I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.

Chapter 20

"Last call for Hogsmeade! Come on now!"

Snow had fallen at Hogwarts, turning everything into a blinding, sparkling shade of white. Devyn thought, with a little chuckle, that if she were to transform into Snow, at least from a distance, hardly anyone would be able to see her.

And speaking of near invisibility…Devyn was about to walk off with Neville, Ron, and Hermione and go into Hogsmeade, when she spotted something that gave her pause. Someone was making footsteps in the snow…footsteps that didn't seem to belong to anyone.

Harry, Devyn thought with a small smile. She had wondered how long it would take Harry to finally crack and try to sneak into Hogsmeade. She evidently hadn't been the only ones who noticed because George, who had been making a snowman with Fred, tapped his arm and nodded his head toward the seemingly disembodied footprints.

"You go on, I'll catch up," Devyn told Neville. Ron and Hermione had already taken off, but Neville frowned and said, "You sure? I can wait for you…"

"No, Neville, it's fine. There's something I need to do…I'll catch up."

Luckily Neville had also spotted the phantom footprints and grinned when he realized what was happening. Fred and George were stealthily making their way towards Harry and then suddenly grabbed him by the arms and were forcing him back into the Entrance Hall.

"Clever, Harry," Fred told him, grinning.

"But not clever enough," George added, mirroring his twin's expression.

Devyn smiled and Neville nodded.

"See you at the Shrieking Shack, then, Dev," Neville told her. Devyn smiled gratefully and he went off. She turned and started after Fred, George, and Harry, and when she reached the Entrance Hall, she heard George say, "It's a wrench giving it to you, believe me."

"But we've decided, your needs are greater than ours."

"What are you up to?" Devyn said, making all three boys jump. Fred and George turned and grinned in relief when they realized who had caught them.

"Oh, Devyn, it's just you. Well, now that you're here, you might as well be in on the secret, too," George said.

"Secret, eh?" Devyn replied. "You're helping Harry sneak into Hogsmeade, aren't you?"

Fred and George raised their eyebrows and said in unison, "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies."

Devyn rolled her eyes and approached her friend and the twin Weasleys.

"You won't turn me in, will you, Devyn?" Harry asked, looking almost frightened at the prospect. Devyn raised her eyebrows and said, "Why on earth would I do that? If anyone deserves a bit of fun in Hogsmeade, it's you, Harry. Now what's this about?"

Fred looked at George and said, "George, if you will…"

George raised his wand and touched the parchment that Harry was holding and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Immediately after the words left George's mouth, writing and some sort of design bloomed out from where George's wand touched the parchment. It looked old…Devyn guessed 15 years at least.

Harry and Devyn stared down at the mysterious parchment and Harry read out the words that had, only seconds before, been hidden from all eyes.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Hoot are proud to present…The Marauder's Map?" Harry looked up at Fred and George in confusion, and Devyn thought for a moment. She knew those nicknames well…they belonged to her godfather and his friends, including her own father and James Potter.

And Sirius Black…she thought. It didn't seem the names rang any bells for Harry, although he did shoot her a look when George said, "We owe them so much."

As Harry opened the map and examined it in awe, Devyn wondered why Moony had never mentioned it before.

Well, I don't suppose it ever came up in conversation, did it? And not to mention, this is probably against some rule or another…Moony didn't want to tell me to toe the line and then have to admit that he didn't when he was my age…maybe that's it. Or maybe he didn't want to tell me because it brought back painful memories.

"Hang on," Harry said, looking closely at the map. Devyn leaned over as well and stared at the spot Harry was so interested in. "This is Hogwarts! And that…no…is that really -?"

"Dumbledore," Fred said.

"In his study," George added.

"Pacing," Fred confirmed for Harry.

"Does that a lot," George mused. And sure enough, there were these little shoeprints, pacing around, with a banner floating near them that read "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE".

"So you mean," Devyn said, trying to wrap her mind around the seriously advanced magic that this map was made of, "this map shows…"

"Everyone," Fred said, nodding.

"Everyone?" Devyn questioned.

"Everyone," George repeated.

"Where they are," Fred said.

"What they're doing," George added.

"Every minute," Fred told them.

"Of every day!" George finished. Devyn hoped they were done finishing each other's sentences so she would have time to process this. She knew Moony was a seriously talented wizard, but she never thought…something like this…

"Brilliant!" Devyn blurted out. Fred and George nodded impressively, clearly proud of themselves. Devyn wondered how they would react if they ever found out their DADA professor was actually one of the makers of the map.

"Where'd you get it?" Harry asked them. Devyn nodded, wanting to know. Where on earth did they find this?

"Nicked it from Filch's office, of course," Fred told them, folding his arms and leaning up against the wall. "First year."

Devyn had to admit, that was impressive. Stealing from Filch as a first year. Not many people would have had the guts to do that. But then that raised the question, why was the Map in Filch's possession in the first place? Had it been confiscated sometime during her godfather's time at Hogwarts?

That was unlikely, but possible, Devyn supposed. Or maybe Moony and his friends allowed the Map to be confiscated; in order to aide any future students that wished to carry on the noble art of pranking and mischief, such as Fred and George.

Yes, that seemed more likely.

"Now listen," George said, suddenly all business, which was surprising to Devyn. She didn't think she had ever seen him be serious. "There are seven passageways out of the castle. We'd recommend…"

Fred and George pointed a spot on the map and said in unison, "This one."

"The One-Eyed Witch passageway," George informed them. "It'll lead straight to Honeyduke's cellar."

"But you'd best hurry," Fred said, indicating on the map a rather unfortunate problem. "Filch is heading this way."

"Oh, and Harry, Devyn," George said, "Don't forget, when you're done, just give it a tap and say –"

"Mischief Managed," Fred and George spoke together as George tapped the map with his wand and the words, shoeprints, and floating banners all vanished from view. "Otherwise anyone can read it."

Fred and George winked and saluted them both. "See ya in Hogsmeade."

They went on their way, heading towards Hogsmeade. Devyn and Harry looked at each other and then started walking towards the One-Eyed Witch passageway that Fred and George pointed out for them.

"So…" Harry said, looking down at the now blank parchment. "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Hoot, eh?"

Devyn nodded, electing to stay silent.

"Don't you, er, don't you call your godfather Moony?" Harry asked. Again Devyn nodded, staying silent.

"Do you think he had a hand in making the Marauder's Map?"

"Yeah, maybe. He's never mentioned it to me before, though, so…I don't know. Best just to leave it alone. You can't tell him you have it, you know…"

"Why not?" Harry asked. Devyn raised an eyebrow and said, "Cos he's a teacher, Harry. He'd have to confiscate it. That's the last thing we need happening, right?"

"Oh, yeah, good point. All right, well, I won't tell him, then."

Devyn let out an internal sigh of relief. It's not that she thought Moony wouldn't answer whatever questions Harry had, it's just that he's had a hard enough time with Black being on the loose…he really didn't need any more reminders that his old friend wasn't who he thought he was.

He didn't need any more painful reminders.

Shaking her head, trying to stop herself from going down that line of thought yet again, she drew her attention back to the One-Eyed Witch passageway, which was actually a statue of a rather unfortunate looking witch that was in possession of quite a noticeable hump. Devyn must have walked by this statue a hundred times – but she never gave it a second thought. Brilliant place for a secret passageway, she thought. It's hiding in place sight.

It occurred to Devyn and Harry that they had no idea how to get into the passageway, so Harry stood as lookout while Devyn checked the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Devyn whispered, tapping it with her beloved wand. The names of the Marauders and the hand-drawn image of the castle spider-webbed out in front of her eyes and she scoured the map until she found the two stationary markers that bore her and Harry's names. It depicted a small wand tapping the hump of the witch and then a speech bubble that contained the word Dissendium.

Devyn nodded to herself and whispered "Mischief Managed," tapping the map again before she handed it to Harry, who stored it safely inside his jacket. Devyn herself was bundled up in a warm knit hat and a scarf, in addition to a warm winter jacket and gloves.

She raised her wand and checked that no one was looking before tapping the statue's hump and saying, "Dissendium."

At once, the witch's hump sprang open, wide enough to admit a reasonably small person. Devyn motioned for Harry to climb in, and once he did, she followed him. She tapped the passageway's entrance and it closed, shutting off any form of light. Devyn allowed her eyes to be enhanced and the dark passageway lit up like it was daytime. Harry, who didn't have the benefit of canine sight, instead said, "Lumos", and his wand tip ignited, like a small torch, allowing him to see as well.

He turned briefly and chuckled when he saw her glowing green eyes. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that."

"What?" Devyn asked curiously. Harry nodded his head toward her eyes and said, "Your eyes. I'll get used to seeing them glow like that."

Devyn shrugged and said, "Shall we?"

Harry nodded and they walked on, crouching low to avoid scraping their heads on the passageway's low ceiling. They walked on for maybe 7 minutes before they finally reached the end of the tunnel. They only reason they knew they had reached the end was because Harry could suddenly stand up, but when he did, a loud thump was heard and a few choice swear words were uttered.

Devyn snorted with mirth and said, "You all right, Harry?"

Harry grumbled and rubbed the top of his head, which had just collided with the stone trap door that was, presumably, in the cellar of Honeyduke's Sweet Shop.

"Yeah, m'fine. Let's go."

Harry lifted the trap door quietly, but dropped it again just quietly. Devyn figured there must have been someone there. Harry waited a few seconds and checked again. The person obviously was gone because Harry waved her up and they both climbed out of the cellar floor. Devyn replaced the trap door and noted that the exit of the secret passageway was almost entirely invisible.

In fact, if you didn't know it was there in the first place, you'd never be able to find it.

The two of them walked towards the stairs leading up to the shop, and Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak. Devyn, of course, had no need of it, considering she was allowed to be in Hogsmeade, and the two of them walked up the stairs and into the shop.

Devyn wished she could have seen Harry's face when he first saw Honeyduke's, but she imagined it was one of awe and excitement. There was no other reaction possible for the first time you lay eyes on the sugary majestic wonder that was Honeyduke's Sweet Shop.

Harry went first through Honeyduke's and she followed him. Well, she assumed he was in front of her…she couldn't actually see him. She noticed Neville at the front of the shop with Seamus and Dean, and in his hands was a bright red lollipop.

"Delicious," Neville had proclaimed it, and he was just about to start licking it when it was swiped out of his hands. Devyn approached him, laughing quietly.

"Hey Neville," she said, and giggled at her boyfriend's confused expression.

"Devyn!" he exclaimed, grinning. "Glad to see you made it. I'm guessing that was…you know…"

He nodded his head to the door, through which his lollipop had just floated. Devyn laughed and nodded. "Yeah, he's here. Come on," she said, taking his hand. He grinned and let Devyn pull him along, after waving goodbye to Seamus and Dean, who were both much too preoccupied with all the candy to even realize he had gone.

Devyn and Neville quickly caught up to Harry, discernible only by the floating lollipop. The white snow crunched under their feet as they moved past a whole gaggle of Christmas shoppers. It occurred to Devyn that she would need to get Christmas presents for her friends, Neville, and Moony…

I'm sure that I'll have plenty of time for that, Devyn thought with a smile. She had the entire day to get her Christmas presents. Today was December 18th, and it was the end of the term, which was incredible to Devyn. It didn't seem like that much time had passed at all since the year had started. Normally she would have gone home for Christmas, but as Moony was teaching this year, there was no point. In fact, it would have been downright foolish. She was glad that she'd be able to stay at Hogwarts this year, and still be able to spend time with her godfather for Christmas.

She absolutely loved this time of year. The freshly fallen snow, the cheery feeling all around…even the air smelled different around Christmas time. It was usually filled with the enticing aromas of peppermint and gingerbread cookies, and the sharp, clean smell of the pine trees that now decorated the Great Hall.

"Harry, can I have my lollipop now, please?" Neville said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, when they finally caught up with him.

"Yes, I suppose so," Harry answered and held out the lollipop, although to them it looked like the lollipop had just spoken and was now offering itself to Neville. Neville smiled gratefully and took the lollipop from Harry, and started devouring the sugary treat.

"Oh," Neville said suddenly, as though he had just remembered something. "Here, Devyn. I got his for you."

Devyn looked at what Neville was holding and a huge smile crossed her face when she saw what it was. In his hand, he held a bar of Honeyduke's best chocolate, with bits of candy cane embedded in it.

"I know how much you love chocolate, and how much you love Christmas…well, I thought of you when I saw it."

Devyn accepted the candy from Neville and threw her arms around Neville's neck in a tight hug. "Thank you, Neville, that's so sweet!"

"You're welcome," Neville muttered, turning a lovely shade of pink. Devyn, completely unafraid of public displays of affection, kissed Neville happily, although Harry made a gagging noise when she did.

"Oh, shut up, Harry," Devyn said, and Harry laughed loudly.

"Come on, let's go find Ron and Hermione," Devyn said, and Harry said, "Okay."

Devyn assumed that they'd be at the Shrieking Shack, so that's the destination Devyn, Neville and Harry set off for. Devyn and Neville walked hand in hand the entire way, although the gloves they were both wearing made that a little hard. Devyn munched on her chocolate the way there, thoroughly enjoying the way the warm, rich flavor of the chocolate dueled with the sharp, clean taste of the peppermint candy cane chunks. It was like Christmas in candy form and she was in utter bliss.

Not for the first time, she marveled at how amazingly sweet Neville was. She was so glad, especially during times like this, that she could say Neville was her boyfriend; hers and no one else's. She knew she was only fourteen, and it was probably foolish to think this, but she honestly thought that her and Neville's relationship might be a lasting one. It certainly would be wonderful, she thought, to fall in love with your best friend.

I'll just have to see the way it all plays out, I suppose, she thought, chowing down on another piece of chocolate, feeling the secure hold Neville's hand had on hers. But I certainly hope this lasts.

They finally made their way to the Shrieking Shack, but all three of them were annoyed to see that Malfoy, Crabbe, and another Slytherin named Pike had gotten to Ron and Hermione first. They were standing in front of the barbed wire fence that marked off the danger zone on the path to the Shrieking Shack. Devyn was only slightly amused to see that Ron and Hermione hadn't gotten all that close; she was more focused on the annoyance and anger she felt whenever Malfoy was around.

"A bit grand for you, isn't it, Weasel-bee? Don't your family sleep in, uh, one room?" Malfoy said, and although Devyn could not see his face, she was sure that smug grin was on his face right now. Crabbe and Pike laughed stupidly at Malfoy's sad attempt at a joke.

Ron's face flushed red with anger and he said, "Shut your mouth, Malfoy."

"Ooh, not very friendly," Malfoy said. "Boys, I think it's time we teach Weasel-bee how to respect his superiors."

Hermione stepped forward and said, "Oh, I hope you don't mean yourself."

"How dare you talk to me, you filthy little Mudblood!"

Devyn was about to rush in there and pound that little maggot senseless but Harry and Neville grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Leave them to me," Harry said, creeping forward silently. Devyn smirked. This was gonna be good.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a snowball was launched from where Devyn could see Harry's shoeprints and hit Malfoy right in the back of the head.

"Who is that?"

Obviously no one answered and Devyn and Neville took cover behind a tree. If Malfoy and the others saw her and Neville, they'd blame them, and despite how much she loved to show Malfoy how pathetic he actually was, she would rather avoid a fight.

Besides, she and Neville were laughing too hard for anything other than clinging to each other to try and stay standing. Devyn held onto her ribs, crying with laughter, when another snowball hit Malfoy, this time, right in the face.

And the snowballs just kept coming.

"Don't stand there!" Malfoy snapped at Crabbe. "Do something!"

"What?!" he asked, clearly confused as to what was happening. Harry must have moved closer because he pulled Pike's hat down over his eyes and then pulled Crabbe's pants down, revealing brown, yellow, and blue polka dotted boxers.

Ron and Hermione looked utterly bemused as Crabbe bent over to try and pick up his pants and ended up being pushed face first into the snow. Devyn had a strong suspicion that Harry had kicked him. Hermione laughed – she must have realized what was happening – but Ron looked bewildered and a little frightened.

Devyn and Neville moved from their hiding spot behind the tree to a snow bank closer to the action, in order to view it better.

Suddenly, Pike's green and silver colored scarf was pulled up and he screamed out of fright as he was swung around like a rag doll, and then thrown away into the snow. Malfoy had tripped over Crabbe, who was still lying in the snow with his pants round his ankles, and now found himself being dragged by his feet through the snow, closer and closer to the Shrieking Shack.

"What's up, Malfoy? Lost your skies?" Ron called out. Malfoy scrambled back up the slope the moment that his feet were released. He pushed both Crabbe and Pike back down into the snow in his haste to get away from the "ghost" that had just tormented him and his cronies.

"Get out of the way!" Malfoy screeched, shoving Crabbe down into the snow. Crabbe hurriedly pulled his pants back up and Malfoy shouted, "Move!" to Pike, and pushed him out of his way as well.

"Malfoy, wait! Wait!" Pike cried out, as he and Crabbe scrambled up the slope after Malfoy, right past Neville and Devyn's snowy hiding spot; they never even saw her and Neville.

Once Malfoy and his cronies had assuredly left, Devyn and Neville emerged from the snow bank, just as Harry fooled around with Ron and Hermione by moving a couple strands of Hermione's hair, and the strings on Ron's hat.

"Harry!" Hermione said, barely containing her laughter.

Harry removed the Invisibility Cloak, laughing hysterically. Devyn and Neville joined their friends as Ron said, "Bloody hell, Harry that was not funny," but smiled nonetheless.

"Were you two there the entire time?" Ron asked Neville and Devyn as they started the descent back into the village.

"Yeah, we saw the whole thing. Harry, that was brilliant!" Neville said, high fiving Harry, whose cheeks were flushed with excitement.

"But, Harry," Hermione said, sounding fretful. "What if Malfoy had seen you? You're not even supposed to be here!"

Devyn and Harry grinned at each other as Hermione said, "Speaking of which…how did you get here?"

"Well…" Harry said, grinning. "There's something I've got to show you, now that you mention it."

Well, what did you think? Please tell me. I know it's been a while since I updated, but I've been a little busy lately. Well anyway, here it is. I had a lot of fun writing the whole snowball scene, let me tell you!

Please leave a review and keep an eye out for the next chapter!