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Chapter 69: What Would You Do?
Chapter 69: What Would You Do?
"Mr. Jordan, why didn't you follow the instructions in the book and grind the lionfish spines into powder before adding them to the crucible?"
In Potions class, Snape fixed a stare on Kyle and said in a mocking tone, "Do you consider yourself some sort of Potions prodigy that you dare to alter the textbook?"
"Because of your arrogance, five points from Hufflepuff."
Kyle looked up at the blackboard.
In bold writing were the instructions: 'Lionfish spines, no grinding required. Boil for five minutes and cut into sections.'
Such large writing, and penned by Snape himself, yet he was being accused of altering the textbook.
"Professor..." Kyle took a deep breath and tried to sound as calm as possible. "That's exactly what you wrote on the board."
"Oh, then I must have made a mistake."
Snape nonchalantly waved his wand, erasing the sentence from the blackboard.
"Does that mean everything I write is correct? Where is your judgment? If I had asked you to add your own heartstring, would you have done that too?
Because of your lack of initiative, another three points from Hufflepuff."
...
By the end of the class, Kyle's hand was tightly clenched around the rock cake in his pocket, debating whether to throw it at Snape's head.
Snape had been deducting points from him for no reason since the early days, but today was exceptionally excessive. He was relentless in his point-deduction, going so far as to disregard his own dignity.
To erase what he himself had written!
This ridiculous maneuver certainly opened Kyle's eyes.
Of course, the effect was immediate. In just one class, Kyle had lost over thirty points.
From the start of the term until now, he hadn't lost as many points in all his other classes combined as he had in this single Potions class.
The other badgers came over to comfort him, and even Connor thoughtfully offered him a licorice snap.
Kyle glanced at it and chose to ignore it.
At mealtime, Fred and George also heard about what had happened in Potions class. They came over and patted Kyle's shoulder, consoling him, "Don't worry about it, Snape's always deducting points from us too. It's not a big deal."
"Yeah, puh...I mean, you've got to learn to let it go."
The twins' faces bore unabashed smiles, clearly indicating they were enjoying his misfortune.
Just as Kyle was about to shoo them away, Fred leaned in and lowered his voice, "Come on, stop thinking about unpleasant things. Let me show you something cool."
He glanced around and carefully pulled out a square piece of parchment from his pocket.
"Remember a few days ago when I said I had something to tell you? Well, this is it." George also leaned in, whispering, "It's a magical artifact, and I bet you'll never guess what it does."
"Could it be..." Kyle raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "...a self-writing parchment for homework?"
"..."
The previously proud twins suddenly froze, their expressions stiffening.
"If only..." Fred sighed longingly. "...it were that."
"But its actual function is pretty amazing too," George said. "It's a map of Hogwarts, but not the ordinary kind you sell."
"We call it the 'Marauder's Map'," Fred said, brandishing his wand and lightly tapping the parchment.
"I solemnly swear..."
In an instant, fine ink lines, like spider webs, spread from where his wand had touched, intertwining and extending to every corner of the parchment.
Then, at the top, green cursive letters appeared.
"Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,
Purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present
The Marauder's Map.
Everything within the castle, from paintings to carpets, and even vases, could be located on this map.
Most extraordinarily, there were also numerous small black dots moving about, each labeled with a tiny name.
Kyle spotted Dumbledore in his office and Filch and Peeves rushing from the fifth-floor corridor to the sixth.
All of this was displayed with absolute clarity.
However, in areas with large crowds, like the Great Hall during mealtimes, the map fell short.
The abundance of names overlapped, creating a black mess that obscured any detail.
Additionally, Kyle noticed that the map didn't seem to reveal all the secret passages.
The area near the Whomping Willow, for instance, was empty with nothing to indicate a passage.
Returning the map to Fred, Kyle inquired, "How did you come across this?"
Fred and George, squinting slightly, reminisced, "We were young, carefree, and innocent in our first year..."
"Filch dragged us into his office over some trivial matter and threatened to..."
"...lock us up."
"...rip us to shreds."
"But we just had to peek into one of his filing cabinet drawers, the one labeled 'Confiscated Items, Highly Dangerous.'"
Fred suddenly chuckled. "Kyle, what would you have done?"
Kyle pondered for a moment. "I would have lured Peeves there and provided him with plenty of Stink Pellets or Pepper Imps. Then, amidst the chaos, I would have emptied that drawer."
"..."
Fred and George gaped, speechless for a moment. After a while, Fred shook his head. "Kyle, you deserved the points Snape took from you. Truly, you don't suffer injustice."
"Don't bring up old grievances," Kyle retorted with a sidelong glance. "So, you got this map from that drawer?"
"Yes," George replied, smacking his lips. "We didn't have your boldness; we only took this."
"But how did you figure out how to use it?" Kyle asked, flipping through the parchment. "There aren't any instructions here."
"Speaking of which, we must mention Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred sighed. "Those four were geniuses when it came to mischief."
"They split the password into pieces and hid them all over the castle," George explained. "Only by finding all the clues could you get the complete password."
"Unfortunately, we searched for a year..." Fred said regretfully, "...but never found the full password."
"So, we can only use the map five times a day, and only for half an hour each time," George added with a smile. "It's a grand endeavor, and we intend to complete it within three years."
"What if you don't find it in three years?" Kyle asked.
"Then we don't deserve to possess it," George shrugged. "We'll find a new owner for it at that time."
"I see," Kyle said. "So, you're showing me this because you want me to join you in searching for clues?"
"No, no, no, Kyle," Fred shook his head. "The password is a test from those four seniors. We have to figure it out ourselves."
"Then, what are you two up to this time...?"
"A night out!" Fred and George exclaimed in unison.
...
(End of Chapter)
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