r18novel Chapter 12 First Visit to the Castle
Chapter 12 First Visit to the Castle
The library's oak doors closed softly behind the four. Karen walked in front, her dark gray eyes scanning the towering bookshelves.
"This way," Karen said softly, leading her roommates to a secluded corner. Four chairs surrounded a heavy oak table, on which parchment and quills were already laid out.
Wesley sat down eagerly: "Professor McGonagall wants us to write an explanation of Gamp's Law of Transformation, at least twelve inches long. I've never written such a long assignment before."
Fabian adjusted his glasses: "My mother mentioned this rule, but I don't remember the details."
Ernesto held his head high, his voice tinged with pride: "I have a collection of books on this subject at home, but..." His voice trailed off, "I don't usually read much of the theory on this topic."
Karen had already stood up: "I'll go find some reference books first."
His gaze swept across the bookshelves; his Eye of Truth allowed him to easily discern which books contained powerful magical fluctuations, though he didn't need this ability yet. Soon, he returned with three heavy tomes: "The Fundamentals of Transfiguration," "The Five Exceptions to the Gamp Law," and "The Theory of Magical Transfiguration."
"These should be enough." He placed the books on the table, then sat down and began to study them.
While the other three were still searching through the materials, Karen's quill was already moving rapidly across the parchment. His experience as a university student in his previous life made him adept at this type of assignment. He first wrote down the basic tenets of Gamp's Law: Transfiguration cannot conjure food out of thin air, cannot create real life, and cannot alter the fundamental properties of matter…
Less than half an hour later, Karen put down his quill. His parchment was already filled with neat handwriting, exactly twelve inches long.
"Are you done writing?" Wesley's eyes widened; his parchment had barely two inches of writing on it.
Fabian leaned closer to look: "Let me see how you wrote it."
Karen pushed her assignment over: "It's very simple. First, explain the content and origin of Gamp's Law, then raise a few related questions, find the answers in the book and write them down, and finally summarize your understanding."
Ernesto raised an eyebrow: "This...this is too much of a sham."
"Professor McGonagall assigned the homework to help us understand Transfiguration, not to make things difficult for us," Karen said calmly. "This method allows us to both meet the requirements and truly learn something."
Wesley slammed his hand on the table: "Genius! How come I never thought of doing homework like this!"
Fabian has begun to emulate Karen's method: "First write the definition... then ask the question... yes, that makes the structure much clearer."
Ernesto, though unsaid, quietly adjusted his writing style. An hour later, all three had finished their assignments. Wesley stretched: "I've never felt so relaxed doing homework."
"Are you hungry?" Karen put away her quill. "Let's go to the restaurant."
The dining halls at Hogwarts were always bustling with life. The four of them sat down at the Ravenclaw table, enjoying the meal prepared by their house-elves. Wesley, stuffing mashed potatoes into his mouth, asked, "What do we do next?"
"Let's explore the castle," Cullen said. "We've only been here two days; we don't know enough about Hogwarts yet."
Fabian nodded: "My mother said that Hogwarts has many secrets."
Ernesto scoffed, "Pure-blood children know these things from a young age."
Wesley didn't seem to mind: "Perfect, you lead the way?"
Ernesto's expression froze: "I...I've never been here before. I've only heard descriptions."
Karen stood up: "Then let's explore together. Let's start from the bottom and slowly move upwards."
Their exploration began on the ground floor where the restaurant was located. Unlike the morning when only fruit was inside, the portrait at the kitchen entrance now depicted a girl holding a pear, winking at them.
Karen remembered that the Hufflepuff lounge was near the kitchen, but she couldn't recall the exact location, only that the entrance was near a pile of barrels. The four of them searched the basement and found the pile of barrels.
"This should be the entrance to the Hufflepuff lounge," Karen said, pointing to the barrels, "but I don't know the correct order to strike them."
Ernesto frowned: "How do you know so much about these things?"
"I saw it in a book," Karen replied casually.
They continued their search and found the entrance to the Slytherin common room, a bare stone wall. Karen remembered that a password was required to enter, but she didn't try.
"Tomorrow's Potions class will be held here," Karen said, pointing to a cold, dark stone room. Through the window, one could see that it was filled with various glasswares.
The first floor mainly consisted of a lobby and a marble staircase. They encountered the caretaker, Filch, a gaunt man with glaring, cloudy eyes: "Freshmen? Don't let me catch you causing trouble!" His cat followed at his feet, its yellow eyes fixed on the four of them.
"We're just getting familiar with the environment," Karen said calmly.
Filch muttered and walked away. Wesley whispered, "He's scary."
The second floor had many empty classrooms and staff lounges. As they passed the infirmary, they heard groans coming from inside.
"Someone got injured on the first day of school?" Fabian pushed up his glasses.
"It's definitely Gryffindor," Ernesto said dismissively.
Karen didn't participate in the discussion, but instead noted down the locations of the History of Magic classroom and Professor McGonagall's office. Passing the weeping Myrtle washroom, they heard faint sobs coming from inside, and the four of them quickened their pace in unison.
At the corner on the third floor, they encountered George and Fred Weasley. The twins saw Cullen and immediately waved enthusiastically.
"Karen!" one of them shouted. "Cedric said you were the star of Charms class!"
Karen nodded in greeting, then introduced them to her roommates: "These are George and Fred Weasley, second-year students from Gryffindor."
"I am Fred," said Weasley, who had spoken earlier.
“No, I’m Fred,” the other retorted, and then the two of them burst into laughter.
Wesley asked curiously, "Which of you is George?"
"It's a mystery," the twins said in unison.
Karen ignored their jokes: "What are you doing here?"
"Let's find a new secret passage," George said. "Oh, and by the way, do you have Potions class tomorrow?"
Fabian nodded: "Yes, together with Gryffindor."
The twins made exaggerated expressions of fear: "Then you're in luck. Snape will spray all his venom at Gryffindor."
"He favors Slytherins," another added. "If you're in class with Slytherins, you're in trouble."
Ernesto frowned. "My father said Professor Snape was a powerful wizard."
"Powerful but mean," George said. "By the way, interested in a night tour tonight? We can show you the real Hogwarts."
Karen shook her head: "We've only been here for two days, let's familiarize ourselves with the locations of the various classrooms in the castle first."
Fred feigned distress: "Ravenclaw's caution! Fine, come find us anytime you change your mind."
After saying goodbye to the twins, the four continued their exploration. Outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, the door suddenly opened, and a tall, thin man stepped out. It was Professor Victor, the one from the beginning of the semester; his face was pale, and many strange black threads still swirled around him.
"Mr. Karen Hawthorne," the man called Karen's name precisely, his voice deep, "I heard you did very well in Charms and Transfiguration class today."
Karen nodded cautiously: "Professor Victor."
"I look forward to seeing your performance in my class," Professor Victor said meaningfully, then strode away, his black robe billowing behind him.
"How does he know you?" Wesley asked in surprise.
Fabian adjusted his glasses: "And how did he find out about your class performance so quickly?"
Ernesto lowered his voice: "Cullen, be careful. My father investigated his background and found almost nothing. All he knew was that Dumbledore personally hired him."
Karen didn't answer, but simply noted the detail. As darkness fell, the four decided to return to Ravenclaw Tower.
Back in the common lounge, the blue curtains and starry ceiling create a sense of tranquility.
Wesley slumped into his armchair: "I walked a lot today."
Fabian took out his textbook for tomorrow and began to preview it. Ernesto hesitated for a moment, then also took out "A Thousand Wonderful Herbs and Mushrooms".
Cullen stood by the window, gazing at the dark lake and the occasional giant squid swimming by. The first day of formal classes at Hogwarts had ended, but his journey had only just begun. The black threads around Professor Victor and his eerie attention made him uneasy, but now, under the warm lights of Ravenclaw Tower, he felt a long-lost sense of belonging.
"Karen?" Wesley's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Karen turned and smiled. "Just thinking about tomorrow's Potions class."
Ernesto looked up: "Don't worry, even if Snape is mean, he won't target Ravenclaw. After all, there's still Gryffindor."
Fabian said softly, "I hope so."
At this moment, Karen was more concerned about Professor Victor's special attention to him and the black threads swirling around him. Whatever that meant, he decided to remain vigilant.