Me: ok dearies. Here's the part where I ask you to make a choice…

Jean: yes. Live or die. Choose now!

Me: eh… no…. not that choice… I want to know your input on pairings. I got three replies in comments about what pairing. One said no Harry/Draco. Another suggested a pairing with Harry/Hermionie and lastly one suggesting Harry/Remus. I'm partial to Remus/Harry just cause I'm a slash girl. But you're the readers; I'm willing to write whatever. So in your comments you please please choose.

Jean: yeah…. But Sara still doesn't own jack shit.

Sara: looks down sadly no. No I don't… On with the chapter!

/HP\

Remus stopped momentarily outside the portrait of the fat lady, trying to catch his breath enough to tell her the password. He leaned against the stonewall beside him and panted out the words as Snape jogged up behind him also out of breath.

" Gob…pant Goblin… pant eh. Goblin… bloody hell…." He stuttered out, the fat lady rolled her oil painted eyes.

"Dear what on earth were you running for?" She asked, causing Snape to make an undignified noise from his left.

"I'd like to know the same thing… damnit Lupin you crazy wolf… What are you on about! A map and whatnot!" Snape growled out in a highly Snape-like fashion.

" The map, the marauders map! Goblin Magic." The portrait swung open upon finally hearing the password, Remus impatiently hustled in. Snape followed him in and found the common room nearly empty (as mostly everyone was at lunch) except for a few first years in front of the fire chatting about… Boys or something, how the hell would Snape know what 11-year-old Griffindor girls talk about? "Wait here!" Remus told him, jogging up the stairs to the sixth year boy's dormitories. Snape sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, he glanced over to the small herd of girls and found them looking at him in surprise and fear. He sneered at them and the turned away with a collective squeak, two seconds later Remus came down the stairs again and was out the portrait hole.

"Now are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Severus asked irritated as he followed. He was even more irritated when Lupin said "the map" again and held up an old ratty piece of blank parchment.

"Really Severus, the marauders map! How do you think James, Sirius, Pettigrew, and me got around in our school days? With this!" Lupin ducked into an empty classroom and pulled out his wand; he tapped the parchment lightly and spoke. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Then suddenly Snape could see from over Lupin's shoulder that ink lines were spreading over the parchment like spider-webs, quickly forming a map… a map of Hogwarts! There were little dots all over the map moving around with little names floating over them. "I am truly dishonoring the marauder name by showing this to you but it's for a good cause… This is the marauders map. We all made it in 5th year, it shows all the secret passage ways and where everyone is at all times." Snape blinked in astonishment, this map was very detailed, and also very complicated, and he had to hand it to those idiots. His astonishment quickly turned to anger as he realized that this is what Potter must have been using to sneak around with for so long.

"Hey!" He snapped peevishly. "That's that stupid paper that made fun of me in Potters third year!" Remus coughed awkwardly, nodding his head. "You told me I was being crazy! You knew what it was! You bastard! I-"

"Now now Severus! This isn't about that. It's about finding Harry!" Remus interrupted quickly, he gave a quick scan of the map and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The little dot marked "Harry Potter" was in the second floors girls' lavatory, next to a faded looking dot marked Myrtle Triste.

"Who's Myrtle Triste?" Snape asked from over his shoulder.

"Must be moaning Myrtle, she does haunt that bathroom, and that would explain why her dot is so faded. Now lets go." Remus tapped the map with his wand, stating the words "mischief managed" and quickly heading out the door.

/Hp\

Finally, Snape and Remus reached the bathroom; they slowed from their run to a cautious walk. Peeking around the doorframe they saw Harry leaning against one of the sinks, he was slouched over with his knees draw up to his chest and had his back to them. Myrtle hovered eerily by him, cooing comforting words and asking him what was wrong. Harry on merely ignored her or would reply shortly, telling her it was nothing or shaking his head silently. Remus walked quietly into the room and up behind Harry, he remained unnoticed, except for Myrtle. He gave her a look and nodded towards her stall. She reluctantly nodded in return and floated over and went back into her toilet after causing the raven-haired Griffindor a concerned glance.

Remus knelt behind Harry and rested a hand on his shoulder; the boy instantly stiffened at the contact and drew himself into a tighter ball.

"Harry?" Remus asked softly. "Are you ok?" Harry didn't respond at first, but then they could both hear a response that was muffled by the boy's knees.

"How did you find me?" He whispered softly. Remus sighed and shook his head.

"The marauders map. Now Harry… Are you ok? What happened back there? In class, with the boggart?" Harry made an almost inaudible noise and shook a bit.

"I'm fine… And I don't want to talk about it…." Snape sighed from behind them and walked up next to Remus.

"Well that's too bad. Something is going on and you'd have to be crazy to think you could get out of it that easily. You're going to tell us." Though Snape's words were harsh sounding, Remus couldn't help but notice that they didn't hold as much malice and even seemed to hold a bit of concern. I guess this is as close to caring as Snape really gets. At the sound of the potion master's voice Harry visibly stiffened.

"What is he doing here?" Harry asked, obvious fear lacing his voice.

"Lupin crashed into me when he was running around in a frenzy looking for you. Obviously I wanted an explanation." Snape responded before Remus had a chance.

"You told him!" Harry spat out in a panicky voice; his head shot up and he looked Remus dead in the eye. Remus felt his breath freeze in his lungs. He had never seen Harry like this… Nor did he ever want to again. Harry's hair was even more of a mess than before, his cheeks were red and had the remains of tears all over them; his nose was red as well from crying. The most shocking thing was his eyes though, those eyes that usually held confidence, joy, refreshing defiance, and even a glimmer of mischief. They were now glassy with tears and sightly red from crying, they now held new emotions in their emerald depths. Remus could see pain, sadness, fear, disappointment, and worry. Despite all these emotions though, they still held an empty hollow look to them, and that terrified Remus to no end. Remus also noticed that Harry had the starts of a bruise on his pale face from where boggart-Vernon hit him.

"Oh Harry…" Was all he could find to say, he gingerly brought a hand up and ran a soft thumb over the bruise, brushing tears away in its wake. He nearly died when Harry visibly flinched at his approaching hand. He felt the possible beginnings of tears in his own golden eyes. "Please Harry… Please tell me…" Harry shook with unheard sobs and looked down. Much to Remus' surprise Snape sat down on the bathroom floor next to them and looked intently at Harry, the worry now apparent in his eyes.

"Potter…. Harry… Tell us what's going on. Like I said, you can't weasel out of this." He said in that same soft and caring yet harsh and demanding tone that Remus now knew as "Snape's fifth emotion" right along with anger, irritation, indifference, and sneer. Harry visibly sagged; he must have realized that there was no getting out of this.

"Why don't we start with your uncle…" Remus suggested, hoping it might be easier to go one thing at a time. Harry sighed and kept his avid staring contest with the floor in full swing as he began to speak.

"Ever since I was three… My uncle… He's been… Abusing me… Physically." Remus could hear Snape gasp on his left, meanwhile he got the same freezing air feeling from before, right along with the frantic beating of his heart.

/Hp\

Me: oh! Who saw that coming!

Jean: everyone?

Me: Heh. Yeah. It was awfully predictable. But hey. Also, I have another question. I am a huge Sirius Black fan. So in a way it's killing me to write him dead, also I'm still in a bit of denial that he is.

Jean: major denial.

Me: shush you! So I was wondering. Should I bring him back? Just in time to find out about Harry's melt down. Heh, if I do it won't be for a few chapters though. And also, should I find a way to bring back Lily and James? I ask because one of my friends is begging me to, she's really into the whole fluffy ending thing. So tell me in your reviews! Thankee!

Jean: and by the way. We decided to give myrtle a last name instead of "moaning myrtle" after all that's a nick-name, and the map sows real names. Her last name, "Triste" means "sad" in French.