Chapter 20: Doubts

I woke up the next morning just before dawn. I was curled up in between James and Remus all of us still in animal form. Peter had a comfy perch on James's back. I stood up and stretched. James woke up when I got up. Remus woke up when James nudged him. We motioned that we were going back. He nodded. We walked through the passage and stepped out just as the sun rose over the horizon. We changed back in human, pulled the cloak over us again and walked slowly back to our rooms. I climbed into bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I was awakened by James's stupid alarm clock. There was a grunt and a thump as James threw it against the wall. Every morning one of us did that, broke it or rendered it useless in some way. Then Remus fixed it. We begged him not to, but he insisted that we would never get up if we didn't have it. So it would always be fixed.

Remus wasn't at breakfast, but we were expecting that. We went to class and were uncharacteristically good all day. I think we worried the teachers a lot.

"Well?" I asked when he showed up in the common room after dinner, looking tired and pale, but happier than he'd seemed in long time.

" It worked." Remus had a huge smile on his face.

"Great. Now we know that and maybe next time we can even go out." James handed him his makeup homework.

"Great." He joined our table where we had our work spread out. I was supposed to be working on my transfiguration essay but Peter was having trouble with his defense against the dark arts paper. So I was helping him

"No Peter. It's Expecto Patronum. Not expectum patrono. God, we did this our third year!"

"Sorry. I forgot."

"That's obvious." I was very irritated with him. I wanted to get my own homework done before James and I had to leave for practice.

"I'm just not as good as you, Siri."

"I know." I muttered only half under my breath.

"Hello." The girls walked up. I saw my escape.

"Erin! Just who I wanted to see."

"No." her face never changed.

"Oh come on, you haven't even heard what I'm going to ask you."

"I don't care. The answer's no."

"Lily…"

"Oh no. I don't think so." She waved her hand in front of my face as if to ward me back.

"What's wrong, Padfoot?" At least Remus had the decency to ask

"Moony, you're better at Defense against the Dark Arts. Pete needs help. I have an essay I need to finish before I go to practice. Please?"

"Oh alright."

I made a break for it. Sometimes Peter just drove me crazy. He was so thick. And sometimes he just seemed in the way. And I couldn't stop thinking about what the woman had said. About choosing our friends carefully. And why Peter hadn't been asked to sacrifice a year? And in that feeling of betrayal I had felt, I heard a name. Wormtail.

I was confused. I would die for James. Remus too. Lily and Erin? In a heartbeat. But Peter? Of course, I would. But then I got to thinking what about him? I knew the others would die for me. James and Remus were my "brothers." Lily was a great and loyal friend. Erin loved me. I loved her back. But what about Peter? Would Wormtail die for the other Marauders? That was the first time I doubted Peter's friendship to us. But it wouldn't be the last.

Chapter 21: The Marauder's Map

The rest of the year went by quickly. Every full moon we snuck out and stayed with Remus. Most of the time we were out on the school grounds or in Hogsmeade. We soon knew the grounds better than anyone did.

It was James's idea for the Marauder's map.

"I'm bored." I said one rainy morning as the entire house sat in the common room. James and Lily were seated comfortably on a loveseat. Remus was curled up on an armchair. Peter was bent over a desk and I was draped over another armchair, Erin sitting on the floor beside it.

 There really was nothing to do. The full moon was two weeks away so there was no reason to plan for that. We couldn't go out and practice on our own, and neither James or I felt like getting soaked more than twice a week anyway. Peter was the only one with work to do. Not even Remus had any makeup work not finished. We couldn't explore the castle in broad daylight. Besides, we had found all the secret passageways. Hogsmeade was out since it was raining. And it wasn't a weekend anyway. And we were a bit restricted to the castle for a week thanks to our last prank.

"Please don't say that." Remus moaned.

"Why not? I am."

"Because every time you say that, we end up with detention."

"So what? I'd take a detention to sitting around and doing nothing like we've been doing."

"So what do we do?" Peter asked. We all thought.

"Bored, bored, bored, bored." I muttered under my breath. I'd almost established a rhythm when Remus interrupted me.

"Are you bored Sirius?" He asked, grinning.

"Not at all, why do you ask?" I kept my face calm and placid as Peter giggled.

"No reason. It's just you've been repeating the word bored for the last fifteen minutes."  He replied

"Nah, Sirius just learned a new word and he doesn't want to forget it."  Lily answered. Erin giggled and I glared at her.

"Hey Lil, I've got a word for you."

"Watch the language Padfoot, that's my girlfriend you're talking to."  James raised his eyebrows.

 "How did you know what I was going to say?" I asked, grinning.

"Because you're so predictable?"  Peter piped up.

"I've got a word for you too Wormtail." I answered. " Well, actually it can be a word or a signal. Take your pick."

"A signal?" Peter asked, confused. " What kind of signal?" I promptly showed him. Erin smacked me and James and Remus had to hide their faces to keep from laughing.

"Sirius!"  Lily scolded. " That's rude!" James quickly changed the subject before I could tell Lily what I really was thinking.

"How about looking for some more passage ways?"

"We found them all, Jamie."

"I know but maybe there are some we haven't found."

"Name a place we haven't looked." He couldn't

"See? I told you. We know this place better than anyone."

"I got it!" James yelled. No one paid any attention to us. They had learned that occasional shouts and yells would come from whatever corner we were in. He yanked me off the armchair, grabbed Remus and Peter and pulled us up to our room.

"What?" I asked when the door was safely locked.
" You said it yourself. We know this place better that anyone. Lets make a map of it."

"There are maps of Hogwarts." Remus told him patiently.

"No!" he scolded, slapping me on the back of the head.

"Oy! What was that for then?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. James grinned.

"Nothing, but I know you were thinking of something to counter Remus." I glared at him as he winked and contintued." A Marauder's map. It'll be secret. Only those who know the password can use it. We show all the passages."

"And all the people and where they are going!" Remus eyes lit up.

"And have it insult anyone who tries to use it without the password!" That was from me.

"This is great. We have to get started." We rushed up and out of the room. We passed Lily and Erin on the way.

"Hey, where are you going?" Erin asked as we almost ran them over

"To the library." I yelled over my shoulder. I saw her mouth drop open and grinned.

In the library we found loads of books that could help us and we set to work. We drew the castle and grounds. Then we cast a spell so all the people were labeled with little dots that moved when the person moved. We could see where everyone was. This would come in very handy. Then we cast another spell so it would look like a blank piece of paper unless you said the password. The password took a very short time to come up with.

"Well, what should it be?" Remus asked

"The Marauders?" Peter suggested

"No, remember we are making this for future troublemakers. It has to be something they could figure out." James leaned back in his chair

"Like what?" I sighed

"I don't know."

"Hello boys." Professor McGonagall came up to us.

"Hello professor."

" Doing you school work?" We looked at the papers and books scattered on the table. The titles were very visible and not the kind of books we would be using for homework. She picked one up and raised an eyebrow.

"You boys aren't planning anything that might make me have to take any points away, are you?"

"Professor McGonagall, I solemnly swear, I am up to no good." I put my hand over my heart. She laughed.

"If I didn't know you boys, I'd think you were joking. Just try and stay out of trouble for the day." Then she left

"That's it." Remus's eyes looked glazed as they always did when he had just come up with a brilliant idea.

"What's it?" I asked

"The password. I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Remus looked very proud of himself.

And the phrase to erase the map we agreed on "Mischief managed." And we signed it.

 Messers Moony, Wormatil, Padfoot, and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief- Makers

Are proud to present

    THE MARAUDER'S MAP

We were very proud of our map, but we didn't know if it would work yet. So the next time at lunch we held it out in plain view. We talked in low voices as if it was our latest scheme. Sure enough, Snape walked by and when he saw us planning something he couldn't resist.

"Well, What's this? A new trick?" He grabbed the map. It was blank of course.

"Give it back, Snape." Remus made a grab for it, but Snape held it out of his reach.

"Come and get it, wimp."

"Leave him alone, Snape." I stood up.

"Tell me something Black. What is so important about this paper? Could it be some secret you've been working on?" He grinned " Well, I'm gonna find out." He tapped the paper with his wand. Nothing. " I, Severus Snape, command you to show yourself."

There was a pause, then words began to appear on the page.

Mr. Moony would like to say hello to Severus Snape, and beg him to keep his huge nose out of other people's business.

Snape turned red. More writing appeared.

Mr. Wormtail agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to ask where Severus Snape learned to be such an annoying git.

It was my turn now.

Mr. Padfoot would like to ask why Severus Snape can't do the rest of the world a favor and shut his huge mouth about things he doesn't understand.

James had an evil grin on his face. Snape looked about ready to burst. But we had the last word

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Padfoot and would like to register his amazement that someone like Severus Snape will ever have a life because if he doesn't wash his hair soon, no girl will ever touch him, even with a ten foot pole.

Snape sputtered and threw the paper down. He then ran out of the hall, his face beet red. Our faces were soon red too, due to lack of air caused by laughing so hard.

Needless to say, we were very proud. So proud in fact that we set up four hidden volumes of mischief making secrets about all four houses and one for the whole school. We used the same spells as the marauder map. We spent months trying to find out all we could about the houses. We took the passages ways we already knew about and we even found some we didn't. The reason we knew where everything was was because the marauders map showed all passageways. And it updated it's self if a passage got blocked or a new one was built. See we didn't draw the map. It appeared. It was a very advanced spell we found that shows all the rooms and secrets of a building. We also made it so we could talk to each other through our creations. We left a little part of us inside each book and the map of course. We left each book in a hiding place with a clue on how to find the next one. We started in Gryffindor. And we swore never to reveal the locations to anyone except another magical mischief-maker. So I can't write down their locations, even here. But we left a great treasure for future mischief-makers of Hogwarts, though I don't think there will ever be a greater group of pranksters than the Marauders.