58 58. The Secret Of The Marauder's Map, The Room Of Requirement

Now that Wayne had pointed them out, the Twins stopped hiding and took out a parchment map.

Fred cleared his throat and pointed his wand at the parchment.

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

The ink on the originally blank map stretched like threads and quickly assembled into a map.

Unlike Wayne's map, this one covered a much wider scope, including the entire castle, the outside lawn, the Quidditch pitch, and a small part of the Forbidden Forest.

Wayne's map only covered the teaching building area of the castle, which was considerably smaller.

The most amazing thing was that the map was densely packed with names, some clustered together and others moving.

Cedric stared. "Where did this come from?"

"Wayne, did you create a more advanced version?"

"I don't have the ability for that." Wayne took the map, and in just a moment, he discovered contract magic, a significant amount of tracking magic, and magic related to names.

Wayne became deeply suspicious. Was the Marauder's Map created by Sirius and the others when they were in school?

He wondered how these students had managed to create such an incredible thing.

"Shadowless and invisible."

Wayne took out his wand and cast an invisibility spell on himself.

Suddenly, Wayne's name disappeared from the map, leaving only the names of the Weasley brothers and Cedric displayed in the room.

"Can it still do that?" Fred asked in surprise, looking at the scene.

George explained to Cedric, "Fred and I were put in solitary confinement by Filch, and while cleaning, we found this in his drawer."

"It took a lot of effort to solve the mystery."

Fred interrupted, "George almost threw this parchment away, but thankfully he didn't."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Wayne studied the map for a while but couldn't find Peter Pettigrew's name on it, so he returned it to the twins.

Well, it was not surprising. Peter Pettigrew was also one of the creators of the map and given his timid temperament, he likely used spells to hide his information.

Fred carefully put away the map. Although they could still use it for a few months, they needed to quickly record all the secret passages in Hogwarts.

Since Wayne agreed to help them, he decided to start teaching alongside them.

He sent Cedric to start making a map, while he talked to the twins about selling quills.

Both of them were social butterflies and had friends in every house except Slytherin.

Wayne didn't want to invest too much energy into the business, and Hermione and Cho weren't particularly interested either.

The timing was perfect for the twins to join.

In the original world, the Weasley Joke Shop was thriving under their management, proving that they had a knack for business as well. As long as one item is sold, he will give the twins 10% of the share. If they make it themselves, they will give 20%.

Fred and George didn't have a problem with that either.

If it's something that interests you, no matter how naughty or mischievous you are, you can still make the effort to learn it.

The twins are enthusiastic about making prank props or interesting magic items, and they listen more attentively than in class.

If Professor McGonagall saw it, she would probably confine them in anger.

After saying the spell, Wayne took out some ordinary feathers and handed them, as well as some potions that provided magical power.

Only feathers soaked in the potion will become special materials that can be used to make magic quills.

By noon, the three of them were unwilling to leave, but Wayne had to go.

"What are you going to do?" Cedric asked.

"I promised Hermione that I would teach her the Shield Charm this afternoon."

"Oh~" George exclaimed strangely. "It turns out to be Miss Know-It-All."

Cedric smiled slyly. "Tsk... Wayne, you started early enough."

Wayne wasn't angry and looked at them with a half-smile. "There are only so many students in the entire Hogwarts, and your future wife will likely be chosen from here."

"If you don't mind, you can wait until seventh grade."

"Wait until your future wife becomes the ex-girlfriend of many people before you start, that way she will have more experience."

After saying that, Wayne went out, leaving the three of them staring.

"hiss..."

Cedric gasped.

"That makes sense."

This kind of situation does exist, and there are quite a lot of examples.

For example, the girlfriend of Whateley, the captain of the Quidditch team, is the ex-girlfriend of the sixth-grade prefect, and the ex-girlfriend of the sixth-grade prefect is the ex-girlfriend of a prefect in Ravenclaw.

The beginning of school every year is like a transfer period. Today this girlfriend will change, and tomorrow the other one will change.

Cedric shivered.

No, he has to learn from Wayne's training since he was young.

Fred and George also felt sad, but now they were focused on making props. After complaining for a while, they started practicing magic spells again.

In the afternoon, after taking a nap, Wayne waited for Hermione at the door of the Gryffindor lounge, pulled her, and went down to the tower.

"Let's go, I'll take you to a fun place," Wayne said mysteriously.

Hermione was a little confused. "Aren't you going to teach me the Shield Charm? Where are you going?"

"You'll know if you follow me."

Wayne took Hermione straight to the Seventh floor, and the two of them didn't let go of each other's hands along the way.

Hermione bit her lip.

This is the first time. Why does Wayne always like to hold her hand while walking? Is he afraid that she will get lost?

By now she was somewhat used to it. After aimlessly exploring the Seventh floor, the two eventually located the tapestry, Barnabas, a wizard, foolishly attempted to teach the troll ballet.

This painting has graced the school since its inception, witnessing the recurring brutality inflicted upon Barnabas by numerous trolls spanning over millennia.

The deep-seated animosity between the artist behind this portrait and Barnabas remains a mystery to me.

Once they confirmed its presence, Wayne anxiously paced back and forth three times near the opposite wall, lost in silent contemplation.

"I desperately need a designated place to practice my spells."

When Wayne passed by for the third time, a smooth door appeared on the wall with a handle.

Wayne didn't hesitate. He pulled Hermione open the door and walked in.

"What is this place?"

There is no light source in the room, but it is almost as bright as the outside world. The space is large and filled with puppets and targets.

Hermione looked around in surprise at the room and its furnishings.

"This is the Room of Requirement," Wayne observed his surroundings.

But unlike Hermione, he wanted to see something deeper.

Unfortunately, his strength was not enough, and his knowledge was too limited. After observing for a long time, he still couldn't identify the reason.

He could only determine that the Room of Requirement was similar to the Sorting Hat, and also had some Legilimency abilities.

"As long as you silently recite your needs and walk back and forth three times like I just did, this room will transform to meet your desires."

"But if someone is already inside, the Room of Requirement won't appear unless your needs are the same."

"So powerful? I want to try it too." Hermione's eyes lit up as she pulled Wayne out of the room to try it for herself.

When they stepped out, the smooth door immediately disappeared.

Hermione imitated Wayne and walked back and forth three times. As expected, the door reappeared and she pushed it open. It revealed rows of bookshelves, filled with loose books.

Hermione picked up a book to read, but Wayne quickly stopped her:

"There will be plenty of time to read books in the future. Today, we agreed to focus on learning spells."

"Okay." Hermione reluctantly put the book back, and they transformed the Room of Requirement back to its original state.

"Wayne," Hermione looked at him curiously, "How did you discover the Room of Requirement?"

"At night, while exploring," Wayne said matter-of-factly. "Didn't I tell you before, this castle has many secrets. You can't fully explore its wonders by just attending classes."

Hermione pondered this, suddenly feeling eager to give it a try.

"Okay, Teacher Lawrence's class has started."

Wayne pretended to cough twice and even changed his glasses, which made Hermione burst into laughter.

"Miss Granger, please listen attentively, or the teacher will punish you."

Hermione blushed slightly. "How dare you!"

Wayne stopped teasing her. He knew that she would gradually become more comfortable and less sensitive in the future.

The Shield Charm is a common protective spell in the magic world. It forms an invisible barrier around the body, resisting most attacking spells, and even rebounding them.

Although this is the most common protective spell, it doesn't mean that the Shield Charm is easy to master. Many employees of the Ministry of Magic have not mastered the use of this spell, and proficiency in the Shield Charm is one of the most important aspects of the Auror examination.

According to an Auror autobiography that Wayne read, the minimum standard for assessing an Auror is the ability to cast the Shield Charm silently.

After all, if you can't even protect yourself, how can you expect an Auror to capture a dark wizard?

"There's a spell you should know, Protego."

When reciting the incantation, "te" must be pronounced with an accent, and the connection with "go" must be close.

Wayne summarized the techniques for Hermione in great detail: "Remember, when chanting a spell, your wrist must be raised, and the wand should be held vertically to the body."

As he spoke, he demonstrated the most standard movements.

"At the same time, you need to concentrate in your mind and imagine that there is an indestructible shield in front of you."

"The defensive power of the Shield Charm is not only related to magical power but also to the strength of your will."

"Magic is idealistic. Will and imagination play a big role. Don't imagine it with Muggle thinking. This shield must be magical and miraculous."

Wayne was speaking eloquently, and Hermione's head continued to nod, memorizing all the key points he mentioned.

"Come on, give it a try yourself."

After Wayne finished speaking, he asked the little witch to perform the actual operation.

Hermione was exceptionally talented when it came to learning spells. Wayne had only taught her once, but she had memorized all the key points and followed the instructions meticulously when casting spells.

In less than an hour, she was able to use the spell, although Wayne noticed that the Shield Charm was dry, numb, and misshapen.

He couldn't help but sense an urge to play a game.

Unfortunately, something went wrong during one round.

Puff!

The sound of a deflating balloon echoed loudly in the silent room, startling Wayne.

Is this a Shield Charm or a balloon charm? It felt like it would break with the slightest touch.

Hermione's face filled with anger, and she hesitated as she spoke: "I just learned this, so... it'll be fine in the future."

Wayne said nothing.

Although there was a new and unskilled relationship at play here, the fundamental reason was... the lack of sufficient magic power.

It's not without reason that those families insist on pure blood.

Most pure-blood wizards possess much more magic power than a pure Muggle like Hermione.

For instance, Malfoy and Harry.

If they had Hermione's learning talent, their magic would undoubtedly support a complete Shield Charm.

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione cautiously asked, thinking that her performance had disappointed Wayne.

"It's nothing." Wayne came back to his senses and saw the little witch with her mouth pursed, looking like she was about to cry. He smiled and comforted her: "You did pretty well. It's not your fault."

"In a year or two, once your magic power increases, mastering the Shield Charm will come naturally to you."

Hermione didn't respond, and Wayne took the opportunity to gently rub her furry head, a relieved expression on his face.

He had wanted to do this for a long time, but their previous relationship wasn't enough, and there hadn't been a suitable opportunity.

Now was the perfect moment to take advantage.

As expected, Hermione didn't show any sign of disgust. She even leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Wayne.

"What should we do now?" the little witch asked in frustration. "I have such little magic power, what kind of magic can I learn?"

"It's not low, it's just at a normal level," Wayne corrected. "Typically, young wizards can only master the Shield Charm in the fifth or sixth grade."

Hermione looked up, curious. "And what about you?"

"I learned it before I even went to school," Wayne replied, gently pushing Hermione away with an invisible barrier.

Not only did he cast spells silently without a wand, but he also displayed exceptional control over magic spells.

"How's that? Am I impressive?" Wayne raised an eyebrow and proudly boasted.

This made Hermione furious. She was already feeling sad, and Wayne was rubbing salt into her wounds."It's not fair! We are all Muggle-born, why are you so talented?" she exclaimed.

Wayne pondered silently in his mind, explaining the reason for his abilities.

He possessed an exceptional talent for black magic defense at an SS+ level, a rarity even when comparing ancient and modern times.

Although the system did not provide specific ratings for other characters, Wayne estimated that legendary figures like Gryffindor, Slytherin, and even Merlin could reach the SS level. Even Old Dumble couldn't achieve such prowess.

Through the combination of his natural talent and the aid of card drawing, Wayne had mastered the Shield Charm to an advanced level, making it effortless to utilize.

Since Hermione couldn't currently learn the Shield Charm, Wayne focused on teaching her other spells, like the practical and straightforward Disarming Spell.

This particular spell consumed minimal magic power, flew swiftly, and proved extremely challenging to defend against.

Without their wands, most wizards were defenseless, just like Muggles.

Wayne beckoned, causing a nearby wooden man to float over, carrying various items.

"First, focus on improving the success rate of the spell. Remember to control the direction the enemy's wand flies in when disarmed. Then, work on your aim and, finally, the speed and distance of your casting."

Wayne arranged the training regimen for Hermione and sat down, engrossed in a book.

While reading, he contemplated the possibility of acquiring items that could enhance Hermione's magical abilities. However, he decided it was best to wait until she matured and wouldn't be able to escape his care.

In the Room of Requirement, Hermione continued chanting the spell without pause.

She held her breath and exerted herself, determined to prove to Wayne that she was capable beyond mere memorization.

The sound of her voice grew hoarse as the afternoon progressed, and Hermione finally stopped when she could no longer summon magic from her fatigued body.

Wayne retrieved a vial of concentration potion and handed it to her.

"Drink this and get a good night's sleep. Otherwise, you might struggle to wake up tomorrow."

He provided further advice, "When you practice privately, don't exert yourself as intensely as you did today. Remember to reserve some magic power for yourself, understand?"

Hermione felt a warmth in her heart as she listened to Wayne's caring words. Her smile bloomed like a radiant flower as she carefully cradled the potion.

"He may be a bit wicked, but he's considerate," she thought.

Wayne chuckled and reached out to affectionately ruffle the young witch's head once more.

So soft!