A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 290 Obtaining the Map

In the evening, Felix walked down the underground corridor of the castle carrying a box of candy.

"Professor Hepburn—"

Felix looked at Draco Malfoy and the two big boys behind him, and nodded to them.

"Professor, I've mastered a new rune," Draco said excitedly. He stretched out his right hand, and the Ouroboros Ring on his index finger began to move, spitting out a light blue rune symbol from the snake's mouth.

He held the magic rune symbol, his face slightly flushed. After seven or eight seconds, the light blue symbol blurred into a handful of flowing water.

"You've progressed quickly. I recall this is the sixth spell you've mastered?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Hmm," Felix thought for a moment and reminded him, "Pay more attention to the runes we discussed at the previous gatherings; they will be very useful."

Draco paused for a moment, then said, "I understand, Professor."

Felix continued walking, carrying the candy box, when Malfoy called out from behind, "Professor Hyp, are you going to the Dean's office? I just checked, and the door is locked."

"Perhaps Severus is brewing a potion? In any case, I'd better go and see," he said vaguely.

Draco watched Professor Hyp's departing figure and muttered to himself, "I had a feeling the professor was acting strange today?"

Crabbe and Goyle grinned ingratiatingly. Draco, used to this kind of scene, shrugged and led the way toward the lounge. "So, what's the deal with Daphne's sister, that Astoria...?"

In the Potions professor's office, Felix tried a few unlocking spells and opened the door.

He walked in as if no one else was there. The place wasn't small; besides the office space, there was Snape's private storage room and the innermost bedroom.

He walked through the dimly lit glass specimen wall, pushed open the bedroom door, and found the flowers inside blooming profusely.

"Severus, I'm only doing this to save face for you in front of your students. If they see you brought back by a levitation charm... tsk tsk!"

He opened the candy box—the same one Sirius Black used—and inside slept a tiny, unconscious man, Severus Snape.

"Mrs. Rosmerta was wondering how you, a perfectly healthy person, could suddenly disappear. Luckily, I managed to evade the question."

He tapped his wand lightly, restoring Snape to his original state, and then used a levitation charm to place him on the bed, with Snape's wand beside the pillow.

Snape rolled over, muttering incoherently.

the next day.

Felix kept the Weasley twins behind after their fifth-year Ancient Runes class.

"Marauder's Map?" The twins looked at each other, communicating with various small gestures.

Felix could tell that this had potential!

Fred hesitated before saying, "Professor, this is us—"

"—It's from Mr. Filch." Felix nodded.

"Uh..." Fred looked a little embarrassed. "You knew all along?"

"I know a little, but what I care about most is whether it's still in your hands?"

"We gave it to—" George said, and Fred quickly covered his mouth, frantically gesturing with his eyes, then awkwardly said to Felix, "We gave it to a friend. If it's of any use to you, we'll get it back for you. Don't worry, it won't delay anything."

George blinked and realized that they had given the Marauder's Map to Harry, and Harry had used the map to violate the ban and go to Hogsmeade Village—but that couldn't be discussed in detail.

Although they often break school rules, they should try to avoid exposing their own shortcomings.

"You should know about Moonface, Wormtail, Bigfoot, and Fork, right?" Felix asked.

The twins' eyes widened, and Fred exclaimed in surprise, "You knew about this too? Professor, you're not one of those four, are you?"

"Or perhaps the previous map user?" George guessed.

Felix smiled. "I didn't have this opportunity when I was in school, but I know two of them. I'm here today on the behalf of one of them to borrow the Marauder's Map for a while. Don't worry, I'll return it to you..."

Fred's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together incessantly. "Oh, Professor, could you introduce us to him?"

"Yes, which one? We owe them a lot of favors!" George asked eagerly.

"All I can tell you is that the man's code name is Bigfoot. As for whether he's willing to see you," Felix looked at their eager faces, "it's definitely not possible right now. It's inconvenient for him to show his face."

He watched the twins with great interest; their expressions were like those of pilgrims. It was clear that, although they had never met, the two regarded the mapmaker as a predecessor and role model for pranks.

They dashed off in a flash. "Professor, we're off to find the map!"

That noon, Felix received the Marauder's Map. It was the first time he had ever seen the map in its entirety; before that, he had only heard of it but never actually seen it.

It was a rather old piece of parchment, not very big, but actually folded into layers, and when unfolded, it looked like a tablecloth.

"This is the secret to our success." Fred patted it affectionately, sighing with emotion, as if reminiscing about his youthful days.

Felix smiled without speaking. He tapped his wand on the map and silently swore: I solemnly swear I have done nothing wrong.

This was the password he got from Sirius Black. Sirius Black could only stay in Grimmauld Place for the time being, but Felix secretly connected the fireplace in his office to the old Black mansion so that he could use it whenever he wanted and seal it off when not in use to avoid being discovered by the Ministry of Magic.

Lupin also agreed to visit Sirius over the weekend. When he left, Sirius and the house-elf Kreacher were busy cleaning.

In Sirius Black's words, "At least we need to tidy up the living room and prepare two bedrooms for guests."

With the command and the wand, dark ink lines emerged like a spider web on the blank parchment. They intersected and extended, outlining the buildings in Hogwarts Castle and some surrounding areas with just a few strokes, including the greenhouse outside the castle, Hagrid's hut, the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and all kinds of details.

What is most striking is the vast number of randomly moving ink dots on the map, each labeled with a name in tiny letters.

Felix spotted his name immediately. Next to it were two small dots that read Fred Weasley and George Weasley.

He looked around and saw Dumbledore in his study, Snape in the Potions classroom, and Professor Sprout in the greenhouse. He also tried to find the Room of Requirement but couldn't, probably because it was blocked. He had expected this and wasn't surprised. However, he did see Trelawney wandering around in her little attic. Judging from the movement of the ink dots, he guessed that the Divination professor seemed to be dancing some kind of dance.

Above the center of the parchment, a line of cursive script began to appear: "The Marauder's Map is proudly presented by the suppliers of magical pranksters: Moonface, Wormtail, Bigfoot, and Fork."

Felix stroked the map for a long time before he came to his senses.

"A very clever structure, I need to take a closer look..."

(End of this chapter)