"I said you could keep the 2000, Ron," Lily repeated for the seventh time.

"But-" he said, trying to argue for the eight time.

"No buts," Lily said, wagging her finger like Gran. She quickly stopped herself; she couldn't stand it when Gran did it, and she wouldn't allow herself to do the same. "I don't need a second broom, I have the 2001."

"But what if you-"

"Ron, now we can both be on the team!" Lily said, finishing up the polish on her broomstick. "Do you want to come flying with me and Ginny or not?"

"I'll come," Ron said quickly.

"Can I have your old broom, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Sure, why not?" Ron said. "I don't need it anymore." Ron stared reverently at the broom he was holding in his hands.

Ginny gave a little squeal, then set off running for the broom shed. Lily smiled as she saw the skipping girl vanish from view.

"Bless her," she said.

"What do you fly, anyway?" Neville asked.

"A Nimbus," Ron said, finally holding the used broom proudly. It was still quite handsome, Lily thought. A few twigs were out of place, sure, but it was almost impeccable.

"I meant before, Ron," Neville said.

"It's a Shooting Star," Ginny said, coming back from the broom shed. Lily thought that was very fast; she didn't think she'd have been able to manage the same time.

"It's not very good," Ron said. "But it was the best they could afford."

"I think it's fine," Ginny said. "I used to fly on it while you were at school."

"Who said you could do that?" Ron asked, squinting his eyes at her. Lily certainly hoped he wasn't about to start a fight over a broom he no longer needed.

"Mum did," Ginny said. "You couldn't use it, why do you care?"

"It's mine," Ron said.

"Not anymore," Ginny said, sticking out her tongue.

"I can still take it back," Ron said.

"And I can still take back the Nimbus," Lily said. One thing she noticed during her short stay with the Weasleys was that they all argued all the time. She also noticed that it was never filled with the same sort of tension her own arguments had with Gran. They were all back to being friendly pretty quickly after each discussion was over.

"Fine," Ron said. "She can have the thing, but she doesn't get to use my Nimbus."

"I don't need it," Ginny said. "Lily already promised I could ride her broom."

Lily frowned. "Did I?"

"You did," Ginny said. "You said I could, right before you went chasing that chicken."

"Oh," Lily said, blushing. "Well, I meant the 2000, didn't I? I didn't even know I had a 2001 yet."

"You promised," Ginny said, crossing her arms.

"You did promise," Ron said, smiling.

"You did promise," Neville said, smiling.

"I did promise," Lily said, sighing. "Fine, but only for-"

Ginny threw her arms around Lily in a hug, the broom she was holding smacking against the back of Lily's legs.

"Thanks, Lily," she said.

Lily's arms were pinned to her sides, so she couldn't return the hug, but it filled her heart anyway. She settled for resting her chin against the top of Ginny's head; she hoped that got the point across.

"What's Neville going to fly?" Ginny asked as she broke the contact. "I could grab Percy's broom, but I don't think Fred and George would let him use theirs."

"I don't like flying," Neville said sheepishly.

"We can't play Quidditch with three people, mate," Ron said.

"Don't force him to, Ron," Lily said. "You saw what happened at our first flying lesson."

"Yeah, but you didn't see the rest. He figured it out, and he was fine!"

"It was terrible," Neville said, eyes full of horror. "I thought I was going to die for sure."

"I've been there," Lily said fondly, trying to mask her own feelings of horror. She had brief flashbacks of a man with two faces trying to strangle the life out of her.

"We could get Fred and George," Ginny said.

"Then we'll have five," Ron said, "so the teams would be uneven."

"I could sit out," Lily offered, feeling a little glum about it.

"Why would you do that?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"It wouldn't be fair," Lily said.

"You have to play, mate," Ron said, shaking his head. Lily opened her mouth to argue some more, but she stopped when she noticed Neville shaking his head behind Ron.

"What if we grabbed Percy, too?" Ginny offered.

"Like he'd ever play," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "He's been cooped up in his room all summer, studying and doing Merlin knows what."

"I bet he'd listen to me," Ginny said, already turning to run back to the house.

"Fine," Ron said as she went. "We'll meet you at the pitch, then."

"Where is it?" Lily asked, checking around the lawn for a sign of hoops. She saw another chicken and felt a brief surge of excitement.

"Hold off a sec," Ron said, lowering his voice. "Before she gets back, Ginny said you've been having nightmares."

"I have?" Lily asked.

"She said you've been talking and shouting in your sleep," Ron said, nodding.

"Oh," Lily said, shuffling her feet. "Sorry. Why didn't she-"

"She was too nervous," Ron said. "She thought you might leave, but she looks like she hasn't been getting much sleep, so I thought I'd say something."

"Neville," Lily said, turning to the other boy, who was doing his best to seem inconspicuous. "Do I scream in my sleep?"

Neville blushed, quickly looking away so he didn't have to meet Lily's eyes.

"Sometimes," he said, looking at his feet.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Lily asked, thinking of all the times she woke up covered in sweat and tied up in her blanket.

"I didn't know what to say," Neville said.

"You should have told me," Lily said quietly. "I would have told you. Now I have to apologize for-"

"You've already apologized enough, letting her ride your broom." Ron said. "I'd forgive you for killing my family if you gave me a spin on it."

"Ron!" Lily said in shock.

"Well, maybe not for just one ride, you'd have to give me the thing."

"What have you been dreaming about?" Neville asked, ignoring Ron.

"I don't know," Lily answered, biting her lip. "I've never remembered any dreams, why would a nightmare be different?"

"Well, they tend to stick out a bit more," Ron said, walking off towards the back of the house.

Lily took the jest in stride, although she wasn't happy about it. She was getting more used to people poking fun of her over their stay here; they all did it to each other.

"I think I might try out for Chaser," Lily said, humming as they walked. The conversation was dead now, and she decided it was time for a new topic.

"What?" Ron said. "You're a natural Seeker, why would you do that?"

"It looks more fun," Lily said. "I didn't get to play with anyone else when I was Seeker."

"You got to play with plenty," Ron said. "Or did you forget all the bludgers that got sent your way?"

"I didn't forget," Lily said. "I just meant that Chasers get to toss the Quaffle and pass and- err- I don't get to do that as Seeker."

"You'll never get the position," Ron said, shaking his head. "Angelina, Katie, and Alicia are too good; it'd take a miracle to unseat one of them."

"How are you going to get on, then?" Neville asked.

"I won't," Ron said. "Best I can hope for is a reserve position."

"We're allowed reserve players?" Lily asked.

"Of course," Ron said. "The Hogwarts teams doesn't usually go for them since we aren't allowed to switch players midgame. Reserve players only get a chance to play if a starter gets injured and has to sit out a game or two."

"I could always push Katie down the stairs for you," Lily said, giving the boy a wink. Katie was actually her favourite member of the team; Lily liked how pretty her hair was when tied back. She was copying the style while they weren't in school; she still didn't like her scar being so revealed.

"That's horrible," Ron said, chuckling to himself. "Wouldn't work, anyway. I was going to try out for Keeper."

"Wood plays Keeper," Neville said.

"I don't think the position is even available for try outs," Lily said. "The Captain has to play."

"You have more odds as a Chaser anyway," Neville said. "There's three of them, so three times the chance of injuries."

"And nobody tries to knock out the Keeper," Lily said. "Wood said there's all sorts of penalties for interfering with them."

"I don't know if I'm good enough for Chaser," Ron admitted. Lily was genuinely touched; he looked so nervous to talk about this. Ron was never nervous.

"You'll have a better broom than all three of them," Lily said, trying to bolster his spirits. "All three of them were using Cleansweeps."

"Comets, actually," Ron corrected. "And having a better broom than them doesn't matter, I don't want to out speed them too much or I won't be able to pass the Quaffle."

"If I make Chaser, you won't have to worry about it," Lily said, winking.

"Course I will," Ron said. "The 2001 is a pro broom, it's the fastest on the market."

"Really?" Lily asked, amazed. The broom she was holding casually over her shoulder suddenly felt a lot more important.

"How do you not know these things?" Ron said, shaking his head in disbelief. Lily tried not to let that get to her.

Lily spotted the hoops in the distance and decided to fly the rest of the way. She mounted her broom and kicked off, speeding away. She heard Ron shout from the ground as she went, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

It took Lily only a few seconds to reach the Quidditch field. It was significantly smaller than the one at school, but that was fine. It was just meant for kids to play and practice on, not to hold actual games. Lily was told the Hogwarts stadium was as large as the professional leagues, to let the students get practice should they decide to pursue that career.

Ron flew up beside her, grinning at how good his new broom was. His red hair was swept back. Lily went to brush her own hair aside, forgetting that she still had it tied up. She tried to play it off as scratching the back of her neck, but Ron didn't seem to notice.

"Did you see that?" Ron said. "Lily, this broom is-"

"The 2001's even better," Lily said, smiling.

Lily squinted in the hot sunlight, trying to find their other companions. Neville seemed to be walking back to the house, but she couldn't make out any other Weasleys yet aside from the mother tending to the garden.

"Neville went back to the house," Ron said, guessing at what Lily was looking for. "Said he didn't feel like watching us fly around all day, so he'd help mum in the garden."

"He'll like that better," Lily said, nodding. "Yours is a bit weedy, but he likes that kind of thing."

"That's because mum keeps trying to make us take care of it," Ron said. "She doesn't have the time and the rest of us can't be bothered. We do enough to keep her off our backs, though."

"You should help out more," Lily said.

"What's the point?" Ron said, snorting. "It's just to keep us busy, mum could do it all in a few seconds with magic."

"Hey," Lily said, taking out her wand. "Do you want to learn the Blasting Charm?"

"Now?" Ron said, going wide-eyed.

"Sure," Lily said, smiling. "I said I'd teach you so long as nobody else found out, and nobody else is around."

Ron took his own wand out, looking eager. "You sure mum won't hear?"

"I think we're far enough away," Lily said. "And we could always blame it on Fred and George, I keep hearing noises from their room."

"Only thing is," Ron said, "they aren't out here yet."

"I think she'd still believe it," Lily said. "Do you want to try it out or not?"

"Course I do," Ron said. "What do I do?"

"Just choose an object," Lily said, pointing her light-coloured wand at a shrub way down below. "Then point and say 'Confringo.'"

As she spoke the word, a miniscule jet of flame shot from the tip of her wand, flying straight to where it was aimed. When it hit the shrub, the plant exploded in a loud boom, and shrapnel flew all over the nearby area.

"Wicked," Ron said.

"Give it a try, quick," Lily said, "before the others get here."

Ron lifted his wand, then hesitated. "You don't think it works on animals, do you? I'd hate to hurt a bird or something."

Lily gasped in shock. "I didn't think of that," she said.

"Maybe I shouldn't," Ron said.

"Wait," Lily said, remembering something. "Flitwick had me show him the Charm for my exam, he would have mentioned something if it was that dangerous."

"He made you use the Blasting Charm? But you told us about the pineapple!"

"There was a pineapple sitting on the desk when I went in," Lily said. "He said you all would be making it dance when he put it away."

"And you're sure it won't hurt anything?"

"Well, it'll hurt whatever the blast hits," Lily said. "When I blew up the mirror, I got a shard of glass in my leg."

"Maybe I shouldn't-"

"Oh, just go for it," Lily said, giving him a little shove. "Just choose something small and you won't hurt a thing."

"But what about your Gran? She said you weren't supposed to use magic while you're here."

Lily frowned. "How did you know that?"

Ron's ears turned red. "Mum may have mentioned it while we were in the kitchen. She told us to keep an eye on you. Didn't want you getting in trouble."

"Well, you aren't going to tell Gran, are you?" Lily asked.

"Course not," Ron said. "I was just saying, is all."

"Just go for it, Ron," Lily said. "I'll worry about Gran later."

"Confringo," Ron said, finally making up his mind. A wisp of flame shot from his wand and the fizzled a few metres away, never reaching whatever target he had been aiming for.

"You have to put more feeling into it," Lily said.

"You did it on accident your first time," Ron said, ears a brighter red.

"True," Lily admitted. "But that's what the spoken words are for. Flitwick said, 'the intent is the most important thing, but for beginners, the spoken words are the intent.'"

"I don't get it, why would that make it work for you but not me?" Ron said, trying again, but only getting his flame to shoot the same distance.

"I don't know how to explain it," Lily said, biting her lip, "Just keep trying. You'll get it."

"I don't have the time," Ron said, pointing back towards the house. "Ginny is coming with the others."

Lily squinted, seeing four figures. "She did manage to convince Percy."

"And there's no way he'll let us practice," Ron grumbled.

Lily agreed and stuffed her wand back into her robe. She liked to dress a little thicker when she flew; it could get chilly in the air. "I can teach you something easier later, if you want, and we can work our way up."

"Like what?" Ron said.

"I don't know," Lily said. "I'll figure it out later."

"So, what's the split, then?" Fred asked as he pulled up alongside the two on his broom.

"How long are we playing for?" asked Percy. "I've got something I need to-"

"Oh, stuff it, Percy," George said, pulling up beside his twin.

"It won't kill you to have a little fun," Fred said.

"We'll put one twin on each team," Lily said. "And I have the best broom, so I'll take Ginny, since she has the worst."

"You can take it, George," Fred offered.

"No, no, elders first," George said.

"We're back to that, then?" Fred said. "Just because-"

"Fine, we'll take Fred," Lily said. She didn't want to hear the full argument. Fred seemed put out, but George looked pleased with the outcome.

"You play Keeper, Percy," Ron said, ordering his own team. "George and I will play Chaser."

"If you insist," Percy said, flying to the goal posts.

"Fred, you take Keeper," Lily said after thinking about who was best for the position.

"What?" Fred said. "Are you mad? I've got the better broom, give it to Ginny."

"I don't want the slowest broom on the posts," Lily said.

"Fine," Fred said, "But I'm blaming you if we lose, I won't let George hold it over me." Fred flew over to the goals, taking his spot on their side. He certainly didn't look happy about it, but Lily thought she could change his mind if she played well.

"I'll take point, Ginny," Lily said. "Just try to avoid your brothers, and everything should be fine."

"I'm going to knock George off his broom," Ginny said with a smile of determination.

"I like your spirit, but let's try to avoid collisions. I don't want your mum coming after me."

They played a series of games, Ginny somehow managing to pull Percy back in after every single one before he could find an excuse to leave. Lily's team took the first three (due in large part to how fast Lily's broom was compared to the others), but Ron's took the next three (because Lily agreed to switch Fred out, and just as she feared, Ginny's broom wasn't fast enough to stop any goals), leaving them with no choice but to hold a tie breaker.

"Fred, you'll have to take Keeper again," Lily said.

"But we were so close in that last one, if you didn't drop the Quaffle, I could have sunk it," Fred argued, waving his arms in the air.

"Don't argue, Fred," Lily said. "Ginny's the better Chaser. It's our best shot."

"Your flying's been getting worse every game," Fred said. "You're getting tired, why don't you let me and Ginny play Chaser while you play Keeper?"

Lily frowned. "Well, I suppose I could, but-"

"But nothing," Fred said. "It's a good idea, you need the rest."

Lily was feeling saddle-sore. She was pretty sure Fred just wanted any excuse to not play another round of Keeper, and she was almost willing to give it him.

"All right," Lily said, giving in to his charm, "but you better not screw around, Fred, I can't take anymore of Ron's bragging."

"Are you ladies coming or not?" Ron called from across the field.

"I wish George wouldn't encourage that," Fred said, glaring at his brother.

"I'm sure he came up with it," Lily said. "They won't be laughing when we beat them."

"Yeah, let's get out there, girls," Ginny said, flying off to take her position.

"I hope George didn't hear that," Fred said, flying off to his own.

Lily let out a chuckle, then flew to the goalposts. She froze halfway there, eyes snapping to a nearby tree.

There were large, green eyes peering out of the foliage. Her hand gripped her wand, tucked safely into her robes. She started pulling it out, trying to decide what spell would be best to use on their spy.

"Lily," Ron called out, "get in position already, we're losing light."

Lily's head jerked back to look at Ron, and by the time she focused back on the tree, the eyes were gone. She bit her lip but took her post up at the goals. The last time she saw those eyes was when she broke her wand, and she really didn't want another repeat. Ollivander might not be able to find her another one.

"Incoming," Fred yelled out after Ron slipped by him.

Ron tossed the Quaffle towards the left post, taking advantage of Lily being near the right. It sailed right through. Lily couldn't reach it fast enough after her distraction. Ron cheered, elated that he'd scored so early. That didn't bode well; Ron could play a lot better when he thought he was doing well. Ron managed to sink two more in before Lily finally blocked one. She was too alert, and her eyes kept wandering back towards the trees.

Lily grumbled to herself after Ron managed to sneak in a fourth one. Fred was clearly getting upset with them all; Ginny's broom wasn't good enough to score, so he was the only one who could, and yet he was playing less consistently than Ron and George were.

Lily managed to get a good rhythm going after blocking two in a row from Ron, although George did manage to get one in right after. Fred managed to get three in a row after that; Percy's reflexes weren't the sharpest. That brought the score up to 50-30, significantly closing the gap.

Lily blocked four more goals while Fred scored one. Ginny somehow managed to score right after he did, tying the game up.

Lily got a little full of herself then and started making cockier remarks every time Ron or George failed to get past her. That only made Ron play worse, which made her feel bad about her actions, so she quickly cut that out. There was no point in playing a game if it wasn't fun for everybody. She let Ron sink one past her on purpose after that just so he'd feel better.

Lily quickly realized she should not have done that once Ron quickly scored three more goals, bringing the score to 90-50.

"Lily, come on, that was an easy block," Fred shouted after Ron slipped one more right by her. Lily tried to ignore him so she could get her head back in the game.

Lily called a timeout so they could formulate some sort of strategy, and Fred and Ginny hurried over to listen to her.

"Lily, what are you doing? We're getting creamed out here!"

"I know," Lily admitted.."

"Just block the shots!" Fred said, pulling at his hair.

"I can't, I'm rubbish at Keeper." Lily squinted in the sunlight; the setting sun was now directly in her eyes, which didn't help her goalkeeping abilities.

"So, what do we do, then?" Ginny asked, getting them back on task.

"You both need to end this game fast, or Ron'll do it for you," Lily said, pointing to where the team of boys were huddled together, laughing about something.

"Good strategy meeting, Lily," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "Really, truly marvelous job."

"You know, Fred, I like you a lot more when you're with your brother," Lily said, letting a tiny bit of her frustration out.

Fred opened his mouth up to say something else, but Ron interrupted from across the field.

"We're losing daylight, get a move on!"

Fred grumbled, but flew away, Ginny following soon after with an apologetic look. Lily grumbled to herself as well, not sure how she'd stop Ron from ending it before they could score ten goals.

Ron scored two goals almost immediately after the game resumed, making Lily even more worried. Fred scored three times after that, surprising Lily immensely, and Ginny even managed to score for her second time.

George took advantage of the situation, crashing into Fred before he could toss the Quaffle. Ron caught the falling ball and sped towards Lily. Lily went right, Ron went left, and the Quaffle soared through the post. Lily shouted, Ron shouted, Fred shouted.

The game was 140-110, Ron's favour. He had possession of the Quaffle. Lily wiped off her forehead so the sweat wouldn't run into her eyes. Fred intercepted the Quaffle when Ron tried passing to George.

Lily tried to wipe her palms on her robes, so that they wouldn't slide around the broomstick as much. She missed the gloves she wore during the games last year, but she didn't own a pair of her own.

Ron intercepted a pass from Ginny to Fred and sped towards their side of the field. Lily bit her lip, trying to figure out which way Ron was heading. He feinted left, but Lily didn't fall for it, and swerved right just as Ron did.

Ron tossed the Quaffle towards the right post, Lily stretching her arms out to catch it.

Lily slid straight off her broom, plummeting straight towards the ground. The Quaffle soared right over her head, straight into the hoop. She let out a brief screech, flailing her arms uselessly in the air.

Arms gripped tightly around her waist a few metres above the ground, slowing her fall, and then her and her saviour both fell onto the grass below.

"Got you," Ron said, groaning as he rolled over from his spot on the land.

Lily spat out some grass. Despite Ron's protection, she landed face first and got a mouthful of dirt for it. At least she didn't break her nose this time. Mrs. Weasley would have given her an earful if she had.

"What happened?" she asked, rolling over to look up at the sky. Her broom clattered down next to her, taking its sweet time to obey gravity.

"Dunno," Ron said. "It looked like your broom just stopped in midair."

"Not again," Lily groaned. "It was supposed to be Quirrell's fault, not mine."

"It can't be yours," Ron said. Lily thought it was sweet of him to try, but it happened on her birthday, too. She had to be doing something wrong, or maybe there was even something wrong with the broom. It was an early release, maybe it wasn't fully tested.

"Are you two all right down there?' George called out, sounding elated at his victory.

"Did they not notice?" Lily grumbled. Ginny and Fred seemed upset that they lost, while George and Percy were celebrating. It wasn't at all a proper response for a friend nearly dying.

"Guess not," Ron said. "I think we should have a redo."

"No," Lily said, sighing. "You won fair and square. I should have kept my seat."

"But-"

"Congratulations, Ron, you beat the world-famous Hazel Potter," Lily said, offering a handshake. It was a little awkward, considering they were both still laying in the grass. "Youngest Hogwarts Seeker in a hundred years, most celebrated player in centuries."

"You really feel highly about yourself, don't you?' Ron said, grinning widely as he placed his hand on hers. Lily assumed that was as good as it was going to get if neither of them was willing to get up.

"Not at all," Lily said. "I was just quoting you from last year."

After Ron's (and George's) much needed ego boost, they all returned to the house together. The sun was well-past setting now, and Mrs. Weasley was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips when they arrived.

"There you are," she said in a huff. "Think you can just spend all day playing Quidditch, hmm? Didn't even spare a single thought for Neville helping me in the garden, did you?"

"He likes gardening, mum," Ron said as a defense. Neville wasn't currently visible; Lily assumed he was already at the table, waiting for them to arrive so they could eat.

"And you're lucky he does, or you'd actually be in trouble," Mrs. Weasley said. "Now, you lot take your brooms to the shed, and then come inside and wash off."

"Losers have to take the brooms," Ron said, handing Lily's old Nimbus to her. He slipped inside, right past his disapproving mother.

"That doesn't seem fair," Lily said as Percy piled his broom into her arms as well.

"Sure it does," George said, "But I'll take Ginny's spot, don't you worry."

"But I want to-" Ginny started.

"Never you mind," Fred said, pushing his younger sister indoors, "Let the adults handle this."

"But you're not-" Ginny started.

George interrupted by closing the door behind her, shutting off her protests. Lily could see Mrs. Weasley shaking her head inside, as well as Ron sitting down at the table next to Neville. Supper looked good. She was looking forward to eating whatever scraps were left by the time she returned.

"Well, now, shall we head off?" George said as he placed his broom and Ginny's into Lily's already overcrowded arms.

"I thought you were helping," Lily grumbled as they marched off.

"That was just an excuse," Fred said as he piled his broom into her arms as well.
"You lost too," Lily protested.

"Ah, but I have your present," Fred said, patting his robe.

"And I didn't lose," George said, patting the pile of brooms.

"Fine," Lily said as they made their way across the lawn. "But it better be good if I have to carry everything."

"I don't think you'll have any room to complain," George said, winking,

Fred opened the broom shed for Lily, and she dumped all their brooms into a corner (making sure to carefully tuck her own in so it wouldn't get damaged). The twins quickly clambered in behind her, shutting the door so that they'd all be stuck inside.

"Hey-" Lily shouted, suddenly feeling a bit panicked now that she was locked in a dimly lit room with two much larger teenage boys.

"Don't you worry a pretty little hair on your head," Fred said, as he whipped out a wad of papers. "We just don't want mum to see what you're getting."

"What is this?" Lily asked as she took the paper into her hand.

"That is the secret to our success," George explained.

Fred took out his wand, placing it on the paper. "Just repeat these words whenever you need it: I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Lily gasped as the paper suddenly filled out with words and shapes.

"'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present the Marauder's Map,'" she read aloud.

"We owe them so much," George said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Is this Hogwarts?" Lily asked as she flipped through it. The walls were defined by words and letters, as if somebody had to write the boundaries together.

"Sure is," Fred said. "It shows every single place inside the castle and on the grounds, as well as where everybody is."

Lily frowned. "I don't see anyone."

"Well, it's summer, isn't it?" George said. "The only person there would be Dumbledore, but he's usually visiting Hogsmeade around this time."

"And you be careful with it," Fred said. "We thought it might be too early to part with it, but you clearly need it more than we do, with the way you kept getting caught last year."

Lily refrained from reminding them that she was only ever caught once. Granted, she got into a lot of trouble, but her record was still mostly clean.

"How do you make it blank again?" she asked after trying to fold it back into place.

"Just say 'Mischief Managed,'" Fred said. As he did so, the text on the map vanished, and it could now be easily folded back into the original form.

"Brilliant," Lily said, smiling widely. Between this and the cloak, she'd like to see McGonagall try to catch her now.