That cold, deep voice seemed to penetrate Ryan's mind. That magical, alluring voice would be enough to mesmerize most young wizards. However, Ryan was clearly an exception. After a brief moment of confusion, he immediately regained consciousness.
Buzz!
He could clearly see the pendant around his neck gleaming with a dazzling green light. The sound wasn't an illusion—there was someone nearby!
So, Ryan jerked his right wrist. The wand from his sleeve swung into his hand, and he swung it.
"Protego!"
"Protego!"
"Protego!"
Three consecutive casts of the Shield Charm were enough to earn Professor Flitwick a sharp roar of praise. The Shield Charm—the most commonly used protective spell in the wizarding world today—is not easy to learn. Even adult wizards today might not necessarily master it.
However, Ryan, only a first-year—literally, today was his first day at school, and yet, he could already cast it, and successfully three times in a row—amazing!
But...
"Too weak!" Ryan was still dissatisfied. "The Shield Charm is weaker than the original 'Protego Diabolica'... oh, according to modern usage, we should call it ancient magic!" Ryan knew the prototype of the Shield Charm—the spell known as the Guardian Protection. He knew that spell, but... "My magic power is too low now, and the strength of my magic is too weak!"
He felt the invisible armor enveloping him. "Even with the triple Shield Charm, it can only resist a few spells from an adult wizard... Too weak!" His mind instinctively judged, and he lowered his body, scanning his surroundings with increasing vigilance.
Then he realized...
He didn't see any possible enemies nearby.
"Come, come..." The voice continued to enter his mind—and it was only then that Ryan was able to determine its source.
"Teacher's crown..." He was certain the source of the gloomy voice emanated from the Ravenclaw crown before him. Upon closer inspection, Ryan's expression changed instantly. His eyes sharpened, his expression icy. He had discovered something unusual about the crown—a sinister soul within. "The spell created by Herpo the Foul..." Ryan's voice churned with anger.
Yes, he recognized the item.
A Horcrux—a vile spell that voluntarily splits one's soul to evade death!
This spell originated with the ancient Greek wizard Herpo the Foul, who existed long before the Founders lived. During his travels with his four teachers, Ryan had heard they mention this legendary dark wizard. Slytherins had even delved into some of Herpo's dark magic, particularly the unique 'creation magic' that created the basilisk.
"A rooster's egg, incubated by a toad, and aided by a special spell..." Slytherin once described to Ryan the birth of the basilisk. "In alchemy, the rooster's egg symbolizes 'special new birth,' while the toad symbolizes 'change,' 'evil,' and 'immortality'—combining the two? A breathtaking creation."
Ravenclaw once commented, "Herpo is undoubtedly one of the most powerful Dark wizards of all time, but he's also a coward... Splitting his soul to escape death? A fool's act!"
This was practically the consensus of the Founders.
They all agreed that Herpo might be a powerful wizard, but the magical Horcrux he created at the end of his life made him an evil coward. They all believed that magic could not truly escape death, only prolong its existence. The very existence of that magic was a desecration of the innocent and an insult to the souls of noble wizards.
And now, Ryan stood before such a Horcrux, and it desecrated the very work that Rowena Ravenclaw had most cherished and loved.
To Ryan, this was undoubtedly an insult and blasphemy.
So...
"The Horcrux is still there, proving that the Dark wizard isn't completely dead yet," Ryan said softly. He knew, of course, that this Horcrux couldn't have been made by Herpo, but by some Dark wizard from a later era. "That's good."
The other party had crafted a Horcrux, desecrating Ravenclaw's relics, simply to escape death.
So...
"If I have the chance, I will find you—and personally send you to the place you fear most, the other side of the veil." His voice was low and serious. But then, Ryan realized that the diadem wasn't the 'treasure' Ravenclaw had left him. "Or maybe it's the treasure, but it's been destroyed by that damned dark wizard!"
The more Ryan thought about it, the more annoyed he became. What further irritated him was that he knew he didn't have the power to destroy the soul within the crown.
"It won't take long. Wait a year or two... When my magic is strong enough to cast a powerful Fiery Curse, I can try to incinerate the soul. Ideally, I can repair the crown." After making his mental judgment, Ryan searched the room again.
After confirming that he had found nothing else that might be a treasure, he took the crown.
"Yes, take it with me..."
"I've heard enough." Ryan, uninterested in the soul within the crown, casually stuffed it into his ring. He then chose to leave the Room of Requirement. But just as he opened the door and stepped out, he saw two dark figures stalking stealthily in the distance.
So...
"Stupefy!" Ryan, still on edge, waved his wand without hesitation. Then he heard two heavy thuds not far away.
Thump!
Thump!
The sound of them landing struck Ryan as familiar. He cast the Lumos spell and groped his way to the two shadowy figures. Their red hair shone brightly in the glow, clearly revealing their identities to the boy.
"..."
Ryan smiled and waved to the twins. "Hey, guys—long time no see, two hours or so?"
---
Ten minutes later...
"Ryan, that's not how Hogwarts students greet each other!" Fred rubbed his blue left eye, saying seriously.
"Right. We're all out for a night out. Even if we meet by chance, we should still greet each other in a friendly way...hiss!" George's swollen forehead made his words less convincing.
Coincidence?
Ryan glanced at the two brothers, unconvinced.
While Gryffindor Tower wasn't far from here, he'd seen it clearly—the Weasley twins were skulking around the Room of Requirement, clearly searching for something rather than simply passing through. However, seeing their injuries, Ryan tactfully apologized without further questioning.
"Apologies aren't enough!"
"We have to know—what was that room just now!?" The twins chimed in unison, their eyes brimming with curiosity.
Clearly, as Ryan suspected, they'd all seen the Room of Requirement. However, Ryan didn't have any intention to hide this thing. "It's a magical room..." He briefly explained the Room of Requirement, and sure enough, the twins' eyes widened with surprise.
"Cool!" Fred's mouth dropped open exaggeratedly, a comical expression complemented by his blue left eye.
"There's actually a place like this in the castle?" George's forehead didn't seem to hurt anymore, and he looked at Ryan with respect. "Ryan, you're quite the character—not only did you go on a night out on your first day at school, but you also discovered this place... How did you find it?"
Ryan evaded the question, simply saying he'd seen it in the diary of an older student in the family vault, and made a few perfunctory remarks. Fortunately, the twins clearly didn't care about his answer. They simply approached Ryan and said, "Are you still going in? Show us another demonstration!"
"Hmm..." Ryan glanced out the window at the sky after hearing that. "It's almost time—I'm planning on going to the Room of Requirement for some magic practice. Would you like to join me?" He invited.
"Magic practice?" The twins were stunned, then said with some hesitation, "At this time..."
"Indeed," Ryan nodded sincerely, a barely perceptible smile in his eyes. "I've read about a unique set of magical techniques in a spellbook, but I never had the chance to practice them in the Muggle world. Now that I'm at Hogwarts, I plan to put them to the test."
Hearing this, the twins were a little tempted. They were playful, lively, and fond of pranks, but had little interest in most subjects. But as wizards, who wouldn't want to become powerful?
Especially after meeting Ryan—even though it was a joke and a misunderstanding, the fact that a young wizard, just entering school, had easily defeated them twice in a row had had some impact on them.
So...
"Let's try it! / Let's try it!"
After the two brothers nodded in unison, Ryan stood in front of the Room of Requirement again. Soon, the door to the Room of Requirement appeared. Curious, the twins followed Ryan into the room.
And then...
"Merlin's stinky socks... What the hell are these?" Fred screamed, and George looked as if he had seen a ghost. At this moment, they saw that the room they were in was filled with densely packed things. They all appeared to be made of silver, inscribed with goblin writing.
But the key wasn't the goblin writing or the material, but their shape.
Something thick at both ends and tapering in the middle—the twins had seen it among their father's collection of Muggle artifacts. It was called a dumbbell. However, the dumbbells in this room didn't look as regular as Muggle items, and seemed quite ancient.
Besides the dumbbells, there were also some large and small, apparently very heavy blocks in the room. In the center of the room, there was even a circular running track. And now, the twins noticed Ryan had walked onto the track.
"Ryan... what is this!?"
"Huh?" Ryan glanced at the twins in confusion. "I told you, this is a place for practicing magic," he said, pointing to the dumbbells and blocks, detailing them like the back of his hand. "Goblin's dumbbells, each use restores your strength. Goblin's lead blocks, each one can adjust its weight based on your strength."
These were all genuine goblin artifacts, crafted by the goblins themselves, once upon a time by Gryffindor. Of course, the idea came from Ryan himself—he'd seen the children's version of the dumbbells at the orphanage.
"No! That's not what we mean! / No! That's not what we mean!" The twins said in unison: "We're saying... this isn't practicing magic at all!"
After hearing this, Ryan looked at them earnestly, "This is practicing magic. Strong muscles are the first step to becoming a dueling master! The great Gryffindor once said—if your body isn't strong enough, you won't be able to hold your wand and sword tightly, and no one will recognize your magical theories, or even have a chance to get them to listen to them!"
"I don't think Gryffindor ever said that!"
"No, Gryffindor really did." Ryan looked at them seriously. "I promise."
---
Author's note
Shoutout to Terrance Smith who has become the new member of the Patreon community! Thank you for your support!
If you want to read more chapters of this story, please visit patreon/achmz . You can read this story up to chapter 44! Thank you for your support!