For those of you wondering why my chapters are so short, it's because I'm working on my manuscript which is being published sometime this year. I may be advertising it here after I am done with this story.

"Sorry, Edward!" Harry muttered and his head vanished from sight. Edward just kept staring even though Harry was gone.

"Harry!" Ron gasped, running towards Edward. "You'd better run for it! If Malfoy tells anyone- you'd better go back now!"

"See you later," came the disembodied voice of Harry and Edward's heart lurched. Sure, he'd seen homunculi, went in and out of the Gate of Truth and somehow, miraculously, survived being in the presence of Major Armstrong. However, this was something Edward could not get used to.

"Uh... wha-?" Edward said numbly. Hermione appeared, offering a hand to him but Edward shook his head and stood up by himself. A quick scan of the place told him that his charge and the other two had disappeared. It was easy to see where they went from the deep imprints left on the snow, showing how Malfoy had slipped once and how Goyle or Crabbe had slid all the way down the slope.

"What was that?" Edward said, when he trusted himself enough to speak without spluttering.

Ron looked away uneasily. "Uhh... nothing."

Edward shook his head. Now was not the time. His charge was somewhere out there without any protection except for two buffoons.

"Yea, alright. I got to go, ok? See you guys later!"

Edward tore after the trail of footprints, transmuting his arm back to normal as he did. He was glad he worked out on a regular basis because he caught his friends just in time as they were boarding the carriage back to Hogwarts.

"Wait up!" Edward called, hauling himself up into the carriage before it took off. Malfoy was trembling in his seat. It was a pleasant change to see the boy looking vulnerable for once instead of his usual evil stepmother demeanour.

"Did you see that?" Crabbe said in a hushed whisper. His eyes were so wide that Edward could see the whites all around his pupil.

"Ghost!" Goyle managed to gasp out between his chattering teeth.

"Are you guys morons?" Malfoy snapped. "Potter's not dead the last time we checked!"

Evil stepmother mode was back online and functioning.

They reached Hogwarts wet and miserable and were greeted with a sour face.

"Why are you boys all filthy?" Professor Snape said in a silky voice.

"Potter!" Goyle blurted out. "His head! We saw his head at Hogsmeade!"

Snape's eyebrow arched delicately.

Malfoy nodded rapidly and explained everything. When he finished, Snape was looking accusingly at Edward who had ever right to look indignant.

"Very well, dry yourselves and stay in the common room. I would like to speak with Potter to clarify this matter."

They started to leave.

"And Elric," Snape said. Edward glared at the professor.

"You are coming with me to enlighten me of any detail I might- ah, miss."

"Sorry to ruin your grand scheme, sir. But I am cold and wet." Edward pointed out. Malfoy had an expression of aghast on his face as Edward challenged the professor.

"Go." Snape nodded at the other Slytherins. When they trudged away, Snape's voice was curt.

"Dry yourself."

"Pardon?"

"Use your wand, Elric."

"I'd prefer a hot bath, sir."

"Dry yourself with your wand, Elric. Or do I need to roast you above a fireplace?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT I CAN FIT IN BETWEEN THE CRACKS OF THE BRICKS IN THE FIREPLACE?"

"DRY YOURSELF ELRIC!"

Edward glared mutinously at the professor but pulled the stick reluctantly from his pocket. A reasonable part of him was thanking fates for choosing this day to carry the real stick and not the fake one. The unreasonable part was making him hold the stick with two fingers in obvious disgust.

"I'm waiting, Elric."

"Yea, yea, keep your pants on," Edward muttered under his breath. In a louder voice, he said, "Scourgify!"

The water and grime vanished. Edward almost dropped the stick, feeling tarnished.

Snape smiled unpleasantly. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? Follow me, Elric."

Shoving the stick into his pocket, Edward grunted and caught up with Snape. They rounded a corner and saw Harry breathlessly emerging behind a statue. His face and hands were muddy and wet.

"Come with me, Potter." Snape said.

Harry's eyes widened even further but he followed Edward and Snape without complaint. As they walked, Potter tried to wipe his hands clean on his robes without Snape noticing.

They reached Snape's office and Edward took a seat before Snape could tell him to. Snape glared at him but did not bother to reprimand him.

"Sit, Potter."

Potter quickly sat and looked apprehensive. Edward put on a sullen expression.

"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter." Snape looked at Harry, expecting him to say something. Harry sat in his chair, with a deer caught in the headlights eyes. Edward could practically smell his fear.

"He said he saw your head in hogsmeade, Potter. Floating in midair."

Harry just stared in utter dread. There was a long silence.

"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey. If he's seeing things like-"

"What would your head be doing in Hogsmeade, Potter? Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."

"I know that! It sounds like Malfoy is hallucinating-"

"Malfoy is not having hallucinations. If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."

Snape had bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair. Their faces were a foot apart and Edward could feel the intensity that emitted from them.

"I was at the Gryffindor tower."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Harry remained silent. Snape smiled smugly.

"So, everyone from the Minister of 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 of the consequences."

By now, Edward felt like an accessory in the room. He wondered why Snape even wanted him there in the first place.

"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter. He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small talent in Quidditch and he was strutting around-"

"My dad doesn't strut! And neither do I!" Harry roared. Edward blinked. He knew Harry's parents died when he was a baby but he did not know how strongly he felt about defending his parents honour. Maybe if Hohenheim had left the family when Edward was too young to remember anything, he would be like Al and Harry- gullible.

"Your father didn't set much store for rules either. Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup winners. His head was so swollen-"

"SHUT UP!" Harry was suddenly on his feet.

"What did you say to me, Potter?"

"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!"

Snape's sallow skin had paled.

"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?"

"I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," Snape continued. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then 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. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts."

"Turn out your pockets, Potter!" Snape spat suddenly.

Harry didn't move.

"Elric, turn out his pockets!"

Edward stood up and overturned Harry's pockets. As he did so, his human hand accidentally brushed against Potter's which was stone cold. Edward took out a bag of Zonko's tricks and the Marauder's Map.

Snap picked up the Zonko's bag.

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

"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching... and what is this?"

Snape had picked up the map.

"Spare bit of parchment," Harry said with a shrug.

"Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment?" Snape said. "Why don't I just- throw this away?"

"No!" Harry said quickly.

"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?"

Edward stared at the map. It was too precious for Snape to take. It was also too dangerous for Harry to use with Sirius Black on the loose. If Edward could somehow get his hands on the parchment, his bodyguard job would not only be infinitely easier, he could also find out what Sirius Black's role was in his job.

Edward was grateful that Snape and Harry were so intent on each other that he did not have to hide the devilish grin that broke onto his face.

"Um... Professor?" Edward said, speaking up for the first time. "I've seen that parchment from Zonko's before. I think I know how it works." He held out a hand towards Snape, ignoring the betrayed look Harry shot him.

"May I, sir?" Edward smiled innocently.