“Hey guys?” Harry asked. “What can you tell me about the map?”

“What do you want to know?” Fred asked as he took a seat on the bed. George moved a shoe off of the bed and sat down next to Fred.

Harry took a seat on Ron’s bed. “Everything.”

“Well, you already know we stole the map from Filch,” said George.

“Did we ever tell you how we found out it was a map?” asked Fred.

“No,” Harry answered.

Fred chuckled, “Well, let’s start there.”

-333-

In the year 1989…

“So, George, what do you suppose this is?” Fred asked, holding up the old piece of parchment they nicked from Filch’s office a few hours earlier.

“Well,” answered George. “Since it was in a cabinet marked Confiscated and Dangerous, it must be something useful. Open it up.”

Fred cleared a space on his bed. George joined him and the boys closed the curtains. Fred carefully unfolded the parchment and laid it flat.

“Now what?” George asked as he cautiously poked the paper with his wand.

“Look!” Fred whispered excitedly as he pointed to the parchment where George’s wand had touched it.

A splotch of black ink was visible, but slowly began to fade.

“Do it again,” Fred said, as George stroked the tip of his wand across the parchment.

A trail of ink embedded in the parchment followed George’s wand. As the boys watched, the ink swirled, spread out, and dissolved into words, spelling, ‘Who’s there?’

“Whoa!” responded Fred and George, who stared at the parchment with wide eyes.

Looking questioningly at George, Fred decided to respond aloud.

“I’m Fred Weasley and this is my brother, George.”

To their surprise, the parchment responded, ‘Hello, Mssrs. Weasley. We are the Marauders: Mssrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Where did you find us?’

Fred and George looked at each other, silently debating if they should mention that they stole the paper. Eventually, they agreed to be truthful.

“We nicked the parchment from Filch’s office,” George replied.

‘Who’s Filch?’ the Marauders asked.

“The caretaker,” Fred responded.

“More like prison warden,” added George.

‘Well, it sounds as if you could use our help. Answer some simple questions correctly and our secret will be yours,’ stated the Marauders.

Fred and George looked at each other.

“What do we do now? Dad always told us never to trust something when you can’t see where it keeps its brain,” Fred asked.

“We’ll just have to be careful. We can stop any time,” said George.

“You’re right. It’s worth a try,” agreed Fred.

“Okay. What’s the first riddle?” George asked.

The twins watched eagerly as their first challenge appeared.

‘From the Fat Lady four floors down lies a statue in the middle. Tell us what you see one of and your answer will lead to the next riddle.’

“Quick, Fred, write that down,” George said to his twin.

Fred reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a spare bit of parchment and a quill.

“Got it,” he said once he copied down the message.

“Four floors down from the Fat Lady,” George thought aloud as he folded the parchment back up and hid it in his trunk.

“The third floor corridor!” Fred exclaimed excitedly.

“Let’s go!” George said eagerly.

The boys raced down the dormitory stairs and tried to conceal their excitement as they crossed the common room, which was crowded after dinner. A few moving staircases later, they reached the third floor.

“Now what?” Fred said as they stepped off the staircase and peered down the corridor.

Nearest the stairs was the entrance to the Charms classroom. Further down the same wall was a gallery of suits of armor that stood shoulder to shoulder. Directly across from the armor was the trophy room, which contained crystal display cases full of shiny, polished school awards and medals. Past the suits of armor were two large wooden doors sealed closed with heavy chains and at least three locks of various sizes. At the far end of the hallway, the doors to the hospital wing could be seen as well as the staircase that led to the Entrance Hall.

“Well,” replied George, looking at the riddle. “It says here the statue’s somewhere in the middle.”

The twins quickly made their way to the middle of the hallway, hoping to find the statue and uncover the answer to the riddle before they were late to supper and someone noticed their absence.

“Over there!” Fred exclaimed excitedly as he spotted a statue in an alcove almost exactly midway between the stairs to the Entrance Hall and the way to the Gryffindor Tower.

Fred and George carefully examined the statue.

“Grunhilda of Gorsemoor. 1556-1639. Developed a cure for Dragon Pox,” George read from the placard as Fred circled the statue.

“Wow, she must have had Dragon Pox at least three times to get a face like that!” said Fred.

George looked up from the plaque and joined Fred to stare at her visage.

“We have to find something she has one of,” said George.

Suddenly, a very excited Fred shouted, “Her eye! She only has one eye!”

“That’s it! Come on. Let’s get back before curfew.”

-333-

The twins were able to get back to the Marauder’s parchment when Lee decided to leave them and take a shower. Once again, they climbed onto Fred’s bed and closed the curtains. Like the first time, George touched his wand to the parchment.

‘Have you solved your first riddle?’ the Marauders asked.

Smiling, George replied, “We think so. The statue of Grunhilda of Gorsemoor has one eye.”

Fred and George waited anxiously as ink spiraled on the page and formed the words, ‘Good job.’

A very large letter I appeared at the top of the parchment.

The Marauders continued, ‘You have found the first word needed to discover the hidden treasures of this parchment.’

“That wasn’t too hard,” Fred commented.

“Yeah, let’s keep answering clues,” responded George.

They watched as the map began to reveal something new. ‘Now get ready to solve this next riddle. Find the area where Moaning Myrtle resides and search for the next word that’s written where one could hide.’

“Moaning Myrtle?” Fred asked. “Do you know who she is?”

“No, not a clue,” replied George.

“Maybe we can ask Charlie,” supplied Fred.

“I’ve got a better idea,” said George. “Let’s go find Percy.”

The twins put away the parchment and went into the common room. As expected, they found Percy in a corner with his nose in a book. Even though he was only a third year, he was surrounded by stacks of books.

Percy was so involved in his studies that he failed to notice George and Fred’s entrance. George gestured to Fred and the two sat in worn red armchairs about a foot from Percy.

“Hey, Fred, you won’t believe what I heard from two sixth years,” George said in a slightly elevated tone of voice. He watched Percy and noticed that he was now aware of the presence of the twins and was listening to their conversation.

George knew that Percy was a stickler for rules. If there was anything he hated more, it was people that did not go along with the status quo. Percy was also eager to ‘inform’ superiors of the bad behavior of his fellow schoolmates, making George’s plan perfect.

“No, I didn’t, George,” Fred replied, now catching on to George’s strategy.

“Well, I heard that they were meeting where Moaning Myrtle resides after curfew,” George said, struggling not to laugh.

“Wow,” Fred responded. “That’s a really good idea. They’ll never get caught there. After tonight, I’m sure tons more students will be going there after curfew.”

“Definitely,” sighed George. “It’s something to remember when we get older and have girlfriends.”

“Too right, George,” Fred replied, now releasing a bit of his laughter. George laughed as well and both boys glanced at Percy.

Percy had stopped writing and the twins could tell that he was distracted. They watched as Percy scanned the common room until he caught sight of Verity Vance, one of the Gryffindor prefects. As Percy walked towards her, Fred and George got up and moved to an area where they could hear the conversation.

“Verity?” Percy asked as he approached the girl, who was sitting near the fire and studying with a fellow classmate.

“Yes, Percy? Is there something I can help you with?” Verity asked, as she and the girl she was studying with turned towards him.

“Yes,” Percy said, clearing his throat. “I overheard that some students were planning to sneak out after curfew and go to the second floor girls’ bathroom. I thought that a prefect should know.”

“Ok, thanks for telling me,” Verity responded.

As Percy walked back to his table, Fred and George watched as Verity whispered to her friend and both girls started laughing before returning to their studies.

Fred motioned to George and they both went back up to the dormitory.

“That was brilliant!” Fred said. “Now all we have to do is go to the second floor girls’ bathroom and search it.”

“I know!” George replied.

“Tomorrow after Charms. I’ve still got homework from Snape to finish,” responded Fred.

-333-

The next day, the boys found it hard to pay attention in Charms. They were the first ones out the door when the class ended and raced to the second floor bathroom.

“Yuck,” said George, as he entered the restroom and stepped into a puddle. “Now I know why we didn’t know about Myrtle. No one would voluntarily enter this place, especially a girl.”

Fred entered and the bathroom door closed. Suddenly, the ghost of a young girl with oval glasses appeared from the drain of a rusted sink.

“What are you two doing here! This is the girls’ room. No boys allowed!” Myrtle shrieked.

Myrtle floated closer to Fred and George, who were stunned silent by the strange apparition.

“I know why you’re here! You heard stories of moaning Myrtle and thought it would be fun to make fun of me, just like Olive Hornby!” Myrtle whined.

Trying to quell the spirit, Fred started to say, “No, Myrtle! We’re here to spend some time with you!”

George chimed in, “Yeah, Myrtle! We’re lonely too and thought you’d like some company.”

“Really?” asked Myrtle, sarcastically. Sniffling, she continued, “You boys are all alike! Mocking me and lying to me!”

Myrtle began weeping and fled through a toilet drain, water from the bowl spilling over the sides and splashing onto the floor.

Fred sighed, “Whew, I thought it was only the water on the floor keeping people out. Now I know the real reason.”

George chuckled, “Moaning Myrtle sure lives up to her name!”

The twins set their bags in a sink, the only place not soaked in toilet water. Fred walked to the far end of the room and opened the door to the nearest stall.

“The Marauders said that the answer was written in a place where you could hide. I’ll look down here and you look over there, okay?” Fred asked George.

George nodded and the two boys began scouring the stall walls.

Several minutes later, George found himself examining his second stall. As he entered and closed the door, he spotted a small inscription near the top hinge.

“Hey, Fred, I found something!” George said excitedly. He stood on his toes to be able to read the writing.

“False alarm,” George said dejectedly. “It says LE loves SS. I don’t think that’s the answer the Marauders were looking for.”

Both boys continued the search. After what seemed like an hour of crawling on damp tile, peering under toilet lids and looking behind toilet tanks, Fred believed he found the answer.

“I’ve got it!” Fred shouted excitedly as he wiped his wet hands on his robes. “George, come here!”

The writing was cramped, but identical to one of the four different handwritings they saw on the parchment.

“There,” Fred said as he pointed to an area of the wall almost hidden behind the toilet tank.

“Finally!” George exclaimed, anxious to get out of the musty old bathroom.

The twins took off their wet robes, shoved them into their bags, and left the bathroom. They kept their expressions as calm as possible so as to not arouse suspicion and headed back to their dormitory, where they deposited their bags and pulled open the parchment.

‘Have you found the answer to the latest riddle?’ the Marauders asked.

“Yes. The answer is solemnly.” Fred stated.

Slowly, the words on the map reformed. The top of the parchment now read, I solemnly.

‘Congratulations!’ the Marauders proclaimed. ‘Here is riddle number three: The next word rhymes with what you tickle, if you want pudding or a pickle.’

Fred copied down the riddle as George folded the parchment and put it away.

“Ok, where would you go if you wanted food?” Fred asked.

“Well, there’s the Great Hall, but you don’t have to tickle anything to get food. It just appears from the kitchens,” replied George.

“The kitchens. That’s it!” remarked Fred. “We have to find the entrance to the kitchens.”

“That’s easy. We just need to find a house elf,” George responded.

“How are we gonna do that?” asked Fred. “We’ve been here a few months already and I still haven’t seen one!”

-333-

Four days later, as the clock struck midnight, Fred and George were heading to the common room to enact their plan. Each carried down several days’ worth of dirty socks and pants. When they entered the common room, each twin began tossing their laundry behind pillows, under armchairs, and on the mantle.

“There,” said George, tossing his last sock on the floor in front of him. “I think we’ve successfully created a house elf’s dream.”

“Now we wait,” replied Fred, as he and George settled in on the sofa.

Three hours later, the twins were almost asleep. They had managed to stay awake without a problem for the first hour, talking and theorizing about what secrets the parchment would reveal. After that, their conversation was interrupted by yawns and tired pauses. The common room fell silent and George’s head lolled onto his chest as Fred stared unblinkingly at the floor.

Fred and George were jolted out of their stupor as a muffled pop rang in the air. Standing before them was a young, nervous looking house elf.

“We did it!” Fred exclaimed to George.

They both turned back to the elf, which had started to twist its ears, muttering, “No, they’ve seen Walby! Wizards sees Walby!

Fred and George bent down on their knees.

“No, elf…um, Walby! Stop hurting yourself!” Fred commanded the little elf.

“Yeah,” agreed George. “You’re a very good house elf!”

Walby stopped twisting his ears and looked up at the twins with tears in his brown eyes. “Walby is a good elf?” he asked.

“Yes, Walby,” said Fred, glad the elf was calming down.

Walby was a very small elf. Although Fred and George had only seen a house elf close up a few times, they knew that he was young. Walby had pale, pink skin and fine golden hair neatly adorning the top of his head. He had a round nose that resembled a grape and stood as tall as George’s knee.

Suddenly, Walby began talking. “Walby’s mum said that Walby could help by cleaning the Griffie door common room. This is Walby’s first time out all alone.”

“Wow, Walby. That’s great,” replied Fred hesitantly. He didn’t want to upset the elf any further.

“Yes, so you boys go sits and let Walby do his work,” the little elf commanded in a squeaky voice.

Walby fluttered around the room, snapping his fingers, removing the twins’ dirty laundry.

When nearly all of the socks and pants were gone, George decided to try to extract the kitchen’s location from the elf.

“So, Walby. You said that this is your first time out alone. Where do you normally work?” George asked in the calmest possible voice.

“Walby is working in the kitchens, sir,” the little elf responded, pausing to bow at George as he continued to scurry around the room. “Walby is helping with breakfast and likes to clean up, too.”

“Cool,” replied Fred. “I’ve never been to the kitchens. What is it like?”

Walby got very excited, happy to tell the twins about his favorite place. “The kitchens is the bestest place to work!” he shrieked. “Always work to do and Walby has already made friends.”

“I wish I could see the kitchens sometime,” responded George.

“Yeah,” echoed Fred. “Where do we go if we wanted to visit the kitchens?”

Walby answered, “Us elves have special magics that lets us go there easy. But wizards, they is having to go down some stairs to the right of the main stairs in the In Trance Hall. Then they has to find the painting with the bowl of fruit and tickle the pear.”

George, trying not to sound too excited and frighten the elf, simply said, “Oh, that’s good to know.”

Fred couldn’t contain his smile as he responded, “Yeah, useful information. Well, Walby, we’ll let you get back to work. Good night.”

Walby paused in his cleaning, bowing to the twins and answering, “Good night, look alike wizards.”

Fred and George hurried up the dormitory stairs. They carefully entered their room so as to not wake their dorm mates, took out the parchment, and opened it on George’s bed. Once it was spread out and the curtains on the bed were closed, Fred lit his wand.

“So what rhymes with pear?” asked Fred.

“Lair, bear, swear, tear,” George responded.

“Well, it has to be something that fits with I solemnly,” reminded Fred.

“Ok, I solemnly lair, bear, swear...That’s it! Swear!” George exclaimed.

Now that they had the answer, George touched his wand to the parchment.

‘Have you solved the latest riddle?’ the Marauders asked.

“Yes, swear,” responded George.

The twins watched as the ink spread and the top of the parchment read I solemnly swear.

‘Congratulations, Mssrs. Weasley. Here is your next riddle: When fighting a dragon you will find, attacking it here will give you piece of mind,’ the Marauder’s wrote.

George copied down the riddle as Fred put the parchment away.

“Sounds like a question for Charlie,” said George.

“Yeah, let’s ask him tomorrow. Err, I mean, later today,” Fred responded as he glanced at his watch. “Goodnight,” Fred whispered as he extinguished the light from his wand and went to his own bed.

-333-

Luckily, the twins had decided to stay up late Friday night and were able to sleep until nearly noon. When they entered the Great Hall for lunch, they spotted Charlie sitting near the end of the Gryffindor table. He was talking animatedly with other Quidditch team members. The twins came over and sat down to Charlie’s left.

“Hey, big brother,” George said to Charlie, reaching across his plate to grab some pumpkin juice. “How’s Quidditch these days?”

After a heated discussion about Gryffindor’s plans to defeat Slytherin to win the Quidditch cup, Fred decided to ask Charlie about dragons.

“What’s the best place to attack a dragon so that you subdue it?” asked Fred.

Curious, Charlie looked at his mischievous younger brothers. “Why do you want to know?” he asked cautiously.

“Well, Snape had us make a potion using dragon scales last week,” Fred lied.

“And we were wondering how someone would be able to attack a dragon without damaging its hide so that they could collect the scales,” George finished.

Charlie chuckled, “I doubt that’s why you want to know, but I’ll tell you anyway. Just don’t let Mum know I had anything to do with it. Sometimes they wait until the dragon dies of natural causes, but if fresh scales are required, all you have to do is hit it with a Conjunctivitis Curse in the eye. That will disorient them enough for another wizard to scrape off some scales without injuring the dragon.”

“Cool,” said George.

“Yeah, good to know if I ever get cornered by a Chinese Fireball,” commented Fred.

Charlie laughed, “Yup. I’ve got practice now, but I’ll see you both later.”

The twins left the Great Hall shortly after Charlie. They returned to their dormitory and had the parchment out again.

‘Have you solved the riddle?’ the Marauders asked.

“Yes, eye,” answered George.

The twins waited, holding their breath as the words swirled on the page. The top of the parchment read, I solemnly swear I.

“All right!” Fred shrieked.

‘Congratulations. Here is your next riddle: In McGonagall it’s first and in Dumbledore third, and without it you couldn’t form every word!’ the Marauders wrote.

“What? Any ideas?” asked Fred as he copied down the riddle.

“Not a clue,” George replied as he moved to sit next to Fred and stared at the clue again.

“When has Dumbledore been third to anyone? And what’s this about forming words?” George muttered.

“Hold on. Maybe it’s not talking about them specifically, but about the names themselves,” Fred pondered.

“Yeah! Let’s see. The first letter in McGonagall…and the third letter in Dumbledore is M! That’s it! Fred, you’re a genius!” George replied excitedly.

“Oh, stop! All this praise is going to my head!” Fred remarked in mock seriousness.

The twins laughed and returned their attention to the parchment. George took out his wand and touched the tip to it, causing the ink to reappear.

‘Have you solved the latest riddle?’ the Marauders asked.

“Yes, M,” replied Fred.

The ink spiraled on the page to read at the top, I solemnly swear I am.

As the twins celebrated their victory with high-fives, the Marauders revealed their next riddle.

‘A wandless way to spot a wizard from squib, is to say this over a broom ‘cause there’s no way to fib!’

“Surely it’s not that easy!” George said to Fred with a smile.

“You know the answer already?” Fred asked.

“Yes, and you should too. First of all, you’ve been flying for years. Secondly, we were laughing about this during flying lessons, remember? When Lee’s broom didn’t move we told him he was a squib and his Hogwarts letter arrived accidentally,” George responded.

“Oh yeah! He actually believed us until he got it on his fourth try!” Fred laughed.

George ran his wand over the parchment.

‘What is your answer, Mssrs. Weasley?’ the Marauders asked.

“This riddle was easy. Up,” answered George.

The twins watched as the parchment read, I solemnly swear I am up.

‘Here is your next riddle. When making Polyjuice Potion, add this many leeches or you’ll have just a lotion.’

“Ugh, a potions question,” Fred remarked as George copied down the riddle.

“At least we know it’s probably two or four. The words to and for are the only ones that would make sense. Is Polyjuice Potion listed in our text?” George asked.

Fred scrambled for his copy of the book Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. He turned to the index and scanned the entries. “Here it is. Polyjuice Potion, page 182.”

Fred then turned to the section on Polyjuice Potion and began to read. “Polyjuice Potion is one such potion that requires the addition of a human ingredient. The potion allows the subject to physically transform and bear the likeness of the person from which the ingredient was obtained. This potion is not one to use injudiciously, for severe complications can arise if brewed incorrectly. While copies of the brewing instructions circulate in unsavory circles, those wishing for authentic instructions should consult Moste Potente Potions. Twenty copies of the potions compendium are in existence today, with three copies housed securely in the Restricted Section of the library at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland.”

“Well, I guess we’ll be gracing the library with our illustrious presence,” George remarked.

“Looks like it. But we need to wait until tonight. If we don’t go down to the Great Hall for dinner, Lee will start to wonder what we’ve been up to,” Fred reminded George as he put away the potions text.

“We’ve really been neglecting Lee this week, haven’t we? I hope he’s managed to survive without us,” George chuckled.

George tossed on a robe and fixed his hair so he’d look presentable in the Great Hall. Fred followed suit and both boys headed off to eat and spend some time with their friends.

-333-

“All clear,” whispered George as he poked his head out of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room and peered down the hallway.

Fred soon appeared and the two boys scurried past portraits of sleeping men, women, and children, illuminated only by dim torches on the wall. After several more glances around corners, the twins managed to make it to the entrance to the library unseen. The large oak door creaked loudly as Fred tugged it open.

“Hurry!” George whispered as he heard the sound of footsteps drawing nearer.

Just as George was sure they were about to be caught, Fred gave the door one last yank and both boys rushed inside.

“Whew, that was close,” breathed George.

“I know. Come on. Let’s get out of here before Snape or our best mate, Filch, show up,” said Fred.

They easily found the Restricted Section and hurried to the Potion books, where they began scanning the titles.

“Ugh, Potions with a Friend. Something tells me this isn’t what the brewer’s friend had in mind,” Fred said disgustedly as he showed George the cover depicting a bound man being levitated into a boiling cauldron.

After passing books with titles like An Untraceable Death and Potions for the Unpopular, they finally found Moste Potente Potions. Fred and George each grabbed a copy and began searching for Polyjuice Potion.

“Here it is!” exclaimed George.

“So, how many leeches?” asked Fred.

“It says, after stirring 17 times counterclockwise, add two leeches and let simmer,” George read.

“Brilliant! Let’s put these back and get out of here,” Fred responded.

George pushed open the library door. Fred grabbed it when he exited and closed it carefully. He nearly bumped into George, who was standing still and gazing dejectedly at a black clad Professor Snape.

“Well, well, well. Fred and George Weasley. What library research was so urgent that you had to wait until after curfew to begin your education?” Snape drawled.

George decided to answer honestly and said calmly, “We were working on Potions, Professor.”

“Is that so?” Snape remarked.

Fred knew from Snape’s tone of voice that he didn’t believe them, but said nothing.

“Since you both are so interested in the study of Potions, I will be meticulous in grading your next assignment as I’m sure your extra research will be advantageous. Now I suggest you return to your dormitory,” Snape sneered.

“Yes, sir,” both boys intoned as they turned and walked away.

“Oh, and Mssrs. Weasley?” Snape called to the twins.

“Yes, Professor?” Fred asked.

“Fifty points from Gryffindor and three detentions for being out after curfew. I better not catch either of you out again or the punishment will be much more severe,” Snape jeered.

“Yes, sir,” the twins responded, giving Snape a mock bow and salute before continuing to Gryffindor Tower.

Once they entered the common room, Fred remarked, “At least it wasn’t Filch.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say that, but I agree,” George responded.

“Let’s deal with the parchment tomorrow. With our luck tonight, someone in the dorm will wake up and see it,” Fred stated with a yawn.

“Okay. Night,” George said.

“Night, George.

-333-

As soon as the twins woke up and their dorm mates left, Fred and George took out the parchment.

‘What is the answer to the latest riddle?’ the Marauders asked.

“Two,” George responded, eager to move on to the next riddle.

After giving the answer, the parchment read, I solemnly swear I am up to at the top. Below that, their next riddle formed.

‘Instead of pronouncing the letter G, when saying gnome you get this without me.’

“That sounds like another word one. Any ideas, oh genius brother?” George said jokingly to Fred.

“Well, my slightly dim, but handsome brother, I do believe I have an idea,” answered Fred.

Grabbing a bit of parchment, Fred wrote down the word gnome.

“Look here, George. If I cross out the letter g, then remove the me at the end, this is what you are left with,” Fred remarked as he passed over the paper.

“Brilliant,” said George as he touched his wand to the Marauder’s parchment.

“Oh, stop!” shrieked Fred giddily as he swatted George on the arm.

‘Do you have the answer?’ asked the Marauders.

“Yes. The answer is no,” responded Fred.

They waited for another word to appear at the top of the parchment. Instead, all of the ink dissolved.

“Oh, no! We were wrong! A week’s worth of work for nothing!” said George worriedly.

As they watched, large text began to appear.

‘The Marauders have proven your worthiness as best as we could, just remember to say “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” And don’t forget, hide the secrets from others with a simple Mischief Managed.’

The words quickly disappeared and the twins smiled, excited at the prospect of finally knowing the secrets that the map held.

Although aware that it might be dangerous, the twins’ curiosity got the best of them and together they uttered the words, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”

As lines crisscrossed and writing formed on the page, the twins discovered the Marauders’ secret.

“Merlin!” muttered Fred.

“It’s a map of Hogwarts…and everyone in it!” George exclaimed excitedly.

-333-

In the year 1996…

“…And that’s how we figured out that it was a map,” concluded Fred.

“Wow, the Marauders were a clever lot,” Harry said in awe.

“Yup,” replied Fred.

“And we were proud to follow in their footsteps,” continued George.

“Is that all you know about the map?” Harry asked.

“Yes, indeed, ickle Harrykins,” Fred joked.

Harry was thrilled to learn more about the map, even if it didn’t give him the answers he was looking for. He gained a whole new appreciation for the ingenious nature of his father and his friends.

‘They really were brilliant,’ Harry mused as he thought about Sirius and his father.

As the twins continued to laugh and joke with one another, the mystery behind his flickering name continued to pester Harry. He knew that he had only one other option to get the answers that he desired. He had to talk to Remus Lupin.