Chapter 148 — George and Fred's Discovery
Phineas sat quietly in a Gothic-style spired classroom, absorbed in the thick book open before him.
In the upper right corner of the slightly slanted desk stood a half-filled bottle of ink, with a white quill resting inside. His hand clutched a parchment already covered in notes—clear evidence of how seriously he was studying.
To his left lay his wand: a new one, crafted from the same material as his last, though slightly different in size.
The biggest change since Christmas break was the absence of his staff. Although it had once been imbued with enchantments from Nicolas Flamel, Phineas had chosen a more direct method to better attune himself to his wand—one requiring regular use and contact.
Upon returning from Norway, Phineas had gone straight to Ollivanders and purchased a wand made of the same materials as before. Unlike his earlier, more cautious selections, he didn't put much thought into this one. He knew it was temporary. Soon, he would custom-order a wand through the system.
Thanks to the Ravenclaw ring, he wouldn't need to worry about this new wand breaking or being lost. System-made items were always perfectly suited to him. He had hesitated before, unsure of what materials to choose.
However, the successful creation of the Soul Stone had given Phineas new inspiration.
He still intended to use snakewood for the wand's body, and for the magic script embedded within, he chose goblin-forged metal.
Goblin-forged metal had the unique property of absorbing and amplifying traits that benefited its wielder. Gryffindor's sword was made of this same material—an exceptional magical alloy, perfect for supporting a wizard's power.
For the wand's core, Phineas had selected the very Soul Stone he had recently completed. After suitable refinement, it would serve as the wand's heart.
The Soul Stone already possessed a form of sentience and was loyal to its creator—Phineas himself. Once crafted, the wand would be deeply attuned to him and unusable by anyone else.
Moreover, because of the Ravenclaw ring's enchantment, the wand would be permanently bound to him.
Since the Soul Stone was the wand's core, Phineas would no longer need to insert it separately when casting shaping spells. The wand would channel those effects effortlessly whenever he willed it.
Just as Phineas was diligently recording observations from the book in front of him, the door to the otherwise empty classroom creaked open.
"Phineas!"
"We found something good!"
Two nearly identical voices echoed from the hall, each overlapping the other with excitement. The speakers hadn't even entered yet.
It was clear who they were before they appeared.
Phineas turned to see George and Fred Weasley rushing inside, followed closely by their shorter friend, the ever-reliable Lee Jordan.
Whenever the twins showed up, it almost always meant they'd stumbled across something strange or potentially dangerous.
Despite their many mishaps, the twins never stopped searching for magical oddities. Strangely enough, they had an uncanny knack for discovering old relics or treasure clues hidden around Hogwarts.
This time, it seemed they had uncovered something new and exciting—undoubtedly hoping Phineas would join in the next adventure.
Ever since they'd searched for Gryffindor's vault together and uncovered a real treasure, the twins had become even more dedicated. Over the past few weeks alone, they had come to Phineas no fewer than five times with varying levels of mischief—from investigating rumors of a hidden Acromantula breeding ground in the Forbidden Forest to chasing tales of werewolves.
Their last escapade involved searching for Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, which turned out to be a hoax—an old prank passed down by former students. That misadventure ended with the three of them being caught near the Headmaster's office and scolded by Professor McGonagall.
Now, they were back.
"What did you find this time?" Phineas asked with a sigh, though he couldn't help smiling as he closed his book.
The twins exchanged mischievous grins and pulled a folded parchment from George's robes.
The moment Phineas saw it, something clicked. He recognized the item at once. In the original timeline, the Marauder's Map was one of the most famous magical tools, second only to the Deathly Hallows.
He'd thought the twins had discovered it in their first year—last year. Apparently not.
Still, Phineas wasn't about to let on what he knew.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you handing me a scrap of parchment?"
"This isn't just any parchment," Fred said with a grin.
"We found it in Filch's office!" added George.
Phineas frowned. "Filch's office? How did you even get in? Didn't his cat catch you?"
Fred laughed. "I left a few Dungbombs in the corridor."
"And while he was distracted," George chimed in, "I picked the lock on his drawer."
"Didn't get to stall Filch for long," Fred added. "So I grabbed the nearest thing I could—and it was this."
"But we don't know what it does," George said. "That's why we came to you."
"Please," Fred pleaded. "Tell us it's something good. Those Dungbombs weren't cheap."
Watching their eager expressions, Phineas let out a long sigh and took the parchment.
"Let me try. If it's just plain parchment, you'll have to live with that."
He activated his magical sight. Strangely, although he could sense the immense enchantment woven into the item—it was clearly the Marauder's Map—his spell revealed no traces of magic.