Emma Potter

74: A narrow escape...again

Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. 

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd,closed expression appeared on Lupin's face.

 "Well?" said Snape.Lupin continued to stare at the map. I had the impressionthat Lupin was doing some very quick thinking. 

"Well?" said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of DarkMagic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Wheredo you imagine Potter got such a thing?" 

Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry and my direction, warned us not to interrupt. 

"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really thinkso, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely notdangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop —" 

"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "Youthink a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? Youdon't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?" 

I didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, apparently, did Lupin."You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" he said."Harry, do you know any of these men?" 

"No," said Harry quickly. 

"Emma?"

"Never heard of them."

"You see, Severus?" said Lupin, turning back to Snape. "It lookslike a Zonko product to me —" 

Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office. He was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk,clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak. 

"I — gave — Harry--and Emma — that — stuff," he choked. "Bought —it . . . in Zonko's . . . ages — ago . . ."

 "Well!" said Lupin, clapping his hands together and lookingaround cheerfully. "That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll takethis back, shall I?" 

He folded the map and tucked it inside hisrobes. "Harry, Emma Ron, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay — excuse us, Severus —" 

Harry and I didn't dare look at Snape as they left his office. We, Ron,and Lupin walked all the way back into the entrance hall beforespeaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin

."Professor, I —" 

"I don't want to hear explanations," said Lupin shortly. 

Heglanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice. "Ihappen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch manyyears ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said as Harry and Ron lookedamazed. I, however was supicious.

"I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. Iam, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly afterwhat happened the last time a student left information about thecastle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry." 

Harry and I had expected that, and was too keen for explanations toprotest. 

"Why did Snape think Harry'd got it from the manufacturers?"

 "Because . . . ," Lupin hesitated, "because these mapmakerswould have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."

 "Do you know them?" said Harry, impressed.

 "We've met," he said shortly. He was looking at Harry moreseriously than ever before. 

"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannotmake you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thoughtthat what you have heard when the dementors draw near youwould have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave theirlives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them — gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks." 

He walked away, leaving Harry and I feeling worse by far than we hadat any point in Snape's office. Slowly, we and Ron mounted themarble staircase. As Harry passed the one-eyed witch, he must have remembered the Invisibility Cloak — it was still down there, but he didn'tdare go and get it.

 "It's my fault," said Ron abruptly. "I persuaded you to go.Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't've done it —" 

He broke off;  we reached the corridor where the security trollswere pacing, I was about to leave and Hermione was walking toward us. One look ather face convinced me that she had heard what had happened. My heart plummeted — had she told Professor McGonagall?

 "Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stoppedin front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"

 "No," said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands andher lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know . . .Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."