After dinner, Ian headed straight to the library and then returned to the Ravenclaw common room. He approached the enchanted bronze eagle knocker, prepared for the inevitable challenge.
"Prove the Riemann Hypothesis."
The eagle's voice rang out with smug satisfaction. After an entire night of stubbornly presenting impossible riddles, it showed no signs of relenting.
Thankfully, this time Ian was in luck. Just as a younger student stepped out, Ian seized the opportunity to slip inside. The eagle's beady bronze eyes gleamed with resentment, but it had no choice but to let him through.
"Ian, I want to learn the steak spell!"
Before Ian could even catch his breath, Michael Corner bounded over, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"What steak spell?"
He thought Michael had somehow stumbled upon the secret of the house-elves.
"Today, a Gryffindor student flubbed a syllable while casting the Levitation Charm and ended up summoning a wild bull right into the Gryffindor common room!"
"Blimey! Now that's the kind of magic we should be learning! Just think, endless steak for life!" Michael's eyes gleamed with exaggerated longing.
"!!!!!!!"
Ian had heard of accidental spellcasting incidents before, but he hadn't expected to witness such a ridiculous one at Hogwarts.
"Give me a bit of time to look into it. I've been thinking about something like this for a while now," Ian mused.
"Didn't you ask that Gryffindor student how he did it?" Ian was even tempted to investigate himself, but Michael sighed.
"He has no clue how he managed it. Now, the whole Gryffindor common room is trying to recreate it. Even Professor McGonagall couldn't get things under control."
Michael's words made Ian silently bemoan his bad luck.
"I'm confident I can figure it out eventually, but not tonight. Tonight, I'm planning to teach you lot a harmless little Jinx instead." Ian's words instantly sparked Michael's interest.
"Ian's teaching us dark magic! Quick! Everyone come here!"
Michael's excited shouting quickly gathered a crowd.
Jinxes did technically fall under the category of dark magic, but they were minor spells at most. Many were even part of the standard Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum.
Of course, Michael's phrasing could lead people to believe Ian was about to teach the Unforgivable Curses, and the Ravenclaws were certainly eager enough to learn. Upper-year students soon gathered around, jokingly debating which curse Ian would demonstrate first.
"I'm teaching the Leg-Locker Curse," Ian announced.
Groans of disappointment echoed through the common room, but the prospect of learning something new quickly softened their complaints. Ian slipped naturally into the role of a professor, even awarding a few imaginary house points to the most enthusiastic participants.
The atmosphere soon grew lively as the students practiced the spell, laughter ringing out as legs stiffened and bodies toppled over. Ian watched with amusement as his fellow students struggled. Some even tried to crawl across the floor, much to the delight of the others.
"Finite Incantatem!"
Ian flicked his wand, releasing the spells in a single, practiced motion. Seeing everyone flailing about like overturned tortoises, he had seized the opportunity to perfect his counter-spell.
By the time anyone grew suspicious of his spell mastery, Ian would already be confident enough to brush aside any doubts.
"That was brilliant!"
"Merlin's beard, Ian! That looked cooler than my brother's dueling practice!"
"Even the way he holds his wand is impressive!"
Amidst the chorus of admiration, Ian concluded the impromptu lesson with satisfaction. Rather than retreating to his dormitory, he wandered to the small bookshelf in the common room.
''The Legend of Merlin''
It was a biographical tale, more a fantastical retelling than an accurate historical account. Still, the adventure-filled pages held a certain charm, offering Ian a pleasant escape.
"Some people's lives really are more fantastical than fiction," he murmured, turning another page.
The crackling fireplace kept him warm as he read, the common room gradually emptying as his fellow students retired to their dormitories. Lost in the twisting tales of Merlin, Ian hardly noticed the passing of time.
The night deepened, and the silver light spilled in. The Ravenclaw common room appeared particularly tranquil and mysterious under the gentle caress of the moonlight, with the warm fireplace shielding Ian from the biting cold outside. Sitting on the sofa by the hearth, he could clearly feel the warmth rising from his feet and gradually spreading throughout his body.
The fireplace certainly had enchantments woven into it, making it comparable to a six-wizard heating charm, and it was marvelously efficient.
"Morgan... and King Arthur..." Ian's whispers echoed softly in the common room, carrying a hint of unexplainable nostalgia and sentiment.
Time passed, second by second.
When midnight arrived, Helena Ravenclaw appeared as promised, looking rather unaccustomed to this clandestine rendezvous. She glanced around as she floated through the wall into the common room, resembling a thief caught in the act.
"I never thought I would come to find a little wizard in the middle of the night, especially a boy," Helena Ravenclaw remarked, observing Ian, who was reading by the fireplace.
Ian looked up at her, his expression amused.
"Does it make you feel guilty?" Ian teased lightly.
"To be honest, a little." Helena Ravenclaw's response was surprisingly candid. "If it weren't for my mother asking me, I would never do such a thing; I was raised traditionally."
She might possess a romantic spirit, but her upbringing had been strict, often the hallmark of those with a longing for something more.
"We still have plenty of time. Perhaps you should say goodbye to your friends after all these years. As long as you don't mention me, it won't matter." Ian's face was illuminated by the flickering firelight, his voice calm and steady.
"I don't think I should trouble you," Helena said, floating closer. The wood in the fireplace crackled softly, the orange glow dancing on her ghostly form.
"And if you truly can... if you can accomplish the impossible, as I imagine, perhaps I will have the chance to reunite with them."
Helena's gaze shifted to the table in front of Ian, where only a single book rested.
"Ian, what do we need to do? Perform a magical ritual to send me to that place?"
Her voice carried a mix of anxiety and hope, accompanied by unmistakable uncertainty. After all, rituals were rarely simple. Powerful magic often required intricate procedures, abundant magical energy, and rare ingredients.
And a spell capable of sending a ghost to another world? It was unheard of. Helena was certain such magic would demand extraordinary preparations.
"Ritual magic can't accomplish this." Ian shook his head.
His words only deepened Helena's confusion.
"Tonight, you shall call me Little Merlin." Ian stood up, stepping closer as he extended his hand toward her, causing her to falter in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Helena asked curiously, hesitating before her pale, translucent hand cautiously met his. Though ethereal, Ian clasped it firmly.
"It means tonight, I'm taking you on a journey." Ian searched his pocket and withdrew a length of cloth, wrapping it securely around their joined hands.
"What are you doing?"
Helena watched, bewildered, as the events unfolded.
"We'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Ian smiled gently. From within his robes, he produced a small vial of shimmering potion. Under Helena's wide-eyed gaze, he drank it in a single gulp.
"Is that the potion you brewed in the Room of Requirement?"
But Ian had no chance to respond.
The moment the potion coursed through his veins, he collapsed without a sound, sinking into a deep slumber right before the astonished Helena Ravenclaw.
"This..."
Helena's eyes widened in disbelief. She tried to speak, but a strange sensation enveloped her. The edges of the common room began to blur, the world distorting as a distinct boundary of existence trembled and shifted.
''Draught of Living Death.''
Tonight, in Ian's hands, the legendary potion carried a ghost... across the realms of life and death.
(End of Chapter)
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