A Certain Magical Hogwarts

News of Snape's classroom accident spread through Hogwarts faster than a Golden Snitch in flight. 

By lunchtime, everyone was talking about it. No matter where you went, you could overhear conversations like these:

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Snape's potion exploded during class, and it was a Ravenclaw student who made it happen."

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Snape blew up during class—his own potion did that!"

"Did you hear?"

"I heard! Snape... exploded!"

"…"

The rumor that "Snape exploded" reached every corner of Hogwarts, and as one of the key figures in the incident, William became a hot topic as well. 

He was painted as the main culprit who had caused Snape's accident.

After what happened during the Sorting Ceremony, when William was exposed to have called Snape an "oily bat," everyone had been waiting for his comeuppance. But no one had anticipated that William would end up being the one to "blow up" Snape!

As William made his way toward the Ravenclaw table for lunch, George and Fred Weasley intercepted him, pulling him toward the Gryffindor table instead.

They raised their goblets of pumpkin juice and clinked them together, loudly cheering, "Let's hear it for William Stark, the hero of Hogwarts! He took down the greatest terror of all—Professor Snape, the first of three evils of Hogwarts.!"

Their shouts attracted the attention of many students, and to those unaware of the context, it might have seemed like William had single-handedly defeated a band of Death Eaters.

Every student at the Gryffindor table was beaming with joy. 

Oliver Wood even had tears of relief streaming down his face, a testament to how much Snape had tormented him over the years. The physical and emotional scars left by Snape's harsh treatment were clearly still fresh.

William had barely taken a few sips of pumpkin juice when he finally caught his breath enough to speak. "Did you guys spread those rumours?"

George clapped him on the back and grinned. "Who cares? Let the rumours fly! Enjoy the fame while you can."

Fred chimed in, "Exactly. At least this means we won't have to attend old Snape's class on Wednesday!"

William sat there, speechless.

George passed William a serving of strawberry panna cotta and invited him to sit and eat at the Gryffindor table. "Honestly, you shouldn't have saved Snape. You have no idea how awful he can be."

William laughed, knowing that in such a situation, anyone would have done the same—Fred and George included. 

But rather than dwell on the topic of Snape, William changed the subject. "Did Cedric mention my idea about making a map of Hogwarts?"

George, nibbling on a piece of rum-soaked jam pudding, replied, "William, I'll be honest—what you're proposing is going to be quite hard to see in fruition."

"The biggest issue," Fred added, "is that you need to know Hogwarts like the back of your hand. And right now, you don't."

"That's why I came to you two," William said with a sly smile. "I'm willing to bet that not even Dumbledore knows this castle as well as you do."

Fred burst into laughter, nearly choking. George, with a twinkle in his eye, leaned in closer. 

"Ah, well, if we stayed here a few more years, we might agree with you on that. But for now, we're still humble students, learning the ropes."

Fred shot William a conspiratorial wink. "But come here, let us show you something special."

For some reason, William couldn't shake the feeling that Fred was being particularly sneaky.

The three huddled close together as Fred carefully pulled something from the folds of his black school robe. "Look at this little treasure."

Fred revealed a large, square, and very old-looking piece of parchment. It seemed to be nothing more than a worn scrap of blank parchment.

William was more curious about why Fred kept hiding things in such odd places. Whether it was a Niffler or a piece of parchment, didn't it get uncomfortable?

Fred laid the parchment flat on the bench, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.

"Is it really that big of a secret?" William asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look, William," George whispered. "This is no ordinary piece of parchment. It's a magical item that can lead us to... new horizons."

William's eyes lit up with excitement. Could this be... a secret journal or something?

George, clearly pleased with William's intrigue, patted the parchment fondly. "Back in our first year, we were young, carefree, and innocent…"

William squinted at the twins, highly doubting they'd ever been "innocent."

Fred, catching the skeptical look, smirked. "Well, certainly more innocent than you! We weren't ambushing Slytherins on the train or calling Snape a greasy bat at the Sorting Feast."

William quickly cut him off, eager to move on.

George cleared his throat dramatically. "Anyway, we had a little... disagreement with Filch during our first year."

"We set off a dungbomb in the corridor, and for some reason, it really upset him," Fred added with a grin.

"So he dragged us to his office for the usual punishment—detention, you know the drill."

"But while we were in there," George continued, "we couldn't help but notice one of the drawers in his cabinet. It was labeled: 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.'"

"So naturally…" William chuckled, already guessing what came next.

"Naturally," Fred grinned, "George threw another dungbomb to distract him. And I made a quick grab for this little beauty here."

"It wasn't as reckless as it sounds, you know," George laughed. "We don't think Filch ever figured out how to use it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left it labelled confiscated it in the first place."

"And have you figured out how to use it?" William asked, growing more curious by the second.

"We've managed to unlock some of its secrets," George said with a smile. "But what you're looking at here, William, is…"

"... the Marauder's Map!" Fred finished with a flourish.

William was a bit disappointed—it wasn't the secret notebook he'd imagined. But then again, it was still incredibly valuable. This could be just what he needed for his project!

Before he could dive further into the discussion, a stern voice suddenly spoke from behind them.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

The three of them whipped around to see Professor McGonagall standing behind them, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Her tone grew sharper as she asked again, "What are you up to?"

Without missing a beat, William swiftly sat down on the parchment, hiding it from view. 

"We were just discussing what gift to send Professor Snape to wish him a speedy recovery, Professor. You know, after the, um... incident this morning."

McGonagall's expression softened slightly, and she nodded. "Yes, I heard about this morning's event, Mr. Stark. You handled the situation well—Professor Flitwick will be very proud of you."

However, her gaze flickered toward the spot where William had hidden the parchment, and then she fixed a hard stare on the twins.

"You two, however," she said, her voice turning icy once more, "will stay behind this evening."

"What do you need us to do, Professor?" Fred asked cautiously.

"We've already written two thousand words of apology yesterday," George muttered.

"You will be assisting Mr. Filch in polishing the silverware in the Trophy Room," McGonagall declared. "No magic allowed. You'll be doing it by hand."

Both Fred and George shuddered at the thought.

William couldn't help but take a deep breath, realizing the severity of Hogwarts' rules.

Fred and George were offering themselves up as sacrificial lambs, and McGonagall was making an example of them. For the first time, William truly grasped one of the core tenets of Hogwarts life:

It's okay to break the rules, but whatever you do, don't get caught.

This lesson was written in the blood of countless pranksters who had come before them.

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