George took out his wand and tapped the parchment.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Hair-thin lines of ink suddenly appeared on the parchment.
They converged and intersected.
Several large green words formed at the top of the parchment.
Magical Prank Auxiliary Suppliers.
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were proud to present the Marauder's Map.
Brook was not overly surprised.
When the twins had taken out that blank parchment, he had already guessed that it might be a map.
But when he saw those four nicknames,
he could not help rubbing his chin. Why did "Wormtail" sound so familiar?
George pointed at three clustered ink dots on the map. There were three tiny names there—the twins and Brook.
"This thing can show everyone's location?" Brook was genuinely surprised this time.
If this fell into the professors' hands, it would be the ultimate tool for catching students out after curfew.
He noticed that Hermione was sitting perfectly still in the library some distance away, probably still reading.
And in the Headmaster's office in the upper-left corner, Dumbledore and Snape were together as well.
Not even ghosts were omitted.
"These lines lead to Hogsmeade," Fred said, pointing to an ink line stretching toward the edge of the map.
"You want to leave Hogwarts to go to Hogsmeade too, right?"
Brook nodded, even though he did not even know what Hogsmeade was.
But this was the best excuse Fred had found for him.
"There are seven in total. Filch knows about four of them." George pointed out four routes.
"Of the remaining three, one entrance is by the Whomping Willow, so it can't be used. But only the few of us know about the other two, so you can use them without worry."
"We really owe them a lot!" Fred sighed.
"What noble people, working so tirelessly for a new generation of troublemakers," George echoed.
"Don't forget to erase it after using it."
"As long as you say, 'Mischief managed,' it'll turn back into a blank piece of parchment."
The twins finished their back-and-forth routine.
Brook nodded seriously.
Although he had gotten this in exchange for an investment,
The twins could have simply told him what they knew. There was no need for them to bring out something as precious as the Marauder's Map.
He had to remember this kindness.
And he was even more certain now that the twins were friends worth keeping close.
"I won't say anything unnecessary. If you ever need my help, just ask. You'll definitely need financial support to develop prank products."
He brushed his ring, and four hundred Gold Galleons suddenly appeared on the table.
"Take these for now. Don't refuse them; they're all part of the investment," Brook explained.
"The better you develop your products, the more money we can make."
The twins' eyes went wide at the small pile of Gold Galleons.
They had wanted to refuse, but upon hearing that it was part of the investment, they exchanged a glance and stopped protesting.
At that moment, they were filled with ambition and only wanted to work even harder.
That was the only way they could live up to Brook's trust.
Afterward, Fred began telling Brook about House Elves.
In the war between Ancient Wizards and House Elves, the wizards had emerged victorious.
They had forced them to sign slave contracts.
Those contracts stipulated that House Elves had to devote their entire lives to their masters.
Some especially twisted elves even took pride in having their heads hung on their master's walls after they died of old age.
Only when their master gave them a piece of clothing could they gain their freedom.
But most elves would waste away from freedom, or even commit suicide.
"We're Hogwarts students now, which means we're basically their masters. As long as it doesn't conflict with Hogwarts' interests, they'll do whatever we ask, and they'll be very happy about it."
George suddenly said, "But you need to be careful. Our authority is lower than the professors', so if you do anything bad, make sure to watch out for them."
"Then where can I buy a loyal House Elf?"
Brook was tempted.
When choosing subordinates, loyalty always came first.
Why had Great Xia's history produced so many treacherous ministers who held power over the court?
For example: Wei Zhongxian.
No matter how later generations spat on them, they had been loyal enough to the emperor.
Whatever the emperor wanted, they would do everything in their power to accomplish.
The twins continued their alternating act.
"Basically impossible."
"Hogwarts probably has the most House Elves, but their contracts are with Hogwarts. Even Headmaster Dumbledore has no right to sell one to you."
"The rest are in the hands of pure-blood families. They don't lack money, and they certainly won't sell."
"After all, no one can refuse such loyal and useful servants."
"Our mum always says she wants a House Elf."
"But our family is too poor."
Fred glanced at George. "I really feel sorry for our mum."
"Yes," George said with a nod.
Then the two of them clownishly embraced again.
Brook said nothing.
He merely kept the matter of buying a House Elf in mind.
There were not many things in this world that were absolutely not for sale.
If someone would not sell, it was only because the offered price was not high enough.
Then the twins began teaching him how to cast the Disillusionment Charm.
Brook studied for an hour and only managed to memorize the hand movements and incantation.
As for how to actually cast it, he was still utterly lost.
He estimated that he should not even think about successfully casting the Disillusionment Charm within the next few months.
The twins explained from the side.
"The Disillusionment Charm is extracurricular material for upper-year students. Many people can't cast it even by graduation. It took us more than a year before we could barely use it, and we have to move extremely slowly, or we'll give ourselves away."
Brook did not think he was a genius, nor did he expect to learn it in one go.
But it was not good to keep troubling the twins.
His brain might not be up to the task, but he had someone else's that was!
So he brought out his other cheat code—Hermione.
After confirming on the Marauder's Map that Hermione was still in the library, he immediately went to find her.
He pulled her over to learn from the twins with him.
Hermione's enthusiasm for learning was incredible.
Not only did she take detailed notes on everything the twins said, she also asked many points of caution that even they had overlooked.
Under Hermione's rapid-fire questioning, the twins could barely hold on and were starting to feel bald.
At last, they made it to dinner time and fled the empty classroom as though escaping for their lives.
Before leaving, they did not forget to tell Brook and Hermione to practice on their own first and ask them if they did not understand anything.
Brook looked at Hermione with amusement. "See? You scared them off."
Hermione merely huffed. "Do you still want to learn it or not?"
Brook immediately surrendered. "I do, Lady Hermione. Please be magnanimous and teach this humble one."
The corners of Hermione's mouth curled up. With her little head held high, she walked out of the room.
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