Meanwhile, in Adrian's private office, morning light filtered through windows, casting rainbows across walls.
Adrian sat at his desk wielding an elegant magical needle to draw blood from his arm. This type of magical needle could locate blood vessels with accuracy and extract precisely the amount needed without causing discomfort.
As for why Adrian was doing this—it was naturally to make growth potions. In fact, Adrian had a large blood bank storing his own blood.
But he had discovered that over time, the Mutation factor content in his blood was slowly increasing. So, growth potions made with fresh blood were much more effective.
After extracting two vials of his fresh blood, Adrian placed them in a small box. This was a specially made potion case designed to store blood, guaranteed to maintain potency for at least ten years.
It was Lemon flavored—sweet and sour, very delicious.
As he savored the potion's restorative effects, Adrian's business mind wandered to amusing possibilities. If he ever grew tired of teaching and research, perhaps a magical beverage shop might be profitable. The wizarding world certainly lacked innovative refreshments.
Though such ventures would demand time he couldn't spare from more demanding pursuits. Perhaps licensing his formulas to established business would be more practical...
His contemplation was interrupted by sharp, urgent knocking that echoed through his office like gunshots.
"Come in!" Adrian called, setting down his glass as he arranged himself behind his desk.
The office door burst open with explosive force, as George and Fred tumbled through the entrance like twin hurricanes of panic and determination.
"Professor!" Both twins gasped simultaneously, their voices overlapping in harmonious desperation. "We need your help!"
Adrian raised one eyebrow and deliberately lifted his blood replenishment potion and took another sip before responding.
"Don't rush, you two, take a breath and tell me what's happened."
"The map!" George blurted out, his words tumbling over each other in his haste. "We lost the Marauder's Map during last night's... exploration."
Adrian paused mid-sip, his eyes observing the twins with interest. After a moment, he set down his glass and released a long sigh.
"Well, you two," He began with the weary tone of a professor who had heard this particular song countless times before, "I'll pretend I didn't hear about your night wanderings—though I trust you understand the castle's current security concerns make such activities particularly... inadvisable."
The twins had the grace to look slightly embarrassed, though their desperation quickly overwhelmed any shame.
"But tell me," Adrian continued, leaning forward with curiosity, "how exactly does one lose something as precious as the Marauder's Map?"
"That's just it, Professor," Fred said with obvious frustration. "We don't know. One moment we had it, and the next..." He gestured helplessly. "It was as if it simply vanished into thin air. When we reached for the map, our pockets were empty."
Adrian stroked his chin thoughtfully. The twins watched his every movement with the desperate hope of drowning men glimpsing a potential lifeline.
"Without any clues about when or where you lost it," Adrian said finally, "I'm afraid there's very little I can do to help you."
Fred and George exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes. They really didn't know how the map was lost or when it disappeared.
Trying to find something without any clues was also nearly like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Professor," George said with desperate inspiration, his voice cracking slightly, "surely you must have access to spells or magical items that can track other enchanted objects? Something that could locate our map?"
Adrian's laugh was dry, carrying not mockery but regret. "If such convenient magical solutions existed, my dear boys, I would have caught Sirius Black months ago and spared us all anxiety."
The twins' faces crumpled like deflated balloons, their last hope evaporating. It seemed they wouldn't be getting their map back anytime soon. Without their map, their careers as Hogwarts' premier pranksters and midnight explorers faced an uncertain future.
"However..." Adrian said quietly, watching their dejected expressions with something approaching sympathy.
The single word hung in the air like a lifeline, and both twins looked up with renewed hope blazing in their eyes.
He raised one finger in a gesture of caution, softening their enthusiasm before it could fully ignite. "I can make inquiries among the staff and perhaps question a few students discreetly. Of course, you shouldn't allow your hopes to soar too high."
Fred's shoulders sagged with the weight of realistic pessimism, but gratitude tinged his voice as he replied, "Well, it's more than we had when we walked in here. Thank you, Professor Westeros."
After the twins left, Adrian wore a thoughtful expression.
The loss of the Marauder's Map was genuinely surprising, though not necessarily shocking. Such a valuable and unique magical artifact wouldn't remain lost for long in a castle full of curious students and observant professors. Someone had undoubtedly discovered it.
The more intriguing question was whether the map's disappearance was mere misfortune or something more deliberate. Could Sirius Black have somehow acquired it during his infiltrations of the castle?
Adrian made a mental note to investigate this development more thoroughly.
Winter's Embrace and Hogsmeade Adventures
The final week of term arrived with nature's decoration—a blizzard had transformed Hogwarts overnight into a crystalline wonderland.
By morning, the stones of Hogwarts wore crowns of snow, and icicles hung like nature's chandeliers from every available shelf and windowsill. The Great Lake had begun to freeze at its edges, creating patterns of ice that caught the pale winter sunlight and threw it back in dazzling displays of silver and blue.
Yet despite winter's fierce embrace, nothing could dampen the infectious enthusiasm that rippled through the students—today marked another much-anticipated excursion to Hogsmeade village.
Saturday morning, the castle was buzzing with preparation as students donned their heaviest cloaks and warmest scarves. The corridors echoed with excited chatter and the rustle of thick woolen robes as groups formed and reformed, planning their routes through the village's snow-covered streets.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had risen early as they prepared for the trek ahead. Harry's thin body was buried beneath layers of protective clothing, while Ron had wrapped his mother's hand-knitted scarf around his neck multiple times, creating a colorful woolen cocoon.
As they went down the spiraling stairs of Gryffindor Tower, they encountered a familiar pair of redheaded figures ascending.
"Well, well, well," George announced with dramatic grandeur, "if it isn't our beloved ickle Ronniekins!"
Before Ron could react, the twins had surrounded him, their arms draping around his shoulders. Somehow, "ickle Ronniekins" had become the twins' exclusive nickname for Ron.
"Don't call me that, please!" Ron said desperately. We're heading to Hogsmeade now, and I'd prefer to arrive with some dignity intact."
"Ah, what a delightful coincidence," Fred said with the sort of innocent expression that fooled no one who knew him. "We happen to share that very same destination."
"You should consider wearing heavier clothing," Hermione suggested with concern after scanning them both. "It's a blizzard outside, and it's quite a distance from here to Hogsmeade."
"No need to worry about us, Hermione," George replied with casual confidence. "We have our own secret methods for dealing with winter weather."
Fred glanced at his pocket watch and clicked his tongue with mock urgency. "Speaking of which, we're running rather behind schedule. We'll see you three in the village!"
With that farewell, the twins strode off in a direction that was definitely not toward the main gates and the official path to Hogsmeade.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in puzzled silence, watching the twins' leaving figures until they disappeared around a distant corner.
"Where on earth are they going?" Hermione asked in confusion. "The gates to Hogsmeade are completely the opposite way."
Ron's eyes lit up with the familiar gleam of someone scenting adventure—or at least the promise of uncovering his brothers' latest scheme.
"Let's follow them," He said with instant decision. "They're obviously up to something interesting, and knowing those two, it's bound to be worth investigating."
"Following people without permission isn't exactly ethical behavior..."
Before Hermione could finish, Ron had already quietly tailed them.
Seeing this, Harry and Hermione had no choice but to follow.
After passing through several staircases and corridors, the twins stopped in front of a one-eyed witch statue holding a walking stick.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione hid around a nearby corner.
"We really shouldn't be doing this..." Hermione whispered, though her actions contradicted her words as she craned her neck for a better view.
The twins then made their move. George muttered something and tapped the one-eyed witch statue.
Following his action, the statue split open, revealing a dark opening.
"Ha! I knew it!" Ron burst from their hiding place. "Caught you red-handed!"
The twins spun around with expressions of surprise quickly melting into resignation. When they saw their pursuers, relief replaced alarm—at least they'd been discovered by family rather than faculty.
"Keep your voice down, ickle Ronniekins," George hissed urgently, his eyes darting up and down the corridor. "The last thing we need is for someone else to discover this place."
Harry stepped forward, his curiosity overcoming any embarrassment about their surveillance.
"What is this?" He asked curiously pointing at the mysterious opening.
Realizing that secrecy was no longer possible, the twins exchanged a glance and simultaneously shrugged with identical expressions of acceptance.
"It's a tunnel," Fred explained with the straightforward tone of someone discussing the weather. "Leads directly to the basement of Honeydukes sweet shop in Hogsmeade village."
Hermione's eyes widened with fascination. "I had no idea Hogwarts contained passages like this! It's absolutely remarkable."
George puffed up with unmistakable pride, clearly pleased to have impressed someone of Hermione's intellectual ability. "There's quite a lot about this old castle that doesn't appear in any official records or textbooks. This particular passage is just one small sample of the secrets we've uncovered over our years here."
Ron's imagination immediately began racing with possibilities, his eyes bright with excitement. "What other passages do you know about? Are there more routes to Hogsmeade? Secret rooms? Hidden treasures?"
"We can't tell you that," Fred said slyly. "Even though you're our dearest ickle Ronniekins—maybe you could try following us again."
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