When Silan took out the Marauder's Map, Sirius froze, surprise and nostalgia mingling on his face.
"I never imagined this would end up with you."
"My cousin gave it to me." Silan unfolded the Marauder's Map. "It used to be kept in Filch's office."
"With this, we can indeed prove indirectly that Peter is still alive," Sirius said. "I'm certain his name will be on it."
Only Harry was still utterly confused. "What are you talking about? What is that?"
"The Marauder's Map," Sirius explained. "A little gadget your father and the rest of us made when we were at school."
"It shows the location of everyone in the school. If Peter is still alive, we'll find him on it. Then you'll see that the one near the Weasley boy isn't Scabbers, but Peter."
"I'd love to try it again. Shame I don't have a wand," Sirius said regretfully.
"I'll do it."
Silan waved his wand and tapped the parchment lightly. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Fine ink lines spread from the tip of his wand like a spiderweb, joining and crisscrossing until they reached every corner of the parchment.
Several lines of large, green, ornate lettering appeared at the top:
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs..."
Looking at those familiar nicknames, Sirius's lips twitched as though he wanted to smile, but in the end he merely clenched his teeth.
If Harry stood in for James, then all four of the original Marauders were together at Hogwarts again. The thought left Sirius momentarily dazed.
The Marauder's Map depicted every detail of Hogwarts Castle and its grounds. Numerous little black dots had appeared on it too, each labeled with a name in tiny writing.
Harry bent over it in amazement and noticed that the ends of Snape's