Argus was walking toward the Slytherin common room.
The Weasley twins suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
They were positioned on either side of Argus, one on the left and one on the right.
"How does Mrs. Molly look when she's angry? Isn't she terrifying?"
"You two are smart, knowing to stay far away."
"That's right!" George patted his chest proudly.
"Percy, that guy, went up to say hello without thinking, and ended up getting a good scolding."
"She blames us for not disciplining Ron properly and tells us to keep an eye on him."
"Good heavens, we're not mind readers!"
Fred was also exasperated by his brainless younger brother.
Although they often cause trouble, they are rarely caught.
Especially something as significant as this, where a single deduction can amount to dozens of points!
Otherwise, he would have been crushed to death by Gryffindor's spittle long ago!
"That's easy, just teach him your tricks for staying out at night without getting caught!"
Argus had been eyeing the Marauder's Map in the two's hands for a long time, so he deliberately steered the conversation toward it.
Fred put his arm around Argus's shoulder and mysteriously led him to a secluded corner.
He pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket.
Argus feigned confusion: "What is this?"
The two exchanged a smile: "Our secret to not getting caught while out at night!"
"Come on, Fred, show our sugar daddy what's what!"
George and Fred took out their wands, their expressions serious.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"
As soon as he finished speaking, black ink lines appeared on the previously blank parchment.
It outlined the entire terrain of Hogwarts.
Including the Forbidden Forest!
One by one, the names moved slowly across the map.
Even Argus had to admit that Harry's father had some talent.
Although they didn't do many decent things at Hogwarts, their talent was truly top-notch.
Decades have passed, but the tracking spell on the map has not diminished in the slightest.
It can even see through the disguises of Animagi and compound potions!
Most people simply couldn't do that.
Not to mention that back then they were just a bunch of tiny students!
No wonder Snape was bullied by those guys!
"Don't be surprised, we didn't make this."
George grinned, quite pleased with Argus's current expression.
"That's right, we stole it from Filch's office… no, we took it out."
"It must be a gift left by some like-minded senior before graduation, hehe."
The two men shoved the Marauder's Map into Argus's arms.
"Now, it's yours!"
Argus was surprised that this thing came so easily, and his eyes showed a look of confusion.
Fred laughed and explained, "We both know exactly what's in here."
"There's no point in keeping it; we might as well give it to our sugar daddy."
"I'll get caught less often when I'm out at night!"
"That's right!" George chimed in.
"Once you're done using it, just say 'Mischief managed' once and it will be back to normal."
"I will use it well!"
Argus put the Marauder's Map into his pocket and nodded solemnly to the two of them.
The two of them laughed heartily.
"Don't be so serious like Percy!"
"Come on, we'll show you our newly developed product. It'll definitely amaze you!"
"It might not be possible today." A hint of apology appeared in Argus's eyes.
"I haven't contacted my family in a long time, I'll write back to them later."
"It's okay, there'll be plenty of time later!"
The two didn't seem to care, and Argus finally understood why they were so popular despite their frequent pranks.
Good-tempered, playful, and knows how to behave appropriately.
Treat friends with tolerance and enthusiasm.
They're practically perfect friends!
After saying goodbye to the two, Argus returned to the Slytherin common room.
He wrote a coded letter to Vinda, asking her to come to Hogsmeade Village to pick him up in the next couple of days.
After handing it over to the owl, he took out a large sum of Galleons and went to Hagrid's hut.
"Fang? Is Hagrid there?"
Before even entering the door, Fang excitedly came to Argus's side and wagged its tail.
"Argus, you've come!"
Hagrid was always happy to see Argus.
As a half-giant, very few people are willing to be his friend.
Each one is naturally cherished.
"Let me take a look at the materials I asked you to prepare last time. If you've almost finished organizing them, I'll take them with me today."
"It's all ready. I've piled it all up in the warehouse. Come with me."
Hagrid waved his hand and led Argus to a wooden house not far away.
Upon entering, Argus was stunned by the scene before him.
He originally thought that there were already enough materials in Hagrid's room.
Now it seems like just a drop in the ocean compared to what's in the warehouse!
Bundles of unicorn tail hair were tossed aside like bundles of straw.
The unicorn's horn is stacked higher than Argus's.
In the corner were also a series of materials that Argus had not expected, such as the teeth of the Venomous Leopard, the feathers of the Evil Bird, and the venomous horn of the Venomous Horned Beast.
Argus's heart bled at the sight of Hagrid's haphazard arrangement!
These are all golden Galleons!
Any one of them could be sold for a dozen or even dozens of times!
He even doubted whether he had enough Galleons...
"These are all the items. I haven't counted them exactly, but take a look!"
"We don't need to count these hairs one by one, let's just weigh them!"
Pounds? What an obscure word!
This was the first time Argus had ever heard of unicorn tail hairs being measured in pounds!
"Did you sell this much to other shops before?"
Hagrid harbored deep resentment towards this: "Of course not, those vampires, I have no intention of giving them the good stuff!"
"What I sold to them were just some that fell on the ground and I just grabbed at random."
"It's nowhere near as good as this place!"
He stepped forward, patted Argus on the shoulder, and looked somewhat smug.
"See? I would never lie to my friend!"
You wouldn't lie!
But you're way too honest!
How many years of stockpiling must you have accumulated?! Are you really going to rip me off all at once?!
Argus's smile was very stiff; for the first time, he felt like a poor man.
...
That night.
Argus then received a reply from Vinda.
The letter informed him that she would arrive in Hogsmeade this Saturday night, which is the day after tomorrow, and hoped that Argus would prepare in advance.
After reading the letter, Argus waved his wand, and pale blue flames ignited.
The letter was burned to ashes.
"Saturday...that is, the day after tomorrow."
"It seems that Voldemort also arranged with me to meet on a Saturday."
"Looks like we'll have to rack our brains later."
Argus had a headache.
Going to Hogsmeade was fine; he was staying in the Slytherin Head's private quarters, and even if he wasn't there at night, not many people would know.
Voldemort, on the other hand, was not so easy to deal with.
Trying to fool him would require countless brain cells.