Thoughts on the Marauder's Map

[karywick <karenwickersham@ameritech.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51934

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tom Wall <thomasmwall at y...>" 
<thomasmwall at y...> wrote:
  something Harry had once heard Mr. Weasley say came flooding 
  out of his memory.
  *Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see 
  where it keeps its brain.*" [emphasis converted from italics]
  (PoA, US paperback, Ch. 10, 194)
> 
and later on Tom continued

a) Is it perhaps possible that the map was used by Lord Voldemort or 
> some other spy during the last (first) conflict, and:
> b) That it might have been tampered with somehow by a supporter of 
> Lord Voldemort, and:
> c) Can we safely assume that Lord Voldemort, via Crouch!Moody, is 
> *now* aware of the secret passages into and out of Hogwarts?

I agree Tom- there's gotta be more to the map that we'll find out 
later.  I think that the first quote by Mr. Weasley is a very strong 
hint to us that this map is not as innocent as it might have first 
been when it was made.  Maybe that's why it shows so many different 
things to different people.  This might also answer the question that 
was posted later (sorry I can't go back now and attribute it to who 
posted it) as to why didn't the makers go back and steal it from 
Filch's file cabinet.  Maybe it wasn't there all the time!

At that time it could have been stolen by a Death Eater and given to 
Voledemort to learn secret passageways or tampered with to give 
different information based on who was using it or enchanted in 
someway to help LV. I might not even be the same map- maybe there's 
another one that lets LV know where Harry adn everyone else is at all 
times.  There's no reason there can't be more maps just like the 
first one?  

Maybe this now tampered with map ended up back with the Weasleys the 
same way Scabbers / Peter Pettigrew ended up with the Weasleys?  
Using a pure blooded trustworthy wizarding family that no one would 
suspect to get items of Voledemort's dirty work into Hogwarts and 
into Harry's life.  Just an idea, what do the rest of you think?

Kary