"What are you guys going to show me today?" I asked genuinely curious because once again we were assembled in the special room which they referred to as their Secret Lair. 

"It's a special invention of ours indeed," Prongs spoke, "we call it the Marauders Map." 

They brought out an empty scroll of parchment. It was blank and that was what seemed to be rather odd. Padfoot tapped the parchment with his wand and all of them mumbled, "we solemnly swear that we're up to no good." 

As soon as they chanted it, things began to appear on the parchment and in a few seconds the once empty scroll now depicted a whole map of Hogwarts as well as Hogsmeade and the neighboring places. 

"Cool," I mumbled. The Map held every tunnel, every secret passage as well as every little hole in and out of the castle. "How did you guys manage it?" I asked because seriously this seems a lot of work. 

"It's hand made with a bit of magic," Padfoot explained, "Moony thought of all the protective spells and incantations we had to put on it, Prongs came up with all the information, I drew up everything in here and Wormtail kept providing us lots of food and virtual support so as to accelerate the process of Magical Map making." 

"Not only does it show every classroom, every hallway, and every corner of the castle, but it also shows every inch of the grounds, as well as all the secret passages that are hidden within its walls and the location of every person in the grounds, portrayed by a dot. It is also capable of accurately identifying each person, and is not fooled by animagi, Polyjuice Potions, or invisibility cloaks; even the Hogwarts ghosts are not exempt from this," Moony added. 

The Map could be zoomed in and out and it showed nearly every point of the castle as well as who was exactly where at the current time. It was awesome really. 

"This is the secret to our most well accomplished pranks," Prongs spoke as if quite proud of their invention. 

"Can anyone other than you access it?" I asked. 

Padfoot shook his head, "of course not." 

Moony began to explain, "look it will reveal what's hidden if only the speaker knows the correct keywords that is: I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good. If you try any other charm at it, it won't open. However to close it you have to say: Mischief Managed." 

Padfoot added breezily, "and there's a special little effect over there. I'd love to see you try though. Go on use any spell to open the Map." 

I took it gingerly and tapped it with my wand, "Visibilis Apparere." 

Noting happened. Then after a short while, some words began to appear on the Map. 

"Sorry to say the words are usually insulting to keep away the intruders," Moony had a slight smirk dancing on his face. 

"Read it aloud, we want to hear what has been said to you," Prongs ordered. 

Okay... Let's see. 

"Mr Moony presents his compliments to Miss Kat and begs her to concentrate on her own work rather than interfering in things that don't need her approval. Mr Prongs agrees with Mr Moony and would like to add that even though flaming red is his favorite hair color still he prefers not to give her the satisfaction of fulfilling her curiosity. Mr Wormtail bids her good day, and advises her to take care of her diet as there are no doubts in a few days she might vanish if her eating regimes don't change. And Mr Padfoot would like to point out that she is insane-" 

However the words stopped on that line and I looked up to find all of them as confused as I was, well except Padfoot who looked slightly uncomfortable. 

"Hey the words are appearing again," Wormy remarked. Sure they were as I looked down on it but they were appearing so fast that it was almost impossible to read them:

"Mr Padfoot would like to point out that she is insane-ly beautiful and honey would you be free this Hogsmeade weekend, we should hang out."

The three of them started laughing. I focused on the other words as they appeared trying to conceal the slight awkwardness I felt. Okay don't get me wrong but seriously there is no girl at Hogwarts who doesn't have a crush on Sirius Black, but then of course he's a flirt and would rather say the same to anyone present.

"Mr Moony won't hesitate in pointing out that Mr Padfoot is infatuated with a least of three girls every single week. Mr Prongs declares it's no big deal since they aren't letting him off easy on Hogsmeade Weekend. And Mr Wormtail states that he'd prefer if the wedding menu is consulted beforehand as he is rather allergic to cashmere sauce - " 

What the freaking hell? 

"The Map works of its accord," Moony spoke amid laughing, I had never seen him laugh that hard before and he seemed to be quite amused at Sirius's expense, "it's not like we're actually saying these things to you. It's just helpful in repelling unwanted  curiosity." 

Padfoot took out his wand and tapped the Map, "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." The Map opened again. 

"Yeah we agree, no good," Prongs winked which earned him a slight shove from Padfoot.

***

Though the encounter with the Map had been slightly embarrassing yet a lot hilarious for the rest of the Marauders, still there were a lot of other things which kept them preoccupied; the foremost of which was pranking. 

Speaking of which; Padfoot did tell me about the Prank Wars that took place last year and despite Prong's continuous threats he let it slip what happened to his hair. Wormtail dyed it pink and the color didn't wear off for a whole month. I can totally imagine James's reaction since even I know how extremely possessive he is about his messy unruly black hair. 

However in this whole month staying with the Marauders, everything has been quite fun. Time passes really fast I do admit. It seems like just yesterday that Padfoot had found me in the Whomping Willow after I accidentally turned up here and yet now it has been a whole month. 

All the Gryffindors are really nice to me if you just ignore that fact that some of them are a lot curious about the future but as I said before I can't provide them any information because that could prove fatal to me and time alike. 

Anyhow I know that I have skipped a lot of events that had happened including Marlene's rock concert and the first Quidditch Match along with the ice bucket challenge which went dreadfully askew because Professor McGonagall happened to come into the common room instead of any random student so yeah you can figure what happened next. 

The ice bucket that was levitating above the portrait hole catapulted upside down on McGonagall and believe me when I say that the Marauders were worried senseless (because that could earn them a whole month of detentions which they didn't mind of course but could also result in them not playing Quidditch which was something that really mattered to James and Sirius). 

But the punishment stopped on detentions only because Professor McGonagall really wants Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup for once and has high hopes from James and Sirius. 

James's captaincy is a lot like Oliver Wood's except the fact that James is twice more enthusiastic and a lot more energetic and when it comes to Quidditch he leaves no stone upturned. Especially in the Gryffindor vs Slytherin matches. Usual case of house prejudices.

Right now I'm sitting in the Quidditch stands along with Lily, Marlene, Alice and Mary as well as the rest of the Gryffindors cheering for our House Team (and picking up some tips here and there in order to apply them when I would be playing Quidditch hopefully back in my time after 27th of March). 

Lily was wearing James's lucky scarf around her neck since he had insisted, Marlene was dressed fully in scarlet and gold waving a banner of GRYFFINDOR ROCKS over her head as high as she could. Alice and Mary were chanting along with all their spirited housefellows, "Goal!" 

The commentator spoke, "and a marvellous shot from the Gryffindor Chaser and Captain, James Potter! The Quaffle crosses the hoop, slight mistake over there from the Slytherin Keeper and ITS A GOAL!" 

James did an extravagant bow in mid air and a party of Hufflepuff girls fainted. The whole ground was buzzing with a sports mania. 

***

Moony came and sat down beside me with an evident frown on his face. Now that was unusual. Moony's mood fluctuated a lot (that much I knew but still it was better than Sirius who is so bipolar that one might easily start suspecting his sanity) but today something seemed a bit different. He never frowned or scowled and always managed to keep a straight expression no matter what would be going on in his mind. 

"Hey," I spoke. 

He looked at me for a second then back at the pitch, "it's too noisy over here." 

Well of course, it should be considering that it's a Quidditch match. He seemed a bit edgy. "What's wrong, Moony?" I asked. 

He shook his head, "I don't like all this noise. I came here today just because of Prongs and Padfoot. Or else I could have stayed in the Hospital Wing. Damn headache..." 

I noticed that he looked tired, there were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for a week and looked a lot pale and off color. "Moony are you okay?" I do admit I was a bit concerned. 

He looked up again then back to the ground, "it's okay. I should have gotten used to this by now." 

Used to what? "Does that mean these headaches happen more than just often?" 

He nodded, "nearly... Yeah quite often." After the match Moony disappeared to goodness knows where while the rest of us went down to the grounds to congratulate the victorious team. 

Of course Gryffindor won I simply forgot to mention earlier since I was too busy worrying about Moony. James was over the moon and everyone was really glad. Scoring the second victory in the Quidditch season was definitely a bonus for them. However I was more occupied on another train of thought. 

I remembered how Moony had paled when I first mentioned werewolves in front of him and even though I had kept the thought to myself but there were a few clues that kept suggesting a certain point. I don't intend to say that he is a werewolf and even if he is he's the most nicest and kindest one I've ever met. 

Ah well who am I kidding exactly? I never even knew anything about werewolves let alone meeting one. Anyhow I decided not to probe further into it. Though for the rest of the day there was neither sight nor sound of Moony. 

I did ask Padfoot who said that it was nothing to worry about as he was probably asleep in order to wear off the effects his headache but there was something in the way he said it that indicated he knew something but was hiding it from me. 

But well who am I to intrude in the first place? So I let the matter rest for the time being. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid and there's absolutely nothing unusual for me to worry about.

***

It was night time soon. Marlene was still creating a ruckus in the common room composing songs which she would sing in the next Quidditch match just to elevate the Quidditch spirit. I was completing an essay on the Venomous Tentaculas for Moony in the dorm because Prongs requested me to do it and let me copy notes from him. By the way the chagrin in the common room was too much for me to concentrate properly. 

Actually those times are extraordinarily rare when Prongs requests anything but then it was Moony's homework which he was apparently unable to complete. I made a point to visit him in the Hospital Wing tomorrow. 

I was almost finished when Padfoot entered. He seemed to be in rather a hurry. 

"Hey I've still got half a paragraph left," I protested as he switched off the lights. 

"You can complete it before breakfast," he gave a vague but firm reply. 

I mean... I don't know what's wrong with them. First Moony, then Prongs's request and now Padfoot wanting to sleep early (and trust me that never happens because on normal nights he would be really glad to find an excuse of staying up late and chatting about anything possible). 

"Goodnight," he spoke. 

I mumbled a reply. I don't get what's happened all of a sudden, I suppose he should have been glad about winning the match and all yet here he is acting all weird. Or maybe its just because of the fact that Moony's not feeling well. Perhaps. I pulled the blanket above me and closed my eyes hoping to fall asleep soon.

***

I sat up with a jolt. I had had that nightmare again which I had envisioned earlier before I had even started Hogwarts. The same wolf and the black dog. Sometimes things such as these freak me out. I was startled however to hear a long low howl again. Not happening, I'm fully awake and all that stuff is supposed to be in my dreams not in reality. Another howl. 

I got up and went towards the window opening it to get a view of outside. It was well past midnight and the moonlight washed over the grounds. Full moon. But of course we were in the Gryffindor Tower which is one of the highest towers in the school and I can't possibly get a clear view of whatever that's in the school grounds despite the glowing moonlight. 

I nearly jumped when I heard another howl and this time it was so clear, training my eyes on the Whomping Willow I saw that it wasn't agitated anymore but quite lethargically still. Wonder what's going on down there. I couldn't possibly mistake the other movements around, could I? 

"Padfoot," I spoke, "d'you know what's that howling out there?" There was no reply. And it was then I noticed that I couldn't even hear his unmistakable breathing. "Padfoot," I called again but no answer. I turned on the lights. 

And true enough, Sirius's bed was empty. Not that unexpected. However I noticed a piece of parchment sticking out from under his pillow. Overwhelmed with curiosity I took it out and discovered that it was the same Map they had shown me earlier. Tapping my wand on the blank surface, I mumbled, "I solemnly swear that I'm upto no good." 

The Map began to reveal itself. I zoomed the Map on the Whomping Willow and sure enough there were four dots labelled as Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. I noticed that the dots were headed to somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. Wonder what they're up to now. And Moony as well? 

As far as I know he should have been in the Hospital Wing and its quite strange how they would have managed to persuade Madam Pomfrey into discharging him from the infirmary. Or perhaps they just tricked her into believing he was still there. I will never be able to guess even half of their doings and how they manage to get away with it. Tapping on the map for the last time I spoke, "Mischeif Managed." 

The Map erased itself of all the contents and folded up automatically. I placed it under the pillow just like I had found it before then taking out the remaining homework I began completing the essay.

***

The door to the dorm creaked open near early dawn. The sunlight had just begun to peek through the curtains. I had woken up early to rewrite Moony's Astronomy notes which Sirius had forgotten to do so last night. I looked up expectantly hoping to see either of the four of them. 

Sirius stepped in, his hair unbelievably messy and his clothes covered with dirt. He yawned as if he hadn't got a wink of sleep last night but seeing me sitting awake on my bed startled him worse than ever. 

"Morning Padfoot," I greeted him cheerfully. 

He stared at me with wide shocked eyes, "why are you awake?" 

I waved the parchment at him, "apparently, you forgot to finish this." 

Seeing the Astronomy notes in my hand, he spoke, "oh, I see. Thanks by the way." He slumped down on his bed (still as messy as ever, I do wonder whether cleanliness even matters to boys) and spoke, "would you wake me up when it's time for breakfast?" 

I replied, "sure." 

Within seconds he was sound asleep. I picked up all the stuff scattered on my bed (parchment, quills, text books, ink etc) and cleared up the mess I had made while working. "Evanesco," I mumbled and everything had cleared up.

At breakfast, I noticed all three of them were yawning (Moony was still nowhere to be seen but I know he'll be back at the infirmary under Madam Pomfrey's watchful gaze). After a short while of eating, Prongs pushed his plate to a corner and dropped his head on the table unmistakably asleep. 

I nudged him, "hey Prongsie you're setting quite an example as a HeadBoy, aren't you? Falling asleep at Breakfast, how exactly appropriate." 

He sat up, "I know. I had a terrible insomnia last night." 

Oh really? I don't think so. 

"So do you, Padfoot and Wormy get terrible insomnias all at the same time?" I asked. 

He looked slightly alarmed, "coincidence. Definitely a coincidence." 

I laughed, "and do you guys go out to the Whomping Willow to cure yourself of insomnia?" That seemed to have done the trick. 

This time his eyes opened rather wide either from surprise or shock and the next moment he was glaring murderously at Sirius, "Padfoot what the hell did you let slip this time?" 

Sirius looked up bewildered, "I what?" 

Prongs dropped his voice low to a whisper and there goes their characteristic eye to eye conversations. After a while, Prongs turned to me and spoke in a barely audible whisper, "how do you know that we went to the Whomping Willow?" 

I replied, "I might or might not have used the Marauders Map." 

He shook his head then went back to eating his breakfast, "you like to mess in things that you aren't involved in, don't you?" 

No, of course not. Like he said before it was just a coincidence. Definitely a coincidence. He spoke, "and what else do you think we did?" 

I shrugged in reply, "I think you must know that better than me. However last night I woke up hearing a certain howling and when I switched on the lights Padfoot was gone so I just thought... You get the point." 

He replied immediately, "don't you know about the Shrieking Shack? The howls were coming from there. You know, Britain's most haunted building?" He took off his glasses and was looking at me as if expecting me to believe him.

"Okay," I mumbled. Then as if trying to change the topic I asked, "how's Moony by the way?" 

He was staring ahead of him absentmindedly, "fine. He gets worse than this. The headaches I mean." 

I nodded, "I'll go meet him after breakfast then." 

He spoke, "good. And tell him Wormy's alright just so he can stop worrying." 

That's weird. I noticed Wormy had a slight cut on his hand which he quickly hid under the table when he noticed my gaze, "are you implying that Moony hallucinates sometimes?" 

Prongs mumbled, "sometimes, yeah. He knew Wormtail would accidentally cut himself while slicing an apple and so he did. Moony was worried." 

I mean I know Moony is a lot like the mother of the group but... Seriously? Prongs had spoken all that without even trying to look me in the eye. And unfortunately for him, living with Fred and George had equipped me with all the tricks needed to identify when exactly is someone lying.

***