The following Saturday was very boring for Maddy. The third-years and up were at Hogsmeade, but not that that made a difference, since Remus wouldn't let Maddy leave the room without him.
She had attempted to try and beg her father to take her flying, but Remus declined, saying he wasn't sure if it was safe with Sirius Black on the loose.
So, that was the reason she spent the whole day cooped up in their room, reading and writing about dementors and boggarts. Remus was at his small desk by his bed, grading some papers.
Despite not being able to make noise herself, she despised unnecessary silence. At their cottage, there was always the bustling of small creatures in the day, and the calling of crickets in the night.
After half an hour of this unnerving silence, Maddy looked up from her book and clapped her hands, signaling her father's attention.
"Yes, Maddy?"
Can you play some music or something? I don't like the silence.
Remus smiled softly and nodded, waving his wand. Maddy noticed the songs to be the new 'Weird Sisters' album, and she smiled softly to herself.
Thank you!
"Not a problem," replied Remus, as he got back to grading papers.
They ate lunch in their room, and everything was going just fine until the fireplace started to glow, and Snape's voice rang out through the room, "Lupin! I want a word!" He sounded agitated.
Maddy gave a confused look in Remus's direction, but he was already standing next to the fireplace grabbing a handful of floo powder, "Come along, Maddy," he told her, and she walked towards her.
"Remember when we flooed to my dad's house that one time I thought we weren't going to make it before the full moon?"
Maddy nodded, and Remus grabbed her hand and pulled her into the fireplace, "Severus Snape's office!" he said crystal clear, and Maddy was thrown into a spinning sensation.
Before she knew it, they had landed in Snape's fireplace, and she dusted herself off as she examined the room. Oddly enough, Harry was standing there, looking guiltily in her direction.
"You called, Severus?" asked Remus mildly.
"I certainly did," said Snape furiously, as he walked back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this." He pointed at a parchment on his desk.
Wasting no time with her curiosity, Maddy read the parchment;
It took everything in Maddy's power not to burst out into a fit of laughter. Then, she noticed the names. Her eyes widened. It was the Marauders! Her father was one of the ones to insult Snivellus.
She covered her mouth with her hands to hide the laughter. She knew Snape suspected her father had something to do with it, so she had to appear as inconspicuous as possible.
"Well?" pushed Snape.
Maddy looked at her father, who was staring at the parchment. Remus seemed as if he was trying to improvise, and the gears in his head were going into overdrive.
"Well?" insisted Snape, "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing.
Remus looked up, and half-glanced towards both Harry and Maddy, as if warning them not to interrupt.
"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly, "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop —"
Maddy had gotten the idea that Remus knew exactly what the product was, and that certainly if he made it, it wasn't too childish.
"Indeed?" Snape clenched his jaw, "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely he got it directly from the manufacturers?"
Harry looked confused, as did Remus. Maddy was slightly astounded at her father's acting skills, she'd never seen him outright lie before, or maybe she had and never realised it, but that aside, if she hadn't known that he knew what Snape was talking about, she'd be convinced he was innocent.
Maddy tried to assume a similar facial expression. She reasoned Snape knew Harry's father was Prongs, and that the man in front of him was Moony, so Maddy was confused as to why Snape wasn't outright accusing Remus.
"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" he asked, "Harry, do you know any of these men?"
"No," said Harry.
"You see, Severus? It looks like a Zonko product to me —"
The door to the office opened, and in ran an out of breath Ron Weasley, who stopped next to Maddy.
"I — gave — Harry — that — stuff," he choked, "Bought — it... in Zonko's... ages— ago..."
Maddy briefly wondered where he came from when her father's cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts, "Well! That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" He folded the parchment and tucked it in his robes. "Come along, Maddy. Harry, Ron, come with us, I need a word about my vampire essay — excuse us, Severus —"
None of the four of them said a word as they left Snape's office. The first person to say a word was Harry, when they reached the entrance hall.
"Professor, I —"
"I don't want to hear explanations," said Remus shortly. He lowered his voice, "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago."
Map? asked Maddy, as Harry and Ron looked astounded at him.
"Yes, map, Madeline. I know it's a map. I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry."
"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?" asked Harry.
"Because...," Maddy could tell he was trying to make up an excuse, "because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining.
"Do you know them?"
"We've met," Maddy couldn't help but smile at what an understatement that was.
"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them — gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."
He turned and walked away, Maddy following behind, leaving a guilty Harry and Ron in their midst.
■□~□■
Don't you think that was a little harsh? asked Maddy. They had just returned to their room after their little run through with Harry and Snape.
Remus hadn't talked at all, just sat on his bed, staring at the parchment with a melancholy expression on his face.
Maddy clapped, and Remus sluggishly turned towards her as she repeated her question.
He shrugged, "I guess. I'm just on the edge with Sirius Black on the loose, and I'm worried about everyone, especially you two."
Is that why you lied to Snivellus?
Remus's expression hardened, "Severus doesn't know that it's a map, but he knows that my friends and I made it. That's why he expected Harry got it straight from me, seeing as he wouldn't be able to meet the other three."
I figured that much out. Well, I thought that James Potter left it to someone to give to him when he was old enough?
"He would've," Remus admitted, "But as I said earlier, Filch confiscated it from us in our seventh year. Knew there was something more to the parchment than what met the eye. Not that he was wrong though?"
But how does it work? It does not look like a map.
"Come here," said Remus. Maddy scrambled across the room quickly, jumping on Remus's bed. "Watch this. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
The parchment reacted immediately. Maddy watched with interest as the paper wrote;
MESSRS. MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, AND PRONGS ARE PROUD TO PRESENT THE MARAUDER'S MAP
The map opened, and the first thing Maddy noticed was all the tiny dots with names.
"We enchanted it so that it could track the location of any person, poltergeist, or ghosts. It came very useful for sneaking around. Also, we enchanted it to insult anyone who tried to confiscate it, especially Severus. Look...," he pointed to a two dots in a back room, "That's us."
Maddy squinted to make sure she had been reading the small print right. But it was true, the two dots were labeled, Remus Lupin and Madeline Lupin.
That's amazing! Maddy exclaimed in awe.
"To turn it back into an unassuming piece of parchment tap it and say, Mischief Managed."
How did you make this! You had to be younger than 17 when you did if it got confiscated in your seventh year.
"We finished it in November of 1976, in our sixth year. Sirius Black," he said the name with venom, "...drew it, and I enchanted it. Despite what everyone thought, James and Black were two of the best in our year. Everyone thought that I was the, so dubbed, 'brains' of the group. While that wasn't necessarily incorrect, the two of them definitely held their own. I mean, they did successfully become animagi when James, Peter, and I were 15, and Black was 16. Speaking of which, we added a special enchantment that allows only people who are aware that a certain person is an animagus can see them,"
That's clever. signed Maddy, Wait! If you know about Sirius's animagus, can't you find him on the map?
Remus nodded, "I could. I glanced quickly while you were looking at our names but I didn't see him. The only places we haven't gotten labeled are this room that's on the seventh floor that had some unplottable charm on it, and Hagrid's Hut, since we were going to do it when it got taken."
So, he could be in Hagrid's Hut or that unplottable room?
Remus frowned, "I guess he could be. I'll have to ask Hagrid if he's seen a black dog recently, and I couldn't find that room anyway. We only found it once, and it was an accident, I'm not sure how it works."
Maddy nodded. All this is making me hungry, can we stop our sleuthing for dinner?
"What do you want?"
Grilled cheese.
"Let's head to the Great Hall, then."
■□~□■
"Moony here, I have a question." Remus tapped his wand, and spoke quietly, Maddy sleeping next to him.
Mr. Prongs is curious about what Mr. Moony's question is, as Mr. Moony usually answers our questions.
Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Prongs, and notes the question must be very pressing matters.
Mr. Wormtail would just like Mr. Moony to continue.
Remus chuckled softly to himself, Did we ever figure out a secret code for a prankster that is mute?
Mr. Prongs does not remember ever creating such a code, as he doesn't know any person that is mute.
Mr. Padfoot would like to ask Mr. Moony who he knows that is mute.
Mr. Wormtail suggests that we can create a code right now, if Mr. Moony is there.
Remus sighed, "Who I know doesn't matter. How about three taps, with a five second rest between the second and third as a code. I guess it could also be used if the person is somewhere silent as well. Same thing to close it."
Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony that three taps sounds good.
Mr. Padfoot is curious as to why Mr. Moony doesn't just ask the real us instead.
Mr. Wormtail would still like Mr. Moony to answer Mr. Padfoot's original question.
"You're busy," is all Remus said before tapping the map three times, with the rest. The map opened as if he had said the words aloud. He tapped it again and the map disappeared as quickly as it came.
While he was pretty sure Maddy would never get it, unless some unlikely turn of events he returns it to Harry and Harry gives it to her, it comforted him to know there was a way for her to open it.