Chapter 271: The Marauder’s Map (Third Update)

Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:

patreon.com/Draco_

******

By the time George left the Headmaster's office, it was already noon again. He went to the Great Hall for lunch, attended his afternoon classes as usual, and then used the Time-Turner once more to return to midday. This time, he headed deep into the Forbidden Forest to practice magic. 

The Dementors might be able to intimidate young wizards, but they couldn't stop him. 

Besides, he had Dumbledore's permission to leave the school for magical practice, so it wasn't a violation of any school rules. 

If a Dementor dared to get in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy it—and even the Ministry wouldn't have much to say about it. 

He spent the afternoon honing various spells and returned to Hogwarts by evening for dinner. After that, he stayed in his dormitory to read magical texts. 

He rarely studied in the common room at night. That was the prime time for students of all years to gather, chat, and have fun. If he stayed there, he wouldn't be able to focus, and worse, he'd become the center of attention. 

Being exceptional was a burden in itself. 

At ten o'clock, he turned the Time-Turner once more, sending himself back to 5 p.m., and resumed his magic training in the Forbidden Forest. 

Around 9:30 p.m., he began heading back toward the castle. On the way, he plucked a leaf from a Mandrake plant near the greenhouses and placed it in his mouth—it just so happened to be a full moon tonight. 

As he entered the castle, preparing to return to the Slytherin dormitory, he unexpectedly ran into the Weasley twins in the entrance hall. 

Initially, George had no intention of paying them any mind. The twins sneaking around at night was nothing unusual—it was practically routine for them. He wasn't a professor, so there was no reason for him to intervene. 

However, this time, he stopped in his tracks. 

Because this time, the Weasley twins were holding a map. And on that map, his position was clearly exposed. 

"Huh? It's George! George is right near us—he's over there!" 

The twins suddenly turned toward him, pinpointing his location despite his Disillusionment Charm. 

Seeing that he had been discovered, George calmly lifted the charm and greeted them with a smile, using a subtle voice-projection spell: 

"Good evening. You do realize that wandering around at this hour is against school rules, right?" 

"Breaking school rules is normal for us. What's surprising is that you're sneaking around too, George. Looks like we're the same kind of people after all!" 

The twins laughed and stepped closer, clearly impressed that George was also out and about at night. 

George, however, was more interested in the map in their hands. 

"What's that? It can even see through my Disillusionment Charm?" 

Of course, he already knew exactly what it was. 

It was the Marauder's Map, a magical artifact created by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter through a combination of alchemy and advanced enchantments. 

The map not only displayed all the secret passages within the castle—many of which the four had discovered while in their Animagus forms—but also tracked the real-time locations of every person in Hogwarts. 

Moreover, it was enchanted with a degree of sentience through the Spirit Awakening Charm, allowing it to mock their old rival, Snape. 

The Marauder's Map was a testament to the exceptional magical talent of its creators. 

Even though they had made it mainly as a prank tool, the spells they employed were incredibly sophisticated, making the map one of the most advanced magical artifacts in existence. 

Hogwarts Castle was no ordinary place—it was saturated with powerful enchantments. Yet, despite this, the Marauder's Map could track anyone within its walls. 

And it wasn't limited to specific individuals—it could trace every witch, wizard, and even animals like Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. 

Even Dumbledore wasn't exempt from its detection. 

If applied to security, it would be far more effective than modern surveillance systems. 

In a world filled with Muggle cameras, one could still sneak past by transforming into an insect or using an invisibility cloak. 

But on the Marauder's Map, nothing could hide. 

There was no way George would let something this valuable slip through his fingers. 

He wasn't interested in using it to monitor the movements of Hogwarts students. 

What he truly wanted was to reverse-engineer the map's enchantments and alchemical techniques—learning the magic behind it for himself.

Thus, in other worlds, he would be able to create similar magical artifacts. 

"This is a great find." 

The Weasley twins tapped their wands against the parchment in their hands and recited: 

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." 

In an instant, thin lines of ink spread out like a spider's web from the point where their wands had touched, intertwining and extending across every inch of the parchment. 

Then, elegant green script appeared on its surface: 

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, purveyors of magical mischief, proudly present—the Marauder's Map!" 

As the words faded, a detailed map emerged before George, covered in numerous tiny black dots. 

"Amazing, right? We found this back in our first year in Filch's drawer—right after we threw a Dungbomb in the corridor." 

Excited, the twins eagerly recounted their daring battles of wit against Filch during their first year. 

But just as they were getting into the story, they suddenly froze. 

Filch and his cat were already patrolling the second floor, and in just a few moments, they would arrive at the entrance hall. If they stayed any longer, they were bound to be caught. 

"We should find a secret passage and hide for a bit. We'll continue the story later." 

"No need for that." 

George simply reached out and grabbed the twins by their shoulders, pulling them into the large mirror in the hall—bringing them into the Mirror Realm. 

"Whoa! What kind of spell is this? We've never heard of anything like it!" 

The Weasley twins stared in awe at their surroundings, an inverted reflection of Hogwarts. Then, they saw Filch appear in the mirror outside—right in front of them—but he showed no sign of noticing them at all. 

Their eyes lit up with excitement. 

If they could learn this spell, their prankster abilities would skyrocket! 

Just imagine—after pranking Filch, they could watch his furious reaction from mere inches away, completely invisible to him. 

They could even use a magical camera to capture the moment of his frustration. 

"This is the Hungarian Mirror World, a spell I invented myself." 

Once Filch had left, George led the twins back into the real world. 

Dumbledore had believed the explanation George had given him before and had only warned him not to reveal the spell's existence to others, so as to avoid unnecessary chaos. 

Thus, moving forward, any spell that didn't belong to this world would always be presented as his own invention. 

"Want to learn it? I can teach you." 

His voice carried a tempting allure. 

The twins eagerly nodded like pecking chicks. 

"Of course!" 

"You can—but on one condition. You'll have to trade me that Marauder's Map in exchange." 

George smiled. 

(End of Chapter)