The Poetry of Prongs

Eve had barely fallen asleep that night when Ruby, their fifth-year Prefect, barged into their dorm to rouse all of them. This was unlike Hufflepuff Christmas - which was an expected and welcomed occurrence - it had an air of grave urgency.

All of Hufflepuff House was herded into the common room while Professor Sprout and Professor Sinistra checked the entire house for Sirius Black. They weren't given much information other than the fact that he had been spotted inside Gryffindor Tower, but that alone terrified everyone. Several older students gathered around in groups, whispering speculations amongst themselves, while the younger years huddled by the fireplace in various states of panic, while some of the more empathic teens tried to calm them down.

Eve found herself standing with Nancy and Harford over by the bookshelf. Nancy, - who seemed to have quickly gotten over the initial shock - was already fighting the urge to fall back asleep; her head bobbing up and down in an internal tug-of-war. Her fellow Beater, however, was alert as ever; his eyes scanning the room as though expecting Black to pop out from one of the piles of bean bags and decorative pillows.

"I just wish it would end…" Nancy mumbled as she leaned her head on Harford's shoulder.

"And I wish your parent's taught you about personal space," he replied, elbowing her.

"Seriously though, how many more times are we going to have to fear falling asleep before that psychopath gets caught?"

"I don't know," Harford replied with less harshness. "All we can hope is that no one was hurt tonight and that they finally catch him."

Unfortunately, there was no such luck, but the mystery of Sirius Black was quickly revealed that morning. The Hogwarts rumor mill had worked its charm, giving everyone a complete overview of what had happened that night before Eve had a chance to sit down to breakfast. Apparently, Black had somehow gotten into the Gryffindor boy's third-year dorm and attempted to attack Ron Weasley while he was sleeping. Luckily, Ron had awoken before he could be stabbed and his shouts scared the man off before he could hurt any of them.

She wasn't sure why he tried to attack Ron first, but she supposed the crazed maniac could have mistaken him for Harry in the dark.

Security was tightened because of it; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes.

Then there was Neville, who had been all but disowned by his house. Apparently, the portrait of Sir Cadogan (who had replaced the Fat Lady after the last Sirius Black attack) had a habit of constantly changing the password, and Neville had written all of them down to keep track. Somehow he had misplaced the list and Black had come across it.

Her friend had become a social pariah.

Eve found it taxing to contain her anger when Neville received a smoking Howler from his grandmother a few days later. An owl had delivered it in the middle of breakfast and her friend had barely managed to exit the Great Hall when it exploded, unleashing the screeching voice of Lady Longbottom as she berated her grandson about how much shame he had brought to their family, how he was a disgrace, a fool, and idiot…

The majority of the Hall was eerily quiet as the Howler shouted for all to hear while the Slytherins began roaring with laughter. Stopping mid-meal, Eve stood up, gathered her things, and marched out after him. Her anger pulsed in her stomach as she approached the large double doors, she was so focused that she barely registered the cries of surprise from several students. She spared a glance over her shoulder, noticing that a handful of the Slytherins were now lifting their heads from their plates - their faces coated in breakfast foods - as if someone had slammed their heads directly into their meals.

She couldn't help but smirk; she would have to thank Fred and George for it later.

Eve had found Neville a few halls down just as he was about to enter the boy's loo.

"Nev?"

The boy stopped by the bathroom entryway but did not turn to face her. Just by his posture, Eve could tell that her friend was barely keeping it together.

"...What?" he croaked.

"Are you alright?" Eve asked before mentally hitting herself.

"Of course, I'm not alright!" Neville shouted, whipping around so quickly that Eve took a step back in surprise. "Everyone is treating me horribly; my house, Professor McGonnagal, Gran…" His voice cracked and his hands began to tremble.

"And the… worst part is…they're right… It's all my fault!"

Eve wished she had the ability to comfort Neville like he had been able to comfort her. She wished knew what to say and how to say it; to be as strong as he could be. But Eve didn't have the right words or a comforting tone, so she did the only thing she could think of.

Eve was not a touchy-feely person and she especially did not like hugging. Sometimes she would allow the twins to hug her, but they only did things like that when they were clowning around or trying to annoy her, but she hadn't properly hugged someone since her mother.

But she was happy to do it as long as he needed her to.

"It's been awful…" Neville finally said after a few moments of their awkward embrace. "I-I p-put everyone i-in danger. Professor McGonagall banned me from Hogsmeade and gave me detentions, and l-learning the new p-password to the tower. I s-slept in the hallway al-almost all night last night because nobody remembered or wanted to let me in."

Eve understood the need for punishment - as his carelessness had led to immediate danger by a mass murderer - but when she found out that her friend couldn't even get into his own dorm, she felt her anger turn to rage.

"You had to sleep in the hallway?!" Eve exclaimed, stepping back. "With Black on the loose?"

"I-it okay…I think," Neville sniffed. " The Fat Lady's portrait is back and is guarded by two trolls. So I-I'm safe."

"I'll let Fred and George know to keep an eye out for you. You deserve to sleep in a safe and comfortable place, no matter what."

"You don't need -"

"I'm doing it anyway," Eve said as anger in her stomach raged with the injustice. She turned on her heel and began speed walking towards the Transfiguration courtyard.

"Eve…what are you doing?" Neville called after her.

"Asking a couple of questions," Eve hollered back as she hustled down the first set of stairs.

She was thankful that Neville didn't follow her, because she did not want to get him in any more trouble, nor did she want him to witness her ire first-hand.

She caught the Gryffindor Head of House just as she was heading into her office. Eve called out as she hurried over.

"Miss Snape, there is no need to shout," the Transfiguration professor admonished. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Sorry…professor…" Eve huffed out. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I have a …question."

"Why don't we speak inside my office?" the woman suggested, ushering her in.

Eve noted that Professor McGonnagall's office was unusually green for a Gryffindor as it dominated the room through the upholstery, flooring, and curtains, though Eve thought the gold detailing of the decor complimented the green well.

The professor sat in the green and gold chair that was stationed behind her desk and motioned for her to sit in the chair across from her own. Eve nodded and took another deep breath.

"Well, I can't say that is the first time I've seen that glower. It certainly runs in the family," McGonagall said with a tilt of her head. Eve envisioned her father sitting in the professor's office with arms crossed and a scowl. It would have been a humorous thought if she wasn't so angry. "What is your question, Miss Snape?"

"Did you know…" Eve spoke as evenly as she could, trying not to let her inherited temper get the best of her. "That Neville Longbottom slept in the hallway outside Gryffindor Tower last night?"

"...What?" the professor gasped, her eyes widening with shock.

"He told me that you told the students not to give him the password and it seems that few people are willing to let him in."

"I had said that but I never thought -" McGonagall exclaimed, worry etched into her face. The older witch took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Thank you, Miss Snape, for bringing this to my attention. That is not the kind of punishment I had intended. It seems that Sirius Black's latest attack had clouded my judgment and I did not think about the consequences thoroughly… I owe Mr. Longbottom an apology."

Eve sighed with relief. Not only had the Head of House not known about Neville sleeping in the hallway, but she also appeared mortified by the information.

"I'll make sure Fred and George look out for him, ma'am," Eve said. "So he can still get inside."

"There will be no need for that," McGonagall assured her. "The other punishments Mr. Longbottom has received are more than enough. I will personally see to it that he is able to get into the common room without compromising the passwords again."

"Thank you, Professor," Eve said as she stood up, feeling far lighter than when she had sat down. "That's all I wanted to know." Not waiting to be excused, she slid out of the guest chair and onto her feet, feeling no longer weighed down by the injustice.

"Miss Snape - twenty-five points to Hufflepuff for ensuring the safety of another…and for reminding an old woman when she has made a mistake."

"I - thank you, ma'am."

"Very good," the professor said with a nod. "Now…I shall expect to see you here next week Thursday for your O.W.L. questions."

Eve huffed as she closed the office door shut. Not even the near-murder of a student could keep the O.W.L. from haunting her.


Part of Neville's punishment was that he was banned from Hogsmeade visits for at least the rest of the year (or possibly as long as Black remained a free man.) Despite this, Neville was in much better spirits than he had been the week before, so even though everyone else was preparing for the trip to the village, Neville was content to join Eve in feeding Grimm breakfast over at The Spot. She herself had chosen to stay behind in a faux attempt to show both her father and Professor McGonagall that she was taking her O.W.L. studying seriously (though she had already read through her father's old potion book enough times that she had it practically memorized and did not see the point of overdoing it.)

Neville greeted her warmly when they met halfway on the third floor. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Eve cut him off.

"If you say sorry or thank you one more time, I'll shove raw steak in your mouth!" Eve said as she patted her messenger bag filled with food for Grimm. More than a week had passed and Neville would not shut up about her impromptu meeting with McGonnagal. She did not need or want his thanks. The way he looked at her, with gratitude and soppy admiration, was an alien sensation that made her skin prickle. She almost wanted Neville's puppy-dog eyes to lose some of their luster when she snapped at him, but his smile never wavered.

"I wasn't," he said as they started walking. "I was actually going to ask how your other meeting with Professor McGonagall went."

"Ugh, I nearly died inside," Eve groaned, recalling her Thursday O.W.L. meeting. "She made it sound really tedious with all the modified class schedules she had to endure her last three years. Part of me wants to just flunk it to avoid that hell, but between her and my father -."

" - and Dumbledore's recommendation," her friend added as she shot him a dirty look and they fell into silence.

"Are you ever going to tell George and Fred about the O.W.L.?" Neville asked after a few quiet beats.

"Between you and me, I'm just pretending it isn't happening most of the time. Telling them would make it more real and they would heckle me to no end," Eve sighed. A real, horrible pain in her arse. "Too bad you dropped Divination, Nev, I could use some 'third eye' insight on this."

"I guess we can't rely on soggy tea-leaf backwash or sweaty palms now," Neville snorted. Eve chuckled.

She and Neville had just rounded a corner when they came across Harry Potter huddled near the one-eyed witch statue.

" - Harry! I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either!"

"Hi, Neville…and Eve," said Harry, moving swiftly away from the statue as he pushed something into his pocket. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," shrugged Neville. "Eve's...errr…helping me with my Potions assignment a little later. Want to meet us in the library?"

"Err…no thanks," Harry replied hastily. "I already finished it."

With a shrug, the two of them walked down the winding hallway and nearly collided with Severus Snape.

"And what are you two doing here?" said Snape, coming to a halt and looking from one child to the other, then settling his eyes on her. She could see Neville tense up beside her, but he didn't cower in the man's shadow.

"Neville and I were just going to study in one of the sitting nooks in the East Wing." Eve patted her bookbag, which made the mountain of food inside it shift slightly.

"I see. Carry on then, I suppose," her father scoffed as he walked away. With false bravado, Eve continued forward.

"Well," Neville said, looking over his shoulder to make sure the professor was out of earshot. "I hope Harry doesn't run into him."

Her heart skipped a beat, stopping her in her tracks

Harry had been acting strangely at the one-eyed witch, a secret passage that she had nearly forgotten because she had never used it. It wasn't her modus operandi to sneak into the basement of Honeydukes, but Fred and George had used it numerous times to nick some snacks and butterbeer between Hogsmeade trips. That item she hadn't quite seen that he tucked into his pocket as they approached. That meant -

She was going to bury the twins alive.

"Eve, are you okay?"

"I just - just remembered that I need to ask Professor Lupin an important question right away…before he grades the tests her gave our class yesterday. Like, I need to go, right now!"

"But, what about the dog?"

Eve shoved her book bag into the boy's hands.

"Just drop the food at The Spot. He probably won't come to you, but it's fine."

"I…ummm…okay Eve," Neville said, looking a bit flustered.

"I'm really sorry. I'll meet you in the library in a little while."

Eve sprinted back the way they came, but by the time she had reached the one-eyed witch, she saw no sign of Potter.

He had the Map. Something that the twins had probably given him with their good-natured but reckless intentions when they saw him missing out on the Hogsmeade trips. But those idiots didn't truly seem to care about the severity of the situation. Black was a killer aiming his sights on Harry Potter and had even managed to sneak into the tower last week in an attempt to kill the boy. Potter was throwing all caution to the wind and sneaking around, unprotected.

She had to tell someone.

McGonnagal and Sprout, and Flitwick were in Hogsmeade with the students, and she actually wanted Potter alive, so she wasn't about to approach her father…

What would she even say? How could she reveal her knowledge of the passageway without implicating herself or her friends? (She might be enraged at the twins, but if anyone was going to bury them alive, it was going to be her.) Which teacher would be better (or worse) to tell?

She found herself at Lupin's door. With a sigh, Eve had the slight consolation that at least she hadn't completely lied to Neville before ditching him.

With bile rising in her throat, she knocked on the door.

But she received no answer.

She knocked again and jiggled the door handle, but it was locked. Eve cursed under her breath as her anxiety rose. Her hands shook as she bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.

"What's got you all worked up?" the portrait of Grinda the Giving asked from her her delicate landscape of rose petals and blue velvet.

"What do you care?" Eve snapped back, loathing the nosiness of the oil painting. "Can't you see I'm busy?" The witch in the portrait huffed and strolled out of her frame.

Eve waited for ages, but the woman never returned to her painting and Lupin was still absent. With a frustrated groan, she made her way back to the corridor of the one-eyed witch to resume her endless pacing. A few times she made for the statue, but she couldn't remember the password to open the tunnel. She would have to wait for Potter to come back and accost him for using the map to leave the castle.

If he came back.

Her heart almost leaped for joy when she saw the witch's hump open, revealing a very winded Harry Potter, who seemed to arrive unusually early for a trip to Hogsmeade. He clambered out of the tunnel and tapped the opening closed with his wand.

Something was wrong.

His green eyes stared at her wide with terror when he realized her presence. The relief of realizing that Black hadn't murdered him on his little excursion was dampened by her disgust for how little the boy seemed to care about his life.

"Potter, you need to - "

"Need to what, exactly?" The icy tone of her father's voice sent a chill up her spine. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest.

"- need to help me look for something I've lost. I was retracing my steps and I ran into him here," Eve said on the fly, barely gazing over her shoulder at the Potion Master, hoping he would buy it.

"Well, perhaps Mr. Potter has come across it?"

A choking, inescapable silence weighed heavily in the small corridor. Two little mice were trapped in a corner by a cat.

"Sir?" Harry asked a bit unsteadily.

"Turn out your pockets, Potter!" he spat suddenly. Harry didn't move.

"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out, Potter!"

Eve internally groaned as she watched Harry slowly pull out a bag of Zonko's tricks and the Marauder's Map.

"Well, Eve, unless you misplaced your belonging several miles away while staying within the school walls. It seems Potter would not have come across it," her father said with a sharp grin.

"Ron gave them to me," said Harry, holding up the bag. "He brought them back from Hogsmeade last time -"

"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching…"

"What's going on here?" a familiar voice asked from the other end of the hallway as the Defense professor appeared into view.

"Lupin," her father practically spat. For the first time, Eve noticed disdain that crossed his features was deeper than a dislike for brewing Wolfsbane for a werewolf, it was the glare of a deep-rooted hatred. For a moment she wondered if her father was going to shout at the lot of them, but instead, he bared his yellowing teeth into a grimace. "I heard a very interesting account of Potter's head appearing in Hogsmeade. How do you suppose he accomplished that?"

It seemed like her father was referring to something that the other professor should know, but Lupin looked confused.

"He's even incriminated himself with some silly shop products." Snape nodded to the colorful Zonko's bag that the boy still held in one hand.

"I told you, Ron got them for me the last time he went."

"And what is that?" Snape pointed at the map. Harry would have appeared impassive at the question, but she could see a bead of sweat forming by his left ear. Her father motioned for the paper, which Harry reluctantly handed over to him.

"It's mine!"

All three of them stared at her.

"That's what I was looking for…" Eve continued. "I dropped it earlier this morning. P-Harry must have picked it up."

"That's right - I saw her drop it this morning. I was just looking for her to give it back." Harry said as her father examined the faded scrap of parchment.

"Miss Snape, what on earth would you need an old sheet of parchment for?" her father questioned with a glare. Using her last name - Eve was on thin ice. Thin ice in the middle of summer.

"It's…it's…" Eve stalled, praying to whatever deity might control the cosmos would give her the wit to pull her lie off. "It's… a parchment I enchanted to hide my poetry!" Dread filled her very soul as she realized she couldn't take it back. Eve hated poetry and had never written so much as a couplet.

"...What?"

"Mmmhmm…" Eve squeaked out, her entire body clenched with anxiety. She held out her hand and cleared her throat. "I charmed it to only show itself to me."

"Why do I find that very difficult to believe?" her father growled.

This was it. Her life was over; she could see the fresh mound of dirt where her body lay - next to Fred and George - with an epitaph on her gravestone reading: Here lies Eve, who died after trying to tell Severus Snape the world's dumbest lie.

There was a chance though.

"I can prove it!" She motioned for her father to hand it over again. He did, but his glare did not relent. Eve tried to think of nothing - nothing but poetry as could feel her father's consciousness creep into her skill like cobwebs. He was very determined.

Eve had more experience with the Marauder's Map than she ever cared to have. She dealt not only with the Map's extensive layout when the twins forced her to be a look-out in years past (until she had finally put her foot down) but she also endured the usually rude or crass writings of Messrs Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs. Sometimes - sometimes - the writings would actually be humorous, and one time Prongs had written out song lyrics from The Hobgoblins band across the faded page when George had started humming one of their tunes.

She inhaled deeply.

"Please reveal my heartfelt poetry."

For a moment, the parchment remained blank and her heart sank as she debated taking the map and making a run for it. Slowly, Messr Prong's large, looping penmanship glided across the page. Eve gulped and began to read it aloud.

The spark in your eyes is nothing

Compared to the spark in your soul.

The fire of your crimson hair scorches the earth

and ignites my heart.

Minutes, seconds, turn to hours

Every moment we're apart -

"I've heard enough!" her father snapped. Eve was all too happy to stop because the poem only got worse with each line, one of them highlighting their love's 'sweet, gentle kisses', but it had worked. The cobwebs cleared and Eve relaxed.

"It seems to me," Lupin said with a cough. "That this has been a series of coincidences that have led to a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" her father hissed, still eyeing the Zonko's bag.

"Can this witness prove that they saw Harry's head in Hogsmeade?" Lupin asked, stepping forward. A dog who found the prowling cat.

She watched as her father's pale complexion redden slightly.

"Can Potter prove that he has been in the castle this entire time?" Her father asked in return. She could almost hear hissing.

The Boy-Who-Lived was completely silent as his eyes moved from Snape to Lupin to Eve.

"Well, then I suppose it's one student's word against another's," Lupin shrugged. "I find it difficult to punish he-said-she-said moments without proof, don't you, Professor Snape?"

With the addition of Harry and Lupin, the graveyard was filling quickly. A silent Severus Snape was a dangerous Severus Snape.

"Ah, Eve," Lupin continued without missing a beat, ignoring the daggers her father shot at him. "Grinda's portrait said you were looking for me earlier, I assume it was about the test you took yesterday? Why don't you follow me to my office? And Harry, you can join us for the journey so I can be assured that you have safely returned to Gryffindor Tower."

"Yes, sir," they replied. Eve tightened her grip on the map.

Eve could hear an almost audible snap as her father quickly turned and swiftly walked down the hallway.

Eve, Harry, and Lupin walked all the way up to his office before speaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin.

"Professor, I -"

"I don't want to hear explanations," said Lupin shortly. He glanced around the empty hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said as Eve and Harry stared at him, dumbfounded.

Out of all the think that Lupin could have said, she had not prepared herself for that.

"Hand me the Map, Eve," he demanded, to which she sheepishly nodded and complied. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that neither of you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And to give it to Harry…"

"She didn't give it to me Professor, I swear!" Potter exclaimed, but Lupin held up a hand to stop him.

"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. A poor way to repay them - gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks. I will not be covering for you like this again…either of you."

She watched as the small boy seemed to shrink further at the man's words. Lupin then turned to Eve.

"It's my fault for not keeping track of it and for not turning it in. I'm sorry," she stammered.

Lupin narrowed his eyes.

"We'll discuss this further in my office," he said as Eve felt her heart sink. "Harry, I'm sure you can manage your way to your common room without any detours?"

"Yes sir," Harry said with a nod. The boy briskly walked down the hall, clearly wanting nothing more than to be in the warmth and comfort of the red and gold tower.

Lupin's room was much the same as the last time she had seen it, though there were even more piles of graded and ungraded assignments. The Grindyglow was fast asleep in its little cave.

"My...affliction," Lupin hesitated as he closed the door behind him. "Makes it easier to know when I'm being lied to, call it a heightened sense of intuition." Eve's eyes followed him as he swept across the room with a glare that could rival her father's.

Eve was not sure whether she wanted to cry or scream in frustration. The twins got away with all kinds of shit through bald-faced lies and she couldn't even get away with it once.

"I did not give the Map to him," she replied, sticking to her trusty truths shrouded in omissions while her professor continued to eye her with scrutiny.

"I could tell Harry was not lying about that," Lupin agreed. The man walked over to the small window in his office which overlooked the Great Lake. "I already have my speculations on how he might have received it, so I suppose there would be little point in asking you to tell me the truth, especially since I have a hunch that you would not tell me even if it caused you more trouble."

Eve remained silent.

Lupin appeared lost in thought for a moment. He no longer looked angry. In fact, Eve swore he had the slightest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lip.

"How long have you known about the Map?"

"Since my first year," Eve croaked. Her mouth had gone completely dry.

Lupin sighed.

"If I were not your professor, I would tell you that I was amazed at how well it responded to your request and would commend your quick-thinking skills. I can't believe it wrote poetry for you- But as your professor, I must reiterate my disappointment."

"Understood, sir," she replied with hesitation. "If you know it's a map, does that mean you know the creators?"

"I…we've met," Lupin replied, not removing his gaze from the window.

The realization struck her like lightning.

"Professor, am I dismissed?"

"Hm? Excuse me, I've seemed to have gotten lost in my thoughts. Yes, you may leave."

"Professor?"

The man finally turned away from the scenic view to look at her.

"Yes?"

"If you ever…meet...Messr Prongs again, could you tell him that his poetry is terrible but that I'm still glad he wrote it?"

Her professor failed to hide his melancholic expression, giving Eve the distinct impression that she had asked something far too personal of him. For a moment her heart sank, but Lupin's expression slowly changed into a small smile and he nodded.

As Eve made her way to the library to meet up with Neville, she couldn't help but feel that she owed Messr Prongs and Moony a debt.