Emma Potter

74: A narrow escape...again

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

 Harry didn't move. There was a pounding in my ears.

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

Cold with dread,I watched  Harry slowly pulled out the bag of Zonko'stricks and the Marauder's Map.Snap picked up the Zonko's bag. 

"Ron gave them to me," said Harry,I was praying we'd get a chance to tip Ron off before Snape saw him. "He — brought them backfrom 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. I tried with all his might tokeep my face impassive."Spare bit of parchment," harry said with a shrug.Snape turned it over, his eyes on Harry."Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment?" hesaid. "Why don't I just — throw this away?"His hand moved toward the fire.

 "No!" Harry said quickly. 

"So!" said Snape, his long nostrils quivering. "Is this anothertreasured gift from Mr. Weasley? Or is it — something else? A letter, perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or — instructions to get intoHogsmeade without passing the dementors?"Harry blinked. Snape's eyes gleamed."Let me see, let me see . . . ," he muttered, taking out his wandand smoothing the map out on his desk. 

"Reveal your secret!" hesaid, touching the wand to the parchment.Nothing happened. I clenched my hands to stop them fromshaking.

 "Show yourself!" Snape said, tapping the map sharply.It stayed blank. Harry was taking deep, calming breaths.

 "Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands youto yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the mapwith his wand.

 As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map. 

Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begshim to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."

 Snape froze. Harry and I stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But themap didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath thefirst. 

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that ProfessorSnape is an ugly git.

 It would have been very funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. And there was more. . . . 

"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like thatever became a professor."

 I closed my eyes in horror. When I'd opened them, themap had had its last word. 

"Mr. Wormtail bids, Professor Snape good day, and adviseshim to wash his hair, the slimeball." 

Harry waited for the blow to fall. i bit my lip.

"So . . . ," said Snape softly. "We'll see about this. . . ."He strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powderfrom a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames. 

"Lupin!" Snape called into the fire. "I want a word!" 

Utterly bewildered, Harry and I stared at the fire. A large shape hadappeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupinwas clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabbyrobes. 

"You called, Severus?" said Lupin mildly. 

"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as hestrode back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this."