Bound by Soul

One Map to Save the Firstie

Ooookkaaaaaay, y'all twisted my arm. It hasn't been that long, but you can have a new chapter. We shot up, like, a hundred reads since last chapter, so this is a treat.

Don't expect every chapter to come out this fast. I'm still writing them. It's a little slow going, but I'm picking myself back into it. We got a long road ahead of us, don't worry. 

Severus couldn't put it off any longer.

The past week he had been dreading having to speak with Potter, because he had no idea what exactly to say. But now he had no choice. 

Filch had found Potter in an empty classroom. On his way to the hospital wing, he had come across a group of first years, and sent one to fetch Snape. From how panicked the Ravenclaw had been, Severus wasn't sure how much blood was a lot, but he was very sure it was too much.

Snape had sent the first year to dinner, grabbed several bottles of blood replenishing potion, and hurried up to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey had a store of different healing potions, including blood replenishing, but even if she didn't need them right away, it was better to be prepared.

When he arrived, Filch was standing to one side of the door, grumbling in an undertone about the blood on his coat, Mrs. Norris next to him. Looking around, Severus noticed one of the beds a little ways away had the curtain drawn. The other beds were mostly empty, a couple students on the other side resting from whatever they'd come for.

Snape stood to one side, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to finish what she was doing.

Why were his students always the ones that were problematic?

He couldn't go one year without having to look after a new problem causing child, with no common sense.

Severus let out a silent sigh. Why had he agreed to be a teacher again?

}-{|>

Frederick Weasley was quite put out. He and his twin, George, had been practicing joke spells they made, and it had landed him in the hospital wing.

That wasn't what annoyed him. What irked him, was that George hadn't been allowed longer then a short visit. The twins were almost never separated for more then a couple hours, and even then, they were never far from one another.

Of course, once Madam Pomfrey, and the rest of the castle's inhabitants, were safely sleeping, George came back anyway.

"How are you feeling, Fred?" George asked softly, trying not to wake up the other person staying overnight. Neither of them had seen who it was Filch had brought in, and a curtain kept them out of view. Either way, they didn't want to be caught out after curfew.

"It hurts a lot less now. I think we'll go back to the drawing board with that one."

George nodded his agreement.

"We'll find another way to test it, too. It won't be any use, if we keep ending up in the hospital wing."

Fred was about to speak, but stopped, glancing towards the door. He thought he'd heard something. Holding up his hand, he made a 'hand it over' gesture, and George pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Handing it to his twin, George pulled out his wand and tapped the parchment, muttering under his breathe,

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

As Fred unfolded it, George lit the tip of his wand, shining the light on the neat ink words that began to scrawl across the parchment, announcing that, 'Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, are proud to present, The Marauders' Map'.