AN:Here's another chapter. Right now I have about sixteen chapter's written up, so updates will be coming frequently. Oh, and the characters and anything else recognizable from the Harry Potter Series are not mine, however much I might wish it to be so.
Remus sat by the window of the dormitory looking out onto the grounds, but not really seeing them. It was just past midnight and the only sound that could be heard was Peter and Sirius snoring. All four of the Marauders had opted to stay at school for Christmas Holidays. They, along with two first years, were the only Gryffindor's that had stayed behind and it seemed strange for things to be so quiet when they were usually so noisy.
What had Remus so distracted was the Marauders map; while essentially finished there was something missing. What if one of them were to leave it out or to drop it and someone were to find it? Especially if that someone was Filtch or ,Merlin forbid, Snape? They had worked too long on it to just loose it to something like that. No, there had to be something they could do. James and Sirius had given up, and said that they would leave the problem in his "capable" hands and to his "Brilliant" mind or some such rubbish. Peter had just followed along like he always did.
"What to do," he muttered to himself, tapping his wand on the window ledge absently. "How do we hide it while still insuring that anyone who found it would not be able to figure it out? A simple concealment will not work."
Over two hours later he had it. Not even feeling the tiredness that had ailed him a half-hour before, Remus began tapping the map with his wand, muttering to himself. When he was sure he had it, he rushed over to Sirius' bed, it being the closest to where he was, and pulled the hangings back shaking him roughly by the shoulder.
"What the hell! Moony! It's got to be three in the bloody morning! What are you… why are you smiling?"
Remus didn't answer; instead he strode over to James' bed and proceeded to wake him.
"Waz It?" James asked groggily.
"I've done It!" he exclaimed as he woke Peter, who practically screamed and fell out of bed when he saw Remus standing over him.
"Done what?"
"Gone Mental is what he's done." Sirius groaned, rubbing a hand over his handsome face.
Remus ignored him. "I've finished the map."
This announcement was met with a rustle of bed cloths and a few oaths on Sirius' part, as the other three stumbled out of their beds in haste to examine Remus' work.
"It took some doing. I mean a basic concealment would be easy to break and then anyone could use it," Remus explained as they stared at the now blank piece of parchment. "But if it were made to only recognize a specific phrase or person then it would be virtually inaccessible to anyone else."
"What're you going on about?" Peter asked, not comprehending.
"He's made it so you have to have a password Wormatil. Keep up," Sirius said half in irritation. Sometimes Peter could be so slow.
"A password? Why didn't we think of this before. It's brilliant." James said examining the map. "I knew you'd think of something mate. What do we have to do?"
Remus laid the map on his bedside table, smoothing it out so it was completely flat. "Tap the map with your wand, like this" he tapped it quickly. "And say I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Before them appeared the map they had spent three years toiling away on. A dot labeled Albus Dumbledore could be seen pacing his office. Another labeled Argus Filtch was in the fifth floor corridor. Each name was in Sirius'clear script. He had the best writing of all the Marauders and so they had agreed that it should be his hand that gave ink to the map.
"When you're done," Remus continued, gratified by his friends looks of approval. "You simply say, mischief managed." The map went blank, looking like nothing more then a spare bit of parchment.
"You said it could recognize a person too?" James asked thinking.
"Well, it could be made to. The spell is the same. What do you have in mind?"
James grinned. "Well, say it did fall into the wrong hands and they did try to get it to work? Shouldn't we leave them a little encouragement?"
"Yeah," Sirius said catching on to what he meant right away. "A little bit of each of us to greet whoever thinks they are up to the challenge of cracking our map."
"What do we do?" Peter asked, already agreeing with James and Sirius.
A few hours later, the sun was peeking through the windows weakly and they all sat on James' bed, their task complete.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs Purveyors of aids to magical mischief makers are proud to bring you the Marauder's map." Remus read, stifling a yawn.
"Just in case anyone ever does crack it," James said. "They'd have to think like us to do it. If they got that far they deserve to use the map."
"Shall we test it?" Sirius asked clearing the map.
"I'll do it," Peter volunteered, grabbing his wand. He tapped the map and said, "I Argus Filtch demand you show me what your hiding."
Words began to appear on the map.
"Mr. Prongs bids Argus Filtch a good day and would like to register his astonishment that Mr. Filtch ever learned how to use a wand."
"Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Prongs and would like to add that he thinks Argus Filtch is a sadistic git and should spend less time oiling his whip."
"Mr. Wormtail sends his regrets that Mr. Filtch is stuck with that face and would like to pay his condolences to his last girlfriends eyes."
"Mr. Moony agrees with both Mr. Padfoot and Mr. prongs and sends his compliments, and hopes Argus Filtch will invest in a tooth brush and spare the students his rank breath and fungi ridden teeth."
The map went blank and they all laughed. "Yes, I'd say it worked alright," James looked at his watch. 'Think we have time for a little sleep before breakfast Sirius?"
"Probably." He was already pulling the curtains closed around his bed.
"Hey, Moony. Wake us in two hours yeah?" James asked, yawning.
"Oh, and what makes you think I'll be awake?" He had been up all night.
"You will be." Sirius said assuredly. "Even if you do fall asleep, you'll still wake up before us."
"You've got this weird internal clock that lets you know when exactly you need to wake up." Peter supplied, for once in the know about something. "It's kind of bizarre really."
With a sigh, Remus collapsed on his four poster. Within moments he was asleep.