Sterling had enjoyed a wonderfully peaceful sleep.
Originally, he had wanted to discuss "The Witness of the Author" more thoroughly with Vivian, but she had firmly refused. She believed that no one else should interfere with his understanding of his Origin Magic, as that would only harm his development. Then she had promptly kicked him out of the dream world entirely.
Thanks to her intervention, when Sterling met Hermione in the common room this morning, he no longer sported dark circles under his eyes.
"Good morning. I see you're reading again," Sterling observed.
Hermione was seated in the library area, holding a Charms notebook and studying it with intense concentration. Her own textbook lay set aside, as if she planned to copy the notes directly.
"Good morning, Sterling. I carefully read through 'Hogwarts: A History' last night and discovered something alarming. Oh my goodness, broken arms and legs are actually considered minor injuries for Hogwarts students!"
Hermione frowned deeply. Sterling took a moment to remember that this was probably because of his casual joke yesterday about Hogwarts not prioritising student safety, which had prompted her research.
Sterling felt genuinely guilty. He hadn't expected Hermione to take his comment so seriously, so he resolved to be more careful with his humour in the future.
It was the excitement of enrolment and learning new magic that had gone to his head. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so thoughtlessly childish.
"That's not really such a serious problem, Hermione. You can check the final pages of our Potions textbook. Such injuries are indeed not difficult for wizards to treat properly."
Hermione considered this carefully, then exhaled with visible relief.
She had, of course, memorised their Potions textbook completely, but since the healing potions described were beyond first-year complexity and difficult to brew, they weren't particularly helpful for current studies. She remembered the recipes only vaguely and needed someone to remind her before she could recall the details.
"But the injuries would still hurt terribly, wouldn't they?"
She paused to voice this objection, and Sterling nodded without arguing further. If the anxious girl wanted to use this concern to process her stress, he would let her. He was a mature "adult", after all.
"I didn't expect you two young wizards to wake up so early," commented a somewhat sleepy voice from nearby. A senior witch who appeared to have just awakened was leaning lazily against a bookshelf, holding a thick book under one arm.
She returned the book to its proper place and settled into the chair across from Hermione, pulling a newspaper from her satchel and beginning to read.
Sterling and Hermione exchanged meaningful glances. They felt this upperclassman was essentially ignoring their presence entirely.
"Oh, Penelope, reading 'Singing Against the Grain'?"
Another senior witch emerged from the dormitory area. She looked energetic and alert, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at Sterling standing near the bookshelf.
"Excuse me, but I need to borrow the Potions textbook from the shelf behind you."
Sterling quickly moved aside. After she retrieved the book, she sat beside Penelope and began reading silently.
"By the way," she turned her head toward them, "you two woke up far too early. Robert won't distribute class schedules until 8:30. Before then... your third shelf on the left contains first-year study notes. I strongly suggest focusing on Potions."
After delivering this advice, she turned away without hesitation. Sterling wanted to express his thanks but had no opportunity.
Following her suggestion, Sterling retrieved a notebook and sat beside Hermione. She made space for him so he could place his own materials on the table.
"How did you know I had brought a notebook as well?" Sterling asked with puzzlement. In his experience, her observational skills weren't particularly sharp.
Hermione was copying a lengthy passage without looking up, afraid she might make an error.
"Obviously, you were carrying it when you walked over just now."
Sterling felt something was definitely wrong. Why did he feel like he'd gotten significantly less intelligent? Or that his brain was responding more slowly than usual?
But that shouldn't be possible. He hadn't practised magic all night in the dream world yesterday, and even staying up late to study magic had never made him feel "mentally slower" like today...
After careful consideration, Sterling suspected this was the cost of using "The Witness of the Author".
After all, it was a prophetic ability. Compared to those mad prophetic wizards he'd read about in Magical History, this level of energy drain seemed quite reasonable.
Yes, Sterling believed his Origin Magic consumed mental energy. No magical gift would come with such a significant side effect on intelligence without good reason.
So Sterling decided to read something light and entertaining. He withdrew "Sailing with Vampires" and began reading.
He wondered which Ravenclaw senior had left behind the complete Lockhart series. Probably someone still in the upper years, since the latest book had only been published the previous year.
He had to admit, the stories were quite engaging, though the vampires' portrayal differed dramatically from what Sterling had imagined. For example, elegant vampires were apparently the rare minority. Most vampires were described as hideously ugly. The book claimed this was a common trait among dark creatures.
What a disappointment. Sterling's dream of dining with a sophisticated vampire count was completely shattered.
However, his other fantasy about seeing vampires sunbathing was back on the table. Physical ugliness was no longer a concern for that particular curiosity.
Just as Sterling became absorbed in the story, the sound of clapping and Robert's distinctive voice reached his ears.
"First-year students, all first-years! Come collect this semester's class schedule and a basic map. If you notice any of your dormmates are absent, please leave their materials at their door."
Robert stood in the centre of the common room with several floating parchments. One by one, the new students approached to collect theirs. Sterling noticed no one was missing. Apparently, none of his fellow first-years had the habit of sleeping late.
That was somewhat troublesome for him, since he usually preferred to sleep in whenever possible.
He hoped he wouldn't feel out of place in the future...
Sterling was about to retrieve his schedule when Hermione returned and placed one directly in front of him.
"Robert came out just now. I noticed you were so completely absorbed in your reading that I didn't want to interrupt you. Here are your schedule and map. But honestly, this map is really crude. Doesn't Ravenclaw have any seniors who are good at drawing?"
"Thank you, I think... well, you're absolutely right," Sterling began to defend the kind senior who had drawn the maps, but the moment he opened the roughly sketched map, he immediately stopped speaking. He couldn't in good conscience praise such artwork.
Penelope giggled softly, and the senior sitting beside her quickly held up her book to hide her grinning expression.
"Ravenclaw certainly has talented artists. It's just that they don't have the time or motivation to draw complicated Hogwarts maps for a bunch of young wizards. The school doesn't pay them for such work."
Robert's calm voice sounded directly behind Sterling and Hermione.
"The school deliberately doesn't provide students with detailed maps in order to preserve the traditional experience of getting lost in the castle. Though Professor McGonagall calls it 'the right of freshmen to explore,' that's the honest truth. The person who drew this map stayed awake all night so that Ravenclaw first-years would eventually stop losing their way around the castle!"
Sterling felt a terrible premonition. Hidden in Robert's blue eyes was something dangerous... like a lion preparing to pounce!
"May I ask who this noble senior is, selflessly helping us first-years?"
Sterling still harboured one last thread of hope, but Robert's response completely shattered it.
"That would be me. Robert Hilliard."
"We're so sorry!"
Complete disaster.
What could be more awkward than being caught discussing someone right in front of them? Even worse was criticising their genuine kindness directly to their face.
Hermione blushed deeply. Both she and Sterling had assumed the map was commissioned by the school from fellow students, only to discover it was purely volunteer work...
"Oh well, at least now I'm certain I have no future as a magical illustrator."
Robert sighed and settled down beside Penelope.
"When did you ever consider becoming a magical illustrator? I thought you always wanted to join the Ministry of Magic?"
The senior sitting near Penelope leaned forward with interest. Sterling was now certain these three were close friends in the same year.
"After learning that magical illustrators earn 500 Galleons for a single painting. That's considerably more than most Ministry employees make."
Robert turned toward them while Hermione smiled awkwardly.
"You probably don't understand what a magical illustrator actually does. The books sold at Flourish and Blotts rarely mention this profession. You haven't missed the portraits you passed on your way back to the common room last night, have you?"
Seeing both Sterling and Hermione nod in confirmation, he continued his explanation.
"Those portraits actually move and interact. Though they appear quiet when you observe them, that's because they're sleeping at the time... It's said that magical portraits represent a continuation of a person's life because they carry actual memories and emotions of their subjects."
"You both look completely bewildered. This is indeed rather advanced for your current level. Just think of magical portraits as expensive family heirloom luxury items."
Robert finished his explanation and walked away with his textbook. Penelope and the other senior followed him toward the portrait hole.
"They're probably heading to their morning classes," Hermione observed. "After the term officially begins, only first-years get two free days to settle in. Everyone else starts classes immediately."
Sterling nodded in understanding. "So where should we go now? Let's get some breakfast and then find Neville."
"After that, we can explore the library. Robert marked its location in red ink on our maps," Hermione added with enthusiasm.