Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 298: The Marauder's Map

When they left the castle, Ron was still clutching his head and crying out in pain.

Because Fred and George secretly punched him twice with some kind of magical gadget.

Their methods are documented in "100 Ways to Prank Ron".

"How do we avoid Professor Snape on patrol?"

Ron covered his head and spoke, sometimes even if he knew who the murderer was, he couldn't get revenge.

Fortunately, the two were very sensible, and just reached the limit that Ron could hold back from screaming.

"Not everyone can become a great Greene believer,"

Fred dramatically pulled something from his cloak and placed it in Sheehan's hand. It was a large, square piece of parchment, badly worn, and blank.

"what is this?"

Ron was puzzled.

"This, Ron, is the secret to our success."

George patted the parchment lovingly as he spoke.

"We wouldn't have brought it out if it weren't for the great Green's call."

Fred said.

"But what use would I... Sheen have for an old piece of parchment?"

Ron asked.

"A piece of old parchment!"

Fred closed his eyes and made a face, as if Ron had deeply hurt him.

“Explain, George.”

"That's how it was... When we were in first grade—young, carefree, and innocent—"

Ron chuckled, wondering if Fred and George ever had a truly innocent moment.

"Ouch!"

Ron soon paid the price for his laughter.

Ron looked at the two of them with a hint of reproach, even though Sheen was smiling.

But he immediately let it go. Well, Sheen is always different.

"—Ah, more innocent than now—back then we had a bit of a falling out with Filch."

“We put a dung bomb in the hallway, and for some reason, it really annoyed him—”

"So he pulled us into his office and started threatening us with his usual tactics—"

"—Solitary confinement—"

"—Open up the belly—"

"—And we couldn't help but spot one of his filing cabinet drawers, which was marked 'Confiscated Items, High Danger'."

"so--"

Sheen guessed it.

"Hey, if it were you, great Green, what would you do?"

Fred said,

“George threw another dung bomb to distract him, and I immediately opened the drawer and grabbed this one.”

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know,"

George said,
“We estimate that Filch never figured out how to use it. But he probably guessed what it was, otherwise he wouldn’t have confiscated it.”

Do you know how to use it?

"Oh,"

Fred laughed smugly.

"This little darling has taught us more than all the teachers in the school have."

The two drew their wands, tapped the parchment lightly, and said:

"I solemnly swear that I will do no evil."

In an instant, fine lines of ink spread out like a spider web from where the tip of George's wand touched, connecting and crisscrossing, extending to every corner of the parchment;
Then words appeared at the top, in large, green, cursive script:

【Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs】

[Gentlemen who are dedicated to assisting those who create magical pranks]

[Introduced with great fanfare]

[Marauder's Map] Marauder's Map...

"I can……"

Before Sheen could even speak, Fred presented the map as if it were a precious treasure:

"Great Green, your faithful follower proudly presents this to you—"

"Marauder's Map—"

George took over the conversation.

"Anyway, we've already memorized it."

He blinked.

Sheehan held the parchment in his hand. The map depicted all the details of Hogwarts Castle and the grounds, but most unusually, there were many small black dots moving on the map, each labeled with a name in tiny font.

A marked black dot in the upper left corner shows Professor Dumbledore pacing in his study; the caretaker Filch is patrolling the third floor; and Peeves, the prankster, is currently bouncing around in the prize room.

Sheehan and Ron's eyes scanned the familiar corridors, and suddenly they noticed something new. The map showed several passageways they had never traversed before, many of which seemed to lead to—

Hogsmeade.

And halfway there, a footprint called "Gert" was pacing back and forth.

"Moon face, insect tail, big feet, pointed fork."

George patted the map's title and exclaimed.
"Thanks to them."

“Noble people, working tirelessly to help a new generation of delinquent students.”

Fred said solemnly.

These words left Sheen somewhat speechless. The order of these names, when reversed, was the order in which the four Raiders died.

From James, to Sirius, Peter, Lupin...

The world of magic is always shrouded in something like fate; the stories here all seem to have a beginning and an end.

Sheen found it hard to believe this was an accident, especially after being exposed to astronomical magic, but his centaur teacher told him:

"The tribe of centaurs believes that destiny has existed for more than seven centuries, but if one day destiny is to destroy us, then it is no longer destiny."

It's just something that requires courage to resist.

"Alright, let's go!"

Fred said cheerfully.

The group set off.

Under the moonlight, Sheen could see another name flashing beside Ron:

"Peter."

Sheehan was puzzled. If he could see it, there was no reason why Fred and George wouldn't know.

So they watched Ron resting with a man named Peter every day without saying a word or asking any questions.

Sheen was more inclined to believe that they didn't pay much attention, or rather, that they thought Peter was some kind of ghost.

After all, they don't use the Marauder's Map all the time.

After seeing Ron off.

Sheen and his two companions returned to Hogwarts Castle.

Tomorrow morning, Manager Gert will bring Ron back safely.

The twins generously sponsored Ron's purchase of his wand and other expenses.

“Great Green, we must remind you,”

George said lightly,

"Don't forget to wipe it clean after use—"

"—Otherwise, everyone else will be able to see it."

Fred warned.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Prank over!' and it will turn back into a blank sheet of paper."

After the twins finished speaking, they ran off in a flash, leaving Sheen quietly watching each name in the shadows.

Until he saw the name Ginny suddenly appear, he returned to the Tower of Gryffindor.

He realized that Tom was more cunning, more impatient, or rather, more arrogant than he had imagined.

He carefully put away the activity map—the Weasley twins always unintentionally provided him with a lot of help—and then headed deeper into the castle.

Now, while Tom is still inactive, it's time for him to make his move.

(End of this chapter)