Capítulo 23: Chapter 23: Unexpected Harvest
"P-Prof..Professor Forester,"
...came the slightly winded whisper from one of the young Weasley twins. It was the second time already tonight that a student had managed to scramble, and with some hilarity, morph Professor Sherlock Forester's name.
The usually frivolous and mischievous twins, George and Fred Weasley, found themselves swept up in a current of escalating nervousness.
They were utterly befuddled as to why Professor Forester, newly inducted into his position in Hogwarts, was purposefully wandering the dim-lit castle corridors in the dead of the night, which is essentially, a time dominated by silence and solitude.
Of course, their primary concern wasn't the new professor's mysterious nocturnal habits. Instead, they were immediately regretting an impulsive decision made just a heartbeat ago.
They had thoughtlessly unveiled their coveted secret weapon, the Marauder's Map, right in front of Sherlock Forester, their freshly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.
George, immediately grasping the gravity of their blunder, swiftly concealed the Map behind his crumpled robes. Both twins then sniggered in impeccable unison, their laughter as synchronized as though choreographed.
"Look at that, Professor Forester, we appear to have crossed paths unexpectedly in these late hours. Just as we were about to turn in for the night…" Fred began.
"Quite the coincidence indeed, boys. Well then, as the saying goes, 'A disciplined bedtime ensures a brisk morning.' We should all be turning in." the professor responded with an air of casual composure.
Trying to bluff their way out of the potentially disastrous Marauder's Map fiasco, George and Fred exchanged a quick, conspiratorial glance, whirled around, and began to retrace their path towards the looming, lion-emblazoned entrance of the Gryffindor common room.
As you may suspect, their attempt at deceit was about as successful as predicting tomorrow's weather. Before they could take more than a couple of steps, the back of their robes were suddenly yanked back.
As if caught mid-flight, both the young Weasley twins stumbled back, their throats suddenly arid, their hearts pounding. They exchanged a look of shared dread; it was clear to them that they were not going to breeze through this unscathed.
"Um.. Professor Forester, do you need anything else from us?, George managed to choke out. "As you said we should retire for the night. Mum always says that staying up late stunts growth."
Sherlock, detecting the poorly masked apprehension in George's voice, extended his hand towards him and said, "The Marauder's Map, hand it over if you please," searing away any flickering hope they had of slithering out of this situation undetected.
It was with a gut-wrenching reluctance that George removed the Marauder's Map from its makeshift hiding place. Their movements were sheepish and lacked their usual bravado, as the imposing figure of Sherlock bore down on them, his piercing gaze inscrutable.
From their mother, Mrs. Weasley, they had heard much of Professor Forester's formidable reputation from his time as a student at Hogwarts. After graduation, he'd diligently served as a no-nonsense Auror for over a year before resigning from the Ministry of Magic, finding life in the office rather insipid.
He then committed himself to intensive magical research and within two short years, had written two books on Defense Against the Dark Arts, both of which had been well-received and applauded by expert witches and wizards.
Securing a place on the Hogwarts faculty at his age is no small achievement either; it was suggestive of his exemplary abilities and remarkable command over magic.
Altough they dared to pull pranks on Filch, as these past three years had demonstrated that he had more bark than bite, Professor Forester, however, appeared to be a different kettle of fish altogether and not one to be taken lightly.
Sherlock plucked the parchment from their trembling hands. Every detail of the castle, no matter how hidden or obscure, was carefully inked on the Marauder's Map.
It allowed him to track the movement of anyone within the Hogwarts grounds. At the present moment, he could see Dumbledore pacing back and forth his office, Filch hurrying towards his quarters, and Professors Sprout and Sinistra seemingly engaged in a conversation in the teacher's common room.
Something so powerful was not to be taken lightly; it would provide him with an exceptional edge, a control he hadn't anticipated. The thought brought an inscrutable look to his face as he returned his gaze to the twins.
"So, gentlemen, how do you propose we handle tonight's little adventure?"
Caught off guard by Sherlock's probing question, Fred and George dropped their gaze apprehensively.
As much as the professor referred to it as a discussion, they understood they held little sway over the decision. Therefore, all they could hope for was that the map would not be confiscated nor their wrongdoing reported to their eagle-eyed mother.
"Boys, you set a trap for Mr. Filch, lured him into a rather mischievous situation, and aimed to defy curfew, all while in possession of an unauthorized Hogwarts map. You have, in essence, violated several school rules in a single action." the stern professor stated.
Venting a resigned sigh, the twins braced themselves to be handed over to Professor McGonagall for a relentless dressing down. They were caught entirely off guard when the professor's tone changed.
"As you know, I share an amicable relationship with your parents and would hate to upset them!" The wave of relief that washed over George and Fred's faces were immediate. "I am willing to overlook this little stunt of yours."
Fred and George's faces instantly lit up.
"I can decide not to report your violation of school rules and even let you keep the map. However, as a lesson, I will keep the map till Christmas. Take this as a stern warning. Behave during the first term and you will have your map back by Christmas."
"We'll be on our best behavior, Professor Forester!" The twins burst out, nearly stuttering in their eagerness to regain the coveted map.
"You better be."
Brushing their mop of fiery hair out of their eyes, the twins nodded eagerly, cautiously asking, "Could we...erm, retire for the night, sir?"
The twins didn't dare ask anymore, being given the opportunity to get the map back was already more than they could've dreamt of. Although they had to promise to behave until Christmas, it was only a few months. They could simply take the time to prepare for the day they'd get the map back.
The Professor passed the Marauder's map to them and simply said, "Disable the charm."
Fred quickly took the map from Sherlock, and holding it at an arm's length, he pointed his wand and recited the counter-charm.
"Mischief managed!" As Fred's wand made contact, the richly detailed ink lines quivered, gathered together, and disappeared, folding into a neatly aligned dot at the center of the map.
As the parchment returned to its blank, complacent state, Sherlock noted down the activating and deactivating charms, slipped the map into his cloak, and nodded at the twins.
Relieved, they turned away and, imparting the secret password to the patiently waiting Fat Lady, scampered into the Gryffindor common room.
Sherlock was left alone in the vast, silent corridor. He stared at the harmless-looking parchment clutched in his hands and gently tapped it with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." and watched as the map sprang to life once more, mapping out every secretive corner of Hogwarts. Sherlock's lips curled into a self-satisfied grin at this unexpected harvest of the night.
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