A/N: It's been a while since I posted one of these. Creativity comes and goes, but I'm still intent on finishing this whole collection. As always, I don't own the Potterverse.
tidsoptimist - (n.) "time optimist"; a person who's perpetually late because they think they have more time than they actually do [swedish]
When the Weasley twins gifted the Marauders' Map to Harri Potter, they expected she would use the map to follow in their footsteps. Having long ago memorized all of the best secret passages the castle had to offer, Fred and George had lost most of their exploratory desires, and were quite happy to pass their great treasure along to someone in need. And oh, did Harri desire the chance to explore the familiar and yet still unknown. To become more familiar with the place she truly felt at home.
There were downsides, she later mused, to having a map that showed you all of the passages in the castle. For one, it strongly encouraged you to investigate all of those passages, and it was very easy to lose oneself in an ancient castle even when you knew where you were going. For another, the map did not mark the passage of time as you wandered the halls of the castle, leading to more than a few point deductions and unsympathetic encounters with friends when you completely forgot how long you actually had until Potions began, and got caught up in exploring rather than heading to the dungeons. "As if Snape needs another reason to dock points from me." And while she had not yet been caught out after curfew exploring, she knew that her luck probably wouldn't keeping holding as well as it had, invisibility cloak or no.
Her wanderings hadn't been all downside; far from it, in fact. She had met a Ravenclaw girl a year younger who also enjoyed exploring Hogwarts, and was entirely unconcerned with walking for hours at a time. Her new friend Luna also didn't question how Harri was able to navigate the hallways so effectively, though she did notice curious eyes glancing at the worn old parchment map. Luna had never asked about it, though, allowing Harri to decide when she would reveal that secret.
When that time might be, Harri wasn't sure. It would come sooner or later. Eventually. Probably.