My guess is, the intermittent one is H&C taking the appearance (and name, on the map) of students who are elsewhere to walk among the children, listening to rumours, maybe even talking to them. I’m going to assume he can disappear as well as change shape when out of sight, otherwise it would be too easy to track him down; plus, that’s why it’s ‘intermittent’.
The last chapter to me indicates strongly that the glitch is Voldemort’s spirit. Now you might ask, ‘wouldn’t George & Fred be scared witless by Voldemort appearing on their map occasionally and maybe even report it?’ But Voldemort is a pseudonym and the spirit would show up as ‘Tom Riddle’, as Dumbledore’s PoV indicates (notice Dumbledore has no problem saying ‘Voldemort’ in other contexts, but when he uses the Map, he asks for ‘Tom Riddle’).
Canon indicates that Voldemort’s origin is a secret: Dumbledore spends years digging out the link and the diary in Chamber of Secrets seems to think it’s telling Harry something good when it explains the anagram ‘Tom Marvolo Riddle’ = ‘I am Lord Voldemort’ or whatever. So the twins wouldn’t make the link.
What probably happened is they noticed the glitch—maybe it claimed Riddle was in the same room as them at some point? - and investigated carefully, not finding anyone where the Map said a Riddle was. Perhaps they did some more digging and turned up Riddle’s old school history as Head Boy etc. Naturally, they conclude the Map is buggy: ‘old students from half a century ago are showing up! Bugs in the Map are not good!’
Perhaps the twins were very careful with the Map, as would be appropriate for illicit tools of mischief, and never used it while they were in the same room as anyone else. It would be dangerous to do so, and their mischievous uses for it could easily work around such a restriction.
That, greater concerns, and a little bit of narrative/circumstance, could keep them from ever laying eyes on the people that corresponded to their glitches.
Perhaps the twins were very careful with the Map, as would be appropriate for illicit tools of mischief, and never used it while they were in the same room as anyone else.
Well, yes, so imagine their shock when after the usual precautions they solemnly swear and see a third person listed in the room with them.
That wouldn’t be mysterious, I don’t think. It would be shocking and frightening and frankly it ought to have happened at some point and the twins ought to have lost their Map because of it.
Or maybe they take precautions that would protect them against all the hiding tricks they know about and, you’re right, still encountered an extra name now and then. Still, I have a bit set that suggests the narrative would be more specific about that case, though I can’t justify it.
My guess is, the intermittent one is H&C taking the appearance (and name, on the map) of students who are elsewhere to walk among the children, listening to rumours, maybe even talking to them. I’m going to assume he can disappear as well as change shape when out of sight, otherwise it would be too easy to track him down; plus, that’s why it’s ‘intermittent’.
The last chapter to me indicates strongly that the glitch is Voldemort’s spirit. Now you might ask, ‘wouldn’t George & Fred be scared witless by Voldemort appearing on their map occasionally and maybe even report it?’ But Voldemort is a pseudonym and the spirit would show up as ‘Tom Riddle’, as Dumbledore’s PoV indicates (notice Dumbledore has no problem saying ‘Voldemort’ in other contexts, but when he uses the Map, he asks for ‘Tom Riddle’).
Canon indicates that Voldemort’s origin is a secret: Dumbledore spends years digging out the link and the diary in Chamber of Secrets seems to think it’s telling Harry something good when it explains the anagram ‘Tom Marvolo Riddle’ = ‘I am Lord Voldemort’ or whatever. So the twins wouldn’t make the link.
What probably happened is they noticed the glitch—maybe it claimed Riddle was in the same room as them at some point? - and investigated carefully, not finding anyone where the Map said a Riddle was. Perhaps they did some more digging and turned up Riddle’s old school history as Head Boy etc. Naturally, they conclude the Map is buggy: ‘old students from half a century ago are showing up! Bugs in the Map are not good!’
Perhaps the twins were very careful with the Map, as would be appropriate for illicit tools of mischief, and never used it while they were in the same room as anyone else. It would be dangerous to do so, and their mischievous uses for it could easily work around such a restriction.
That, greater concerns, and a little bit of narrative/circumstance, could keep them from ever laying eyes on the people that corresponded to their glitches.
Well, yes, so imagine their shock when after the usual precautions they solemnly swear and see a third person listed in the room with them.
The Disillusionment Charm is commonly known, yes?
That wouldn’t be mysterious, I don’t think. It would be shocking and frightening and frankly it ought to have happened at some point and the twins ought to have lost their Map because of it.
Or maybe they take precautions that would protect them against all the hiding tricks they know about and, you’re right, still encountered an extra name now and then. Still, I have a bit set that suggests the narrative would be more specific about that case, though I can’t justify it.