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After leaving Professor Flitwick's office, Erwin walked toward the library, contemplating the conversation as he went.
The professor had helped him and shown him the path forward.
Magic was never something that could be reduced to simply chanting a spell and waving a wand.
Magic was mysterious.
Many wizards knew how to use it without understanding why.
They could cast spells without comprehending their true nature.
Of course, Hogwarts had never aimed to train elite wizards exclusively; it served the entire British wizarding world.
Generally speaking, professors didn't delve into these more esoteric matters.
Only when students asked did professors reveal deeper truths.
For most students, simply knowing how to use magic was sufficient.
But Erwin had decided to study the essence of magic itself and explore its more profound secrets.
To do so, he needed to begin studying Ancient Runes.
Arriving at the library, Erwin encountered the librarian, Madam Pince, a very stern witch.
Books were her life.
Her eagle-like eyes swept constantly across the library's occupants, monitoring everyone.
If anyone dared flip through books carelessly or make excessive noise, they would immediately receive her icy glare.
Erwin entered and found a copy of Introduction to Ancient Runes by Bathsheda Babbling in the general section.
This was the third-year textbook that would continue to be used through the fifth year.
For his current purposes, it would be perfect.
He found a quiet spot and began reading.
It wasn't until dinner that he reluctantly returned the book to its shelf and left the library.
'I need to buy my own copy. Coming to the library every time is too inefficient.'
'But I can't use Velora, that would be too conspicuous. I'll need to go to the Owl Post Office and borrow an owl. Still, I can't wait until then. Looks like I'm taking a night tour tonight.'
Erwin thought to himself as he walked, planning to return to the library after curfew.
As for school rules?
Sorry, but as a reincarnated individual, Erwin's philosophy was simple: as long as no one saw him breaking the rules, it was the perfect night excursion.
Entering the Great Hall, Erwin found that Cho was already there, having saved him a seat.
He sat down, and soon the plate before him filled with food, three or four times the amount on Cho's plate, piled as high as a small mountain.
Cho laughed at the sight.
"Erwin, why are you so hungry?"
"You know, reading is exhausting work. I just came from the library." Erwin spoke around a mouthful of food, his words slightly muffled.
"As expected of Ravenclaw's little genius. You earned Ravenclaw's first house points of the school year."
Cho teased gently, though she still poured him a glass of pumpkin juice to prevent him from choking.
Erwin rolled his eyes at her teasing but didn't respond, focusing instead on his dinner.
After leaving the Great Hall, Cho, who had no evening classes, returned to the common room with a few female classmates to play wizard chess.
The hardworking Erwin, however, had to climb to the Astronomy Tower for class.
Astronomy in the wizarding world wasn't much different from astronomy in the Muggle world.
Both used telescopes to observe the sky and study the trajectories of different celestial bodies.
There was nothing particularly magical about it.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Erwin, dizzy from staring at the stars, returned to his bedroom and threw himself directly onto his bed to rest.
'No, I can't be this lazy. I still need to go to the library.'
Erwin sat up abruptly, shook his head, and forced himself to rally.
He needed to master wandless casting as soon as possible; every day he learned it was a day earlier he'd be safer.
Most wizards were helpless lambs without their wands.
Whether they were captured, imprisoned, or something worse depended entirely on their enemies' whims.
Erwin refused to leave himself with such an exploitable weakness, which meant mastering wandless spellcasting had become a priority.
In the middle of the night, Erwin decided it was time.
The common room should be empty by now.
After preparing himself, Erwin cast a Disillusionment Charm and walked out of his dormitory into the common room.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed the space was vacant.
After all, there were still many Ravenclaws who loved reading late into the night.
Stepping through the common room door into the corridor, Erwin walked carefully toward the library.
He had no desire to encounter Filch and his cat.
Man and feline prowled the castle like ghosts at night, hunting for students who violated school rules.
Arriving at the library, he retrieved the book he'd been reading that afternoon.
After hesitating briefly, Erwin decided to browse in the Restricted Section.
After all, the Restricted Section was deeper inside the library.
If someone came to inspect, he could hide immediately.
Moving to a corner of the Restricted Section, Erwin withdrew his wand, cast [Lumos], then set his wand aside and began reading with genuine interest.
This book was indeed perfect for his current needs.
Ancient Runes were all magical symbols, and the analysis of each one could fill an entire volume.
This particular text provided a concise introduction to several fundamental runes and their applications.
Erwin needed exactly this sort of foundational knowledge about magic's underlying nature to expand his understanding of it.
At the same time, elsewhere in the castle...
"Idiot George, run faster. I'll mock you for a whole semester if Filch catches you."
"Stupid Fred, I was setting up a Dungbomb trap. Come on, let's head toward the library."
A pair of red-haired twins sprinted down the corridor, evading Filch's pursuit.
Not a trace of worry showed on their faces, only gleeful smirks at their successful prank.
They ran and joked, gradually approaching the library.
****
Simultaneously, Erwin's ears twitched as he emerged from his immersive reading.
'Someone's coming?'
After a moment's thought, his hands moved swiftly.
He extinguished the light on his wand, cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, returned the book to its proper place, and moved toward the library entrance.
Then he saw the Weasley twins running and playing like a pair of overexcited dogs, heading straight toward him.
Behind them came the furious roar of Hogwarts' caretaker.
"I know you're ahead! Don't think I won't catch you. I'm putting you in detention… A whole semester of detention!"
Erwin felt a headache coming on.
He'd never expected someone to lead trouble, Filch, straight to the library.
He'd planned for everything except these two troublemakers disrupting his perfect night excursion.
Still, he had no intention of helping.
The twins were already in their third year and had plenty of experience evading Filch.
They didn't need anyone's assistance.
'Well, I can't read anymore anyway. Might as well watch the show.'