Another Malfoy!?

Chapter 14 - Marauder's Map

"'What's this rubbish' he says!" exclaimed Fred,

"That, there, is the secret to our success." said George, patting the parchment fondly.

" It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your needs are greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George, "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" I asked, still not understanding why this was so important.

'A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

"Well... when we were in our first year, Harry – young, carefree, and innocent-"

I snorted, I doubt Fred and George had ever in their life been innocent.

"-- well, more innocent than we are now – we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason –"

"So he hauled us off to his office and threatened us with the usual –"

"-- detention –"

"--disembowelment–"

"-- and we couldn't help but notice a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."

"Don't tell me –" I said, starting to grin madly.

"Well, what would you have done?" asked Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open and grabbed – this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know." George reassured me. "We don't reckon. Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have to confiscate it."

"And you know how to work it?"

"Oh yes," Fred smirked. "This little beauty's taught us more than any of the professors in this school."

"You're winding me up!" I kept looking at the ragged old piece of parchment, the tension building with every sentence that came out of the twin's mouths.

"Oh, are we?" chuckled George.

He took his wand out, touched the parchment lightly and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned to every corner of the parchment; then the words began to blossom across the top, great, curly, green words that proclaimed:

                                      Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

                                       Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief  Makers

                                                                are proud to present

                                                      ~*~  The Marauder's Map ~*~

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in miniscule writing.