1989 passed in a flurry of snow, and Eda weled 1990.

  This winter, Eda no longer had to ve in the snow to work for her parttime pocket money as an orphan. Instead, she could stay in a warm room doing what she loved, enjoying the delicacies provided by house elves, living like a wealthy ndlord.

  When busy, she read and studied; when idle, she chatted and pyed cards. Sufortable days had not e her way for a long time.

  As the school term approached, students began to return to Hogwarts, sharing their holiday stories with friends. Couples, who hadn't seen each other all holiday, were engrossed in versations, making the entire Hogwarts atmosphere cheerful.

  The four Weasley brothers returogether, with Charlie leading, followed by Perd the twins. From the on room entrao the armchair, the Weasley brothers walked with a fir, exuding an air of importance.

  Watg the four brothers strut ihought about whether she should gift each Weasley brother a newsboy ext Christmas.

  But let it be known in advance, if they got into trouble, it had nothing to do with her.

  After Charlie and Percy greeted Eda, they left, while the twins sat directly across from her, grinning.

  "It's a pity you couldn't e home with us," Fred said.

  "Mom made a lot of delicious food, and Percy got fat," Gee said, raising his hands auring dramatically.

  "When Mom received your thank-you letter, she was very happy. She insists that we bring you home Christmas," Fred added.

  During the holidays, the twins had told Mrs. Weasley about Eda's situation, hoping she would send Eda a Christmas gift. The more, the better, to ensure Eda had a det holiday.

  The kied Mrs. Weasley agreed to their request. She had taken a liking to Eda since meeti the station. This was Eda's ialent; she always made a good first impression.

  However, Eda didn't like socializing, often wasting these good impressions, which ity.

  "The toffee was the best gift I've ever received," Eda said. In fact, she liked all the gifts she received, especially Mrs. Weasley's toffee and Professonagall's notebook.

  "By the way, I found the secret passage behind the mirror," Eda whispered, eager to see the twiement.

  "Good job," Fred replied calmly.

  His rea was much more subdued than Eda had anticipated, leaving her feeling somewhat disappointed.

  So, "love" does fade away, doesn't it?

  Gee, trying to sole Eda with some fttery, said, "You really are the smartest witch!"

  "Why don't you seem excited at all?" Eda was genuinely surprised by the twins' reas. "Weren't you always keen on this secret passage?"

  "Tonight, we'll check it out together," Fred replied dismissively.

  "This time, we won't have to worry about getting caught. It's absolutely safe," Gee said, looking rather mysterious.

  "You said the same thing st time, and what happened?" Eda felt her fragile little heart was hurt, so she decided to take a jab at Gee's inexplicable fidence.

  "We got caught by dear Mr. Filch," the twins said in unison. "But not this time, because we have this."

  Gee pulled out an old part from his pocket, the very treasure they had stolen from Filch's office.

  Eda gave the part a puzzled look, not uanding why Gee had brought out this old thing again. But she quickly figured it out. "So, you two found out what this 'treasure' does?"

  "Exactly."

  "Correct."

  However, the twins didn't reveal its use in the on room. They led Eda out of the on room and to a secluded er.

  The three of them stood in the er, keeping an eye on the corridor to prevent anyone from seeing their "secret."

  "I hope it lives up to the mysterious show you put on earlier," Eda said, leaning against the wall.

  After all the trouble she went through for that broken mirror, if the twins didn't give her a proper expnation today, they could fet about copying her homework iure!

  "Please open your eyes wide, Miss Twist, and watch carefully. Don't blink. This will be our key to success," Fred said as he pced the part in Eda's hands.

  "Are you ready? Now is the moment to witness a miracle."

  Eda held the part, raising an eyebrow at the twins, clearly signaling: Go ahead, show me.

  "Let's begin, Gee."

  Gee pulled out his wand and lightly tapped the part, solemnly saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

  In an instant, thin lines of ink spread from the tip of Gee's wand like a spider's web, eg and iwining, spreading to every er of the part. Then, words appeared at the top in rge, green, flowing script:

  Mr. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder's Map

  Eda stared in astonishment at the part in her hands. This seemingly worthless piece of junk was actually magical, dispying the detailed yout of Hogwarts castle and grounds.

  If that were all it did, it wouldn't be so remarkable, but the map also showed numerous tiny dots moving around, each beled with a name in very small writing. Eda even found the names of the three of them, though they were buogether and hard to distinguish.

  It appeared that the Marauder's Map tracked everyone in the school. With this, they really didn't o worry about Filymore. Eda spotted Fawley's name on the map, showing him in his office with Shough she couldn't imagine what they were discussing.

  "There are also ma passages on here, most of which lead to Hogsmeade," Gee tinued.

  "There are seven in total. We explore eae in the ing days," Fred added, pointing out the seven routes with his finger.

  No wohe twins seemed ued in her discovery. They already knew about it; this was just their downtime. As Eda examihe map, she asked, "When did you figure out how to use the map?"

  "During the days at home, of course," Fred replied. "We had a little... i..."

  "Mum found out and gave us quite the scolding. Said we were always up to no good," Gee said, rubbing his behind for emphasis.

  "That gave us a big hint, and after a few attempts, it turned into what you see now," the twins resumed their taalking.

  Fred poio the library and the dormitory on the map and said to Eda, "From the map, we saw that during the holidays, you were either in the dormitory or the library..."

  Gee added, "Or the Great Hall. You o get out more, Eda. Sunshine and fresh air are just as important."

  "You two must have been really bored at home to have the time to track where I've been," Eda replied. She wasn't actually upset with the twins' as; she uood it was their way of showing they cared.

  After all, the map only showed a dot with her name, nothing too personal. If their roles were reversed, she might have dohe same. The Marauder's Map was essentially a real-time GPS tracker.

  "At first, we thought the map was malfuning because it hadn't been used for so long since you were always in the same spots," Fred said.

  "Then we realized the problem wasn't the map, but you," Gee tinued. "Without us around, you only stayed in those few pces."

  Eda hadn't left the castle much during the holiday, not because she wao be a shut-in, but because it was simply too cold outside. Once spring arrived, Eda po spend time uhe rge tree by the ke. It seemed like the perfect spot for a rexing nap.

  "It's truly astonishing!" Eda marveled. She cked the ability to create such a map, so she deeply admired the four predecessors who had.

  "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Gee said, patting the map's title with a sense of awe. "What amazing predecessors."

  "Gee, we must strive to be as honorable as them. They are the targets we should aim to reach!" Fred decred solemnly.

  "Wheried the secret ands wrong, they would share some prank tips with us!" Gee said with nostalgia.

  Fred's expression was almost reverent as he said, "I'd love to meet them. They are truly mentors on the journey of life!"

  The three of them admired different aspects of the Marauders. Eda was impressed by their magical prowess, while the twins admired their prank skills.

  Seeing that Eda had finished looking, Gee tapped the Marauder's Map again and said, "Mischief managed!" The map, previously covered in lines, returo being a bnk part.

  "Heh! This on't be discovered. No one will be ied in an old part." Gee said with a wink.

  "Yes, no one except someone like you! Didn't you steal it?" The argumentative athlete Eda is entering the venue.

  "We just had a on uanding with those four seniors and discovered the uniqueness of the part."

  ______

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