Talk:Marauder's Map

Possessive form?

What's wrong with it? The Map is a map to aid a Marauder in his (or potentially her), ergo a "Marauder's Map". The phrase "Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers" would tend to give the impression that had circumstances been very different Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes would have had heavy competition in their struggle to obliterate Zonko's. HTH HAND —Phil | Talk 11:07, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

"The Marauders" is a plural term, referring to the group of students who created it (any subsequent student who might possess it is irrelevant). Since the subject is plural, the possessive needs to be, too; " 's" implies a single owner – s' is grammatically correct. --Cubs Fan2007 ^(Talk) 21:19, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

You're not actually reading what I'm saying, are you… The Marauders themselves (or JKR on their behalf anyway) named it the "Marauder's Map" meaning "Map for use by a Marauder when Marauding", and waffling on about whether we might think it ought to be plural is completely irrelevant. What we ought to be saying is that it might appear to be a grammatical error but is what JKR intended to write so is correct nonetheless: not "we know better than JKR who has screwed up again". HTH HAND —Phil | Talk 21:30, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

A ha, I see what you're getting at now. I just have a knack for grammar mistakes, so I never considered the use of "Marauder's" that way. But that argument makes sense. --Cubs Fan2007 ^(Talk) 22:10, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

Thank you, I do my best. —Phil | Talk 22:16, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

Marauder's Map

How come the Marauder's Map doesn't posses the location of the Room of Requirements? Matty Bond 02:39, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

I think the RoR works in such a way that someone who uses it can restrict who else has access, through the wish of making the room Unplottable. --Cubs Fan2007 ^{(Talk to me)} 05:40, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

It could also be that the Marauders never found the RoR, despite the knowledge they had of the rest of the grounds. Mr Norrell 17:59, December 8, 2009 (UTC)

Hogwarts is Unplottable

Hold on, according to the Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts is enchanted to be Unplottable, meaning that you can't plot the school on a map. If so, how were the Marauders able to draw the map? 98.182.42.245 21:16, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Being Unplottable, Hogwarts can't be located in a map, that doesn't mean it can't be represented in a map. -- Seth Cooper ^{(Owl Post)} 21:45, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Ah! It makes sense now, thanks! 98.182.42.245 22:44, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Plus magic work from the inside like the vanishing cabinets so it probobly work —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Platdragon (talk • contribs).

Up to No Good

Also, it is unusual that a map that normally appears as a blank piece of parchment (as it would have appeared while in Filch's possession all those years) would so easily have let its secrets be uncovered by the twin Weasleys. There is no mention of how they learn to uncover and cover its secrets, something even Snape cannot do when he later caught Harry Potter in the hallways late at night.

It would seem likely, or at least presumed likely, that the incantation to activate the map, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", is something that Gred and Forge would actually attempt, even perhaps as a joke. Filch, being himself a Squib, might not have tried anything, though he proably had an idea that it was at least some sort of aid from the Marauders to manage their mischief, or else he would not have kept it. Are there any thoughts on this? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dreamlight (talk • contribs) 00:44, 22 June 2009.

JKR revealed how Fred and George uncovered the Map's activating phrase in an interview. She said that when the twins experimented with the map, it helped them out, "flickering into life here and there" as they came close to the right words. ★ Starstuff ^{(Owl me!)} 21:59, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Article needs attention

I found answers to some common questions that come up regarding the Map. Does anyone want to work these into the article?

• F.A.Q. question on JKRowling.com — why Fred and George didn't notice Peter Pettigrew on the Marauder's Map, although he was at Hogwarts as Scabbers during the twin's first year, as he belonged to Percy before Ron
• F.A.Q. question on JKRowling.com — how Prongs insulted Snape through the map despite being deceased
• 2004 World Book Day webchat and F.A.Q. question on JKRowling.com — how Harry got the Map back after Barty Crouch Jr. had it

Also, the article needs some general clean-up and expansion, as there are gaps in the coverage, particularly in the "History" section. ★ Starstuff ^{(Owl me!)} 22:34, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

More plot holes

Okay, so it's really only one more hole. In Chapter Seventeen of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Lupin said he watched the trio head to and from Hagrid's hut on the Map. However Professor Lupin should have seen two Harry Potters and Two Hermione Grangers, as they had traveled back in time via the Time-Turner. However, I will admit that if the map's view only extending to the Forbidden Forest and school entrances, it would be possible that Harry and Hermione would not have been plotted on the map.

If you find this notable for the article, please add it. I'm no good at writing :( --64supernoob 17:37, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

It is possible that the Map could only render any single person a single time or it may only be able to show individuals that are in the same time frame as itself. Mr Norrell 18:09, December 8, 2009 (UTC)

Appearance in the Order of the Phoenix film

When is it seen? -Smonocco 16:29, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

That's what I was going to ask. I don't recall seeing it and I've watched that movie like five or six times. --Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 05:45, September 27, 2009 (UTC)

I think Nigel might have been holding it when the D.A. left the Room of Requirement -Smonocco 10:12, September 27, 2009 (UTC)

Is Nigel really holding the Marauder's Map? --ÈnŔîčö DC^{(Send me an Owl!)} 00:11, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

It doesn't look like the Map to me. -- GrouchMan (Send an owl then scram!!) 00:13, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm. Check this picture. In this scene, we have a very sleepy Filch sitting around the corner (not seen in the picture) and Nigel both looking in the corner and staring at that piece of paper, while simultaniously waving for the DA members to leave the room. I guess it really is the Marauder's Map, or why else would be Nigel looking at a piece of paper in those circunstances? --  Seth Cooper  owl post! 00:32, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, i got it. Probably to be sure that there's no other Hogwarts staff or other students on their way, and Nigel was appointed on that task. =) --ÈnŔîčö DC^{(Send me an Owl!)} 01:54, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

Game Maps

Would game-related maps be fittable to post here? Anticipating the questions, no I don't have them. :( I know that PS1 version of Chamber of Secrets has Hogwarts map in it, I think PC version has that as well, and the PS2 version has it. I think that PS1 version Philosopher's Stone may also have Hogwarts map, as well as the PC version. Heck! I think most the versions have some kind of maps before Goblet of Fire (excluding GoF as we know it's a stupid game).—Kaimi (999,999 CP/5 TP) 13:55, June 18, 2012 (UTC)

Plot hole

I saw this point raised on another site and thought I'd bring it up here in case anyone has any answers. We know the map shows the real name of an animagi even if the animagi is transformed, as it did with Peter. However, in all the time the twins had the map, with Ron at school with them, they never mentioned the fact that, every night, there were two labels in Ron's dormitory: Ron's own, and Peter. Perhaps they simply never bothered looking in every room like Harry did when he was thinking about Ginny, but this seems like an odd thing for Rowling to have skipped over, especially considering the twins had the map before the trio ever came to Hogwarts. Has she ever answered this question anywhere, thus making it a moot point, or is it still a plot hole that's yet to be tackled? 24.144.139.46 05:40, February 14, 2013 (UTC)