Can Love Survive...

Harry headed back to the Gryffindor common room partly angry at the way Malfoy had just shoved him off, and partly still a bit shied at what had happened between them at the infirmary. None of this made sense, and his head still hurt a bit from everything that had happened in that short amount of time. As he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady he stopped suddenly, finally understanding the look he'd seen in Malfoy's eyes right before he had told him to get out.

It was fear. Cold, pure fear he'd seen in his eyes, and now that he thought on it further, in his voice as well. Harry was a bit surprized someone like Malfoy could feel fear, not that he wasn't a human being, but that Malfoys on a whole weren't very prone to showing any emotions except being annoying gits. This was a new side to Malfoy, and Harry wasn't sure how to deal with it.

He decided he needed sleep, and in the near future, time to mull things over, so approaching the Fat Lady and giving this week's password, "Final Fantasy Nine", he headed into the common room. Muttering ,he again thought what a stupid password it was. His personal opinion was that Final Fantasy 8 was the best of the series after having a chance over the past summer to secretly get hold of Dudley's old playstation, but Dean Thomas who had picked this weeks password, he heatedly argued otherwise, so in the end that had become the password.

Dudley had gotten a PS2 after chucking his old PS1 out the window yet again last birthday because he didn't get the games he wanted. Dudley was more a Mega Mutilation person then a role player, and getting FF8 wasn't high on his priority list, therefore causing said playstation to go sailing out the 1st floor window of his room. Harry had rescued it, fixed it up, and fished FF8 out of the rubbish bin just in time. Hooking it up to the 19" telly that Dudley had also deemed unworthy years before and Uncle Vernon had grudgingly given to Harry rather then throw it out, Harry had found a whole new world opened to him rather then the complete bordem that usually faced his otherwise horrendous summers.

His moments of solitude didn't last long however, as Ron and Hermione (who had obviously been doing alot more then just talking on the sofa) rounded on him as to where he'd been.

"Harry! Where in the bloody hell have you been? We were worried sick!" Ron said in a huff. Ron had grown quite good looking over the past couple of years, opting to take on his brother Bill's fashion sense and hairstyle including growing his hair in and keeping it tied back. He had grown to a height of 6'3 now, even taller then Harry, and after having the opportunity to travel now that the Weasley's had actually a bit of money due to Fred and George's success in opening their joke shop, he was quite tanned these days, and muscular thanks to his Quidditch training.

"Honestly Harry, if you're going to just go off like that, atleast tell us! You gave us quite a start!" Hermione said giving him her usual 'glare' when she was annoyed with him. Hermione had also grown quite pretty over the past few years. It hadn't been noticeable until she had started dating Ron though. Her hair was far less bushier, and she had added a few red highlights to it over the summer hols. Her teeth were still quite nice even now, especially in view of the hex Malfoy had cast at her back in 4th year. She had mellowed out a bit too since dating Ron, though her love of her books, hadn't decreased much, even though Ron often kept her 'occupied' in other ways.

"Sorry bout that guys. Something came up, bit of an emergency." Harry said avoiding their eyes. Harry definitely wasn't going to tell these two where he'd been, nor why. Atleast not now, not when even he didn't fully understand things.

"Dumbledore came and told us he had you doing something for him, and that you'd be delayed a bit. What was so important that you couldn't tell us even?" Ron said a bit miffed that he had been left out of something.

"Really Ron, it was nothing. I'd tell you...but then I'd have to kill you afterwards." Harry said attempting a grin at Ron.

Ron chuckled like Harry hoped he would, but Hermione only rolled her eyes and make a tsking sound. "If you dont want to tell us fine, but if you're going to go galavanting off like that next time let us know allright? We really were worried bout you you big oaf." she said swatting Harry's shoulder.

Harry laughed then gave her a smile. "Sure 'Mione, will do my best to. Really though I am sorry I didn't tell you I was going to be busy, it was sort of..unplanned."

"Well I suppose this time we'll forgive you Harry. Anyway we best be getting up to bed, McGonagall's due for rounds soon and I really dont want another detention this week" Ron said grimacing and giving a pitiful sigh.

"You wouldn't have gotten detention if you had paid attention during McGonagall's class yesterday. Really Ron, what am I going to do with you?" Hermione said with mock annoyance.

"Oh...I can think of several things Head Girl Granger...care to be enlightened?" Ron said winking at her and pulled her to him, causing her to blush slightly.

"I think I'll head up to the room now....dont be too long you two!" Harry said with a wink, then grinned at the blushes now on both their faces. He climbed the stairs that led to their dorm still amazed that after so many years those two were like a newly formed couple, still very much in love with each other, and immune to anyone else's charms.

As he undressed and put his pyjama's on, tuning out the snores that came from Neville, Dean and Seamus, he climbed into bed, closed his curtains, and lie down thinking on that still. Hermione and Ron really were good for each other, there was no question there. They were the epitome of what a couple should be like, in all ways. That they still argued was a given, they wouldn't be Ron an Hermione if they didn't. That they could still tune out everyone in a room but themselves, was still amazing to watch, atleast in Harry's mind. That they still loved each other even more then they had years ago, wasn't even fathomable to Harry.

What was it like to be that much in love with someone...to know that you'd die to protect them, or that they would for you? To be in someone's arms and forget everything else but the wonders of their partner, to find their other half and be happy...forever. Ron had found that with Hermione, and Remus had found that with Severus, Dean had with Seamus, Neville had with Ginny, Percy and Penelope had gone and even married, and even Sirius...well Sirius was on again off again 'seeing' this bloke who had a flat down in Hogsmeade, however when Sirius was in town, they certainly didnt spare for lost make up time. Why was it then that he, the Boy Who Lived...the Saviour Of The Wizarding World...could not?

Ron came upstairs a few minutes later, but Harry wasn't in the mood to talk with him anymore that night, and was glad when Ron went right to sleep. It still amazed Harry how quickly Ron could nod off, and not more then 5 minutes later, a soft snoring could be heard coming from Ron's bed, and Harry returned to his train of thought.

Ron and Hermione....inseparable in nearly everything. They supported each other, when they weren't having a row over things, they could almost feel when the other needed them, and were always there for each other as a comfort and friend, not just as lovers. With Hermione having her own room this year being Head Girl, it was soon a given that some nights during the weekends Ron didn't always sleep in his own bed, with made Harry almost a tiny bit jealous.

He shouldn't have been really, but he was. He liked Lisa, though he didn't exactly remember when or why he'd originally asked her out, it just had sort of happened. But when he compared Ron and Hermione to himself and Lisa, it was an obvious that they were never going to be up his best friends standards. Truth was that when he'd gotten back off summer hols, he really hadn't felt anything towards Lisa, though he couldn't bring himself to break up with her.

It was after a few days after term started and Harry and Lisa were taking a walk down by the Quidditch pitch that he realized this. Lisa of course initiated a long missed snogging session, but for the most part Harry only remembered that the feelings he thought he'd had for her were gone, and maybe had never been there a'toll. Unlike the others, Harry was still a virgin. He'd never gone past the snogging, he wasn't sure even if he wanted to. Though his body certainly at times had seemed willing with first Cho, then Lisa, something in his mind always held him back, though he could never figure out what.

When the clock in the outside tower struck 11 pm, Harry realized sleep wasn't going to be forthcoming. His mind just wasn't allowing him to relax enough, and his body still felt way too tensed up from the day's events. Listening to make sure his roommates were still fast sleep, he silently crept out of bed, put his robes on over his pyjamas, and dug out his fathers invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. As he picked up his shoes, deciding to put them on when he'd left rather then risk it now, he wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but he just knew he had to get out of where he was.

Downstairs in the commons, he put on his shoes finally, threw the cloak round his body, and whispered the words that would make the map he held tightly in his hands activate, making sure the coast was clear once he got outside. Seeing all was clear, he headed out the portrait hole, and stood waiting almost expectantly for something.

Over the years the Fat Lady had finally figured out who it was that silently disturbed her late night sleep, and like she had done with James Potter years and years ago, she would hold her tongue bout Harry's late night wanderings. She felt a bit of pity for this poor boy, seeing as how this one boy went through so much in such a short lifetime. She recalled James, Harry's father, as a bit of a nuisance sometimes, but she had taken a shining to him because he was oddly polite to her, Harry taking on those traits.

"Do be careful Harry, I think I saw Peeves heading down the left corridor." she said quietly to him now. They always had this little tete-a-tete tween each other before he'd set off to wherever it was that he went on his sleepless nights.

"Thanks, I'll make sure to go right then instead. I'll be back in a while." Harry said back just as quietly. Although Harry could have easily found Peeve's whereabouts via the map, he enjoyed that moment of conversation from the Fat Lady. Keeping the map active, but rolling it up and placing it inside his robe pocket that also held his wand, he headed off to the right, still unsure even of where he'd end up.

He was still lost in his thoughts so it wasn't really surprizing that in the end, he'd ended up outside Remus's door, and risking it, he knocked gently upon it. Remus didn't come to the door at the slight knock, and Harry suddenly suspected why maybe he hadnt answered it. Pulling the Marauder's Map out again he saw he was right. There were two dots in the room beyond the sitting room, one labeled Remus J. Lupin, the other Severus Snape.

Deciding that after all he really didn't want to intrude on the two of them, he checked the map to see where else he could go. Peeves was bouncing round in the armory, so that was out. Filch was prowling round the library area, so that was also out. Suddenly then a dot appeared and caught his eye. He hadn't seen it earlier, so Harry assumed the person had just entered the grounds, the odd thing bout it was the dot had no name indicating who the person might have been.

Harry knew the map always knew a person's name, even if they were ghosts, or registered or unregistered animagus. Even people using polyjuice would show up, which is how Harry had mistaken Barty Crouch Jr. for his father back in 4th year, even though he was in the 'body' of Alastair "Mad-Eye" Moody.

That issue always did bother Harry too, for if he had questioned the map sooner maybe, they might have seen it wasn't Moody a'toll but Crouch instead. Possibly it might have even saved the senior Crouch's life, Cedric Diggory's life, and destroying the chance that had given Voldemort a body back at Harry's expense. Right now however, Harry's main concern wasn't in the past, but with this odd nameless dot.

He knew better at this point to go searching out whatever this was, or whoever this was, so he turned back to Remus's door and knocked louder this time, making sure to keep an eye on the dot. Right now it wasn't moving, it was sitting at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, not far from where Hagrid's hut stood, and it appeared as if it was waiting on something, though Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know what.

He knocked on the door yet again, and this time was rewarded. A very surprized Remus peered round the corner of the door, and Harry without even saying a word, sped past him into the room.

"Harry, what on earth...?" Remus said, tying up the dressing gown he'd quickly thrown over himself. It had been a present from Severus last year for his birthday, and although Remus wasn't really the type to fancy black colours, preferring earthy tones or blues, he had to admit he rather liked the silky robe with the initials R.J.L. embroidered on it in silver and green threads, although Severus getting it for him had been a bit of an influence.

"Remus?" Severus said from the bedroom doorway a bit sleepily. He was also tying up a dressing gown that he kept there for the times he apparently spent the evening in Remus's company. The gown was an exact match of Remus's, and Harry saw that the initials S.S. were embroidered on it in silver and green threads as well. "Oh, it's you Harry. What's wrong?" he said stepping into the front room now and seeing the odd look on Harry's face.

Harry didn't say anything at first, just gave the map to Remus, and pointed to the dot he'd been staring at. "This is what's wrong. Bit...odd...dont you think?" he said staring at Remus.

"Hmm, yes. I see then. I agree, bit odd at that." Remus said keeping a watch on the dot.

"Care to enlighten me on what it is you're looking at?" Severus said a bit crossley and sat down at the dinette looking at Remus, then Harry, then back to Remus.

"Remember this from back in Harry's 3rd year Sev?" Remus said showing him the map.

Severus furrowed his brow and thought bout that a second, realization finally hitting him. "That the Zonko's product you so vehemently denied as being nothing more then a child's joke product, though in the end you made the small mistake of leaving it open on your desk, which is where I found it, and saw what it really did." he said in a drawl that reminded Harry of the old Severus Snape almost.

Remus chuckled, but nodded. "One and the same. I would have told you more about it back then but if I remember correctly, you weren't exactly on the greatest of terms with me yet at that point, so I didn't."

"Well what exactly is the thing then?" he said still a bit crossley.

"It's really more then a map, it's a very 'expressive' one at that." Remus said turning it over now to Severus.

"Hmm...well dark arts was always your greatest strength Remmy. Veritessium I take it?" he said, his black eyes absorbing the map with intensity.

"Among other things yes. That was actually an idea we got from you Sev. I remembered how you slipped it into Peter's pumpkin juice one night causing him to go on and on about how he felt on a certain Hufflepuff girl. Most embarrassing really." Remus said chuckling.

"Yes, yes I remember that. It was actually Lucius's idea, not mine, though I did the brewing and distribution part of the potion." Severus said looking up at Remus a little grin forming on his lips.

"Anyway, I used it to...how do I put it...give the map it's 'personality'. The use of the Veritessium would ensure that no matter what form a person would use - animagus, polyjuice, even the ghosts and Peeves - would 'reveal' themselves in truth. That's how I found out Ron's rat Scabbers was really Pettigrew back then. It will also reveal passwords for the 'secret passages' and such. Came in quite handy over the years when trying to escape Filch during our 'maraudering' days." Remus said with a catch in his voice as he recalled those days fondly.

"So that's why you followed them all out to the Shreaking Shack back in Harry's 3rd year." Severus said, his eyes back on the map. "Have to say it's a work of art now that I've seen it in action. Looks like Peeves is up to something, Filch is hot on his trail." he said with a chuckle.

"Not to barge in on Peeve's troublemaking here, but can we get back to the issue at hand?" Harry said, worry still in his voice.

"Ahh, right you are Harry. Let's see...aha, there's the offender, still where it was luckily." Remus said glancing over Severus's shoulder at the map, and pointing to the unlabeled dot.

"Nameless dot? You sure this thing's working right?" Severus said.

"Sirius charmed it to last forever, or until it was destroyed Sev. I doubt it wouldn't be working correctly." Remus said a bit sharply. Despite everything, Severus and Sirius still couldn't get round old habits of antagonisms.

"I"m not disparaging Black's charm work Remus, just asking that's all. So what does it mean?" Severus said trying to pacify Remus's sharpness. It was only a week till the full moon, and Remus had a tendency to become a bit testy during this time.

"Maybe whatever it is isn't...human Remus?" Harry asked.

"Hmm, could be Harry. The map wasn't really designed for creatures, just people, even if they are dead or transformed. Still though, wouldn't make sense. Mrs. Norris nor Fang, not even that blasted 3 headed dog Fluffy that still remains in 3rd floor hallway show up on the map. If we had included spotting creatures as well we'd have probably gone daft trying to figure out every spider, bat and worm on the grounds. Somehow I really dont think it is one." Remus said thoughtfully.

"Werebeasts, Remus, or vampires. They have 'human' blood in them, they might show up on the map." Severus said slowly.

"That's more likely to be the case then a full creature. But what on earth would one of them be doing here? Albus has wards round the forest that they cant cross to get out, if that's what it is." Remus said.

"Maybe we should go find out? Just get a peek anyway. It's not moving, just sitting there. If it's dangerous, we'll come back and get Dumbledore." Harry said now.

"I'm not so sure I like that idea Harry, but you have a point. Atleast we can get an idea of what it is, so we have a good excuse to rise Albus up from bed. Let's not dally then. If it is a werebeast or a vampire who's left the forest, Albus has to know right away." Severus said getting up from the chair and handing the map back to Harry.

"Right then. Harry keep that map active, we'll need to know if it moves allright?" Remus said, and headed towards the door.

Harry suddenly thought of something. "Err...does it matter that we're not really dressed to go outside though?" he said a bit sheepishly.

Remus and Severus stood there a moment, then laughed. Severus took his wand out and pointed it at himself saying the words, "Clothe Recurso!" and a moment later he was dressed in of course, all black from head to toe, the dressing gown (and it was obvious to Harry that was all he'd been wearing) neatly folded at his feet. Remus then did the same thing to himself, only he summoned up something a bit on the brownish side, then Severus cast the spell on Harry, who found himself suddenly dressed in black as well, his dressing robes and pyjama's also in a neat pile at his feet.

"There, answers that question. Let's get a move on shall we then?" Remus said opening the door to the corridor, and the three of them then headed off towards the Grand Hallway.

It wasn't till they got there however, that Harry remembered to check the map. Another dot surprizingly was now moving, and it made Harry stop short as they were bout to head out the main doors. Remus and Severus who had been infront of him realized this, and held up, a questioning look in their eyes.

"Go on without me...there's something I have to do. Let me know what happened." Harry said, his eyes unwavering off the moving dot.

"Harry? Something up?" Remus said seeing the odd expression yet again on Harry's face.

"N-no. Nothing. Just go ahead, I'll be allright, promise." He said, and turned round before they could respond, fleeing into a righthand corridor.

Making sure that he hadn't been followed, he quickly sped through the corridors to the staircases, praying they wouldn't change course midway and send him off to just anywheres. The dot was clearly heading in a direction now Harry knew well from his midnight wanderings, he'd gone there often enough himself, but how this person knew of the place he didn't understand. He was foolish enough to almost think noone else had found it afore he had, other then probably Fred and George possibly, and you had to have a password to enter it. But obviously he had been wrong, someone else had known bout this place, and it was there that the person was obviously heading.

Keeping his eyes on the map when possible, he was sure of it when the dot paused, and he saw a tiny bubble over the dot revealing the password, and then the dot surprizingly disappeared. Harry was 100% sure however that the person was in the hidden room, although he didn't understand why the dot would disappear like that suddenly.

The staircases to his dismay did change midstream, sending him to the complete otherside of where he wanted to be. After several wrong turns, and barely escaping the sudden appearance of Peeves and Filch which reminded him he was completely exposed to them at the moment, the invisibility cloak still back at Remus's, he finally got back on the right path to the secret room.

He stopped for a second again, and peered at the map, he was very close now to where he wanted to go, when he saw the dot reappear suddenly. The dot sat there, unwavering, then again disappeared. Harry finally arrived at the secret door moments later, and whispered the password to get inside. He walked into the very familiar room, and waited until he heard the click of the door as it shut behind him. He glanced down at the map for a second, ready to wipe it clear, when something made him gasp. The map had cleared itself, there wasn't a single mark now upon it, and Harry knew he hadn't been the one to do it.

He'd found this place without the map originally, and never had brought the map inside it now that he thought on things, so this was defiantly odd to him. What surprized him even more then, was that the map somehow reactivated itself now, and instead of showing Hogwarts and the grounds like it should, only one room appeared. The room he was in. And the final shock to issue from the map was the dots, or what should have been dots. Instead now there were two figures, not stick figures even like usual, but almost exact replicas of the two people even down to what they were currently wearing. Harry didn't move, didn't take his eyes off the map then, and watched awed when seconds later two names mysteriously appeared under those figures, even though Harry had allready know who the two figures were.

Underneath the figures, in writing that Harry didn't recognize ,yet seemed hauntingly familiar, came the two names - Harry James Potter and Draco Lucius Malfoy.

* * * * *

Told you I'd shoot for another chapter tonight. :) Mind you this was a long one, took longer then I planned anyway and I hope you'll forgive me for the length of it, I just had to put it all down before it slipped away. At anyrate, post again tomorrow, hopefully anyway. Have to work late at both jobs, but I will do me best. Ta-ra for now!

As for the map, I"m assuming here it does indeed show ALL of Hogwarts, grounds included. That's how Remus did see Peter when they left Hagrid's hut, and he only followed them once he realized they were headed for the Whomping Willow, which is why he probably didn't feel the need to take the map off his desk, hence how Severus found it. Assumably the Forbidden Forest is the boundary marker for the map, though I haven't done research into it yet via one of the many books on the market on the history of Hogwarts. If anyone does know for sure what areas are included other then the stated facts, please let me know. :)

2002-03-13 1:56:33 AM