Prank Theory! (was Re: Marauder's Map)

[melclaros <melclaros@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48787

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, alicit at a... wrote:
> melopomene's paraphrasing
> 
> "Lupin telling Harry that the mapmakers would "have 
> wanted to *lure you out*...*they'd have found it amusing*"."
> 
> OOh, I think this theory just got a little bit better.

A bandwagon!  

Well this is panning out very well, isn't it? No jumping at all! 
Let's do away with the paraphrasing though and move up a step to 
canon. Snape knows exactly where the map came from.
PoA British ed. Snape calls Lupin to his office on page 212 and shows 
him the map.
"Well?" said Snape.
Lupin continued to stare at the map. Harry had the impression that he 
was doing some very quick thinking.
*"Well?"* said Snape again <tiny snip> "Where do you imagine Potter 
got such a thing?"
Lupin looked up and by the merest half-glance ub Harry's direction, 
warned him not to interrupt. <small snip> "I imagine Harry got it 
from a joke-shop--"
"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a 
joke-shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more 
likely that he got it *directly from the manufacturers?*" (again, the 
italics are Rowlings.)

Me interrupting the gentlemen: I can't read this any other way. Snape 
knows exactly what the map is and where it came from.
So then Lupin pockets the map and is NOT happy with Harry and Ron on 
the way out of Snape's office:

"I don't want to hear any explanations," said Lupin shortly. He 
glanced around the empty Enterance Hall and lowered his voice. "I 
happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years 
ago. Yes, I know it's a map. " he said as Harry and Ron looked 
amazed. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, 
however *astounded* that you didn't hand it in." <snip>

 NOW FOR THE GOOD PART:

"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?"
"Because...' Lupin hesitated, "because the mapmakers would have 
wanted to lure you out of the school. They'd think it extremely 
entertaining."
"Do you *know* them?" said Harry, impressed.
"We've met,"....

Now that's quite a jump, don't you think? Snape "knew" he'd got the 
map from the manufacturers because he knew the function of the map 
was to lure it's reader out of the school? The prank thickens.

Melpomene tending her bunny hutch