The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

The New Marauders

The first half of this chapter's dedicated to all of the @NewMaraudersTM

"Whoaaaaaaa...."

All three of the boys had said it in unison. Even Ollie and Wally had said whoa. 

Sirius, Remus, and Peter stood before the younger boys, the scene illuminated by Remus's wand held high overhead. Dexter, Ollie, and Wally withdrew their wands from the "spare bit of parchment" as ink bloomed from the point where they'd touched it to make their oaths. Sirius's hands trembled just a bit as he held it forth for them and the spidery lines cut dark veins across the parchment. Remus Lupin's fine calligraphic work spilled across the top and Wally read aloud as it did, "Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs proudly present... the Marauder's Map."

"Whoa," Dexter breathed again.

There was absolute silence for several long moments as everyone stared at the Map. Then Ollie looked up, his eyes meeting Sirius's. Sirius stared back into Ollie's wide eyes with a look of utmost solemnity. "What's it do?" Ollie asks.

"What's it do!" Sirius hooted. 

Wally took the Map from Sirius's hands and sat down - the other two seagulls plunked themselves down beside him - and the Marauders watched as their prodigies unfolded the map and stared down at it, leaning over, on their hands and knees, their heads together, and Ollie's wandtip lighting the parchment. Sirius glanced sideways at Remus, who simply smiled, then looked back down at the younger boys.

"It's a map of the school!" crowed Wally, "Look there, that's the Great Hall and here's Gryffindor tower over here, and the library..."

"Whoa look guys!" Dexter was pointing, "It's - it's Mr. Filch. And Mrs. Norris! OH and look - look. Dumbledore." 

"There's us!" Ollie cried.

"Wait there's not a hallway there..." Wally said suspiciously.

"Or is there?" Sirius asked.

Wally looked up.

Sirius shrugged. "Guess you've got some exploring to do, 'ey?"

The three boys looked at one another, then Wally looked back up at Sirius. "Is this some sort of prank? Are we going to go out there and get ambushed by Filch and get ourselves in trouble while you laugh at us?"

Remus shook his head and started to answer in a reassuring way but Sirius cut in, "Blast, why didn't I think of doing something like that instead of giving up our map?" He looked at Remus and Peter.

Peter said, "It - it's really useful, that map. We worked a long time on it, getting it right. There's loads of passageways on there I never would've known about without this lot."

Sirius coughed and pointed at Gunhilda the Witch. "Honeydukes."

"What?" Wally looked up.

Sirius grinned and patted Wally's head. "You'll see."

Wally looked at Ollie, then at Dexter.

Remus nudged Sirius, "C'mon... Pete, you too. Let's let this lot have a go at it."

Sirius paused. "When you're done with it, or else somebody's coming that might discover it, you have to remember -" he tapped it with his wand. "Mischief managed." The sheet went blank instantly.

"Whoa."

"Yeah, whoa," Sirius said. "And when you're ready to look at it again - I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Tapping the wand again, the spidery ink spread back across the page. "Voila."