The loch was lovely, Mary thought, despite the weather's inclination towards the contrary. It was getting late, and the rain was falling steadily without a breath of wind. It had been a long day, and to burn off some steam before bed, she took a walk on the grounds intended for the loch. It might've been her favourite part of the grounds if not for the distance between it and the Gryffindor dormitories, the walk alone took upwards of a half-hour. But she had made it, and the distance alone encouraged a lengthy visit.

The sun was setting, and the brilliant oranges and yellows lit up the horizon, impenetrable even to the voluminous, low hanging clouds. She considered it for a moment, a creeping smile on her face before looking down at her feet. When she was a very small child, she had spent much of her time at the banks of the river behind their home in Belfast, very happily tossing stones towards the bank opposite. Her father encouraged small challenges, closest towards that patch of moss, biggest splash, top points for they who managed the solid thunk of a river stone hitting a fallen tree. It wasn't until she turned six or seven that her stone seemed to hover in midair before landing with a spectacular splash. Or later, when her mother announced an unexpected pregnancy, every lightbulb in the room burst at once. She loved her parents, truly she did, but when her Hogwarts letter arrived on her eleventh birthday, she didn't hesitate to embrace this new world with open arms. The day she left Belfast for London wasn't as emotional as she supposed it should have been. Her mother was enthralled with her brother, her father even more so, not deigning more than a passing kiss and wave goodbye to their firstborn as she left their doorstep forever.

Or for what felt like forever, Mary decided to stay behind at Hogwarts during the Christmas and Easter hols with her new mates Marlene and Lily Evans, also escaping a problematic home life. She returned home during the summer hols to parents who had not only survived her absence but seemed to have thrived. Her mother had quit her secretarial job to be a full-time mother, something she had always wanted but had needed the money too much to give up even a part-time position. Her brother had started walking, and her da had built a beautiful playroom for him full of new, beautiful things. It took her the better part of that summer to come to grips with the reality that she had been replaced, forgotten about. Her parents swore up and down that nothing had changed, but Mary saw through it, even at twelve years old, she knew it in the deepest parts of her heart. They displayed a halfway sort of love, smiles that almost reached the crinkles at the corners of eyes, laughs that lasted a moment too short, hugs that were too brief to mean much more than a passing thought. Her parents had a son, at long last. A normal son, by all accounts, not one to drain her family's meagre savings on wands and potion ingredients for some school they had never heard of and were forbidden to speak about with the neighbours.

The ice was thin, and the larger stones she threw broke through with a satisfying crack as the ice split. She wasn't upset, per se, but the events of the past week truly brought to light that which she would've preferred remained below the surface of her subconscious.

The loch was frozen, but the rain had caused an almost pearlescent sheen where the rain had melted away the snow. It was beautiful, in that rugged and wild way Scotland was. A river was spilling its banks past the Quidditch pitch, running wildly over stones and down little waterfalls. She didn't mind the rain, not truly, it felt nearly euphoric to be standing in a land scrubbed clean and fresh with nothing of before left to tarnish or diminish it. And all alone, out by the loch pouring rain, she felt truly free for the first time in months. Free from her parents, the girls in her dormitory, the business with Lily and James—

At the sound of the next stone falling, a sudden realization hit her, and the shock was more intense than she expected. Lily was gone, in that dormitory with Potter, and it bothered her. Not because they had any deferential friendship, or because she was away, but because Lily had been fool enough to get in trouble in the first place. It was so juvenile, the way she acted around James. He wasn't a saint and wasn't even all that attractive when it came down to it. Mary hated the way her friend changed herself when she was around him. She picked up another sizeable stone, rolling the weight of it around in her hands. Lily was level-headed, too smart to be caught up with someone like him, a pretentious playboy with too much time on his hands. Mary had been on his Quidditch team for years, up until her attack two years ago. He was intense, focused on victory of the individual (usually himself) rather than that of the team. Gryffindor had won three championships under him. For what it was worth, he was a solid Chaser, and his team obeyed him without question, but at what cost?

Mary wasn't blind; James and Lily had a lot in common. They were both determined, brave, smart, but where James lacked the ignorance of forethought, Lily wanted too badly to please. She wanted the approval and praise of everyone she met, but it wasn't a bad thing. Not in the way Lily wanted it. Mary couldn't stand watching Lily make a fool out herself for somebody else's approval.

What had happened?

Mary hadn't seen Lily since breakfast; she had been off with Potter for most of the day. She didn't envy Lily; they had spent the past six years together, and the two of them had only been separated for less than a week. But a guilty and hardened part of her heart was green with envy at him, James; he could still move, he could still fly, and Mary missed it more than she ever thought one could miss anything. The rush of wind in her face, the feeling of absolute freedom that she had only ever felt on a broom. Her top of the line Nimbus was still under her bed, handle still carefully polished. Even after what had happened, she still wished she'd be able to fly again someday.

It was a foolish wish, but a wish nonetheless. Mary's nervous system was shot with curse damage; she might not be able to walk in ten years, never mind fly on a broomstick.

She considered rock in her hands and threw it, but the tightness of her back hindered her movement at the last moment, and it skittered farther left then she had intended. It spun about on the surface of the ice, once and then twice before coming to a stop. Mary focused on its movements in an attempt to slow her breathing as her back seized suddenly. It was close on unbearable, and as she grew older, it became worse. It felt like her skeleton was pulling itself apart, the muscles spasming uncontrollably in response. All those years ago, her spine had taken the brunt of the initial attack when Mulciber cursed her. That moment had spun through her head a million times, the sun was bright, cloudless, windless, it was April 17th, and she was sitting beside the lake with Marlene and Alice enjoying the rare bout of good weather. She had known Mulciber for ages, the same year, sorted one after another five years previously. She knew he had uncomfortably dark tendencies, but many of those in her year did as well. She hadn't done anything wrong; there was no reason for her to be wary of him.

How very wrong she was.

He called out, first. Marlene turned to give him a piece of her mind, but Mary could stand up for herself and told her friend as such. She stood to face him, her wand abandoned on the grass by her feet and told him to find someone else to bother. He came closer, and his mate Avery came up from behind him, both of their wands raised.

She didn't know what curse the cast first, but it was debilitating, and when she tried to describe it later, all she could think of was the pain, flowing down her body in waves. She could hear the screams of Marlene and Alice, the movements of them stepping in front of her, wands raised. She could hear the outcry of students around her, but Mary was frozen in pain, utterly alone in her suffering. She felt herself falling, Marlene catching her, and then the second curse came, hitting the base of her spine.

She woke up in St Mungo's some time later, five worried faces looking down at her. Once she had sorted up from down and left from right, the Healer came by with a chart and a downcast expression. It was permanent, she had said. Whatever it was that hit her, it had degrading properties. It would never heal, never fully recover. Her body would never fully cooperate with her again. In those first weeks, even standing upright was excruciating, shooting pain ran down her legs and arms, numbing her feet and making walking near impossible.

Despite her protestations, her family was notified about her condition and made the journey down to London with haste she had forgotten they possessed. She wanted to hate them, to ignore them, to not see the disgust and frustration so evident in their eyes. But despite all this, they came for her every day, assisting in her recovery. But once the day was through, and she was back in the comfort of her bed, she could just make out the conversations between her mum and dad and the Healers. She watched in frustration at seeing her parents cry, damp handkerchiefs pressed over their eyes. There was nothing to be done, nothing at all. Invalid for life.

The Healers tried this and that in the coming months, rehabilitation, potions, spells, all experimental, and with very mixed results. One of the potions caused hallucinations so vivid all the progress that had been made was gone in a moment. Another left her partially, but thankfully temporarily, paralyzed. But through trial and a great deal of error, a rehabilitation schedule was created and carried out with some manner of success. Her somewhat reluctant parents and her dorm mates— as well as a curious Anthony Balsan— helped her on her way to recovery, encouraging her to take her medication, assisting in walking exercises, and generally keeping her company. By the time August rolled around, she could walk and sit and move about well enough that returning to Hogwarts was back on the table.

Tony was everything she looked for in a friend, considerate, generous with his time, thoughtful. He was tall, with blonde hair that fell just over his brow, and after spending so long together, they had developed the beginning of affection. He was there for a different reason; was being treated for complications related to diabetes. By using both Muggle and wizarding techniques, they had come to a solution a few weeks before her, thank Merlin. He was being treated on the first floor, and she was on the fourth, but they still managed to find time to spend together, usually under a sheet after dark discussing their mutual affections for Paul McCartney and Exploding Snap.

It wasn't until she returned to Hogwarts in September that she was told of Mulciber and Avery's expulsions. Still, she was grateful, truly and honestly because her condition had brought her to Tony.

She tossed another stone, this time remaining mindful of her rotation, and smiled as the stone sailed through the ice. A tentacle rose through the hole left behind, and Mary took a step back in surprise before it slithered back beneath the surface.

"Mary!"

She turned in surprise at the sound of Tony's voice, a smile on her face before she saw his expression and froze.

"Mary!" he panted, his eyes wide and wild. "It's Amelia; we need to go,"

...

Tony helped her on the long walk back to the castle, offering to carry her (which she quickly declined) and explained. He had been walking down an abandoned corridor on the sixth floor, looking for Mary when he saw Amelia walking alone. It was late (later now, she thought as they walked, the sun had set some time ago) and Tony was worried about Amelia's welfare. He turned the corner to ask, and the next thing he saw was someone in a black cloak whisking Amelia away and out of sight.

"I couldn't find Dumbledore, and I knew you were alone, so I came for you first," he said, holding the door to the castle open for her. "Are you sure you don't need help? It's a long walk,"

"No, my back is sore, but walking should help," she said, their footsteps echoing on the stone. "The sixth floor, you said? East or west?"

"East," he said, taking her hand as they stepped into the Entrance Hall. "Towards that black suit of armour and the girl's toilet,"

"We need to find Dumbledore," Mary said, pausing at the foot of the stairs to catch her breath. "Or McGonagall, or somebody. It doesn't matter who."

"I'm so sorry, I forgot; you're soaked to the skin," Tony said, peeling a scarf off of her neck and raising his wand. He had a particular gift for Charms, and the warm air was a blessed relief. She was damp, but it couldn't be helped.

"It's no matter, you're much the same," Mary said, unbuttoning his cardigan and tugging it off, down his arms. "At least I had a coat on,"

"It was an emergency!"

"Then never mind me, off we go,"

They walked quickly to the seventh floor. Tony lent a hand (and later an arm) to Mary as they continued to climb stair after stair, walked through corridor after corridor to the entrance to Dumbledore's office. The going was slow, and by the time they reached the seventh-floor landing, she could go no further and slumped down the wall like a raindrop.

"Mary," Tony said, kneeling beside her and kissing her on the forehead. "Wait here; I'll get somebody. I'll be right back."

Tony turned his head slowly around the corner of the corridor and turned back as quickly as he could, his eyes wide as he strained to listen.

"...as if this business with the Aurors wasn't bad enough, Dumbledore had to go on and summon Crouch, damn him."

"A war is coming, Horace," Professor Flitwick squeaked, his voice many octaves higher than his companion. "And Dumbledore is a great wizard; he'll have Hogwarts' best interest at heart."

"War? Good Lord, I hope not. He Who Must Not Be Named isn't foolish enough to start his war under Dumbledore's nose, surely not,"

"There are rumours about Death Eater recruitment among certain families," Flitwick said slowly.

"Slytherin families, you mean."

"All evidence procured agrees, Horace," Flitwick said, his words heavy. "Facts remain ignorant of personal preference."

Slughorn sighed, and Mary strained to listen, but the next exchange was in whispers.

"What'd he say?" Anthony whispered, and she shook her head.

"Nothing," Mary said. "Couldn't hear it, whatever it was."

Anthony sighed. "Did Slug leave?"

Mary inched her way to Anthony's feet and peeked her head back around the corner and watched as Flitwick gently closed his classroom door behind him. "Looks to have done,"

"Come along then," Anthony said, dusting off his trousers and holding out a hand. "No time like the present."

...

"Professor?"

There was a general shuffle from behind the closed door before Flitwick offered a muffled greeting, and the door inched open.

"Oh! Mr. Balsan!" Flitwick exclaimed with familiar warmth. "And Miss Macdonald as well! What do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"Professor, we didn't know who to go to, we were looking for Dumbledore, but we need help, quickly."

"What is it? Is somebody hurt?"

Anthony scrubbed a hand over his face in apparent distress before continuing. "I think so, but before jumping to conclusions, is there any reason that men in black cloaks should Stun and carry off a student?"

"What?"

"Amelia Bones, sir.

"And Miss Bones was..."

"Yes, sir."

"No time to lose, then," Professor Flitwick said, taking hold of his wand. "Where did you see them last?"

"The sixth floor, about forty-five minutes ago," Tony explained, holding fast to Mary's hand.

"Professor Dumbledore is gone, I'm afraid," Flitwick said, moving to walk down a flight of stairs. "Gone to attend an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot. Professor McGonagall might have an answer, she and Mr. Crouch have been in conference now for some time."

"What business do they have together?" Tony asked.

"I daresay Professor McGonagall will explain. Not much further now,"

The trip back down the stairs was easier than up, and McGonagall's office was a shorter trip with Tony's shortcut on the third floor. By the time they reached the door, Mary was quite out of breath, so Flitwick knocked in her stead.

"Enter," came McGonagall's voice through the door.

Mr. Crouch was standing beside her desk, his expression tense. His appearance was as neat as it had been that morning, tidy toothbrush mustache, hair parted severely.

"We have a disappearance to report, Professor," Tony said.

...

"What exactly was it you saw?" Mr. Crouch asked, not looking up from his notepad.

"I saw an unidentified person in a black hooded cloak Stun and carry off Amelia Bones."

"I'm assuming Miss Bones is a student?"

"Yes,"

"Where did this occur?"

"In the east corridor on the sixth floor," Anthony said, speaking rather quickly.

"When was she last seen?"

"We haven't seen her since lunch, sir," Mary said. "I'm Mary Macdonald; we haven't been introduced. Amelia's dorm mate."

"Miss McDougal, is it?"

"MacDonald,"

"Miss MacDonald, this inquiry is for those who witnessed the scene of the crime. Please stand to one side while it occurs, or I would have you removed."

"I'm sure she has insight that would aid the investigation," Tony said earnestly, looking back and offering a quick smile.

"Hmm," Mr. Crouch said unconvincingly, not looking up. "And what time approximately did this occur?"

"Near on an hour ago, I'd say,"

Mr. Crouch held up a pocket watch and consulted the time before placing it back in the pocket of his waistcoat. He noted it with a firm but steady hand.

"That places the time of the initial confrontation at half-past ten," Mr. Crouch said. "I will consult with the Head of the Aurors to see if anything mysterious has occurred in that time frame."

He continued to write notes, and Anthony stayed, watching him as if he had something else to add.

"Mr. Balsan, you will find I am not a patient man," Crouch said, his eyes fixed on the parchment. "If you have something to say, I suggest you do so,"

"Nobody would've been able to sneak past the Aurors, would they?" Anthony said hesitatingly. "The castle is large, and it is getting dark earlier these days—,"

"Are you suggesting that the Auror department has been unsuccessful as of late, Mr. Balsan?" Mr. Crouch said, his eyes bulging. "Failing at their post?"

"Of—of course not, sir,"

"The Headmaster will not allow the Dementors inside the castle, or the matter would have already be settled."

"I should think not!" McGonagall said, looking belligerent. "The guards of Azkaban in a school, I've never heard of such a thing. I daresay if they had been, she might have already been Kissed!"

There was a tense silence, and Tony reached back and took Mary's hand.

"I will send the teachers out searching for her. I suggest you return to your dormitories and stay there; I will send a message when we have found her."

"Of course, professor," Mary said. "Come on, Tony,"

But Tony remained rooted; his eyes fixed on McGonagall. "You'll find her, right?"

"We will do our utmost that I will promise Mr. Balsan. Professor Flitwick, will you please escort them to Gryffindor tower?"

"Of course, Minerva," Flitwick said, holding the door open.

...

Later, dry and warm and tucked into bed, it struck Mary as particularly odd that Amelia would be out late at all, curfew was being strictly enforced, and she had never been one for breaking the rules. What had she been doing? Mary sat up with a sigh and looked over at Amelia's neatly made bed. She was the most levelheaded of all of them, calm in a crisis, had she been here, she would've known what to do.

"Are you okay?"

Mary turned over in surprise to see Marlene awake from the next bunk over.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"We thought you were together, you and Amelia," she explained, her face full of worry. "That's why weren't concerned because we knew that you could watch over one other."

"No, I was beside the loch,"

"What were you doing there?"

"Just thinking," Mary said quietly, tracing designs on her sheets. "Worrying about Lily,"

"Lily can take care of herself, she's got a good head on her shoulders," Marlene whispered, and then looked over to Alice's four-poster. "Do you think she's awake?"

"Alice? I—,"

"I'd say so," Alice interrupted grumpily, looking very groggy.

"Sorry if we woke you," Mary said, turning on the lamp beside her bed. "I'm worried about Amelia,"

Alice sank back into her pillows with a sigh.

"Me too," Marlene said quietly.

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Alice said, her eyes still closed.

"McGonagall didn't seem to think so, the teachers and the Aurors are looking for her now,"

"It's so unlike her, she wouldn't have been out after curfew for no reason," Alice said, yawning widely.

"Was she after something, you think?"

"I don't know," Mary said, swinging her legs out of bed. "But I intend to find out,"

"We can't leave," Alice said quickly. "There are patrols; there are Aurors out there. Do you want to be caught by an Auror? Because I don't,"

"Don't be such a baby," Mary said, pulling on her boots. They were still wet from her trapeze through the woods, but warm enough after she cast a quick-drying charm. "Amelia would do the same for you,"

Alice harrumphed before pulling herself out of bed as well, her long nightgown tangled in her sheets.

"Am I the only sane one here?" Marlene said, having not moved an inch. "We can't go after her! God knows where she is now! We wouldn't find her anyway,"

"I'd rather have looked and not found her then stayed put and had no answer," Mary said, tucking her wand in the pocket of her robes. "We need to stop by and collect Lily first. We'll need her help,"

"So we can just get into even more trouble?" Marlene said.

"Just because she's Head Girl doesn't mean she won't punish us for being out of bed, Mary," Alice added.

"She's not like that," Mary said. "And anyway, are you lot coming or not?"

...

Five minutes later, they crawled one at a time out of the portrait hole, watching and listening carefully for any sign of trouble. The castle was silent, and so long as they steered clear of Peeves and watched around corners, it shouldn't be hard to search. Mary had a vague understanding of where James and Lily's dormitory was, and took the lead down a staircase to the sixth floor.

"Do you know where you're going?" Marlene hissed from behind her.

"I think so," Mary whispered back, the tip of her wand lit.

"Turn left," Alice said from the rear, "It's at the end of the corridor. Across from the boys' toilet."

Mary peaked around the corner at the foot of the staircase, and seeing nobody, took down the hall. She supposed they were asleep, James and Lily, it was long past midnight. Was there a password? How on earth were they going to get in?

They arrived quite suddenly at a nondescript door halfway down the corridor. It had no keyhole, no doorknocker. If she knocked (given that they were lucky enough not to bring a wave of Aurors and teachers their direction), would they even hear it?

"Well, here goes nothing," Mary said and knocked three times on the dark wood. The sound echoed, and the girls scattered back behind the tapestry in fright. What if the teachers found them?

Less than a minute later, to their astonishment, the door opened, and James stood in the doorway, looking not at all surprised to see them.

"Are they still looking for her?" James said, and Mary stared at him, confused. "McGonagall told us, you'd better come in,"

James led them through the door to a cozy space, a smaller version of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I didn't think you'd answer," Marlene said, taking in the sight of a tidy sitting area, a fire crackling merrily in the grate.

"I knew you were coming," James said, gesturing vaguely off to his left. "But that doesn't matter. Did you come to see Lily?"

"Yes, we need her help to find Amelia,"

"I'll get her," James said, walking towards the only closed door in the dormitory. "Won't be a minute."

The girls waited with a sense of impending dread, taking in the sights of this previously unexplored portion of the castle. There were two desks, facing opposite walls, surrounded by bookshelves, lit by hovering candles. The coffee table was laden with charts and opened books, a vividly red Griffin feather quill sat upright in an ink bottle. James had been hard at work before their arrival. More candles hovered here and there by magic, and their flickering light cast ghoulish shadows across the walls.

The door clicked open, and a sleepy and disoriented Lily came into sight, rubbing her eyes. Marlene surged forward, and the rest of the girls followed, pulling Lily into a tight hug.

"Did you hear about Amelia?"

"Have you been alright?"

"Haven't seen you all day, you prat," Alice murmured in Lily's shoulder.

"James said you were coming," Lily said, slipping her glasses up her nose with a quiet smile. "I've missed you,"

"You'd've missed us less if you'd left this place once in a while," Marlene said, and Alice smiled.

"But that doesn't matter," Mary said. "All is forgiven. We need to find Amelia; everything else can wait,"

"We can't find her either," James said, looking over at Lily and sitting on the back of the sofa. "We've been looking too,"

Mary lifted an eyebrow. "How? You've been in here all day,"

"I have to show you something," Lily said, standing up suddenly and reaching for a spare piece of parchment on the table. "James and I were told by McGonagall that Mary and Amelia were missing, but we were only worried about Amelia, we knew that Mary was by the loch."

"What?"

"How?"

"This," James said, taking the parchment from Lily, lifting his wand to the surface, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Something like an inkblot appeared on the parchment and spread, familiar corridors and classrooms appearing on the surface, creating a map of what Mary knew to be Hogwarts. Near the top of the parchment, a curly green script said Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present: the Marauders Map.

"Where did this come from?" Marlene said in awe, not quite seeing Lily's pleased smile from beside her.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"I thought you couldn't make a map of Hogwarts?" Alice said with confusion. "Because of the secret passages and such?"

James shrugged, a barely contained grin behind his lips.

"Hold on, isn't this what you lot call each other?" Mary said, looking over at James suddenly, tracing the names with her finger. "Padfoot is Black, Wormtail is Pettigrew, isn't it?"

"Moony is Lupin," Marlene said, looking up with excitement. "And that means—,"

"Prongs is me," James said, looking up with a strange expression on his face.

"So where'd you get this from?"

"We made it," James said, straightening out the flaps lovingly. "Enchanted it to show the whereabouts of every inhabitant of the castle. I've been searching for Amelia ever since McGonagall told us when was that Lils?"

"Not sure," she said, leaning over James' shoulder. "Quarter to Eleven? Hours ago,"

"And no luck, she's not on the map. So unless she left the castle-,"

"She's missing," Alice said, looking down in disbelief. "Truly missing,"

"She's not... dead, right?"

There was a tense silence, no one wanting to confront the possibility that Mary could be right.

"I don't think so," James said at last. "There's no reason to have, and there was a witness whether Amelia's attacker knew it or not. There are Aurors everywhere; it was most likely a misunderstanding," James stopped suddenly and turned his attention back towards the map. "You said Tony saw Amelia being stunned and dragged off, right?"

"Right," Mary said, looking apprehensive.

"Which floor was it?"

"The sixth, eastern corridor."

James sat back in his seat, the beginnings of a plan growing in his mind. "That's right beside the staircase leading up to the seventh floor," James said, tracing his finger down the corridor. "And on the seventh floor is the only room in the entire castle we couldn't put it on the map. It's Unplottable, never quite in the same place or bearing the same dimensions; the Room of Requirement,"

...

James was fully dressed but waited for Lily to slip on a dressing gown before they left the dormitory. The girls had a million questions ("you found seven secret passageways out of the castle? How the hell did you do that?" "You made this when you were thirteen?!" How did you keep it a secret for so long?")

"Simple," James said, his eye straying back towards Lily's room now and again. "You don't tell anybody,"

"He only told me about an hour ago," Lily said from down the hall, pulling on her quilted dressing gown. "When he left the damn thing on the coffee table,"

James folded the map and tucked it into the pocket of his robes, offering a hand out for Lily to hold. "Come on,"

"Where are we going?"

"I think I know where Amelia is," he said as she considered. "Do you trust me?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Marlene said under her breath.

"I trust you to get us in trouble," Lily said. "You've yet to let me down in that regard,"

He wiggled his hand, and Lily took it. The girls followed with apprehension and excitement.

"It's on the seventh floor, the entrance," James said, his eyes bright. Lily ran a bit to catch up with his long strides. "I can't believe I never showed it to you before!"

"Showed me what?" Lily asked. "The Room of Requirement? I've never heard of it."

He held a finger to his lips. "Marauders honour, Evans. No one but the four of us knows, well, eight of us soon enough."

"Glad to hear I've made the cut," Lily said dryly.

"You would've been a Marauder in second year if I had anything to say about it," said James, holding open the door. "After you,"

...

James waved his wand, and Mary gasped in alarm as three huge stags burst out of the tip of his wand, silvery and translucent. Together, they turned their heads towards James as if expecting direction.

"Find Sirius, Peter, and Remus, tell them to meet us at the Room of Requirement, tell them that it's an emergency. Oh! And tell Sirius to bring the cloak."

The stags nodded and took off in a run down the corridor.

"They'll meet us upstairs," James said, passing the map to Lily. "Keep an eye on this, will you?

The silvery stags had long since disappeared around the corner, and James led them in the opposite direction. Lily walked close beside him, looking down now and then to make sure they weren't about to run into a teacher. "Peeves is on the first floor, McGonagall and Sinistra are on the fifth, and Flitwick is in the Ravenclaw Common Room. There's no one on this floor, not even a ghost."

"That's lucky," Mary said, fighting to stay calm.

"There's a passage behind this tapestry on our left," Lily said, tracing the route with her finger. "It'll be a faster route,"

"After you," James said, stopping at a seemingly innocuous tapestry of a unicorn and a stag and stepping aside as the girls followed after Lily. He looked one last time at the sixth floor before turning towards the others.

Mary had lit her wand and looked over Lily's shoulder as they considered where to go next. "How will we know where it is? It's not on the map,"

"It should be right around— here," James said, circling a blank piece of map with his finger. "It moves all over the place, but that's where the entrance is. Across the hall from a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."

"Well, lead on," Mary said, much to his surprise. He didn't dislike Mary; in fact, he rather admired her. But James couldn't deny a certain amount of animosity he couldn't place that usually showed itself whenever they interacted. What he had done, (or indeed, hadn't done) escaped him, but her face was uncharacteristically bright and hopeful, and he grinned at her without reservation.

"Lily first," James said, ducking under the low ceiling. "Watch your step, the sixth stair from the top is a trick step."

Lily led them up the stairs, and through the backside of a hinged painting, keeping a careful eye on the map.

James walked past Lily and walked into the corridor. Thick panes of moonlight shone through the windows and cast shadows against the walls, and if she wasn't mistaken, Lily thought she saw three pairs of trainers near the wall, unattached to their corresponding bodies. James took a step towards them, wand raised.

"What's he doing?" Alice whispered, and Lily smiled but didn't answer.

James prodded the air in front of him, unsurprised to see the bodies of his friends tumble seemingly out of thin air. Sirius and Lupin, both tall enough that their trousers showed beneath the cloak, looked rather sheepish, but Peter was shaking in fear. Marlene yelped and tucked herself further into Lily's side.

"Thank God for that," Sirius said, moving to stand beside James, pushing the cloak into his hands. "Being invisible is rubbish,"

"How long were you waiting for?"

"A minute or so," Remus said. "We were both awake, but Peter here was enjoying his beauty sleep."

"It is past midnight, Lupin," Marlene said.

"Even so, Amelia is missing," Sirius said, patting James on the shoulder. "Your Patronus was brilliant, smart thinking. I'm not sure why we've not used it before now, to be honest,"

The group exchanged greetings, and Sirius expressed his genuine shock at the Map in Lily's hands.

"Marauders honour, Prongs! You showed it to Evans?"

"It was an accident," James said. "It was late and—,"

"Someone's coming," Lily said suddenly, looking up and meeting James' eye. "Six blokes I don't know, and Bartemius Crouch."

Sirius, James, Peter, and Lupin walked towards the wall and simultaneously began pacing back and forth before the empty bit of wall.

"I need a place to hide, I need a place to hide," James murmured desperately, walking back and forth between the man-sized vase and the adjacent window. "I need to find Amelia, lead us to Amelia,"

"Hurry!" Lily whispered, tugging Marlene and Alice further behind her in the darkest part of the corridor.

A set of wrought iron doors slowly appeared on the wall, and not a moment too soon, the boys tumbled into an open space, followed closely by Lily, Marlene and Alice, and as quietly as she could, Mary shut the doors behind them.