When Ben went back to school after New Year, his friends still hadn't made up. It was really strange to see them separated, so the boy kept trying to get them to fix their issues, but it was useless.

Hermione was being extremely stubborn. She kept saying she had done the right thing, and she refused to apologise. Ben understood her worries, but he honestly didn't think telling McGonagall behind Harry and Ron's backs was the best thing to do.

So Ben was caught in a very uncomfortable position, continuously trying to convince either one of both sides to understand the other's reasons, and to stop ignoring and avoiding each other. They were all making it nearly impossible, therefore he began hanging out more with Thomas and Leah. And sometimes with Harry alone, since at least he wasn't constantly complaining about what happened, unlike Hermione and Ron, who kept critizising each other.

One afternoon, Harry had to go have private lessons with Lupin. He was helping the boy learn a spell to defend himself from dementors, in case they attacked him again. And Ben didn't want to stay at the Gryffindor tower, so she went to see if he could find Thomas. They met each other at the library and, as they usually did, they worked on their shared comic, as they chatted, and tried their best to not laugh too loudly, to avoid getting kicked out.

A couple of hours later, they decided it was enough for the day, and went back to their common rooms. Ben was worried Harry wouldn't be at theirs, yet, so he accompanied Thomas on his way to the dungeons.

Right as they arrived at the entrance, Ben's eyes widened as he saw none but Steve standing near it, a wide smile on his face. Thomas waved goodbye at his friend, and he copied the gesture, before approaching the Hufflepuff hesitantly.

"Hey," he greeted, slightly shyly.

Steve turned to him, and he looked genuinely happy at the sight of him. "Hi!"

"Are you here to... see my sister?" he asked, after a pause. He wasn't sure if it was okay for him to ask, but he technically wasn't supposed to know they had broken up.

"Yeah, I was," he replied. "I just dropped her off."

"Cool, that's awesome..."

There was a rather tense silence. Ben wanted to find out if they were back together or something, but the ambience was so uncomfortable that he preferred going back to his common room, even if it meant to hear Hermione complain about Ron and Harry, or to hear Ron complain about Hermione.

"You knew, right?" asked Steve, all of a sudden.

Ben frowned. "Knew what, exactly?"

"That she was hiding it before."

"Oh," he said. "Well, uhm... Yeah. But it wasn't because she was... ashamed of being with you, at all. Our parents aren't especially sweet, and they don't really like most people, you know?"

"I know, I know," he admitted. "She told me everything on the first day of school. I'm honestly very glad she did; I was being way too rude to her, and I don't think she deserved it."

Ben nodded in understanding. "Are you... dating again?"

"Yes, we are," he answered, smiling from ear to ear.

———————————————

"How's she doing it?" Ron muttered to Harry and Ben that evening, as they finished an essay on Undetectable Poisons for Snape.

"You mean Hermione?" asked Ben in a whisper. Ron nodded. The three boys looked over at Hermione, to find her barely visible behind a tottering pile of books.

"How's she doing what?" wondered Harry.

"Getting to all her classes!" Ron said. "I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione couldn't have been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures!"

"Hold up..." whispered Ben. "Most of your Divination classes are at the same time as Muggle Studies, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she's never skipped a single Muggle Studies class..."

"See?" exclaimed Ron, and then lowered his volume again. "There's no way she's at two places at once."

Before they had time to discuss it, they were interrupted by the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood. "Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She, er... got a bit shirty with me. Told me I'd got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first." Wood shook his head in disbelief. "Honestly, the way she was yelling at me... you'd think I'd said something terrible. Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it..." He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall's severe voice. "'As long as necessary, Wood'... I reckon it's time you ordered a new broom, Harry. There's an order form at the back of Which Broomstick... you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy's got."

"I can get it for you, if you want to," rushed to say Ben, who had wanted to get him a new broom since his last one was broken.

"You don't have to, Ben," he replied at once. "I can buy it myself. But not that one, I don't want anything Malfoy thinks is good."

January slowly faded into February, and the match against Ravenclaw was getting nearer and nearer. However, Harry still hadn't ordered a new broom, and had begna asking Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every Transfiguration lesson, Ron and Ben standing hopefully at his shoulder, Hermione rushing past with her face averted.

"No, Potter, you can't have it back yet," Professor McGonagall told him the twelfth time this happened, before he'd even opened his mouth. "We've checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you once we've finished checking it. Now, please stop badgering me."

Harry stopped asking, but didn't get a new broom, and kept refusing Ben's offers of buying him one. Until, one day, McGonagall and Flitwick finally finished their work, and Harry went back to the common room from his private lessons with Lupin, sparkling in happiness as he held his broom.

"I got my broom back!" he exclaimed.

Ron dashed toward Harry, and Ben followed him, both grinning blissfully.

"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah, sure," said Harry. "You know, what, we should make up with Hermione. Ben was right, she was only trying to help..."

"Yeah, all right," agreed Ron. "She's in the common room now. Working, for a change."

———————————————

So, they finally made up with Hermione regarding the broom argument. Ben thought it had taken them way too long to do it officially, knowing they had started talking to her every now and then.

However, Ron and Hermione had another argument right after that, and it was even more serious. It seemed to be the end of their friendship.

Crookshanks had killed Scabbers, or at least that was what it looked like.

Ron had found blood on his bedsheet, and his rat was nowhere to be seen. He had looked everywhere, but Scabbers was gone. Instead, he had found several long, ginger cat hairs that looked exactly like Crookshanks'.

Ron was furious at Hermione for acting as though the loss of his rat didn't matter, and for never taking Crookshanks' attempts of eating Scabbers seriously. But the redhead was truly devastated, too. He spent the rest of the evening sobbing on his bed, surrounded by Ginny, the twins, Harry and Ben, who tried their best to cheer him up.

"Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was," said Fred bracingly. "And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly; one swallow... He probably didn't feel a thing."

"Fred!" Ginny scolded him.

"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself," reminded George.

"He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron cried miserably. "Remember, Harry?"

"Yeah, that's true," nodded Harry.

"His finest hour," said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. "Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?"

Ron got extremely mad at Fred and George for not taking it seriously, either, and began yelling at them to leave. Ginny accompanied them, after giving her brother a quick hug, and blushing at Harry's 'Bye!'.

The redhead drifted into sleep with tears still streaming down his cheeks. Harry and Ben had decided to wait until he was asleep before doing it themselves, ensuuring they could be by his side if he needed them.

Harry was observing the Marauder's Map, which was the map that had been given to him by Fred and George so he could join them at Hogsmeade. Ben was reading the book Harry had gifted him for Christmas, as Snowie purred next to him.

All of a sudden, he realised something interesting.

He looked up from the pages to glance at Harry. He was wearing a slightly oversized grey hoodie that seemed warm and soft. The black-haired boy soon noticed he was being stared at, and turned to him. Ben felt his cheeks turn hot, and inmediately looked away, flustered.

When he looked back to him, the corners of his lips were tilted upwards in a friendly gesture. "Hi," he mouthed.

"Hello," replied Ben in a whisper. "I just noticed something you might be interested in."

"Really?" asked Harry. Ben nodded. "What is it?"

"Come here," beckoned Ben. "I don't wanna wake anyone up."

Still holding the Marauder's Map, Harry got up from his bed, slowly to avoid making any unnecessary noises. Ben moved over to make some space for Harry, and watched him attentively as he sat close to him. Boots jumped on the bed, and walked over to Harry before lying down on his lap. The boy chuckled softly, smiling as he tickled the cat's head.

Ben felt his lips draw a smile, and Harry looked up at his friend, eyes sparkling in curiosity, probably.

Ben wondered how it was possible for someone's eyes to be as beautiful as Harry's. Honestly, they were of such an intense hue of green, and glowed with a brightness that made them resemble the most dazzling emeralds.

"Ben?" called Harry, eyebrows furrowed.

Ben almost jumped. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, receiving a nod. Harry watched him for a couple of moments, though Ben was too embarrassed to make eye contact. "What did you want to tell me?"

Ben cleared his throat as quietly as he could. "I was reading the book you gave me for Christmas, and came across a page talking about Kneazles."

"About what?"

"Kneazles," he repeated. "They're magical creatures, related to cats. They look almost identical to them, but they have a slight resemblance to lions, since their tails are similar."

"Like Crookshanks' tail!" he whisper-exclaimed.

Ben smirked at him. "That's what I was trying to say..."

"What do you mean?"

"That, perhaps, only perhaps, Crookshanks might be a Kneazle. Of maybe half-Kneazle, or something like that."

"Just because they look alike?"

"No, because their descriptions match, and their behaviours are very similar. Kneazles are intelligent; very intelligent, and quite independent. They can also sometimes be aggressive towards people who they see as untrustworthy," he explained. "And that's what I noticed before. Kneazles have an... ability to detect if someone has bad intentions, or simply is untrustworthy, as I said," Harry nodded, signalling him to go on. "So, I don't mean to say anything rude regarding Ron or Scabbers, I hope he rests in peace, but I can't help but wonder if... I don't know, if maybe there was something wrong with him?"

"Do you mean that he was... Hexed or something?"

"I honestly have no idea," he concluded. Harry looked at him, and Ben could tell his mind was running. "I just... thought I'd share my theory."

"It's truly interesting," he commented, smiling. "I love how you come up with things like this by connecting what seems like non-related dots. It's brilliant; you're brilliant, to be honest."

"Thanks," he chuckled under his breath. "You're brilliant, too."

Harry went slightly red, and glanced down at the Marauder's Map. Ben observed as his shy smile slowly faded into a worried expression.

"Is everything okay?"

As an answer, Harry pointed at something on the map. It was a name tag, one of those that followed the movements and showed the exact location of people in the castle. Ben's hazel eyes widened as he read the name; Peter Pettigrew.

"What?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

All of a sudden, Ron let out a strangled gasp. Both Ben and Harry's hearts jolted as they looked over at their friend, who was now sitting on his bed. "Spiders! There's... There's s-spiders. Spiders! They want me to tap dance... I don't want to tap dance!"

"You tell those spiders, Ron," Harry encouraged him.

"Yeah, right, tell them... I'll tell them," said Ron, nodding in convincement. He blinked, and stared at them for a couple of seconds. Ben feared he'd ask why they were both on the same bed, but the redhead drifted back to sleep, and began snoring loudly.

Harry and Ben's attention went back to the map. Surely it had to be mistaken? Wasn't Peter Pettigrew supposed to be dead? Hadn't he been one of Sirius Black's victims?

"That's impossible," announced Ben. "I bet it's just a mistake."

"It's never been wrong before," replied Harry.

"There's always a first time for everything," he retorted.

"Yeah, but... I don't know," he whispered. "We should go find out what's happening."

Ben was fully and unequivocally sure that it would lead them to trouble.

"We definitely should."

And so they got out of bed, trying not to wake Snowie or Boots up. After tying his shoelaces, Ben headed to his trunk to get a hoodie, since it was still slightly cold, but Harry threw a black one at him. "We can't lose any time."

Ben nodded, and put it on quickly. He was glad to find out it smelled like Harry.

"This is my favourite hoodie of yours," he commented as they hurried out of the Gryffindor tower, and into the dark, cold, corridors.

"I know," replied Harry, smirking at him. "Lumos."

"Lumos."

The tips of their wands lit up, allowing them to see their surroundings, and causing the nearby paintings to complain. Harry illuminated the Marauder's Map so he could see.

"Where is he, Harry?" asked Ben.

"I thought I was the one with vision problems," teased Harry.

"Oh, come on," he complained, though he had to admit he had found it funny. "Shut up and tell me where Pettigrew is."

"Am I supposed to shut up, or to reply?"

"I hate you," he grumbled, clearly not meaning it in the slightest.

Harry chuckled. "He's two corridors away from us."

"Cool," commented Ben. "What are we going to do when we see him- if we do see him? Are we going to talk to him?"

"I have no idea."

They remained silent, observing the dot labelled 'Peter Pettigrew' as they approached it, and it approached them. According to the map, they would be able to see him once he turned the corner right in front of them.

They waited. And waited a little bit more, but there was no sight of a man there. However, the dot was still moving, getting closer and closer to them, until it reached them, and then walked past them, and turned the corner behind them.

Harry turned to Ben, confusion written all over their faces.

"What if he's a ghost?" asked Ben.

"We normally see ghosts," he answered.

"Well maybe it was an invisible ghost," he suggested, shrugging. The sound of footsteps approaching, but still safely away from them, reached his ears. "There's someone coming."

Harry pointed his wand back to the map, and mumbled a curse word under his breath at the sight of a dot labelled 'Severus Snape', which was walking their way.

"What is it doing walking around at this time?" questioned Harry.

"He could wonder the exact same thing about us, and he probably will if he finds us," noted Ben, and his worried look turned into a grin as he noticed something. "Did you just call Snape an 'it'?"

"Did I?" he asked, smirking.

Ben would've liked to joke further, but Snape was getting too close to comfort. He grabbed Harry's hand, and they began running up the corridor after turning their wands off. He was surprised to notice how soft and warm Harry's hand was.

They turned around a corner, and crouched down next to the wall as close to each other as possible. Ben could hear Harry's heart quickly beating, and was sure he could hear his own pounding on his chest. They waited in silence, wishing Snape wouldn't find them.

But he did.

He emerged out of absolutely nowhere, revealing his presence by lighting up his wand. Ben could've sworn he nearly had a heart attack right there.

His face was contorted, and his nostrils were visibly flaring. Snape's small, dark eyes were fixed on Harry's hands, disgust clear on his expression. Ben looked at them, expecting to see the Marauder's Map but, to his surprise, he had kept it in his pocket.

Instead, on Harry's hand, was his.

Oh. He had completely forgotten about him grabbing Harry's hand to lead him through the corridor. It seemed like they were holding hands, and panic washed over him like a wild wave.

He instantly dropped it, rather abruptly, receiving a look he couldn't decipher from Harry, and they both stood up.

"Potter, Walker," called Snape. "What are you doing wandering the corridors at night?"

"Sleepwalking," replied Harry.

"Both of you?" asked Snape sarcastically.

"No, only Harry," said Ben, with the forementioned nodding. "I went with him to make sure he didn't get hurt."

"And why didn't you wake your dear friend up?"

"I've heard it's dangerous to wake up someone who's sleep walking," commented Ben. "I'm not sure if it's true, but I thought I'd better not risk it."

"How surprisingly unlike your father you are, Walker," commented Snape. Ben took it as a compliment. The professor turned to Harry. "You, Potter, on the other hand, are exceptionally like your father. He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle."

"My dad didn't strut. And neither do I," he stated sharply. "Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could lower your wand."

Snape did as he said. "Turn out your pockets."

"Why?" asked Ben.

"Because I say so," snapped Snape. "Turn. Out. Your. Pockets."

They did. Ben took out a tissue and a hair tie from the pocket of his trousers, and Harry reluctantly took out the Marauder's Map, though it looked like a simple piece of parchment now.

"What is that?" asked Snape.

He was clearly referring to the map, but he had technically not especified, so Ben figured out he could pretend to not have understood it to win some time.

"This?" he asked loudly. "Well, this is a tissue. I haven't used it yet, so you can have it, if you want to," he suggested, and handed it to him. Snape gave him an odd look, but still took it. "Take it. I'm sure it'll be usefull someday, and you'll think of me when you use it. I guess I still have it here because, this Christmas, while I was at home, I got a strong cold for a couple of days. You should've seen the amount of tissues I used!"

"Thank you for sharing, Walker," Snape forced himself to say. Ben glanced over at Harry, who was trying his best not to chuckle. "Although that is not what I was referring to."

"Oh, alright," he nodded and, right before Snape could open his mouth again to tell Harry to explain what the map was, he continued speaking. "This is a hair tie. I really don't know why I have it, I assume it's from my sister Audrey. I didn't mean to steal it from her, though... She doesn't like it when I take her things. It's not fair of her to get mad at me for it, since she's always taking my stuff, so I'm not giving it back to her."

"Alright," commented Snape. Harry covered up a laugh with a fake cough. When the Slytherin was about to turn to him, Ben interrupted him once again.

"I don't think I'll find any use for it, though..." he continued thoughtfully. "You see, I, myself, don't have long hair. I could perhaps try to tie it up with that, but I bet I'd look like a poodle, and Ron would make fun of me for ages. So I've decided to give it to you, professor. I really think a ponytail would suit you."

Snape snatched the hair tie from him, and finally turned to Harry.

"What is that piece of parchment?" he asked.

"A piece of parchment," Harry replied simply.

Snape took the map, and examined it in his hands. "I repeat the question, Potter. What is this?"

"I'm pretty sure it's still a piece of parchment, sir."

"Let me see, let me see..." he muttered, taking out his wand and pointing at the map with it. "Reveal your secret!"

Nothing happened. Ben swallowed hard as Harry clenched his hands to stop them from shaking.

"Show yourself!" exclaimed Snape, tapping the map sharply.

It stayed blank. Harry was taking deep, calming breaths.

"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" ordered Snape, hitting the map with his wand.

As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.

'Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.'

Snape froze. Harry and Ben stared, speechless, at the message. However, 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.'

Ben was fighting the urge to laugh, and he could tell so was Harry, though he was doing a much better job at hiding it.

'Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor. Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.'

Snape's nostrlins flared with anger, and he clenched his teeth, casting a menacing glare at the boys.

"Professor Snape!" greeted Professor Lupin, standing in his pyjamas as he grinned from ear to ear, and held a lit wand. "What's the problem here?"

"Well, well, well, Lupin," said Snape through gritted teeth. "Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?"

Lupin completely dismissed Snape's comment. "Harry, Ben, are you alright?"

They both nodded. "That remains to be seen," said Snape, before taking the Marauder's Map from Harry's hands. "I have just now confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr. Potter. Take a look, Lupin, it's supposed to be your area of expertise. It's clearly full of dark magic."

"I seriously doubt it, Severus," denied Lupin, examining the map. "It looks as though it's a parchment designed to insult whoever tries to read it," he let out a chuckle. "I suspect it's a Zonko product."

Snape extended an arm, in an attempt to take it back, but Lupin took it out of his reach with a quick movement. "Nevertheless, I shall investigate any hidden qualities it might possess. It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise," he said. "Harry, Ben, would you come with me, please? Professor, good night."

Snape didn't speak anymore, and watched as Professor Lupin walked away, followed by both Gryffindors.

Lupin guided them to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom in silence. "I haven't the faintest idea of how this map came to be in your possesion. But, quite frankly, I am astounded that you didn't hand it in. Did it never occur to you that this, in the hands of Sirius Black, is a map to you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sir."

"Your father never set much store by the rules, either, but he and your mother gave their lives to save yours," he continued. "Gambling their sacrifice by wandering around the castle unprotected, and only with the company of a friend, with a killer on the loose seems to me a poor way to repay them!"

Harry looked down at his feet.

"Now, I will not cover for you again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

"I want you two to return to your dormitory, and stay there. And don't take any detours. If you do, I shall know," he stated, before turning to Ben. "Would you mind to have a word with me, Ben?"

Harry headed for the door, and waited there in silence. Lupin took a couple of steps back, so Ben took two more forward.

"I know that you care about him, very... dearly," said the professor in a whisper. "I'm aware that you wouldn't want him to get hurt in any manner. And I'm aware that you are someone very important to him. That is the reason why I'm asking you to make sure he stays out of trouble."

"You mean to protect him, right, sir?"

"Yes, but I know you already do that as much as you possibly can when you are in any sort of danger," he said. "However, you can hopefully avoid you four being in dangerous situations by convincing him to not take unnecessary risks. I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear with this."

"Yes, you are," he assured. "Basically, I have to convince him to not do what he has been doing for the past two years and a half."

"Exactly."

"I will do my best, sir," he stated. "I will do everything in my hands to make sure he's okay."

Lupin gave him a warm smile, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You remind me a lot of someone, Ben."

"Of who?" he wondered.

"I don't think you would believe me if I told you," he confessed. "And I don't think it would be the best idea to do so... Please take care of yourself, too, and don't get into trouble, either."

Ben nodded, and Lupin removed his hand, leaving a temporary cold sensation on his shoulder. The professor began walking over to his office, so Ben joined Harry.

Right as they were about to exit the classroom, Harry turned around, and called for Lupin. "Professor, just so you know, I don't think that map always works. Earlier on, it showed someone in the castle. Someone I know to be dead."

"Oh, really? And who might that be?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Words couldn't describe the look on Lupin's face. "That's... not possible."

"It's just what I saw... Goodbye, professor," concluded Harry, before leaving the classroom, followed by Ben, who waved goodbye to their teacher.

A/N: things are starting to happen... 

also i know that, technically, according to the movies, harry seeing pettigrew on the map happened on christmas. but in the books it was some time after that, and the exact date wasn't specified, so i decided to place it around february.