How had the Marauders made the Marauder's Map in the first place? After Ezio bought it from the twins, he couldn't help falling into deep thought.
He had already taken his first steps in Runes, and Professor Flitwick had helped him analyze spells. He now had a certain ability to identify magical objects. Before, he would have struggled to tell whether something had been enchanted.
But the Marauder's Map was different. It didn't seem like the work of a conventional wizard. There were no traces of Runes on it, which meant it probably wasn't an alchemical artifact. But if it relied on ordinary magic alone, no spell could retain its full power for over a decade. This wasn't a curse, either. Curses could last because they were anchored to objects with magical properties.
The portraits at Hogwarts could retain their magic for centuries because alchemical materials were used to create them, and because Hogwarts was rich in magic. Only places like that could preserve magical objects. Alchemical creations required a high concentration of ambient magic. Otherwise, the Wizarding World wouldn't be able to hide itself so easily; all it would take was a few Daily Prophets blown into Muggle hands for them to learn the truth. Ordinary magical objects quickly lost their power once removed from their proper environment. Away from wizards or places rich in magic, they became ordinary things that wouldn't draw attention.
But the map was plainly made of ordinary parchment, and after more than a decade, it had yellowed and grown worn.
What's more, the magic on it was powerful and precise, capable of detecting names and tracking locations. The former was especially impressive. In the Wizarding World, names had power. Wizards like Dumbledore, who had placed a spell on their own names, couldn't even have letters delivered directly to them by owl. Only those they permitted could send them letters that way. Yet Dumbledore's name appeared clearly on the Marauder's Map.
And it wasn't just Dumbledore. When Ezio examined the map, a name—Tom Marvolo Riddle—overlapped with Quirrell's. In other words, Voldemort.
Voldemort had certainly placed a spell on his own name. In fact, when he had terrorized England more than a decade ago, saying his name aloud would alert him, and then the Death Eaters would show up to teach the speaker a lesson. That was probably the main reason he had cast such a huge shadow over England. Of course people feared a madman who could bring disaster simply by having his name spoken. Anyone could see he wasn't normal.
A few young wizards still attending Hogwarts couldn't possibly have done something like that. It was far beyond their abilities. And judging by what James and his friends had shown they could do, they didn't have the skill, either. They couldn't even stand up to Voldemort in a direct fight. Their best achievement was escaping from the Death Eaters a few times—not meeting Voldemort and surviving.
The first time they met, Voldemort had killed James with a single Killing Curse. If the excuse was that James hadn't had his wand, then he was even less of a competent wizard. Only a complete amateur would leave their wand somewhere they couldn't reach it. That was the most basic of basic rules for a wizard.
The secrets behind this map were far more numerous than Ezio had expected.
But he didn't intend to practice magic today. He had given himself the day off, so he had plenty of time to think. He kept recalling everything he knew about Hogwarts—things he had encountered in his previous life. But eleven years had passed, and his memories had grown hazy.
"The Marauder's... Map..." Ezio mulled over the words. He had the feeling he once knew something related to it, but it didn't seem to come from the original books...
"Right, that game. The Sorting Hat told me, too. A hundred years ago, someone with far too much freedom of thought came to Hogwarts."
"Was it you? The predecessor who made the Forbidden Forest his hunting ground and could cast the Avada Lightning Chain?"
Ezio's lips curled into a smile. "If it's Ancient Magic from the game, then that makes sense. According to the game's setting, Ancient Magic really can maintain its power for a long time. It's stronger and lasts longer than ordinary magic, and it can do things ordinary magic can't."
"But none of those four should have been able to use Ancient Magic. If they could, Voldemort would've been a nobody next to them."
"It's the Map Chamber, right? I remember a place like that. There's a chamber containing a map of Hogwarts's entire layout. If that's the case, then it's at least possible they could've made this thing."
As the kind of troublemakers who liked sneaking out at night and hunting for secret places all over Hogwarts Castle, they were much more likely than other students to find something unusual.
However, Ezio no longer remembered where the entrance to the Map Chamber was. When he had played the game, it always felt as if he were being force-fed garbage. Around 1890, there were very few Black people in England, and their status was extremely low. Slavery had been abolished only fifty years earlier, and given the British way of doing things, Black people were treated worse than animals, suffering deep-rooted discrimination. Yet that trash game was full of Black characters, and it was also packed with LGBTQ+ content. The British had their own circumstances, of course, but playing it was still sickening.
There was one thing he did remember, though: the Map Chamber exit had a statue, and the statue showed Hogwarts's motto, Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. ("Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.")
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Ezio spoke the Marauder's Map's password. Black ink swiftly appeared on the parchment, weaving itself into a few lines:
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
Are proud to present
The Marauder's Map
"Ah, look who's found us! Prongs is concerned about this new user."
"Padfoot agrees with Prongs. This empty-headed fellow is either an idiot or a complete idiot."
"But we can't rule out the possibility that he's mastered Occlumency. Moony reminds everyone to be respectful."
"Wormtail agrees. He thinks all of the above makes perfect sense."
"Similar to the Sorting Hat?" Ezio ignored the words that appeared and considered the possibilities. Magic left traces, and it wasn't difficult to work backward from the effects. "But I don't think the four of you idiots are capable of putting thoughts into this thing. That leaves one possibility: you copied the method used to make magical portraits and left some of your memories behind. Or fragments of your souls?"
"Padfoot feels insulted. How dare an empty-headed idiot speak to him that way!"
"Prongs hereby warns the user that if he doesn't apologize loudly at once, Prongs will revoke his access to the map."
"Let's test it first." Ezio still ignored them. He drew his wand and pointed it at the map. "Cruciatus Curse," he said calmly.
"Wow! Wow! Wow! Padfoot is cracking up. You're a stinking Dark wizard after all! Go eat dirt, Dark wizard! Only an idiot like you would try to use the Cruciatus Curse on a piece of parchment."
"That rules out the least likely possibility: that they split their souls. I shouldn't have expected you lot to be capable of that." Ezio was a little disappointed. If they really had split their souls and put them into the Marauder's Map, he wouldn't have minded pulling out the souls of Padfoot and Mr. Prongs and letting them experience the consequences of running their mouths at everyone.
"I know your names: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."
"And I should warn you, Mr. Prongs: I have your son in my hands. If you don't apologize to me right now, I'll tie up your son, Harry Potter, dress him in sexy women's clothes, and send him to Severus Snape's bedroom. I'll also spray him with expired Amortentia, which makes people even more crazed. Guess what'll happen then?"
"How can there be someone as vile as you in this world?!"
Even though it was only writing, the huge, bold letters filling the whole sheet of parchment made Mr. Prongs's fury plain. They were merely a piece of someone's memory, but magic had given them thoughts very much like the originals, just like the magical portraits found all over the school.
"I'm a Slytherin. Do you think I wouldn't do it?" Ezio replied without a hint of concern. "And by the way, Padfoot—Sirius—you're Harry Potter's godfather. You wouldn't want to see your godson sent to Snape's bed, would you?"
"Godfather? Padfoot is surprised, but it makes sense. Still, he doesn't believe your threat. He thinks you're lying."
"Snape is Hogwarts's Potions professor now. Perhaps I could modify this map so you can see what's happening. How about a live broadcast? Harry has eyes exactly like his mother's, and a tuft of hair that sticks up no matter how much you try to smooth it down, just like his father's. You won't mistake him for anyone else."
"Moony hopes everyone will stay calm. He's willing to apologize on behalf of Prongs and Padfoot. He's very sorry!"
"There's no one more vile than you! Prongs detests your threats and your evil deeds, but he still has to say: I'm sorry. I was wrong."
"Padfoot is reluctant, but he's willing to apologize for losing his temper: I'm sorry."
"People have to pay for their actions." Ezio smiled faintly at the writing on the map. "I'm a generous man, so I'm willing to forgive your insults. But I can tell you something you might find very interesting. In exchange, I need you to tell me how you made this map."
"You must be dying to know how you and your future wife died, Mr. Prongs—that is, James Potter."
"That's impossible!!! Don't even think you can fool us, you lying, evil Slytherin scum! Bastard!"
"I've decided to send Harry to Snape's room tonight and let you watch it live."
"I'm sorry. Padfoot got carried away. He's decided to shut up and not say anything."
"Snape is still alive, so how could I be dead? Prongs can't believe it."
"You like Lily Evans, don't you? I can tell you now: she'll be your future wife."
"Could anything be better than that?! Prongs suddenly believes you a little, though he'd rather you were lying."
"So, do we have a deal?" Ezio was very good at dealing with people, especially when it came to getting what he wanted from them. Snape was no exception, nor was Dumbledore. The same went for the Marauders. "Perhaps you can mark the entrance to the Map Chamber on the map. I could search for it myself, but asking you is easier."
"That place has been abandoned. We did find a room with a map of Hogwarts in it, and there were huge portraits inside. They guided us in making the Marauder's Map. But afterward, the room lost its original magic. Moony is willing to mark the location on the map for you, but please don't do anything rash in your excitement."
"Looks like you really are the most normal one of the bunch, Remus. Maybe I can get Snape to go easier on you and stop him from adding strange things to your Wolfsbane Potion."
"You know who I am? Moony is confused."
"Of course. I know you're a Werewolf."
"Now that we've given you what you wanted, Prongs hopes you'll keep your word."
"Of course, of course." Ezio memorized the clearly marked location of the entrance. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to check that it's there first."
Ezio put away the map and headed for the spot it had marked.
The marked spot was in the lower levels of Hogwarts, in what used to be the dungeons. It wasn't far from the Slytherin Common Room, but there were no classrooms in use there. The area had long since been abandoned, and no one went wandering around it.
Ezio waved his wand to move aside the clutter and entered an abandoned area where not even the torches had been lit. He soon found the place where the Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus statue should have stood. Only its pedestal remained; the dragon that had once lain on top of it had been moved. But the brass plaque on the pedestal still bore the motto.
That confirmed they hadn't lied.
Opposite where the statue had stood was a sealed door. Beyond it lay a spiral staircase leading down to a spacious room supported by ancient stone pillars. A crack ran across the stone floor, barely four fingers wide. It looked as though there was another space below.
"A trapdoor in the floor?"
Ezio crouched to examine it. The door had been damaged for some unknown reason, and the magical mechanism no longer worked. But opening it shouldn't be difficult.
Perhaps the four of them had used some clever method, like Human Transfiguration, to shrink themselves. But Ezio hadn't mastered Human Transfiguration yet, so he chose a rougher approach.
Blasting it with magic wouldn't be a good idea. The stone slab was at least thirty centimeters thick, and it wouldn't break open quickly. But he had a treasure sharp enough to cut through iron.
He pulled out Leonidas's Broken Spear and plunged it into the stone floor. It could break through defenses, magical or physical; nothing could stop its piercing and slicing power. Even the magical protections over Hogwarts Castle couldn't stop it.
After half a minute, Ezio had cut through the thick stone slab beneath his feet and dug out a hole large enough to climb through. A ball of light flew from his wand and illuminated the darkness below.
Just as Moony had said, the passage below had collapsed. Only a few fragments of the original spiral staircase remained. Ezio jumped straight down through the hole. After falling more than ten meters, he landed safely. Since acquiring the Conqueror of the Sky Milestone, he no longer had to worry about falling from great heights. Wizards could use Aresto Momentum to slow a fall, too, but that could waste precious time.
There were signs that someone had dug through and moved the rubble below, leaving a gap wide enough to bend down and pass through.
Ezio stepped lightly over the obstacle. After illuminating the dark space beyond the entrance, he squeezed through the gap.
It was a huge room, collapsed and in terrible condition. Curving staircases on either side led to a circular space around thirty or forty square meters. Directly opposite the entrance stood a small platform where some kind of object could be placed. If Ezio remembered correctly, a book could be placed there. The protagonist of Hogwarts Legacy had started the Ancient Magic trials in this spot.
Four enormous paintings hung on the curved walls. Unlike the portraits in the castle, these had lost all traces of magic. The two on either side were particularly badly damaged, while the two in the middle had at least retained some semblance of their former appearance.
The figures in the paintings hadn't disappeared, but they no longer moved. Without magic, the talking magical portraits had become as lifeless as Muggle paintings.
"I've found the Map Chamber you marked. Now you can tell me exactly how you made the Marauder's Map here. I keep my promises. Once you give me what I need, I'll tell you what you want to know."
"Moony believes this gentleman will keep his word. When we came to this chamber, one of the portraits still had a little magic left in it. His name was Percival Rackham, and he had once been a professor at Hogwarts. He was very surprised to see us, because we weren't the 'Keepers' he mentioned. But the previous Keepers had completed the mission they left unfinished, and Hogwarts no longer faced any hidden threats. The Map Chamber had also lost its original purpose."
"There was only one last spell left in the chamber: the extraordinary magic of the map. It was connected to Hogwarts, and everything in Hogwarts could be reflected on it. As his final gift, he passed the magic on to us, allowing us to copy it onto a piece of parchment. We could also add marks to the map, such as the secret passages and hidden rooms we'd found at Hogwarts."
"The Marauder's Map has its current magic because of that extraordinary spell, which we never understood at all. But the spell had its limits. It stopped working once we left Hogwarts, so we left the map behind when we graduated. Outside the castle, it was just an ordinary piece of parchment."
"We left some of our memories in the map because we hoped that more students like us, who loved adventure, would come along in the future—and that we could help them."
"That's what happened. We don't understand how the map works, so I'm sorry if that's what you wanted to know."
"Only certain extremely rare wizards can know about Ancient Magic, and only they can see traces of it. I understand."
Ezio didn't doubt Moony—in other words, Remus Lupin. Compared with James, Sirius, and Peter, he was the one Ezio trusted most.
"If I get the chance, I'll send you some Wolfsbane Potion. A wizard developed a potion a few years ago that lets Werewolves get through the full moon safely. It isn't perfect yet and still has side effects, but its effects have been confirmed. I read about it in a Potions journal. The research was published there."
"I probably don't have a very good life ahead of me, do I? Moony appreciates your kindness. He wishes he'd had a potion like that when he was still at school."
"Then I won't beat around the bush. What I wanted to tell you is this: in the future, you'll join Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix and fight Voldemort. And for some reason, Voldemort will hunt down James Potter and his family."
"Wow! I must've been incredibly cool back then! Prongs puts his hands on his hips. He feels amazing."
"Then you die, and so does your wife. And the reason they die is..." Ezio's lips curled into a slightly wicked smile. "The whole Wizarding World says it, and everyone accepts it as the truth: Sirius Black is a despicable traitor. He betrayed his best friend and told Voldemort where the Potter family was hiding, which led to their deaths."
"You! Are! Talking! Nonsense!!! Padfoot is going to tear that filthy mouth off your face! You filthy, despicable Slytherin scum! I would never betray my friends!"
Huge letters filled the entire sheet of parchment.
"I don't believe Padfoot could do something like that, either. Prongs rejects this vile slander. He and Padfoot are best friends."
"Believe what you like. Sirius Black has been locked up in Azkaban for ten years. He didn't say a word in his own defense at the trial, accepting the whole story. Want me to give the map to someone else so you can check again? There isn't a wizard in England who doesn't know about it: Sirius is a despicable traitor."
Ezio knew the truth, of course, but he wasn't going to tell them. That was what they got for running their mouths at him. They were only a piece of memory, capable of forming simulated thoughts from what they remembered, but so what?
"Lying Slytherin brat! You think we'll believe any of that?! We've unanimously decided to shut down every function of the Marauder's Map for you. You'll never use it again!"
"That isn't up to you."
Ezio drew his wand and touched its tip to the parchment. "Legilimency."
A few silver threads emerged as he drew them out. Wizards had spells specifically designed to deal with memories, and some of them were used to recreate portraits.
"If I didn't want Dumbledore to find out, why would I bother asking you?"
Ezio pursed his lips. A Pensieve was perfect for examining memories, but it wasn't exactly a one-of-a-kind object. Still, getting one would be a hassle. They were in short supply, and it would take time to find one.
He didn't erase the four men's memories. Instead, he stored them in a glass bottle. Without their memories, they no longer had the ability to think as they had before. All their thoughts and actions up until now had been ideas spun from their memories by magic.
With the memories of the map's creators gone, the Marauder's Map was no longer locked. Anyone could use it, even without saying the password.
"What a pity."
Ezio looked around. The underground chamber had been completely destroyed and had lost most of its value. And he wasn't a user of Ancient Magic, so there wasn't much he could gain here.
But Ancient Magic ruins were valuable in their own right. If you looked only at what was on the surface, there was indeed nothing of value here.
One ball of light after another flew from his wand, illuminating the trials connected to the Map Chamber, once used to test the Keepers of Ancient Magic.
Ezio mounted his Flying Broomstick and carefully searched the ruins for anything valuable that might have been left behind. The things left over might have been trash to the person who completed the chamber, but in some situations, one person's trash was another person's treasure.
Before long, Ezio found something.
They were several suits of armor made with Ancient Magic. Battle damage had left them unable to move, and their magic had faded. But the passage of time hadn't erased the magical traces left behind. Magic might fade, but the Runes etched with it wouldn't disappear. The fine lines on the inside of the armor, like blood vessels, were the Runes engraved by the wizards who had made the suits.
"Let's see what wisdom the wizards of several centuries ago left behind. The Wizarding World has lost far too much of its history. These wizards, who have no idea how precious knowledge is, all deserve to die!"
Claiming that archaeology drove magical progress would be a joke. But there was no denying that precious knowledge had been lost because no one cared to preserve it. That was a fact. In the Muggle world, it was understandable: Muggles lacked the means. They didn't live for hundreds of years, and they couldn't leave behind portraits that could preserve knowledge for centuries and share it with people, telling them about the past. But in the Wizarding World, which had the means to preserve all that knowledge, such neglect was something Ezio detested.
If wizards had passed knowledge down through the generations, the Wizarding World could have become a magical civilization by now. Instead, they had chosen to reject progress and advanced ideas, huddling in their own cramped corner and barely scraping by.
Ezio had no intention of changing the Wizarding World. It meant nothing to him. So what if the world improved? All he cared about was becoming stronger as quickly as possible.
He would only devote his energy to things that benefited him. He wasn't hoping to find some powerful force inside these antique suits of armor. He only wanted whatever he found to be worth the half hour he had spent on this.
As for the memories of the four men, Ezio wouldn't waste them, either. The dead weren't much use to him, but the living were different—especially a wizard like Snape, who had a great deal of the kind of ability Ezio wanted.
Snape was ten thousand times more valuable than James Potter and Sirius Black, the living dead, put together. And if Ezio wanted Snape to willingly devote that value to him, Harry was an indispensable part of the equation.
Compared with his earlier investment in Harry, Ezio was certain his return in the future would be ten or even a hundred times greater. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so long talking Harry's ear off on the train—he'd practically become his babysitter. Ezio wasn't a saint. The only reason was that Harry was extremely valuable.
Professor Severus Snape! You want Harry to understand what a horrible Gryffindor bastard his father, James Potter, was, don't you?
You don't want this kindhearted child, with eyes just like Lily's, to be influenced by his damned father, either.
You don't want to see James in Harry, do you?
Then we can surely agree. We'll still be partners with common interests.
I'll reveal the truth to Harry and show him what his foolish father did back then. Once Harry learns that his father and godfather used the most idiotic method imaginable and got him and his mother killed, how will he see them?
My dear friend Severus! You'll get to do what you most desire, deep down, but would never say aloud.
Do you want to hear Harry call you "Dad"?
What would you be willing to pay for that?
The backend faked the follower count to 1,000, so I promised two bonus chapters. But the third round requires more than 1,000 genuine followers to qualify. At the moment, there are around 700 to 800 followers from accounts with recharge and spending records—roughly 70% of the fake count.
Thank you so much for your support. It would be wonderful if we could go even further. I'm bowing to everyone here. If we make it into the third-round recommendation, there will be two more bonus chapters.
Before you continue