After lunch, several professors said goodbye to each other. They were not prepared to stay in school for the rest of the holiday.
The little wizards also dispersed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in the hall, discussing how to spend their free time in the afternoon. On Christmas Day, even Hermione, who loved learning, would not spend her time in an empty room. Study in the library or common room.
Harry undoubtedly wanted to ride the Firebolt and have fun in the playground, but he knew that it was best not to touch Hermione's sensitive nerves now, and Ron's suggestion of going to Hagrid's place was also rejected. .
They had promised to help Buckbeak win the lawsuit before, but so far, they had read a lot of relevant case files, but there were only a few cases that could really help. Harry didn't want Hagrid to ask about it with anticipation. When the time comes, they can only lower their heads in shame.
In the end, the three of them discussed walking on the grass to digest the delicious food in their stomachs faster.
The extreme cold for days turned the layer of snow covering the ground into powder. A strong wind blew, and all the snow powder on the surface flew up to the sky. There seemed to be a storm blowing on the vast campus. Like a sandstorm.
Harry tied his scarf tightly around his neck, and then brought up the topic that he had not been able to discuss in depth because he was at the dinner table.
"What do you mean Professor Lupin should be more concerned about the parchment, Hermione?"
"Does this need to be said, Harry?"
Hermione rubbed her little face, which was flushed with cold, with her hands. She turned her head and looked at Professor Blaine's office.
"You can think about Professor Lupine's reaction when he learned from Filch that Professor Blaine was looking for your map. Harry, he was more surprised than when he saw you holding a Firebolt in your hand. when."
"I thought--"
Ron said in confusion,
"Is he wondering why Professor Brain is looking for a piece of parchment?"
Things are definitely not as simple as Ron said. Even Harry dares to make this conclusion.
In fact, on the night when he sneaked into Hogsmeade and was caught by Professor Braine, Professor Lupine's performance once made Harry think that he had something to do with the Marauder's Map, but because Ron was so perfect at the time, Professor Luping did not pursue the lie any further.
Later, Fred and George accidentally overheard Professor Braine looking for the Marauder's Map. Harry also discussed with Ron and Hermione why Professor Braine also knew about the existence of the Marauder's Map. The result of the discussion was, Maybe Professor Lupine is the maker of the map.
This conclusion sounds incredible, because Professor Lupine seems to have nothing to do with breaking school rules and playing pranks.
But if this is indeed the case, then the answer to where Professor Brain learned about the existence of the Marauder's Map is very obvious - Professor Lupine told him.
But what happened today once again overturned the previous conclusion. Professor Lupine and Professor Brain did not seem to have exchanged any information about the Marauder's Map. Moreover, Professor Luping even thought that Professor Brain should not know about it at all. This thing exists --- judging from his performance.
This was indeed a puzzling question, and even Hermione couldn't figure out the connection.
Between the two professors, Professor Lupine is undoubtedly more like the maker of the Marauder's Map, but if he hadn't told Professor Brain, then who would it have been?
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs - if Lupine is one of these four, theoretically speaking, even if it is not Professor Lupin, it may be the other three makers who revealed it to Professor Brain Information, but the other three are obviously not in Hogwarts now, right, otherwise Lupine would have guessed it.
It was impossible for them to discover the truth of the matter just by guessing. After discussing for a while, the three of Harry gave up and continued to delve deeper.
In the following time, bathed in the pale sunshine, the three of them had a snowball fight in the snow. To make it more interesting, they used their wands to knead the powdery snowflakes into a ball, and then attacked each other with snowballs. The game was relatively harmonious at first, but as Hermione blessed Snowball with some 'special magic', such as the 'Object Controlling Charm', the situation quickly became one-sided. Reading Pavilion
Harry and Ron teamed up to fight against Hermione, but they were still hit by the powerful and heavy ice lumps, making them run away.
The screams of pain from the two little wizards and Hermione's cheerful giggles echoed through the courtyard where the cold wind was blowing.
"No matter what,"
More than an hour later, the exhausted three people supported each other and returned to the castle. They stood in the foyer handling the ice and snow on their bodies and boots. Hermione, who was in a much better mood, patted the ice particles in her fluffy hair and solemnly said said,
"I hope you can stay vigilant, Harry. Whether it is the Firebolt or the Marauder's Map, I hope you can hand it over voluntarily. The professors will help you confirm whether there is anything wrong with them."
"Don't, Harry!"
Taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, Ron made a face at Hermione with a smile.
"Maybe the Professors will return the Firebolt to Harry, but do you expect them to return the Marauder's Map as well... There's nothing dangerous about that map. Fred and George have been using it for several years. They've helped Harry confirmed--"
"If I hand over the map, Hermione—"
Harry also said with a playful smile,
"I don't expect Fred and George to be my bludgers in Quidditch. They might just swipe the ball at me, because that map is their most precious thing!"
The sound of hurried footsteps coming from the second floor was very conspicuous in the empty castle. Harry and the three of them recognized it. Those were the footsteps of the administrator Filch. Looking at the muddy water on the smooth marble of the foyer, the three of them Shrinking his neck, he quickly fled down the stairs on the other side.
"The dirty things made the castle a mess again. Who did it?"
Sure enough, a minute later, Filch, who had changed back to his usual brown jacket, appeared with Mrs. Norris. When he saw the stains on the ground, he became furious.
"Sniff it, honey, we have to find the little villain who did the bad thing!"
The scrawny gray cat jumped off his shoulder as soon as he received the instruction. After sniffing for a while with his head tilted, he swooped towards the entrance of the basement stairs. Filch followed quickly and happened to see someone hiding behind him. The students behind the tapestry were coming out under the supervision of Mrs. Norris,
"Aha, it's you!"
Filch's meaty nose was hung with snot bubbles, and he glared at Malfoy fiercely.
"I made a mess in the castle on Christmas Day. I didn't say anything. Come with me, Malfoy!"
"not me--"
Malfoy lowered his head and said dullly, "It's Potter, Weasley and Granger. You can see their footprints entering the castle from outside the door, Filch."
Filch looked doubtful, and Malfoy added again,
"They just returned to the lounge. If you rush there now, they might not have time to deal with the marks on their boots."
"Okay, Mr. Malfoy, come with me!"
Hearing what Malfoy said, Filch had no doubts anymore. He grabbed Malfoy's sleeve and rushed all the way to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady's portrait opened, and Harry and the three of them were sitting in front of the fireplace playing wizard chess. They were shocked. When Filch and Malfoy appeared, a mouse got out from under Malfoy's trousers, quickly jumped into the bottom of the sofa everywhere, and used cover to quietly climb up the stairs of the boys' dormitory...
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