Marauder's Map

[SlthrngNbltyWrtnINnk]

Okay, so I know what the map said when Snape read it in the movie, but when did it say in the book. I completely forgot. Help!

-SlthrngNbltyWrnINnk

[mudbloodproud]

Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other peoples business.

Mr Prongs agrees with Mr Moony, and would like to add Professor Snape is an ugly git.

Mr Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a Professor.

Mr Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.

[Karaley Dargen]

I'm boldly going to abuse this thread to ask my own question :p Did Snape know about the map? Because he seems to recognise it (He asks Lupin something like "Don't you think it is more likely that he got it directly from the makers?"). Did he maybe see the Marauders with it, but could never make out what it actually was? (edit: i.e. that it was a map, so he saw them with a blank peace of parchment they were trying to hide or something)

[Equinox Chick]

Hmm,

I don't know, he may have seen the Marauders with it, but I'm more inclined to think that he just recognised their nicknames.

Carole
xxx

[Sainyn Swiftfoot]

I don't think so, because there's this thing so very common in fanfiction that irritates me a lot-- the fact that everyone, including Martha the first year Hufflepuff, her aunt, her dog, her aunt's dog and her dog's aunt know about the fact that the Marauders call themselves the Marauders, and they have a Map. The books lead us to believe that it's actually not that widely known, and it was more of a secret thing.

So, yeah. I don't think Snape knew about the Map, I find it more likely that Snape recognised the nicknames (Which themselves weren't probably all that widely known).

BB

[Ascendio]

I find it more likely that Snape recognised the nicknames (Which themselves weren't probably all that widely known).

BB
I agree, I'm guessing that he wouldn't have actually known what it was, or else he would have done something more about it like not let Harry have it back. But I'm guessing that he would probably recognize the nicknames, or at least realize that they were somewhat related to James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus.

[Tim the Enchanter]

From Snape's Worst Memory, we know that the Marauder's openly addressed each other by their nicknames even in front of Snape, so I agree that he probably would have just recognised the nicknames.

Now, here's a random question about the Marauder's Map:

Do you think the Marauder's Map updates itself to correspond to changes in Hogwarts castle? For instance, if a new wing was to be constructed, would the map be intelligent enough to adapt, or would it become obsolete?

Tim the Enchanter

[sajomn]

Do you think the Marauder's Map updates itself to correspond to changes in Hogwarts castle? For instance, if a new wing was to be constructed, would the map be intelligent enough to adapt, or would it become obsolete?

Tim the Enchanter

I was going to say that I thought the map would adapt, but it was already proven that it does not. The passages that are blocked still appear on the map. I suppose one could argue that the passages are still there, and that is why the map has not changed in which case I will state me originally planned opinion. The map has the ability to adapt. At least when it comes to people, it knows names that did not exist when it was created. So if it can pull names out of thin air why not additions to the castle and grounds as well?

[Phoenix5225]

Additionally, the Room of Requirement does not appear on the map, because the Marauders didn't apparently know about it. So I'm going to say no, it does not adapt, only responds to what is "drawn" on it by its makers.

It probably would rarely be an issue though. I don't see Hogwarts constructing new wings on a centuries old castle unless under extreme circumstances (now has weird vision of the palace in Monaco for Hogwarts...).

[sajomn]

Additionally, the Room of Requirement does not appear on the map, because the Marauders didn't apparently know about it. So I'm going to say no, it does not adapt, only responds to what is "drawn" on it by its makers.

Although that is a good point, I don't know that it doesn't appear because they did not know about it. So much as, it does not appear because that is part of the enchantments that the room is under.

Sara

[Racing Co]

Well, I guess the map would have to adapt somewhat, since JKR stresses (particularly in the first book) that the staircases and connective parts of the castle moved around at will. Could the map adjust to extreme changes? Probably not.

That said, here's a related question...

With all the explosions and the like that happened to the castle in the Battle of Hogwarts, do you think the Murauder's Map would have retained its usefulness in the "Post-Hogwarts" era? Do you think there was enough damage to make much of a difference?

[PurpleTree]

With all the explosions and the like that happened to the castle in the Battle of Hogwarts, do you think the Murauder's Map would have retained its usefulness in the "Post-Hogwarts" era? Do you think there was enough damage to make much of a difference?

I think yes, because the castle would have been rebuilt. The extent of damage doesn't seem amazingly awful (it was only stray spells and a few giants, not bombs and dynamite) so I assume that they just would have used the reparo spell. (Perhaps there was a reparo maxima spell?) Given that Hermione has never mentioned anything from Hogwarts, A History, about the castle being "remolded" in some way, I suspect that the general layout is the same as when the founders built the castle.

Remembering that staircases do move about, and there are doors pretending to be walls and the other way around, I believe that the Marauder's Map did have the ability to adapt. How else would it know that a student had graduated or that new students had just arrived?

*ponders the possibilities*

[mudbloodproud]

I doubt the Map outgrew it's usefulness since JK was asked to which child Harry gave the map. I believe she made a comment that none but James had taken it out of his father's desk. So, we know from that, the Map was still able to be used after the Battle.

[Padfoot Patronus]

I believe she made a comment that none but James had taken it out of his father's desk. So, we know from that, the Map was still able to be used after the Battle.
But that only proves he took it, not whether it still works.

Remembering that staircases do move about, and there are doors pretending to be walls and the other way around, I believe that the Marauder's Map did have the ability to adapt. How else would it know that a student had graduated or that new students had just arrived?
Yeah, I agree with this. Actually everything depends on what charms the Marauders thought to use on it. They knew about the passageways but not the RoR which for the reason doesn't appear. They were Animgus so it appears they included the enchantment to reveal the real person and not just the form. I wonder though, if the map was modified could it now be made to include the features we fantasize? Hmm.

- Akay

[lupins_girl2006]

Hey there! So regarding the map, I think it wouldn't adapt to changes made to the school. Someone said that the map still shows the secret passage ways to Hogsmeade, but the book never mentioned whether or not the passage ways were blocked. Based on the fact that Fred and George had to point them out to Harry, I say that the map can not adapt itself because then it would have marked the passage ways as blocked.

They knew about the passageways but not the RoR which for the reason doesn't appear.

I think that even if the Marauders had found the RoR, they would not have been able to mar it down. The room was always changing itself to fit the persons' needs. also I always got the impression that the RoR was unplottable. Maybe this is because it's not mentioned on the map.

~Allie

[Karaley Dargen]

I really don't think the map would adapt either... Remus (I think) tells Harry that they created the map because they knew the castle and grounds so well after all their nighttime strolls. So obviously, they put down what they knew about Hogwarts and didn't create a spell to map the castle. Based on this, the map would always show Hogwarts as the Marauders knew it.

Someone said that the map would adapt because it also knows who goes to school and who has graduated etc, but that's not true - the map merely shows who is in the castle (regardless of whether they're students, teachers, visitors, intruders, under an invisibility cloak, ghosts, named animals, ...), and that's the spell the Marauders put on the map. Without those moving dots, it's just a plain map of the castle. I think the people-part is enchanted, but the castle-part is.. a map.