A Memorable Tale

29 | The Marauders

Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail, these were names of animals. The Marauders were Animagi. Or, at least, most of them were.

And I had a good feeling that I knew who Moony was.

On the day when everyone was supposed to go to Hogsmeade, I stayed back and went to visit Professor Lupin.

"Professor?" I knocked and he was quick to open the door. When he saw me, he grinned. "Good afternoon, Y/N. I hope you're not here because I toasted to Gryffindor winning against Ravenclaw in the last Quidditch match."

"Oh, with Harry as their Seeker, it was bound to happen," I replied with a smile.

He waved me inside and pulled up a chair. "I know that face. It's the kind that has something to tell."

I nodded. The way I said this had to be careful. There's finding answers and there's digging up unwanted memories, and the latter was frankly as unwanted as Crabbe's brain.

"I do... You were friends with Peter Pettigrew, right?"

"Yes, I was, as I said."

"So, are you Moony?"

Shock quickly overtook his features. Then his features softened and he looked up at the ceiling, a soft smile spreading across his face.

"I haven't been called that in a long time," he said quietly. "How do you know that nickname?"

Seeing as the map was his, I didn't see any reason to hide it from him. "Fred and George found a peculiar thing in Filch's office. When the words, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' were recited, it would present itself as The Marauder's Map. You made it, didn't you?"

He smiled as I named it and he nodded as if I had brought back his greatest achievement. "Indeed I did. With three of my best friends." His eyes went solemn. "People I thought were my best friends."

"Sirius Black?"

"Yes, yes... I'm surprised. You have incredible deduction skills, Y/N, even better than some in the Ministry. Perhaps you would have found Sirius before he killed Peter."

I bit my lip. I hadn't meant to make him think of that again - mission failed.

Still, it was sort of inevitable.

"Sirius helped create the map," Professor Lupin continued. "Me, him, Peter, and James. We even put a charm on it to insult Snape."

"Snape? You were at Hogwarts at the same time as Snape?"

"Yes, he was quite a pain to the four of us. And it looked like he and James were constantly playing tug-of-war with Lily until he called her a Mudblood. Lily never spoke to him again."

"I can imagine."

Professor Lupin hummed quietly. "So, you deduced that I was Moony. Who else do you know of?"

"Peter was Wormtail, wasn't he? He was a rat, right?"

He abruptly stood from his seat. "Now I'm curious. How could you possibly know that Peter was a rat? They weren't registered, you know?"

Now it was time to look crazy. "Peter is Scabbers."

"Ron's rat?"

"Yes, Ron's rat! Listen, I sound crazy right now, but hear me out."

Surprisingly, Professor Lupin sat down and leaned forward, listening intently. He was quite accepting of everything mad and crazy as long as it had evidence to back it up.

"Ron's rat has been in his family for twelve years," I said.

"And Peter supposedly died twelve years ago..."