A Thin Line

Making the Marauders' Map

A/N:

The amazing "viria13" on DeviantART owns the pic above, not me!

"No, you forgot the DADA storeroom," Remus pointed to the far east side of the castle, carefully drawn up with ink on old parchment.

"Sorry," Sirius said, beginning to work on it.

"No, that room's too big," Peter complained, "and that one's way too small."

"Wormtail, if you don't shut up right now, be prepared for me to step on you the next time we're in Animagi form," James threatened, his eyes flickering between Peter and his wand.

"You know how tired we'll be during classes tomorrow, right?" Remus said.

"We don't have DADA tomorrow and since that's the only class of value, it doesn't matter anyway," James said, adding as Remus opened his mouth to argue, "Besides, we have double History of Magic with Professor Binns - even you fall asleep in that class Remus, and you're the nerdiest out of all of us."

Remus shrugged.

"Right," Sirius exhaled. "The DADA storeroom's done. What next?"

***

"Wow, this must be the record for the longest time he's gone without asking you out."

"How long?" Alice blinked at Marlene.

"Thirteen hours and thirty-one - sorry, thirty-two - minutes," Marlene checked her watch.

"NO," Alice said disbelievingly.

"YES," Marlene replied in the same incredulous tine of voice.

"Stop teasing me over it," Lily hit Marlene on the arm softly. "It's not my fault he finds new ways to ask me about every day."

"Yeah, first thing in the morning, middle of lunch and the last thing before bed, "Darcy said, turning back around to her boyfriend, who whispered something in her ear.

Jazmin and her boyfriend grinned, amused and looking at their friends.

Darcy's reaction was instant: "Aw, Harry, you actually wrote a song for me? That's so, so cute, you're the best boyfriend ever!"

Marlene fake-gagged and Alice laughed. "Still, they are cute together, I guess," Marlene admitted.

"I like that name, though," Lily said. "The name Harry, it's just nice."

"Yeah, I'll remember you said that in a couple years when you're telling me you decided to name your son Harry James Potter," Alice joked.

"Oh, shut up!" Lily hit Alice lightly on the arm as well.

"What did you say to her?"

"Potter!" Lily fell off her chair, managing a simple, "Ow ..."

"What did you say to her?" James repeated to Alice, this time in a slightly changed tone, holding out his hand for Lily.

Lily ignored him, stubbornly grasped onto the side of the table, and pulled herself up.

"Nothing," Alice sang, meeting Frank's eye across the table and winking. Frank smirked back, making Alice turn red.

"Nice going, Prongs, getting a girl to fall off her chair is the first way to make her hate you," Sirius whispered into James' year.

"Meh, Evans already hated me anyway," James shrugged.

"I don't think she hates you, Lily's a caring person," Remus said, his nose in a book as usual.

"I'm right here, you know," Lily leaned across the table, licking traces of cinnamon and nutmeg off her fingers.

James grinned stupidly as Lily's typical scent of vanilla, cassia and allspice wafted towards him.

"Is he alright?" Lily asked, waving her fingers in front of James' face.

"Lily Evans concerned with the wellbeing of James Potter?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up, Padfoot, she doesn't like you teasing them," Remus hit him over the head with his hard-cover book.

"Ow," Sirius shot a glare to Remus.

"Thank you, Remus," Lily gave him a curt nod, her faint smile displaying her gratefulness.

"Boy, I'm tired," Peter yawned.

"Same," Sirius and Remus said at the same time.

"Huh? What? Oh, right, I'm tired too, yeah," James mumbled.

Lily exchanged suspicious glances with Marlene. Why were they so tired?