Under Ailey's guidance, Ryze followed the winding stairs of Ravenclaw Tower. The early morning air inside Hogwarts Castle was cool and quiet, and most of the corridors were still empty. Passing through the stone hallways and descending into the central courtyard, he soon arrived in front of the Hogwarts Library.
From the outside, the library building did not appear particularly large.
However, Ryze knew better than to judge anything at Hogwarts by its exterior. Magic often distorted space, and many rooms inside the castle were far larger than they appeared from the outside. There was a good chance that the interior of the library had been expanded through magical means.
Unfortunately, the library was not yet open.
Ryze glanced up at the wooden sign hanging beside the entrance. According to the notice, the library officially opened at seven in the morning. Since it was still too early, he had no choice but to come back later.
"Looks like I'll have to return this afternoon," Ryze muttered quietly as he turned away from the doors. "Maybe if I stand close to the Restricted Section, I can absorb some Curse Energy."
With that thought in mind, he left the courtyard and walked beyond the outer walls of the castle, heading toward the open grounds of Hogwarts.
The first thing he noticed outside the castle was a large fenced area filled with vegetable patches and greenhouses. Rows of plants stretched across the soil, carefully arranged and well maintained.
This must be where many of the herbs used in Herbology class were cultivated.
Looking through the glass panels of the greenhouses, Ryze wondered how many magical plants were growing inside. Some of them likely carried traces of Curse Energy.
He recalled the information from his textbooks. The most dangerous magical plant that first-year students needed to learn about was Devil's Snare.
Of course, first-years were only taught how to resist or escape from Devil's Snare. They were certainly not expected to cultivate it themselves.
That would only happen in the third year.
"There are three Herbology classes every week," Ryze said thoughtfully. "Finding plants that contain Curse Energy shouldn't be too difficult. Fertilizers might work too. I just wonder if absorbing energy from them will affect their growth."
He made a mental note to observe the plants carefully once classes officially began.
Just ahead of the vegetable patch stood the Owlery.
Before going to sleep the previous night, Ryze had already written letters to Andromeda and Nymphadora, informing them that he had been sorted into Ravenclaw House.
The tone of his letter to Andromeda was fairly formal. He expressed his gratitude and assured her that he would study diligently and not disappoint her expectations.
The letter to Nymphadora, on the other hand, was far more casual.
In that letter, he mentioned that the Sorting Hat had hesitated over him for nearly six minutes, debating whether to place him in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. For a moment, he had almost ended up in Gryffindor—something that Nymphadora would likely find quite surprising.
Ryze added a few extra lines to the letter this morning. He mentioned that Ravenclaw's academic atmosphere was indeed intense, but that he welcomed the challenge. He also wrote that he would remember Nymphadora's careful guidance as a reserve Auror and would make sure not to embarrass his aunt.
After folding the letters neatly, Ryze held them out.
"Thank you, Mr. Owl."
He offered several strips of dried meat to a large owl that had landed nearby, clearly interested in delivering mail.
The owl looked somewhat similar to the one that had delivered letters to him before, though Ryze couldn't be entirely sure. Too many owls looked alike for him to tell the difference.
The owl happily pecked up the dried meat and grasped the two letters with its talons.
With a few strong flaps of its wings, it lifted into the air and flew off toward the distant horizon.
After sending the letters, Ryze left the Owlery and began walking southwest along the narrow path that stretched across the Hogwarts grounds.
That direction led toward the Forbidden Forest.
He had not gone very far when a loud and hearty voice suddenly called out.
"Hey there, young wizard! Where do you think you're going? If you keep walking that way, you'll be entering the Forbidden Forest!"
Ryze turned toward the voice and saw an enormous figure approaching.
It was Hagrid.
The towering man stood well over twice Ryze's height. In one hand he held a thick leash attached to a massive black hound that looked almost as large as a small horse.
"Good morning, Mr. Hagrid," Ryze greeted politely. "My name is Ryze White. I'm a new student. I was simply taking advantage of the early morning to walk around the grounds of Hogwarts."
He gestured toward the distant shoreline.
"I planned to follow the path to the edge of the Black Lake and then return to the Great Hall."
In truth, Ryze had originally intended to explore the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Magical creatures frequently moved along its edges, and their presence might leave behind traces of Curse Energy.
However, that was certainly not something he could openly admit.
Besides, now that he had encountered Hagrid, it was a perfect opportunity to become acquainted with him.
Ryze's polite manners made Hagrid look slightly embarrassed.
"Ah, no need to call me Mister," Hagrid said quickly, waving his hand. "I'm just the gamekeeper here at Hogwarts."
He gave the large dog a friendly pat on the head.
"This here's Fang. Don't let his size scare you—he wouldn't hurt a fly."
Fang wagged his tail enthusiastically and barked happily at Ryze.
Hagrid cleared his throat, trying to make the dog appear more serious, though his tone had already softened.
"Well, as long as you're not planning on going into the Forbidden Forest, that's fine. Headmaster Dumbledore made it clear last night that students shouldn't enter. It's still too dangerous for young wizards like you."
He scratched his beard thoughtfully.
"But no matter how many times we warn them, there are always a few students who try to sneak in. Just last night, after the feast ended, I caught a few fellows trying to slip into the forest."
Hagrid shook his head helplessly.
"The Weasley twins," he muttered. "I really don't know what it'll take to stop them from exploring that place."
He sighed heavily.
"In any case, it's best if you stay away from the forest most of the time."
Ryze nodded obediently.
Then he asked with carefully feigned curiosity, "Mr. Hagrid, do you live outside the castle? Wouldn't that be inconvenient for things like meals?"
Hagrid immediately laughed.
"Hoo hoo! You've got that wrong, lad. My hut's right over there."
He pointed toward a small wooden building not far from the forest's edge.
"I even cleared a little vegetable patch myself. Take excellent care of it, I do. Living there's no worse than staying inside the castle."
"Really?" Ryze said with interest. "Would it be alright if I took a look?"
Hagrid was not the kind of person who refused simple requests, especially when the request came from a polite student who looked genuinely curious.
He stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before clapping his hands.
"Sure! No harm in showing you around."
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right—you probably haven't had breakfast yet. I've got some sausages heating up, and there are a few rock cakes I baked myself. If you're hungry, you're welcome to share some."
He grinned proudly.
"Those are treats you won't find inside the castle!"
This was exactly the opportunity Ryze had been waiting for.
He pretended to hesitate for a moment before accepting the invitation.
"Thank you, Mr. Hagrid."
Hagrid immediately led the way toward his hut, with Fang trotting happily beside them.
In truth, Ryze wasn't particularly interested in the food.
However, as the gamekeeper of Hogwarts and an enthusiastic caretaker of magical creatures, Hagrid often collected unusual materials and objects from the Forbidden Forest.
His hut likely contained all sorts of interesting items.
Hagrid himself was half-giant, which meant he possessed extremely high natural resistance to magic. Ordinary curses and Dark Arts spells had little effect on him.
Combined with his carefree personality, it meant he probably wouldn't notice if certain objects carried traces of dark or cursed energy.
Therefore, Hagrid's hut might very well contain items rich in Curse Energy.
After walking along the path for less than ten minutes, they arrived at the small wooden hut.
Although the structure looked somewhat rustic, the vegetable patch outside was indeed carefully maintained.
Rows of wheat, potatoes, and pumpkins grew in separate sections of the garden, thriving under the subtle influence of magic.
Ryze offered a few sincere compliments about the garden.
Hagrid's enormous face immediately lit up with delight.
"Oh, just wait until the pumpkins are ready!" he said excitedly. "You'll have to come back and try my pumpkin soup—and pumpkin pasties too!"
"Come on inside," he added warmly. "Don't be shy. It might be a little messy, but it's cozy—and very safe."
Very safe.
Ryze nodded and stepped through the doorway.
The interior of the hut was exactly as Hagrid had described.
It was filled with all sorts of clutter.
Various materials collected from magical creatures were piled in the corners—shed skins, bones, feathers, and other odd items that Ryze couldn't immediately identify.
From the ceiling hung rows of cured meats: hams, sausages, and even several dried wild pheasants.
However, the most eye-catching object in the entire hut was the enormous bed against the wall.
It stretched nearly four meters in length.
The bed must have been reinforced with magic; otherwise, it would be difficult to imagine it supporting a man as large as Hagrid.
Ryze sat down carefully on the edge of the bed while watching Hagrid move around the room.
Hagrid lifted several soft sausages from a small brazier where they had been warming.
Then he placed them on a wooden plate.
Next, he retrieved several rock cakes from a nearby shelf.
Each rock cake was nearly as large as Ryze's face—and looked just about as hard.
As Ryze accepted the food, he suddenly noticed something in his system panel.
His Curse Energy had increased.
+0.1.
The number quietly changed.
Now it read 0.3.
Ryze stared at the panel for a moment.
Then he looked down at the sausages and the rock cakes sitting in front of him.
It seemed that in order to gather more Curse Energy…
He would have to finish all of these "delicacies."
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