Chapter 33: Ravenclaw's Dream

“We’re here! This is the hidden room we found!”

After spending a considerable amount of time on the spiral staircase, the section of the stairs between the second and third floors finally turned, connecting to a staircase that was rarely used.

Not far away, Justin lightly tapped the wall and spoke excitedly.

After three crisp knocks, this wall—which had received almost no illumination from their light sources—unexpectedly revealed a painting.

“It was originally a chance encounter... but after answering the question posed by this painting, we suddenly entered that room. Although we have lanterns, still—Lumos.”

A faint glow emanated from the tip of Justin's wand, followed by Hermione, whose wand tip shone much brighter than his.

At that moment, Sean approached, holding a wand that shone as bright as a lightbulb.

“Oh, Sean...”

Justin whispered in admiration, and the three of them focused their attention on the painting.

The canvas was yellowed and cracked due to its age, but it did not depict some majestic wizard; instead, it showed a snow-white owl wearing a velvet waistcoat and small pince-nez glasses.

It was using one claw to struggle to straighten its glasses, while the other held a roll of old parchment.

“What are you looking at! An owl is still an owl!”

Hearing its shrill voice, Hermione was the first to burst into laughter.

Then came Justin, and even Sean’s lips curled upward.

“You again! What are you laughing at!”

The owl flapped its wings, and Sean could almost hear the rushing sound of the wind.

“I—I just thought of something happy,” Hermione defended herself, her face flushing red.

This time, Sean couldn't hold it back.

“And what are you laughing at!”

“I also thought of something happy,” Sean said softly.

He never imagined that he would see shadows of certain movies from his previous life in an owl.

“You are clearly laughing at me! None of you have stopped!”

The owl flapped its wings in a fit of pique, and the parchment gripped beneath its feet shook wildly.

“Sorry.” “Sorry.” “We're sorry.”

Before it could completely prevent them from entering, the three of them offered sincere apologies while stifling their laughter.

“Curse you, little wizards! If you want to go in, answer my question!”

It unfurled the parchment beneath its feet. Sean and the others weren't sure if an owl could even understand it, but after a moment of selection, it indeed posed a question

“Hogwarts, the tranquil Hogwarts... tell me, why was Hogwarts built in this location?”

Its head rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, and then it asked the question with great haughtiness.

Justin and Hermione were momentarily stunned.

“How did its question change? Wasn't it asking for Lady Ravenclaw's real name just a moment ago?” Justin found it hard to believe. “Hermione, do you know?”

Justin cast a pleading look toward Hermione. The small, brown-haired witch pondered deeply for a moment before finally shaking her head.

“Little wizards, silly little wizards!” The owl seemed quite smug, chirping incessantly.

“It is because of Ravenclaw's dream.”

At that moment, a discordant voice drifted in. As Sean spoke softly, the owl stopped flapping entirely and nearly fell off its perch.

“How do you know—”

It let out a cry of surprise, then gave a stiff, slight bow. As its wings fluttered, a crack opened in the wall, revealing a sky-blue door.

Sean thoughtfully turned the eagle-shaped doorknob.

Opening the door revealed a vast space.

Some desks were scattered in the center of the room, covered in dust. In one corner, a massive bookshelf leaned precariously, with most of the books scattered on the floor, their pages brittle and yellow. In another corner, several strange instruments were piled up: a complex set of crystal lens apparatuses and a few glass cabinets hanging with tattered labels.

Aside from that, there was nothing else.

“Sean, Ravenclaw's dream—what does that mean?”

Before they began practicing spells, Justin couldn't resist asking the question.

“Legend has it that the location of Hogwarts was decided by Lady Ravenclaw... Ravenclaw of the lakeside. She once dreamed of a wart hog that led her to the edge of a cliff; therefore, a school was established here...”

Sean recounted the events that had vanished with the wind a thousand years ago in a storytelling tone.

Justin couldn't help but lean a little closer to Sean, his face full of anticipation and wonder. Hermione also lowered her wand, her eyes sparkling in the glow. The three of them huddled together around Sean's wand in the dark environment.

“Hogwarts and wart hog... aren't they very similar? Legend says that is the origin of the name Hogwarts.”

“Whoa—” Justin exclaimed instinctively, while Hermione had already covered her mouth.

“What a wonderful story, just like Peter, um, Peter something...” Justin frowned.

“It's *The Tales of Beedle the Bard*,” Hermione replied irritably, giving the spoilsport Justin a glare.

“Oh, right.” Justin scratched his head and gently lit the magical lantern.

Once the wonderful story ended, what the three young wizards had to face was wonderful magic.

The Levitation Charm—a simple and practical spell, it is one of the easiest spells for young wizards to master in their early stages. However, even a spell this simple remains a challenge for newly enrolled students.

“Failed again...”

The feather Justin was carrying fell after floating for only three seconds, clearly failing to reach the minimum requirement of ten seconds.

【You practiced the Levitation Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】

Sean automatically blocked out the surrounding sounds; he had always been focused.

“Ugh...”

The feather in front of Justin drifted down slowly once more. This time he lasted one second longer, but it was still not enough.

【You practiced the Levitation Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】 【You practiced the Levitation Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】

“It fell again...”

【You practiced the Levitation Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】 【You practiced the Levitation Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】 【You practiced the Levitation Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】

Through continuous successful practice, while gaining 30 points of proficiency, Sean felt his magic being completely depleted. His arms became very sore, and his breathing grew quite rapid.

Magic—well, let's call it magic for now—was a miraculous existence. Unlike the "blue bar" in fantasy worlds, it manifests directly in the wizard, appearing as fatigue and a lack of energy. It wasn't something elusive like spiritual power, but was closely related to the wizard's physical body. However, it was clearly recoverable; one could even feel the difference, as being full of energy and being deathly exhausted are easy to distinguish.

During this time, Sean noticed the distressed Justin. He was changing various hand gestures, attempting to keep the feather floating, but unfortunately, the feather would either suddenly spring up or float erratically before rapidly falling.