Capítulo 35: Chapter 35: Twins' Sage Time
1989 passed in a flurry of snow, and Eda welcomed 1990.
This winter, Eda no longer had to venture out in the snow to work for her parttime pocket money as an orphan. Instead, she could stay in a warm room doing what she loved, enjoying the delicacies provided by house elves, living like a wealthy landlord.
When busy, she read and studied; when idle, she chatted and played cards. Such comfortable days had not come her way for a long time.
As the school term approached, students began to return to Hogwarts, sharing their holiday stories with friends. Couples, who hadn't seen each other all holiday, were engrossed in conversations, making the entire Hogwarts atmosphere cheerful.
The four Weasley brothers returned together, with Charlie leading, followed by Percy and the twins. From the common room entrance to the armchair, the Weasley brothers walked with a flair, exuding an air of importance.
Watching the four brothers strut in, Eda thought about whether she should gift each Weasley brother a newsboy cap next Christmas.
But let it be known in advance, if they got into trouble, it had nothing to do with her.
After Charlie and Percy greeted Eda, they left, while the twins sat directly across from her, grinning.
"It's a pity you couldn't come home with us," Fred said.
"Mom made a lot of delicious food, and Percy got fat," George said, raising his hands and gesturing dramatically.
"When Mom received your thank-you letter, she was very happy. She insists that we bring you home next Christmas," Fred added.
During the holidays, the twins had told Mrs. Weasley about Eda's situation, hoping she would send Eda a Christmas gift. The more, the better, to ensure Eda had a decent holiday.
The kind-hearted Mrs. Weasley agreed to their request. She had taken a liking to Eda since meeting her at the station. This was Eda's innate talent; she always made a good first impression.
However, Eda didn't like socializing, often wasting these good impressions, which was a pity.
"The toffee was the best gift I've ever received," Eda said. In fact, she liked all the gifts she received, especially Mrs. Weasley's toffee and Professor McGonagall's notebook.
"By the way, I found the secret passage behind the mirror," Eda whispered, eager to see the twins' excitement.
"Good job," Fred replied calmly.
His reaction was much more subdued than Eda had anticipated, leaving her feeling somewhat disappointed.
So, "love" does fade away, doesn't it?
George, trying to console Eda with some flattery, said, "You really are the smartest witch!"
"Why don't you seem excited at all?" Eda was genuinely surprised by the twins' reactions. "Weren't you always keen on this secret passage?"
"Tonight, we'll check it out together," Fred replied dismissively.
"This time, we won't have to worry about getting caught. It's absolutely safe," George said, looking rather mysterious.
"You said the same thing last time, and what happened?" Eda felt her fragile little heart was hurt, so she decided to take a jab at George's inexplicable confidence.
"We got caught by dear Mr. Filch," the twins said in unison. "But not this time, because we have this."
George pulled out an old parchment from his pocket, the very treasure they had stolen from Filch's office.
Eda gave the parchment a puzzled look, not understanding why George had brought out this old thing again. But she quickly figured it out. "So, you two found out what this 'treasure' does?"
"Exactly."
"Correct."
However, the twins didn't reveal its use in the common room. They led Eda out of the common room and to a secluded corner.
The three of them stood in the corner, keeping an eye on the corridor to prevent anyone from seeing their "secret."
"I hope it lives up to the mysterious show you put on earlier," Eda said, leaning against the wall.
After all the trouble she went through for that broken mirror, if the twins didn't give her a proper explanation today, they could forget about copying her homework in the future!
"Please open your eyes wide, Miss Twist, and watch carefully. Don't blink. This will be our key to success," Fred said as he placed the parchment in Eda's hands.
"Are you ready? Now is the moment to witness a miracle."
Eda held the parchment, raising an eyebrow at the twins, clearly signaling: Go ahead, show me.
"Let's begin, George."
George pulled out his wand and lightly tapped the parchment, solemnly saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
In an instant, thin lines of ink spread from the tip of George's wand like a spider's web, connecting and intertwining, spreading to every corner of the parchment. Then, words appeared at the top in large, green, flowing script:
Mr. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder's Map
Eda stared in astonishment at the parchment in her hands. This seemingly worthless piece of junk was actually magical, displaying the detailed layout of Hogwarts castle and grounds.
If that were all it did, it wouldn't be so remarkable, but the map also showed numerous tiny dots moving around, each labeled with a name in very small writing. Eda even found the names of the three of them, though they were bunched together and hard to distinguish.
It appeared that the Marauder's Map tracked everyone in the school. With this, they really didn't need to worry about Filch anymore. Eda spotted Fawley's name on the map, showing him in his office with Snape, though she couldn't imagine what they were discussing.
"There are also many secret passages on here, most of which lead to Hogsmeade," George continued.
"There are seven in total. We can explore each one in the coming days," Fred added, pointing out the seven routes with his finger.
No wonder the twins seemed uninterested in her discovery. They already knew about it; this was just their downtime. As Eda examined the map, she asked, "When did you figure out how to use the map?"
"During the days at home, of course," Fred replied. "We had a little... incident..."
"Mum found out and gave us quite the scolding. Said we were always up to no good," George said, rubbing his behind for emphasis.
"That gave us a big hint, and after a few attempts, it turned into what you see now," the twins resumed their tandem talking.
Fred pointed to the library and the dormitory on the map and said to Eda, "From the map, we saw that during the holidays, you were either in the dormitory or the library..."
George added, "Or the Great Hall. You need to get out more, Eda. Sunshine and fresh air are just as important."
"You two must have been really bored at home to have the time to track where I've been," Eda replied. She wasn't actually upset with the twins' actions; she understood it was their way of showing they cared.
After all, the map only showed a dot with her name, nothing too personal. If their roles were reversed, she might have done the same. The Marauder's Map was essentially a real-time GPS tracker.
"At first, we thought the map was malfunctioning because it hadn't been used for so long since you were always in the same spots," Fred said.
"Then we realized the problem wasn't the map, but you," George continued. "Without us around, you only stayed in those few places."
Eda hadn't left the castle much during the holiday, not because she wanted to be a shut-in, but because it was simply too cold outside. Once spring arrived, Eda planned to spend time under the large tree by the lake. It seemed like the perfect spot for a relaxing nap.
"It's truly astonishing!" Eda marveled. She lacked the ability to create such a map, so she deeply admired the four predecessors who had.
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," George said, patting the map's title with a sense of awe. "What amazing predecessors."
"George, we must strive to be as honorable as them. They are the targets we should aim to reach!" Fred declared solemnly.
"When we tried the secret commands wrong, they would share some prank tips with us!" George said with nostalgia.
Fred's expression was almost reverent as he said, "I'd love to meet them. They are truly mentors on the journey of life!"
The three of them admired different aspects of the Marauders. Eda was impressed by their magical prowess, while the twins admired their prank skills.
Seeing that Eda had finished looking, George tapped the Marauder's Map again and said, "Mischief managed!" The map, previously covered in lines, returned to being a blank parchment.
"Heh! This way we won't be discovered. No one will be interested in an old parchment." George said with a wink.
"Yes, no one except someone like you! Didn't you steal it?" The argumentative athlete Eda is entering the venue.
"We just had a common understanding with those four seniors and discovered the uniqueness of the parchment."
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