known as Death Eaters!" he proclaimed. "Now go! And we shall meet again soon, when the Dark Mark on your arm calls you, you will come to me. Understand?" With that in mind, they all vacated the room.

Lucius Malfoy hung back. "Master, may I speak to you?" he enquired.

"What is it Lucius? I have to be somewhere," he said impatiently. He loathed the man, but he was loyal, so he tolerated him.

"I have a Slytherin boy up at Hogwarts who has been very useful to us, and I know he wishes to be a member of your erm. family," he drawled sleezily.

"Who is this boy, and can we trust him?" he quizzed.

"His name is Severus Snape, and yes I think he would be a great asset to us, considering your plans," he said eagerly.

"Well, you must make sure he pays me a visit on his next trip to Hogsmeade," he sneered. "Now I have to go Lucius!"

He walked away leaving Lucius Malfoy grinning to himself.