William and the others stared at the Marauder's Map, feeling a bit frustrated.
It seemed like the creators of the map had anticipated every possible spell or trick that could be used to uncover its secrets, making it impossible for students to forcefully crack it open.
Without knowing the map's password, they couldn't freely use it, nor could they monitor Snape's potion storage long enough to find out who the real culprit was.
William stared at the map in silence.
George tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, William. Worst case, we'll just ramp up our pranking. It might take a while, but we'll eventually hit the map's goal of a thousand pranks."
But William's green eyes stayed fixed on the map, deep in thought.
"What's on your mind?" Cedric asked. "Got an idea?"
"Actually, I do." William said. "If I remember right, there's more than one way to unlock the password, isn't there?"
George rested his chin in his hand, thinking. "That's true, but William, I doubt the map would have any loopholes."
There were indeed multiple ways to unlock the Marauder's Map.
The fastest way was to use powerful magic to forcefully break it open. However, this would require a complex Confundus Charm to confuse the map, and none of them even knew that spell, let alone how to use it on the map.
The second method was to follow the map's instructions and complete a certain number of pranks, gradually unlocking the password.
This was by far the slowest method.
And yet, it was the only method that the group felt confident about. If the Weasley twins kept up their pranks at full throttle, they might unlock the map's secrets by the next school year.
The third way was to discover a secret about Hogwarts that even the map's creators didn't know.
But, as George had pointed out, that seemed nearly impossible.
The map demonstrated just how deeply the Marauders had understood Hogwarts. They had explored every nook and cranny, leaving no stone unturned. They were confident that there was no place in the castle they hadn't uncovered.
But since William had brought it up, it seemed like he had something in mind.
George pulled out his wand and tapped the old parchment. "Show the map."
Instantly, fine lines of ink spread out from where George's wand had touched the parchment, like a spiderweb slowly drawing itself out. The lines connected and crossed over one another, reaching every corner of the map. Then, the parchment filled with large, looping green letters:
The Marauder's Map.
Proudly presented by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.
Beneath this, in smaller green letters, it read:
Prongs greets Mr. Weasley. Please speak the password.
"I'm about to prank someone," Fred said earnestly, then flashed a grin, adding, "Prongs, you've always been so handsome. I bet all the girls loved you back in your school days."
It was as if an invisible hand began writing on the parchment again:
Padfoot stands a little taller, in agreement, and waits eagerly for what comes next.
George chuckled. "Of course, Padfoot was just as dashing."
More words appeared on the parchment:
Wrong password. However, Prongs and Padfoot appreciate Mr. Weasley's compliments.
You now have 55 minutes of access to the map. Use your mischief wisely.
The writing faded, and once again, the detailed layout of Hogwarts appeared on the parchment.
William stared intently at the map.
Tiny ink dots moved across the parchment, each labeled with a name in minuscule letters.
In one corner of the map, a small ink dot labeled "Professor Dumbledore" paced inside his office.
Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling around the eighth-floor corridor, sniffing at the ground.
The mischievous ghost, Peeves, was bouncing around the trophy room.
But there was something odd—William noticed that none of their names appeared on the map!
It was as if they had been completely erased from existence.
William smiled. "Just as I thought."
The others gathered around, studying the map. Cedric quickly noticed what William had pointed out. "We're not on the map?"
"This is the first time we've seen something like this," Cedric said, sounding surprised.
George's face grew serious, almost comically mimicking Professor McGonagall's stern look.
He had always believed that the map was perfect, something akin to an ancient artifact left behind by the Four Founders of Hogwarts—like the Sorting Hat itself.
Of course, if it really had been created by the Four Founders, it was undoubtedly the work of Gryffindor.
But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
George felt a bit of disillusionment as if his faith in the Marauders as his personal heroes had been shaken.
Fred sighed. "Looks like Prongs and the others never discovered the Room of Requirement."
Cedric stared at the map for a long time and then said, "It might not be that they never discovered it. There's a chance the Room of Requirement is protected by an 'Unplottable' charm."
An Unplottable charm was a special type of magic used to hide certain locations from maps or make them impossible to depict.
Any location protected by an Unplottable charm couldn't be seen or simply couldn't be marked on a map.
Such places included wizarding homes and magical schools.
The major magical institutions like Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts all used Unplottable charms to protect their students and the secrets within their grounds from Muggles and dark wizards alike.
Likewise, the infamous Azkaban prison was located on an Unplottable island in the middle of the North Sea, completely isolated from the rest of the world.
William shook his head. "While that could be the case, I actually think it's more likely that the Marauders simply never discovered the Room of Requirement."
"What makes you say that?" Cedric asked.
William explained, "Think about it. Imagine, years ago, there were four students just like us. They loved exploring Hogwarts, eager to uncover all of its secrets. Now tell me, George, if you were them, and you thought you knew all of Hogwarts' secrets, what would you be searching for during a night of sneaking around?"
"I'd be looking for a room or a passage that I'd never found before," George answered.
"Exactly," William said with a grin. "The Room of Requirement only appears when someone truly needs it. If you're looking for a room you've never discovered, and the Room of Requirement appears for you, at that moment, it's no longer a room you've never found."
"It's a paradox. The map's creators may have unknowingly issued an invalid request, so the Room of Requirement never showed itself to them."
[A/n: The above is just my own analysis; no one fully understands Hogwarts, and the Marauders are no exception.
The most direct evidence is in Chapter 17 of "Order of the Phoenix", where Harry seeks a hidden place for Dumbledore's Army (DA) to practice Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Sirius's first suggestions are the Shrieking Shack and then the secret passage on the fifth floor, both of which are rejected. He couldn't think of any better place.
If he had known about the Room of Requirement, his first response would definitely have been to suggest it—just like Dobby did.]
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