Part Twenty-Eight
Lily- (looks at the name of the chapter) Well, I think we will learn a little more about your feud with Snape.
James- Why?
Lily- This chapter is called Snape's Grudge.
James- Figures.
No one in Gryffindor Tower slept that night.
Lily- I'm not surprised.
They knew that the castle was being searched again, and the whole house stayed awake in the common room, waiting to hear whether Black had been caught.
Sirius- No, I will be long gone. After all, who would want to stick around to be given the Dementor's Kiss? (shudders)
Professor McGonagall came back at dawn, to tell them that he had again escaped.
Everywhere they went next day they saw signs of tighter security; professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black;
James- Won't do much good if he's using Padfoot to get into the castle.
Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes.
Sir Cadogan had been sacked. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back.
James- About time, too.
Lily- I hope she's all right.
She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had only agreed to return to her job on condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her.
Sirius- Lovely thought.
They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs.
Remus- What else would they be doing? Everyone knows that trolls, even security trolls, aren't that bright.
Harry couldn't help noticing that the statue of the one-eyes witch on the third floor remained unguarded and unblocked.
James- Oh, good, that means that Harry can still go to Hogsmeade.
Lily- No offense, Sirius, but you would think that they would keep a closer eye on Harry. After all, they must know by now that he has his ways of leaving the castle.
Sirius- None taken. But they have never caught us, either and they really know about our escapades.
It seemed that Fred and George had been right in thinking that they
and now Harry, Ron and Hermione - were the only ones who knew about the hidden passageway within it.
"D'you reckon we should tell someone?" Harry asked Ron.
Remus- Harry, if I thought it would be important I would have said something. There isn't a passage that Sirius knows about that I don't.
"We know he's not coming in through Honeydukes," said Ron dismissively. "We'd have heard if the shop had been broken into."
Harry was glad Ron took this view. If the one-eyed witch was boarded up too, he would never be able to go into Hogsmeade again.
James- That's true.
Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry,
Lily- I bet he loves that.
James- Yeah, and I'll bet that Harry doesn't mind a bit.
and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. though still severely shaken by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked, what had happened, with a wealth of detail.
"... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draught ... I woke up and one side if the hangings on my bed had been pulled down ... I rolled over ... and I saw him standing over me ... like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair ... holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches ... and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scarpered."
James- That's strange behavior for a "mass-murderer."
Remus- Yeah, if, for some odd reason, Sirius got the wrong bed, why didn't he just put a silencing spell on Ron and then move on to Harry?
"Why, though?" Ron added to Harry, as the group of second-year girls who had been listening to his chilling tale departed. "Why did he scarper?"
Harry had been wondering the same thing. Why had Black, having got the wrong bed, not silenced Ron and proceeded to Harry?
Remus- That's what I said. Why would Sirius go to Ron, anyway? Wait, what about Scabbers? No, there is no way that Scabbers is... I have too vivid an imagination.
Black had proved twelve years ago that he didn't mind murdering innocent people, and this time he had been facing five unarmed boys, four of whom were asleep.
"He must've known he'd have a job getting back out of the castle once you'd yelled and woken people up," said Harry thoughtfully. "He'd have had to kill the whole house to get back through the portrait hole ...then he would've met the teachers ..."
James- I guess...
Sirius- Yeah, but I don't know no one would have been looking for a large dog.
Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the Tower.
Sirius- Hey, that's not fair.
Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him. None of these punishments, however, came close to matching the one his grandmother had in store for him.
Two days after Black's break-in, she sent Neville the very worst thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast - a Howler.
Lily- Poor Neville.
Sirius- I'm sorry, Neville. I'll find a way to make it up to you.
The school owls swooped into the Great Hall, carrying the post as usual, and Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in front of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak. Harry and Ron, who were sitting opposite him, recognized the letter as a Howler at once - Ron had got one from his mother the year before.
James- What for?
"Run for it, Neville," Ron advised.
Neville didn't need telling twice.
Lily- Who would?
Sirius- (mutters beneath his breath) Peter.
He seized the envelope and, holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him.
All- Gits!
They heard the Howler go off in the Entrance Hall - Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its usual volume, shrieking about how he had brought shame on the whole family.
Lily- Hey, cut him some slack. It's not really his fault.
Harry was too busy feeling sorry for Neville to notice immediately that he had a letter, too. Hedwig got his attention by nipping him sharply on the wrist.
"Ouch! Oh - thanks, Hedwig ..."
Harry tore open the envelope while Hedwig helped herself to some of Neville's cornflakes. The note inside said
Dear Harry and Ron,
How about having tea with me this evening round six? I'll come and collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.
Cheers.
Hagrid
James- I wonder what this is about.
"He probably wants to hear all about Black!" said Ron.
So at six o'clock that evening, Harry and Ron left Gryffindor Tower, passed the security trolls at a run, and headed down to the Entrance Hall.
Hagrid was already waiting for them.
Sirius- Hagrid is always punctual.
"All right, Hagrid!" said Ron. "S'pose you want to hear about Saturday night, do you?"
"I've already heard abou' it," said Hagrid, opening the front door and leading them outside.
"Oh," said Ron, looking slightly put out.
All- (laugh)
The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid's cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched on top of Hagrid's patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets. Averting his eyes from this unpleasant sight, Harry saw a gigantic, hairy brown suit and a very horrible yellow and orange tie from the top of Hagrid's wardrobe door.
James- Same old Hagrid.
"What are they for, Hagrid?" said Harry.
"Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures," said Hagrid. "this Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus ..."
Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt.
Lily- Oh, yeah, Harry and Ron were supposed to help Hermione with looking up stuff for Hagrid's case.
He had completely forgotten that Buckbeak's trial was so near, and judging by the uneasy look on Ron's face, he had, too. They had also forgotten their promise about helping him prepare Buckbeak's defense; the arrival of the Firebolt had driven it clean out of their minds.
Hagrid poured them tea and offered them a plate of Bath buns, but they knew better than to accept; they had had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking.
James- Haven't we all.
Others- (make faces)
"I got somethin' ter discuss with you two," said Hagrid, sitting himself between them and looking uncharacteristically serious.
"What?" said Harry.
"Hermione," said Hagrid.
"What about her," said Ron.
"She's in a righ' state, that's what. She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Christmas. bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren' talking to her because o' the Firebolt, now yer not talkin' to her because her cat -"
Harmony-ACTED LIKE A CAT?
"- ate scabbers!" Ron interjected angrily.
Harmony- (hisses)
"Because her cat acted like all cats do," Hagrid continued doggedly. "She's cried a fair few times, yeh know. goin' through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she's tryin' ter do. still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind ... she's found some really good stuff fer me ... reckon he'll stand a good chance now ..."
Remus- Like we said before, Hagrid, you could have Malfoy come in and deny it and the Committee would still say that Buckbeak should die.
"Hagrid, we should've helped as well - sorry -" Harry began awkwardly.
"I'm not blamin' yeh!" said Hagrid, waving Harry's apology aside.
"Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be gettin' on with, I've seen yeh practisin' Quidditch ev'ry hour o' the day an' night - but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all."
James- I knew there was a reason why Hagrid is in the Order.
Lily- He is?
James- Mom and Dad told me about it before everything happened. Said that the meeting that he and mum were going to that day was really important. Said Hagrid had found out something important.
Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks.
"Really upset she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She's got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an' you two not talkin' to her -"
"If she'd just get rid of that cat, I'd speak to her again!" Ron said Angrily. "But she's still sticking up for it! It's a maniac, and she won't hear a word against it!"
"Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets," said Hagrid wisely.
Lily- Speaking from experience, Hagrid?
Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow.
They spent the rest of their visit discussing Gryffindor's improved chances for the Quidditch Cup. At nine o'clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle.
James- That's kind of early to go back.
Lily- It's probably after the sun has set. They're probably not allowed after dark, even if they are with a teacher.
A large group of people was bunched around the notice-board when they returned to the common room.
"Hogsmeade, next weekend!" said Ron, craning over the heads to read the new notice. "What d'you reckon?" he added quietly to Harry, as they went to sit down.
Lily- If Harry goes, I hope that he'll have a much better time than last time.
Others- (nod)
"Well, Filch hasn't done anything about the passage into Honeydukes ..." Harry said, even more quietly.
"Harry!" said a voice in his right ear. Harry started and looked around at Hermione, who was sitting at the table right behind them and clearing a space in the wall of books that had been hiding her.
"Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again ... I'll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!" said Hermione.
James- Hey, you can't do that. That's our map. It must be left for pranksters to enjoy.
"Can you hear someone talking, Harry?" growled Ron, not looking at Hermione.
"Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! I mean it, I'll tell -"
"So now you're trying to get Harry expelled!" said Ron furiously. "Haven't you done enough damage this year?"
Remus- Hey, I thought you'd promised Hagrid that you would be nicer to her.
Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but with a soft hiss, Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. Hermione took one frightened look at the expression on Ron's face, gathered Crookshanks up and hurried away towards the girls' dormitories.
"So how about it?" Ron said to Harry, as though there had been no interruption. "Come on, last time we went you didn't see anything. You haven't even been inside Zonko's yet!"
James- That's a crime against nature.
Lily- (mutters to herself) Yeah, yours.
James- I heard that.
Harry looked around to check that Hermione was still well out of earshot.
"OK," he said.
Lily- I am only condoning this because it's not your fault that you can't go like everyone else.
"But I'm taking the Invisibility Cloak this time."
James- That's probably a good idea.
On Saturday morning, Harry packed up his Invisibility Cloak in his bag, slipped the Marauder's Map into his pocket and went down to breakfast with everyone else. Hermione kept shooting suspicious looks down the table at him, but he avoided her eye, and was careful to let her see him walking back up the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall as everyone else proceeded to the front doors.
"Bye!" Harry called to Ron. "See you when you get back!"
Ron grinned and winked.
Harry hurried up to the third floor, slipping the marauder's Map out of his pocket as he went. Crouching behind the one-eyed witch, he smoothed it out. A tiny dot was moving in his direction. Harry squinted at it. The miniscule writing next to it read "Neville Longbottom".
Lily- Aww, he can't go either.
Remus- But it is kinda his fault.
Harry quickly pulled out his wand, muttered "Dissendium!" and shoved his bag into the statue, but before he could climb in himself, Neville came round the corner.
"Harry! I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either!"
"Hi, Neville!" said Harry, moving swiftly away from the statue and pushing the map into his pocket. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing," shrugged Neville. "Want a game of exploding Snap?"
Lily- I like that game.
Others- Us too.
"Er - not now - I was going to go to the library and do that vampire essay for Lupin -"
"I'll come with you!" said Neville brightly. "I haven't done it either!"
"Er - hang on - yeah, I forgot, I finished it last night!"
James- Not a very good excuse, Harry. You need to think one thought ahead of everyone else.
"Brilliant, you can help me!" said Neville, his round face anxious. "I don't understand that thing about the garlic at all - do they have to eat it, or -"
Neville broke off with a small gasp, looking over Harry's shoulder.
It was Snape.
James- Butt out, Snape. You're not wanted.
Neville took a quick step behind Harry.
"And what are you two doing here?" said Snape, coming to a halt and looking from one to the other. "An odd place to meet -"
To Harry's immense disquiet Snape's black eyes flicked to the doorways on either side of them, and then to the one-eyed witch.
Lily- Does he know about that passage?
James- Not that I know of.
"We're not - meeting here," said Harry. "We just - met here."
"Indeed?" said Snape. "You have a habit of turning up in unexpected places, Potter, and you are rarely there for no reason ... I suggest he pair of you return to Gryffindor Tower, where you belong."
Sirius- Like we said before, Snape, they can go anywhere in the castle. It's not after curfew.
Harry and Neville set off without another word.
As they turned the corner, Harry looked back.
Snape was running one of his hands over the one-eyed witch's head, examining it closely.
Harry managed to shake Neville off at the Fat Lady by telling him the password, then pretending he'd left his vampire essay in he library
and doubling back. Once out of sight of the security trolls, he pulled out the map again and held it close to his nose.
James- Yeah, always check to make sure the coast is clear.
The third-floor corridor seemed to be deserted. Harry scanned the map carefully and saw, with a leap of relief, that the tiny dot labeled "Severus Snape" was now back in its office.
All- Good.
He sprinted back to the one-eyed witch, opened her hump, heaved himself inside and slid down to meet his bag at the bottom of the stone chute. He wiped the Marauder's Map blank again, then set off at a run.
Sirius- All right, he's on his way.
Harry, completely hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, emerged into the sunlight outside Honeydukes and prodded Ron in the back.
"It's me," he muttered.
"What kept you?" Ron hissed.
James- An extremely nosy git.
"Snape was hanging around ..."
They set off up the High Street.
"Where are you?" Ron kept muttering out of the corner of his mouth. "Are you still there? this feels weird ..."
Remus- No doubt. I remember when I went to Hogsmeade with the three of you beneath the Cloak it was really weird.
They went to the Post Office; Ron pretended to be checking the price of an owl to Bill in Egypt so that Harry could have a good look around.
The owls sat hooting softly down at him, at least three hundred of them; from Great Greys right down to tiny little Scops owls ("Local Deliveries only") which were so small they could have sat in the palm of Harry's hand.
Lily- They're so cute.
Boys- (roll their eyes)
Then they visited Zonko's, which was so packed with students Harry had to exercise great care not to tread on anyone and cause a panic. There were jokes and tricks to fulfill even Fred and George's wildest dreams;
Boys- (cheer)
Lily- (rolls her eyes)
Harry gave Ron whispered orders and passed him some gold from under the cloak.
James- Good job, Harry, now you have to use some of those on Malfoy and Snape.
They left Zonko's with their money bags considerably lighter than the had been on entering, but their pockets bulging with Dungbombs, Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn soap and a Nose-Biting Teacup apiece.
Sirius- (whines) Aww, no Fillibuster's Fireworks?
The day was fine and breezy, and neither of them felt like staying indoors, so they walked past the Three Broomsticks and climbed a slope to visit the Shrieking shack, the most haunted dwelling in Britain.
It stood a little way above the rest of the village, and even in daylight was slightly creepy, with its boarded windows and dank overgrown garden.
All- (snort)
"Even the Hogwarts ghosts avoid it," said Ron, as they leaned on the fence, looking up at it. "I asked nearly Headless Nick ... he says he's heard a very rough crowd live here. No one can get in.
James- I wouldn't say that.
Fred and George tried, obviously, but all the entrances are sealed shut ..."
Harry, feeling hot from their climb, was just considering taking off the Cloak for a few minutes, when they heard voices nearby.
Lily- I wonder who that could be.
Someone was climbing towards the house from the other side of the hill; moments later, Malfoy had appeared, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle.
James- (rubs his hands together) A perfect opportunity for a prank.
"... should have an owl from Father any time now.
Lily- About what?
He had to go to the hearing to tell them about my arm ... about how I couldn't use it for three months ..."
Sirius- If I were there you wouldn't ever be able to use it again. Oops, I am there, but you know what I mean.
Crabbe and Goyle snickered.
"I really wish I could hear that great hairy moron trying to defend himself ... 'There's no 'arm in 'im, 'onest -'
James- Why that son of a !
Lily- (shouts similar things that are too bad to print)
... that Hippogriff's as good as dead -"
Malfoy suddenly caught sight of Ron. His pale face split in a malevolent grin.
"What are you doing, Weasley?"
Sirius- What is it with everyone telling people they can't be somewhere when they are allowed to?
Malfoy looked up at the crumbling house behind Ron.
"Suppose you'd love to live here, wouldn't you, Weasley?
Remus- Oh, here we go, Malfoy's going to insult Ron's family again.
Others- (sigh)
Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room - is that true?"
Harry seized the back of Ron's robes to stop him leaping on Malfoy.
"Leave him to me," he hissed in Ron's ear.
The opportunity was too perfect to miss.
Lily- Get him, Harry, he deserves it.
Harry crept silently around behind Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, bent down and scooped a large handful of mud out of the path.
All- (grin)
"We were just discussing your friend Hagrid," Malfoy said to Ron. "Just trying to imagine what he's saying to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. D'you think he'll cry when that cut off his Hippogriff's -"
Remus- No, because I have a feeling it will never happen.
SPLAT!
Malfoy's head jerked forwards as the mud hit him; his silver-blond hair was suddenly dripping in muck.
All- (snicker)
"What the -?"
Ron had to hold onto the fence to keep himself standing, he was laughing so hard.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle spun stupidly on the spot, staring wildly round, Malfoy trying to wipe his hair clean.
James- Like that will ever happen.
Sirius- About as much probability of that as Snape washing his hair.
"What was that? Who did that?"
"Very haunted up here, isn't it?" said Ron, with the air of one commenting on the weather.
Remus- Why not blame it on the ghosts? I don't mind in the least.
Crabbe and Goyle were looking scared. Their bulging muscles were no use against ghosts. Malfoy was staring madly around at the deserted landscape.
James- (tauntingly) Oooooh, is little Malfoy afraid of ghosts?
Harry sneaked along the path, where a particularly sloppy puddle yielded some foul-smelling, green sludge.
James- (proudly) Gets it from his dad.
SPLATTER!
Crabbe and Goyle caught some this time. Goyle hopped furiously on the spot, trying to rub it out of his small, dull eyes.
All- (snicker)
"It came from over there!" said Malfoy, wiping his face, and staring at a spot some six feet to the left of Harry.
Crabbe blundered forwards, his long arms outstretched like a zombie. Harry dodged around him, picked up a stick, and lobbed it at Crabbe's back.
Harry doubled up with silent laughter as Crabbe did a kind of pirouette in mid-air, trying to see who had thrown it. As Ron was the only person Crabbe could see, it was Ron he started towards, but Harry stuck out his leg.
Crabbe stumbled - and his huge flat foot caught the hem of Harry's Cloak.
James- Great, and everything was going so well.
Harry felt a great tug, then the cloak slid off his face.
Lily- Harry, run like you have never run in your life.
For a split second Malfoy stared at him.
"AAARGH!" he yelled, pointing at Harry's head. Then he turned tail and ran, at breakneck speed, back down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle behind him.
Harry tugged the Cloak up again, but the damage was done.
James- So get out of there. The number one rule of maraudering is that if you are caught, and the informant is off to find someone to tell, get somewhere you are supposed to be and figure out an alibi.
"Harry!" said Ron, stumbling forward and staring hopelessly at the point where Harry had disappeared, "you'd better run for it! If Malfoy tells anyone -you'd better get back to the castle, quick -"
"See you later," said Harry, and without another word, he tore back down the path towards Hogsmeade.
Would Malfoy believe what he had seen? Would anyone believe Malfoy? Nobody knew about the Invisibility Cloak -nobody except Dumbledore. Harry's stomach turned over - Dumbledore would know exactly what had happened, if Malfoy said anything -
Lily- I doubt it would be Dumbledore that he would tell.
Remus- Yeah, it will probably be Snape.
Back into Honeydukes, back down the cellar steps, across the stone floor, through the trapdoor - Harry pulled off the Cloak, tucked it under his arm, and ran, flat out, along the passage ...
Lily- Faster, Harry, faster.
Malfoy would get back first ... how long would it take him to find a teacher? Panting, a sharp pain in his side, Harry didn't slow down until he reached the stone slide. He would have to leave the cloak where it was, it was too much of a giveaway if Malfoy had tipped off a teacher.
Sirius- Just use it to get back to Gryffindor Tower unseen.
He hid it in a shadowy corner, then started to climb, fast as he could, his sweaty hands slipping on the sides of the chute. He reached the inside of the witch's hump, tapped it with his wand, stuck his head through and hoisted himself out; the hump closed, and just as Harry jumped out from behind the statue, he heard quick footsteps approaching.
James- Great, he wasn't fast enough.
Others- (groan)
It was Snape. he approached Harry at a swift walk, his black robes swishing, then stopped in front of him.
"So," he said.
There was a look of suppressed triumph about him.
Lily- Leave him alone, Snape, he deserves some fun.
Harry tried to look innocent, all too aware of his sweaty face and his muddy hands, which he quickly his in his pockets.
"Come with me, Potter," said Snape.
Sirius- Where are you going?
Harry followed him downstairs, trying to wipe his hands clean on the inside of his robes without Snape noticing. they walked down the stairs to the dungeons and then into Snape's office.
All- Ewwww.
Harry had only been in here once before, and he had been in very serious trouble then, too. Snape had acquired a few more horrible slimy things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.
Sirius- It was always like that the only difference now would be that it is greasier.
Others- (laugh)
"Sit," said Snape.
Remus- Snape, Harry is not a dog.
Harry sat. Snape, however, remained standing.
"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter," said Snape.
Lily- (sarcastically) Really? How interesting.
Harry didn't say anything.
"He tells me that he was up by the shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley - apparently alone."
James- And how do you know he wasn't? Were you there?
Still, Harry didn't speak.
"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him on the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"
Remus- Apparently the Shrieking Shack's ghosts don't like Malfoy.
Harry tried to look mildly surprised.
"I don't know, Professor."
Snape's eyes were boring into Harry's. It was exactly like trying to stare out a Hippogriff. Harry tried hard not to blink.
James- That's the best way to tell if someone is lying. Whether they blink a lot or not.
"Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?"
Sirius- Who knows what the little weasel sees in an apparition.
"No," said Harry, now trying hard to sound innocently curious.
"It was your head, Potter. Floating in mid-air."
"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "If he's seeing things like -"
Lily- He should have been taken to St. Mungo's a long time ago.
James- I don't think even they could help what's wrong with him.
"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."
Sirius- Oh, I don't know. There isn't anything in the rules that says that parts of a person's body aren't allowed where it's forbidden. It only says that the whole person isn't allowed there.
Remus- Sirius, that doesn't make sense.
"I know that," said Harry, striving to keep his face free of guilt or fear. "It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin-"
"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart.
James- Okay, don't interrupt, it's impolite, and stay a respectful distance away from my son.
"If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."
Sirius- Says who?
"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower," said Harry. "Like you told -"
"Can anyone confirm that?"
Lily-... No.
Harry didn't say anything. Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.
"So," he said, straightening up again.
"Everyone from the Minister for Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. but famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences."
James- Shut up, Snape, he just wanted to have a little fun, is that a crime?
Sirius- According to Snape it is.
Harry stayed silent. Snape was trying to provoke him into telling the truth. He wasn't going to do it. Snape had no proof - yet.
Lily- True.
"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter," Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting.
James- Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment.
"He, too, was exceedingly arrogant.
James- Well, yeah, I can be at times, but so can everyone else.
A small amount of talent on the Quidditch pitch made him think he was a cut above the rest of us, too.
Sirius- A small amount!
Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers ... the resemblance between you is uncanny."
"My dad didn't strut," said Harry, before he could stop himself. "And nor do I."
James- Thank you, Harry, that means a lot.
"Your father didn't set much by rules, either," Snape went on, pressing his advantage, his thin face full of malice.
Lily- He does when it counts.
"Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen -"
"SHUT UP!"
Harry was suddenly on his feet. Rage such as he had not felt since his last night in Privet Drive was thundering through him.
Lily- Harry, calm down, you don't want something like what happened there to happen now, do you?
He didn't care that Snape's face had gone rigid, the black eyes flashing dangerously.
"What did you say to me, Potter?"
Sirius- Sounded pretty self-explanatory to me.
"I told you to shut up about my dad!" Harry yelled. "I know the truth, all right? He saved your life! Dumbledore told me! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my dad!"
James- And no matter what he does or says, I will never regret that I did so.
Snape's sallow skin had gone the color of sour milk.
Sirius- Attractive.
"And did the Headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?" he whispered. "Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears?"
Lily- Nice to know that you feel some gratitude for what he did.
Harry bit his lip. He didn't know what had happened and didn't want to admit it - but Snape seemed to have guessed the truth.
"I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," he said, a terrible grin twisting his face.
Sirius- How is he supposed to get the right idea about his father if no one ever speaks of him?
"Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? The let me correct you - your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got cold feet at the last moment.
Sirius- Hey, it wasn't James's idea. He wasn't involved at all. You should be relieved that he thought you were worth saving.
There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine.
James- How so?
Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts."
Sirius- No, just I would have.
Remus- But I would have been executed as a dangerous creature.
All- (shudder)
Snape's uneven, yellowish teeth were bared.
"Turn out your pockets, Potter!" he spat.
Harry didn't move. There was a pounding in his ears.
"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the Headmaster! Pull them out, Potter!"
Cold with dread, Harry slowly pulled out the bag of Zonko's tricks and the Marauder's Map.
Lily- You should have left those with the Invisibility Cloak I think, Harry.
Snape picked up the Zonko's bag.
"Ron gave them to me," said Harry, praying he'd get a chance to tip
Ron off before Snape saw him. "He - brought them back from Hogsmeade last time -"
James- That is a viable excuse.
"Indeed? And you've been carrying them round ever since How very touching ... and what is this?"
Snape had picked up the map. Harry tried with all his might to keep his face impassive.
"Spare bit of parchment," he shrugged.
Snape turned it over, his eyes on Harry.
"Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment?" he said. "Why don't I just- throw this away?"
His hand moved towards the fire.
"No!" Harry said quickly.
James- Harry, Harry, do you think that we wouldn't have thought about all the things that could happen to it? We put spells on it protecting it from fire, rips, spills, etc.
Lily- Really? Why?
Remus- Let's just say that we learned our lesson the first time we leant it to Peter.
Lily- Oh.
"So!" said Snape, his long nostrils quivering. "Is this another treasured gift from Mr. Weasley? Or is it - something else? A letter, perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or - instructions to get into Hogsmeade without passing the Dementors?"
Sirius- Wow, Snivellus actually is using his brain.
Harry blinked. Snape's eyes gleamed.
All- Ooops.
"Let me see, let me see ..." he muttered, taking out his wand and smoothing the map out on his desk. "Reveal your secret!" he said, touching the wand to the parchment.
James- (snickering) That is not the way to find out what it is, Snape.
Nothing happened. Harry clenched his hands to stop them shaking.
"Show yourself!" Snape said, tapping the map sharply.
It stayed blank. Harry was taking deep, calming breaths.
Sirius- Relax, Harry, he'll never figure it out.
"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.
Boys- (snicker)
Lily- What!
James- You'll see.
As though an invisible hand was writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.
"Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."
Sirius- Nice one, Remus.
Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. but the map didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first.
Lily- The rest of you couldn't resist, could you?
James- Probably not.
"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."
James- I love saying that.
It would have all been very funny if the situation hadn't been so serious.
Lily- Oh, come on, it still is funny.
And there was more ...
"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a Professor."
James- Sirius, you couldn't come up with a better insult?
Sirius- Sorry.
Harry closed his eyes in horror. when he'd opened them, the map had had its last word.
James- Yeah, Peter hasn't said anything yet.
"Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."
Remus- Wow, I never thought that Peter would come up with something like that.
Lily- How did you do this? I mean, this is in the future and all of you are in the past, how did you rig this so that it would know things like who was talking to it?
James- That was Remus's idea. He found a spell that when put on a parchment would allow the person or persons who wrote on the parchment to place their personalities into the paper and so when someone came along whom they don't like, they can insult them unless they know the password.
Lily- Cool.
Harry waited for the blow to fall.
"So ..." said Snape softly. "We'll see about this ..."
Lily- I wonder what he's going to do.
Remus- Probably talk to the only Marauder that is around to talk to.
He strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames.
"Lupin!" Snape called into the fire. "I want a word!"
Remus- Oh, really? Would it kill you to be civil?
Utterly bewildered, Harry stared at the fire. A large shape had appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes.
Lily- Surely you could afford to buy some new robes with the money you made at Hogwarts, Remus.
Remus- I'm probably saving up for when I leave there.
Lily- But how do you know that you will have to quit?
Remus- I always know that it will only be a matter of time.
"You called, Severus?" said Lupin mildly.
"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. he was carrying this."
Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin's face.
James- Remus, it doesn't look like you can remember all the good times that you had with us.
Remus- It's probably too painful to think about at all.
"Well?" said Snape.
Lupin continued to stare at the map. Harry had the impression that Lupin was doing some very quick thinking.
Sirius- Don't worry, Harry. Remus won't give himself away.
"Well?" said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"
James- For one, Snivellus, it's not full of dark magic amd two, it's none of your business where he got it.
Lupin looked up and, by the merest half glance in Harry's direction, warned him not to interrupt.
Sirius- Yeah, Harry, let Remus handle the situation.
"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who tries to read it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke-shop -"
"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think that a joke-shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?"
James- He can't have. Two of us are dead, another is not in contact with anyone and the last one would never do that.
Harry didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, apparently, did Lupin.
"You mean, from Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" he said. "Harry, do you know any of these men?"
All- Yes.
James- Though not as well as we would have liked.
"No," said Harry quickly.
"You see, Severus?" said Lupin, tuning back to Snape. "It looks like a Zonko's product to me -"
Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office. he was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk, clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak.
"- gave - Harry - that - stuff," he choked. "Bought - it - in - Zonko's - ages - ago ..."
Remus- Sounds a little unlikely and rehearsed to me.
"Well!" said Lupin, clapping his hands together and looking around cheerfully. "That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. "Harry.
Ron, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay. Excuse us, Severus."
Harry didn't dare look at Snape as they left his office.
Lily- Good idea, Harry.
He, Ron and Lupin walked all the way back into the Entrance Hall before speaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin.
"Professor, I -"
"I don't want to hear explanations," said Lupin shortly. He glanced round the empty Entrance Hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago.
James- I'm still wondering what we did to get it confiscated.
Yes, I know it's a map," he said, as Harry and Ron looked amazed. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in.
James- Why?
Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry."
Lily- Well, that makes sense. He's just being cautious.
Harry had expected that, and was too keen for explanations to protest. "Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?"
Sirius- Good question.
"Because ..." Lupin hesitated, "because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of the school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."
James- What Harry did today was indeed highly entertaining.
"Do you know them?" said Harry, impressed.
Remus- (sarcastically) No, not at all. After all, I just happen to be one of them.
"We've met," he said shortly. He was looking at Harry more seriously than ever.
James- Uh-oh, here comes the lecture on being out of bounds.
"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry.
Remus- Sorry, Harry, but I'm just trying to keep you safe and having you off campus when no one knows that you are gone, wouldn't be doing that.
A poor way to repay them - gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."
Sirius- I hate it when people play the guilt card. My parents are experts at it.
He walked away, leaving Harry feeling worse by far than he had at any point in Snape's office. Slowly, he and Ron mounted the marble staircase. As Harry passed the one-eyed witch, he remembered the Invisibility Cloak - it was still down there, but he didn't dare go and get it.
Sirius- Wow, he's actually going to listen to reason. James wouldn't do that.
James- Hey!
"It's my fault," said Ron abruptly. "I persuaded you to go. Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't have done it -"
He broke off; they had reached the corridor where the security trolls were pacing, and Hermione was walking towards them. One look at her face convinced Harry that she had heard what had happened. his heart plummeted - had she told professor McGonagall?
Lily- No, I don't think that she would do that, Harry. She might threaten but I don't think she would ever go through with it.
"Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely, as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"
"No," said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know ... Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."
Lily- No, they can't do that. It wasn't Buckbeak's fault.
James- Like the Committee would listen. Man, sometimes I hate our justice system.
Lily- Well, anyway, that's the end of the chapter. James it's your turn to read.