Chapter 239. The Twins' Discovery
After saying goodbye to Hagrid and Dumbledore, Wesson returned to his room to rest.
With the castle confirmed safe, the students no longer had to spend the night crammed into the Great Hall.
Hogwarts regained its usual calm.
In the middle of the night, Wesson lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He had actually lost sleep—something that had never happened before.
"Something isn't quite right…"
Wesson muttered under his breath, sat up, and looked out the window.
A sliver of the moon hung in the sky; moonlight spilled through the panes onto the floor. Everything looked perfectly normal.
Even so, for some reason, he felt a tight flutter in his chest.
At that moment, the Devil's Snare poked its head out from beneath Wesson's bed and nuzzled his cheek.
"You think so too?"
Wesson murmured, turned over to lie down again—and promptly rolled off the bed.
The Devil's Snare caught him gently and ferried him to the desk.
At first light, when it was only a little brighter, Wesson rose from the chair and stretched.
Because he hadn't slept the night before, he had simply spent the hours studying potions recipes—the next-generation Purifying Potion, to be precise.
He wasn't going to lie there like a fool and waste time.
Better to use the time to study or learn something.
After downing a large bottle of Pepperup Potion, Wesson felt alert again.
Of course, potions only solve a short-term need; under normal circumstances, proper sleep and rest are still essential.
As it was still early, Wesson left his office and headed to the Great Hall.
Two red-haired students were already there, furtively stuffing bread into their mouths like a pair of pilfering mice.
Wesson was puzzled—was that really necessary just to eat breakfast?
"George! Fred!"
He came up behind the twins and set a hand on each of their shoulders. "What are you two doing?"
The twins froze at once, their hands halting mid-movement.
They turned around slowly; when they saw it was Wesson, they both visibly relaxed.
"Professor Wesson, you walk like a ghost," Fred complained, patting his chest. "Gave us a fright."
"Answer my question, please," Wesson said, his gaze sweeping between them. "I do hope you're not up to anything against school rules."
"Absolutely not," they said in unison.
"We just left the common room," Fred added.
Although they said so, their shifty eyes and tense shoulders gave them away.
Clearly, they were not as well-behaved as they claimed.
"All right," Wesson raised an eyebrow. "But I should remind you—after you've done something naughty, it's best to clean the mud off your trousers."
The twins hastily checked their trouser legs.
There was indeed mud on them, not even dry yet.
"Oh! Professor—" Fred began.
"Let's leave it this time."
Wesson cut him off with a faint smile.
It might not be proper for a professor, but he didn't particularly care what the twins had just done—even if they'd blown up the Headmaster's office.
After all, who hasn't gone on a few late-night wanderings while at school?
He'd been caught by a few professors himself back in the day, and most of the time they'd mercifully let him off.
Well—except Professor McGonagall, who made him scrub lavatories for a week.
No magic allowed.
"You're really not going to punish—" George started, but Fred clapped a hand over his mouth at once.
Not the time to say more!
Seeing this, Wesson cheerfully patted both their shoulders, signalling them to relax. "Only this once."
George threw up his hands in delight. "Ah! A great professor!"
Fred also let out a breath of relief.
Even though they'd escaped punishment, after Wesson's interruption the twins no longer wanted to linger.
Both of them stood up to leave.
Just then, a roll of parchment slipped from George's robes and came to rest at Wesson's feet.
For a moment, all three of them stared.
Wesson bent to pick up the roll. The instant he touched it, he felt the faintest ripple of magic.
Which made the identity of the parchment all but obvious.
The Marauder's Map.
He immediately unrolled it.
"Don't—"
Fred reached out on instinct to stop him, but George held him back by the shoulder.
"It's fine," George whispered to his brother. "He doesn't know how to use it."
Fred relaxed a little.
Indeed, to use the Marauder's Map you had to speak a certain curious little incantation.
"What's this?" Wesson asked with interest, shaking the blank parchment in his hand.
The twins exchanged a glance.
"My Potions homework," George said calmly. "But as you see, it's blank for now. I was going to finish it later."
"Er… very convincing," Wesson said, rubbing his chin. "And what's the truth?"
George's mouth twitched into a sheepish grin. "It's my homework, Professor. If you don't believe me, you can look more closely."
"All right, as you wish." Wesson shrugged and unfolded the parchment fully.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said suddenly.
In an instant, ink lines unfurled across the parchment; a delicate map of Hogwarts blossomed onto the surface, and right at the centre the names of Wesson and the Weasley twins appeared bold and clear.
Fred and George's eyes went wide. Identical faces were written all over with disbelief.
How!?
Wesson actually knew how to use the Map!
Seeing their priceless expressions, Wesson chuckled. "Ah, looks like I've given you a fright."
"That's impossible!" Fred clutched at his red hair. "How did you figure it out, Professor?"
"We spent ages working it out," George said, his voice jumping a pitch.
Wesson gave him a sidelong glance and smiled mysteriously. "Secret."
"But that's not the point," he went on. "I suppose you used this Map to do something this morning, didn't you?"
The twins traded another look, both a touch guilty.
At last Fred sighed. "The truth is, we were looking for someone."
"Someone we don't know," George added.
Wesson's fingertips tapped lightly on the parchment. He already had a pretty good idea.
"Who?"
"A bloke named Peter," George said. "The Map shows him near the castle, but we've never seen him."
Since Wesson now knew about the Marauder's Map, there was no point in hiding that much.
Hearing the name "Peter" from the twins, Wesson nodded.
As expected—the twins had been the first to spot Peter's name on the Map.
"Leave Peter be," he said, handing the Marauder's Map back to George. "He's Dumbledore's guest; nothing for you to fuss over."
George took the Map, and he and Fred nodded obediently.
However, once Wesson had gone, the two of them began whispering to each other.
"Are we still going after Peter?"
"Of course! I've got a feeling there's definitely some secret about that man."
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