(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, and my situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by copyrights.)

The last night before Christmas break was a full moon. If it hadn't been for Remus's obligation to become a werewolf, they would have called it off. But due to the urgency of them needing to be with him, they decided that they should go on with their plans.
Padfoot and Prongs led the way out of the Whomping Willow's hole as Moony and Wormtail ascended behind them. Into the darkness of the grounds they went, closer and closer to the school. They were all starving, since they had missed both lunch and dinner the day before, and had been too nervous about the day before to eat anything that past afternoon.
It was the kitchens that they were heading for.
Wormtail took the Marauder's Map out of Padfoot's mouth, and quickly pinned it to the ground with his tiny rat hands. They had already unlocked it in the tunnel before meeting Remus, and now they were ready to read it.
There were four dots making their way through the hall. One read "FRANK LONGBOTTOM," another "STURGIS PODMORE." Then, next to the kitchen was a smaller dot that was entitled "MRS. NORRIS." And finally one in an upper corridor, reading "ARGUS FILCH."
Padfoot took the map back in his mouth, and they started for the building. Mrs. Norris would be far away from the kitchens by the time they made it there. She usually prowled that area, and then moved onto the marble staircases upstairs.
They quietly opened the oak doors, and krept inside. Down to the next level, and into the dungeons, where the kitchen was located. Mrs. Norris would be gone by now.
Moony nudged his muzzle towards the map. They should check it again. But Padfoot shook his head, and kept walking through the dark hallway. There wasn't time.
The kitchen door was propped open, and a light was on from inside. Wormtail sped ahead, and peered into the room. He then turned to the four boys, and nodded. Padfoot and Prongs, leading Moony in cautiously, darted their heads in every direction. It seemed that Mrs. Norris had retired to the upper level.
Wormtail skidded to a stop outside of a large cupboard, and pointed to the handle. Prongs bit it, and opened the door to reveal the most beautiful sight that they had ever seen.
Three large cakes, all mounded with icing, cherries, hot fudge, and everything else that one could think of. The cupboard was magically cold, and the cakes were frozen in time. They must have been saving them for the Christmas feast next week.
Padfoot lunged headfirst into the closest one, and began to inhale the entire cake. Wormtail bit off a piece of one of the cakes, and scurried into a corner to devour it. Prongs shoved a cake onto the floor for him and Moony to share.
It tasted so good.
Prongs stopped, and lifted his head. He cocked his ears to the side.
Padfoot looked up, too, and turned in the same direction as his friend.
They had heard something.
Wormtail looked at his two friends, and then at the door. There, appearing from behind the door, was a smaller cat. Her eyes glew green as she pranced closer to them.
The four boys looked at each other, and all had the same thought.
Run.
They dropped the cakes, and skidded past the cat who was meowing loudly. Up the stairs, through the Entrance Hall, out the oak doors, down the stairs, across the grounds.
Peter ran through the branches of the Whomping Willow, and touched the knot. It grew still. The four of them leapt into the hole, and flew through the tunnel. The trap door was still open as they leaped into the living room, and slammed it behind them.
They all caught their breath as they waited for some sort of noise to come from the tunnel underneath them. But nothing came. Nothing ever came.
They didn't dare go back out again after being caught by Mrs. Norris. They would be lucky if they weren't found out now. Oh, how they had been so naïve.
Padfoot blinked, and then looked around at the four of them, and then at himself, and then at the floor. He then gave out a howl, and ran back for the trap door. Prongs stopped him, and he growled. Prongs didn't know what the matter was, but he wasn't going to let Padfoot risk their secret for anything.
They were all safe and in one piece. That's what mattered.

Sunrise came, and the three friends watched as Remus turned into a human again. It seemed somehow angelic, seeing the curse reversed. Seeing Remus's smiling face appear from behind the evil mask of a snarling wolf.
But today, his face was not smiling. It was glaring. Right at Sirius.
"You did it, didn't you?" he said as Sirius transformed back into a human, "You finally did it."
"Did what?" James asked, standing up from the floor.
Sirius desperately looked at James, and then walked over to a wall and hit it. It left a large dent, "I can't believe I was so stupid!"
"What?" Peter squeaked.
"He lost the map," Remus growled.
"You - did- WHAT?" James shouted, and walked towards Sirius, his hands in fists.
"I was eating the cake," Sirius said, "And I set the map down. And then Mrs. Norris came, and . . . it's still laying there, on the floor."
"I doubt it," Remus said, "Wherever Mrs. Norris goes, Filch goes. And Filch has a whole drawer filled with things that he finds from students."
"Unwiped!" James cried, "Do you understand how much trouble we're going to get into when they realize who made it?"
"It doesn't have our names on it," Sirius said weakly, "Isn't that why we made up those nicknames? Just in case this ever happened?"
"We've been using them enough for everyone in school to know them!" James argued, "We're goners!"
"Now don't start making things out to be worse than they are," Sirius said, "They have no proof that we made it."
"Except that it says Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs on it about a hundred times!" James shouted.
"All of that work for nothing," Remus said sadly, sitting down on the couch, "All of that stupid work for nothing."
"Mr. Lupin?"
A voice was coming from the trap door underneath them. James, Sirius, and Peter leaped into the pantry, and Remus sighed. He walked over to the door, and then jumped down to meet Madam Pomfrey.
"How was your night," she asked.
"It was fine," he lied, and then the trap door closed.

They had all been on the edges of their seats the next day as they packed to leave for Christmas. James was sure that they were going to get caught. He was sure that someone would figure out everything that happened, and it would all be over.
Sirius had gone back downstairs to check the kitchen, and mournfully reported to the rest of his dormitory room that the map was truly gone. Filch had taken it for sure.
They rolled their trunks out to catch the train back as soon as they were ready to go. They didn't feel like mingling with the other students just so one of the teachers could ask for them to come up to their office and expel them. They thought that if they could leave now and not get caught, maybe it would blow over during Christmas break.
But James had insisted on seeing Lily and saying goodbye.
She had been talking with some of her giggly friends in the corner, but she seemed to be a little detached from them now for some reason. They all stared at James, some of them in disgust, and other with flirting looks, as he tapped Lily on the shoulder.
"You heading off?" she asked, standing up to face him.
"Yeah," James said, "We're going to Sirius's place. Here's the address, if you want to send owls or something," he handed her a slip of parchment.
"Thanks," she said, and then leaned in to him. And then he felt her wet lips on his.
His eyes grew wide, and James's friends, along with Lily's, grew silent.
They were kissing. This was . . . too . . . was it happening to him? Was Lily Evans kissing him?
Lily stepped back, and smiled. Her red hair bounced onto her face, and she bit her lip.
"I'll see you when you get back," she said, and then reclaimed her chair from one of the girls that had sat down in it, "Have a good holiday."
"Happy Christmas," James said, still not sure of what he was in was a dream or reality.
"Happy Christmas," she said, peeking over the back of the chair. Her emerald green eyes glittered in the firelight.
He was the luckiest boy in all the world.
"Come on, lover boy," Sirius said, grabbing him and shoving him out of the door. He forced a smile onto his face for James's sake, and then waved back to Lily, "Have a nice break."
"You too, Sirius," Lily said.
As they climbed out of the hole and down the stairs, Remus and Sirius lagged behind the other two.
"You took that well, Padfoot," Remus commented.
"He deserves her," Sirius said weakly, "She gives him some happiness in his life. And doesn't he need that right now. What, with his dad in the Order, his sister dead."
"You think he really is in danger?" Remus asked, lowering his voice.
"What do you think we should have for dinner tonight?" Sirius said, ignoring Remus's question, "I've learned how to cook a little. Have any special preferences?"