"Here it is—the hidden room we found!"
After a long climb up the shifting staircases, the steps from the second to the third floor finally aligned with a rarely connected platform.
Not far off, Justin tapped lightly on the wall, his voice buzzing with excitement. After three crisp knocks, a painting emerged from the dimly lit stone, untouched by the flicker of torchlight.
"We stumbled across it by chance," Justin explained. "But once we answered the painting's question, we got into the room. There are lanterns inside, but—Lumos."
A faint glow sparked from the tip of Justin's wand. Hermione followed, her wand glowing noticeably brighter. Then Sean raised his wand, its light shining as bright as a lightbulb.
"Blimey, Sean…" Justin muttered in awe.
The trio turned their attention to the painting. The canvas was yellowed and cracked with age, but instead of a stern wizard, it depicted a snow-white owl wearing a velvet vest and tiny pince-nez glasses. One claw struggled to adjust the glasses while the other clutched an old parchment scroll.
"What are you staring at? An owl is an eagle too!"
The owl's shrill voice made Hermione burst into giggles. Justin joined in, and even Sean's lips curved into a smile.
"You're laughing at me!" the owl squawked, flapping its wings so vigorously Sean could almost hear the whoosh of air.
"I—I just thought of something funny," Hermione said, her face flushed as she tried to explain.
Sean couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"And what are you laughing at?" the owl demanded.
"Something funny came to mind," Sean replied softly.
He hadn't expected to see echoes of a movie from his past life in this owl's indignant demeanor.
"You're clearly mocking me! You haven't stopped!" The owl flapped furiously, its parchment shaking wildly.
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"Apologies."
Before the owl could bar their entry entirely, the trio stifled their laughter and offered sincere apologies.
"Pesky little witches and wizards," the owl huffed. "If you want to get in, answer my question!"
It unfurled the parchment with a flourish—though whether an owl could actually read was anyone's guess—and after a moment of deliberation, it posed its question:
"Hogwarts, serene Hogwarts… Tell me, why was this location chosen for Hogwarts?"
Its head swiveled a full 180 degrees, and it asked the question with an air of smug superiority.
Justin and Hermione froze.
"The question changed?" Justin said, incredulous. "Wasn't it asking about Rowena Ravenclaw's real name before?"
"Hermione, do you know?" Justin turned to her, hopeful.
The bushy-haired witch furrowed her brow, thinking hard, but ultimately shook her head.
"Foolish little witches and wizards!" the owl crowed, chattering triumphantly.
"Because of Ravenclaw's dream," Sean said quietly.
The owl stopped flapping and nearly fell off its perch. "How did you—?"
It let out a startled squawk, then gave a stiff little bow. With a wave of its wings, a crack appeared in the wall, revealing a sky-blue door. Sean thoughtfully turned the eagle-shaped handle.
Inside was a spacious room. Dusty desks were scattered in the center, while a massive, slanted bookshelf stood in one corner, most of its books spilled onto the floor with brittle, yellowed pages. In another corner were strange contraptions: a complex crystal lens device and a few glass cabinets with tattered labels. Beyond that, the room was bare.
"Sean, what did you mean by 'Ravenclaw's dream'?" Justin asked before they started practicing charms.
"Legend has it that Rowena Ravenclaw chose the location for Hogwarts," Sean began, his voice soft and storytelling. "Rowena, who came from a glen, dreamt of a warty hog that led her to a cliff's edge. And so, a school was founded there."
Justin leaned closer, his face alight with wonder, while Hermione lowered her wand, her eyes sparkling in the wandlight. The three huddled around Sean's glowing wand in the dim room.
"Hogwarts—wart hog. Sound similar? That's said to be the origin of the name," Sean added.
"Wow!" Justin gasped.
Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth.
"What a magical story," Justin said. "It's like something out of Peter… uh, Peter something…"
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard," Hermione snapped, glaring at Justin for ruining the moment.
"Oh, right," Justin mumbled, scratching his head as he lit a magical lantern.
With the enchanting story over, the three young witches and wizards turned to an equally enchanting task: magic.
The Levitation Charm, a simple yet practical spell, was one of the easiest for young witches and wizards to master. But even so, it posed a challenge for first-years.
"Failed again…"
Justin's feather floated for three seconds before falling, far short of the ten-second minimum.
[You practiced the Levitation Charm at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
Sean tuned out the surrounding noise, his focus unwavering.
"Ugh…"
Justin's feather drifted down again, this time lasting a second longer but still not enough.
[You practiced the Levitation Charm at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced the Levitation Charm at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
"It fell again…"
[You practiced the Levitation Charm at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced the Levitation Charm at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced the Levitation Charm at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
With consistent practice, Sean gained 30 proficiency points, but his magical energy—call it magic, for lack of a better term—was drained. His arms ached, and his breathing grew heavy.
Magic was a curious thing. Unlike a fantasy game's mana bar, it manifested physically in a wizard—through fatigue and a lack of energy. It wasn't some intangible mental force but something tied to the wizard's body.
Still, it was recoverable, and the difference between feeling vibrant and utterly drained was easy to sense.
During this time, Sean noticed Justin's frustration. He was trying every wand gesture imaginable to keep his feather aloft, but it either shot up too fast or wobbled unsteadily before plummeting.