Marauder's Map

[Matt]

No: HPFGUIDX 77818

mgborus wrote:

> > After the map has caused this much trouble and is 
> > somewhere among Crouch's posessions, ti seems 
> > unilkely that Dumbledore would have returned it 
> > to Harry.  

Steve/bboy_mn replied: 

> Well, you are right, what happens to the map never 
> appears on the printed page, but the map does belong 
> to Harry, and it's not likely something Dumbledore 
> would take away from Harry. Certainly, it's 
> something most students would not be allowed to have 
> but Harry is a special case. 

Agreed, and as someone pointed out in another thread on this recently,
it's also one of James's old things, which DD may feel a special
obligation to return to Harry despite its potential for use in
mischief, cf. the Invisibility Cloak.

As for "most students" not being allowed to have such things, we have
not really seen DD's attitude toward special magical objects being
held by students in general.  We've been given to understand that
Filch confiscates a lot of things, but I can only remember a few
instances in which DD has been involved with whether students can keep
such objects:

1) The Invisibility Cloak (given to Harry and returned to him when
mislaid).

2) The Time Turner (I can't remember whether anything is said about
his approval when Hermione recounts getting it from McGonagall, but DD
is at least aware that Hermione is using it b/c he suggests its use in
the Buckbeak/Sirius rescue sequence).

3) Magic carpets (presumably DD needed to approve the ban that, iirc,
is stated in Harry's first Hogwarts letter).

I'm not ruling out the possibility that the map is something DD would
view as a threat to safety in other students' hands, but I think it
just as credible that his laissez-faire approach would carry over here
as well.