Story takes place during OotP.

Disclaimer: I'm sorry to disappoint you but I am not J. K. Rowling and therefore I don't own the awesomeness that is Harry Potter. :)

Harry was walking through the Griffindor common room one night when something caught his ears. He looked over and saw the twins sitting by the fire. He moved a bit closer, trying to figure out what they were talking about without being seen.

"Oh come off it!" George said to his brother, "We've broken practically all their records and we're only half their number."

"Yeah, but we had them as examples. They did everything from scratch." Fred argued.

"Oh stop it Forge. We're at least as good as they ever were. Sure, they'll always be my heroes, but there's no point in downplaying our own awesomeness and status of Pranksters Extraordinaire."

Fred had to admit his twin was right. "Well of course we're bloody brilliant. I was just saying that I wish I knew who they were. After all, they're only known as the Marauders."

Harry gave a start at the last word Fred said and headed up to his dormitory. As he lay in his bed he thought about all the admiring things Fred and George had, unknowingly, said about his father, godfather and friend. He had heard Sirius and Lupin compliment his father often enough, but to hear it from someone who didn't even know who they were talking of somehow made it more real. That was the moment Harry decided to help them. Fred and George had the right to know the names of the people they adored. He had figured out most of the plan by the time he drifted to sleep.

Fred was sitting in the Great Hall, having breakfast. His twin was sitting on his one side and his girlfriend on his other, leaning her head on his shoulder. Suddenly a barn owl swooped down and landed in front of him, carrying a letter addressed to Fred and George Weasley. Fred took the letter from the owl and slit it open. His eyes bulged as he saw what it contained.

"Georgie look at this." He said in a hushed voice, handing it over. George read the letter and, just as his brother's had moments before, his eyes seemed in danger of falling out of his head. This is what the letter said.

Dear Fred and George

I was walking through the common room last night when I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about the Marauders. But as I am apparently better informed on their identities I decided it was time to help. I give you the following clues:

-One of them is dead, three are still alive

-All four were Griffindors, yet one turned Death Eater

-One has taught you here at Hogwarts

-You have stayed in one of their houses

-All four were in the original Order of the Phoenix

-Their nicknames were derived from the shapes they took when transformed

-The one who died did so to protect his family, although he only partly succeeded

If you have figured out all these clues you will know both who they are and who I am. I wish you the best of luck.

Sincerely

A Friend

George turned to his brother and asked, "D'you reckon they're telling the truth?"

Fred didn't know what to answer. He truly hoped that this wasn't some stupid prank, but how were they ever going to figure it out? Then he remembered who was resting against him and gestured to George to give him the parchment. "Hey Mione, you're good with puzzles and stuff. Do you think you could help us out with this?" He handed her the letter.

Hermione looked really surprised while she read it and once she was done she started giggling. Fred didn't quite know how to react. What the hell? Hermione never giggles, at least not in public.

Hermione gave him a kiss, returned the note and said between giggles, "I'm really sorry but I can't tell you who they are. Don't worry, you're both very smart guys, you'll figure it out." And with that she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and hurried to her first class.

"What the hell?" the twins said in unison as they watched her leave.

Hermione walked into the classroom and immediately gave Harry a hug. "That was really sweet. You can't imagine how much this means to them."

"I'm glad I could help" said Harry, feeling a little surprised.

"It was you, wasn't it? 'Cause I can't imagine Ron being this sensitive or understanding and no one else knows."

"Well, yeah, it was me, I just wasn't expecting such a strong reaction." Harry explained, "I was just trying to be nice."

Hermione seemed to consider that for a moment and said, "I guess I just hang around them more often than you do. See, the Marauders are Fred and George's all time heroes. They told me when I asked why they were always going on about them. When they came to Hogwarts in their first year they were already troublemakers, and then one of the seventh-years mentioned the Marauders to them. His brother had been in school during their last years and had told him about them. Fred and George were in awe of them. To still be remembered after all those years for pulling pranks seemed incredible to them, and they've been trying to live up to their legacy ever since."

Harry's eyes grew wide as he listened to Hermione and finished with, "So that's why I think it was really sweet of you to do this."

Harry was stunned. Hermione could probably only guess the things that were going through his mind tight then. He had always wanted his father to be someone he could be proud of, yet he had always found it difficult to accept Sirius and Lupin's compliments as more than loyal friendship. To hear how much his father and his friends meant to Fred and George had really shocked him.

Hermione pulled him into another hug and whispered, "You always knew he was special, now you just have proof."

Harry tightened the hug for a moment before letting go. He looked her deep in the eye and said, "Thank you."

Fred and George had been thinking about the clues all day, but hadn't made a lot of progress by the time they reached the common room after dinner. They walked over to where Hermione was reading a book by the fire. Fred lifted her up, sat down in the armchair she was sitting in and settled her on his lap. He gave her a kiss that she gladly returned, but then rolled her eyes as he tried to take her book away. "Aw, c'mon Fred, just let me finish this chapter. After that you'll have my undivided attention, I promise."

"Alright," he said, releasing his hold on her book. "But I'll be watching you." He added in a whisper. She just rolled her eyes again, which only made Fred grin harder.

Fred started whispering with his twin about options for who had sent them the letter. He didn't want to speak any louder because he didn't want Hermione to get distracted and take longer to stop reading. That was when he remembered that Hermione knew who the Marauders were and suddenly he was extremely impatient for her to finish. When she finally put down her book he immediately pulled her closer to him and planted a kiss on her lips. Hermione returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He flicked her lips with his tongue and she gladly opened them so he could deepen the kiss. Just before the snog got so intense that he would forget what he wanted to ask Fred pulled back and looked deep into Hermione's eyes. Her face was flushed and her hair was a mess from his hands tangling in it. She was the most beautiful thing he could ever imagine.

"Are you sure you can't tell me anything about the Marauders?" he asked her with a grin.

She gave a small smile and said, "Sorry, I can't."

"Not even when I do this?" and he kissed her again. A few intense moments later they broke apart and he continued, slightly out of breath, "You know how much this means to me Mione, to us."

He saw her eyes tighten as he said this and she looked down at her hands, blushing. "I'm really, really sorry, but it isn't my place to tell you." She whispered, still blushing. "I know how much this means to you and I know how much it must hurt to have me keeping something like this from you. I just can't tell you."

Fred realised Hermione was seriously agonising over not being able to tell her boyfriend everything and he thought it was time to ease her guilt a bit. "Ssh" he whispered, "it's alright. I was only teasing you." While saying this he gently pulled her face around so he could look her straight in the eye. Hermione couldn't possibly doubt the honesty there and pulled him into a hug. "I'm really, really sorry." She whispered.

"I know" he whispered back, "Don't worry, we'll figure it out." He held onto her for a moment, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. He never seemed to be able to get enough of that.

All of a sudden he felt Hermione tense. She pulled back and Fred could see an idea developing in her face.

"How about a compromise?" she suggested, "If you haven't solved the puzzle by the end of the week I'll help you, but till then you're on your own. That way I'll be sure it wasn't me telling you, you'll have really put some effort into it."

"Sweetheart you're the best!" Fred smiled at his girlfriend. When did I ever deserve someone like this? "Now how about some of that 'undivided attention' you promised me?" he asked with a smirk.

Hermione grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

A few days later Fred was lying in his bed. He was thinking about the puzzle and the mysterious friend who had sent it. There were still a few days left before he could ask Hermione for help, but he wanted to do it himself. Suddenly an idea came to him.

"George! George wake up!" he yelled at his brother, eventually throwing a pillow. That seemed to do the trick.

"Whuzzgownon?" his twin mumbled, not entirely awake yet.

"George I've figured it out. I know who sent us the letter!" Fred was practically bouncing up and down on his bed with glee.

That woke George right up. "Who is it? How d'you work it out?"

"Think about it, Mione knows who they are."

George looked disappointed. "Forge, we've already tried that. She won't tell us. Besides, I thought we were doing this alone?"

"No Gred, you're not getting it. If Mione knows who they are, who else will probably know?" Fred looked at his brother, willing him to get it.

All of a sudden George's face lit up. "Oh"

"Oh indeed. And he has been looking strangely at us all week."

"But how would Harry know who the Marauders are? The only people he- No! No, it couldn't be!"

Fred looked at his twin in alarm. "What? It couldn't be what?"

"Think about it Forge. The only people Harry knows who were around then that are in the Order are Sirius and Lupin."

"No! But... But... It couldn't be!"

"That's what I said. But it's the only thing that fits."

They both sat in silence, staring. Fred was shocked. He couldn't get his head around the fact that Sirius and Lupin could be two of the Marauders, two of his heroes.

"Do they fit all the clues?" George asked.

"I don't know. Let's find out."

Fred dug the, now much-abused, letter out of his bag and went to sit next to his brother.

"Everything fits. They're both alive, both Griffindors, Lupin taught DADA, we've stayed in Sirius' house, they were both in the Order last time."

"What about the nicknames? Lupin's probably Moony, what with being a werewolf and all. But who do you think Sirius is?"

Fred looked at the clues again. "It says the name comes from the transformation."

"We've seen him turn into a dog, he came to see Harry off at the start of term, remember?"

"So... Padfoot? A dog does have padded feet and Wormtail or Prongs doesn't seem right."

"Okay, Padfoot it is." George looked thoughtful for a minute. "You don't think Harry's father was one, do you? I mean, he was in the Order and in Griffindor, and he died to save him family. It does kind of fit."

Fred considered this, trying to work out the remaining clues. "Yeah I guess it does. It would explain how Harry knows about them. Sirius would never keep anything about his parent from him."

"So is he Wormtail or Prongs?"

"I think he might be Prongs. Harry's Patronus is a stag, after all."

"Yeah that would fit. But that means Wormtail is a Death Eater."

"I still can't believe one of the Marauders would go over to You-Know-Who. It's just not right.

They were both quiet again. That had been a shock the first time they had read it. Fred still had trouble coming to terms with the fact that one of his lifetime heroes had become a Death Eater. He knew George struggled with it as well. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. It was like trying to imagine himself or his twin doing something like that. He couldn't do it. After what seemed like hours, but just as easily could have been minutes, George broke the silence. "Who was he? Who could've hung out with Sirius and Lupin and gone bad?"

"Do you think it was him? That he was the one that sold Harry's parents to You-Know-Who? He did the things that got Sirius locked up?"

"He killed what's-his-name? Peter Pettigrew?"

"What if it was him?" George looked at his brother in confusion.

"What if it was Pettigrew?"

"But Pettigrew died. Why would he kill himself? And the letter says only one of them is dead, so it can't be him anyway." George reasoned. "We'll ask Harry in the morning, I'm exhausted."

"Yeah alright." Fred said, climbing back into bed. "Night Gred."

"Night Forge."

The next morning found Harry sitting in the common room, reading one of the books Sirius had given him for Christmas. He was thinking about lessons for the DA when Fred and George came stumbling down the stairs to the boys' dorms, obviously still half asleep. They seemed to wake up when they spotted him sitting there. "Harry! Just the man we were looking for!" they said in twin-speak.

"I take it this means you've worked it out?" Harry asked them.

"We have indeed, haven't we Gred?" Fred looked at his twin.

"Why yes Forge, we have."

They both turned back to Harry and said, "We do have a few questions though."

"Fire away. What do you want to know?"

"Why did you send us the letter? You could have just told us."

"Well, like I said, I heard you talking in the common room when I walked in from detention that night. I was just so stunned that you were talking about them that I didn't think to come over and say it. So when I was lying in bed I decided you had the right to know about them, but I wasn't really sure it was my secret to tell. That's when I came up with the idea for the letter. That way, if you really wanted to know, you'd be able to find out for yourselves. By the way, how did you figure it out? Which clue gave you the answer?"

The twins looked at each other for a moment before George, looking slightly sheepish, said, "Well... Uh... It wasn't really a clue that made us realise it was you."

"Hermione was the one that gave us the answer really." Fred continued.

Harry didn't know what to say. He was hurt. How could she do that?

Seeing the look on his face, Fred quickly explained. "No, not like that. It's just, she was sitting with us at breakfast that morning and I asked if she could help us and she said she couldn't." He then told him about the epiphany he had had the previous night and how they had figured it out. "So that just leaves us with one question."

"Who's Wormtail?" George finished. "We've worked out the others, but we're stuck there."

Harry felt his heart drop. He hadn't counted on him being the one to tell them about that particular betrayal.

"Wormtail's name is Peter Pettigrew. He-"

"But Pettigrew's dead!" George exclaimed.

"You said only one of them died." Fred continued.

Harry sighed. "He isn't dead. The night my parents died Sirius went looking for him, he thought Lupin was the one who had told Voldemort where to find my parents. But Pettigrew knew Sirius would kill him if he found out the truth. So he blasted the street with his wand behind his back, cut off his own finger and transformed into a rat. And Sirius got sent to Azkaban. Pettigrew was the one who betrayed my parents, not Sirius.

The twins looked horrified. Harry remembered what he had felt like when he found out, but he hadn't worshipped Pettigrew half his life. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for them. But he had to see this through.

"And you know what the worst part is?"

Fred and George looked at him, as if to say 'How could this possibly get any worse?'

"Do you remember Scabbers, Ron's rat? Yeah, that was Wormtail. He was right here all that time, listening for news that Voldemort was coming back. The night me and Mione got attacked by Dementors in our third year, the night Lupin got loose in the grounds, that was the night he escaped. That was the night I met Sirius."

If they had looked bad before, it was nothing to how they looked now. It was as if they had both gotten a Bludger to the gut. Finally Fred found his voice. "But he was in Griffindor."

"Dumbledore said the war got to him. Half the Order was gone, the other in hiding. Innocent people were getting slaughtered left, right and centre. And then the Death Eaters came looking for him. All he could think of was how to save himself. My parents didn't make Sirius Secret Keeper because, as their best friend, he was the obvious choice. Lupin was a target as well, and he was spying on the werewolves with Voldemort. So they asked him to do it."

Harry tried to find a way to make this easier for them to handle. "But he was a true Marauder when they were in school together. They never would've been such good friends otherwise."

This seemed to help a bit, the knowledge that one of their heroes still deserved at least some credit, no matter what had happened afterwards. Some of the sparkle returned to their eyes.

"And I can tell you about some of their less-known exploits." He said hopefully.

That really did the trick and Harry spent the rest of the day happily revealing some of the trade secrets Lupin and Sirius had entrusted him with, and the rest telling them stories of what it had been like for them at school.

That evening he sent Sirius a long letter explaining everything that had happened. He joked about how Sirius would probably have a lot to explain the next time they al saw each other again, not knowing yet that that day would never come.

AN: I'm really sorry for the sad ending, but I can't help it if it comes out like that. I go where inspiration tells me. Please review, it really helps me understand how to be a better writer, and it just makes me feel better. :)