Time flew by, and one afternoon, Aiden was on his way to the Room of Requirement as usual. As he stepped onto the eighth-floor corridor, he saw a familiar figure sitting on a windowsill, looking out at the bright blue sky. Aiden could clearly read a faint aura of sadness clinging to her.
"Arsesi, what's wrong?" he asked, walking over. "You seem very sad."
"Oh, Aiden," she said, managing a forced smile. "It's nothing. I just wanted to look at the sky."
"Tell me what's bothering you," he insisted gently. "Your expression is too obvious; your worries are written all over your face." He waved a hand in front of her eyes.
Arsesi hugged her legs tightly and spoke, her voice small. "It seems... I don't get along very well with my roommates." The blue hue of melancholy around her intensified.
"They bullied you," Aiden stated simply.
"Hey! How did you know?" she pouted, turning her head away. "Are you reading my mind?"
"So, why not tell me about them?" Aiden took a book from his robes, transfigured it into a comfortable chair with a flick of his wand, and sat down beside her, his beautiful heterochromatic eyes fixed on her.
"Oh, it's just the usual things," she sighed. "Pure-blood arrogance, looking down on everyone else... I was excluded because I spoke up for a half-blood wizard."
"And what do you think? Are you eager to join them now?" Aiden asked with a small smile.
"How could I?" she glared, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster hiding nuts. "I was bullied by them before. How could I possibly bully others now?"
"Good," Aiden said, standing up. "Come with me."
He led her to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls. Walking back and forth three times while concentrating, he summoned the hidden door to the Room of Requirement. Inside, the room had transformed into a huge, empty dueling hall.
"Wow," Arsesi exclaimed. "I had no idea a place like this was hidden in the school."
"This is a secret room left by Rowena Ravenclaw," Aiden explained. "If you think of the room you need, you can get here by walking back and forth three times outside the tapestry." As he spoke, he drew his black walnut wand and pointed it at her. "Come on, my lady. Since you cannot integrate into Slytherin with your ideals, why not conquer it with your strength?"
Arsesi drew her own wand, a new fire in her eyes. "I couldn't ask for more." She raised her wand. "Densaugeo!"
A jet of light shot toward Aiden.
"Too slow." He took a single, casual step to the left, and the spell flew harmlessly past him.
"Densaugeo! Densaugeo! Densaugeo!" Arsesi continued to attack, but Aiden dodged each spell with ease.
"Why is it always that one spell?" he asked, a little confused.
"Because it's the only one I know," she gasped, putting her hands on her hips and panting heavily. The continuous spellcasting had drained her energy.
"I didn't think that through," Aiden said, slapping his forehead. "Alright, I have a rough idea of your level now." He pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and began to write on it with his wand. "Let's see... The Compendium of Spell Theory, 101 Practical Combat Tips, The Standard Book of Spells... and so on..."
After finishing, he handed the long list to Arsesi, along with a thick book he'd pulled from his pocket. "You have to finish reading all of these within a month," he said with a wink. "If you can do it, I'll have a surprise for you."
"So many? In just one month? Are you serious?" Arsesi stared at the list, dumbfounded.
"Of course," Aiden smiled. "And each one requires a one-inch review."
"I can't do it," she said, giving up completely. "Just kill me now."
"Oh? So you're admitting that a little witch from the Greengrass family isn't as good as other little witches?" Aiden used a bit of reverse psychology, subtly amplifying her competitive spirit with his power.
"Hmph! Who said that?" Arsesi snatched the book and the list from his hands. "It's just a few books and some reviews. I'll write them." She clutched her new assignments and began her month-long journey of intense study.
Aiden walked out of the Room of Requirement feeling refreshed. "Heh, it feels so good to bully a newbie," he mused. "No wonder some masters always like to go fishing in the low-level games."
On the other side of the castle, Harry had recently acquired a new problem: a fan.
That day, Harry was eating at the Gryffindor table as usual when a bright flash illuminated his face.
"Hi, Harry! I'm Colin Creevey! I'm in Gryffindor, too!" A small, freckled boy was standing in front of him, holding an old-fashioned camera.
"Hi, nice to meet you," Harry replied.
"Oh, look, could you ask your friend to take a picture of us together? I want to send it to my dad. My family are all Muggles, and I had no idea magic could do so many things until I came to Hogwarts!"
Ron took the camera, and Harry and Colin stood together. But as expected, an accident was about to happen.
"Oh, look what I've found!" a booming voice declared. "A young wizard wants a photo with a celebrity, but how could such an occasion be complete without me?" Gilderoy Lockhart appeared, dressed in flamboyant robes and flashing his shiny teeth. "I am, after all, the recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, an honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League, and a five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."
He gave Ron a wink, and Ron made a gagging face at Hermione.
"Oh, well, we must save time. I still have to reply to my fan mail later," Lockhart said, throwing his arms around Harry and Colin. The photo was taken just as Colin looked up in a daze. "Alright, let me give you an autograph." Lockhart took the photo and signed his enormous name right across it, completely obscuring Harry and Colin's faces.
"Oh, and by the way, Harry," he said conspiratorially. "As someone who's been there, let me give you some advice: don't become famous too early. There will be plenty of opportunities to sign autographs when you're older." And with that, Lockhart and his gleaming teeth disappeared.
"Oh, what a waste," Colin said, looking dejectedly at the ruined photo. "I've wasted a whole roll of film."
"It's okay, you can take another one," Hermione suggested.
"What's all this? Doing something interesting?" a pleasant voice asked from behind them.
"Aiden!" Ron recognized him at once.
"A Muggle camera?" Aiden observed. "How about trying one from the wizarding world?"
"The wizarding world has cameras?" Colin asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"Of course." Aiden took out a smooth, crystalline stone and handed it to him.
"Cool!" Colin exclaimed.
"How do you use this thing?" Ron asked.
"You should learn about it," Aiden said, pushing up his monocle. "The Weasley family has a stake in this technology." He turned to Colin. "Would you like me to take a photo of you and Harry?"
"Yes, please!"
Aiden directed the two of them to stand still and pointed the crystal at them. A soft light flashed, and an image of the two boys appeared within the stone.
"Now," Aiden said, handing the crystal to Colin, "try injecting a little magic into it."
Colin did as he was told, and a fluorescent light projected into the air above the crystal. It was a perfect, three-dimensional image of him and Harry, and it could even move.
"Awesome!" Colin exclaimed again, completely mesmerized.
***********
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