Title: Harry Snape And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Rating: K

Summary: This is the sequel to Harry Snape And the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Snape enters his third year and finds a dangerous prisoner is on the loose and wants to kill him.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters but I do like to play with them.

To David Fishwick: Thanks for your review.

To Beth5572: Thanks for your review.

To notwritten: Thanks for your review.

Chapter 10: The Marauder's Map

Winter soon descended on Hogwarts and Harry, Hermione, and the other third years and above headed to Hogsmead. Harry had told Hermione and Ron about Lupin not wanting to help him and Hermione was shocked that Lupin had denied his request.

"He's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Hermione said. "He's supposed to help you."

"I know," Harry said. "I'll ask Professor McGonagall if she'll help me like Lupin suggested."

So Harry had gone to McGonagall and she agreed to help him.

"So what are you planning to buy for Christmas?" Hermione asked Harry when they entered Hogsmead.

"I don't know," Harry said. "I want to get something nice for my aunt, since she did sign my form."

"I still can't believe that she's learning magic," Ron commented. "Personally I think it's unfair."

Harry and Hermione ignored his comment.

Harry got her a pair of shoes that would never get dirty and got himself some candy at Honeydukes. At noon the three of them headed to the Three Broomsticks for lunch and Harry got them their usual from Madam Rosmerta. When she left the door opened and in walked Hagrid, McGonagall, and Fudge.

"What is Fudge doing here?" Ron asked them.

"I have no idea," Harry said.

Madam Rosmerta returned with their food and at once was invited over to their table.

"Why don't you have something from your own bar," Fudge said.

"I think I will," Rosmerta said and then disappeared.

When she returned she sat down.

"Minister, do you think that Potter's in the area," Madam Rosmerta asked Fudge.

"I'm sure of it," Fudge said shortly. "Anyway's, how did you find out?"

"I heard a rumor," Rosmerta told him and Harry saw everyone staring at Hagrid.

"Sorry," Hagrid muttered.

"You know that Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away…It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more then you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution…unfortunate, but there you are…I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore-he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Here, here," said Hagrid.

"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse…We all know that Potter's capable of…"

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, James Potter was the last I'd have thought…I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse then murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do," said Fudge.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw him first but during the fifth year he was with him. They were quite the double act and both of them use to make me laugh. James Potter and Severus Snape."

Harry almost fainted with shock.

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Potter and Snape. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course-exceptionally bright, in fact-but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers-."

"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run for their money."

"You'd have thought Potter and Snape were brothers!" chimed in Professor McGonagall. "Inseparable with Snape being very good at Potions and Potter good at using them."

"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Snape trusted Potter beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Potter was best man when Severus married Lily. Then they named him Godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

"Because Potter turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Worse even then that, m'dear…"Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Now many people are aware that the Snape's knew that You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted Severus and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"A immensely complex spell, she said, "Involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find-unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refuses to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and Severus were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

"So Potter was the Snape's Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "Severus Snape told Dumbledore that Potter would die rather then tell where they were, that Potter was planning to go into hiding himself…and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Snape's Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Potter?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Snape's had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

"But Severus Snape insisted on using Potter."

"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed-"

"Potter betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

"He did indeed. Potter was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Snape's death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall with little Harry Snape. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Potter in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment that he, Potter, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it-."

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.

"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.

"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me that rescued Harry from Lily an' Severus house after they were killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead…an' James Potter turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he use ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' Severus Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.

"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset about Lily an' Severus? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him-' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Potter no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Potter argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.

"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved the motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Snape's Secret-Keeper. Potter knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.

"But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd 've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friend's son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to'em anymore…"

There was a pause and then Madam Rosmerta said "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him the next day!"

"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew-another of the Snape's friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Potter had been the Snape's Secret-Keeper, he went after Potter himself."

"Pettigrew…that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.

"Hero-worshipped Potter and then Snape when he joined their little 'group,' said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I-how I regret that now…"

She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold.

"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitness-Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later-told us how Pettigrew cornered Potter. They say he was sobbing, "Lily and Severus, James! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Potter was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens…"

"Stupid boy…foolish boy…he was always hopeless at dueling…should have left it to the Ministry."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Potter before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands-I'd've ripped him limb-from-limb," Hagrid growled.

"You don't know what your talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Potter once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister of the department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Potter murdered all those people. I-I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Potter standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him…a heap of bloodstained robes and a few-a few fragments-"

Everyone fell silent and then Harry got up.

"Mr. Snape-," Fudge started, surprised that Harry was there.

"Excuse me," Harry said and then left.