NOVEL NEXT Chapter 114: His Name
"You two have already been to the Forbidden Forest," Harry remarked. "Why would you need my map?"
Fred coughed awkwardly, his expression uneasy. "Harry, not everyone is like you, strolling in and out of the Forbidden Forest as if it's their backyard."
"I don't treat it as my home, and I doubt anyone—" Harry stopped himself, the image of Hagrid popping into his mind. "Well, almost no one would want to live there."
"It's dangerous for the rest of us," George clarified with a shake of his head.
Fred scratched his cheek nervously. "Our first trip to the Forbidden Forest? We got chased out by a herd of Porlocks."
"It was a disaster," George added gravely. "An absolute nightmare."
Harry pressed his lips together. "Aren't Porlocks only classified as 'XX'-level magical creatures?"
Reluctantly, George nodded. Being bullied by a 2X-rated creature wasn't exactly a proud moment.
Fred gestured emphatically, drawing a massive circle with his arms. "But there were so many of them!"
"Ron killed a whole swarm of Acromantulas today," Harry deadpanned, his tone calm as he watched the twins gesticulate.
Fred and George froze.
They turned to Ron, their expressions a mix of disbelief and astonishment.
"That's impossible!" George stammered.
Fred looked equally incredulous. "Little Ronnie? He's terrified of spiders! When he sees one, he cries for Mum!"
Harry shrugged.
Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. With a flick of his wand and a murmured spell, the candy twisted into the shape of a small spider, no larger than a coin.
The tiny spider scuttled up the table leg, leaped onto Ron's robes, climbed to his head, and finally dropped onto the parchment in front of him with a faint plop.
"Bloody hell!" Ron jumped, flipping his parchment into the air.
Without thinking, he whipped out his wand and cast a spell.
A burst of red light shot forth.
The enchanted spider and the parchment exploded in a fiery blast, scattering fragments everywhere.
The other Gryffindors in the common room jumped in surprise.
"He's really not afraid of spiders anymore," Fred marveled.
George nodded in agreement. "That reaction time, that spellwork… almost on par with Percy! Dare I say, it was actually kind of cool."
Ron stared blankly at the shredded remains of his essay, his face a mask of disbelief.
After a long pause, he finally snapped out of it, his gaze locking onto the smirking twins beside Harry.
"Fred! George!" Ron bellowed, clutching his wand tightly. "What the bloody hell are you two playing at now?"
"Give me back my essay! I was almost three inches in!"
Fred stood, looking at Harry. "Harry, this isn't the place to talk. What do you say we head to our dormitory?"
"Lee Jordan's out on a date. The room's empty," George added, inviting Harry with a grin.
Ron stormed over, grabbing George by the collar. "You'd better have a good explanation, and you'd better give me back my essay!"
"Maybe try a Repairing Charm?" George suggested innocently, forcing a weak smile.
Fred gently pried Ron's hands off his brother's robes. "Calm down, Ronniekins. We've got something important to discuss with Harry. It's about your future pocket money."
The mention of pocket money made Ron pause, his anger dissipating. "Pocket money?"
"Of course. We're your big brothers," Fred said with exaggerated sincerity.
Ron scoffed. "Big brothers wouldn't scare their little brother with spiders."
"Harry said you weren't afraid anymore," George replied innocently. "We just wanted to see how much you'd improved."
The twins smoothly transitioned into flattery, showering Ron with compliments.
"You looked amazing when you blasted that spider," Fred said.
"Utterly composed," George agreed.
"For a moment, I thought you were Bill."
"The way you drew your wand with such flair…"
"And cast the spell so calmly…"
"You're the next Bill, no doubt about it."
"No, you'll surpass him! You'll be the brightest of the Weasley kids."
The barrage of praise left Ron blushing, his lips curling into a bashful smile.
"Really?" he asked sheepishly. "It's all thanks to Harry's teaching."
Fred clapped him on the shoulder, his expression serious. "Which is why you need to keep learning from Harry. Keep it up, Ronnie."
George tilted his head toward Harry. "Shall we?"
Harry stood, following the twins to their dormitory.
Ron scratched his head, a faint feeling of unease creeping over him. Something felt off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The twins' dormitory was cluttered with all sorts of items. A Slytherin house robe hung on the wall, next to what looked suspiciously like Quirrell's turban and Filch's confiscated cane.
Fred eagerly pulled out a piece of parchment. "Harry, we want to trade this for your Forbidden Forest map."
The parchment looked old and worn, with faint traces of magical energy emanating from it.
"Hogwarts map?" Harry asked.
Fred pouted. "You're no fun, Harry. I told you he'd figure it out right away."
George shrugged. "I told you Harry's sharp."
"This is a Hogwarts map," Fred admitted. "But trust me, it's far more impressive than it looks."
Fred pulled out his wand, his tone turning serious. "Let us show you how it works."
"It was back in our first year," Fred began narrating.
"We had a minor disagreement with Filch and decided to plant a dung bomb in the hallway—like the one we used on that Tom fellow recently," George added.
Fred sighed dramatically. "Back then, we were amateurs. Filch caught us."
"But while rummaging through his confiscated items, we found this parchment labeled 'Highly Dangerous.'"
George grinned. "Naturally, being Gryffindors, we couldn't resist. Fred tossed another dung bomb to distract Filch, and I swiped the parchment."
"It took us half a term to figure out how to use it," Fred continued, his wand hovering over the parchment. "But once we did, it was magical."
With a solemn voice, he declared, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
A surge of magic flowed from his wand, connecting with the parchment. Fine lines of ink spread across the page, forming a detailed map of Hogwarts, including the grounds and Quidditch pitch.
At the top of the map, green ink spelled out in elegant script:
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
Proudly present
The Marauder's Map
Harry stared at it in awe.
This wasn't just a map. It showed the current positions of people within the castle, represented by labeled dots.
Dumbledore was in his office, stationary.
McGonagall was briskly moving toward the Great Hall. Inside the Hall, a crowd of Gryffindors and Slytherins mingled.
Even pets and ghosts appeared.
Filch was patrolling. Mrs. Norris, Crookshanks, and Hedwig were huddled together in an unused classroom on the fourth floor.
But what caught Harry's attention most was a name—Peter Pettigrew—moving through a hidden passageway between the first and second floors.
His gaze sharpened, locking onto the name.
Pettigrew was still at Hogwarts.
"Well? Impressive, isn't it?" Fred asked, grinning.
"It's a masterpiece," George added. "The creators didn't leave their real names, but their work speaks for itself."
Fred grew serious. "This map has been invaluable to us. In exchange for your Forbidden Forest map, we think it's a fair trade."
"This is leagues beyond the Forbidden Forest map," Harry replied softly, his mind still on the name.
"But we've memorized the castle by now," George said, tapping his temple. "We're more interested in exploring the Forest now."
Fred's eyes gleamed. "Even Ronnie's making money in there! Think of all the magical materials students need. We could help them out and fund our dream—our very own joke shop!"
"Of course, I'm happy to help," Harry said, his tone distant as his eyes remained fixed on the map.
He watched Peter Pettigrew's name, tracking its movements.
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Powerstones?
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