Chapter 138: The Marauder's Map
Chapter 138: The Marauder's Map
The Weasley twins, Fred and George, had sneaked into the Forbidden Forest, eager for a close encounter with a dragon. According to them, they wanted to get their hands on some dragon scales or even dragon dung.
However, their adventure was cut short when they were caught by Hagrid, who was furious and punished them to clean the pigsty for the next two weeks.
"Cleaning pig dung, scrubbing pens, and giving the little pigs baths..." Fred laughed as he described their new chores for the next half-month.
"Percy was furious and said we disgraced the Weasley name," George added, rinsing the ground with a hose and inadvertently giving a nearby piglet a shower.
Fred turned to their visitor, "What brings you here, Ved? Something important, I presume?"
"Do you remember last semester when you told me about the secret passage out of Hogwarts?" Ved asked.
"Of course!" Fred exclaimed. "Don't tell me you've only just put it to use."
"Well, I ventured out a few days ago, and the passage was longer than I expected," Ved replied.
"Did you have fun in Hogsmeade?" Fred leaned on his shovel, chin resting on the wooden handle. "And did you manage to avoid Filch?"
"Filch?"
"The owner of Honeyduke's," George explained.
"Oh, yes, I did," Ved said. "But there's something that's been puzzling me..."
He continued, "You mentioned that you saw me coming out of the corridor with the mirror, and we later met in front of Paracelsus' portrait..."
"Did we?" Fred scratched his head, his memory a bit fuzzy. "I suppose so."
"But when I exited the corridor, I made sure there were no other students around," Ved insisted.
"Later, someone told me that you had just come out of the Gryffindor common room at that time," Ved said. That someone was, of course, Zoe.
Not much happened in this castle without the knowledge of house-elves and the ever-watchful portraits.
"Hmm..." George tilted his head, curious. "And?"
"Well, you must have a magical artifact that shows the whereabouts of everyone, right? I heard it's a piece of parchment," Ved said earnestly. "May I borrow it to study the alchemy on it? I promise I won't damage it. I'm willing to pay one galleon per day for the rental."
"One galleon? That's not a small sum!" Fred exclaimed, shaking his head. "But it's not for sale."
Ved was taken aback but quickly countered, "Then... how about two galleons?"
"It's not about the money," Fred said solemnly. "The Marauder's Map is a precious gift passed down from our predecessors..."
George nodded in agreement. "We owe them a lot... We can't just use it to make money."
"You can study the Marauder's Map for free," Fred said gravely, "but there are conditions."
"Don't let anyone see it, especially professors and Filch..." George added.
"And..." Fred continued, "we must uphold the spirit of our predecessors and help the new generation of rule-breakers..."
The twins burst into laughter.
Fred then produced a square piece of parchment that looked old and blank.
"We stole this from Filch's office. He had it locked in a drawer, marked as 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous,'" George explained.
"We've learned more from him than from all the teachers in school," Fred said with a grin.
"Remember the incantation," Fred said as he withdrew his wand and gently tapped the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."
Thin ink lines, like spider webs, quickly spread across the parchment, and several lines of green text began to appear—
"Magic Pranksters' Aid Supplier"
Moon-Faced, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Present:
With Pride:
The Live-Action Map
In the blink of an eye, the parchment unveiled a map of the entire Hogwarts, detailing every corridor and room.
Tiny black dots, no bigger than sesame seeds, moved about the map, accompanied by minuscule letters forming names.
These letters were far tinier than their cinematic counterparts.
In places with larger gatherings, like the Great Hall, common rooms, and classrooms, the dots clustered together like ants, making it impossible to discern individuals.
However, the Weasley twins were uninterested in the congregated students; they were likely more concerned with the locations of professors and Filch during their nightly excursions.
"Just give it a light tap and say 'mischief managed' when you're done, and it'll turn back into a blank piece of parchment," George instructed.
Ved looked at the twins, their faces bearing silly grins, as if they had no idea how invaluable their possession was.
Ved carefully folded the parchment and smiled, "Then, may I invite you to join me in studying it? I believe you two are also learning alchemy?"
At this mention, the Weasley twins' spirits lifted, "Of course! But the magic on the Marauder's Map is incredibly complex!"
"We've been working on some prank candies lately, but they're a bit too harmful..."
Before George could finish, Hagrid's voice boomed, "I hope you two are done chatting now and have finished cleaning the pigsty!"
The twins stuck out their tongues and hurried to hose down the pigpen.
"Hey, Ved. Don't take after them, risking your neck for fun," Hagrid said.
He carried a large bucket of feed and gently nudged the piglets crowding the trough with his finger before pouring the feed.
Ved asked, "Is Norberta alright in the Forbidden Forest?"
"She's fine. The creatures in the forest can't harm her," Hagrid replied.
He continued lovingly, "Thankfully, Dumbledore allowed her to stay... For Norberta, the most dangerous thing in this world is people... Her original habitat was also full of them..."
As he spoke, he picked up the larger piglets, examined them closely, and placed them in the adjacent pen.
"Then... Won't she hurt the animals in the forest?" Ved asked.
"Dumbledore reached an agreement with the centaur tribe. Norberta also lives far away, and she promised not to hunt near the school or harm any intelligent creatures. She's a good girl, isn't she?" Hagrid said, caressing his arm where burn scars were visible.
Ved couldn't bring himself to disagree, seeing the burn marks on Hagrid's arm.
Hagrid invited him, "Why don't you come to my hut for some tea? I've made some rock-skin pies."
"No, thank you. I still have homework to do," Ved politely declined.
After bidding Hagrid and the Weasley twins farewell, Ved returned to the Room of Requirement and immediately unfurled the Marauder's Map, focusing on the Gryffindor common room.
As expected, there was one extra name there—
"Wormtail," Peter Pettigrew.
One of the marauders, a friend of James Potter and Lupin, and the true betrayer.
(End of Chapter)
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