Obliviate {Book 1--EDITING}

19. That Felt Good^

Our bear hug was interrupted by the door bursting open, and we jumped, to see a breathless looking Cole.

"We're friends again!" Gennie exclaimed. "It's just so—are you okay, Cole? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Cole looked up, and he looked directly at me. "Harry. He went to Hogsmeade... Malfoy wound Ron up... Harry threw mud at him... His cloak went down and Malfoy saw him!"

Had Draco given up Harry? But from the unusually serious look on Cole's face, I knew the answer. "Who did he tell?" I said in an oddly calm voice.

"Snape," Cole spat. "We need to go now. Give him an alibi."

The three of us ran hand-in-hand as fast as the moving staircases and our feet would allow us. I just prayed that we weren't too late. I wouldn't be able to bear it if Harry was expelled.

We skidded into the entrance hall, only to come face-to-face with Remus, Ron and Harry. Harry looked relieved but anxious at the same time. Ron looked out of breath, and Remus looked extremely disappointed.

Cole swore when he saw the map in his hands.

"Gennie, I'm glad to see you're alright." Remus gave a warm smile to her. "Aurora, Cole."

"Professor, I--" My brother began desperately.

"I don't want to hear explanations," said Remus shortly. He glanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map,"

Gennie squirmed under her father's gaze.

"I don't want to know how it fell into your possession, but I'm astounded that none of you—Genesis, in particularly didn't hand it in. We know what happened after a student left information lying around the castle before. I can't let you have this back Harry."

Harry had an accepting look on his face before speaking. "Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?"

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

"Do you know them?" asked Gennie.

"We've met," he said shortly. He turned back to Harry, looking even more serious.

"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. Your parents gave their lives to keep you and your sister alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them -- gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."

He looked at his daughter with a smile. "Call into my office for some tea tomorrow, Gennie. I believe we need to have a catch up."

Gennie nodded as her father walked off, and Harry looked disappointed at Remus' disappointment.

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

"So what happened exactly?" Gennie spoke up.

Harry explained as the five of us walked. Draco had been talking horribly about Buckbeak and Hagrid, so Harry threw mud at him--and Crabbe and Goyle--and the cloak slipped for a second. The three Slytherins ran off, and Harry made his way back to the castle--where he ran into Snape.

"So you two are friends again?" Harry said, surveying the two of us. "It's taken forever."

"I was going to say that--" Ron began.

Hermione was walking towards us, looking like she knew exactly what had happened. Had Cole told her, or had she snitched on them?

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