The greatest value of the Marauder's Map lay in the fact that while it revealed all sorts of secret passages, it could also display and confirm every wizard's location in real time.
One could say that with this map in hand, a person could become a true master assassin on the spot.
At that moment, Pansy and Hermione were constantly testing the various functions of this magical map. On a sudden whim, they even wanted to see whether any names of wizards who should not be in Hogwarts at this hour appeared on the map.
Of course, Pansy and the others were destined not to satisfy that little wish.
After all, not everyone knew about the secret passages hidden inside Hogwarts, and not everyone was like Sirius Black, an Animagus whose identity was known to very few people.
By midnight.
Hermione, who had been studying it for a long time, was still somewhat amazed. "Are the wizards marked on here really all in those locations?"
"Isn't that obvious, Granger? Look, the map shows all of us together right here. Without this map, no one would know you were here at all."
"So Potter really isn't at Hogwarts anymore?"
"It looks that way..."
According to the information Pansy had brought back, Harry Potter should have left Hogwarts together with Dumbledore by now.
Most likely, they had gone to search for and destroy that unknown Horcrux.
This discovery made Pansy and the others feel as though they had fallen a little behind.
"What do we do, Draco?"
"Should we act too? Dumbledore isn't at Hogwarts right now anyway."
In the face of Pansy and Hermione's anxiety, Draco only waved his hand calmly. "Relax. This isn't a race. The first person to reach the finish line isn't necessarily the winner."
Seeing Draco like this, Pansy and Hermione calmed down as well and quietly waited for what he would say next.
After glancing at the two girls sitting side by side, Draco picked up the Marauder's Map from the table and began moving his finger across it, enlarging a section of the map. "Next, we're going here to look for a possible clue."
"Here?"
"I see. Your target is Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
Looking at the spot Draco was pointing to, Pansy and Hermione finally understood what he was planning.
It was.
Ravenclaw House.
...
Draco and the others were not exactly unfamiliar with Ravenclaw House.
Back then, Draco had been invited by Ginny Weasley and had entered their common room before.
Even now, Draco could still remember the marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, as well as the replica of Ravenclaw's Diadem.
But this time was somewhat different from their previous operation.
This time, Draco had no intention of sneaking in quietly, nor did he intend to drink Polyjuice Potion again.
Because Draco's target was not any particular wizard in Ravenclaw House, nor was he trying to enter any specific place inside Ravenclaw House. Rather, it was...
Ravenclaw's ghost.
"I think I understand what you mean. You want to get information from that Ravenclaw ghost, don't you?"
"Exactly. Compared with other people, the Grey Lady might know something."
The Grey Lady Hermione mentioned was, in fact, the ghost of Ravenclaw House.
Only, compared with the other three houses' Nearly Headless Nick, the friendly Fat Friar, and the frightening-looking Bloodman Barlow, the Grey Lady was extremely elusive. It was nearly impossible to see her anywhere in the castle.
To be precise, the Grey Lady almost never left Ravenclaw House. Even Ravenclaw students might not see her more than a few times in an entire year.
In other words, for Draco to run into the Grey Lady and locate her was by no means simple, let alone ask her a few questions.
Realizing this, Hermione suddenly looked at Draco in understanding. "So... this is the real reason you wanted to get the Marauder's Map!"
"That's right."
As Draco's words fell, his finger happened to stop on the map, pointing exactly at the location marked as the Ravenclaw Astronomy Tower, and at the single name there.
Written on it was... Helena Ravenclaw!
Wait.
Ravenclaw?
Was it the Ravenclaw they were thinking of?
Whether it was Pansy or Hermione, the moment they saw that name, both of them widened their eyes in surprise and looked at Draco with expressions that said, How could it be her?
Compared with the shock on Pansy's face, Hermione's expression held more of a sense of disbelief, like someone seeing a person from ancient history standing before her.
As someone born into a Muggle family, it was naturally difficult for her to understand or accept why someone who had been dead for so long could still exist in this world.
And one who bore the great surname Ravenclaw, no less.
Hermione looked at Draco with some difficulty. "This Ravenclaw... is it the Ravenclaw I'm thinking of?"
"If you mean Rowena Ravenclaw, then yes, it is exactly the Ravenclaw you're thinking of."
"..."
Draco's words sounded a little roundabout, but what he meant was that the Helena Ravenclaw shown on the map was actually a descendant of the person who had founded Ravenclaw House.
To be precise...
This Helena Ravenclaw on the map, the Grey Lady, had another identity.
She was Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter.