Chapter 40: Vast Magic

Everything about magic was fresh and interesting to Sheen, even History of Magic, which left the young wizards grumbling in discontent.

Sheen was more than happy to delve into the past of vampire hunters, to investigate the wrongdoings of these wizards who specialized in hunting vampires, and to explore why Article Twelve of the "Code of Treatment for Non-Wizard Half-Humans" classified such a profession as illegal.

The fascination of history immersed Sheen, a focus that lasted until nightfall descended.

Lying flat on his four-poster bed, the story of Giffard Olden drifted through his mind. He was a famous giant-slayer, a local hero for killing the giant Hangis of Banton, and one of the figures featured on Chocolate Frog cards. In the fifteenth century, compared to the present day, the number of giants was vast; therefore, people like Olden were needed to curb their numbers and protect the wizarding world.

Werewolves, vampires, goblins, erks, trolls...

Sheen couldn't help but let his imagination wander through the epics of wizards, envisioning them wielding wands and chanting incantations, embarking on magnificent adventures across this land belonging to magic.

His breathing gradually stabilized. The Hogwarts breeze, like an invisible hand, flipped the pages of *A History of Magic* to a page covered in Sheen's notes

[Miranda was a witch who studied at Hogwarts. Not only did she find the outdated textbooks of the time incomprehensible, but as the youngest in her family, her sisters also loved to tease her. Discovering that her words were difficult for others to heed, this angry little witch invented the Bat-Bogey Hex. She once used this spell on her sisters and vowed to write a book that was accurate and easy to understand.]

[Bathilda Bagshot's annotation: Magic always embraces the convictions of wizards. It is so generous to those who meet its requirements; any wizard can create such miracles.]

Sheen's own notes had been crossed out and revised repeatedly, leaving only three powerful words in the end

*Magic, Infinite Possibilities.*

...

Sheen had also fantasized about how he should cherish such an opportunity when a miracle like magic arrived. In the end, his answer was—well, I have to master it.

Emerging from the library once again, the weekend had quietly slipped away. Carrying a large stack of books, the moonlight was as beautiful as the night he received his acceptance letter. He could always understand why Hermione often carried so many books—because there was still so much left to learn.

Yet, his complete free time only allowed for a small weekend, which was barely enough for him to roughly sort through the history of magic. As for the brilliant field of astronomy, he had only glimpsed a hidden corner of it through magical history: Divination and Prophecy.

This led him to skim through all thirteen books on astronomy, eventually finding some clues in a book so old that Madam Pince had handed it to him with great solemnity.

"Wizards use astronomy to connect the universe to themselves and to find inspiration in magic. The magic that wizards most wish to explore always returns, in the end, to the vastness of the cosmos. Prophecy, fate, time and space... all eventually sink into the brilliant galaxy."

Sheen's passion flowed from within. As he read the words in the book, his thoughts surged like the flames in a fireplace: In the Forbidden Forest, there were tribes of centaurs who predicted the future by observing the stars; in far-off Azkaban, Sirius Black lingered in misery and regret—his name, Sirius, also known as the "Dog Star," corresponded to his Animagus form while also revealing his reliability and loyalty.

Sheen harbored a faint suspicion: the power of magic did not exist solely in bursting spells, billowing cauldrons, or magical creatures... It had existed for so long that it even transcended the history of wizards. And astronomy was one of the deepest parts of magic, so profound that it could be linked to words like "fate."

In Sheen's bag, the old book was kept carefully. During all his available time, he lived a life of constant shuttling between the practice room and the library, and the book he read most frequently was this old volume.

His only regret was that he could not fully understand it. Sometimes, waiting for the centaur teacher to come to class was an ordeal; Sheen even wondered if he could contact him in advance. And since Professor Snape stayed in the dungeons all weekend, Sheen had no way to brew potions.

But there were gains as well as losses. His spell proficiency had reached a brand-new stage

[Levitation Charm: Beginner (21/900)] [Lumos: Beginner (19/900)] [Scouring Charm: Apprentice (297/300)] [Advancement: Three beginner spells can unlock the "Beginner" title in the Spellcasting Domain] [Spellcasting Talent: Green]

Sheen took his wand out of his bag. His energy had mostly recovered by now. Taking advantage of the little time left before curfew, he arrived at the door of the secret room.

The moment the owl portrait appeared, a noisy voice rang out: "Little wizard! Clever little wizard! Answer my question!"

Sheen waited quietly for its question. Although Justin's attempt had failed, the owl portrait had already started turning a blind eye to their coming and going; even if he didn't answer correctly, Sheen could still enter.

"From the tranquil riverside walks the wise and beautiful Ravenclaw. Tell me, where does this lakeside exist?"

The pure white owl placed the parchment back under its claw, looking at Sheen quite confidently.

"The highland valleys of Scotland," Sheen replied calmly after a few seconds of recollection.

"How did you—"

The tiny pince-nez worn by Mr. Owl slowly slipped down. Its flapping motion froze, and the sky-blue door gradually revealed itself.

"Thank you," Sheen whispered before the owl portrait vanished.

What Lady Ravenclaw left behind might have been more than just that diadem. In fact, the location of Hogwarts, the name Hogwarts, and even the moving staircases were all related to this beautiful and wise lady. Her wisdom and philosophy were woven into the very fabric of the castle, so much so that even this wondrous owl portrait did not feel out of place to Sheen.

"We heard you, Sheen."

As soon as he entered the practice room, Justin and Hermione surrounded him, carrying magical lanterns. Sheen was somewhat surprised they were studying so late, only to see the expectant looks in their eyes.

"Alright, this is a story about the four founders..." Sheen's voice rang out steadily.

Justin said, "Cool," then lit his wand and sat around Sheen. Hermione also lit her wand; the two sat up straight in their chairs, their breathing slowing down.

"Godric Gryffindor. Regarding him, people believe he was born over a thousand years ago in some moor in western England. This moor was later named after him—Gryffindor Valley. As for Lady Hufflepuff, the generally accepted explanation is that she came from Wales, a place with wide valleys known for expertise in food-related charms. As for Mr. Slytherin and Lady Ravenclaw..."

(End of Chapter)