bacchusnovels Chapter 284 Marauder's Map
Chapter 284 Marauder's Map
Chapter 284 Marauder's Map
"Of course, Professor." Fred smiled and stood up.
"Hopefully it'll be something fun." George then stood up as well, winking at Harry and Ron with his usual mischievous expression.
Molly cast a suspicious glance at him, clearly worried about Fred and George's constant trouble-making, but Sean gave her a reassuring smile, indicating that she shouldn't worry.
"We'll be down soon," Sean whispered to Arthur and Molly, then led Fred and George toward the stairs.
The three of them stepped onto the wooden staircase leading to the second floor. The staircase creaked softly, and the atmosphere gradually became heavy.
As soon as he entered the room, Fred couldn't help but speak first, "Professor, you must be asking about our research this summer, right?"
.
George followed up, "We knew you'd like those things."
What is that?
Sean was completely confused.
The twin brothers sent him many letters reporting on their recent research during the summer vacation, but he didn't read a single one.
As the saying goes, "If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them." Well, actually, he was just too lazy to look.
In order not to dampen the brothers' enthusiasm, Sean had no choice but to pretend to know and give a meaningful smile.
"Oh, yes," he nodded, trying to sound natural, "your ideas are truly—"
unique."
Fred and George were clearly pleased with Sean's response, exchanging glances with excitement in their eyes.
"We knew you'd love it!" Fred said excitedly, then pulled a small package from his pocket. "We've improved this a few times recently, and it'll work perfectly now."
Sean took it without looking at it and put it in his pocket.
In fact, he dared not open it.
He certainly didn't want to be suddenly attacked by some kind of stink bomb in his room at the Leaky Cauldron.
While the Weasley brothers' props may not cause much harm, they are extremely insulting and very difficult to deal with.
This is also why Sean values the two of them.
To avoid giving himself away, Sean decided to quickly change the subject. He coughed and said softly, "However, I didn't call you up here just to talk about this. I want to remind you that security at Hogwarts will be very tight from now on, especially because of Black."
The twins' expressions immediately turned serious; clearly, they hadn't overlooked Sirius Black's escape. Although they loved playing pranks, they understood the gravity of the situation when faced with real danger.
“We know, Professor,” Fred said, his voice much calmer than before, “we won’t cause trouble at a time like this.”
"Yes," George nodded in agreement. "We've been keeping an eye on Blake's situation, and we won't give him the chance to hurt anyone."
“Very well,” Sean said, his tone still relaxed, but then his tone suddenly shifted, “Now that you understand the seriousness of the situation, I want something from you—I know you have the Marauder’s Map.”
Upon hearing this, Fred and George were both stunned. Their eyes widened, completely unprepared for Sean to know this. They exchanged a surprised look, clearly wondering how the professor knew the Marauder's Map was in their possession.
"The Marauder's Map?" George asked cautiously, his smile still on his face, but clearly unease creeping in. "You..."
How did you know we had it?
Fred looked puzzled. "Professor, we've never mentioned this to anyone. How did you know?"
'
"It was already here when I was still at Hogwarts," Sean sighed with relief. "Back then..."
He paused, not delving deeper into his memories, but instead turning his gaze back to Fred and George, a hint of smugness in his eyes.
"However, to be honest, I don't know who has the Marauder's Map now," Sean smiled slightly, his tone relaxed but full of certainty. "But who else could have something like that besides the two of you?"
"Professor, what do you want the Marauder's Map for?" George asked, his tone filled with obvious suspicion and curiosity.
Sean gave a reassuring smile. "I think you should be aware of the potential danger Black's escape poses to Hogwarts. The Marauder's Map shows the location of everyone in the school, and I hope to use it temporarily to ensure Black doesn't approach the campus undetected."
Fred sighed and shrugged. "Anyway, we've already memorized the route. You've helped us so much, so it's only right that we hand it over to you."
As he spoke, Fred reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of parchment, and handed it to Sean.
Sean reached out and took it from a distance; he hadn't expected that the Marauder's Map would be carried around by the twins.
"You guys are really always ready," he said half-jokingly, with a hint of admiration in his voice.
Fred smiled. "Yes, Professor, Hogwarts has so many secret passages; who knows when they might come in handy?"
George nodded in agreement, "And we feel that having it with us can always help us in crucial moments—or rather, help us find something fun to do."
As the three of them walked downstairs, Tom and Arthur were busy moving tables around the Leaky Cauldron's lobby. They carefully put three wooden tables together, preparing for tonight's dinner party.
The clattering of tables and Arthur's low commands added a touch of warmth, like a family gathering, to the otherwise noisy bar.
"Looks like tonight's party is going to be lively," Sean said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the tables that had been pushed together, clearly prepared for a large group of people.
Arthur looked up and saw Sean and the twins coming down. He smiled warmly. "Yes, the kids are all here. Molly said that since everyone's gathered, we might as well have a meal together. If you have time, you can come too, Phillips."
"Of course, I'm very honored," Sean replied with a smile.
Fred and George walked to the table, seemingly eager to join in moving it. "Is there something good to eat tonight, Dad?" Fred asked playfully, helping to move a chair over as he spoke.
"Don't worry, Molly's already busy in the kitchen," Arthur said with a smile, his eyes filled with affection for the children.
"Oh, that's great!" George slapped the table with anticipation. "I'm so hungry I could eat a dragon!"
Once the table was finally set, Molly came out of the kitchen carrying plates of food, a satisfied smile on her face.
Her cooking skills were as good as ever, and soon the table was filled with all kinds of delicious food, and everyone at the table looked on with anticipation.
"Alright, kids, come and sit down," Molly called out.
Sean sat at the table, looking at the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione, whose faces were beaming with smiles.
Such an atmosphere is rare.
What's even more interesting is that this is the first time Sean has dined at the same table with Hermione, and the two happen to be sitting next to each other.
Hermione's characteristic seriousness seemed to be applied to eating as well, which made Sean chuckle.
As he reached for the water glass on the table, his fingertips accidentally brushed against Hermione's wrist.
Both of them were stunned for a moment. Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly withdrew her hand and buried her head in the plate.
Although she pretended to focus on eating, the blush did not fade immediately.
Sean noticed the slight awkwardness, a slight smile playing on his lips. He deliberately slowed his movements, turned slightly closer as he put down the cup, and whispered, "It's okay, don't be nervous."
Hermione looked up, her gaze briefly meeting his, a hint of panic in her eyes. But she quickly regained her composure, smiled gently, and replied, "I'm fine, I just... wasn't paying attention."
The others, however, did not notice the little incident that happened between Sean and Hermione.
"Dad, how are we going to get to King's Cross Station tomorrow?" Fred asked while taking a big bite of his incredibly delicious chocolate cake.
"The ministry sent two cars," Mr. Weasley replied casually.
As soon as he said this, everyone looked up and turned to look at him.
"Why?" Percy frowned and asked curiously.
George said with feigned seriousness, "It's because of you, Percy. There's still a little flag stuck on the hood that says 'HB'—"
Fred immediately chimed in, adding with a wicked grin, "—'An incredibly large head.'"
Laughter erupted at the table; everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but laugh.
Percy frowned in displeasure, deliberately putting on airs, and asked again, "Dad, why did the department send us a car?"
Mr. Weasley shrugged and explained casually, "Oh, since we didn't have any cars of our own, and I work in the department, they did us a favor and lent us two."
Although Mr. Weasley spoke casually, Harry noticed that his ears were starting to turn red, much like Ron's when he was under pressure.
"That's wonderful," Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully, breaking the awkward silence. "Do you know how much luggage you have? In a Muggle subway, that many suitcases would certainly cause a stir."
She looked around, her gaze settling on the children, and then asked, "Have you all packed your things?"
Percy interjected in a long-suffering tone, "Ron hasn't packed all his new stuff into boxes yet; instead, he's piled it all on my bed."
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley called toward the table, her voice tinged with reproach. "You'd better get your things packed quickly, we won't have much time tomorrow morning."
Ron glared at Percy, clearly displeased that he had "exposed" him, but still muttered under his breath, "Fine, I'll deal with it."
Everyone continued eating cake. Although the atmosphere was relaxed, Harry's gaze involuntarily swept over Mr. Weasley, wondering if he was nervous because of Black.
Although Mr. Weasley tried to make everything seem relaxed and natural, Harry keenly sensed the underlying unease in his heart.
After dinner, everyone felt full and drowsy.
One by one, they went upstairs to their rooms to check if they had packed their things for the next day.
肖恩和小天狼星住在二层的9号和10号房间，亚瑟和莫丽住在16号房间，罗恩、珀西和哈利分别在11、12、13号房，而赫敏则住在了14号房间。
Harry had just closed the door when he heard strange noises coming from next door.