The black lines on the Marauders map together formed every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. Tiny ink dots were moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing.
Evan leaned forward, holding his wand firmly in his right hand.
He gathered all the magical power in his body because of the immense tension; he could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat. He was waiting for the name of Peter to appear.
And then, BANG!
The rat suddenly ran out of Ron's pocket. It jumped to the table knocking Ron's plate and milk cup over. A lot of milk was spilt and went in the map's direction. Harry hurriedly took the map.
Ron hurriedly stood up and wiped the table, but more plates were knocked to the ground.
Minced meat, butter, bread, dishes, and milk were splattered everywhere, and Evan, Harry, and Hermione hurried to their feet.
While the panic, Scabbers quickly jumped on the floor and ran outside the Common Room.
"Oh, Scabbers!" Ron took to steps towards his direction.
Evan's eyes were locked on him tightly and his hand firmly held his wand. He was ready to petrify him, but this was useless. When he took his wand from underneath his cloak, his arm was stumbled upon by Ron accidently.
Ron wanted to go after Scabbers, but he was tripped over by the chair, and he brought Evan down along with him.
By the time Evan raised his head again, Scabbers had already disappeared.
"Damn it!" Evan waved his fist and put his want back on his belt.
He knew that he had missed a great opportunity to catch Peter. Fortunately, he didn't cast his spell and his hand motion when lifting his wand was very subtle, it shouldn't have been detected. Peter who was focused on running shouldn't have been able to realize what he was doing. If had had noticed it Evan should be in a pinch.
But since Peter shouldn't be alarmed about him, Evan shouldn't be worried.
After all, as long as he has the Marauder's Map, he doesn't have to get in touch with Sirius black. Catching Peter Pettigrew was just a matter of time. He could run, but he couldn't hide.
"Evan, Ron, what are you doing?" said Hermione anxiously. She stepped forward and lifted Evan. Her face was very heavy. She obviously remembered what had happened in the common room a month ago. She became afraid that Evan and Ron would fight again.
"I'm okay. I accidentally got knocked over by a chair!" Ron hurried up and patted the dust on his clothes, saying: "I'm going to look for Scabbers. I don't know what happened, he just suddenly went out."
"Don't worry, Ron, I think…" Harry didn't finish his words, when he suddenly froze and stopped talking, and his eyes stared across Evan's shoulders.
It was Snape. Harry quickly stepped behind Evans who heard him whisper "The game is over!"
"Potter, what are you doing?" Snape walked over with a sullen face. His eyes wondered between the four of them turns and were finally locked in on Harry.
"Nothing. Ron's mouse accidentally knocked over his milk glass. We're cleaning it up," Harry said anxiously.
"Is it?!" Snape's voice was full of suspicions. "Aren't you just conspiring on how to violate school rules?"
"No." The four of them shook their heads in a hurry.
"Don't think I don't know what's going on inside your blind and arrogant Gryffindor heads. The Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, and the Basilisk. What are you going to do this year? catch Sirius Black on your own?" Snape's mouth had a familiar sinister sneer. "That's it isn't it? Everyone in the Ministry of Magic has been trying hard to make sure that the famous Harry Potter is not attacked by Sirius Black. But the famous Harry Potter himself just keeps on breaking the law, making all these ordinary people worry about his safety. He doesn't care about them. He doesn't consider the consequences at all. He is definitely going to catch Black alone."
"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Harry's face looked oblivious. Why did they all think that? Whether it was Mr. Weasley, Malfoy or Snape, they all thought he would go looking for Sirius Black. Why did they think that he wanted that? There must be something that he does not know.
"You don't understand?!" Snape murmured, dismissively. "Potter, what did you hide under your cloak just now?"
"Nothing." Harry tried to hide his emotions.
"You are lying. I see clearly what you put in there."
Snape's eyes wondered again between them, finally staring back at Harry's eyes.
Like when coming into contact with a Hippogriff, Harry tried not to blink.
Snape originally intended to use his momentum to oppress Harry into telling the truth, but when he saw Harry's emerald green eyes, he fell into memory.
The atmosphere was a bit bizarre. The two just stared at each other and nobody spoke.
Seeing how they were like, Evan was speechless. It is said that Harry's eyes are very similar to his mothers. Was Snape just remembering Lily?!
"Professor, we…" Hermione tried to explain.
"Quiet, Granger!" Snape regained his composure, and his eyes turned back to Harry's face, his expression turned into disgust. "Why are you being so much like your father, Potter!"
"What?!" The group looked at Snape with surprise.
"James Potter, he was also extremely arrogant, and his little talent on the Quidditch field also made him think that he was better than other. He and his friends and admirers were just strutting around the castle all day." Snape's eyes glowed "Both of you are just terrible."
"My dad wasn't a strut!" Harry said without thinking, it was too late to shut up. "and neither do I."
"Your father also didn't obey the rules" Snape continued. He leaned forward, and his thin face was full of malice. "He thought that rules are for lesser people to obey, not for the Quidditch champion. The cup made him arrogant; he was so full of him…"
"Shut up!" Harry shouted suddenly. He had never been so angry.
"What do you want to say to me, Potter?" Snape's black eyes flashed dangerously.
"I told you to shut up and say nothing about my dad!" Harry shouted. "Don't think I don't know anything. Dumbledore told me the truth. My dad saved your life. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be able to be standing here!"
Hearing Harry, Snape's yellow skin took the colour of bad milk.
"I can't deny that he saved me, but did the Headmaster told you why your dad saved my life?!" he whispered, "Or did he think that the details were too harsh for the precious ears of Potter to hear?"
Harry bit his lip and the others in the Grand Hall looked at both of them in panic.
"I don't want you to keep carrying a wrong image about your dad, Potter." Snape twisted his terrible smile. "Dumbledore must not have told you all the details. Let me complete the story. Your Saint of a father and his friends had pulled a very funny prank on me. If your father did not flinch at the last moment, I would've died. Nothing he did could be labelled as brave! He saved me to save himself. If their prank was completed, Hogwarts would've expelled him with his stupid friends."
Snape's untidy teeth were exposed, his eyes quickly glanced at the teacher's seat, and Professor Lupin was sitting there.
Harry gasped and the situation seemed to return to where it started. The two men looked at each other with their eyes open. No one was willing to show weakness.
"Professor, I'm sorry to interrupt your wonderful memory." Evan's voice came at the right time. "But I think that at this moment and on this occasion, it seems somewhat inappropriate to recall these things. Don't you think?"
Snape raised his head as he heard Evan's words.
He seemed to realize what he had just said, and when he saw almost all the students are watching them, his face became more and more gloomy.
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"Turn over what's in your pockets, Potter!" Snape suddenly snapped.
Harry did not move, and his friends roared in his ears.
"Professor, we…"
"Shut up, Mason! Shut up, Granger!" Snape shouted angrily. He looked really pissed off.
"Severus, I don't think it's necessary to yell at these children." Professor Lupin came over and said softly, "They didn't violate any school rules."
"There was no violation of school rules?!" Snape's anger seemed to have grown even more. He smirked. "That's because you don't know them well enough. I don't know how many of them have… Ah! I have forgotten that you were just like them, or worse!"
"Severus…" Professor Lupin frowned.
"Enough, Lupin, don't scrutinize my education methods. You say they don't violate school rules? Then I shall prove it to you." Snape turned and shouted again at Harry. "Turn over what's in your pockets. Come out, or we'll go straight to the headmaster! Turn it over, Potter!"
In the great hall, all the students were stunned looking at them.
Evan saw Fred and George who heard the news and rushed in. both of them were carrying large eggs and thinking about throwing them out.
Looking at their faces, it was clear that they knew that the map was in Harry's pocket. If it is discovered by Snape, the consequences would simply be unimaginable.
Evan hurriedly shook his hands at Fred and George, pleading them not to act rashly. Throwing large eggs in the great hall to divert Snape's attention was a terrible idea.
Even if it succeeded, daring to do such a thing would bring them great misery.
Evan gently pushed Harry and asked him to follow Snape's order.
They clearly were unable to confront the teachers. Again, Evan was thinking that there was absolutely no need to worry about this matter, because James Potter and his friends have probably made the map in such a way that their rival Severus shouldn't be able to use it.
Harry saw everyone staring at him, and he was filled by fear.
He slowly took out the contents of his pocket. Besides some candy, he only had the map.
Seeing the map, Lupin showed a strange, mysterious expression on his face.
Evan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione did their best to calm themselves. They watched Snape immediately pick up the map.
In the following few seconds, Hermione was so nervous and her cold little hands clung to Evan's arm.
"What is this, a small piece of blank parchment?!" Snape turned the parchment over and looked at them. "Potter, you certainly don't need such an old parchment. Why don't you throw it away?!"
He took out his wand and gently waved it. The point of the stick emitted a little blue flame. His left hand was holding the map and slowly moving it toward the flame.
"Don't!" Harry said quickly.
"Aha!" Snape's long nose fluttered and said with a sneer. "Why do you need such a blank parchment, or is it something else? A letter… perhaps; written with invisible ink? Or, is it a way to enter Hogwarts without being detected by Dementors?"
Harry blinked and Snape's eyes were brighter.
"Let me see, let me see…" he muttered, taking out his wand and smoothing the map out on the table. "Reveal your secret!" he said, touching the wand to the parchment.
Evan looked closely at the map, but nothing happened. He noticed that Harry was too nervous, clenching his hands to stop them from shaking.
"Show yourself!" Snape tapped the map with his wand.
The map was still blank. Harry and his friends were relieved and everyone's heart is back from their stomachs.
"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.
As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.
"Mooney presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."
Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first.
"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Mooney and would like to add that Professor Snape 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 that ever became a professor."
Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he'd opened them, the map had had its last word.
"Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slime ball."
No one knew what to say, it was so quiet that the falling of a needle could be heard.
Everyone saw that Snape's face was heavier than ever before. They were all waiting for him to be furious.
"It turned out to be this way, it was like this, I should have thought …" Snape said softly, and he seemed to finally realize what this parchment was.
Evan noticed his expression, he was looking at harry, with his mind clearly absorbed by the past. His memories were definitely no good, as his face only showed anger and disgust.
The atmosphere was depressing, but he quickly came back to the present.
The following second, Snape quickly turned and looked at Professor Lupin. His face was full of anger.
He said with an extreme disgust. "Lupin, what do you think this is?"
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.
"This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"
Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry's direction, warned him not to interrupt.
"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous. I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop —"
"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?"