"This humiliation charm is quite amusing," Dylan chuckled. "Anyone else holding this map would only see a blank piece of parchment. You activate it the proper way, and it works for you. But if Professor Snape were to get his hands on it, even if he did nothing, it would fill with insults aimed directly at him." Dylan remembered the previous day, when he was studying the map and tinkering with that very charm. He'd discovered... Harry's father and his friends certainly had sharp tongues, but not in Snape's cutting, sarcastic way. Their insults were truly vile, utterly demeaning to Snape. Dylan couldn't quite fathom why James Potter and his group had targeted Snape so relentlessly during their school years, constantly trying to torment him.
"No wonder Professor Snape's words are like poison to everyone else," Dylan mused. Though, personally, Snape's barbs had no psychological effect on him. Others, however, clearly didn't feel the same. It just goes to show, Snape's sharp wit was honed from a young age. Imagine, someone spending their school days constantly verbally sparring with their arch-nemesis, always on guard against their pranks. With that kind of experience, it's hardly surprising their character wouldn't soften later in life.
After listening to Dylan, a blush crept onto Harry's face. "I never knew my father treated Professor Snape like that," he mumbled, clutching the Marauder's Map Dylan had given him. "No wonder Professor Snape always disliked me and targeted me. I never understood how I'd offended him."
Dylan gave a soft chuckle. "It's alright, now you know. Just remember not to let Professor Snape see you using this map, or he'll completely lose his temper if he gets his hands on it."
"Lose his temper? What does that mean?" Harry's face showed a flicker of curiosity.
"It just means he'll get really angry," Dylan waved a hand dismissively. "Let me quickly explain how to use this map."
"To activate the map, you first need to tap it with your wand and recite the spell."
"Repeat after me—'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!'"
"Huh?" Harry stood frozen. "This... I mean, that's a spell? Are you sure?"
Dylan looked at Harry without speaking, as if waiting for him to repeat it. Though the spell seemed odd, Harry's interest was piqued.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
They faced each other, Harry's expression resolute, as if he were joining a secret magical society. The moment the words left his lips, his wand tip touched the parchment, and faint grey ink lines unfurled like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind. They didn't scatter haphazardly, but rather drifted with a subtle, knowing order, gently intertwining as they touched. In the blink of an eye, the entire yellowed surface was covered. At the top of the page, the ink suddenly turned into a lively grassy green, the letters winding and curling into exaggerated arcs:
"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs—"
"Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers—"
"Are proud to present—"
"THE MARAUDER'S MAP!"
Harry glanced at the words at the top, but his gaze was immediately drawn to the center of the map, unable to tear away. "This is... Hogwarts Castle's towers, the corridors... even the kitchen chimneys are here?" Harry exclaimed in awe. Every detail of Hogwarts Castle was clearly outlined in ink. Even more striking, Harry noticed numerous small black dots within the drawn castle. Some moved slowly, others darted about, each with a tiny name beside it, looking like someone had sprinkled walking black diamonds across the castle's blueprint.
"These little black dots are the students in the castle? This map shows where everyone is?" Harry asked Dylan, astonished.
"Yes, that's right," Dylan nodded.
Then, Harry's voice grew a little puzzled. "Wait, why is there only one small black dot here where we are?" Harry tapped the dot, only to find it was just a pair of footprints. Harry paused, then looked at Dylan, before glancing back at the map. He looked back and forth, but still only saw the footprints. "This... this even seems to show ghosts—I see Nearly Headless Nick, but why aren't you on here, Dylan?"
Dylan let out a soft hmph. "Fred and George used this map to check my location now and then. While I don't mind them knowing where I am, the map can't stay in their hands forever. Just like now, we've decided to give it to you, and you might eventually give it to someone else."
As Dylan spoke, Harry blinked, then quickly interjected, "I would never give away a gift you gave me!"
Dylan: Sigh. "...That's noble of you, but what I mean is, you won't use this map your entire life – it's just a map of Hogwarts. You might eventually decide to give it to a good friend, or to your son, or it might even get confiscated by a professor."
"—My son?!" Harry gasped. He was only a teenager; how could he possibly have a son?!
"Don't worry, I was just making an example," Dylan patted Harry's shoulder. "Anyway, let's not get off track. After I got this map, I changed some of its settings so it can't pinpoint my location anymore." Dylan explained, "So whether you decide to keep it yourself, give it to someone else, or if the professors catch you and confiscate it, at least my location won't be revealed within Hogwarts."
Harry paused, then nodded gently. "I see—that makes sense. If a professor found this map, it would definitely be confiscated!" Harry re-examined the Marauder's Map in his hands, looking at the familiar terrain he'd walked countless times. Harry scratched his head. "It feels like Hogwarts has a lot of special passages, doesn't it?"
Dylan nodded. "There are quite a few secret passages. A few of them were probably dug out by your father and his friends."
Harry: Embarrassed silence. Even though he hadn't done any of these things, why did he feel so awkward? What exactly had his own father done at school? This wasn't quite how he'd imagined his dad to be!
"Look at this path," Dylan said, extending his hand and pointing at the map. Harry looked over. Dylan's finger was on the fourth floor, where there was a statue – a one-eyed, humpbacked witch statue. "Hogsmeade Village is coming up soon. If you want to go, this passage can help you get there as smoothly as possible."
"Really?!" Harry's eyes immediately lit up.
Dylan merely shrugged. "I'm just giving you a recommendation. I can't guarantee you won't run into Filch and Mrs. Norris along the way. Anyway, as far as I know, some of the other passages are old and abandoned, and some aren't safe to use. So, I personally recommend this one."
Harry nodded vigorously. "I'll follow your advice completely, Dylan."
"...You don't have to go that far. If you have your own ideas, just follow them. Don't worry about my suggestions." Dylan certainly didn't want Harry to go off on the wrong path by following his advice too strictly, only to come back and tell him how thrilling and dangerous his journey was. When he first started school, Dylan found Harry and Ron's little adventure stories somewhat interesting. But now? Listening to children tell scary stories was quite uninteresting.
"I can go to Hogsmeade Village too!" Harry exclaimed, brimming with excitement. Dylan looked at him and knew that everything he had just said had gone in one ear and out the other. Rolling his eyes, Dylan shrugged. Oh well, let him be.
"When you don't want to use the map, remember to say, 'Mischief Managed,'" Dylan reminded him.
"I'll try it." Harry followed Dylan's instructions, and instantly the map in his hands transformed back into a blank piece of parchment.
"Wow!" Harry gasped, astonished. "That's brilliant!" He looked up, his face flushed, gazing excitedly at Dylan. "Thank you so much! I think this might be the best gift I've ever received this year!"
Dylan cleared his throat. "Then make sure to thank Fred and George when you see them. After all, this gift is from the three of us." Dylan added, "The reason I'm a part of this gift is because I added some charms to it to make it as comfortable as possible for you to use."
Before anyone else could speak, Harry nodded rapidly. "I'll thank them, but I also thank you very much, Dylan, thank you!"
Dylan took a quiet breath. "In that case, I suppose you won't need an extra gift from me for Christmas, will you?"
Harry immediately shook his head like a bobblehead doll. "No need! This gift is more than enough! It'll make me very happy for Christmas!" With the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak, and Dylan even pointing out a way to sneak out of Hogwarts, what more could he possibly worry about? He wouldn't have a single worry! This time, he too could visit Hogsmeade Village!
Dylan watched Harry grow more and more excited, looking as though he might rush forward and give him a bear hug. Dylan quickly stepped back. "One more thing."
"Hmm? What is it?" Harry's eager steps faltered slightly.
"Remember not to be too obvious when you're in Hogsmeade Village—don't forget, the prefects are on patrol there." Even though the prefects were usually too busy enjoying themselves to take their patrol duties seriously, Dylan still felt it necessary to remind him. And... "Go to bed early at night. Don't take out the Marauder's Map to look at it if you can't sleep."
"Oh? Oh, okay." Although Harry wasn't sure why Dylan said that, he nodded and agreed. Whatever Dylan said must be right! Just believe in him and everything would be fine!
Harry pinched the edge of the map with his fingertips and rolled it tightly into a compact scroll, following the curve of his palm. With his other hand, he unlatched the small clasp on the side of his wand holster – a tiny copper hook hidden in the leather grain that sprang open with a flick of his finger. He then carefully tucked the rolled-up map into the bottom of the wand holster. The top of the scroll just touched the soft leather lining of the opening. When he pressed down, the folds on the outside of the holster naturally concealed the bulge. Finally, after confirming that not a single edge of the parchment was showing, Harry slipped the wand and holster together into his robe pocket. Dylan watched his cautious movements, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Late Night in the Dormitory
In the dead of night, the dormitory was filled with the soft, rhythmic sounds of breathing – Ron's snores being the loudest. Harry lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. His hand kept reaching for the wand holster beneath his pillow. Finally, after much restless shifting, Harry couldn't resist. He quietly sat up, his fingers unlatching the small button on the wand holster, and carefully pulled out the rolled-up map. He pulled his duvet over his head, then gently lit his wand, whispering in a very low voice, "I solemnly swear..."
The next moment, Harry began examining the Marauder's Map, which displayed various small black dots. Most of the dots on the map were still. Harry watched, fascinated, for a long time. After a while, Harry's gaze shifted to the Gryffindor common room. "It really doesn't show Dylan's name." Harry's gaze moved halfway to the next section.
Just then, he suddenly noticed a blurred shadow beneath Ron's name, a little more pronounced than the surrounding text. "Pe... who's this? Is there anyone named that in Gryffindor?" Harry tried to get a clearer look at the name, but it was obscured by several other names, making it impossible to read clearly.
"Strange..." The light from his wand flickered suddenly. The strokes in the shadow seemed to move, allowing Harry to faintly make out a few words.
"Wormtail?" A very familiar name. But the name flashed by in an instant, and when Harry tried to look again, he couldn't make it out clearly.
"Oh dear, what time is it now?" Harry suddenly realized he'd been looking at the map for over two hours. The moment he did, he quickly rolled the map back up, pulled back his covers, poked his head out, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
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