章 69: Chapter 69: What Would You Do?
"Mr. Chopper, why didn't you grind the lionfish spines into a powder before adding them to the cauldron, as the book instructs?" Snape's voice was sharp, dripping with condescension as he stared at Kyle during Potions class. "Do you think you're some sort of Potions genius, tampering with the textbook?"
"Because of your arrogance, Hufflepuff will lose five points."
Kyle glanced up at the blackboard. Written in large, clear letters were the instructions: Lionfish spines are not ground, but boiled in boiling water for five minutes, then cut into sections.
The words were huge, unmistakable, and written by Snape himself. How could this possibly be considered tampering with the textbook?
"Professor..." Kyle took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice as calm and steady as possible. "That's what it says on your blackboard."
"Oh, then I made a mistake," Snape replied coolly, waving his wand with a detached air and erasing the sentence from the blackboard.
"Does that mean I'm always right? What about your judgment? If I told you to add your own heart tendon, would you do it?"
Snape sneered, his tone biting. "Because you have no mind of your own, Hufflepuff lose three more points."
...
Until the end of class, Kyle's hand remained clenched around the rock cake in his pocket, torn between the temptation to throw it at Snape's back and keeping it there. Although Snape had been deducting points for no good reason for as long as Kyle could remember, today had crossed the line. Snape had stooped to new lows, even going as far as to lose face just to dock points. How could he write something on the board himself and then erase it with his own hands?
This level of manipulation was truly eye-opening for Kyle.
Of course, the effect was immediate. In just one class, Kyle had lost over 30 points. Since starting at Hogwarts, no other class had ever deducted that many points from him.
Afterward, the other young Hufflepuffs came over to console him, even Kanna, who kindly offered him a liquorice sweet. Kyle glanced at it but chose to ignore it.
During dinner, word of what had happened in Potions class spread, and Fred and George Weasley made their way over to Kyle. They patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.
"It's okay, mate, Snape's always docking points from us too. It's nothing new," Fred said, trying to reassure him.
"Yes, poof... I mean, you just have to let it go," George added, his words meant to comfort, but the smirks on their faces betrayed them. It was clear they had come to laugh at the situation more than to sympathize.
Just as Kyle was about to brush them off, Fred leaned in closer and whispered, "Come on, stop dwelling on the bad stuff. Let me show you something cool."
He glanced around cautiously before pulling a square piece of parchment from his pocket.
"Remember the other day when I said I wanted to show you something? Well, this is it." George leaned in too, his voice low. "A magical object. Bet you won't guess what it is."
"Could it be...?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, pretending to think deeply before saying, "Parchment that automatically writes homework?"
"..."
The twins' previously smug expressions faltered, their faces suddenly stiff.
"If only..." Fred said, his eyes lighting up at the thought. "I really wish it was."
"But the actual function is still pretty amazing," George continued. "It's a map of Hogwarts. But not just any map—you can't buy one like this."
"We call it the Marauder's Map," Fred explained as he took out his wand and tapped the parchment gently.
"I solemnly swear..."
Instantly, thin lines of ink spread across the parchment like a spider's web, connecting and stretching to the edges. Large green letters appeared at the top:
"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder's Map."
Kyle took the parchment from Fred and examined it. The famed Marauder's Map displayed Hogwarts Castle in intricate detail, far beyond that of any ordinary map. It was almost like a miniature of the entire castle. Every painting, carpet, and vase was marked on the map.
But what stood out most were the numerous tiny black dots moving about on the map, each labeled with a name in small print. Kyle spotted Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office, and he also saw Filch and Peeves darting through the corridors from the fifth to the sixth floor.
However, in more crowded areas like the Great Hall, the map was less helpful—there were so many names overlapping that it was hard to make anything out.
Kyle also noticed that some secret passageways seemed to be missing. For instance, the location of the Whomping Willow was blank, with no markings at all.
He handed the map back to Fred and asked, "How did you get it?"
"We were in first year," Fred began, his eyes narrowing with nostalgia, "young, carefree, innocent..."
"For some trivial thing, Filch dragged us into his office and threatened to..." George added.
"Detention," Fred interjected.
"Tear us apart," George continued dramatically. "And while we were there, we happened to notice one of his filing cabinet drawers labeled 'Confiscated Items—Highly Dangerous.'"
Fred suddenly chuckled. "Kyle, what would you have done?"
Kyle thought for a moment. "I'd have lured Peeves there with a bunch of Dungbombs or Pepper Imps and used the chaos to grab whatever was in the drawer."
"..."
Fred and George stared at him, speechless for a long moment. Finally, Fred shook his head and said, "Kyle, you deserve to lose 30 points from Snape. Really, you do."
"Don't remind me of that," Kyle glared at him. "So, this map is what you took from that drawer?"
"Yep," George replied, smacking his lips. "We didn't have your nerve, so we just took this."
"But how did you know how to use it?" Kyle asked, flipping through the parchment. "It's not written anywhere."
"Ah, that's thanks to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred sighed. "Those four were geniuses when it came to pranks."
"They hid the password in various corners of the castle," George added. "If you find all the clues, you can piece it together."
"Unfortunately, we've been searching for a year now," Fred said, looking disappointed. "But we still haven't found the full password."
"They hid the password in various corners of the castle," George added. "If you find all the clues, you can piece it together."
"Unfortunately, we've been searching for a year now," Fred said, looking disappointed. "But we still haven't found the full password."
"So we can only use the map five times a day, and only for half an hour each time," George added with a smile. "It's a big task, and we're prepared to spend the next three years completing it."
"And if you don't find it in three years?" Kyle asked.
"Then we don't deserve it," George shrugged. "And we'll pass it on to a new owner."
"Really," Kyle said with a hint of amusement. "So, you're showing it to me to recruit me into your quest for clues?"
"No, Kyle," Fred said, shaking his head. "The password is a test from the Marauders, and we have to solve it on our own."
"Then what's this about?" Kyle asked.
"Simple," the twins said in unison, grinning widely. "We're going on a night tour!"
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