Disclaimer: None of it is mine, unfortunately...

A/N: It's always annoyed me that you don't know how Fred and George found out how to operate the Marauder's Map. It's also always annoyed me that you don't know how (or if) Fred and George ever found out who the Marauder's were (or maybe JKR did tell you and I've just forgotten it).

So I've gone ahead and written my version of these two events. Enjoy!

"What do you reckon it is?"

"I dunno. I wonder how you work it."

Fred and George were sitting in their temporarily empty dormitory, a piece of old parchment in front of them. Fred was poking it with his wand, hoping that something would happen to it. For a moment, nothing happened. Then letters began forming on it.

Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Fred and George Weasley and congratulates them for finding this map.

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to present his regrets that Fred and George have not yet figured out how to use this.

Mr. Padfoot would like to add that Fred and George would most likely be finding out the secrets anytime now.

Mr. Wormtail bids Fred and George a good day and advises them not to mention this to anyone else.

Then the writing slowly faded out, leaving two confused Weasleys staring at where the writing used to be.

XXXXX

Remus yawned and rubbed his eyes, having just been woken up by a shrill whistle. He stumbled out of bed and tried to follow the noise. His ears must have not been working correctly because they led him straight to his briefcase. He stared at it for a moment, wondering how his briefcase could be whistling at him. It finally penetrated his still-sleepy mind that whatever was whistling was inside the briefcase.

Remus opened his briefcase and saw... papers. Now he was really confused. How could his papers be whistling? Remus idly shifted through them, trying to think about what was whistling. It occurred to him that the whistling noise was coming from the lid of his briefcase. Now everything made sense. Remus performed a quick spell and the lid of his briefcase vanished. In its place was a small space, empty save for one thing.

A small Sneakoscope.

Remus smiled and remembered the day the charm was placed on the Sneakoscope. It was getting towards the end of their seventh and final year at Hogwarts and James had brought up a rather puzzling question.

How were they going to let anyone else know how to work the map?

Sirius had been the one to solve the problem. They had placed a series of complex spells on the map. Whenever someone touched it with a wand without saying the right words they would get a little message from each of the Mauraders. If they were potential pranksters, then the message would be rather polite. Anyone else got a rather different message.

Of course Sirius had left a very specific message for Snape...

Another layer of spells had gone on after that; this set was tied to a Sneakoscope that each boy would have. Whenever someone new found the map their Sneakoscopes would whistle, regardless of whether or not they knew the passwords When it was was picked up a message would flash on the side, telling them who had found the map, their "prankster status", their location, and whether they needed the passwords.

Remus was shook from his memories by the whistle, which had just gotten louder and shriller. Remus winced as the noise attacked his sensitive ears and picked up the Sneakoscope.

The message flashed on the side of the Sneakoscope, appearing in a rapid stream of words.

Fred and George Weasley

Pranksters. Potential to perform pranks equal to yours.

Hogwarts- Gryffindor first years

Passwords needed

Remus grinned. It was good to know that the map had finally been found, especially by people who were likely to use it. He grabbed a piece of parchment and began to write out a message to Fred and George.

Dear Fred and George Weasley,

Congratulations on finding the Mauraders Map! To use the map, simply tap it with your wand and say "I solemnly swear I am up to no good". Remember to clear it after use by saying "Mischief managed".

Now the map is in your hands. Use it however you want; pass it on to whomever you wish. But don't let anyone untrustworthy find it!

- Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

Remus was hesitant to write his friends names at the bottom of the letter. If he hadn't had promised to always sign all of their names whenever he wrote the letter, he wouldn't have done it. After all, why sign for two dead people and one who was locked in Azkaban?

Remus sighed and pushed the gloomy thoughts from his head. He hurried to get dressed. He had to find an owl to send this off to Hogwarts.

After all, two new pranksters needed a bit of guidance.

XXXXX

Fred and George were sitting at the Gryffindor table one Friday morning, about a week after finding the map. They were quietly planning their next prank (something involving quite a few dungbombs). Their only problem was that they were out of dungbombs and they didn't think it was safe to write home asking if their mom could send them some more.

The usual flood of owls came in, swooping down to find the right person before flying off again. Fred and George looked up out of habit, not really expecting to get anything though. However, to their surprise, an old, tired looking owl swooped down towards them and dropped a letter in front of George's plate.

They stared at it for a moment, before George snatched it up and opened it. He read it quickly, his eyes flicking over the words on it. When he reached the end of the letter he grinned and passed the letter on to his twin.

"Excellent." Fred said, setting down the letter and digging through his bag for the Map. He pulled it out and taped it with his wand, muttering "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Thin lines began to spread from where his wand had touched the paper. They wrote the words "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder's Map" across the top. They fanned out to form a large map of Hogwarts, showing each room, hallways, and what looked like several secret passageways.

Finally, the lines cut off to form tiny ink blots with a person's name next to it. Fred wondered where Filch was; the Map showed the caretaker walking outside the door to the Transfiguration room.

George wanted to see where Percy was. The Map showed his brother getting up from the Gryffindor table, his inkblot overshadowing the many others near his. The Map showed their brother walking directly towards them. George taped the paper with his wand and whispered "Mischief managed."

The Map went blank.

"What are you two grinning about? You'd better not be planning more mischief!" Fred and George turned around to see Percy standing behind them.

"Us? We were grinning?" Fred asked a look of over exaggerated innocence on his face.

Percy looked like he was going to say something, but changed him mind. "Whatever it is, I don't want to know." He muttered, walking away.

George grinned. "No you don't." He said softly. "No you don't."