Giving the Marauder's Map to Harry was something Eda and the twins had discussed long ago.
Judging from Harry's past behavior, his longing for Hogsmeade might very well drive him to do something impulsive—like putting on his Invisibility Cloak and sneaking out of the school while no one was paying attention.
Rather than letting Harry do that, it was better to give him some help and hand over the Marauder's Map. At least Harry could reach Hogsmeade through one of the secret passages instead of wandering around under the Dementors' noses.
Moreover, the Marauder's Map could monitor Hogwarts in real time. As long as Black appeared in the school, his name would show up on the map, revealing his whereabouts.
For Harry, that was also a major safeguard.
Although Eda had already successfully copied the Marauder's Map and was attempting to create a new product that surpassed it, the twins still treasured the original dearly.
After all, Ron was their own younger brother, and they had never once mentioned giving it to little Ronny.
Ronald Bilius Weasley, the youngest of the younger brothers—the number one little pitiful soul of the Burrow.
Harry stared at everything on the parchment in astonishment, so excited he could hardly speak. At that moment, he absolutely adored the twins! And Harry's wide-eyed, inexperienced expression greatly satisfied the twins' vanity.
You're happy, I'm happy, everyone's happy. When everyone's happy, that's true happiness.
Fred pointed out the secret passages to Harry one by one. First, he showed him the four passages that Filch already knew about, and only then did he point out the one they recommended most.
"This one leads to the cellar of Honeydukes, and it's the one we recommend the most. Don't even consider the one behind the mirror on the fifth floor," Fred said, pointing at Eda before continuing, "That traitor destroyed it—blew it up with a single spell."
Harry's eyes widened instantly, looking more than twice their usual size. He was still too young; his understanding of the wizarding world was still shallow. Harry, don't treat your eyes so roughly—someone would feel heartache over that.
"Ahem… ahem, don't listen to his nonsense," Eda explained quickly, just in case Dumbledore ever came looking for compensation. "The passage had existed for too long. The collapse was due to years of disrepair. It had nothing to do with me."
But Harry felt that was just Eda's excuse. The explanation was far too weak—Filch wouldn't even believe it.
These days, no one believed the truth anymore. The passage really hadn't been blown up by Eda; she had merely accelerated the process of its collapse.
Harry took the Marauder's Map from George. This magical map was something he couldn't put down.
He saw Filch and Mrs. Norris patrolling the third floor. He saw Snape staying motionless in his office. He also saw Dumbledore pacing in the Headmaster's office, and beside him was a familiar name—Newt Scamander.
With this map, it felt as though everything in Hogwarts was under control.
"Do you like this Christmas present?" George asked with a grin. It was obvious from Harry's face how much he liked it, but George insisted on asking anyway.
"Of course! Nothing could be better than this!" Harry said, his eyes never leaving the map. The appearance of the Marauder's Map improved his terrible mood ever since his broomstick had been destroyed.
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs," George sighed, patting the title of the map. "We really have them to thank."
"Noble men, tirelessly working to assist the next generation of rule-breaking students," Fred declared solemnly.
Harry echoed the twins' words, nodding repeatedly. But in reality, his entire mind was on the Marauder's Map—he hadn't paid any attention at all to what the twins were saying.
If the twins had been a little more ruthless and asked Harry for a few hundred or even a few thousand Galleons right now, he probably would have nodded without hesitation. That was the charm of the Marauder's Map—the masterpiece of the four Marauders.
The three boys were enthusiastically exchanging tips on how to use the map, while Eda stood with her arms folded, spacing out in boredom. She really shouldn't have come to join in the fun. With this time, she might as well have gone to Honeydukes for a stroll—the shop's newly released chocolates suited her taste perfectly.
The Marauder's Map filled Harry with excitement. He sincerely thanked the twins and thanked the four creators.
What Harry didn't know was that placing this map into his hands could be considered returning it to its rightful owner. Among the four creators of the map, Prongs was none other than Harry's father, James Potter.
Moony was Remus Lupin. Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew. Prongs was James Potter. And the remaining Padfoot was the fugitive currently being hunted—Sirius Black.
Harry didn't know this. The twins didn't know it either. Even Eda wasn't very clear about it.
Although Eda understood something of the relationship among the four and knew that Lupin was a werewolf, she did not know their nicknames, nor did she know that they were illegal Animagi.
Everything Eda knew had come from Dumbledore. If there was something even Dumbledore didn't know, then naturally Eda wouldn't know it either.
If Dumbledore were truly omniscient, he would know that Sirius could transform into a large black dog, that Peter Pettigrew could turn into a rat, and that James had switched the Secret Keeper of the Fidelius Charm.
Such coincidences in this world were always strange. No one knew why they had kept this from Dumbledore, and no one knew why, even to this day, Lupin had still not revealed this secret.
If they hadn't chosen to conceal the truth, but had told everything honestly, would things have turned out differently because of their candor?
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as "what if" in this world. Everyone has to keep moving forward, paying the corresponding price for each of their choices.
Overjoyed, Harry finally tore himself away from the allure of the Marauder's Map. Coming back to his senses, he resisted its temptation and asked, "You've given me the Marauder's Map—what about you? What will you do from now on?"
At Hogwarts, Eda had been selling navigation maps for several years already, and Harry had even bought one before. But whether it was the basic version or the VIP custom edition, none of them had functions as powerful as the Marauder's Map.
Harry felt that this map was just as important to Eda and the twins.
"Just keep it without worry. We've already memorized everything on it," Fred said, tapping his head lightly. "It's all stored in here—available whenever we need it."
"Between us, we're working on an upgraded version of the Marauder's Map," George whispered into Harry's ear. "We're planning a comprehensive upgrade to improve its existing functions."
In the early days, the Marauder's Map had indeed been very important to Eda and the twins. They had loved it no less than Harry did now. But as time passed, its shortcomings gradually became apparent.
The Marauder's Map did not display the Chamber of Secrets, nor did it mark the Room of Requirement. Although it could show everything in the school in real time, it couldn't automatically record anything, nor could it give any alerts. Someone had to keep watching it constantly.
These functional limitations made it unable to meet the trio's current needs.
Perhaps because she wasn't one of the creators, Eda had always felt that they had not obtained the map's highest level of authority and therefore couldn't make it reveal all of its contents. That was what gave rise to the idea of the three of them creating a map of their own.
Hearing what Fred and George said, Harry finally felt at ease accepting the gift. A gentleman does not take away what others treasure.
Harry felt that this would be the best Christmas present he received this year. He said sincerely, "Thank you. Thank you for your gift!"
"Young man, enjoy the happiness it brings you!" George said, putting on the expression of a seasoned expert while patting Harry on the shoulder.
"Alright, little Harry," Fred said in a strange tone, "remember to use it carefully. Don't let Prefect Twist catch you! Otherwise, you'll get detention!"
Eda, who had been daydreaming, was being portrayed as some creepy aunt luring an innocent boy. For the moment, she didn't argue with the twins—but later, she would make the two brothers understand the consequences of offending her.
Eda winked at Harry and said softly, "See you in Hogsmeade. Remember to bring your Invisibility Cloak."
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