Some kind of a "foundational" chapter for events to come. The kind of chapter where secrets are both being held and discovered.
HARRY XX
"Stay away from troubles," his mother warned him, probably for a hundredth time.
"I would, if only they stayed away from me," he replied.
His mother had a half-smile. She ruffled his hair one last time. "Be careful. That's all I ask from you."
"I'll be."
Harry turned to the green flames in their fireplace. He took a deep breath, then walked forward. Right before he set foot into the flames, he said, as clearly as he could, "Hogwarts!"
He was sucked inside and started rolling on himself, quicker and quicker. Harry never really liked that kind of transportation. Apparition may be unpleasant, but it was way faster than the Floo Network. It only lasted a few instants, while travelling across chimneys seemed to take eternity.
He finally landed into McGonagall's office, soot and dust flying around him.
"Ah, Potter, you're here," the Head of the Gryffindor house told him as she remained at her desk. "Try not to get too much ash on the carpet."
"No, professor," he said, arranging his glasses that slipped during the journey. He made it to the door.
"Wait, Potter. I've got some things to tell you. Sit down."
Harry contained a sigh of exasperation. He was just hoping he could go down to the Great Hall and share dinner with his friends who had probably already arrived by the Hogwarts Express. Still, he obeyed McGonagall's orders. She was not the kind of teacher he could disobey.
"First, I suppose you spent good holidays."
"Yes," Harry confirmed, a little surprised that McGonagall took some interest in his life outside the school.
"Good. But now, you're back, and considering what happened on the Hogwarts Express a few weeks ago, additional measures have been installed to ensure your safety." Fantastic, Harry thought. More people or Dementors watching over him. "You will not see most of them, Potter. They are not only there to protect you, but also your fellow classmates. You are not the only one who was allowed to come back to school using the Floo Network. However, considering that Pettigrew seems to have taken a particular interest in you, I think it would be better if you stayed on the school grounds until that man is caught."
"Wait, does that mean I will not be allowed to go to Hogsmeade anymore?"
"Yes, this is what it would mean. For your own safety."
"Professor, you can't do that!" It was unfair. He only had the chance to visit Hogsmeade two times. "Just because a rat bit me in the ankle…"
"That rat is a mass murderer, Potter. Previously, we believed he might be after you, but now it is clear that he is actually after you. We cannot take any risk. It is likely that he is still around. I'm really sorry, Potter. But given the circumstances, I cannot allow you to go to Hogsmeade anymore. That is my final decision."
Harry wanted to say something, to complain, but McGonagall's glare was just as effective as that of Snape right now, making it clear that there was nothing to discuss. Harry left her office, furious.
At dinner in the Great Hall, his mood was quite sour, and he lost no time telling Ron and Hermione what McGonagall decided.
"Maybe it's for the best, Harry," Hermione carefully said. "I mean, Pettigrew is after you. What could stop him from attacking you at Hogsmeade like he did on the Hogwarts Express?"
"Oh, yes, I guess he'll be hiding between a pile of Chocolate Frogs and a jar of Sugar Quills at Honeydukes, waiting to bite my hand this time," he sarcastically commented.
"Harry, that's not funny."
"Well, it's not funny either to be stuck inside Hogwarts. Please tell me they didn't forbid you from playing Quidditch," Ron begged.
"No, I still can. But I guess Madam Hooch will be keeping a closer on me now," Harry dryly replied.
"Harry, I know it's not funny," Hermione said, "but it's for your own safety. Before, we could hope that Pettigrew simply ran away and hid, but now he's clearly after you. We're lucky that Fred and George heard you scream in the washroom on the train."
"I wasn't screaming," Harry complained.
"You could have ended up with far worse than a bite on the foot if they had not been close," Hermione continued as if she didn't hear him. "They should catch him soon enough, with some luck."
"Oh yes. I'm sure about that, Hermione. They needed twelve years to find him the first time. I guess I will be married and father of five children when they catch him the second time. You see me, spending my life behind four walls, afraid of Pettigrew?"
"That's not what I said."
"Well, it seems that's what people have in store for me." Harry was really not in a good mood as dinner went on. Ron and Hermione didn't help either. Ron, at least, agreed with Harry that it wasn't fair he was deprived of weekends at Hogsmeade, but he provided his own comments against McGonagall's decision which only inflamed Harry further. In the meantime, Seamus and Dean had arrived at the table.
"Hi, Harry," Dean said the first.
"Hi, Dean," Harry grumbled.
"You're fine?" Seamus asked.
"Yes, very fine."
The two boys exchanged uncertain looks. Then Seamus spoke again.
"So… Are you eager for the Quidditch to start again?"
"Oh…" Harry welcomed the new subject. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"You got yourself a new broom?" Dean asked.
"No, not yet," he lied. "My mother is going to send me one before the training resumes."
"She better hurry. I won't be able to suffer another defeat this year," Seamus commented.
"Especially not against Ravenclaw. We still got to make them pay for two years ago," Ron pointed out.
On that, a heated discussion began, involving Dean, Seamus and Ron about the reasons why the Ravenclaws would deserve the defeat waiting for them at their next game. Harry found his eyes wandering towards the Ravenclaw table, searching for a long mane of shiny black hair, but another feminine voice next to him brought his attention back to the Gryffindor table.
"Harry, just so that you know, you're not the only one who's been denied the right to visit Hogsmeade," Hermione told him.
"What do you mean?"
"There's a cousin of Marlene McKinnon in Ravenclaw who's been ordered to stay at school. And Susan is not allowed to leave either."
"Why?" He could understand that people wanted to take extraordinary precautions to protect him after the events on the train, but stopping others from visiting Hogsmeade looked excessive. "Pettigrew didn't try to kill them."
"They're related to people he got killed. And Susan's mother testified against him at his trial. He could very well decide to go after her."
Harry found it unlikely that Pettigrew would attack those people. It was because of Harry that he lost his master and everything. He had no grudge against any other student.
"Are they going to cage everyone who has any kind of link with Pettigrew or his victims in fear that he might maybe try to bite their hand?" he mocked.
Hermione didn't seem to find it funnier than moments ago, and she and Harry didn't talk for the rest of the dinner.
They all went to bed quite early this evening. They had their first day of the term tomorrow. Before going to bed, Harry considered writing to his mother about McGonagall's decision to deprive him of the right to leave the school grounds even for the weekends at Hogsmeade. After all, his mother allowed him out of the apartment after Christmas, even if it was never alone, and he was followed in secret by someone to watch over him. She also allowed him to participate to the weekends at Hogsmeade. Surely she would agree with him that it was unfair, and speak to McGonagall if he asked her to.
Harry sat down in his bed, took a parchment, ink and quill, and was about to write a sequence of complaints about the situation. But when the tip of the quill touched the parchment, he found his hand hesitating. Would his mother really agree that he should be allowed outside of Hogwarts? He had his doubts. After all, she did order him to stay inside at the beginning of the holidays. Only after Christmas did she allow him to go out, and still under strict conditions. He was never to be alone, and someone would follow him in secret at all times. It bothered Harry, but he could live with it. He had the opportunity to go out with Hannah and Ernie, who had come to visit him, the day after Christmas, and he also went to say hello to Susan and Parvati whose families lived in the same tower as he did. He and his mother even went to the Burrow for the New Year, which was probably the best time of the holidays for Harry.
If McGonagall believed it was better that he does not go to Hogsmeade, would his mother really come to Hogwarts just to demand that the professors let him outside? Harry felt a little childish, asking for his mother's help on that. Furthermore, it seemed like he wasn't the only one who was deprived of his rights to visit Hogsmeade.
He sighed in resignation. His mother had more urgent things to do than worry about the fact he couldn't go to Hogsmeade. She was entering the last stages of her Auror training, and on top of that, the Ministry of Magic chose her to join the task force that would be dedicated to track, find and capture Pettigrew. Harry guessed that he should feel lucky that his mother was involved in the chase. Maybe it was better to let her focus on capturing him.
Harry put down his parchment, quill and ink, along with his glasses on the nightstand, and laid down under his covers. Now that he thought about it, since his mother was directly chasing Pettigrew, they had more chances to catch him. Perhaps he would soon be allowed to go back to Hogsmeade. He was worried a little that his mother might get hurt, but on the other side, if the best Pettigrew could do to harm him was to bite him in the ankle, he supposed that his mother was safe. It wouldn't be like when she fought Quirrell two years ago.
Harry thought that things weren't so bad. After all, he had quite a surprise hidden under his bed, and he couldn't wait for the others to find out about the present he received from Sirius for Christmas and that he didn't tell anyone about so far.
The next morning, Harry woke up in quite good spirits despite the fact he was still prohibited from visiting Hogsmeade. It was Monday, the first day of the term, and the classes would resume. Harry, however, was free for the first period of the day since he had no class at this hour. He still woke up at the same time as Ron and the others, and went down with all of them to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"I can't wait for classes to resume," Hermione said, adding a thick layer of marmalade on her toasts.
"Really? You're that eager for our first lesson of Divination? Or out first class of Care of Magical Creatures?" Ron asked, skeptical.
"Of course not, Ronald! I have other lessons today, remember."
"Ah, yes. But, by the way, how do you manage to attend all your lessons?"
"I already told you at the beginning of the year, Ron. I arranged everything with McGonagall."
"Okay, but how…"
"Ron, if you don't eat faster, we'll be late."
Ron grudgingly returned to his plate, finishing his eggs. "At least, we're done with tea leaves."
"Good. This way, she may stop predicting Parvati's undoing," Dean said, who had heard their conversation. "I mean, if we wanted to be afraid all the time, we would go to the limits of the school grounds and pay a visit to our Dementor friends."
"You think Hagrid will keep us working on the Flobberworms today?" Neville asked, looking disgusted and apprehensive.
"No, they're dead," Harry replied.
He wondered how Hagrid was faring. The gamekeeper was not at the staff table this morning. They didn't see him since before the holidays, when he announced them that Buckbeak was on trial. Harry decided he would pay him a visit this morning, since he had free time.
Soon, most of the Gryffindors in his year left for Divination. Only Lily Moon and Sophie Roper went to Muggle Studies instead. Harry remained behind, finishing his breakfast. He was just done with it when Oliver Wood arrived and sat next to him.
"Hi, Harry. Had a good Christmas?" he asked.
"Yes, Oliver. And…" But his captain interrupted him before Harry actually asked him how the holidays were for him.
"I've been doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry," he said in a very low voice, despite the fact there were very few students left at the Gryffindor table. "After the last match, you know. If the Dementors come to the next one… I mean… We can't afford you to… Well…"
It took a moment for Harry to realize what Wood was trying to say, but even though his captain looked ashamed while speaking, Harry felt a sudden rise of anger. He was not going to suffer losing Quidditch after losing his rights to visit Hogsmeade. Especially with the new broom he had. Sirius had not spent so much money on it all for nothing.
"I'm working on it!" he said, maybe a little too sharply. Seeing Wood jump at his tone, he continued on a more even voice. "Professor Lupin said he would train me to ward the Dementors off. We should be starting this week. He said he would have time after Christmas."
"Ah." Wood seemed relieved. "Well, in that case… I really didn't want to lose you as Seeker, Harry. And have you ordered a new broom yet?"
"No. I…"
"What!" Wood cut him before he could explain. "You'd better get a move on, you know…"
"Oliver, please!"
"You can't ride that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!"
"I know," Harry said on low tone, hoping Wood would calm down. "Look, I've got something to show you. Do you have time this morning?" He knew that students in their sixth and seventh year had much more free time than the other students
"I have no class until the afternoon."
"Okay, then follow me."
Harry led Wood back to their common room. On the way, he lectured Harry in length about the necessity to get a new broom, citing all the good reasons on Earth and beyond. Harry tried to calm him down, and he thought about finally telling him the truth, but he wanted Oliver to see it with his own eyes. They went to the dormitory of the third years. Harry knew that they would be alone. All the other boys were in Divination.
"Why did you bring me here, Harry?" as he closed the door behind them. Harry went to search under his bed.
"Wait a minute, Oliver." Harry stood up with his broom case in hand.
Wood's expression changed when he saw the case, from one of anger and despair to one of confusion and curiosity. "Harry, why didn't you tell me…"
He stopped in the middle of his sentence when Harry opened the case to reveal a brand new, shining, glistening Firebolt that hung mid-air at exactly the right height for Harry to mount it.
Harry watched with some amusement the dumbfounded, stunned expression of Wood, his jaw hanging down as he looked at the gift Harry received from Sirius for Christmas. Harry didn't know for how long Wood remained there, silently looking at the Firebolt. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised. When he unwrapped it at Christmas, Harry had jumped to Sirius' neck like he had not done so for quite some time now. Remus and his mother had almost been dead from laughter.
Slowly, Wood approached the broom and began to turn around, not lifting his eyes from it, as if he was looking at every small detail to be sure this was really what he thought it was.
"Harry… Is it… really…?"
"Yes, Wood," Harry, a little impatient. "It's a Firebolt."
Wood finally stopped looking at the broom and stared straight at Harry. "This is no joke? This is a real Firebolt?"
"As real as you and I are real."
Wood looked back at the best broom currently available on the international market. "I can't believe it. How did you… But it doesn't matter. A Firebolt. A Firebolt!"
Then he burst into laughs and gave several strong pats on Harry's back. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Well, so far, I've told no one. We're the only ones who know at Hogwarts. I didn't even tell Ron and Hermione. I thought that maybe, if we keep that a secret for some time…"
"Good thinking, Harry!" The Quidditch fan was gone, and the captain of the team was back. "You did well. The others must not know. If we arrive with the Firebolt against Ravenclaw, without them suspecting a thing, that would be a huge advantage for us. The surprise effect will be huge. When I think that Chang only has a Comet Two Sixty. I wouldn't be surprised if Ravenclaw's Seeker faints when she sees this marvel."
Harry's heart made a small jolt at the mention of Cho Chang's name. He had met her for the first time on the Hogwarts Express, right before Pettigrew attacked him. Harry didn't have much time to think about his first real encounter with the Seeker of Ravenclaw. He had seen her playing before, but he never saw her close. She left a lasting impression on Harry. She was extremely pretty.
"You understood me, Harry?"
Harry came back to the reality. "Ah? Yes, what?"
"You don't tell anybody about your Firebolt. Not even your friends, not even the rest of the team. We'll only tell them when the practices will resume, and even then, I'll make sure everyone understands that we are not to share this information with anybody. This must be our secret weapon against Ravenclaw. They will not know what hit them. In the meantime, you keep this broom hidden."
Harry nodded to indicate that he understood.
"What are you waiting for? Hide it!"
Harry immediately seized the Firebolt, put it back into its case, and placed it deep under his bed. Oliver was now jubilating. It seemed like Harry just gave him the best Christmas present he could ever imagine.
Harry went to see Hagrid afterwards. He was lucky as Hagrid was inside when he knocked at his door and the gamekeeper opened it.
"Ah, Harry. Come in." Harry stepped in, leaving the frozen snow behind. "You don't have class this morning?"
"No. Ron and Hermione are in Divination."
"You want some tea?"
"Yes." Hagrid gave him a cup the size of a bucket and poured a generous quantity of tea in it.
"Here you go." Hagrid then poured even more tea for himself, and sat down heavily, making the hut shake in the process as Fang began drooling on Harry's legs.
Harry drank some of his tea. "So, how have the holidays been for you, Hagrid?"
"Oh, busy. My new responsibilities as a teacher take time. I guess that's something I didn't think about when I accepted the offer. But well, it keeps me busy. And I try to give as good a time I can to Buckbeak."
Harry had almost forgotten. They promised Hagrid to help him prepare Buckbeak's defense. And so far, they didn't do a single thing. Not that they could have done much during the holidays anyway. Still, Harry had to admit that he felt guilty, spending all Christmas and the New Year celebrating while Hagrid must have been worrying for the hippogriff. He, Ron and Hermione would need to start working on the case soon.
"But what about you, Harry? Are you alright? Did you spend good holidays? I guess it must not have been easy after what happened on the train."
That was one topic Harry didn't really want to talk about. Everyone worried about him when all that happened was a rat biting his foot. "I'm fine, Hagrid. He just bit me in the foot."
"Yeah, but he could have done much worse. He killed twelve people the night your father died, Harry. Your godfather was lucky to get out of there alive. And he spent time in Azkaban because of it, for a crime he didn't commit."
"I know, Hagrid." Harry knew the story by heart now.
"You're lucky to be still alive, Harry. You must be very careful."
"Yes, I know." He was beginning to be fed up that everyone reminded him of it. "But I'm not sure if that would be useful, Hagrid. McGonagall forbade me from leaving the grounds of Hogwarts. I cannot even visit Hogsmeade any longer."
"Oh. I didn't know about that." Hagrid looked away. "Well, I can't say that I disagree with her, Harry. If Pettigrew managed to get on the Hogwarts Express and he attacked you there, he might well attack you in the village."
"I know," he grumbled. "What's the next step? Installing a lock on the door of our dormitory? Having a Prefect or a teacher following me everywhere I go? Locking me into the Gryffindor Tower and filming all my classes with a camera so I don't have to attend them?"
"We're not there yet, Harry. Come on, we're all just thinking about your safety. I know you must feel it is unfair that you're not allowed to visit Hogsmeade anymore, but I think we would rather have you alive than dead. That's what your mother wants."
Hearing these words, Harry was now sure that he made the right decision when he didn't write to her about it. It would have been a waste of time.
"Though… what is filming?" Hagrid asked.
Harry spent the next ten minutes trying to explain how a camera could register everything that happened and play it again, as many times as we wanted. He then asked Hagrid about Buckbeak and how he was. It seemed to do some good while also making him sad to Hagrid. Harry had to leave though as the class of Transfiguration was approaching.
"So, how was Divination?" Harry asked Ron when he joined his friend in front of the class door.
"Just as ridiculous as before. We're done with tea leaves. Now, it's hand reading."
"Palmistry," Seamus specified. "Reading palm lines."
"And Professor Trelawney lost no time to tell Parvati that she had the shortest life-line she ever saw," Dean added.
Harry looked at Parvati who wasn't far behind, and who indeed didn't look very happy.
"Did you try to make her understand that what Trelawney predicts is untrue?" he asked.
"We tried, Harry. More than once," Dean said.
"Many people tried. But… I mean…" Neville stuttered. "What if Professor Trelawney was actually telling the truth? What if Parvati is really in danger?"
"Oh, Neville, stop with that!" Hermione just joined them. "Trelawney is only a fortune teller. She predicts great catastrophes only to impress you."
"But in our first class… She foresaw that I would break something, and I did. And it happened…"
"Because she knows that whenever she will tell you that, Neville, you're going to break something simply because you're afraid of causing an accident. This is no magic. There are people among Muggles who can do exactly the same thing. They make nebulous predictions, vague enough to interpret them the way they want. For example, she predicts a long and painful death to Parvati, but without telling how she will die, or when, or where. Parvati might well die from a long disease when she will be over a hundred-years-old, and Trelawney will claim she was right."
"I agree," Harry said. "Parvati believes that Trelawney foresaw my falling during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, but the way she described it, that could have meant anything."
Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Dean seemed to be rather of the same view as he was, but Neville still looked uncertain. They didn't have time to discuss it further though, as Professor McGonagall opened the door and let them in.
The Transfiguration class was without story. They spent the whole lesson trying to turn a bowl into a bread cutting board. Harry had trouble turning a curved object into a flat one. They also had to change the color, which added a layer of difficulty. At the end of the lesson, his board was not yellow like it should have been, but it was orange at least, and the corners were still curved inside. Ron, on his side, failed to change the color, but still obtained a rather flat board. Hermione's was perfect, as always.
At lunch, Harry told them about his visit to Hagrid.
"Oh, that's true. We promised to help him with Buckbeak," Ron said.
"When is the date of the audience? I can't remember it, with all the homework I must deliver," Hermione explained.
"April 20th," Harry was able to answer, but only because Hagrid told him the date this morning.
"Well, we still got three months ahead of us. Surely that will be enough to constitute a good defense for that hippogriff," Ron said as he bit into a cracker.
"Maybe, but Lucius Malfoy has a lot of friends in the Ministry," Hermione worried.
"And a lot of money too," Harry reminded them, thinking about the Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones he bought for the whole team of Slytherin last year. He couldn't help but smile for a short moment at the thought of Malfoy's face when he would see Harry's new broom. Thankfully, Ron and Hermione didn't notice his expression.
"But if we can build a good case, Buckbeak should get out of it."
They agreed to go to the library this very evening to start research on hippogriff's cases. After lunch, they headed outside for the lesson in Care of Magical Creatures. No one was eager for this lesson, as they were in the beginning of January and it was unusually cold, even for this time of the year. However, to everyone's surprise, the class prove to be quite enjoyable. Hagrid had built a bonfire full of salamanders, and their task for the class was to keep it ablaze. They spent two hours collecting fried wood and leaves to keep the fire up. Even Parvati, who displayed a sullen attitude during the whole day, seemed to enjoy it if the smile on her face was any indicator.
After dinner, Harry, Ron and Hermione went to the library and buried themselves into archives and books related to hippogriff cases. Some were encouraging, as there were cases when hippogriffs were exonerated for injuries they caused after being taunted. However, there were just as many cases where they were executed under the same circumstances. They worked on this for three hours straight until Hermione said she had to leave. Apparently, she already had lots of homework to do. She left hurriedly, and Harry and Ron followed later. However, in the middle of the trip back to their common room, Harry realized he forgot his Transfiguration book behind, so he went back to retrieve it.
In the middle of his path, he heard a hissing sound on his right. He turned to look at the origin of it, to see Fred and George half-hidden by a tapestry.
"What are the two of you doing here?" he asked them.
But they didn't answer him. Instead, they grabbed him by the shoulders and brought him head first towards the tapestry. But Harry didn't hit the wall behind it like he expected. This wall just happened to not be a real wall, but it led to a deserted corridor he never saw before. He guessed there were still places in Hogwarts he didn't know as well as he should.
"Guys, it's late. I've got a book in the library…" he began.
"Later, Harry," Fred cut him short. Then he took something in his pocket. "Here, take this." He put a large, square, very worn piece of parchment into Harry's hand.
"What's this?"
"This, Harry, is the secret of our success," George said, tapping it with his finger.
"It's a wrench, giving it to you, but George and I talked about it in length, and we decided last night that you need it more than we do," Fred explained.
"Anyway, we know it off by heart. We don't really need it anymore."
Harry wasn't sure if it was one of their jokes again. "Why would I need a bit of old parchment?"
The twins looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Then George took his wand and touched the parchment with it. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
He just finished saying the last words that ink appeared on the parchment, forming a labyrinth of lines, curves, words and symbols. Harry had already seen a similar magic, when Tom Riddle's diary replied to him last year. However, these weren't only words that this parchment was constellated with. This looked more like a map.
THE MARAUDER'S MAP
These were the huge words that appeared in the very center of the parchment, in green ink. Unfolding it, Harry saw that this was indeed a map. This was a map of Hogwarts. A map of all Hogwarts. And it showed where everyone was in the castle. Dots indicated where people, from Albus Dumbledore to Eloise Midgen, happened to be in Hogwarts in this very moment.
"Where did you get this?" Harry said, blown away by the map he was holding.
However, his smile of excitement slowly faded away as he looked again at the front page of the map. He barely heard Fred and George's story about how they found it in Filch's office during their first year. All his attention was set on the words of the cover page, which he didn't entirely read the first time.
Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
Are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP
Fred and George had no way of knowing it, since they never heard the names, but Harry knew two of them. The first, he heard it during the trial of Peter Pettigrew last summer. Wormtail.
Wormtail. This was the name Voldemort used to talk about Peter Pettigrew, and the name Sirius, Remus and his father used when they talked to him, back when he was their friend at Hogwarts. And Padfoot… He heard Remus use it a few times when he addressed Sirius. His godfather even admitted to him that it was his father who found his nickname, since he could transform into a dog.
The two other names, Harry didn't recognize them. But there was no denying that Wormtail and Padfoot were respectively Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. As thoughts twirled within his mind, Fred and George were finishing their story about how they got this map and how it helped them.
"But we think that it might be of more use to you now," Fred concluded.
"Especially after the events on the train," George added.
At the mention of this, Harry's mind shot back to reality. "What do you mean? What does this map have to do with Peter Pettigrew?"
The two brothers looked uncomfortable at this moment, and exchanged a glare, as if they were trying to decide who should speak next. It was Fred who did it.
"Well, Harry, you must have noticed that we were kind of never far away from you lately. I mean, not only today, but also in the days before the holidays, and on the train too."
"Yes, you were." Of course, Harry had realized it. They even followed him to the washroom on the train. Unless he was in his dormitory or in class, the twins never seemed far away for long.
"Well, the reason for this is… George was looking at the map the day before we left for the holidays… and he saw the name of Peter Pettigrew on the school grounds, near the Quidditch pitch."
Harry's heart stopped. "You saw Pettigrew on the map?"
"Yes," George said. "That's why we were following you everywhere. We wanted to be sure you would be safe. But don't worry. We've kept a close look on the map since we came back, and Pettigrew has not come back on the grounds."
Harry didn't dare to imagine what additional measures of security the teachers and the Ministry might impose on him if they learned that Pettigrew somehow managed to get within the limits of the school. But also, he was afraid. Harry had never really been afraid of Peter Pettigrew so far, who he saw mostly as a coward who ran away. But if he managed to get inside Hogwarts, like he did on the train…
"Well, we think it would more useful to you. This way, you can verify yourself whether or not Pettigrew is nearby, and you won't have us following you everywhere anymore," George said. "I mean, the teachers and the Ministry clearly can't keep Pettigrew far away, so you better have a good way to know if he's anywhere close."
"Not to mention that it might solve your Hogsmeade problem," Fred added.
"How could it solve my Hogsmeade problem?" Harry asked.
Fred and George explained that the map showed secret passages. And indeed, they were right. Harry could spot them easily. This meant he could get to Hogsmeade without anyone noticing him leaving Hogwarts. His heart made a jump of happiness.
A few minutes later, Harry was heading back towards the Gryffindor Tower, the Marauder's Map in his pocket now blank (Fred and George showed him how to erase it), and his Transfiguration book in his bag. Conflicting ideas collided in his mind. He was carrying a map that showed him everything and everyone inside the limits of Hogwarts, and he had a chance to continue to visit Hogsmeade using secret passages despite McGonagall's prohibition. On the other hand, Pettigrew found a way to get inside the school's limits, and Harry was now carrying a map he clearly contributed to make.
Harry went quickly to the boy's dormitory, not even saying hello to Hermione who was working in her corner. He wanted to take a closer look to this map, examine it more closely. However, when he opened the door to the dormitory, it was to find Ron, with a broom hovering over the floor. Harry's Firebolt.
Harry closed the door so abruptly behind him that Ron's head snapped in his direction.
"Ron…" he began.
"A Firebolt. A Firebolt! You got a Firebolt and you didn't tell me!"
Harry spent the next thirty minutes first calming Ron down, explaining him that it was a secret, that he and Oliver decided to keep it secret to take Ravenclaw by surprise and that no one was to know about it. Once Ron had calmed down and the Firebolt was back to its hiding place under Harry's bed, he accepted to answer all of Ron's questions. He told him how his godfather Sirius gave it to him for Christmas. No, he didn't have the chance to fly on it yet, though he couldn't wait to try it. Yes, he would let Ron fly on it. He answered each and every question Ron had, until Neville came inside the dormitory. It was a chance that Harry had hidden the broom again. Ron swore he wouldn't tell anyone about it, not even Hermione. Harry felt guilty not telling her now that Ron knew about it.
The conversation with Ron on the Firebolt took his mind out of the Marauder's Map for a moment, but when Harry was in bed this night, he couldn't manage to sleep. Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs. These were the names of the four marauders. Sirius and Peter had to be two of them. This was too much of a coincidence to be only a coincidence. But then, who were the other two marauders? Harry didn't take much time to guess who Prongs could be. He already knew that Sirius' nickname, Padfoot, came from the fact he could turn into a dog. Wormtail was also a reference to Pettigrew's tail when he turned into a rat, and Harry could indeed remember very clearly the rat-like tail of Scabbers. If their names were based on their animal shape when they transfigured, then Harry had no difficulty finding out who Prongs was. His father could turn into a stag. He had to be Prongs. He never heard anybody mention that name, neither his mother, neither Remus, neither Sirius, but he didn't see who else that could be.
As for Moony, it was harder to guess. But the Marauders were four, and Harry knew that his father had three inseparable friends back when he was at Hogwarts: Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. It had to be him. Moony had to be Lupin. Harry wondered why he had such a nickname. Remus was not an Animagus, unlike his father or his other friends. Remus had refused to become an Animagus, not wanted to break laws apparently. Harry wondered why he chose a name, where it came from if Remus was no Animagus. But more important, he wanted to know why they never talked to him about this map. And more importantly, he wanted to be sure whether or not Pettigrew helped to make it.
Harry made several dreams this night, involving first a blazing broom he rode while he followed a mane of dark shiny hair flying in front of him, then a giant rat chasing him on a giant map of Hogwarts.
The next morning, Harry skipped breakfast to go and see Remus at the first hour. He arrived in front of his office and knocked on the door, but no one replied. He knocked several times, at the end getting impatient and almost pounding against it, but still no answer.
"Remus, I need to talk to you. Can you let me in?" he shouted.
"Potter!"
Harry turned to the origin of the voice to find Severus Snape a few feet from him.
"Students don't pound on their teacher's doors. Five points from Gryffindor. Now, what are you doing here?"
"I need to talk with R… with Professor Lupin," he said.
"Well, he's obviously either not here to answer you, or unwilling to do so. So get away from here."
Harry had no choice but to obey Snape's order. He still had time to take breakfast, but instead he went to the library and discreetly looked at the map, looking at the names of the Marauders again, and looking at the map in general, watching everyone around, from Dumbledore pacing in his office to Parvati who seemed to be discussing with Professor Trelawney in her tower, something that would be to Hermione's great despair. He arrived at his lesson of Study of Ancient Runes on an empty stomach.
"Hi, Harry," Susan greeted him. She was sitting with Hermione at the same table, which brought Hermione to look up from her notes.
"Harry, where were you during breakfast?" Hermione asked him.
"I wasn't hungry," he replied, taking place next to Hannah.
Hermione frowned, and Harry was sure that she would have asked if he was fine had Professor Babbling not entered the classroom at this moment. What Hermione didn't ask though, his neighbor took care of asking.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, I am."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. He didn't want to tell Hannah about his worries, and anyway he couldn't. He could tell Hermione or Ron, his best friends, but even though he considered people like Hannah, Susan, Justin or even Ernie like good friends, he wasn't close enough with them to talk about such matters.
The lesson began. They were deep into the Gaelic and Norse runes of England. The whole class was about it today. Harry, however, was distracted, his mind preoccupied by other things related to his father, Pettigrew and Remus. He lost track of the lesson on more than one occasion. Hannah even elbowed him in the ribs twice because even she noticed he was somewhere else. Harry went back to taking notes, only to stop later, lost in his thoughts. He looked at Hermione, who sat a row in front of him, thinking that he could ask her to borrow her notes at the end of the class to copy them. Inevitably, by looking at Hermione's bushy hair, his eyes wandered to Susan's long plait. She asked him earlier this year if Remus was dangerous. It wasn't long after the first term had begun. Harry had found her question strange at the time. Remus, dangerous? Who could think that Remus was dangerous? At the same time, he couldn't stop thinking about the Marauder's Map and the fact that Remus' nickname was probably next to Pettigrew's.
Harry found the lesson even longer than usual. Right now, the thing he wanted the most was to visit Remus and ask him about the map. Not only did he have questions about Pettigrew, but his father also likely helped to make it. People around him seldom talked to him about his father. For his mother, Harry totally understood, even more so after hearing her cries from twelve years ago when the Dementors approached him. But Remus had no reason not to talk about his father.
Harry was relieved when the bell rang. Hermione was out of the classroom in no time. She really was busy.
"Harry, you're really not looking well," Hannah said next to him.
"I'm fine, Hannah. I swear."
"Well, you don't look like you are."
"Oh, leave him alone, Hannah," Susan said on a tired voice in front of them. Harry could not tell how he was grateful to Susan right now. "It's Hogsmeade, Harry? Hermione told me you couldn't go there anymore."
"What? You can't go to Hogsmeade you neither?" Hannah asked.
Harry was glad that he could come up with an explanation for his bad mood. "No, I can't. McGonagall told me the day I came back that I would no longer be allowed to leave the limits of the school grounds." As if this could protect him. After all, according to Fred and George, Pettigrew managed to get past the Dementors and to enter the school grounds. "Because of the train."
"Oh," Hannah said. "Oh, now I understand. Susan, it's her parents who forbid her from going back there."
"I tried to convince them, but to no avail," Susan explained. She shrugged. "Well, there are worse things in life."
She wasn't wrong. Seeing he wasn't the only one who was deprived of his right to visit Hogsmeade, Harry was even more glad than before to not have written to his mother about it.
"You're still allowed to play Quidditch, are you?" Hannah asked him.
"Yes. There's no problem for that. Madam Hooch must only watch our training sessions, just in case." The reminder that he could still play Quidditch lifted his spirits up. However, as the three of them walked out of the classroom and he ended up looking at Susan's back, a question came to his lips before he could think about it.
"Hey, Susan. Why did you ask me if Professor Lupin was dangerous at the beginning of the year?"
Susan stopped so abruptly that Harry almost bumped into her. Hannah looked at her friend in astonishment. "You thought that Professor Lupin was dangerous?" she asked the other Hufflepuff.
Susan's face seemed frozen for a moment. Then she stammered. "Well, it was really stupid. I… I should never have thought that…. It was a stupid question to ask."
"But why did you ask me? Why did you ask me if Remus was dangerous?" Harry insisted.
Susan's mouth seemed unable to formulate words for a time, then she looked down, then up again and sighed. "Look, it was really stupid. It's just…" She sighed once more. "Look, I had a bad encounter with a homeless man when I was a kid. He did nothing to me, but I was really scared. And Professor Lupin… Well, when he arrived, his attire, his appearance, it reminded me of this homeless man. I know that's stupid. I shouldn't have judged him by his looks, but I did."
Harry was left speechless by the explanation. It was true that Remus was not clothed in the best way most of the time. Harry himself asked him the questions several times when he was a kid, but he stopped and got used to Remus' appearance after some time. He never thought that people could be afraid of Remus because of that.
"Well, I have to admit…" Hannah began. "Even after he chased the Dementor on the Hogwarts Express, I was wondering why he was chosen as our new teacher… Only because he dressed in rags… But he's really the best professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts we've ever had. Perhaps even the best professor we have in Hogwarts right now."
As they resumed walking, Harry thought about the fact that Remus promised to teach him how to defend against Dementors. He could ask him when they would begin when he would see Remus. Harry soon took a different path from Hannah's and Susan's and headed towards Remus' office again. Maybe he would be there this time.
Harry was no more successful in finding Remus this time. He tried again during lunch time, without success again. He wasn't to be seen at the staff table either when Harry entered the Great Hall. He finally got an explanation to Remus' absence when he told Ron and Hermione about the fact Remus was impossible to find.
"He's sick. Again," Fred and George told them, hearing their conversation.
"We had Flitwick giving us our lesson in Defence Against the Dark Arts this morning," Lee Jordan added.
Harry found it strange. He never heard that Remus was sick in the past, before he became teacher at Hogwarts. He looked totally fine when Harry saw him during the holidays. He and Ron wondered why Remus was always sick. Hermione remained silent during their discussion, and she left quite quickly, saying she had work to do. And indeed, she took her dinner very quickly as well in the evening, going back to the common room to complete all her homework.
Harry, on his side, said he would go to the library. Ron stayed behind. He didn't seem eager to do his homework. Harry went to see if Lupin was feeling better, but still no one answered at his door. So he went to the library like he said he would. Harry sat alone in a corner. He consulted the Marauder's Map again, wondering about its creators. However, he forced himself to start his homework after a time. Turning the map into a blank sheet after saying Mischief managed, he put out his work of Ancient Runes, intent on doing the homework Babbling gave them today, only to realize he had not asked Hermione for her notes. Shaking his head, he decided he would ask her tomorrow and instead started the homework Hagrid gave them. It was over within an hour.
He looked at his planner and gladly scratched the homework in Care of Magical Creatures he just completed. Hermione gave it to him for Christmas. She had one very similar. He guessed she had no choice but to be very organized, with all those courses she took. Harry wondered how she managed to attend all her lessons. Ernie, Hannah and Susan separately confirmed to Harry and Ron that Hermione never missed a lesson in Arithmancy or Muggle Studies, despite the fact she had other lessons at the same time with Harry and Ron.
Harry's eyes wandered to today in the planner. He looked at the lesson of Ancient Runes, regretting he didn't ask Hermione for her notes. He had really planned to rid himself of his homework in that subject tonight. Well, he guessed he would try to finish his homework in Transfiguration instead. Harry started to search his Transfiguration book, only to not find it in his bag. He must have left it in the common room. He rubbed his forehead, annoyed.
He thought about the Marauder's Map again. He really wished he could talk to Remus. Why was he ill today? Harry kept staring at the open page of his planner, staring at today's date, the lines and boxes, occupied and free, showing what he had for today. No homework was due, since no teacher from today's lessons saw fit to give them homework for the holidays. The item of today that stood out the most was a dark circle drawn next to the date. Harry recognized it. Hermione had bought this in a Muggle shop near where she lived. His planners back when he was studying in Muggle elementary schools showed the same dark shapes that indicated the phases of the moon.
He thought about Moony, the fourth Marauder, the one he supposed Lupin was. Why was he called that way? Why would someone call himself Moony? It had to have some link with the moon. Harry looked at the full moon in his planner. Did Remus like the moon? Was it why he was nicknamed Moony? It looked quite a weak reason to choose such a name, in Harry's opinion. And, now that he thought about it, when they faced the Boggart at the beginning of the year, it took the appearance of the moon when Remus stood in front of Harry. He had not recognized what that orb was back then, but now that he thought about it, that could only be the moon. It meant that Remus' greatest fear was the moon.
Harry scratched his head. Why would someone's greatest fear be a moon? A full moon? He had to be wrong. Maybe it was something else than a moon. Then, what was it? And why was Remus' name Moony then? At the same time, why choose a name based on your greatest fear? It was as if Harry had chosen Voldemort or Dementor as a nickname. He looked at the small dark circle in his planner again.
And then, an idea emerged in Harry's mind. An idea that came from this lesson they had with Snape the day before the game against Hufflepuff, when Remus was absent for the first time. Slowly, Harry turned the pages of his planner back to the month of November. Nothing was written on the dates before Christmas, because Hermione had not given it to him yet. However, when he arrived at that date in November, Harry couldn't miss the same dark circle as on today's date. A day of full moon. The day Snape insisted on giving them a lesson on werewolves, when they obviously had not reached this topic.
Is he... dangerous?
The question Susan asked him months ago resonated in his mind.
I... I thought you...
Harry knew what Susan gave him as an explanation today. But this was too much of a coincidence. There was only one explanation for these words she said. She thought that he knew about Remus back then. And she didn't mean by that that he would know whether or not Remus was homeless. That couldn't be what Susan referred to.
Harry came back to the common room quite late, ideas spinning within his mind. After he gave the password, he noticed that the common room was almost empty. There were only two students in seventh year sitting near the fireplace, and Hermione, still completing her homework, alone at her table. Harry considered his options for a moment, debating in his mind whether it was a good idea or not. The truth was though, as much as he liked Ron, he trusted more Hermione with Remus' secret than Ron with the secret about his Firebolt. If he was to discuss it about someone, it would have to be Hermione.
Taking a decision, he stepped forward and came to sit next to her. She didn't realize he was present. She was still writing some complex calculations for Arithmancy. She also had her notebook for Ancient Runes opened farther on the table. Harry would have to ask her for her notes later. For now, he had a more important topic to discuss with her.
"Hi, Hermione."
Despite the fact he was careful to speak low, so that the two other students far away in the common room wouldn't hear the conversation he was about to have, Hermione jumped, making a huge line on the parchment she was writing on.
"Harry, good gods. Be careful. You scared me to life," she said, barely looking at him and looking at the line she drew by accident, probably wondering if it ruined her work.
"I'm sorry," Harry said. She was very edgy whenever she worked. "I just hoped we could talk."
"Maybe later. I've got too much work to do right now."
Harry looked at his watch. They were nine thirty. It would be hard to have a discussion with Hermione later today. "It's already quite late, Hermione."
"Eh?" She looked at her own watch, and her eyes grew wide. "What? We're already so late. I must not have seen time go on." She sighed and looked at her sheet of calculations. "Well, I'm almost done with Arithmancy. I'll complete it before I go to bed."
And she was back into her homework. Trying to start a discussion with Hermione proved to be more difficult than he thought. Well, if he couldn't talk to her now, he didn't think tomorrow or anytime later would be any better.
"You know that Remus was absent today? He's sick again."
"Oh yes? Well, that makes sense." She barely slowed down her writing. Harry found it strange. Why would it make sense that Remus was ill today? Hermione had not seemed quite interested in the recent discussion Harry had with Ron about Remus being absent so often. She didn't seem that interested in it either now.
"You know that we are a day of full moon?"
At this question, her quill stopped. However, she did not look to Harry, and her quill resumed writing right away. "No, I had not realized."
That was strange for a reaction. Either Hermione was really too focused on her homework to understand what Harry just said… or she was avoiding the conversation. Harry frowned. Could it be why Hermione didn't participate to their conversation about Remus' absences?
"You know that day when Snape replaced Remus?" he continued, barely in a whisper so that absolutely no one else could hear him, and after taking another look around the common room to make sure no one was close. "When he gave us this lesson on werewolves." Her quill stopped again. "I verified. It was a day of full moon too."
The quill didn't resume its writing this time. Slowly, Hermione turned her head to look at Harry. "You know?"
Well, after an initial surprise, Harry guessed he shouldn't be surprised that Hermione found out the truth before him. After all, she was the only one who completed the work Snape gave them in November. And Hermione was brilliant, after all. He wished she told him before, but he was tired and needed to have a good conversation about it with her, not to quarrel.
"I just understood today," he only answered.
She gave him an expression of pity. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry. I wanted to tell you, but first, I wasn't sure if you knew about it. And then, before the holidays, Professor McGonagall summoned me to her office. Somehow, she found out that I knew about Lupin. And she ordered me to tell nobody about it."
"Wait, McGonagall knows about Remus?"
"Yes. And Dumbledore too. The whole staff knows about it. They didn't tell the students because they didn't want us to panic at the idea of a werewolf teaching us." She lowered her voice further. "She really ordered me to tell no one. And she assured me that they took all precautions to make sure Lupin could not hurt anybody. When the full moon comes, he hides in his office. It is locked from the inside and the outside with powerful spells. He even takes a Wolfsbane Potion. It allows him to remain conscious when he transforms, so he will not attack anybody."
Harry froze. So, for the whole day, when he went to see Remus and knocked at his door, there was actually a werewolf on the other side of the door. Knowing that he was next to a werewolf without realizing it sent shivers along his spine.
"Please, don't be angry with me, Harry. I really tried to do the best thing. I couldn't tell anybody about it, not even you."
"No, I'm not angry."
He wasn't. He was disappointed, yes. He wished Hermione told him. But, well, truth be told, now that he knew that Remus was a werewolf, he wondered how he would look at him. Harry wished that it was Remus who told him about his state. After all, if you thought about it, werewolves didn't choose who they were. He thought of every time he met Remus. Not a single time was he violent or unkind. Harry was sure he could have understood it and not hate Remus for something he didn't choose. It would have been as if someone hated Harry because he was famous, something he didn't choose either.
Later, in his bed, Harry wondered why no one ever told him about Remus. Sirius and his mother must have known, surely. With that nickname on the Marauder's Map, Harry didn't see how his father and Sirius could ignore this. And his mother had to know. Unable to sleep, he left his bed and went down into the common room. There, he wrote a letter, and at the first hour in the morning, he brought it to the owlery and sent Hedwig home with it. His mother would certainly get it by the end of the day.
This morning's breakfast proved uncomfortable to Harry, to say the least. He couldn't stop himself from casting long stares at the staff table, where Remus was discussing with the Professors McGonagall and Flitwick.
"He looks even more miserable than before Christmas," Ron commented. He must have noticed that Harry was staring at Remus. "What's going on with him?"
Looking back to Ron, Harry saw Hermione staring at him with intent eyes. They both agreed yesterday to not tell Ron what they knew on Remus. Harry didn't like it to hide things from Ron, but in this case, the fewer people knew about it the better. He didn't want Remus to lose his job if word began to spread that he was a werewolf. Harry took some consolation in the fact that he told Ron about his Firebolt while Hermione didn't know about it yet.
"I don't know," Harry said on the most casual tone he could manage. He then went back to his eggs. Ron soon changed of topic anyway, discussing the latest defeat of the Chudley Cannons, a discussion which Harry gladly joined.
The day went on without major events, even though Harry wished he could talk to
Remus about everything: his lessons on Dementors, the fact he was a werewolf, and the Maurauder's Map. He realized that he had not talked either to Ron or Hermione about this map. He did it at the end of the day, after he failed to find time to discuss with Remus.
"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" Ron said, outraged, as they were hidden in a corridor that was only known to them, to the best of their knowledge. "I'm their brother!"
"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" Hermione said. "He's going to hand it to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"
"No, I'm not!" Harry retorted.
"Are you mad? Hand in something that good?" Ron asked, shocked.
"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch will know Fred and George nicked it! And I have to check a few things anyway, first."
"What things?" Hermione asked, obviously disapproving of Harry's decision.
"The secret passages, of course!" Ron said. "With that, Harry can go to Hogsmeade without anyone knowing."
"Harry, you can't! McGonagall forbade you from going there! Pettigrew is still out there, looking for you!"
"Hermione, if Harry is afraid of Pettigrew wherever he goes, he will never leave the Gryffindor Tower," Ron complained, to which Harry agreed.
"Anyway, Fred and George saw Pettigrew on the map before Christmas. That's why they were following me everywhere back then," Harry explained. "So keeping me out of Hogsmeade is quite useless, since anyway Pettigrew found a way to get in."
"All the more reasons to give it to McGonagall. The teachers must be made aware of the secret passages," Hermione pleaded. "That may be how Pettigrew managed to get on the grounds."
"I doubt it, Hermione."
What she said made sense, but Harry doubted that Pettigrew used a secret passage. After all, according to Fred and George, Filch knew four of those leading to Hogsmeade, another one collapsed, another led to the Shrieking Shack, so no one could use it, and the last one led from Honeydukes to inside Hogwarts. It was true that Pettigrew must know about that passage, but since Remus knew about it too, Harry supposed he must have taken measures to protect it. And anyway, if Pettigrew used that passage, he wouldn't have been spotted near the Quidditch pitch, but inside the walls, trying to get to Harry while he was walking in the corridors or in the Gryffindor Tower.
Harry didn't tell neither of his friends about the true identity of the Marauders. They didn't know they nicknames. And he didn't want to tell them. Not yet.
"Anyway, if Harry was to tell McGonagall that Fred and George saw Pettigrew near the Quidditch pitch," Ron declared, "she would deprive Harry of the right to play. And that's the last thing we need right now, especially now that..."
Again, Harry could only agree with Ron, but he shot him a warning which prompted Ron to stop before he could mention the Firebolt. Hermione did not seem to have noticed it. She ignored them for the rest of the evening. However, Harry went to see her after Ron had gotten to bed. She ignored him when he sat down, which meant she either didn't realize again he was there, or that she was still angry with him.
"Hermione…" he started. She didn't acknowledge him. "I'm going to show the map to a teacher."
She stopped reading, and looked at him, first in confusion, then in relief. "Good. Finally, you see some sense."
"But I'm not going to show it to McGonagall. I'll show it to Remus."
Hermione frowned, but as Harry explained who he thought the Marauders were and why, her face changed and grew much less suspicious.
"So, you believe that the people who made this map, those who are behind the Marauders' names," she summarized after he was done explaining. "These people are actually your father, your godfather, Professor Lupin and Pettigrew."
"That's the only plausible explanation, Hermione. I know that Wormtail and Padfoot are Pettigrew and Sirius. I heard Remus, Sirius and my mother use those names. And Moony? Who else could that be except Remus? That's when I understood that he was Moony that I found out he was a werewolf."
"It's true that it seems very likely," Hermione conceded.
"Look, I'll show the map to Remus. Anyway, I've got a lot of questions to ask him. And if he decides to keep it…" Harry hoped it wouldn't happen. In the few days he spent with it, he somehow grew attached to this map. It showed so much of Hogwarts, he would regret giving it up. And it was also one of the few objects that once belonged to his father. "Well, he'll keep it. He's a professor, after all."
"But you hope he's going to let you keep it," Hermione summarized, not sounding very proud of Harry all of a sudden.
"I wouldn't mind if he did. But he knows this map better than anyone, so he's the best person to ask about it. And anyway, if he knows about the secret passages, he must have told Dumbledore and the others, and they must have taken measures to ensure that Pettigrew wouldn't use it."
"Maybe," Hermione said, not totally convinced.
The next day, they had Defence Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon. Harry wanted to ask Lupin about the map and everything else at the end of the lesson. The lesson went well. It was purely theoretical since it was on the Acromentula. Their professor told them it would be too dangerous to bring one into the classroom. Some students, like Dean and Seamus, looked excited at the mere idea of having a giant spider capable of talking in the classroom, while others like Hermione disapproved of this excitement, and people like Ron and Neville were scared at the mere idea of it. When the class was over, Harry took his time to pack his things. Hermione had accepted to distract Ron to make sure he wouldn't be waiting for Harry outside the classroom, in which she succeeded pretty well. When everyone was gone and Harry was alone with Remus, he approached him on a decided step.
"Harry, you're still here?" Remus frowned. Then his forehead smoothed. "Ah yes, your lessons against the Dementors. Let me see." He looked in a notebook on his table. Harry waited. There was a part of him that wasn't sure about the conversation he was about to have with Remus. "How about eight o'clock on Thursday evening? I cannot for today, but next week this should be no problem. The History of Magic classroom should be large enough… I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this… We can't bring a real Dementor into the castle to practice on…"
Harry was glad that Remus had not forgotten his Anti-Dementor lessons. Sadly, there were less pleasant subjects he had to speak about with him.
"Remus, I've got a question to ask you."
His father's friend looked at him, and frowned after a moment, maybe noticing Harry's troubled expression. "Of course. Is there a problem, Harry?"
Hesitating another instant, Harry finally plunged. He took the worn piece of parchment in his pocket and presented it to Remus.
"Do you know what this is?"
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Next chapter: the sequel to this chapter