Chapter 229: Peter. Wormtail? Does Anyone
"This humiliation charm is quite interesting. Other people holding this map will only see a blank piece of parchment," Dylan said with a smile.
"But if Professor Snape were to get his hands on it, even if he did nothing, a lot of insults directed at him would appear on it."
Dylan recalled his research from yesterday when he was studying the humiliation charm. He had discovered that Harry's dad and his friends had a very sharp tongue, but not in the same witty way as Professor Snape's. Their insults were crude and outright malicious.
Dylan found it hard to understand why the Marauders had targeted Snape so relentlessly during their school years, and had seemingly gone out of their way to torment him at every turn.
"No wonder Professor Snape's words feel like poison to everyone else."
While Dylan didn't think Snape's words could have any psychological effect on him, others certainly didn't feel the same way. It was safe to say that Snape's cutting wit had been forged in his youth.
Imagine a person who had to trade insults with their arch-rival every day and constantly be on guard against their pranks. A person who went through that would naturally find it hard to become gentle later in life.
After listening to Dylan, Harry looked a little embarrassed. "I never knew my father treated Professor Snape like that." He clutched the Marauder's Map Dylan had given him, his lips moving slightly.
"No wonder Professor Snape has always had it in for me and targets me at every opportunity. I never knew why he hated me so much."
Dylan gave a small chuckle. "It's fine, now you know. Just remember not to let Professor Snape see you using this map, otherwise, when he takes it, he'll immediately go into a red haze."
"A red haze? What does that mean?" Harry asked, a look of curiosity on his face.
"It just means he'll get really angry," Dylan said with a wave of his hand. "Let me quickly explain how to use this map. To activate it, you first need to tap it with your wand and say an incantation."
"Read after me: 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'"
"Huh?" Harry was stunned. "Is that… are you sure that's the spell?"
Dylan looked at Harry without speaking, as if waiting for him to repeat the words. Although the incantation was strange, Harry felt a surge of excitement.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
They faced each other, and Harry's expression was full of determination, as if he were joining a magical guild. As soon as the words left his mouth, his wand tip touched the parchment.
The light grey ink marks rippled out from the point of contact, like dandelion fluff being blown by the wind. They didn't scatter chaotically, but rather followed a subtle, coordinated order, connecting with each other as they touched. In the blink of an eye, the entire yellowed paper was filled with lines.
At the top of the page, the ink suddenly turned a vivid green. The strokes twisted and curved into exaggerated arches.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs present the Marauder's Map to all gentlemen with a prankster's spirit in their magic!"
Harry looked at the words at the top, but his gaze only lingered for a moment before being completely drawn to the center of the map. He couldn't look away.
"This is… Hogwarts Castle's towers, and these are the corridors… how does it even have the kitchen chimneys on it?"
Harry was amazed. Every detail of Hogwarts Castle was clearly outlined in ink. What was even more striking was that Harry noticed many tiny black dots moving around the drawing of the castle. Some were moving slowly, while others were practically flying. Each dot had a very small name next to it. They looked like a handful of tiny, walking black diamonds scattered over the blueprint of the castle.
"Are these little black dots the students in the castle? This map records everyone's location?" Harry asked Dylan in astonishment.
"Yes, that's right." Dylan nodded.
Then he heard a strange sound from Harry. "Wait, how come there's only one little black dot here where we are?" Harry tapped the black dot and found that it only showed one pair of footprints.
He was puzzled. He looked at Dylan, then back at the map. No matter how many times he looked, he could only see one pair of footprints.
"This… this map even shows ghosts! I see Nearly Headless Nick, but why isn't your name on it, Dylan?"
Dylan gave a small snort. "Fred and George keep using this map to check on my whereabouts, and while I don't mind them knowing where I go, the map isn't going to stay in their hands forever."
"Just like now, we've chosen to give it to you. You might choose to give it to someone else later."
As Dylan spoke, Harry blinked and quickly said, "I would never give away a gift you gave me!"
Dylan: _ゝ
"...That's very honorable of you, but what I mean is, you won't use this map forever—it's just a map of Hogwarts, after all. You might decide to give it to a good friend later, or to your son, or it might get confiscated by a professor."
"—My son?!" Harry exclaimed. He was barely a teenager; how could he possibly have a son?!
"Calm down, it's just an example." Dylan patted Harry's shoulder. "Anyway, don't get sidetracked. After I got this map, I changed some of its settings so it can no longer track my location."
Dylan continued, "So whether you keep it for yourself, give it to someone else, or get caught by a professor and have it confiscated, at least my location won't be exposed within Hogwarts."
Harry paused, then nodded gently. "I see. You're right, if a professor found this map, it would definitely get confiscated!"
Harry examined the Marauder's Map in his hands again, looking at the paths he had walked many times. He scratched his head. "It seems like Hogwarts has a lot of special passages."
Dylan nodded. "It does have quite a few secret passages. I think a few of them were dug by your dad and his friends."
Harry: (_)... Even though he didn't do any of those things, why did he feel so embarrassed? What exactly had his biological father done at school? This wasn't exactly the image of his dad he had in his mind.
"Look at this path." Dylan reached out and pointed to a spot on the map. Harry looked over and saw Dylan's finger pointing at the fourth floor, where there was a statue: a one-eyed, humpbacked witch.
"We're going to Hogsmeade soon. If you want to go too, this passage can help you get there as smoothly as possible."
"Really?!" Harry's eyes immediately lit up.
Dylan shrugged. "I'm just giving you a suggestion. I can't guarantee that you won't run into Filch or Mrs. Norris on the way. The other passages are either old and abandoned or unsafe. So my personal recommendation is to take this one."
Harry nodded repeatedly. "I'll follow your advice completely, Dylan."
"…No need for that. If you have your own ideas, you can follow them. Don't worry about my suggestions." Dylan didn't want Harry to follow his advice perfectly, accidentally take a wrong turn, and then come back to tell him how dangerous and exciting the journey was. When he first started school, Dylan was a little interested in hearing Harry and Ron's stories, but now... listening to kids tell horror stories was incredibly boring.
"I can go to Hogsmeade too!" Harry said, his face filled with excitement.
Looking at him, Dylan knew that everything he had just said was completely useless. Rolling his eyes, he shrugged. Oh well. He could do whatever he wanted.
"When you want to put the map away, remember to say 'Mischief managed.'" Dylan reminded him.
"I'll try it." Harry followed Dylan's instructions, and the map in his hands instantly turned back into a blank piece of parchment. "Wow!" Harry exclaimed. "That's amazing!"
He looked up, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked at Dylan. "Thank you so much! I think this is the best gift I've ever received!"
Dylan clicked his tongue. "Then remember to thank Fred and George when you see them. After all, this gift is from the three of us." Dylan added, "The reason I get credit for this gift is that I cast some new spells on it to ensure it's as comfortable for you to use as possible."
Before Dylan could say more, Harry was already nodding. "I'll thank them, but I'm also very grateful to you, Dylan, thank you!"
Dylan took a small breath. "In that case, I guess you don't need me to give you another gift for Christmas, do you?"
Harry immediately shook his head like a rattle. "No way! This gift is more than enough! It'll make my Christmas very happy!"
The Marauder's Map, plus the Invisibility Cloak. Dylan had even pointed out a secret passage to sneak out of Hogwarts. What more could he possibly need? He wouldn't have any worries at all! He could finally go to Hogsmeade!
Dylan watched Harry get more and more excited, looking like he was about to give him a big hug. Dylan quickly took a step back.
"One more thing."
"Hmm? What is it?" Harry's step forward faltered slightly.
"When you're in Hogsmeade, don't act too obviously—don't forget, the prefects will be there too."
—Even though the prefects would also be off having fun and wouldn't be taking their patrol duties too seriously, Dylan still felt he should remind him.
And…
"Go to bed early. Don't take out the Marauder's Map just because you can't fall asleep at night."
"Huh? Oh, okay." Although he didn't understand why Dylan said that, he still nodded and agreed. Whatever Dylan said must be right! He just had to trust him!
Harry used his fingertips to pinch the edge of the map, and it gently rolled into a tight tube along the curve of his palm. With his other hand, he lifted the small brass clasp on the side of his wand holster, a tiny hook hidden in the leather grain that could be opened with a flick of a finger. He carefully tucked the rolled-up map into the bottom of the holster. The top of the tube fit snugly against the soft lining of the opening. As 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 put the holster and wand into his robe pocket.
Dylan watched his careful movements, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
It was midnight. In the silent dormitory, the quiet sounds of breathing filled the air. Ron's snores were the loudest of all. Harry, however, was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. His hand kept reaching for the wand holster under his pillow. After a while, he couldn't resist. He quietly propped himself up, used his finger to unhook the small clasp on the holster, and carefully pulled out the rolled-up map.
He pulled the blanket over his head, gently lit his wand with a soft light, and whispered in a low voice, "I solemnly…"
In the next moment, Harry began to examine the Marauder's Map, which was now filled with tiny black dots. Most of the dots on the map were still at this hour. Harry watched with great interest.
After a long time, Harry's eyes moved to the Gryffindor common room. "It really doesn't show Dylan's name."
Harry's gaze shifted to the next bed. Suddenly, he noticed a blurry shadow under Ron's name, with some writing that was a bit larger than the surrounding text.
"Peter… who's that? Is there anyone in Gryffindor with that name?" Harry wanted to get a better look at the name, but it was obscured by several other names.
"That's strange…"
The light from his wand suddenly flickered. The strokes in the shadow seemed to move, and Harry could faintly make out a few words.
"Wormtail?"
The name sounded familiar. But it was only a flash, and when Harry tried to look again, he couldn't make it out anymore.
"Oh dear, what time is it?"
Harry was startled to realize he had been looking at the map for over two hours. As soon as he realized this, he quickly rolled up the map, pulled back the covers, poked his head out, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
.....
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