Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, apparently, did Lupin.
"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" he said. "Harry, do you know any of these men?"
"No" said Harry quickly.
"You see, Severus? It seems to me that this is a product of Zonko's Joke Shop." Lupin turned to Snape.
"It's was us!" Fred and George rushed in from the crowd. They explained to Lupin and Snape. "We bought this Parchment a few years ago from Zonko's Joke Shop. We have just given it to Harry."
"Very good, everything has been cleared up then!" Professor Lupin said with pleasure. "Harry did not violate the school rules. He just showed this prank parchment to his friends in my opinion, and he just didn't want the teacher to know about thi…"
"Lupin!" Snape took a step forward and whispered. "Don't play dumb. You and I both know what this parchment is."
"Yes obviously, I said just now that this is a mischievous product. Whoever wants to read it will be insulted." Professor Lupin blinked.
"Not this, I've seen it before…"
Snape suddenly stopped talking and looked indignantly at Lupin.
Although he had seen this parchment more than once in the hands of James Potter back when they were students, he really did not know what this parchment was or what it was for. Its four makers made sure that it was kept a secret.
Since Lupin doesn't want to talk about it, there was no point in continuing this stalemate. Snape also didn't want his past as a youngster exposed in front of the students.
"Very good, very good, Lupin!" Snape turned back to his usual unpleasant tone. He grinned and said: "I suddenly remembered that it was just a full moon tonight and I hope you will be home alone. Don't forget to lock the door! By the way, I'll send you your medicine. Later, we can talk about the pleasant topic of this parchment."
Snape looked at Lupin with an unpleasant gaze. He deliberately stressed on the words: at night, full moon, and lock the door, as if he was giving everyone a hint.
"No problem, my door is open to you at any time, Severus!" Professor Lupin said briskly. "And thank you for your potion."
"You're welcome." Snape's face was not smiling; he looked fiercely at Lupin, Harry, and Evan, and continued, blinking, "I made a full pot, if you still want more, just tell me know."
"I started taking it a week ago, and a little bit more this afternoon should be enough!" Prof. Lupin turned to look at Evan and the rest of his group. "Harry, Evan, Ron, Hermione, come with me, I have something to tell you about the homework that I gave…"
Professor Lupin took two steps forward and seemed to think of something. "Severus, I'll take this away. You don't mind?!"
Snape didn't speak, but from his gloomy face, one could know that it bothered him.
Lupin pretended not to see Snape's expression. He quickly approached and took the map, folded it and tucked it inside his robes.
Evan and the three of them walked behind Prof. Lupin and left the Grand hall. None of them dared to look back at Snape.
When they reached the lobby, they dared to speak.
"Professor, we…" Harry said quickly, apparently, he seemed to want to get the Marauder's Map.
"I don't want to hear explanations. Harry!" Lupin looked around the empty lobby. Other students were still behind in the grand hall. There were no other people besides them. He said in a low voice, "In fact, I just learned that this map was Many years ago, confiscated by Mr. Filch, I know this Parchment"
Harry and Hermione looked at him with great interest. Ron looked down and wondered what he was thinking, and Evan couldn't bury his head in his arms.
Professor Lupin was not just knowing the map, he was one of its makers.
Harry's luck was terrible. It was useless once it was handed in. Professor Lupin would never give the map back to harry.
"I don't want to know how you got it. To my surprise, you didn't plan to hand it over, especially with Sirius lurking around the castle!" Lupin turned to Hermione. "What you did was wrong, Hermione. I thought that unlike them, you would be more sensible."
"Don't blame Hermione. She just told me to hand it over." Harry asked curiously. "Professor, how do you know this map?"
"That is not something you should know, Harry." From Lupin's face, it was clear that he did not to want to say more on this topic.
"Well, then why did Snape think that I got it from its maker?" Harry continued to ask.
"That was because…" Lupin hesitated. "Because the person who made the map may want to seduce you out of school, they think it would be funny."
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs" Evan interrupted.
It turned out that after the four of them graduated, this map fell into Filch's hands. This was the reason why it stayed within the school's perimeters.
This makes it look like James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Professor Lupin back in their schooldays must have been as mischievous as Fred and George are now, also making Filch feel a headache.
"Yes, that's them." Lupin nodded.
"Professor, do you know them?" Harry asked, looking impatient.
"We have met before." Lupin answered shortly and looked at Harry more seriously than usual.
"Wait a minute, Professor, about this map." Evan asked hastily. "If you know it, then you must know how it was made?"
"Oh, it requires a very deep knowledge of magic, not appropriate to your age…"
"Professor, I don't want to know the specific way to make this map." Evan continued, "Just tell me how those four were able to make it. I think they needed a source of great magical power."
Professor Lupin looked at Evan in astonishment. Harry, Ron, and Hermione also looked at him in surprise, wondering why Evan suddenly asked such a question.