Chapter 281: The Map and Magic
Chapter 281: The Map and Magic
Half an hour later—
Sirius sat on the sofa with a grim expression. He had just received terrible news: Peter Pettigrew had escaped, or more accurately, was hiding in a place no one knew, pretending to be dead.
He felt disheartened, wondering if all his efforts over the past long period had been in vain.
Felix picked another book from the bookshelf, which mentioned a complete form of Ancient Magic. Phineas Black's portrait from the Headmaster's office hadn't lied; the collection here was indeed extraordinary, though some of it had been moved from Hogwarts' Restricted Section.
It seemed that the old Headmaster had done a lot to benefit his own family during his tenure.
Unfortunately, the world is unpredictable, and the Black family had fallen to such a low point...
"Have you tried the Marauder's Map?" Sirius suddenly asked.
"The Marauder's Map? What is that?" Felix looked up from the book.
Sirius spoke in a low voice, "It's a moving map that records the locations and secret passages of Hogwarts. It looks like a folded piece of parchment. We created it together during our school days—James, Remus, Peter Pettigrew, and I."
"The Marauder's Map can track the movements of everyone within Hogwarts, even Dumbledore."
Felix blinked, realizing what Lupin had been looking for when he asked Filch for something. He said confidently, "The map must have been confiscated by Filch."
"We did it on purpose", Sirius said with a smirk. "We were about to graduate and desperately wanted someone to carry on our noble prankster legacy. So we found an opportune moment to attract Filch's attention and let him take the map."
Felix nodded slightly, understanding the story behind it.
Sirius wondered, "Remus didn't tell you?"
Felix softly replied, "The map was lost, Filch admitted it himself."
"That old fool!" Sirius shouted in frustration, slamming his fist against the wall. He then deflated, adding, "Even with the map, it might not be useful. Peter Pettigrew can shield his name."
"Shield? You used the Tracking Charm?"
"Among other things. We used the Tracking Charm, Footprint Revealing Spell, Name Magic, Miniature Simulation Spell, Concealment Charm, Anti-Disruption Charm, Protective Magic, and later combined Transfiguration, Divination, and Alchemy—there were so many elements."
Felix looked at Sirius in amazement; he himself had only mastered a portion of these spells.
Sirius explained, "Initially, James brought a book on magical map-making from home. We used it to create the initial version of the Marauder's Map, though the names didn't move at first. Later, we scoured the library, finding various spells to lock onto traces, adding them one by one. By the end, even we found it hard to remember how many spells we used."
He spread his hands, "Do you know, when we saw Headmaster Dumbledore's name on the map, we thought we were invincible. No one could escape the Marauder's Map, because while you might evade one spell, you couldn't avoid the second, third, or fourth..."
Felix couldn't help but admire Sirius. If Sirius hadn't spoken, who would have known these details? Through Sirius, he could see the shadows of the other three creators.
A truly remarkable magical artifact had thus fallen into the hands of four students who hadn't even graduated yet.
Their subsequent fates were even more poignant. The war had disrupted their normal lives, and if not for Sirius mentioning it, the existence of the Marauder's Map might have been quietly lost to history.
"How did the four of you divide the work?" Felix couldn't resist asking for more information. If it could be replicated, it would be no less impressive than any known magical item.
Sirius gave him a strange look, "James was good at Transfiguration, I was skilled in spells, especially non-verbal spellcasting. Many of the spells were added after I learned them. Remus knew a bit of everything, piecing together all the disparate elements. As for Peter Pettigrew..."
He frowned, trying to suppress a feeling of disgust, "He was more meticulous, filling in the gaps."
After finishing, Sirius paused thoughtfully. After a while, he looked at Felix and said slowly, "Perhaps he can't shield the Marauder's Map after all."
"Why?"
"I remember—there was a spell, only James and I knew. During the Halloween break in seventh year, we each went home, and James found an interesting piece of magic in the old family home."
He looked at Felix, his eyes brightening, "It was a curse, or rather, a form of enslavement magic. No, that's not quite right", he furrowed his brow, "it should be called a contract."
"A magical contract?"
"Exactly", Sirius said with certainty, glancing at the study door and speaking in a low voice. "It's a very old book. The author was involved in the House-elf War, and at that time, wizards created a magic specifically to enslave House-elves."
Felix raised an eyebrow, speaking with a tone of curiosity about magic. "Is this related to the Marauder's Map? Wait—let me think. Is it the bond between master and servant?"
Sirius was surprised by his perceptiveness. "You're right. There is a deep bond between a House-elf and their master, one that is embedded in their blood and passed down through generations. This bond is now known to very few, which is why House-elves never betray their masters."
Not necessarily...
Felix thought to himself. Enslaving someone through magic is always a lower form. There is no eternal, unbreakable magic. Dobby is a perfect example. Even the side effects of the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses, were broken by him.
Following this line of thought, the Cruciatus Curse no longer has the same effect on him. Pain? He had too many ways to block it. What made the Cruciatus Curse truly terrifying was its ability to penetrate beyond the physical, reaching the deepest recesses of the mind.
By layering protections around his memories, the Cruciatus Curse had very limited impact on him. It could even serve as a disguise...
Sirius continued, "—Imagine it. No matter where you are, the master can summon a House-elf. Oh, Azkaban doesn't work, I've tried. It might be too far..."
"Perhaps the Ministry of Magic has documented this and taken precautions", Felix speculated.
"Regardless, James and I tried to incorporate part of this magic—when a master summons a House-elf, the House-elf senses the master's location due to the contract—into the map. We designed a small trick", Sirius said, smiling happily. "When you enter Hogwarts, you sign a temporary blank contract by default, with no binding power. You can even refuse!"
Felix smiled. "The catch is that the person has to discover the contract, but I think you never intended it to take effect, just to remain in a pending state..."
"Exactly!" Sirius exclaimed, letting out a strange laugh. "Completely harmless, but your location is fully exposed."
"The best part is, Peter Pettigrew doesn't know this. A few days after Halloween, we decided to leave the map at Hogwarts—using Filch to find the next owner. Only the most adventurous students would appear in his office, and we set some conditions for this."
Sirius fell into a happy reverie, his eyes narrowing as he murmured softly.
After a while, his expression turned somber. "Unfortunately, the map was lost."
Felix pondered for a moment. "If you had to recreate the Marauder's Map, could you do it? Lupin is still at the school; he might be able to help."
"I know he's here", Sirius said, thinking for a long time. "Recreating it would be difficult. I've forgotten a lot of the details..."
"We can try together. I'm very interested in it."
"We?" Sirius stared at Felix, dumbfounded.
Felix didn't answer immediately. He glanced at the time. "It's still two hours until ten. We have plenty of time."
He said cheerfully, "I'm going to take you to Hogwarts. Of course, we need to contact Headmaster Dumbledore first. Oh, and we might face some questioning from the Ministry of Magic. I'll lie and say I didn't catch you, that you got away. I wonder if anyone will believe me..."
Sirius glared at Felix, feeling thoroughly mocked.
"Could you tell me where Phineas Black's portraits are? I didn't see them on the wall."
"…The second bedroom on the right of the second-floor landing."
Felix walked away and returned a few minutes later. "It's all arranged. Dumbledore wants us to be discreet." He lightly touched the ring on his left hand with his wand, and a candy box with the Honeydukes logo appeared.
"What's that?"
"A Christmas gift from a young wizard. I haven't finished it yet; it's a bit too sweet… But I think it could be useful for carrying a person."
"You've placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on it?"
"Oh, no", Felix said, puzzled. "Who would put an Undetectable Extension Charm on a candy box?" He looked at the stunned Sirius and continued, "I just thought of a suitable magic—"
He pointed his wand at Sirius, and a bright blue light burst from the tip.
(End of Chapter)
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