Be Silently Drawn || Remus Lupin & Hermione Granger

Chapter 24

October was flying by for Hermione. Her endless homework assignments, the Defense Club meetings, and her duties as Head Girl all ate away at the free time she'd set aside for herself each week while making her study schedule at the start of term. Juggling her various responsibilities proved a more challenging task than she'd anticipated.

So alone in the entrance hall one late October night, too exhausted to make her final rounds about the castle to make sure there were no students still wandering the corridors, her final duty of the day, she pulled the Marauder's Map out of her bag.

"The Marauders surely wouldn't approve of this," she muttered to herself, "but after all these years of being used for mischief, it's about time this map is utilized to enforce the rules." With the intention of using the map to search for students breaking curfew, she touched her wand to the parchment and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Black ink appeared on the previously blank piece of parchment, the words appearing as though being written by an invisible hand:

"Mr. Prongs presents his compliments to Miss Granger and would like to remind her that this hallowed parchment is to be used for rule-breaking only. Any action counter to this purpose would desecrate all that is naughty in the world and will not be tolerated."

"Mr. Wormtail suggests the pretty lady either join the Marauders in their noble pursuit of mischief or pass the parchment to someone more worthy of their cause. Know-it-all snitches are not permitted to possess such a sacred item."

"Mr. Padfoot sincerely hopes, however, that this teacher's pet decides to take a walk on the wild side. Perhaps she will find it more enjoyable than life on the straight and narrow."

"Mr. Moony bids Miss Granger good day and would like her to know that if she ever grows tired of her books and goody two-shoes ways, the Marauders will delightedly welcome her and show her what real fun looks like."

Disappointed, stunned, offended, and intrigued all at once, Hermione gaped and then frowned at the legendary troublemakers' ingenious creation. If Harry and Ron had been here, they would've been laughing at her hysterically.

"What are you doing?"

Hermione jumped, startled by the unexpected but familiar voice in the lonely, dim hall.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to frighten you," Remus said. "What are you doing down here so late? Shouldn't you be in your dormitory?"

"Look at this!" Hermione said in lieu of an answer, pushing the parchment into his hands, partly annoyed and partly impressed with his younger self for helping create such a clever map.

Remus read through the messages, and a smile tugged at his lips. "For what were you planning on using the map?"

"I just wanted to check if there was anybody breaking curfew. Using the map would have been much quicker and more thorough than doing it on my own."

"That's not what the map is for."

"I know. It's for troublemakers. It's to help them sneak out of the castle and do mischief without getting caught. But it's not fair to call me a snitch! I'm only fulfilling my responsibility as Head Girl."

"Don't let what the map says bother you, Hermione." Remus tapped his wand on the parchment and it went blank. "It's bewitched to insult anyone who might undermine the Marauders' mission to incite as much mischief as possible — mostly teachers."

"And me," Hermione said, half stung, half amused. "Because I'm a 'teacher's pet' and a 'goody two-shoes,' and apparently I don't know what real fun is. So, tell me, Mr. Moony, what is real fun?"