Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 131 Marauder's Map

With the arrival of the last Hogsmeade Day of the semester, Hogwarts fell silent once again.

Harry had gotten used to the fact that he couldn't go to Hogsmeade, but as he walked alone through the thick snow, a sense of loss washed over him again.

"look--"

"Savior--"

"one person--"

"I can't go—"

"Hogsmeade!"

The familiar chorus of voices rang out behind Harry once again, and a smile involuntarily crept onto Harry's lips.

"George, Fred, why didn't you go to Hogsmeade?"

The Weasley twins exchanged a glance, then, with playful grins, dragged Harry into a corner.

"Of course—"

"for--"

"Savior!"

Harry blushed at the way the two called him their savior.

"for me?"

Harry asked back, puzzled.

The twins exchanged another glance, and then George pulled out large, square pieces of parchment from his pocket.

Harry, thinking this was yet another of Fred and George's latest pranks, asked curiously:

"What is this? Your new prank product?"

“No, no, no!” George smiled mysteriously. “This is the secret to our success.” Then he took out his wand and gently tapped it on the parchment, saying:

"I solemnly swear that I have not done anything good."

As George uttered the incantation, a strange scene unfolded:

Black lines immediately began to spread out from where the wand had just touched, crisscrossing and outlining a map on the blank parchment!

On the cover, a line of text clearly appears: Moonface, Wormtail, Bigfoot and Prongs, the gentleman who helps magical pranksters, proudly presents, The Marauder's Map!

"This...this is..."

Harry pointed at the map with excitement, too excited to speak.

"That's right! This is our secret weapon—"

"However, for the sake of the great Savior, sir—"

"We'd like to give you this map as a Christmas present—"

Harry looked at the Weasley twins, as excited as someone who had been hit by a pie falling from the sky.

"Alright! If you want to put this map away, you can..."

George said, tapping his wand on the map again, "Prank over."

Suddenly, the black lines disappeared, and the parchment became blank.

"Oh, and there are lots of interesting things on the map—"

"For example, how to sneak out of school—"

With that, the Weasley twins left the corner, laughing and joking.

Harry watched the two figures leave, and his earlier disappointment vanished completely.

This is the most surprising gift he has received this Christmas!

Harry, map in hand, hurried to meet up with Hermione.

Just as Harry disappeared into the secret passage behind the One-Eyed Witch statue, Thea emerged from around the corner behind him.

It seems that Porter has obtained the Marauder's Map.

Thea walked past without looking to either side, abandoning the idea of ​​going to Hogsmeade now. She had been practicing spells less frequently lately and needed to catch up today.

As for Draco, Daphne and Gella should stop him from provoking the trio.

With that thought in mind, Thea turned and stepped directly into a restroom.

She was going to the Chamber of Secrets to practice her spells, since Dumbledore wasn't at school today.

----------

Hogsmeade.

Daphne and Gella, on whom Thea had placed high hopes, did not stop Draco. In fact, they did not intend to stop him, after all, Gryffindors really were too bad at talking!

Why didn't Thea visit Harry?

what!

Didn't you guys not come to see Thea back then either?

Draco narrowed his eyes; he really couldn't stand their expressions!

Mingmingxia is their friend too!

Okay, although Slytherins and Gryffindors don't get along, Draco and the others swear that with Thea in charge last semester, they really toned down their tempers!

They had genuinely considered becoming temporary friends with the three of them.

After all, their strength is undeniable.

but!

They just couldn't stand how Thea was protecting the three of them!

Moreover, Thea's protection of them was evident to everyone in Slytherin!

Unfortunately, these three traitors only consider the Gryffindors as friends!

What a bunch of ingrates!

Draco grew angrier the more he thought about it, and he made no attempt to hide the sarcasm on his face. He drawled out his words and said slowly, "Mr. Weasley, on what basis are you questioning us?"

"Could they be friends? Hahaha?"

Draco shouted a sarcastic remark, and the people behind him burst into laughter.

Seeing Granger's face turn red and Weasley's expression also turn sour, Draco's imposing manner intensified, "Didn't you only consider Gryffindors your friends? Why are you asking about Thea?"

"To tell you the truth, Thea will have many more friends even without you! She doesn't need the three of you!"

Draco pressed on relentlessly, eager to vent all of Thea's pent-up frustrations from the past few days!

Just then, someone patted Draco on the shoulder, and Draco turned to face Gellar.

"Thea said not to get into conflict with them, after all..."

Gella whispered, gesturing toward Hogwarts.

Draco realized what was happening, a flicker of apprehension crossing his eyes, but it quickly vanished.

“Listen, when you stand against Thea, you are no longer Thea’s friend!”

"Moreover, you should be thankful that at least that hippogriff was coming for me. If it had been coming for Thea, do you think that animal would still be alive? And it seems only the Malfoy family is putting pressure on the Ministry of Magic?"

Hermione and Ron were initially puzzled by Buckbeak's situation, but Draco's words directly tore away the barriers between them.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Is what Malfoy said true?

"it is true."

A strange female voice came from the side, startling the two. When they saw the other person's face, they immediately looked at her warily.

Gella waved her hand with amusement, indicating that she meant no harm.

After a brief standoff, Hermione finally spoke, "What did you mean by that just now? How did you know what we were thinking?"

"Haha, Miss Granger, there's no need to be so wary. I just couldn't help but say something to you all, to speak up for Thea."

A hint of doubt flashed in Hermione's eyes.

Why do you think the Ministry of Magic is putting pressure on Hogwarts right now?

"Because of Malfoy?"

"Hmm...you're half right. It's not just because of Draco, but also because of someone else, Black!"

"what?"

Seeing Hermione's surprise, Gellar shrugged. "You guys don't think Thea is just Lucius's niece, do you? She's the heir to the Black family!"

“And most importantly,” Gella’s smile widened, yet it had a strange, unsettling quality, “Thea, an orphan girl bearing the Black name, is like a child carrying gold through a bustling marketplace…”

"Do you think there are many people who would want to sell out Thea?"

Seeing Hermione's half-understanding look, Gellar sighed, "Fine, I'll just say it directly, this has absolutely nothing to do with Thea or Draco!"

"Buckbeak is just an excuse, an excuse for the Ministry of Magic to put pressure on Hogwarts!"

After saying that, Gella walked away.

I hope I didn't mess up the task that Thea gave me.