a/n: It's been a long time, yes I know. but hey, it's Fred and George's birthday, a perfect day for this chapter, may I add. {A day late, or maybe two, but let's not talk about that, okay?}

[ "Happy birthday, Georgie," a voice, he knew all too well and missed hearing in what felt like decades, softly whispered in his long-lost ear... the breeze of assurance reached his ripped heart, filling up its holes, while he was engrossed in gazing at his reflection in the mirror. "Enjoying it down there, buddy, you better be." ]

#sorrynotsorry :) *deep breaths* alrighty...

Sirius was the only occupant of an empty classroom, after leaving Harry in the company of Ron and Hermione. Ron had told Sirius that Remus was about to join him soon enough.

As for now, Sirius had to keep himself busy by taking in his surrounding, his eyes circling around the walls, allowing his memory to play tricks on him.

He silently reached out to the side-way edge of a vacant desk, knowing what he was heading to. He bent over, and there, on the bottom of the table was their hand-written signatures.

With a sad smile tugging his lips, Sirius traced his fingers on the carved words that read Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs... the marauders were here, unknowingly keeping their memory alive over the years.

It was done, he'd never forget, out of boredom, to which McGonagall nearly caught them and would have gladly sentenced them to detention, if not for sheer dumb luck that was in their favor back then.

Sirius was hit by a pang of reality that he was no longer young with a peace of mind, merely fearful of facing a simple consequence to his mischievous actions. Unlike now, ever since fear of loss became his middle name, he had been carrying on the burden of his past years, weighing his shoulders down... but as Sirius would always remind himself, never did fear omit bravery.

In attempt to force his mind to leave the past where it belongs, Sirius gripped his wand from his pocket to erupt the Patronus charm to call on the missing marauder, Remus, but to do that, he'd have to rack his brain for a happy memory.

Giving his eyes a rest, Sirius pictured the marauders roaming the castle, relying on their royal crowns... their faces had been bright with proud toothy grins, peals of laughter ringing around wherever they went, with loosened ties and hands swinging on each other's shoulders.

"Expecto... expe--" Breathing heavily, Sirius gave it a try but couldn't find it in his heart to continue. Just get yourself together, Sirius sighed bitterly at himself.

The Patronus charm had always been the hardest on him, not for anything except that all his happy memories were wrapped in dreadful endlines of misery.

He couldn't just think of the taken-for-granted lively moments that had once made him smile, without tears threatening to well up in his eyes, acknowledging that it's all gone now.

Sirius shook his head, stubborn to give in, closing his eyes even tighter. "Gone... not really," he breathed shakily, encouraging himself by his previous success.

Earlier today, when he had called on Harry from Dumbledore's office, his mind had taken wild turns to a more recent memory, a happy one at that, back when his godson had first accepted him.

Come and live with you! Though years had passed on, Sirius could still picture how intense Harry's eyes had shone with desperation and relief.

The newly-repaired hope to finally offer Harry a warm family aided him in steadying every breath inhaled and, in exchange, exhaled. At last, he wrapped up his courage and freed his mind to wander far away on its own.

It landed on the moment Death decided to give him a second chance to live once again... in a last-minute change of forcing its dreadful plan on him, to slowly take his path, on his own feet, all the way to his emotional grave.

The tormenting pain that had been instilled in the coldness of his skin was repaired and replaced by raw vulnerability and pure relief. . . all of a sudden when his godson came back to life, his emerald eyes opening to the light and searching for company and brightening only when it found a loving one.

The embrace that followed had successfully filled the vacant hole within the depth of his scarred heart, before the melancholic sorrow had the time to fully engulf and suffocate his entire being into the void of an untimely death.

And by so, Sirius was happy once more, after thinking it would be forever impossible... hope had given away its tricks in a miraculous moment.

"Expecto Patronum!" Sirius exclaimed, firing wisps of the silver dog into life, a smile escaping him.

The steam dog didn't have much time to follow his commander's wish to fetch Remus, since moments later, the aforementioned man appeared by the door.

"What are you trying to pull yourself together for?" Remus asked, closing the door behind the overly beaming red-headed twins.

Sirius mentally cursed himself for speaking his thoughts out loud, loud enough to be heard, when he's alone and without even noticing; he just shrugged, not looking forward to discuss his difficulty in producing a simple charm or even in recounting the memories that came along.

"You kept me waiting, Remus." Sirius said instead, crossing his arms against his chest.

Remus chose not to answer beyond the exasperated sigh that gave Sirius negative vibes of indifference.

"You're alright?" Sirius asked, a look of concern crossing his face.

"Yeah fine," replied Remus, nodding half-heartedly and glancing sideways.

"I know better," muttered Sirius, marvelling at how Remus could hide what's aching him on the inside, but still not good enough to fool him.

**
"Hey! Erm sorry, but we need a plan to do what needs to be done." Fred's voice came from behind them, with reserved eagerness bright in his eyes.

"Right you are, and that's this: let's just hope nobody dies. Done, thankyou, let's proceed," said Sirius, the smirk he wore evident in his tone.

"What kind of plan is this!" Remus exclaimed, snapping his head at Sirius, who seemed victorious for helping Remus, even if he didn't ask, to put his troubling thoughts aside at least for now.

"Well, I won't just leave Umbridge roaming around freely after what she has done," said Sirius, his mental eye already imagining how lovely her beaten-up face would look like.

"Sirius, we're not here to plan who will cast the killing curse on her," remarked Remus firmly.

"I am not a murderer, I trust you know that," replied Sirius, bitterness lacing his tone.

Sirius wouldn't deny, at least to himself, that such sharp words had stung him, even if just from the surface, but still he couldn't remain mad at Remus for long.

"That's not what I meant," said Remus at once, debating with himself whether he had came out as a bit harsh. "Listen, whenever you feel your anger bottling up, just count from one to ten and--"

"And punch her when I reach seven, agreed! Nah too much, five sounds better, don't you reckon?" Sirius said, replacing the hostile hurt that had been in his eyes with a glint of excitement.

"Heavens, no! Done with counting, and you'll calm down, does that seem familiar?" Remus argued, going along and feeling much lighter.

"Oh, but that's just lame, that's for anyone but me. I'd like to go with the unpredictable, the unexpected." Sirius counter-argued, his grin etched on his face.

"Gentlemen, if you please, lend me your ears," George broke in, wanting to start on the more exciting part.

**
Remus sighed, taking the marauder's map out of his pocket onto the centered table, and took a seat gesturing for them to do the same. "Let's get started then."

While Sirius obliged, the Weasley twins couldn't do any of that sort. Fred and George were shocked into silence, unable to move a muscle, their minds racing with identical questions.

"Boys, c'mon, I thought you couldn't wait to start the grande meeting of mischief," said Sirius, cracking his knuckles at the ready.

"What's this?" George asked, pointing a shaking finger at the map.

"What's what--" said Sirius, sparing a moment to look around innocently to hide the challenging twinkle from voicing out from his eyes.

Fred opened his mouth to back his twin's thoughts but closed it soon enough with nothing being said.

"Sirius, stop acting daft... you know what they mean," said Remus with a sigh, nudging the sides of his friend.

Don't spoil the fun, Moony. Sirius mentally groaned, a frown of exasperation etched on his face.

"That's just a spare piece of parchment, nothing special really," continued Remus, his smirk silently roaring in laughter. "Y'know, we might need to scribble down plan P, plan M and maybe leave room for another P."

Sirius felt a smile come over his face at Remus' usage of the first initials to their marauder's names, in opposite order of what was etched on the map: P for the Prongs he missed, M for the Moony he's forever thankful to have him seated beside him, P for himself, and keeping Wormtail out of the way.

Remus always possessed a better way to make whatever joke sound funnier and trickier to grasp, Sirius mused quite fondly.

Fred and George wouldn't take fake ignorance for an answer though. "How do you know them?" Fred pointed out his inquiry, almost breathlessly.

"Them, who? I see no one in question," said Sirius, studying his nails before flashing yet another smirk.

The frustration to reach the answer they were desperate for was boiling up and reflecting in their impatient eyes.

"Easy and slow now, wait did you catch a fever?" Sirius asked in mock concern, reaching over to place a hand on their sweaty foreheads. "It usually makes people speak nonsense, but I didn't think it would have the same effect on you guys."

"Relax, we don't know them. In fact, we are them." Remus finally answered the shell-shocked twins, his radiant smile engulfing his features.

Fred and George had their eyes popping out of their sockets, with their jaws long dropped to the ground.

"Voila!" Sirius spoke in a low spooky voice, leaving his grin to widen. "At your service, Weasleys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" George stammered, shaking his head as though aiming to fix his ears. "It can't be-- you can't be the most legendary masters of mischief."

"Given that you look serious, I mean, you're it then," said Fred, clutching his heart in pain. He playfully rolled his eyes backward and pretended to faint like a dead weight onto George's arms.

"What the-- oh no, Freddie... what have you done? It's alright, wake up now," said George, softly shaking his other half's limp body.

"Right, what have I missed?" Fred asked, pulling himself straight in a blink of an eye, a tone of laughter caught in his faint voice.

"It's not as ridiculous as it seems," muttered Remus more to himself.

"You missed what you've been desperate to find out," remarked Sirius, clearing his throat. "Messrs Padfoot would like to congratulate you both though for witnessing the glorious return of the marauder's map to the hands of its greatest pranksters of all time."

"Or maybe it is-- as ridiculous," said Remus even quieter, shaking his head and face-palming.

"Wicked!" George exclaimed, pumping his fist in excitement, while Fred silently mouthed the same word.

Fred embraced Sirius, without a warning, to which Sirius stumbled backward taken off guard. "Merlin, we owe you everything," said Fred, his voice muffled before letting him go soon enough. "THANK you, thank you, Messrs Padfoot-- that's what I'll call you from now on."

"The pleasure is all mine to lead ambitious mischief makers-- woah, that was sentimental," said Sirius, wiping a fake stray tear, watching Fred and George jump in happiness and high-five each other.

"I was dying to meet the marauders," said Fred, his heart rate picking up.

"Yes he does seem the type, seriously," said George, his smile wide and shiny. "Oh wait, professor Lupin is kinda cool y'know but not that much to--"

"--to manage mischief," continued Fred, nodding and studying the man with a questioning spark in his eyes.

"Hey, is Moony a joke to you?" Sirius inquired in disbelief, before glancing at Remus who had a challenging glint bright in his eyes... something Sirius had missed catching sight of, behind the world-bearing look that had been a constant to Remus for so long now, ever since they had been reunited once again.

"Excuse you, Messrs Padfoot, but I ought to save what dignity I have left. Messrs Moony would like to ensure you that he was always the one who read the rules before breaking them." Remus shot back, grinning so brightly, to which Sirius howled with laughter.

"You can't be serious," blurted out Fred, his eyes wide and alive with admiration.

Sirius opened his mouth to direct them of who he was. However, before Sirius could say his well-known and most expected reply, Remus beat him up to it.

"I wish I was joking," said Remus, offering his friend a triumphant smirk, to which Sirius snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Nice one, Remus," said Sirius.

"Brilliant, that's bloody brilliant," said George happily, bowing in respect.

"Never judge a man by how reserved he seems, you never know what lies deep inside, waiting to be read," said Remus genuinely, not only pointing out his mischievous side, but also the part of him no one knew about --the broken shreds-- that craved to be mended into a whole, once and for all.

"Touche," muttered Fred, wiggling his eyebrows once. "Well, if you say so."

"Hmph, Remus was rarely blamed, or even worse, we were sometimes accused of the pranks he came up with and held the honor of performing them himself," said Sirius, groaning and grinning at the same time. "Everyone thought he was too innocent. I mean, just look at him, innocent as the clouds from the rain."

"Bloody hell, you ought to teach us your way," pleaded George, adopting his pretty please gaze.

"I am afraid we are a bit off schedule now," pointed out Sirius impatiently, moving the map closer to the twins who had slumped their shoulders. "Open it."

Fred held his wand at the ready, his smile restored, before shaking his head and gazing up at Sirius. "No, do us the honor and open it yourself."

Sirius grinned back, uttering the words that had been dismissed and forgotten by his tongue from forcible lack of use. He had missed for so long such a moment filled with happiness and that adrenaline-pumping excitement, which always came with the everlasting marauder's oath.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good..."

Padfoot left himself and raised his hands in surrender to be taken over by a sweet wave of nostalgia. It was the first time he had the chance to use the map once again, ever since he was shut away from his freedom and from his loved ones.

**
Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauder's map. The words appeared instantaneously, along with a self-drawn miniature of the Hogwarts castle.

"Hang on, the other two-- who's Prongs and Wormtail, like in real life?" George asked in a bewildered voice, matching his expression.

A simple question, it was, but was beyond capable of reinforcing a dam of emotions to burst within both Sirius and Remus. The remaining marauders glanced at each other, a frown finding its way across their faces when they thought of the long-lost ones. Their eyes shared an identical expression of pain with great intensity, mirroring the agony filling up their soul.

"They are, well--" Sirius began but couldn't find it in himself to reveal that one, who was once counted as a friend, back-stabbed them all and in the process led each of them to his own pathway of endless suffering.

Sirius sucked in a deep breath, as though in pain, in attempt to pull himself together. "They are not to be heard from again, whether we like it or not-- put simply."

"Nevermind that, a group of four, that we are now," muttered Remus, wanting nothing more than to close that heart-aching topic for good.

"Right, so let's get on the move," said Fred gently, forcing a smile.

Grief and hurt tucked into the back of his mind, in its forever residence, Sirius adopted a cheerful tone, as much cheerful as he could make it. "Now then, rack your brains and come up with the best ideas. The microphone is with you once again, my old friend."

Remus sighed and folded the map open to reveal what everyone was doing as each second ran along. Sirius' eyes instantly wandered around the parchment, out of instinct, and was fixed only when it landed on Harry Potter's name dot... a smile reached his face when he found his godson with Ron and Hermione by the Black Lake, Ginny not far behind.

A sudden voice interrupted his thoughts, as George exclaimed, "wait, what's Malfoy doing by the Room of Requirement?" It took less than a second for all eyes to travel to where George was pointing, but the deed was already done. "He just vanished, right now. I've seen it."

"That's not much likely, Georgie. I mean, all year long, he couldn't get in, despite his attempts, so no way out for him," said Fred hesitantly.

"It's not that impossible. He might have demonstrated an urgent and personal need that the room thought it could offer a helping hand to," said Remus logically. "But the question is what could it be?"

"Or maybe the map is faulting for once in a lifetime, I don't know, just to consider all possibilities." Fred wondered out loud, though he didn't fully support his own claim.

"The map never lies," replied Sirius firmly, his voice rising an octave higher than usual, to which the argument was fuelled down.

***
Without further ado, an hour passed by, followed by the other, while the group of four were fully engrossed in constructing and drawing strategic lines to match their ideas of a plan together. The end result would be successfully achieved, they were convinced or rather hoped.

Before they knew it, each one took his route to announce the beginning of their awaited plan. Sirius was down on the grounds by the Black Lake, for he was the first one Umbridge was supposed to catch sight of, as she would come out of her capture with the centaurs.

The Black Lake not only brought back long-lost stories, told by the moonlit glimmering water, but also awakened a relaxing set of rhythms, dancing with grace to the humming of the waves.

Sirius was even thankful to his fate that he was given the chance to say goodbye one more time to his home, Hogwarts as a whole, not merely the hospital wing, but to every wall and moving staircase all the way from his former dormitory to the Great Hall, and all in between.

"Sirius, hey!" Sirius was snapped out of his nostalgic episode by someone calling him from behind, a voice he knew all too well, but this time, it was bubbling with excitement.

"Oh boy, he looks dangerous when he is calm," Ron muttered to Hermione in a low voice, to which Harry shook his head dismissively.

"You wanna see dangerous?" Sirius asked, a smirk crossing his face, before the words came out as firmly as he intended. "What in the name of Merlin are you three doing out here after hours?"

"Oh-- when it got dark, we went to Hagrid's, honestly," said Hermione, removing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Besides, it was vital for Harry to have some fresh air, y'know."

"Alright, that would be a great title to the essay I expect from you," replied Sirius, giving a small shrug, to which Hermione went slightly pale.

**
"Anyhow, Hermione, I've heard you had that Rita Skeeter woman under your control, one way or another, am I right?" Sirius asked, a newfound urgency swirling in his gaze.

"Harry Potter! You don't just go around spilling secrets," said Hermione in a spine-chilling voice, rounding on the so-called boy who lived.

"Woah, it wasn't me. Hermione, trust me," replied Harry at once, out of breath, backing away a few steps.

"So he just happens to know... ingenious," shot back Hermione, snorting and huffing in irritation, to which even Ron looked at her with fear in his eyes. Her face had restored its color, from pale white to fiery red, from the outburst of emotion.

"Couldn't help but agree, not much escapes my notice, yes," said Sirius, his smile slipping when Hermione shot him a deathly glare. "But let's leave this for another day now shall we? Just so you know and though I regret it, Harry didn't tell me anything. It was Fred, but please don't drop a wall on him."

"Wait, Fred wasn't there in the first place. He supposedly doesn't even know, unless--" Hermione cut herself off, glancing at Ron in accusation.

Ron felt cold sweat tickle his forehead and around his freckled nose, wishing if the ground could just swallow him up already. "Easy there, please just listen-- alright, yes I told him, but it was only because they didn't really believe me when I said 'you weren't the one to mess with, and how scary you could be sometimes,' like precisely now would have been a better example."

Hermione relented bit by bit with every word coming from Ron, understanding flashing across her previously outraged eyes. She was pretty glad when Ron breathed in relief and relaxed his stiff back.

"Hermione, all I ask of you now is to get her here as soon as possible, through a jar or a summoning charm, whatever suits you." Sirius spoke in a serious tone, a small grin evident on his face. "We need someone to document what is about to happen to the public eye."

Hermione cleared her throat, and after a long moment of weighing her options, she nodded.

"Now that's what I call blackmailing," muttered Sirius to himself, but he wasn't the only one smirking.

**
There was a shuffling sound beyond the thick trees, from the flowing breeze of air, they assumed gazing around with alert eyes.

"Sirius, the centaurs will let Umbridge go," said Harry, wanting to let him know and answering the dozens of questions that instantly popped out from Sirius' eyes. "It has something to do with their honor and dignity, well as Professor Firenze just said, that they couldn't resume fighting someone who fell unconscious out of physical pain."

She'll become what she despises most in the world, the words of future, proclaimed by Professor Firenze, rang volumes within Harry.

"Then, I suggest you get inside, all of you," said Sirius, concern etched on his face. "It would be best though if you don't go too far, or else you might risk missing the show."

"Okay, just, you know what you're doing, right?" Harry asked, as much concerned as Sirius had been for him.

"Positive!" Sirius replied gently, reaching out to squeeze Harry's shoulder in reassurance, seeing him tense up.

Harry nodded, giving him a small smile, and walked along with Ron and Hermione back to the castle.

Watching Harry go further away and fade from view, Sirius wasn't fully aware of his thoughts taking charge.

I am doing all this for you, Harry. It's the least I can offer, and I know you deserve more, way more: an affectionate childhood, better reassurance... something I should have been there to provide, second to James and Lily, yet I failed in with the lowest grades.

But not anymore. I've had enough of failure for a lifetime.

Hope you enjoyed it, lovelies.

On the behalf of Dumbledore, I announce ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY points to whoever could correctly guess the title of the next chapter, anyone here?

Vote and comment, please. you have absolutely no idea how much this means to me :D

Until next time, I'd be lying if I said soon though, sorry.

Also, why do you think JK Rowling killed Fred... in what way was it necessary to the plot???