Following the map filled with their seniors' thoughtful care, Sterling and Hermione struggled to navigate their way to the Great Hall and finally took their seats at the long Ravenclaw table.
"I didn't realise yesterday when we were following Robert... these staircases really do change positions constantly. And there are those things that look exactly like doors but actually aren't!"
Hermione rubbed her forehead in frustration. She had just walked straight into one of those deceptive "false" doors moments earlier.
"True, but that also means the map isn't particularly useful since it can't possibly mark where the moving staircases will lead at any given time."
"Still, without this map we wouldn't even know which general direction to head. So at least it's extremely helpful for us right now. Oh, there's Neville!"
Hermione had spotted Neville already seated at the Gryffindor table. He was enjoying a thickly buttered slice of bread spread with jam. Upon seeing them, he waved enthusiastically.
Sterling took a refreshing sip of cold milk and followed Hermione as she approached the Gryffindor table. The two young Ravens looked somewhat out of place among the sea of red and gold, but the Gryffindors didn't seem to mind their presence.
They were all far too busy with more pressing concerns...
"Hey George! Do you have any answers for the Transfiguration homework? I haven't finished mine yet!"
"Does anyone know the primary weakness of Devil's Snare? Forget about Transfiguration for now. Tomorrow is our first actual Transfiguration class! Let's focus on getting the Herbology assignment completed first!"
The atmosphere buzzed with frantic energy. Sterling observed this chaos with silent admiration.
Hermione pursed her lips as if preparing to voice some criticism, but Sterling quickly interrupted, preventing her from delivering lectures about "copying homework being dishonest" or "you shouldn't wait until the term starts to complete assignments."
Not even upperclassmen appreciated such moral speeches, let alone nervous first-years.
"Neville, how did your first night go yesterday?"
At this question, Neville's face lit up with genuine excitement. He spoke enthusiastically about the warm, welcoming Gryffindor common room and his three friendly roommates. Gryffindor maintained the second largest student population, so their dormitories housed four students each.
Upon hearing that Ravenclaw provided single rooms, Neville showed no envy whatsoever. He seemed to genuinely prefer sharing living space with friends.
Soon, Neville reached the topic of the "small incident" from the previous night.
"Last night Trevor suddenly bit my hair for no reason... so strange, since he's usually perfectly well-behaved and never bites anyone..."
Well-behaved? Meaning 'escaped twice during the train journey'?
Sterling was about to make this sarcastic comment when he suddenly realised a crucial detail.
"Trevor jumped onto Neville's face and bit his hair."
That was exactly what he had written the previous night in The Witness of the Author.
Sterling's breathing quickened dramatically.
He had been wondering yesterday why this magic carried such a specific name. Prophecy or witnessing future events might correspond to "witness", but why include "author"? Did it simply mean the magic expressed itself through books? Or that Sterling's writing represented merely a hobby?
It turned out "author" corresponded to this exact phenomenon...
Sterling desperately wanted to conduct an immediate experiment. He remembered the crude map indicated a restroom located near the Great Hall.
"Neville, Hermione, I need to visit the bathroom quickly."
Standing inside a private cubicle, the magical book materialised in his hands. The enchanted quill brushed gently against his cheek before settling obediently in his grasp.
So then, what should he write?
To verify that The Witness of the Author could actually influence reality through words written in the book, he needed to describe something nearly impossible under normal circumstances. Considering safety, it couldn't cause harm to anyone... ideally with some built-in delay so he might witness the magic working firsthand.
Sterling considered his options carefully and began writing with deliberate precision.
"An old, worn chair beside the Gryffindor table shattered into four perfectly equal pieces the exact moment Sterling sat upon it."
Nearly impossible to occur naturally. Breaking into four equal pieces represented perfect mathematical precision. No harm caused to others. Personal harm didn't count in his calculations. Delayed activation, triggered specifically by his sitting action.
Absolutely perfect! Sterling set down the quill with satisfaction.
He hurried back to the Great Hall, where Neville and Hermione were consulting their class timetables, checking which lessons Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students shared.
Sterling slowed his approach near the Gryffindor table. Indeed, one particular chair began drawing his attention irresistibly, creating an almost magnetic impulse to sit in that exact spot.
Coincidentally, a red-haired Gryffindor had just vacated that very chair, departing with another red-haired student who appeared to be his identical twin.
Sterling dragged the targeted chair beside Neville's position and sat down without hesitation.
Immediately, ominous creaking sounds filled the air as the chair crumbled into four perfectly equal pieces that scattered across the floor.
Having prepared mentally for this outcome, Sterling managed to avoid the falling fragments without creating a complete mess.
Hermione covered her mouth in shock, her eyes darting between the destroyed chair and Sterling's calm expression. Neville stared at his friend with obvious bewilderment.
"Sterling... did you just break that chair?"
Neville swallowed nervously, genuinely surprised that someone as slim as Sterling possessed greater physical strength than himself. He certainly couldn't break a wooden chair with his body weight alone.
"...It appears the chair simply broke on its own..."
"But someone was sitting on it just moments before without any problem, and it wasn't damaged when you dragged it over here."
Hermione had astutely identified the key inconsistency in his explanation.
Unfortunately, at this particular moment, her sharp analytical skills proved rather inconvenient...
Though his reputation had suffered slightly, nothing could diminish Sterling's overwhelming joy.
What incredibly powerful magic!
Hermione's logical objections only emphasised the true miraculous value of The Witness of the Author. Reality had conformed perfectly to his written words.
The chair had only broken when Sterling specifically sat upon it, so previous occupants or his dragging motion caused no structural damage. Yet it absolutely had to break when Sterling sat down, so regardless of any other factors, the outcome remained consistent with his written description.
Either way, this didn't diminish the magic's inherent "nobility" in the slightest.
This was magic capable of rewriting reality itself.
Sterling smiled with pure happiness but then noticed that both Hermione's and Neville's expressions suddenly shifted to alarm.
Then he felt overwhelmingly dizzy, as if the entire Great Hall was spinning around him like the inside of a washing machine.
Amid Hermione's and Neville's panicked screams, Sterling collapsed into peaceful unconsciousness.
The mental energy drain from yesterday hadn't fully recovered yet, and today he had expended even more magical power...
Excessive energy consumption leading to fainting spells seemed like a reasonable consequence, didn't it?