Finally ; Harry Potter [1]

Chapter 19

Harry once again lay awake in bed. His striking green eye's piercing through the darkness like a knife on flesh. He felt restless. He needed to do something. Anything. In a rush to occupy his mind, he reached into his bed side table and pulled out the Marauder's map.

Picking up his wand that lay on top of his bed side table, he pointed it at the yellowing, blank piece of parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He whispered into the darkness, glancing at all his friends, checking that he did not make any disturbances.

Ink filled the blank piece of paper, revealing a map of the school, leaving the castle vulnerable to anybody who held it in their hands.

Harry scanned the parchment. Everyone was in their rightful places. His eye's lingered on the dots of Robyn and Hermione, hoping Sirius didn't appear out of the shadows and put them in danger like he did with Harry and Ron a couple of weeks ago.

Harry noticed Dumbledore was pacing in his study again, making the bespectacled boy frown. After trying to figure out what was on Dumbledore's mind, keeping him awake this late, Harry's eye's finally landed on a dot that made his eyebrows furrow together. A deep burning feeling of confusion and curiosity filled him.

Peter Pettigrew is dead, Harry thought. McGonagall said so. So how can he be on the map?

Harry couldn't deal with all the burning questions running around his head. He got up and put on a jumper over his pajamas, shielding him from the cold. He crept down the stairs and out of the Common Room, glancing at the map every now and then to see if he was going the right way.

His wand light blared out, fighting against the endless darkness. He had cast the Lumos charm to help him.

Portraits groaned and stirred from their sleep as they were blinded, shooting rude remarks Harry's way. He ignored them for the most part, only mumbling a sorry a couple of times. His eye's stayed glued on the corridor in front of him, sometimes checking if he was going the right way or to see if a wandering Professor came his way.

Suddenly, Peter Pettigrew's dot grew closer and closer, making the bespectacled boy squint through the darkness of the corridor. But he saw nothing. No silhouette. No noise. No evidence there was anything there at all.

Harry glanced back at the map and panic filled him. The dot was twenty yards away from him. Ten. Harry felt an excited yet panicked rush fill him. He wanted to know everything that had happened to Peter. He would finally know the truth. He could learn new things about his parents.

Pettigrew was seconds away and Harry felt his heart drop. Surely he would have seen him by now...?

Harry jumped. The dot of Peter moved straight past his own. Harry trailed his wand along the floors, all around him but there was nothing. Even more confusion burned him. Peter was long gone, leaving Harry standing lost and hopeless and confused in the middle of the pitch black corridor. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine.

Footsteps echoed quietly and Harry glanced at the map. Approaching fast was Severus Snape. There was nowhere Harry could go. It was too late to run for it. Hastily, Harry pointed his wand at the map and mumbled a quick 'Mischief managed,' and then put out his wand light and shoved both the map and his wand in his jumper pocket. A bright blare of light greeted Harry's tired eye's, making him shy away.

"Potter. What're you doing wandering the corridors at night?" The cold sneer of Professor Snape greeted Harry.

Harry stared at the bat like man coldly. "I was... I was... sleepwalking..." Harry wanted to hit himself on the forehead instantly as the words left his lips. He was the worst at lying.