"We're here! This is the hidden room we discovered!"
After spending quite some time on the spiral staircase,
the section of stairs connecting the second and third floors finally turned, linking up to a staircase that was rarely used.
Not far ahead, Justin lightly tapped the wall and said excitedly:
After three crisp knocks, the wall—barely touched by firelight—revealed a painting.
"It was a coincidence that we found it… but after answering the questions in this painting, we suddenly entered the room.
Even though we have lanterns—Lumos."
Justin's wand tip emitted a faint glow, followed by Hermione's, which shone considerably brighter.
At that moment, Sean approached, his wand glowing like a small lightbulb.
"Oh, Sean…"
Justin whispered in awe, and the three of them focused on the painting.
The canvas was yellowed and cracked with age, but the figure depicted was not a stern wizard—it was a snow-white owl wearing a velvet vest and tiny pince-nez glasses.
It was using one claw to adjust its spectacles and the other to hold a rolled, ancient parchment.
"Look at what you're staring at! Owls are eagles too!"
Hearing its high-pitched voice, Hermione was the first to laugh.
Justin followed, and even Sean's lips curled into a small smile.
"Again with you! What are you laughing at?"
The owl flapped its wings, and Sean could almost hear the rush of air.
"I—I remembered something happy,"
Hermione blushed as she defended herself.
Sean couldn't hold it in anymore.
"What are you laughing at now?"
"I also remembered something happy,"
Sean whispered.
He never expected that he could see glimpses of past-life movies reflected in an owl.
"You're clearly laughing at me! You've never stopped!"
The owl flapped in exasperation, shaking the parchment beneath its claws wildly.
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"My apologies."
Before it could completely block them from entering, the three of them, holding back their laughter, sincerely apologized.
"You cheeky little wizards! If you want to enter, answer my question!"
It unrolled the parchment beneath its claws. Sean and the others weren't sure if the owl could even understand them,
but after a moment of choosing, it indeed posed a question:
"Hogwarts, peaceful Hogwarts… tell me, why was Hogwarts built here?"
Its head turned a full 180 degrees, and it asked the question with a proud stance.
Justin and Hermione froze.
"The question… changed? Wasn't it asking for Madam Ravenclaw's true name before?"
Justin could hardly believe it.
"Hermione, do you know?"
He turned to the brown-haired young witch for help. Hermione thought deeply for a moment, then shook her head.
"You little wizards, you foolish little wizards!"
The owl seemed very pleased, chirping with pride.
"It's because of Ravenclaw's dream."
At that moment, a discordant voice drifted through. Sean whispered it.
The owl stopped flapping, almost toppling over.
"How did you know—"
It exclaimed, then stiffly gave a small bow.
As it moved its wings, a crack appeared in the wall, revealing a sky-blue door. Sean turned the eagle-shaped handle thoughtfully.
Opening the door, they saw a wide, spacious room inside.
Some desks were scattered in the center of the room, covered in dust; in one corner, a massive bookshelf leaned precariously, most of the books scattered on the floor, their pages brittle and yellowed.
In another corner, there were oddly shaped instruments: a complex crystal lens apparatus and several glass cabinets with torn labels.
Other than that, the room contained nothing else.
"Sean, Ravenclaw's dream… what does that mean?"
Before practicing Charms, Justin couldn't help but ask.
"Legend has it that the location of Hogwarts was chosen by Madam Ravenclaw… Ravenclaw of the lakeside once dreamt of a wart hog that led her to the edge of a cliff, and so, a school was established here…"
Sean spoke in a storytelling tone, gently recounting events that had faded with the wind thousands of years ago.
Justin unconsciously leaned a little closer, his face full of expectation and wonder, and Hermione lowered her wand, her eyes sparkling in the wandlight.
The three of them gathered around Sean's wand, huddled together in the dark.
"Hogwarts, wart hog… don't they sound quite similar? Legend says that's how Hogwarts got its name."
"Wow—"
Justin exclaimed instinctively,
and Hermione had already covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"What a marvelous story, just like Peter… um, Peter what's-his-name…"
Justin frowned.
"It's The Tale of Peter Rabbit."
Hermione shot Justin, the spoilsport, a sharp look and replied, clearly annoyed.
"Oh, oh."
Justin scratched his head and gently lit the magical lantern.
After the enchanting story, the three young wizards faced the real magic.
The Levitation Charm—simple yet practical magic—
was one of the easiest spells for beginning wizards to master.
Yet, even such a simple spell could still be challenging for newly enrolled students.
"Failed again…"
The feather Justin had been levitating floated for only three seconds before dropping, clearly below the ten-second minimum requirement.
[You practiced Levitation Charm at Beginner level, Skill +3]
Sean shut out all surrounding noise automatically, as he always focused intently.
"Hmm…"
The feather in front of Justin drifted down slowly again. This time he held it for one more second, but it still wasn't enough.
[You practiced Levitation Charm with Beginner level Skill. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced Levitation Charm with Beginner level Skill. Proficiency +3]
"Fell again…"
[You practiced Levitation Charm with Beginner level Skill. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced Levitation Charm with Beginner level Skill. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced Levitation Charm with Beginner level Skill. Proficiency +3]
As he continued practicing successfully, gaining a total of 30 skill points, Sean felt his magical energy draining completely. His arms ached, and his breathing grew heavy.
Magic—well, let's just call it magic—was a wondrous force.
Unlike the blue bars in fantasy worlds, it manifested directly in the wizard's body, expressed as fatigue and a lack of vitality.
It wasn't some intangible mental energy,
but something deeply tied to the wizard's physical being.
It was, of course, recoverable, and even noticeable—
after all, being full of energy and being lifeless were easy to distinguish.
During this time, Sean noticed Justin's frustration.
He was trying all sorts of gestures to keep the feather afloat, but it either jumped up suddenly, wobbled in the air, or quickly fell again.