The Boy in Diagon Alley

The Plan

Remus nearly choked on his drink, his eyes widening. "Who?" he asked, hoping he misheard him.

James face-palmed. "Why does no one know anyone around here!?"

"Because not everyone's a gossip like you and Padfoot," Peter said sniggering.

"For your more information, Ivy Malfoy is the Slytherin Beater," Sirius answered.

"I know who she is. She's in my Ancient Runes' class," Remus replied, trying to sound casual. "How come you asked her out?" Remus asked curiously. "I thought you hated Slytherins. Your words, not mine."

"True." Sirius shrugged. "But this time it's different."

"Different how?" Remus questioned.

"Different in the sense that I didn't ask
Malfoy out because I liked her." Sirius smirked. "There's something that I want from her."

Remus raised a brow at Sirius in a judging manner. "Something other than snogging her and dating her for a week just for the fun of it and then breaking up with the poor girl?"

"No, this time it's actually important," said
James, causing everyone to look at him. "We want to see if we can find out anything about the new techniques of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Our first match is with them."

"So you're using her," Remus said flatly, turning his head to face Sirius in a judging manor.

"I wouldn't really put it that way, Moony," said Sirius, grinning handsomely. "I just see it as a duty to our team."

James laughed, but Remus knew this wasn't a good idea. He never liked the fact that Sirius always dated a girl for a week and then broke up with her, but this was taking it way to far.

"Now, enough talk about girls," said James, placing down his empty bottle of Butterbeer and rubbing his hands together in glee. "Let's talk business, gentlemen."

"What do you have in mind, Prongs?" Peter asked curiously.

"Last night, while we were keeping Moony company, I suddenly had the most brilliant idea ever," James started, smiling arrogantly. "It occurred to me that at this point, the four of us know the castle better than any witch or wizard who has ever walked these grounds."

"Very modest, Prongs. Way to keep it humble," Remus said sassily.

"Thank you, Moony," James went on, ignoring his sarcasm. "Now, I thought to myself...what should we do with this knowledge of ours?"

"Do you always think to yourself like a seven-year-old, Prongs?" Sirius said wittily.

Angrily, James raised his arm to smack Sirius in the back of his head, but he accidentally hit Remus instead, seeing as he was sitting in the middle of them on the bed.

"Ouch!" Remus groaned in pain, the four of them bursting into laughter at that.

"Sorry, Moony." James chuckled before clearing his throat. "Anyway, as I was saying, last night I thought that we should make a map of Hogwarts."

"A map?" Sirius frowned. "What use would that be? You said it yourself; we already know the castle better than anyone."

"Well, Padfoot, this map will also show every single person in the castle, and exactly where they are and where they're going."

A silence fell between them as the other three boys stared at James, all of them impressed.

"But... how will we manage to do that?" Peter asked, breaking the silence.

"It's all about advanced work of Charms, gentlemen. But nothing will be too advanced for us," James said smugly.

They were all grinning now.

"Say goodbye to having to fear bumping into
Filch or Peeves each time we sneak out after curfew," James went on. "Or even run into someone on purpose - like charming Miss Evans, for instance - this map will help us. Now what do you say?"

"I'm in," Sirius said without hesitation.

"Count me in," said Remus, and Peter nodded as well in excitement.

"All right! Then we better get started on th
-" James was saying, when the door to the hospital wing opened and they saw Madam Pomfrey.

"What are you three doing here again!?" Madam Pomfrey shouted at their sight.

"Er... I can explain - " Remus started helplessly, but the healer wasn't having it.

"Out! All of you! OUT!" she yelled so loudly that James slipped off the edge of the bed and dropped to the floor with a loud thud. With the speed of light, the three boys grabbed their bags off the floor and ran out of the ward as though death was following after them.

     Meanwhile, Remus put a hand over his mouth to muffle out the sound of his laughter which he was unable to hold back.

     He tried to keep a serious face when Madam Pomfrey turned to look over at him scoldingly.

     The healer wasn't aware of the fact that the three Gryffindors knew about Remus's secret, and she thought that Remus had only told them he had an illness. But that didn't stop her from getting angry each time those three showed up whenever Remus was at the hospital wing.

     "How on earth did they even get in here?"
Madam Pomfrey said in frustration.

     "Through the door." Remus shrugged.

     "I was outside all this time! I would've seen them!"

     "You must've missed them, then," Remus answered calmly.

     Madam Pomfrey gave him a look as though saying that she didn't believe him, but Remus showed no sign of giving the truth away. So she sighed and shaked her head as she walked away.