Chapter eighteen: The Marauder's Map
The next day Lemo, Andy and Andrew sat around twiddling their thumbs while they sat in the middle of the Quidditch pitch. They were waiting for Barry who was walking up and down the pitch, figuring out a strategy, they were now regretting him letting out of the hospital... Lemo sighed for what seemed like the hundreth time,
"What you thinking Andy?"
Andy shrugged,
"Nuttin'."
Lemo turned and faced Andrew,
"Andrew?"
Andrew seemed to come back from a far away place and stared at Lemo blankly,
"Eh?"
Lemo rolled her eyes,
"Never mind, I probably don't want to know anyway...Why is Barry fretting over his strategy so much?"
"Well the next game we play is our only chance to stay in the competition this year, so it's pretty important," Andy said yawning.
"Yea, but I mean it's good we're having such a quiet year. I mean, First Year was a bitch with the ugly rock and then last year with the chamber..."
Andrew stared at Lemo, wide eyed,
"What the hell are you talking about! Barry has some crazy murderer after him and fell from his broom in the sky!"
"Well, that's not much..."
"Have you gone insane? Don't answer that," Andrew tried a new tactic, "Barry could've died!"
"But he didn't. Otherwise I wouldn't still be here, I would be mourning his loss in my dorm for the rest of the year."
"I prefered it when there was an uncomfortable silence," Andrew muttered.
They then sat in silence, until McGonagall walked briskly towards them,
"Rose! Watson! Roberts! I have notices for you..."
When she reached them she began to pass around slips of paper.
"'Third Year Hogsmeade Trip?'" Andrew read.
McGonagall nodded,
"The permission slips weren't included in your letters at the beginning of the year, so we had to send them personally to your parents to sign."
By this time Barry had joined them and was looking over Lemo's shoulder at her already signed slip. His heart sunk,
"I'm guessing the Dursley's didn't return the permission form?"
"Well they did," McGonagall said pulling a sympathetic face, "But I wouldn't call it permission..."
"What did it say?" Barry asked gloomily.
"'You stupid crackpot fools, the boy's not going anywhere. I don't want him doing any activities he may possibly enjoy. Make his life a living hell, Vernon Dursley.'"
"I guess Professor Snape has read that note?"
McGonagall looked slightly confused,
"No, Barry what makes you think that?"
"Just a thought..."
The following morning:
Attention Third Years and Older
Now that we have all the permission slips in, all those with a signed permission slip may attend the Hogsmeade trip that will be conmensing on Saturday next week.
Enjoy the trip.
Professor McGonagall
Barry read the notice just as the Weasel twins walked into the common room. Noticing his upset nature, they strolled over,
"What's wroung Bazza?"
"I can't go, the Dursley's didn't signed the slip."
"So?"
"I can't go."
The twins looked confused,
"Just 'cause the bastard didn't sign your slip, it doesn't mean you can't go to Hogsmeade..." Forge said slowly.
"What are you talking about? They wouldn't let me go without a permission slip especially with Sirius Keller after me!"
"True..." they both muttered, "But what they don't know won't kill them..."
Barry now looked confused,
"What?"
The twins looked around the almost empty common room,
"Meet us in the guys toilets on the third floor at half past eleven..."
"Why-"
"Not now!" They said at the same time before walking away shifting their eyes and whispering to each other.
Sighing Barry turned and walked down to breakfast.
Andrew looked around the table. It was quite a scene, Andy was trying to finish her potions homework; Lemo was at the Slytherins table screaming abuse at Malfoy for making Andy and her his slaves; Don was throwing Mione filthy looks, (which she returned) because he was still convinced her cat killed Scabbers; Nick was watching Mione with awe (Andrew was convinced Nick was crushing on Mione); at the Ravenclaw table Jub was trying to get Don's attention; Cheesy and Banana were whispering to each other; Seamus was attempting to flirt with Emo as she carefully ignored him and as for himself. He just sat there watching all this happen, thinking even though sometimes these people drove him nuts, but he couldn't imagine life without them...Then he noticed Barry entering the Hall. But for some reason he was actually happy, ever since everyone had got their permission slips Barry had been upset. It was good to see him in a good mood while at the same time it was suspious...Barry slipped into the empty seat next to Andrew,
"Morning!"
"Morning..." Andrew said cautiously, "You okay?"
Barry nodded,
"Never better."
"Really, what happened?"
"I'll tell you later."
Andrew was about to argue when Andy asked him what was another ingrediant they used to make the truth draught.
Barry waited impatiently in the third floor bathroom, he knew the twins wouldn't blow him off, but he had some serious stratising to do. So their idea better be good, he didn't want to be wasting precious moments in the crappy bathroom. Barry laughed to himself, that was a terrible pun.
"Bazza!"
Barry jumped and turned around to see the twins in the doorway, Gred clutching an old piece of parchment in his hands,
"Hey guys!"
They stepped forward, Gred pushed the parchment towards him,
"We present you with this..."
Barry took the parchment from Gred,
"Thanks...What is it?"
"Parchment."
"And I need it because?"
Forge and Gred exchanged a look and Forge pulled out his wand,
"I needa know the coast is clear!" he tapped the parchment with his wand, as soon as the wand connected with the parchment it created a spider web effect of ink. Barry looked at the paper closly and gasped,
"This is Hogwarts!"
"Indeed," Fred and Gorge said proudly.
Barry looked up at them with wide eyes,
"You didn't make this did you?"
"Nope, hell if we did we wouldn't still be here..." Fred said, his twin nodded in agreement, "We owe the guys our lives..."
Barry looked to where Fred was pointing on the paper:
'Mr. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
Present you with the Marauders Map!'
"We owe them so much..."
Barry was blown away, every intricated detail of Hogwarts was on this map, but he didn't understand why they gave it to them,
"Why don't you guys want it now?"
They shrugged,
"Guess your needs were greater than ours, plus we know the map off by heart."
"My needs?" Barry echoed?
"Yes, your needs Barry. You need a way out of the castle so you can go to Hogsmeade. There is a number of secret passages, but we recomend this one..." They both pointed to a small picture of the One Eyed Witch statue that was near Barry's Charms classroom, "Leads you right to the Honeydukes cellar."
"So that's how you got me those chocolate frogs when I was in the in the Hospital Wing..."
"Nope, mum sent them."
"Oh."
"Yea...So have fun, the map shows all. I mean all." Fred said.
"Oh and don't forget to clear the map when you're done. Otherwise anyone can read it. Tap the map and say 'Mission accomplished'"
The map cleared and folded itself up.
"This map is amazing," Barry whispered, 'Where did you get it?"
"Nicked it from Filtch's office in first year."
Barry didn't think he wanted to know what they had done to get sent to Filtch's office so he thanked them and walked out of the bathroom. Suddenly he couldn't wait until Saturday.
His excitment disappeared when he saw the large queue outside the Gryffindor portrait he walked up the queue to where he could see Emo,
"What's happening?"
Emo turned and looked at him, startled,
"Barry! The Fat Lady! She's gone! Her portraits been scratched and ripped and no one can find her!"