Chapter 150: The Secret of the Map
What is this?
Phineas stared intently at the faint line of text that had appeared.
Legilimency?
The word surfaced in his mind unbidden. It was the only known spell capable of reading thoughts, intentions, and memories.
Could it be that the magic behind the Marauder's Map was a combination of a tracking spell and Legilimency?
Legilimency could be used to probe the memories of young witches and wizards across Hogwarts, revealing their names. The tracking spell would then mark their location and movement.
If this theory was correct, Phineas had to admit: the four Marauders had been true prodigies.
Fixing Legilimency to an object—imbuing it with limited sentience—was the result of a rare and complex enchantment known as the Imbuing Spell, a piece of magic said to be part of Gryffindor's inheritance.
That's how the Sorting Hat worked.
For four students to master such a spell while still in school... it was no exaggeration to call them geniuses. Obtaining Gryffindor's inherited magic was no simple feat.
But there was a problem.
The Marauder's Map was, at its core, just a magical item. Even if it held a trace of consciousness, its reach couldn't possibly extend the effects of Legilimency across the entirety of Hogwarts.
After all, the castle wasn't small. It spanned vast areas—half the Black Lake, a portion of the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, fields, towers, and halls.
So Phineas began to suspect that the Map wasn't working alone.
There had to be a link—some connection between the Marauder's Map and Hogwarts Castle itself.
He hadn't yet figured out how it worked, but he could guess at the foundation. When students arrived at the castle for the first time—crossing the Black Lake and entering the castle—they were most likely marked by a kind of binding magic, a magical protocol set by Hogwarts itself.
If that were true, then any map connected to the castle could easily identify every student's name and location.
Still, Phineas wasn't completely sure. It was just a theory.
But if his theory was correct, then it would explain why he couldn't detect any magic on the parchment itself.
Because in that case… the real Marauder's Map wasn't the piece of parchment in his hands.
It was the castle.
This parchment was merely an extension—a viewing device.
But that raised an even bigger question: How did the Marauders link their map to the castle?
Casting a spell over the entire Hogwarts Castle was unthinkable. No student could do it, not even at the cost of their life force. Hogwarts was steeped in ancient magic—its enchantments impossible to override or bind with ordinary spells.
So there was only one likely explanation.
The Marauders must have found the castle's control center—a core point of authority, similar to what the Headmaster used. They must have tapped into its permissions and used them to create the living map.
But without any magical traces on the parchment, Phineas had no way of tracking back to that control center. And without that, duplicating or analyzing the map's core function was impossible.
Still… he didn't need to look too far.
He already had a guess where the control center might be: Dumbledore's office.
In the original timeline, when Dumbledore had been ousted from Hogwarts, his office became completely sealed. Even though Umbridge had taken over the title of Headmistress, she had no true control over the school.
Many thought she was simply not recognized by the castle.
But Phineas had always believed it was the other way around.
She wasn't recognized because she couldn't enter.
In Hogwarts, being accepted and gaining access were one and the same. If you could enter the Headmaster's office, it meant you were recognized. Recognition followed access—not the other way around.
Phineas glanced down at the map again and saw his name clearly displayed.
That, at least, brought some relief. As long as his name was visible, he didn't need to worry about his identity being discovered… not yet.
Still, it was dangerous.
A map that could monitor his every move within Hogwarts was not something he could take lightly.
Frowning, he made a mental note: he would eventually need to find a way to hide his name from the map. But there was no rush. For now, he could bide his time—and when he returned the map to George and Fred, he would make sure they saw their own names on it, so as not to arouse any suspicion.
So the map in my hand… is of little use to me after all.
Phineas sighed in mild disappointment. He had brought the map to the meeting hoping to analyze the magic on it. But now that he knew the parchment wasn't the true source, there was little point in further study.
Suddenly, a new thought struck him.
There was some value in the map after all.
He quickly took note of the hidden passages marked on it. While he could ask Puff to take him out of Hogwarts if needed, the system mission panel still required him to explore certain areas of the castle—and those secret passages would be crucial.
Then, something else caught his eye.
Sakaski's name was missing.
Phineas froze.
That… was disturbing.
He knew this map had been locked in Filch's office drawer ever since the Marauders stopped using it. George and Fred had only recently stolen it. Sakaski couldn't have had the opportunity to tamper with it.
That left only two possibilities.
One: Sakaski wasn't currently in Hogwarts. But that seemed unlikely—he hadn't left the grounds once since the school year began.
Two: He was in a place not shown on the map.
As far as Phineas knew, there were only two such places: the Room of Requirement and Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.
The Chamber of Secrets required Parseltongue to enter. Phineas doubted Sakaski had that ability.
Which meant… Sakaski was in the Room of Requirement.
And that was the truly unsettling part.
Sakaski hadn't attended Hogwarts. He graduated from Skull and had worked there ever since. This was his first time setting foot in Hogwarts—barely four months ago.
And yet… he had already found the Room of Requirement?
Phineas's unease deepened.