More on the Map (Re: [HPforGrownups] Some Thoughts On Some Stuff eg Sirius, Wormtail, The Map and more)

[Mary]

No: HPFGUIDX 45854

On Sun, Oct 27, 2002, evenflow200214 wrote:
> As for the Marauder's Map, is it possible that they were involved in
> Dark Magic to make it? The map almost has their personalities inside
> it with the jokes it threw at Snape... With that we saw, adolescent
> Sirius, adolescent Peter... The last time we saw something remotely
> like this was Tom Riddle's diary and we all know how he turned out... 

There's actual a fairly specific passage in PoA which I've always read
as trying to mislead the reader into thinking the Map is evil or
dangerous.

After receiving the Map, there are is a sentence in which Harry recalls
Mr Weasley's advice to be careful of anything that has a mind of its own
- and Harry specifically draws a parallel with Riddle's diary.

The description of his passage towards the witch statue that guards the
path to Hogsmeade is written as though Harry does not have a choice in
his actions - as though he is being controlled by the map.

I've always viewed these sentences as deliberately misleading - trying
to make the reader mistrust the Map when the Map will actually turn out
to be a product of friendly wizards (although the Map is morally
neutral, anyone can use it for good or evil as they choose, the twins,
Harry, Lupin, Snape and Crouch!Moody all make their own use of it).

It would be possible for these sentences to be read literally though -
predicting forward a few books perhaps, rather than what I suspected on
the first read, which was that they predicted that the Map was as
dangerous as the diary, and that this would be revealed in PoA.

-Mary