Although the Room of Requirement was not particularly large, organizing it still took a considerable amount of time.
Ordinary items were easy enough to handle. However, Penelope had to be extremely careful when dealing with miscellaneous objects that were enchanted or potentially cursed. Careless handling of such items could easily cause accidents, and none of them wanted to test their luck with unknown magic.
Usually, they first moved the ordinary items outside the room. Once everything mundane was removed, they used cleaning spells to clear the dust and grime in one go. After that, they would gradually sort through the magical objects that remained inside.
Despite the exhausting work, Anthony and the others did not consider the trip to the Room of Requirement a waste of time.
On the contrary, they had discovered many fascinating things.
Besides encountering all sorts of strange magical tools and artifacts, they also found several ancient textbooks that still held value for reading and research. Some of the books were old, their covers worn and pages yellowed with age, but the magical knowledge within them remained intriguing.
However, what excited the young wizards the most was a discovery made by Michael.
While searching under an old locker, Michael found a small booklet hidden beneath a loose board. The booklet was thin, containing only a dozen or so pages, but its contents were incredibly interesting.
Inside were notes titled "Dueling Insights."
The booklet contained several clever observations about wizard duels, along with a few practical combat spells that were not mentioned in their textbooks. Judging by the handwriting and references, it seemed the notes had been left behind by a student who studied at Hogwarts sometime in the early part of the twentieth century.
Although the spells themselves were not extremely powerful, the ideas behind them were clever and practical.
Naturally, the young wizards were thrilled by the discovery.
After a brief discussion, they decided that they would secretly take the booklet back to their dormitory. Each of them would make a copy of the notes, and afterward they would return the original booklet to the Room of Requirement so it would remain hidden.
By the time they had finished roughly cleaning the interior of the Room of Requirement and the unpleasant smell had mostly dissipated, it was already close to the afternoon.
Penelope used a Shrinking Spell on the statue they had found earlier and carefully carried it back to the Ravenclaw common room.
As for Ryze and the others, they returned to their dormitory to tidy themselves up. Their clothes were dusty from cleaning, and their hair was full of fine particles from the old room. After washing up and changing into fresh robes, they hurried toward the Great Hall for lunch.
Fortunately, Hogwarts extended meal times on weekends.
When they arrived, there was still plenty of food left on the long tables: roast meat, sandwiches, potatoes, and a few leftover desserts.
Otherwise, they might have had to sneak down to the kitchens and ask the house-elves for something to eat.
While eating, Terry suddenly looked up at Ryze.
"So, Ryze," he asked curiously, "you still think there's something wrong with that statue?"
Ryze finished the piece of roast meat on his plate before answering.
"Yes," he said calmly, nodding.
"Professor Babbling once told me that I might have some talent for Divination. Over the past few days, I've been reading several books about Divination, although I haven't really mastered anything yet."
He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
"But when I first saw that statue, I had a strange feeling. It felt as though that statue was connected to what I've been searching for."
After saying that, he shrugged helplessly.
"Unfortunately, I still don't have any idea how to activate it."
Then he joked lightly, "Maybe tonight I'll dream about the answer."
Michael, who was sitting nearby, sighed with exaggerated envy.
"Divination talent… I wish I had that."
Although, if he truly possessed such a talent, his reasons for wanting it might not be entirely academic.
After spending a week together, Ryze and the others had already discovered Michael's true priorities.
His main goal at Hogwarts was studying magic.
But his second goal was to find a girlfriend he could marry after graduation.
To be honest, it sometimes seemed like those priorities might actually be reversed.
From the very first day he arrived at Hogwarts, Michael had already begun carefully observing the girls from all four houses, trying to determine who might become a suitable partner in the future.
The others could only laugh whenever he mentioned it.
Soon, they finished their lunch.
Afterward, everyone went their separate ways for the afternoon.
Anthony and a few others planned to return to their dormitory to study the spells described in the dueling booklet.
Meanwhile, Ryze headed back to the Ravenclaw common room.
For the next half hour, he carefully studied the statue once again.
The statue itself was quite large, and even though it had been shrunk earlier, it was still very noticeable when placed inside the common room.
Many Ravenclaw students walking through the room stopped when they saw it.
Curious, they gathered around Ryze and examined the statue together.
During this time, several students offered their own guesses about the statue's purpose.
Some suggested it might be part of a magical puzzle. Others believed it could be a hidden magical container.
Listening to their ideas, Ryze also recalled various fantasy novels he had read in his previous life.
At one point, he even considered the possibility of a blood recognition mechanism, a common trope in magical stories.
Unfortunately, after trying several different approaches, nothing happened.
The statue remained completely inactive.
After some time, Ryze finally sighed and gave up for the moment.
Fortunately, the special Raven Task associated with the statue did not have any time limit.
If he couldn't find the answer immediately, forcing himself to think about it endlessly would only waste time.
It would be better to focus on other things first.
With that in mind, Ryze decided to go to the library. He still had a large amount of homework to complete for the week.
Perhaps he might also find some useful clues in the books there.
Although it was already close to three o'clock in the afternoon, the castle corridors were still lively with students moving between classes, dormitories, and study areas.
As Ryze walked toward the library, he happened to encounter two familiar figures in the courtyard.
Harry and Ron were walking together, both carrying a stack of books in their arms.
"Ryze!" Ron called out when he noticed him. "Are you going to the library to do homework too?"
Harry also smiled warmly at him.
During their shared Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, Ron and Harry had occasionally asked Ryze questions about spells.
At the moment, their relationship with Hermione was not particularly good.
Although Hermione was always enthusiastic about helping others with their studies, the way she explained things often sounded a little arrogant. Her tone sometimes made them feel as though she was scolding them for not knowing the answers already.
Because of that, Ron and Harry preferred not to approach her unless absolutely necessary.
Compared to Hermione, Ryze felt much easier to talk to.
His magical ability seemed deeper, yet he never spoke in a condescending manner.
More importantly, Ryze had already become something of a familiar figure to them.
He had publicly taught Malfoy a lesson.
He had been targeted by Professor Snape during Potions class.
And he had a good relationship with Hagrid.
Ron and Harry themselves had argued with Malfoy on the train, lost points in Snape's class, and had recently visited Hagrid's hut as well.
When they learned from Hagrid that Ryze had even helped him tidy the vegetable patch, they immediately felt a sense of kinship with him.
It was almost as if they were all on the same side.
Seeing them greet him so warmly, Ryze felt slightly surprised, but he smiled back and nodded.
"Yes," he replied. "I still have quite a bit of homework left. Hopefully I can finish it today."
The three of them began walking toward the library together, climbing the moving staircases along the way.
After a few moments of silence, Ron's curiosity finally got the better of him.
"I heard something earlier," Ron said hesitantly. "Is it true that you and Malfoy are actually relatives?"
Among pure-blood wizard families, distant blood relationships were extremely common.
For example, Ron's grandmother had once been a member of the House of Black. However, she was not a direct descendant, and by Ron's generation the connection had already become very distant.
There was no meaningful relationship between the families anymore.
Ryze answered calmly.
"My father is his mother's biological uncle."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Besides Sirius Black, the direct descendant of the House of Black who is currently imprisoned in Azkaban, our branch of the family probably has the closest bloodline connection."
While saying this, Ryze's gaze unconsciously shifted toward Harry Potter.
"Azkaban?" Harry asked, puzzled.
He also noticed that Ryze seemed to be looking at him strangely.
"It's Britain's… actually, it's probably the most famous wizard prison in the world," Ron explained quickly, shivering slightly.
"Only the most dangerous dark wizards are sent there."
He rubbed his arms as if remembering something unpleasant.
"When I was little, Fred and George used to scare me by saying they'd send me to Azkaban if I didn't behave."
Ron then thought about the reputation of the Black family.
"I've heard my dad talk about the House of Black before," he said.
"They were all Slytherin graduates. Before You-Know-Who fell, they were some of his most loyal supporters. After he was defeated, many of them were sent to Azkaban."
He sighed.
"The family is basically ruined now. Honestly… they deserved it."
The moment he finished speaking, Ron suddenly realized what he had said.
Ryze was also technically a member of the Black family.
Ron quickly waved his hands in panic.
"I—I didn't mean you!" he said hurriedly.
"You're a Ravenclaw student, and your father left the Black family long ago. Whatever your relatives did has nothing to do with you."
Ryze simply smiled faintly.
"That's true in theory," he replied calmly.
"But some people don't always see it that way."
As he spoke, Ryze gently patted Harry on the shoulder.
"Harry," he asked thoughtfully, "have you ever wondered why Professor Snape seems to target both you and me so deliberately?"
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Do you think it's really just because we're more famous than the other first-year students?"
Then he asked quietly,
"And by the way… do you know why my cousin—the one I've never even met—was sent to Azkaban?"
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