Vale paused mid-step, his mind calculating the implications of the twins' interest. The Marauder's Map—that had to be what they were consulting. If they couldn't track him properly, it meant his Obscurus nature was interfering with the map's magic.
"You know," Vale said, turning back toward them, "magical artifacts sometimes have blind spots."
Fred and George exchanged glances.
"What would you know about magical artifacts, firstie?" Fred asked, subtly folding the parchment.
Vale shrugged. "Just that old magic recognizes like patterns. If something seems to disappear, it might be because it exists... differently."
George's eyebrows shot up. "Different how?"
"Consider a potion," Vale offered. "Mix incompatible ingredients without a binding agent and you get an explosion. But add something to stabilize the reaction..."
"And you get something new entirely," Fred finished, his expression shifting from suspicion to curiosity.
"Exactly. Sometimes magical signatures blend or... transform." Vale kept his tone casual while watching their reactions closely. "I imagine such a thing would confuse even the cleverest enchanted objects."
The twins stared at him with newfound interest.
"That's surprisingly insightful for someone who's been at Hogwarts less than a month," George said.
"Perhaps I'm a quick study." Vale smiled. "Or perhaps I've had experience with things that don't quite... register properly."
Fred leaned forward. "Like what, exactly?"
"Let's just say I understand the value of remaining unplottable." Vale gestured to the parchment in Fred's hand. "Whatever you're working on—and I won't ask what—might need recalibration for certain... anomalies."
The twins exchanged another look, this one filled with excitement.
"Windrow," George said slowly, "you're either very observant or very dangerous."
"Can't I be both?" Vale replied, his voice light but his eyes steady.
Fred laughed suddenly. "I like him, George. He's got that look—like he knows where all the secret passages are without ever having found them."
"Speaking of passages," Vale added casually, "the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor—be careful with it. I've heard it's become unstable."
The twins' eyes gleamed with that dangerous curiosity Vale recognized from the books—the same look they wore before unleashing chaos on Hogwarts.
This was an opportunity he couldn't ignore.
"You know," Vale said, stepping closer and lowering his voice, "I've been watching you two. You have a certain... talent for creative disruption."
Fred grinned. "Flattery will get you everywhere, little snake."
"It's not flattery if it's true." Vale glanced around to ensure they were alone. "What if I told you I know things about this castle that aren't in any book? Things even that map might miss?"
George's eyebrows shot up. "What map?"
Vale smiled thinly. "Please. I respect your intelligence too much to play dumb. That parchment tracks people, doesn't it? And I'm guessing I appear and disappear at odd moments."
The twins exchanged looks of surprise before Fred nodded slowly.
"Let's say, hypothetically, we had such an item," Fred said. "What would you propose?"
"A partnership." Vale's eyes gleamed with the faintest gold. "I have knowledge. You have resources and creativity. Together, we could make quite the impression."
"And what exactly would we be impressing?" George asked, studying Vale with newfound interest.
"Everyone." Vale's smile widened. "Particularly those who think they understand the limits of magic."
Fred leaned against the wall. "Specific targets in mind?"
"Malfoy's been insufferable lately," Vale suggested. "And I've noticed Filch confiscated something from you last week. Wouldn't it be satisfying to retrieve it while teaching both a lesson?"
The twins' expressions transformed from cautious to delighted.
"You know," George said, "for a first-year, you think remarkably like us."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Vale replied. "So, do we have a deal?"
Vale watched the twins share a silent conversation with nothing but subtle eye movements and minute facial expressions—a language born of shared DNA and years of synchronized mischief.
"Deal," they said in unison.
Fred glanced at his brother. "Three targets, one plan."
"Malfoy, Filch, and..." George tapped his chin.
"The status quo," Vale finished. "A Slytherin working with Gryffindors? That alone will upset the natural order."
The twins grinned identical smiles that promised chaos. They pulled Vale into an alcove behind a tapestry, where Fred withdrew the folded parchment again.
"If we're partners, then you should know..." He tapped the parchment with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Vale watched with genuine fascination as ink spread across the surface, revealing the Marauder's Map in all its glory. The twins pointed to a spot where the ink seemed to blur and shift.
"That's you," George said. "Sometimes clear as day, sometimes just... smoke."
Vale nodded, careful to show only academic interest. "Fascinating. The map must read magical signatures, not just physical presence."
"Which means," Fred continued, "you have a very unusual signature, Windrow."
"Let's just say I'm more complex than the average first-year," Vale replied smoothly. "Now, about our plan..."
They huddled closer as Vale outlined his thoughts. Filch had confiscated a box of prototype joke items from the twins' dormitory. Malfoy had been strutting around with increased arrogance since his father sent an expensive package of sweets. Both problems could be solved with one elegant solution.
"We'll need a distraction near Filch's office," Vale explained. "Something that draws him away long enough for retrieval but doesn't immediately point to any of us."
"And Malfoy?" George asked.
Vale's smile was cold and precise. "We'll let him provide the distraction. All we need is to suggest the right course of action to someone who already despises him."
"Peeves," the twins said together, their eyes lighting up.
"Exactly. The poltergeist has no love for Malfoy after that incident with the Bloody Baron last week."
* * *
The plan unfolded like clockwork.
George planted a Dungbomb timed to explode near the Trophy Room, while Fred whispered a creative falsehood in Peeves's ear about Malfoy claiming he could control the Bloody Baron better than any poltergeist.
Vale, meanwhile, slipped through the shadows toward Filch's office, his movements liquid and purposeful.
When the Dungbomb detonated, Filch's howl of outrage echoed through the corridors. The caretaker bolted toward the explosion, Mrs. Norris at his heels.
Moments later, Peeves descended upon an unsuspecting Malfoy in the main corridor, pelting him with ink pellets while singing a particularly crude song about platinum-haired pretenders.
Vale slipped into Filch's office and located the confiscated box within seconds. He paused, noticing a folder labeled "Dangerous Students" on the desk.
Unable to resist, he flipped it open to find his own name listed alongside Harry Potter's, with a note: "Unpredictable magical signature – report unusual activity to Headmaster."
Interesting. Even Filch had noticed something off.
Vale pocketed the box and retreated just as the twins' diversion reached its crescendo – Malfoy, now thoroughly ink-stained, was shouting threats while Peeves cackled overhead.
Students gathered to watch the spectacle, providing perfect cover for Vale to slip the box to George in the crowd.
Later, in an abandoned classroom, the twins celebrated their success while Vale examined the Marauder's Map with quiet intensity. His eyes narrowed as he watched his own name flicker on the parchment – sometimes clear, sometimes dissolving into a smoky blur.
"I need to understand why this happens," Vale murmured, touching the parchment where his name pulsed.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation of his Obscurus within. When he deliberately allowed a wisp of that power to surface – just beneath his skin, not enough to manifest visibly – his name on the map immediately blurred.
'It's responding to the Obscurus,' Vale almost facepalmed. It was so obvious.
The map couldn't properly track something that existed in two states simultaneously – both human and magical parasite. This vulnerability could be dangerous... or incredibly useful.
"What was that?" Fred asked, looking up from the recovered joke products.
Vale smiled innocently. "Just admiring your map's craftsmanship. The creators were geniuses."