Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Chapter 102: The Marauder’s Map Controversy

Chapter 102: The Marauder’s Map Controversy

“Turn over what’s in your pockets, Potter!” Snape suddenly snapped.

Harry did not move, and his friends roared in his ears.

“Professor, we…”

“Shut up, Mason! Shut up, Granger!” Snape shouted angrily. He looked really pissed off.

“Severus, I don’t think it’s necessary to yell at these children.” Professor Lupin came over and said softly, “They didn’t violate any school rules.”

“There was no violation of school rules?!” Snape’s anger seemed to have grown even more. He smirked. “That’s because you don’t know them well enough. I don’t know how many of them have… Ah! I have forgotten that you were just like them, or worse!”

“Severus…” Professor Lupin frowned.

“Enough, Lupin, don’t scrutinize my education methods. You say they don’t violate school rules? Then I shall prove it to you.” Snape turned and shouted again at Harry. “Turn over what’s in your pockets. Come out, or we’ll go straight to the headmaster! Turn it over, Potter!”

In the great hall, all the students were stunned looking at them.

Evan saw Fred and George who heard the news and rushed in. both of them were carrying large eggs and thinking about throwing them out.

Looking at their faces, it was clear that they knew that the map was in Harry’s pocket. If it is discovered by Snape, the consequences would simply be unimaginable.

Evan hurriedly shook his hands at Fred and George, pleading them not to act rashly. Throwing large eggs in the great hall to divert Snape’s attention was a terrible idea.

Even if it succeeded, daring to do such a thing would bring them great misery.

Evan gently pushed Harry and asked him to follow Snape’s order.

They clearly were unable to confront the teachers. Again, Evan was thinking that there was absolutely no need to worry about this matter, because James Potter and his friends have probably made the map in such a way that their rival Severus shouldn’t be able to use it.

Harry saw everyone staring at him, and he was filled by fear.

He slowly took out the contents of his pocket. Besides some candy, he only had the map.

Seeing the map, Lupin showed a strange, mysterious expression on his face.

Evan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione did their best to calm themselves. They watched Snape immediately pick up the map.

In the following few seconds, Hermione was so nervous and her cold little hands clung to Evan’s arm.

“What is this, a small piece of blank parchment?!” Snape turned the parchment over and looked at them. “Potter, you certainly don’t need such an old parchment. Why don’t you throw it away?!”

He took out his wand and gently waved it. The point of the stick emitted a little blue flame. His left hand was holding the map and slowly moving it toward the flame.

“Don’t!” Harry said quickly.

“Aha!” Snape’s long nose fluttered and said with a sneer. “Why do you need such a blank parchment, or is it something else? A letter… perhaps; written with invisible ink? Or, is it a way to enter Hogwarts without being detected by Dementors?”

Harry blinked and Snape’s eyes were brighter.

“Let me see, let me see…” he muttered, taking out his wand and smoothing the map out on the table. “Reveal your secret!” he said, touching the wand to the parchment.

Evan looked closely at the map, but nothing happened. He noticed that Harry was too nervous, clenching his hands to stop them from shaking.

“Show yourself!” Snape tapped the map with his wand.

The map was still blank. Harry and his friends were relieved and everyone’s heart is back from their stomachs.

“Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you

conceal!” Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.

As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the

map.

“Mooney presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally

large nose out of other people’s business.”

Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn’t stop there. More

writing was appearing beneath the first.

“Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Mooney and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.”

It would have been very funny if the situation hadn’t been so serious. And there was more…

“Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor.”

Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he’d opened them, the map had had its last word.

Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.”

No one knew what to say, it was so quiet that the falling of a needle could be heard.

Everyone saw that Snape’s face was heavier than ever before. They were all waiting for him to be furious.

“It turned out to be this way, it was like this, I should have thought …” Snape said softly, and he seemed to finally realize what this parchment was.

Evan noticed his expression, he was looking at harry, with his mind clearly absorbed by the past. His memories were definitely no good, as his face only showed anger and disgust.

The atmosphere was depressing, but he quickly came back to the present.

The following second, Snape quickly turned and looked at Professor Lupin. His face was full of anger.

He said with an extreme disgust. “Lupin, what do you think this is?”

Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin’s face.

“This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?”

Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry’s direction, warned him not to interrupt.

“Full of Dark Magic?” he repeated mildly. “Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous. I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop —”

“Indeed?” said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. “You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don’t think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?”