Sterling stepped forward eagerly, not to steal the spotlight, but because he simply couldn't wait another moment to reach the dormitory and carefully examine his extraordinary new magic.
He genuinely couldn't bear to delay any longer.
Encouraged by Robert's approving nod, Sterling gently rapped on the bronze door knocker.
"What belongs to you, yet is always used by others?"
Sterling considered this for a brief moment before answering confidently, "My name."
The door slid open with silent grace. This time Robert didn't close it but looked at Sterling with obvious approval.
"You truly are a remarkable Hatstall. I didn't expect you to solve that so quickly. Though I wanted you all to experience the full Ravenclaw tradition, it's already quite late, and honestly, it was just a matter of time anyway. Let's get you all properly settled."
Robert led the new students into their magnificent common room, which was decorated with a distinctly magical atmosphere. The domed ceiling reflected the starry sky outside exactly like the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling. Numerous tall windows lined the walls, offering breathtaking views of the entire Hogwarts grounds.
The comfortable sofas and luxurious carpets were decorated in elegant shades of blue and bronze. A fairly substantial section of the room was filled with bookshelves of various heights and sizes. Obviously, this was Ravenclaw's famous private library.
"There are countless study notes from graduated seniors preserved there... It's a cherished tradition that only the top five students from each graduating class earn the privilege of leaving their notes on those shelves."
Robert noticed several first-years gazing longingly at the impressive collection and provided this helpful explanation.
"Well then, I suppose you can't wait to rest after such an eventful day. Boys proceed to the left, girls to the right. The room assignments are posted clearly at each dormitory entrance, and your luggage has been properly arranged. I trust I don't need to emphasise that boys are absolutely forbidden from entering the girls' dormitories?"
Seeing several new students nod obediently in understanding, Robert waved cheerfully and dismissed the small group.
Though called a 'group', there were actually only seven people total. Ravenclaw consistently admitted the fewest new students each year. Among them, four were girls and only three were boys, which Robert explained was already quite generous. Usually, there were twice as many girls as boys in their House.
Not only among new students, but throughout the entire school, Ravenclaw maintained the smallest population of Hogwarts' four Houses.
However, because of this smaller enrolment, Ravenclaw enjoyed many vacant rooms, allowing all new students the luxury of single accommodations.
Sterling bid goodnight to Hermione, exchanged brief pleasantries with his neighbours in the boys' dormitory area, then eagerly closed his door with barely contained excitement.
Sterling extended both hands outward and quietly activated "The Witness of the Author".
A thick, brown, leather-covered blank book materialised from empty air, floating gently above his outstretched palms.
It opened automatically to reveal the first pristine page.
An elegant black feather quill emerged from within the book's spine, playfully swirling around Sterling in graceful circles before hovering expectantly just above the open pages, as if extending a written invitation.
Sterling instinctively understood what was required. He grasped the quill firmly. Rich ink flowed from its tip, falling onto the waiting pages according to his focused will.
"Sterling Page"
The name appeared in beautiful, flowing calligraphy with two precise underlines beneath it.
The page turned automatically to the second sheet. Before Sterling could write anything further, words began appearing on the page entirely by themselves.
"Today, the long-awaited saviour begins the opening act of his destined legend. People cheer enthusiastically as the hero who defeated the Dark Lord enters the House, symbolising courage above all else. A most fitting placement, wouldn't you agree?"
"The hero spends his first night at Hogwarts conversing with his loyal companion. Yes, companion. Perhaps this particular ally possesses the potential to become one of the trusted friends who will gather around our hero, but currently he lacks sufficient experience. True virtues have yet to fully bloom within his young soul, so patience remains necessary."
"Incidentally, has our hero already risen to his full power and defeated the Dark Lord permanently? Certainly not. The hero remains a vulnerable, untested child. Though his heart burns as firm and brilliant as pure gold, unrefined gold cannot forge an effective sword. Fate deliberately places tremendous hardships in his path, commanding him to overcome each challenge, and only then, at the predetermined end, will he fulfil his ultimate destiny."
The flowing ink ceased its movement. The prophetic words on the page emitted a faint golden radiance before sinking back into the parchment, as if they had never existed at all.
But Sterling glimpsed several vivid, disturbing images.
The red-haired boy following Harry Potter was brutally struck down by an enormous puppet shaped like a chess piece. Harry held an indistinct figure that emitted threatening black smoke. A massive serpent rampaged through a narrow stone chamber while a determined figure pierced its head with a gleaming sword...
Scene after terrifying scene flickered rapidly through his consciousness.
"This is... the future? Am I somehow becoming a prophet?"
Sterling stared at the mysterious book in complete disbelief. Even within the dream world, wizards capable of foreseeing future events were held in the highest reverence. Though sadly, those gifted prophets rarely enjoyed pleasant endings.
Still, this harsh reality didn't diminish the incredible value of prophetic magic. This represented super-advanced magic that neither Lady Maleficent nor the Fairy Godmother could perform!
But... somehow the concept of prophecy didn't feel entirely consistent with the name "The Witness of the Author"...
After several minutes of contemplation, Sterling experimented by writing "Neville Longbottom" with the magical quill's tip.
Instantly, a new line of text materialized on the page:
"Neville Longbottom is currently whispering gentle words to his toad Trevor, but Neville greatly overestimates Trevor's patience. Trevor leaps under the bed and swallows a small insect."
The letters shimmered with beautiful silver light.
Sterling waved the quill deliberately, and the glowing letters floated directly off the page, arranging themselves neatly in the air before him.
He carefully swiped the quill's tip and erased several specific letters, then boldly revised the passage. The first half remained unchanged, but the second half now read:
"Trevor leaps directly onto Neville's face and bites his hair."
After completing this edit, the floating letters obediently returned to the page, now glowing with golden light, before disappearing permanently into the parchment.
Sterling scratched his head in confusion. He felt like nothing significant had actually happened?
He didn't particularly mind this uncertainty. Simply being able to perform any form of prophetic magic was remarkable enough. As for this strange editing function... perhaps it could assist him with the quill's writing capabilities, helping him meet those dreaded manuscript deadlines?
Sterling closed the magical book carefully. It transformed into swirling smoke, coiling around his hands before eventually vanishing completely into his body.
Oh yes, the dream world beckoned.
Originally, Sterling hadn't planned to visit the dream world on his very first night at school, but when he'd made that decision, he hadn't properly considered his magical abilities.
Sterling possessed a strong intuition that the origin of "The Witness of the Author" magic was intimately connected to the dream world.
And his instincts were invariably accurate.
As for which destination to choose tonight... Sterling looked toward his luggage, which had been mysteriously transported beside his bed, and withdrew a delicate butterfly brooch.
Compared to the strictly demanding Lady Maleficent, the Fairy Godmother maintained a much gentler disposition... at least she allowed sufficient time for proper rest after departing the dream world.
Most importantly, Lady Maleficent's dramatic fiery transportation couldn't forcibly pull him away from the Fairy Godmother's protective presence to continue relentless magical practice.
After carefully completing his thorough bedtime routine, Sterling pinned the enchanted brooch to his pyjamas and fell into peaceful, baby-like sleep.
Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room, a completely different and chaotic scene was rapidly unfolding.
Neville was crying with both tears and mucus streaming down his face. Harry Potter and Ron were frantically trying to pry the fiercely biting Trevor away from Neville's tangled hair.
Their fourth dormmate desperately rummaged through his trunk searching for scissors. In the worst-case scenario, poor Neville would have to sacrifice that entire clump of hair.
"Neville, what on earth is happening?"
Harry asked urgently while tugging at the stubborn Trevor, as Neville shook his head pitifully in response.
"I honestly don't know... Trevor just suddenly leapt onto my face and started biting my hair for no reason..."