"What are you doing?"
Sean, who had been sneaking around suspiciously, froze when someone suddenly spoke behind him.
He turned around and saw that it was the handsome Cedric.
Sean casually straightened his hair and said calmly, "What does it look like? I'm swimming in the ocean of knowledge."
Cedric gave him a skeptical look.
"Don't lie. I clearly saw you trying to sneak into the Restricted Section just now."
"My goodness, Cedric," Sean replied dramatically. "How can you use the word sneak? I was simply so absorbed in the ocean of knowledge that I accidentally swam to the edge of the Restricted Section."
Cedric stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"Tell me what you're looking for. Otherwise, I'll report you to Mr. Filch."
Cedric was curious about Sean.
He was one of the Boys Who Lived, an exceptionally talented student who stood out among the first-years—almost as if he didn't quite fit in with them.
"I'll tell you, but you have to keep it secret," Sean whispered mysteriously.
Cedric nodded seriously.
"I heard Professor Sprout mention that there's an advanced potion that can quickly restore magical power. So I thought I'd check the Restricted Section to see if there's any information about it."
"Why not just ask Professor Sprout directly?" Cedric asked.
"That's a complex advanced potion," Sean sighed. "I'm just a first-year. Why would she tell me?"
Cedric thought about it.
"I heard Professor Sprout say earlier that if you score Outstanding in six subjects during the tests next month, you won't have to attend those classes anymore?"
"Yes."
"How do you do that?"
"You mean the exams?" Sean shrugged. "I just previewed the textbooks a few years earlier than everyone else."
Cedric embodied the spirit of Hufflepuff—especially diligence.
Unlike Hermione, he came from a wizarding family and had also studied the first-year textbooks before enrolling.
But he hadn't achieved the same results as Sean.
"Remember," Sean said, patting Cedric on the shoulder. "This is our secret."
Then he turned and left the library.
In truth, it wasn't much of a secret.
Sean had only acted mysterious to tease the upright and honest boy.
On the way back to the Slytherin common room, Sean ran into the Weasley twins.
If they were a few years older, they might actually be useful, Sean thought.
Then an idea suddenly struck him.
Actually… they might still be useful now.
He called out to them.
"Fred, George. Where are you two going?"
"Where else?" Fred said. "Professor McGonagall assigned us detention to copy textbooks."
"Tragic detention," George added.
It was typical Weasley twin behavior.
Detention for pranks during class.
Sean looked at them and said temptingly,
"What's so fun about copying textbooks? I can take you to do something much more interesting."
"What kind of thing?" the twins asked immediately, intrigued.
"How about sneaking into Mr. Filch's office for an adventure?" Sean said with a grin. "Exciting enough for you?"
The excitement on the twins' faces made it obvious—they were definitely in.
Filch's office was in a corner on the first floor.
Sean didn't know where Filch currently was, and he didn't dare sneak in alone.
Getting caught would be troublesome.
So he needed accomplices.
"Fred, George," Sean whispered, "whatever happens, don't get caught by Filch."
"Don't worry," the twins said confidently.
The three of them crept to Filch's office.
The door was locked.
Sean pointed his wand at it.
"Alohomora."
The lock clicked open.
"Come in," Sean said, leading the way.
Filch's office was a small room filled with the smell of fried fish. An oil lamp hung from the ceiling.
Along the walls were chains and manacles, polished to a disturbing shine.
If Filch ever received permission, he would happily use them to punish rule-breaking students.
That was his favorite pastime.
There was also a cabinet filled with records of student misbehavior.
One day, Fred and George would even earn a drawer dedicated entirely to them.
Another cabinet was labeled:
"Confiscated Goods — Highly Dangerous."
What Sean was looking for was inside.
"Filch is seriously creepy," George muttered, staring at the gleaming handcuffs.
"We must never get caught by him," Fred agreed.
Meanwhile, Sean rummaged through the drawers.
Suddenly his hand stopped.
"Found it."
"The Marauder's Map."
At that exact moment, the wooden office door creaked open.
The three boys jumped in shock.
A Maine Coon cat silently walked into the room.
"It's Mrs. Norris," George whispered nervously.
Mrs. Norris rarely left Filch's side.
If she was here, Filch would probably return soon.
"We have to go. Filch will be back any second," Sean said, stuffing the Marauder's Map into his robe.
Suddenly Mrs. Norris lunged at him and clamped onto his robe with her teeth.
"Is this cat secretly a dog?" Sean muttered.
"You two go first. I need to shake Mrs. Norris off."
The twins nodded and immediately ran out of the office.
Sean struggled with the cat.
He couldn't hurt it.
"Hey! Stop biting my robe! Go catch a mouse!"
Sean waved his wand at a wooden teacup on the table.
"Vera Verto."
The cup instantly transformed into a gray mouse.
The mouse jumped off the table and scurried toward the doorway.
"Look over there, you silly cat!"
Sean tugged his robe so Mrs. Norris faced the door.
The moment she spotted the mouse, she released Sean and chased after it.
Sean seized the opportunity and ran out of the office.
Meanwhile, the Weasley twins were chatting casually with Filch in the corridor, desperately trying to stall him.
When they saw Sean emerge, both of them finally relaxed.
"Where's Mrs. Norris?" Fred asked.
"Chasing a mouse."
Now that Sean had the Marauder's Map, things would be much easier at night.
The map displayed the movements of everyone in Hogwarts.
Having it was like carrying a perfect surveillance system.
Back in the Slytherin dormitory, Sean sat on his bed and tapped the map with his wand.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
It was the activation phrase.
After all, the creators of the map had not exactly been well-behaved students.
Lupin, Pettigrew, Black, and Potter.
The infamous quartet of pranksters.
Compared to them, the Weasley twins were practically amateurs.
Slowly, black lines began appearing on the blank parchment.
They formed a detailed map of Hogwarts.
Secret passages appeared.
Tiny labeled footprints showed the location of every person in the castle.
The map even included instructions for opening hidden tunnels.
Sean smiled faintly.
"Tonight… I'll be relying on you."
He planned to use the Marauder's Map to sneak into the advanced Potions classroom.