Chapter 16: Marauders' Map

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8 September, 1991 - Sunday

Hogwarts - Previously Unused Classroom

Johnathan Grey (MC)

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"Catching the snitch gains the team 150 points and ends the game, completely disregarding all the other points the rest of the team scored? That doesn't make any sense!" I may like the idea of flying and feeling the wind in your hair, being free. But the rules of Quidditch were just a mess to me.

Using the same trick again, I moved a chair behind Tonks to take her focus. This time though, she used [Depulso], the banishing charm, to send it back the way it came, without looking, even as she dodged the other spell I sent her way. She'd improved a decent amount from yesterday and today's training. 

"It's completely unpredictable. At least watch a game first before coming to a conclusion. If you catch the snitch early enough it ends the game but its really difficult to do. And while you're trying, the beaters are getting in the way and chasers are racking up points." She defended as she used [Fumos], the smoke screen spell, to impede my sight.

I had been teaching her to increase her magic sense since yesterday by having her close her eyes as I used magic. She already had decent senses anyway, so I just focused on having her keep her senses up at all times. Constant vigilance and all that.

Dodging a [Depulso] from my right, I retaliated with one of my own which I sensed before I heard, was dodge, then there was silence. Well, almost. "Your breathing is loud enough for me to hear. If that is part of your plan, then continue, if not, then fix it."

With my wand, I conjured a spectral wolf to hunt her down while using my free hand to telekinetically open the windows to let the smoke out. Still purposefully letting my magic leak just enough so that she can sense me. Not enough that it was too easy, but just enough that she would constantly have to concentrate to find me.

"Easier said than done." Oh, that's new. An echo spell? I heard her to my left, but I could sense her on my right. She must have read up on that yesterday after I mentioned how useful the smoke screen spell is in an enclosed space when you have good enough senses.

A [Protego] easily blocked the stunner sent my way, just as she made herself known by sending a [Reducto], blasting curse, to destroy the wolf. By this point, most of the smoke had gone out the window.

"Flying is OK. Quidditch is just not me. Don't even get me started on why we only use brooms. We could use carpets," I said as I sent a stunner her way, which she sidestepped. "A surfboard, or even just enchant shoes," I moved another chair to trip her over which she jumped over, before retaliating with a stunner of her own.

I was already transfiguring a chair into a chair-sized dragon before I fully dodged the stunner, before sending it after her. 

"We could enchant so many things but people are only using brooms in Britain, as we have been for centuries." I continued as I once again moved a piece of furniture from her blind spot to catch her off guard as she dealt with the animated menace. "It's like magic society decided to say goodbye to the very idea of moving forward. Maybe my Hogwarts letter should have just said, 'Welcome to the magical world. Where we teach you for seven years only to stop you from progressing the world.'"

"Don't make it seem like the muggle world is any different, you guys spend ages changing stuff too. Football, basketball and whatever ball, are all basically played the same way they used to be."

A few blasting courses dealt with the dragon and chain in no time. I didn't especially make them powerful, this exercise was more about her awareness and senses anyway. But focusing on three things at the same time while also constantly keeping her senses that sharp seems a little much for her, she didn't react fast enough to dodge or block my [Expelliarmus].

"They change things little by little, while the magical world barely changes at all." 

Tonks watched in exhaustion as her wand came sailing into my waiting hand. "You transfigured a chair…into a dragon?!" Seeing my smirk, she continued. "Who are you?!"

"You know if you keep asking that, I will start to assume I've broken you in some way." I mused as I walked towards her to give her back her wand. "You've improved a lot since yesterday. Nice echo spell by the way, where did you find it?"

"Just ask pince for extended reading on the Sonorous charm, she pointed it out to me. I'm surprised a nerd like you hasn't read the entire library and found it already." She smirked.

"I plan to, but only books with magic spells and/or techniques in them."

She seemed to blink at how absurd I sounded before tilting her head. "Why are Ravenclaws so strange?"

"We're the normal ones, actually. We're in a magical school and want to learn, everyone else is strange."

"Better yet," she continued, completely ignoring me. "Why are you so strange?"

"It's a gift." I deadpanned. "We can only go a few more times, I have to go find a map."

"Aww, little firsty scared he's going to get lost?" Tonks asked in a teasing tone.

"You know what?" I said through squinted eyes before transitioning to a feral smile, "This one's gonna hurt."

"You sent a mini dragon at me last time," she whined. "This was supposed to be awareness training."

"Exactly, now you're aware of at least one person you should never piss off."

"Language." my feral smile must have been contagious because she now had one of her own.

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After handing Tonks her own ass a few times, I took off to find a pair of twins in another unused classroom. I had chosen this particular spot for its seclusion and the fact that it was off the path of the great hall, common rooms and other actually used classrooms, less likely to be stumbled upon by any unwary student or faculty member. I didn't plan on having a Tonks moment and having other people know about this meeting, well, aside from Dumbledore, who is most likely keeping track of my movements using the painting and ghosts.

The message I sent to Fred and George Weasley was cryptic yet unmistakable to those familiar with the marauders. I was sure the phrase 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good', along with a time and location, was all I needed to convince them to meet me. If their stares during dinner were anything to go by, then I was right. 

The room was dim, lit only by the diffused light filtering in through the dirt-streaked windows and the [Mage Light] I conjured near me. I passed the time by just relaxing in one of the many vacant chairs whilst transfiguring another into different animals. Soon enough, I sensed them before I heard them—a whispered conversation followed by soft laughter, their footsteps trying to be silent on the ancient stone floors.

Fred was the first to step into the room. His eyes briefly noted me before scanning the rest of the room until they landed on me again. George was right behind him, both wearing expressions of curious expectation. "Received your owl, we did," Fred began, a grin spreading across his face. "Can't say we've been invited in such a mysterious manner before."

George nodded, his gaze flickering around the room. "So, what's this meeting about? Are you planning to start your own secret society, or is this about the ultimate prank on Slytherin or something?" His tone was playful, but there was an undercurrent of genuine interest. "And how exactly did you know about that phrase?"

I couldn't help but smile. "As tempting as it is to prank Slytherin, that isn't what this meeting if for," I began, watching closely for their reaction as I continued. "I've got a request regarding the Map, and I know that phrase the same way I know who the Marauders are."

The twins exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them before they turned their attention back to me, their expressions now more focused.

"That's a big ask, but we're all ears," Fred said, speaking for both of them after a moment of deliberation. "The map is one of our most valuable tools. Why should we lend it to you? You Ravenclaws are always thinking in those big heads of yours. So, what do you have in mind?"

"Yeah, what's in it for us?" George added with amusement, folding his arms across his chest, though his eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"I'll give you 10 Galleons to borrow it for a few weeks," I offered, gaining raised eyebrows. Fred and George exchanged a glance, their demeanour shifting to one of mild scepticism. "I want to study it, specifically how it was made. I won't be keeping it."

The twins' scepticism turned to intrigue, their posture easing as they leaned in closer. "Fifteen Galleons…each," George urged, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

I anticipated this response, and although I could have simply given them the money, any conversation with them in the future would have them thinking they could just keep asking for more money or that I was the type of person who just keeps throwing money at any little problem." Ten galleons…, five each." I countered calmly, "And I could tell you about the creators of the map. The Marauders themselves…well, two of them anyway. You'll have to find the other two yourself, that's my final offer," I proposed, watching as their interest visibly piqued.

Fred and George looked at each other again, silently deliberating this proposal. Turning their attention back to me, Fred nodded. "Deal. you'll need the money before we lend it to you though." He shrugged, "Don't really know you well enough to know if you're good for it."

I nodded, taking the Galleons from my 'pocket' to show them I had it with me. "Moony was Remus Lupin," I revealed, watching as their eyes widened wether it was because of the money or the information, I didn't ask. "And Padfoot was none other than Sirius Black."

"Wow, Sirius Black?" George finally muttered, the words barely a whisper, probably thinking that he was using the object made by a 'criminal'. "That's bonkers, and who's this Lupin fella?"

I shrugged, "You'll have to find that out yourself, now, do we have a deal?" I asked, gesturing to the money in my hand.

Fred shook his head in wonder, then extended his hand while George reached behind into his pocket to retrieve the map. "Deal's a deal. You can borrow the map. But you've got to promise to take good care of it."

"Of course", I said, handing him the money with a polite smile before turning my attention to George, who was handing me the map.

[The Marauder's Map]

[A magical parchment that reveals a detailed layout of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including every classroom, hallway, and corner of the castle. It also shows the location of almost everyone within the school's grounds in real-time unless they have a way to hide their presence, represented by small, moving footprints labelled with the person's name.]

[The map was created by Remus Lupin (Moony), Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail), Sirius Black (Padfoot), and James Potter (Prongs) during their time at Hogwarts. To use the map, one must tap it with a wand and say, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," causing the contents of the map to appear. To hide the contents, the user again taps the map and says, "Mischief managed," which will make the map appear blank to anyone else who might see it.]

"A piece of advice?" George said with a small smile while handing me the map. "You should probably bring a few of your friends with you when doing deals like this, some people might take advantage of you and just take the money without actually giving you what you paid for."

"You think I'm unprepared for an ambush, huh?" I mused aloud with a casual smile, placing the map in my 'pocket' before brandishing my wand to transfigure a table into a wolf, startling the twins. "Personally, I think I'll be alright." 

"Remind us never to get on your bad side, yeah?" Fred requested, warily staring at the wolf as it prowled back and forth, waiting for a target. 

Having had my fun, I cancelled the transfiguration. "Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen," I said, putting my hand out for them to shake. "If you could hold back on pranking any close friends of mine, that would be great."

"Yeah, sure," George said as they both chuckled. With the deal struck, we shook hands..

"Before we go," I said, breaking the brief silence that had followed the handshake, "I think it would be best if we left the room at different times. If anyone sees us leaving together, they might start thinking we're plotting something. They could end up believing the next prank was my idea." My tone was half-joking, but I was serious. Hogwarts was a place of constant gossip, the moment people started thinking I was pranking people, they would start getting on my nerves and I really don't have time for that kind of drama.

Fred chuckled, a gleam of mischief still in his eye. "Fair point, John. Wouldn't want to give away the game before it's even begun," he agreed, clapping me on the shoulder. The reason he was saying it like I asked him to prank people it beyond me.

George nodded in agreement, his grin as wide as ever. "Alright, we'll leave first. Give it a few minutes before you do the same. Good luck with the map, and remember to take good care of it."

With a final nod, the twins left.

Once alone, I didn't waste a moment unrolling the Map, my eyes and magic scanning the intricate details of the enchantments that appeared before me while whispering the activation phrase, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and watched as the lines and words began to weave themselves across the parchment, revealing the moving footprints dots that represented the people within the castle's walls.

As I continued to study the map, I realised, it was a masterpiece of magic, especially for children to create while still at Hogwarts. But, it had its own flaws. At first I thought it gained information from Howart's wards, but it doesn't. Which makes sense, I would imagine Dumbledore would have been keeping an eye on the wards especially when Voldy was making a nuisance around that time. Turns out the person would have had to go to the area and manually add the location to the map by standing there with the map in their possession. That would explain why the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirements weren't added; they most likely never found it.

As for the names and locations, they are obtained from the natural ambient magic in the air. To test a little theory I had, I controlled my magic not to leak anything into the air and to stop the ambient magic from interacting with, or passing through my me. Doing so, led to my name and location being completely erased from the map.

I leaned in, doubting that was the same thing Pettigrew did to hide himself after all these years while living with the Weasleys. As I continued my analysis, I found it—an added spell, a weak one at that, which hides his name specifically. Judging by the power and longevity of the spell, it would only last for a few days at a time before it would need to be re-cast. Removing the spell, I continued to analyse exactly how to make another one.

Although, I personally plan to have mine mixed with the [Detect Life] spell. I don't have the time to map out an entire building, but I can definitely use it to detect people's location from the map by introducing the distance from the map holder, while also incorporating the way it gets people's names from ambient magic alone. I'll also need other ways to stop people from using it and or copying it; there's no way I'm sticking with just a password.

"Mischief Managed," I muttered, deactivating the map before Folding it with care and tucking it away, having completed the analysis. A quick [Tempus] notified me that I had let the world outside the classroom fade away as I immersed myself in the map. The actual creation of my own map will have to wait, my stomach was speaking to me, and I had to respond the only way it deemed appropriate.

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The Great Hall

The Great Hall was buzzing with the sounds of dinner when I arrived, filled with the warmth of laughter, conversation, and the clinking of cutlery.

Having spotted me as I walked over, Terry waved me over to where he sat with Micheal and Anthony. "Where have you been all day?" Terry asked, his tone a mix of concern and curiosity. "It's already dinner time, and this is the first we've seen of you since breakfast."

Fetching some food from the middle of the table to put on my plate, I gave a noncommittal shrug, a smile playing on his lips. "Just talking with some upperclassmen about Hogwarts and some other stuff," I replied before easily changing the subject, "By the way, did you know there's a Hogwarts Student Programme that lets seventh years experience various careers at the Ministry? Like being an Auror and such?"

Terry looked surprised, then thoughtful. "Really? I hadn't heard about that. That sounds wicked," he mused. 

"Also, 'turns out I'm what people would call a Metamorphmagus," I added with a nonchalant shrug, as I started attaching my plate. Getting carried away like that always gets me famished.

"A what?" Micheal asked, after sharing a glance with Anthony.

"A metamorph-magus," I repeated after swallowing the food already in my mouth. Noticing their confusion, I gave them the textbook definition, "A witch or wizard who has the ability to change their appearance at will, without the need for a wand, spell, or potion."

"Prove it," Terry said with a challenging smile, taking a glance at my hair before continuing. "Change your hair colour or something, without your wand."

With a shrug, I did exactly that. Turning my hair blue, then red, then green, before letting the colour fade back to natural. To add a bit of flair, I also changed my mouth to that of a duck like I remember Tonks doing in the movies. The response was immediate and varied: eyes widened, a few jaws dropped, and there was a sudden surge of excited murmuring around the table.

"No way!" Terry exclaimed, the sentiment echoed by others around the table as they saw what happened. "That's wicked. Can you show us how to do it, too?"

I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips at their reactions, "Sorry, apparently it's very rare, and you have to be born with it." I shrugged, going back to my food.

"That's amazing," said an East Asian girl to my left, gaining my attention, her eyes practically sparkling out of her head. "I've read about Metamorphmagi, but I've never actually seen it in action before—well, aside from that one time when I saw the girl in Hufflepuff."

"And why didn't you tell us on the train?" Padma added next to her.

"Thanks..." I replied, looking at the East Asian girl first. Prompting her to reveal her name.

"Su, Su Li," she replied. 

"Thanks, Su," I repeated, before turning to Padma and shrugging. "No one told me it was a big deal. How was I supposed to know that other people couldn't do it, too?"

At this point, the floodgates were already open, with questions about what it felt like and the extent of the changes I could make. I was honest in saying that it just felt natural and that I hadn't really done it much, especially as a muggle-born, muggles would think something was up if I did. I didn't even bother looking at the staff table to know they were watching, though I did notice Dumbledore was missing today when I walked in.

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"Saint-Like. I'm Holy. I'm Holey, Fred. Get It?"

- George Weasley. (After he is struck in the head by a curse, losing his ear in the process)

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Author Here

Tonks loses another spar. John gets the Marauders' Map and plans to copy it after meeting a making a deal with the Weasley twins. People find out John is a metamorph-magus. 

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Disclaimer: I still own nothing except my OC and original ideas. All credit goes to their respective owners.

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