The Marauder's Map - Part 1

"Psst... Harry!" He was called and turned around halfway down the third-floor corridor to see Fred and George peeking at him from behind the statue of a hunchbacked one-eyed witch.

"What are you doing?" asked Harry, curious. "Aren't you going to Hogsmeade?"

"Before we go, we've come to cheer you up a bit," said Fred, with a mysterious wink.

"Come here," beckoned George, nodding toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed the twins. George quietly closed the door and turned, smiling at Harry. "An early Christmas present for you, Harry," he announced, and Fred pulled something out from under his cloak with a wide gesture, placing it on a desk. It was a piece of parchment, large, square, and heavily worn, with nothing written on its surface.

Harry, suspecting it was one of Fred and George's pranks, stood still, looking at the gift. "And what is this?" he asked.

"This, Harry, is the secret to our success," said George, affectionately patting the parchment.

"It hurts us to give you this present," said Fred, "but we decided last night that you need it much more than we do. And anyway, we already know it by heart. It's an inheritance we're leaving you. To be honest, we don't need it anymore."

"And why do I need an old piece of parchment?" Harry asked.

"An old piece of parchment!" exclaimed Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace, as if Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain it to him, George."

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During Harry's meeting with Fred and George, without the youngsters noticing, a student was eavesdropping on their conversation.

Already in her sixth year at Hogwarts and beginning her studies for the NEWTs, Cassia Hawthorne, a Gryffindor student, always went unnoticed by everyone because her presence always seemed minimal. If anyone in the castle were to ask if she exhibited Gryffindor characteristics, almost everyone would say she didn't.

She always seemed invisible to everyone's eyes, and many students who had been in her house since the first year hardly remembered their fellow housemate.

'You're trying to lead the boy the wrong way,' she thought as she observed the boys' exchange.

Her eyes sparkled when she noticed the parchment the Weasley twins showed to young Harry Potter.

She was quite knowledgeable about the kind of artifact that belonged to it.

Because something similar fell into her hands during her third year, among other 'inheritances' left around the castle by her predecessors, which she found and collected to help her through her days.

A smile spread across her lips as she ended the enchantment on one of the artifacts she possessed and said, 'Very interesting, isn't it, boys?'"

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"Well… when we were in our first year, Harry… young, careless, and innocent," he said theatrically, and Harry suppressed a laugh. He doubted if the twins had ever been innocent.

"Well, more innocent than we are today… we got into a bit of trouble with Filch when we set off a dung bomb in the corridor, and for some reason, he got upset," said George.

"So, Filch dragged us to his office and started threatening us with the usual punishments…" – "...detention…" - "...gutting us…" – "…and we couldn't help but notice a drawer in his file cabinet labeled 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.'" The twins took turns finishing each other's sentences.

"You don't need to go on..." exclaimed Harry, starting to smile.

After Harry spoke, they were startled to hear a voice beside them, and the twins, in particular, became apprehensive because they had used the map earlier to verify who could be near them.

"Very interesting, isn't it? Boys," a Gryffindor witch appeared.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Harry screamed in surprise.

Meanwhile, the Weasleys drew their wands, ready for combat.

However, before they could cast any spells, their bodies were paralyzed.

"Very convenient, isn't it? I planted paralysis runes on you just to be sure," she said, smiling at them. "Well! Continue the story where you left off; I'd love to hear it." With a flick of her wrist, only the boys' heads regained function.

Harry, still on the side, was trying to move but couldn't.

"We know who you are," said George, and Fred added, "The living ghost of Gryffindor."

Cassia smiled, as this was the nickname she had received because her peers knew of her existence, but she was rarely seen, hence the nickname 'ghost.'

"Who are you? I've never seen you," Harry asked.

"I'm a Gryffindor alumna of yours, young Harry," her melodious voice echoed in his ears. "And the story, boys?" she redirected the conversation back to the twins.

"It wasn't as dishonest as it sounds, you know," commented George. "We figured Filch would never figure out how to use the parchment. But he probably suspected it was something dangerous, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"Dangerous? Yes! If used the wrong way, the parchment can be called that," she said, aware of the artifact's potential in other hands.

"And do you know how to use it?" Harry asked, still paralyzed.

"Oh, we know," said Fred, laughing. "This gem has taught us more than all the teachers at school."

"I can certainly believe that," Cassia chuckled. "I see a resemblance in our stories."

"Are you kidding me?" said Harry, looking at the old, torn piece of parchment.

"Oh, really?" said George. "Could you release us now? We know you won't hurt us," he asked their alumna.

"Of course, boys." With a wand gesture, everyone regained their movements.

George picked up the wand, lightly touched the parchment, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Immediately, very fine lines of ink began to spread like a spider's web from where George's wand touched.

Cassia, now observing more closely, noticed the incredible resemblance of the parchment to the artifact in her possession.

The lines of ink converged, crossed, spread like a fan to the four corners of the parchment, and then, at the top, words began to emerge, large, ornate, green words that read:

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers, are proud to present:

THE MARAUDER'S MAP

It was a map that showed every detail of Hogwarts Castle's grounds. Most notably, however, were tiny specks of ink moving around the map, each labeled in small letters.

Astounded, Harry leaned in to examine it better, still wary of the new addition to the room that watched everyone with an amused gaze. A name, in the top left corner, showed that Dumbledore was pacing in his office, the caretaker's cat prowled the second floor, and Peeves, the poltergeist, was currently frolicking in the trophy room.

The twins now noticed that Cassia's name was visible on the map, increasing their curiosity about how she managed to evade their notice before.

"You seem to…" Fred began. "Have secrets," George finished.

"Of course, boys, all girls have their little secrets," she chuckled sweetly.

As Harry's eyes scanned the corridors he knew so well, he noticed something else. The map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many seemed to lead: "straight to Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger.

"There are seven in total. So far, Filch knows these four," he pointed, "but we're sure only we know these others. Don't worry about the passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it collapsed, completely blocked. And we think no one ever used this one here because the Whomping Willow was planted right on top of the entrance. But, this other one leads directly to Honeydukes' cellar. We've used it loads of times. And as you might have noticed, the entrance is right outside the room, by the hump of that one-eyed old crone."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, tapping the map's header. "We owe so much to them."

"Noble souls, who worked tirelessly to help new generations of mischief-makers," said Fred solemnly.

Cassia increasingly connected the names mentioned with the name she often found on the artifacts she had: Lily.

In some old parchments, Lily mentioned the other group of four friends.

"Right," added George quickly.

"Don't forget to clear the map after using it…" – "...or anyone can read it," Fred advised. "Just tap the parchment with your wand again and say 'Mischief managed!' to make the parchment go blank again."

More interested than ever, Cassia was now sure there were still many mysteries for her to uncover, as the command to end the map's enchantment was the same used in Lily's artifacts, so before the boys noticed her, she disappeared again.

"And you…" George turned to Cassia, but she was no longer in the room.

"She vanished," Fred stated the obvious.

"Will we have trouble?" Harry asked.

"None…" Fred began. "Whatsoever," George finished.

"So, young Harry," said Fred, in an incredible imitation of Percy, "behave yourself."

"See you at Honeydukes," George said, winking. The twins left the room, smiling contentedly.