How Do I Make a Marauder's Map?

The Marauder's Map is one of the coolest items in the Harry Potter world. It enables Harry to see all of the secret passageways and trajectories of everyone within Hogwarts Castle and the grounds. Though you won't be able to recreate the magical properties of the map, of course, you can craft your own.

Preparation

The Marauder's Map should be made of a large sheet of regular or parchment paper. To make it look antique, fill a spray bottle with some black tea and spritz it all over the paper. Wait til it dries and then you can spray it more to achieve the desired level of age. Fold the paper in thirds or fourths.

Filling It In

With a felt tip marker or calligraphy pen, draw the Hogwarts castle and grounds blueprints on the map. You can use the official Harry Potter Marauder's Map for a guide, or make it up using the books as a reference. Draw the hallways, classrooms and people of the wizarding world walking around the castle.

Final Touches

To make the map truly authentic, add little notes from the mapmakers to the map, such as "Filch's Office: Stay Away" or "Use Lumos Here." Don't forget to write the mapmakers' names somewhere, either on the front or signed at the bottom: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Add the phrase "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" to the front, which activates the map's "magic." Finally, be creative and add more Harry Potter related insights of your choosing to the map.

References

• Monkey Do It: Make Maps Look Old

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish