"Actually, every new group of young wizards becomes extremely curious about this place the first time they hear the name 'Room of Requirement.' They imagine it must be hiding incredible treasures."
At nine o'clock on the first Saturday morning after the start of term at Hogwarts, Ryze finished breakfast and pulled his roommates toward the Ravenclaw common room. There, they found the house prefect, Penelope.
The curiosity and excitement in their eyes were impossible to hide. Seeing their eager expressions, Penelope could only sigh helplessly and shake her head.
"You're not the first ones to think this way," she said with a small smile. "Almost every first-year imagines this room contains rare magical artifacts or forgotten secrets."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"But in reality, once you've actually seen it, you'll realize the Room of Requirement is basically just a storage room. It's only called that because it has existed for centuries and was once used frequently. These days, however, it's rarely visited. Think about it—do you really believe anyone would leave truly valuable items lying around in an old storage room?"
Her explanation sounded perfectly logical.
Still, since they hadn't seen the place with their own eyes yet, the young Ravenclaw students held onto a tiny bit of hope.
After all, what if—just by chance—they discovered some long-forgotten treasure buried beneath centuries of dust?
Penelope noticed their expressions and laughed softly.
"Well, it works out nicely," she continued. "We were planning to clean and organize the room at the beginning of the semester anyway. Since you're all so interested, why not help?"
She pointed toward a nearby supply cupboard.
"Grab some brooms and cleaning rags. And before we go, return to your dormitory and put on protective robes and dragon-hide gloves. Just in case."
Anthony blinked in confusion.
"That dangerous?" he asked. "If we're only cleaning, wouldn't using cleaning magic be much easier?"
Penelope nodded.
"You're absolutely right. Normally, using magic would be far more convenient."
However, her expression became slightly serious.
"The problem is that many objects in that room were enchanted by students over hundreds of years. Some have permanent spells attached to them, while others are even cursed. Because of this, the magical energy inside the room has become extremely chaotic."
She folded her arms as she continued explaining.
"As a result, most cleaning spells don't work properly there. In fact, casting magic near certain objects might trigger hidden counter-curses."
Anthony's curiosity immediately turned into concern.
"During my first year," Penelope added calmly, "an upperclassman refused to believe the warnings. He cast a Scouring Charm while cleaning. The moment the spell touched one of the shelves, a counter-curse activated."
"What happened?" Terry asked nervously.
"He spent half a month recovering in the hospital wing before Madam Pomfrey allowed him to leave."
The young wizards instantly went silent.
Penelope shrugged.
"So please listen carefully to my instructions," she said lightly. "Don't experiment with spells, and don't touch suspicious objects without asking me first. Otherwise, don't blame me if something goes wrong. I've already warned you."
After hearing this, the four young Ravenclaw students obediently returned to their dormitory to prepare.
Soon they reappeared wearing thick protective robes, dragon-hide gloves, and carrying brooms, dustpans, and cleaning cloths.
Satisfied, Penelope led them toward the spiral staircase.
They descended the long winding stairs of Ravenclaw Tower, walking deeper and deeper into the castle.
The journey felt much longer than expected.
"I always thought the stairs we climb for class every day were already exhausting," Terry muttered while dragging his broom behind him. "But I never imagined there were even more stairs below the tower."
He wiped his forehead dramatically.
"Honestly, doesn't Hogwarts ever consider modern improvements? Something like Muggle escalators would be amazing."
Since Penelope was a witch from a Muggle family, she immediately understood what he meant.
She chuckled and nodded.
"That's actually not a bad idea."
Then she added thoughtfully,
"However, Hogwarts Castle is protected by extremely ancient and powerful magic. The fact that all those chaotic magical objects have been stored inside the castle for centuries without causing major disasters already shows how strong those protective enchantments are."
She tapped the stone wall lightly as they walked.
"To change the internal structure of the castle would require tremendous magical authority. Realistically speaking, only Headmaster Dumbledore could approve something like that."
Terry quickly waved his hands in panic.
"Write to the Headmaster? No thank you."
Penelope grinned mischievously.
"You could try sending him a letter suggesting renovations to the Ravenclaw Tower stairs."
She seemed genuinely amused by the idea.
"Based on the Headmaster's personality, I'm fairly certain he would reply seriously."
Terry shook his head immediately.
"I'd rather not risk it."
Then he added quickly,
"Besides, the spiral staircase is unique to Ravenclaw Tower. Students from other houses probably don't get the same daily exercise we do."
Michael, walking just behind them, immediately disagreed.
"That's not entirely true. The Gryffindor common room is also located in a tower."
He thought for a moment before grinning.
"Although their stairs probably aren't as long as ours."
Then a mischievous idea appeared in his mind.
"How about I convince a few Gryffindor students to write the letter first? That way we can see the Headmaster's reaction."
Terry immediately stepped away from him.
"That's a good plan," he said quickly. "But if anything goes wrong, don't mention our names."
Penelope couldn't hold back her laughter.
"You really shouldn't think of the Headmaster as some terrifying authority figure," she said.
"Have you already forgotten his behavior during the start-of-term feast?"
The students exchanged confused glances.
Penelope lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"I've heard Professor McGonagall complain more than once that Headmaster Dumbledore secretly eats candy behind her back."
"What?" Terry blurted.
"And Madam Pomfrey's medical advice as well," Penelope continued. "Apparently they both warned him to reduce sugar."
The young students struggled to process this information.
In their minds, Dumbledore was the most powerful and respected white wizard of the modern age.
It was perfectly normal for someone so extraordinary to have a few eccentric habits.
But secretly eating candy like a mischievous child?
That image felt… strangely unbelievable.
Still half-skeptical, the students continued descending the stairs.
Eventually, they reached a quiet stone corridor deep within the lower levels of the tower.
At the far end stood an old wooden door.
"This is it," Penelope said.
Even before opening it, the door itself gave off an ancient and mysterious feeling.
Its wood was dark with age, and the metal handle had clearly been replaced several times throughout history.
Penelope pulled out a small key.
With a soft click, the door opened.
Instantly, a terrible smell burst out of the room.
The young wizards recoiled in horror.
Ryze felt his Curse Energy begin to rise steadily.
Excellent.
This place truly didn't disappoint him.
Compared to the Ancient Runes classroom, the cursed energy here seemed even stronger.
It was practically the perfect location for absorbing negative magical residue.
"What is that smell?!" Terry shouted while covering his nose.
"It's even worse than a failed potion!"
Anthony quickly cast a Nose-Plugging Charm.
The others followed immediately.
With the magical barrier blocking their sense of smell, the situation became slightly more bearable.
The stench wasn't caused by a single source.
Instead, it was a horrifying mixture of countless odors—old potions, rotting materials, magical residue, dust, and who knew what else.
All blended together into a smell so pungent that it was nearly indescribable.
Penelope, however, appeared completely unfazed.
"The last time we cleaned this room was during the Easter holiday six months ago," she explained calmly.
"And as you know, ventilation in the castle basement isn't exactly ideal."
She stepped aside and gestured toward the interior of the room.
"Well then, this is the Room of Requirement you were all so curious about."
"Take a good look around first. After that, we'll start cleaning."
The young Ravenclaw students exchanged glances before slowly entering.
Ryze stepped inside first.
Compared to the mysterious appearance of the door, the inside of the room was somewhat disappointing.
It really was just a storage room.
The space wasn't very large—perhaps only twice the size of a normal dormitory.
Shelves, cabinets, and racks filled almost every corner.
Each one was piled high with random objects.
Old Ravenclaw school uniforms from centuries ago.
Ancient equipment whose purpose was unclear.
Even the House Cup trophy that Ravenclaw had won earlier that century.
Several bookshelves held stacks of textbooks buried under thick layers of dust.
Compared to the strange magical objects scattered around the room, the young Ravenclaws naturally became more interested in the books left behind by their predecessors.
Anthony quickly grabbed a rag and wiped the dust from a thick book.
His eyes lit up.
"This is a nineteenth-century Transfiguration guide!"
He eagerly opened the book and began flipping through the pages.
But after only a few seconds, his excitement faded.
"There's nothing here," he said in disappointment.
He showed the others the book.
"The pages are completely blank except for a single name written on the first page. It looks brand new."
Anthony frowned.
"How could someone own a book like this and never write any notes?"
Penelope answered calmly from across the room.
"Because the books with useful notes were taken by older students long ago."
Her explanation was perfectly logical.
"Ravenclaw values knowledge above everything else," she continued. "If a book contained valuable notes, it would have been claimed by upperclassmen years ago."
Anthony sighed.
"That makes sense."
Penelope shrugged.
"Still, you're welcome to take a few books back to your dormitory if you want."
She smiled slightly.
"Who knows? Maybe you'll discover a hidden spell written in some forgotten corner."
The students laughed softly.
Then Penelope clapped her hands.
"Alright, everyone. Enough sightseeing."
"Let's begin cleaning. If we work efficiently, we might finish before noon."
She looked around at the group.
Then she noticed something strange.
"Ryze?"
He was standing perfectly still beside one of the bookshelves.
His gaze was fixed on something above him.
"What are you looking at?"
Ryze slowly turned his head.
Then he pointed upward.
On top of the shelf sat a dusty statue of a raven, roughly half the height of a person.
Its wings were folded neatly against its body.
The stone surface was covered in years of dust.
"Prefect Penelope," Ryze asked calmly, "may I touch that statue?"
In his vision, the raven statue was glowing with a deep red light.
The intensity of that glow was far stronger than the four mission ravens he had encountered earlier that week.
Something about it was clearly different.
And possibly dangerous.
But also… extremely valuable.
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