33

"This map is a magical item, and its function is obvious at a glance."

At that moment, the seven people present had gathered beneath a poplar tree by the lakeside. On the map, seven names appeared clustered together at that exact location. The rest of the map clearly displayed Hogwarts Castle, and even Hogsmeade, which students below third year were not allowed to visit, was shown.

The map displayed the names of anyone moving about or gathering anywhere on the grounds. Those who were walking or moving were marked with little footprints.

"What an incredible magical item. Its inventor must have possessed both imagination and extraordinary skill. But I'd guess it wasn't made by teachers to monitor students. Filch probably doesn't even know how to use this map properly, which is why he left it in a drawer. Otherwise, he'd carry it around all the time, and his job would be much easier than before."

Holding the Marauder's Map, Sherlock continued, "So this was probably a bold invention by students. You can tell from the spell used to activate it—it was made by a group of courageous students who enjoyed pranks... I'd guess their personalities were much like yours, Fred and George. Perhaps it was the work of former Gryffindor upperclassmen."

If Sherlock had not read the original story, even he would have taken it for nothing more than an ordinary piece of parchment. It had to be said that the Marauders, led by James Potter in his school days, had demonstrated magical skill far beyond that of their peers by creating an item as sophisticated as the Marauder's Map.

The fact that three of them were Animagi said it all. There were only seven registered Animagi in all of Britain at present, and even illegal Animagi were rare.

Although Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew, had somewhat weak character, fearing death was an instinct shared by most people.

In the original story, Peter Pettigrew had also shown Harry Potter mercy when Harry was at his wand's mercy. Remembering his guilt toward the Potter family, he was ultimately killed when the hand Voldemort had created for him with dark magic turned against him.

Prongs: "Please accept our highest respects, Mr. Sherlock. It is truly remarkable that you saw through this map's mysteries."

Padfoot: "I second Prongs's praise. Your talent is exceptional. This map will be more useful in your hands."

Moony: "Though the original intention behind the map the four of us created was indeed, as the activation spell says, no good, that does not make this map an evil dark magical item."

Wormtail: "A clever person will naturally find a proper use for it. We hope it brings Mr. Sherlock both usefulness and joy."

Fred and George cried out, "Words appeared on it!"

"That's right. Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail were clearly the inventors of the Marauder's Map. I estimate that an extremely ingenious tracking spell was used on this map, allowing it to track everyone within and around the castle. And look, it also marks several passages we've never heard of. It seems the four inventors explored every inch of Hogwarts."

Sherlock pointed out several winding secret passages on the map, one of which led directly to Hogsmeade.

"This is amazing!" Fred and George felt rather reluctant at the thought that they would soon have to hand the map over to Lupo for nothing.

"Indeed, this map is very useful for pranks and mischief." Sherlock said, though he was somewhat troubled inside. After all, the Marauder's Map was an important item Harry Potter would need in the future. If Lupo took it away now, Harry Potter definitely would not be able to get it after enrolling.

Sherlock also wanted to study the Marauder's Map, as it would greatly help with one of his upcoming ideas.

"How about this, George, Fred, and Lupo? Could you lend me this map for study? Perhaps I can figure out how it was made and then make another copy for you. What do you think?"

Fred and George's eyes lit up. If it was Sherlock, they believed he had the ability to do it.

"The method for making this map can't be simple, can it? Creating magical items is already a difficult advanced-level magic course!" Kirk reminded them from the side.

"Compared to inventing spells, at least there are classes that teach you how to make magical items. So it's considerably easier than inventing spells."

Everyone fell silent. Perhaps only to the famed Prince of Spells would that count as something easy.

"Lunch break is almost over, Mr. Sherlock. We'll be going now."

"Of course."

Watching the Weasley twins leave, Sherlock said to the people beside him, "Hey! Do you want to change this school with me?"

At Sherlock's words, Dandeni immediately became energized, his breathing even quickening.

"Wonderful, Mr. Sherlock! I knew you were an ambitious person, just like that great figure."

Fimiya and Lupo both looked somewhat excited, while Kirk alone remained quiet. In his impression, Sherlock should not have been this kind of person.

"You're overthinking it. The change I mean isn't some extreme measure." Sherlock shook his head. He knew it would be troublesome to explain his ideas to the four of them now.

But once he thoroughly studied the Marauder's Map, mastered the method of making it, and added some of his own improvements, it would become a very interesting tool for holiday games.

"Let's head back to the common room first. What classes do we have this afternoon?"

Kirk answered, "We have Herbology with Professor Sprout, Charms with Professor Flitwick, and Flying lessons taught by Madam Hooch."

"Excellent! After dinner this afternoon, we'll start working on it in the common room. I estimate I'll have this map figured out during breaks between classes this afternoon."

Everyone was astonished by Sherlock's learning ability and research speed. But on second thought, perhaps for the Prince of Spells, this was merely child's play.

During Flitwick's Charms class that afternoon, he was always particularly enthusiastic and enjoyed chatting with Sherlock in class. He did not treat Sherlock as his student at all, but rather as an equal—somewhere between a friend and a fellow professor.

It made sense when one thought about it. Making the Prince of Spells, a super genius who researched and invented spells, attend a first-year Charms class—Flitwick probably would not have minded even if Sherlock skipped every one of his lessons.

Moreover, Flitwick had heard from McGonagall that Sherlock had mastered advanced wandless and silent casting. Then he saw it with his own eyes: Sherlock merely snapped his fingers, and the feather floated into the air under the effect of the Levitation Charm.