"So, this guy called Peter Pettigrew, he's supposed to have been dead for years, right? And yet, you saw his name pop up on the Marauder's Map when you were checking it at night?"
Dylan looked at Harry.
Truth be told, even though Professor McGonagall and the others had sealed the room with a charm during their last discussion, Harry had only managed to eavesdrop by sneaking over in his invisibility cloak.
But Dylan? He had his Eye of Insight.
One glance.
And he could see right through any barrier.
He'd caught what McGonagall and the others were saying.
After all—lip-reading was something his Eye could pick up on.
Harry nodded eagerly. "Yeah, exactly! That's what happened. But I didn't look too hard at it, you know? I just think I saw his name…"
Dylan's mouth twitched.
After the Weasley twins handed him the Marauder's Map, he'd passed it on to Harry without much thought.
And now, with something like this turning up, instead of doing what he usually did—grabbing his friends and diving headfirst into some mystery—Harry had come to him?
"You're not even sure if you saw the name, right?" Dylan said casually. "Why not just check it again? Problem solved."
Harry squirmed a bit. "Well… I'm kinda scared to look at it by myself…"
Dylan: (…)
"Oh, I see," Dylan said, forcing a small smile.
Harry ducked his head even lower, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.
Not daring to check the Map… yeah, that was a bit embarrassing to admit.
"Look, you've got to confirm it first," Dylan said.
He glanced over his shoulder. No one had spotted them huddled in this deserted corner, which was a relief.
Now, about Peter Pettigrew showing up on the Marauder's Map…
Dylan was a bit stumped.
The Map had been with the Weasley twins for ages before he got it to him.
Had they really never noticed anything odd?
Ron didn't even know about the Map before, and even now, he hadn't looked at it himself.
So him not knowing about Pettigrew made sense.
But the twins? They'd spent ages messing around to figure out how the Map worked.
They knew how to use it.
How could they not have seen Scabbers, Ron's rat, who was actually Peter Pettigrew in disguise?
That rat had practically been a Weasley family heirloom, passed down from one sibling to the next.
The twins had nicked the Map from Filch's office back in their first year.
They used it all the time to sneak around Hogwarts, especially at night.
In an empty school, a little dot labeled "Peter Pettigrew" scurrying about would be hard to miss, wouldn't it?
Dylan had studied the Map himself after getting it. It was just a piece of parchment you unfolded, not exactly tiny.
Sure, names could overlap sometimes, but a dot darting around at night? There'd be moments when it stood out, right?
Knowing George and Fred's curiosity, how could they not investigate who this "Peter Pettigrew" was, running around the castle with them after dark?
Of course, maybe Pettigrew didn't scurry around at night. Maybe he stayed put in the Gryffindor common room, where names piled up and overlapped.
Or maybe Hogwarts was just so big that the twins never crossed paths with Pettigrew's dot when they were out exploring.
Yeah, those explanations didn't really hold up.
Dylan shrugged.
Harry had spotted Peter Pettigrew's name the very first night he had the Map.
"Guess it's just fate," Dylan said, looking at Harry. "If you're too scared to check, you could always grab Ron and the others to look with you."
"Or, if you want me there too, I'm happy to tag along. It's not like it'll take long."
Harry scratched his head, sheepish. "Thanks, Dylan."
Dylan waved it off. "No big deal."
This was new, though. Harry hadn't gone off on his own to puzzle things out or roped Ron and Hermione into some wild chase like usual.
Instead, he'd taken a shortcut and come straight to Dylan with this obvious secret.
Since when did Harry have this kind of sense?
In the last two terms, Dylan hadn't exactly pegged Harry as the sharpest wand in the bunch.
If Harry had gone straight to Professor McGonagall with every problem, who'd then pass it up to Dumbledore, the old man would've squashed every issue before it even started.
Dylan figured if that happened, the Harry Potter story wouldn't have stretched to seven books—or seven movies.
One step, problem solved.
No need for all that drawn-out drama.
But stories thrive on that kind of thing, don't they?
Without a kid's stubbornness and curiosity, how do you write a tale about growing up?
How does a fairy tale capture hearts across the world?
So, Dylan just chalked it up to cause and effect.
"Harry, just be careful when you make your move," Dylan warned. "And one more thing—I've tinkered with the Map. Sometimes it doesn't show every name clearly, but when it does show a name, it's never wrong. It doesn't mess up."
That alone made the Marauder's Map insanely powerful.
Not messing up didn't mean it had some mystical rule-enforcing magic.
It meant the Map was loaded with charms—tons of them, top-notch quality—to prevent any glitches.
Those charms ensured whatever the Map showed was spot-on.
Dylan couldn't help but marvel again at how a bunch of underage kids had whipped up such a brilliant magical tool.
Though, to be fair, he might be just a tad more brilliant himself.
"Got it. Thanks for the heads-up, Dylan," Harry said, nodding. "You headed anywhere? If not, we could walk back together."
"I've got to see Professor Flitwick about something. You go on ahead."
"Alright."
Harry didn't ask what Dylan needed with Flitwick. He just lowered his head, looking distracted, and shuffled off toward the Gryffindor Tower.
Dylan watched him go, then shrugged.
He turned and headed out of the quiet alleyway.
But as soon as he climbed the stairs, he ran into Cedric.
"Hey, Dylan!" Cedric called out, practically bouncing with excitement.
Dylan waved back. "Evening! How'd the date go? Pretty good, I'm guessing?"
Cedric's face lit up as he nodded. "Thanks to your divination, my date with Cho went perfectly. She told me I looked handsome three times at the teahouse!"
"I never thought my looks could actually give me confidence like that!"
"Heh, it's got me wondering if maybe she thinks I'm a bit special."
Cedric rambled on, rubbing his hair and grinning like he couldn't help it.
"I used to roll my eyes when people called me handsome, thinking they were just being polite. But now? I'm starting to think I might actually be kinda good-looking!"
Dylan started off nodding along, but as Cedric kept going, his smile faltered, lips pressing into a thin line.
"Uh, yeah, congrats, mate," Dylan said, his tone flat.
Cedric didn't notice. "I owe it all to you, man. Your divination was spot-on. I followed every single thing you told me to do—down to the last detail!"
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
Well, duh.
He'd planned every move after running it through multiple divinations.
Guys might fall for a girl's charm, but girls? They swoon over a guy's charm too.
Dylan gave Cedric's outfit a quick once-over.
He was still rocking a crisp wizard's cloak, but underneath was a clean white shirt, collar buttoned neatly, no wrinkles in sight. His sleeves were rolled up just right, showing off a bit of wrist.
The whole look screamed wizard elegance mixed with a fresh, boyish vibe.
No wonder Cho was smitten. Dylan bet half the girls they'd passed on the way here had been stealing shy glances at Cedric.
"Glad it went well," Dylan said politely.
Cedric grinned. "I'm already pumped for my next date with Cho. Dylan, do you think you could—"
Dylan cut him off with a shake of his head. "Nah, I don't think that's a good idea. If every date needs my divination to work, it's gonna feel staged, you know?"
"One time's fine, but keep it up, and if you two ever get serious—like, living-together serious—all the stuff you've been glossing over will blow up in your face."
"That could mess things up big time, maybe even break you two apart. You want that?"
Cedric blinked, then shook his head quickly. "No way, I definitely don't want that."
"Exactly," Dylan said with a shrug. "You've got nothing to worry about. You're plenty handsome, you've got a good family, and you're ace at school. As long as you're serious about her, girls who like you will keep liking you."
He didn't say Cho would definitely stay head over heels for Cedric.
Better to play it safe.
If she ever lost interest, Cedric might come back asking why Dylan's words didn't hold up.
Kids could be confident, but too much confidence? That's a problem.
"Alright," Cedric said, nodding. Then he asked, "You heading back to the dorm?"
"Nope, gotta see Professor Flitwick."
"Oh?" Cedric raised an eyebrow. "This late? Extra lessons?"
"Not really. I don't need much tutoring from Flitwick anymore," Dylan said with a grin. "And honestly, I think he's not too keen on giving me extra lessons these days."
Cedric blinked, confused, his eyes flickering. "Uh, sounds like you've got something else going on, then. I won't keep you."
"Yeah, you go do your thing."
Dylan waved Cedric off and continued toward Flitwick's office.
As he got close, he glanced at his system panel.
An achievement was flashing.
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
Lately, doing everyday stuff hadn't triggered any achievements.
He hadn't done anything special this time, so why was a new one lighting up?
Curious, he checked it out.
Achievement: Heartbeat of Divination
Description: You successfully predicted and crafted a flawless date.
Requirement: Help a fellow student progress in their love life.
Reward: Starry Tarot Deck
"Tarot cards?"
Dylan hadn't expected that helping a mate with a date would unlock an achievement.
He smacked his lips and checked out the reward.
Item: Starry Tarot Deck
Description: A deck with extraordinary divination powers, a mystical bridge between reality and the unknown.
Effect 1: Insight into Fate's Path—Whether it's love, career, or life's challenges, focus your mind, shuffle, cut, and lay out the cards. The deck will reveal a situation's ups and downs, trends, and possible outcomes based on the spread.
Effect 2: Subconscious Exploration—Staring at the deck's symbols and elements stirs the subconscious, unearthing hidden thoughts, emotions, and untapped potential.
Effect 3: Foresight—When facing big decisions or stepping into danger, the deck can warn of hidden risks or reveal concealed opportunities.
"Three effects?"
Dylan nodded slightly after reading the deck's abilities.
They were pretty solid.
Helping others divine, warning him of danger, and even tapping into the subconscious?
This would be a huge boost for his future divinations.
He didn't pull the deck out right away, deciding to wait until after he'd asked Flitwick about Vera's address and got back to his dorm.
He reached Flitwick's office and knocked lightly.
"Come in!" a voice called from inside.
Dylan pushed the door open.
There was the tiny professor, hunched over his desk, scribbling away, his quill scratching against parchment.
"Who's there?" Flitwick asked without looking up.
No answer came.
He glanced up, and his eyes went wide when he saw Dylan.
His small frame jolted back slightly.
"Dylan? What brings you here—I mean, what's up, coming by this late?"
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