The first week of school ended amidst Hermione's hectic schedule and Harry and Ron's complaints.
The new week brought the two brothers their first happy event—Ron decided to sign up for the Quidditch selection.
Harry, of course, hoped to compete against Ron, though he had a secret he didn't mention—if Ron was selected, he would also have to participate in arduous Quidditch training, meaning he wouldn't be able to practice additional spells—so Harry could catch up.
Over the two terms, except for 'Expelliarmus,' Ron had surpassed Harry in spells and transfiguration, which occasionally made Harry anxious.
But he felt it was the fault of his split soul.
"Damn split soul, it's affecting my thinking again!"
Harry remembered Damon's advice—the more difficult the situation, the better time to practice Occlumency.
Using magic with this belief, he felt much better.
And in the second week of the new term, Damon received an early gift—from the Weasley twins.
Their business was booming, and they wanted to give Damon a share of the profits as soon as possible, but Damon refused. "Invest those profits back into the business. I believe in your abilities, and you will definitely give me a commensurate return in the future. This isn't some petty profit right now."
This moved the two brothers deeply—they were incredibly busy, and at Damon's insistence, they also had to balance their studies, to the point that when they saw Hermione, they felt a rare sense of camaraderie.
The two brothers' average grade last semester was a P (poor), and they had truly given their all to maintain this less-than-ideal result.
Although, according to their own plans, they were already considering dropping out of school.
Pranks were their hobby, their career, their life's ideal, not their studies.
But out of respect for Damon, the two brothers were still persevering.
"Boss, happy new semester—to thank you for your continued support—" "
—we've decided to reveal our greatest secret to success to you."
The two brothers sang in unison in front of Damon, and Fred pulled something out of his cloak and placed it on an empty table.
It was a large, square, old parchment, completely blank.
"I have to emphasize how precious this item is—even giving it to you was a difficult decision for George and me."
"Anyway, we've memorized its contents. This thing should have many more uses in your hands, sir—we actually wanted to give it to you last semester, but we were just too busy and couldn't spare the time."
"Thank you. Could you explain this treasure to me?"
Damon smiled, picking up the parchment. He knew what it was—the Marauder's Map made by Harry's father and his associates.
"Of course, George is at your service, sir!"
George took out his wand and lightly touched the parchment, saying,
"I solemnly swear I've done nothing wrong."
Fine, spiderweb-like lines of ink immediately appeared from where the wand had touched. These lines converged, intersected, and extended to every corner of the parchment; then, writing began to appear at the top of the parchment—curved, large green letters:
Supplier of Auxiliary Supplies for Magical Pranksters.
Gentlemen Moonface, Wormtail, Bigfoot, and Fork,
proudly present the Marauder's Map.
This map meticulously depicts every detail of Hogwarts Castle and its grounds.
But what is truly remarkable are the tiny ink dots moving along the map, each marked with a name in the smallest letters.
Damon leans closer to examine it; a small ink dot in the upper left corner shows Professor Dumbledore pacing in his study; Mrs. Filch's cat, Lady Norris, is wandering on the third floor, while the mischievous Peeves is leaping about in the Prize Room.
Meanwhile, the seven secret passages within the castle are also clearly visible on the map—to the Twins, this is the greatest treasure.
But this held little appeal for Damon—he was already free to move about the castle.
His curiosity now stemmed more from the Marauder's Map itself—he certainly possessed the skill to create such a magical item, but the ingenuity of a muscle-bound mind was something he might not have.
"Moonface, Wormtail, Bigfoot, Prongs," George sighed, patting the map's title. "We owe them so much."
"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," Fred said solemnly.
"Yes," George said lightly, "Don't forget to erase it when you're done—"
"—or someone will see it," Fred warned.
"Just tap it again and say, 'Prank over!' and it's back to a blank parchment."
"Well, thank you, I'll use this treasure well."
Damon smiled and thanked the two, then first looked for two names:
'Peter Pettigrew,' 'Ron.'
Then he saw two names perfectly pasted together.
His expression instantly brightened with amusement, and the scene shifted in an instant; he was now atop Ravenclaw's tower, lost in thought.
Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, was none other than Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail on the Marauder's Map.
He was a cowardly, opportunistic opportunist.
During his school years, he had the good fortune to ride on James Potter's coattails, enjoying a relatively successful school life.
Sirius Black, to demonstrate his trust in this longtime lackey, changed the Potters' Keeper of Secrets from him to Peter, leading to a series of tragedies.
The entire third-year storyline revolved around Peter and Black.
With the Marauder's Map, Damon could 'accidentally' discover this, bringing everything to light.
However, a suitable occasion and opportunity were needed to gather everyone together.
"Sirius, are you here right now?"
Damon shifted his attention, and then Ron and Peter's names faded from the Marauder's Map, replaced by Black's name in the Forbidden Forest.
"Hiding in the Forbidden Forest?"
Damon tapped his fingers lightly on the stone wall beside his leg, lost in thought.
Harry's father, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Professor Lupin—these three had too many grudges and entanglements with Snape, to the point that different perspectives could lead to different interpretations.
But in Damon's view, Harry's father, James Potter, was undoubtedly an abuser.
No matter how far his conflict with Snape had progressed, even if he had physically crippled someone, it was far less painful than the mental humiliation.
Snape, who had once had his underwear pulled down by James in public, in front of his beloved, had every reason not to forgive anyone.
Damon's task was simply to bring the truth to light and then return the choice to them.
Nothing more.
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(End of Chapter)