She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Snape's Suspicions

I wanted to kill Remus. I really did. He ambushed me as I was coming out of the Prefects bathroom, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the shadows. The cloak fell off and around my feet.

"Have a nice swim?" He asked mildly.

With my hand over my heart, I gasped: "Remus, don't scare me like that!"

Looking mildly amused, Remus said: "How did you learn the password?"

"How do you think?" I hissed.

Remus paused, and then said: "Look, sorry about not telling you earlier where…where all of these things were. I guess it just sort of slipped our minds…"

"Yes, well, as slippery as your minds are, it should've been the first thing you did!" I said, hands on hips. "Do you know I got lost twice yesterday, trying to find my way back from the bathroom? Oh, and I accept your apology, don't mention it." I nodded briskly.

He returned the nod, and then, because I was just dying of curiosity, I had to ask: "Umm, how did you know where I was?"

I thought I was going to faint when Remus showed me the Marauder's Map. "Oh wow…" I whispered, as we stood there with our wands lit, watching as a few people walked along the bottom of the parchment, heading toward the Slytherin dungeon. "But…the passage into Honeydukes isn't on here." I added, before I could stop myself. I traced the spot where it should be with my wand tip.

"What passage?" Remus asked sharply, and I glanced up to find him regarding me carefully.

I gulped. "Umm…" And then we both looked down at the map.

There we were, standing there close together in one of the corridors.

And there was Severus Snape, closing in fast.

Remus and I exchanged a panicked glance, and then we both tapped the map at the same time. "Mischief Managed." We said in unison, followed by a quick: "Nox."

Remus didn't have time to ask me how I knew to wipe the map clean, because I'd thrown on James' invisibility cloak, just as Snape rounded the corner, wand lit.

The beam of the light fell over Remus, but didn't get me under the cloak.

"Why are you here?" Snape asked Remus, sneering in usual Snape-fashion.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Remus replied coolly. "Bit late to be wandering the corridors, isn't it? Accidents might happen…"

"Yeah," Snape glared at Remus. "The only accidents that are going to happen is when I get back at you and your little Mudblood-loving friends…" Snape got about as far as –loving, when a piece of stone chipped off from the castle wall hit him in the back of the head.

Snape whirled around to see what had happened, and another piece – a larger piece – hit him in the centre of his forehead. A third piece made contact with his abnormally large nose, which immediately began to bleed.

I was quite enjoying myself, but I stopped abruptly when Remus whispered, warningly: "Knock it off, Em. Someone's coming."

I ceased immediately and, sure enough, heard footsteps. A few seconds later, Professor Riberta appeared, frowning down at the two boys. "What is going on here?" She asked in a dangerously low voice.

Snape was the first to speak. "Remus was attacking me, Professor!" He had straightened up. His nose was still bleeding, and he looked like he'd have a few bruises.

The Professor turned toward Remus. "What are you doing out here?" She asked him.

"I was using the Prefects bathroom, Professor." Remus replied smoothly, and I had to hand it to him for keeping such a cool head in this situation, when I myself was panicking.

"I see." The Professor seemed to accept this, but she still held out her hand for Remus' wand. "Prior Incantato." She said, revealing the last spell of Remus' wand. "You see Mr. Snape, it couldn't have been Mr. Lupin here."

"Well then there's somebody else here!" Snape protested, looking around and, for a split second, I swear our eyes met – his eyes were black, like dark, cold tunnels.

"Nonsense," Professor Riberta snapped. "It was probably just Peeves, messing around."

I hadn't known Peeves was here up until now, and was insanely glad I hadn't met him yet.

"Also, I will be seeing you for a detention tomorrow night at six, Mr. Snape." Professor Riberta said sternly. "You can join Mr. Potter in shining the trophies in the trophy case – without the use of magic, mind."

Snape glowered. Detention? With James? It was probably his worst nightmare.

I don't know how, but James had managed to get out of his detention tonight, and postpone it until tomorrow night, just so that he could practice with his Quidditch team. I felt that it was unfair he should get a detention. They should give out detentions whenever anybody says 'mudblood', not just when someone reacts to it being spoken about someone they care about.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Snape, you both may go now." Professor Riberta said, and Snape and Remus went in different directions, with me trailing after the latter, making sure the invisibility cloak didn't slip.

Once we were out of earshot, Remus said to me: "And what was that all in aid of?"

I said: "You know I don't like that word he used."

"You've got to learn to control your temper…" Remus sighed.

I sighed too, as we started up the staircase toward the Gryffindor tower. "Yeah, I know – you don't go attacking people if they badmouth werewolves, do you?"

He smiled balefully. "If I did that, then I'd be thrown into Azkaban."

"That many haters, huh?" I said, and we continued the rest of the way in silence, to be greeted halfway up by a large black dog.

"Sirius, what if someone had seen you!?" Remus implored, looking left and right.

"Oh give me a break, no one's up at this hour." Sirius replied after he transformed. "Incidentally, Em – where were you? You smell like a rose garden."

"Is that a problem?" I asked, as we approached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Sirius and Remus both shook their heads no.