"Oh? A magical map? How magical is it?" Leonard asked.
This thing was similar to the live projection maps in ancient relic chambers—both offered real-time monitoring—but the Marauder's Map was far more convenient since it could be carried anywhere. Of course, for surveillance, the live projection map was still superior, but Leonard had no intention of trekking that far just to watch someone. All he needed was a map that showed where people were so he wouldn't have to bring his milk tea all the way to the clock tower just to see which direction Quirrell was heading.
So how could he get the Marauder's Map from George and Fred?
Leonard took a sip of his milk tea and came up with an idea.
"You two seem really familiar with Hogwarts' secret passages. Any tricks?" Leonard asked straight out.
Given his relationship with George and Fred—and knowing their personalities—they wouldn't hide anything. They would probably even brag.
Sure enough, after hearing the question, the twins exchanged a look and said proudly:
"Of course!"
"Because we have a magical map!" they chimed in unison.
"You'll understand once you see it." Fred glanced at George, who pulled a thick stack of parchment from his pocket.
It was nearly as thick as a book, yet completely blank—just like ordinary parchment.
"We call it the Marauder's Map. That's the name written right on the cover," George said. He and Fred drew their wands simultaneously, pointing them at the parchment. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
A blot of ink appeared where their wands touched, spreading outward in neat lines until it formed text on the cover.
[Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, the gentlemen dedicated to assisting magical mischief-makers, proudly present: The Marauder's Map]
"We don't know who these nicknames belong to," Fred said.
"But we're sure they were our predecessors," George continued.
They unfolded the parchment, which was layered according to the castle's floors. On each sheet, ink sketched out the walls, faithfully showing the entire structure of the castle.
It included all the secret passages of Hogwarts Castle, complete with notes about where each tunnel led and how to open it.
"See? This is how we know the locations of all the passages. At this point we've mastered every secret tunnel in Hogwarts," Fred said proudly.
"But it has another feature. Don't be shocked," George added with a grin, pointing to names appearing on the map. "See these? They show where every single person in Hogwarts is at any moment. Super convenient, right? With this, nighttime adventures are no longer a worry about getting caught by professors or Filch."
"It really is magical," Leonard said, feigning surprise as he scanned the map for a particular person.
Soon, he saw Ron Weasley's name in the Great Hall. And right beside it was another name.
Peter Pettigrew, the Wormtail mentioned on the cover.
"When did you get this map?" Leonard asked.
"First year."
"Back then we didn't know what we were doing. We got caught by Filch during a prank—right there in his office."
"So you've had it for nearly three years?" Leonard looked at them. "Then you must've explored every part of it by now?"
"Of course!" the twins replied, full of pride.
Leonard stared again at that name, still unable to figure out why the twins had never noticed the unfamiliar person constantly sticking to their younger brother.
Was it indifference? Or had they simply never paid attention to the names on the map?
Highly possible. They probably only checked for Filch and professors during their night escapades, without ever bothering to see whether unknown names showed up in the Gryffindor dormitory. Missing Peter Pettigrew was perfectly plausible.
But that wasn't Leonard's concern. He wasn't going to tell anyone about Peter Pettigrew—it wouldn't benefit him.
What he wanted was the Marauder's Map.
"This map is pretty good," Leonard said. "Name your price."
"Huh? Leonard, you want it? Then we'll just give it to you." Fred looked at George. "George, what do you think?"
…I beg for flowers…
"I think that's fine. We've already memorized all the secret passages anyway. The Marauder's Map doesn't serve much purpose for us anymore," George said with a nod. "We'll give it to you."
"This thing isn't cheap. Are you sure?" Leonard asked.
"Well, even if you say that…" George and Fred exchanged a look. "You've taught us a lot of useful stuff and invested in our prank props. We figured we should give you a gift."
"And honestly, we stole this from Filch's office. Selling it would feel weird, like stealing money from Filch," Fred added. "Just take it."
"Are you sure? You don't want to know how much I was going to offer?" Leonard said, smiling as he held the map. "Permanent alchemical tools like this usually start at around a hundred Galleons. Add its mapping and tracking capabilities—though limited to Hogwarts—and its utility pushes the value even higher."
"Better stop," George said dramatically, clutching his chest. "Any more and it'll hurt too much."
"Alright then, I'll accept it. By the way, how do I return it to its blank form?" Leonard asked.
"Easy. Just point your wand at it and say [End of Mischief]. It has a built-in counter-spell. If someone tries to use a revealing charm like [Revelation], the map will insult them, so no worries about anyone without the password seeing it," George demonstrated as he closed the map.
"Oh, and don't use it in front of Filch. His memory's not great, but he might still recognize it. Getting caught would be bad," Fred warned.
"Thanks for the reminder." Leonard folded the parchment and tucked it away. "About those secret passages—you mentioned I should try them sometime. I will, but not today. I've still got a few problems to solve, so I need to go to the library."
"You really are studious," George muttered. "But with all those books in the library, when will you ever find what you're looking for?"
"It'll take a while, and I can't ask Madam Pince for help—what I'm searching for isn't exactly common," Leonard replied, giving the twins a small smile. "Want to help me?"