Watching Harry and Ron hurry away from the library, Ryze leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression calm but thoughtful. The brief conversation they had just shared lingered in his mind.
For Ryze, that encounter had achieved exactly what he wanted.
"Although Sirius can escape on his own after Harry's third year," Ryze murmured quietly to himself, "it would be far better if he got out earlier. If he regains his freedom sooner, he could rebuild the New Black family with me. And if he recovers his magic two and a half years earlier… maybe he won't meet the same tragic end he did in the original story."
He spoke softly enough that no one nearby could hear him.
After all, freeing Sirius Black from Azkaban was no small matter.
If Ryze wanted to accomplish that goal—and eventually share the immense wealth accumulated by the Black family over centuries—then the groundwork had to be laid carefully and patiently.
Everything needed to happen step by step.
At the moment, Ryze had not yet encountered Scabbers—the rat who was secretly Peter Pettigrew in Animagus form and currently living comfortably as Ron's pet.
Without direct evidence, Ryze obviously could not walk up to someone and casually announce that Ron's pet rat was actually a supposedly dead wizard.
That would only make people think he was insane.
Moreover, true prophecies in this world tended to activate only after coming into contact with the relevant individuals or circumstances. Without that connection, even someone with Divination talent could not simply fabricate a convincing prophecy out of thin air.
So Ryze needed another method.
His first step was simple: plant the seeds of doubt.
By subtly revealing certain facts about the night James and Lily Potter died, he could guide Harry—and eventually others—to question the official story.
Just moments ago, Ryze had intentionally mentioned a key detail.
On the night the Potters died, Hagrid and Sirius Black had met outside the ruins of the Potter house in Godric's Hollow. The two men had discussed what should happen to baby Harry.
Sirius had wanted to take Harry with him. As Harry's godfather, he believed it was his responsibility to raise the child.
But Hagrid had refused.
Following Albus Dumbledore's orders, Hagrid insisted that Harry be delivered to the Dursleys on Privet Drive.
In the end, Sirius reluctantly stepped aside.
Before leaving, he even lent Hagrid his flying motorcycle so that the giant could deliver Harry safely and quickly.
Ryze slowly tapped his fingers on the wooden table.
"That alone should already sound suspicious," he thought.
If Sirius had truly betrayed the Potters—if he had been the one who sold them out to Voldemort—then why hadn't he attacked Harry and Hagrid right there?
After all, the Dark Lord had failed to kill Harry.
A loyal follower would have seized that opportunity.
Yet Sirius had done the exact opposite.
Not only did he refrain from attacking them, he even helped Hagrid by lending him his motorcycle.
The story simply didn't make sense.
And that wasn't the only questionable detail.
In their rush to maintain public confidence after Voldemort's fall, the Ministry of Magic had sentenced Sirius Black to Azkaban without holding any trial at all.
No witnesses.
No formal interrogation.
No chance for Sirius to defend himself.
He was simply declared guilty and thrown into the most terrifying prison in the wizarding world.
Ryze let out a faint sigh.
"Even worse," he thought, "Sirius himself believed he deserved punishment."
Because Sirius blamed himself for James Potter's death, he never once tried to explain the truth.
He didn't argue.
He didn't protest.
He didn't reveal Peter Pettigrew's betrayal.
He simply allowed himself to be imprisoned.
Meanwhile, Peter Pettigrew—the real traitor—was celebrated as a hero and even received the prestigious Order of Merlin.
The entire situation was almost absurd.
But Ryze wasn't planning to expose everything immediately.
Instead, he would let suspicion grow naturally.
Once enough people started noticing the inconsistencies in the case, Ryze could reveal the truth through the guise of a prophecy.
At that point, someone like Andromeda Tonks—Sirius's cousin and one of the few remaining reasonable members of the Black family—could bring the matter to Dumbledore's attention.
If Dumbledore began investigating the case seriously, Peter Pettigrew's secret wouldn't last long.
Eventually, Pettigrew would be captured and exposed.
And Sirius Black would finally be cleared of all charges.
Ryze leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.
"During that process," he mused, "I should also contact Lupin in advance."
Remus Lupin had always been one of Sirius's closest friends.
Even after Sirius's imprisonment, Lupin had never fully believed that Sirius was capable of betraying James and Lily.
If Lupin learned about the new clues, he would certainly help push the investigation forward.
"As for the timing…" Ryze muttered.
His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop as he considered the possibilities.
"Let's tentatively set it during the Christmas holiday."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If everything goes smoothly, my cousin can spend the New Year celebrating with his godson."
Just as Ryze was calmly planning Sirius's future release from Azkaban, he suddenly felt something.
A sharp, piercing gaze.
Someone was staring directly at him.
Ryze paused.
Then he slowly turned his head.
A few tables away, partially hidden behind a towering pile of books, a small head with messy brown hair was peeking out.
Hermione Granger.
After entering the library earlier, Ryze had casually chosen an empty table near the window.
But he had already noticed Hermione sitting several tables away.
Now that their eyes met, Ryze gave her a polite nod.
It was meant as a simple greeting.
However, Hermione's reaction was far from casual.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Then she stood up abruptly and marched toward him with obvious determination.
When she reached his table, she crossed her arms and glared at him.
"I know it's the weekend," she began sternly, "but don't you think you're being a little too relaxed?"
Ryze blinked.
Hermione continued without waiting for a response.
"It's already bad enough that you only came to the library this afternoon to do your homework," she said. "But when you finally did arrive, you spent half an hour chatting instead of studying!"
Her voice carried a mixture of frustration and disbelief.
"Meanwhile," she added proudly, "I've already completely mastered the theoretical principles behind the Lumos Charm."
She lifted her chin slightly.
"In the next Charms class, I'm absolutely certain I'll be able to perform a perfect Lumos Charm."
Then she leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"If you keep wasting time like this, you won't even need to wait until the end of the term."
"I'll surpass you before the end of the year."
Ever since their first Charms lesson, Hermione had quietly begun treating Ryze as her rival.
Every day, she arrived at the library earlier than he did.
Every night, she returned to the dormitory later than everyone else.
During lessons, they competed to answer questions and earn house points.
When helping classmates practice spells, they even competed over who could explain the concepts more clearly.
Yet despite Hermione's relentless effort, Ryze had consistently maintained the upper hand.
His theoretical understanding of magic was deeper, more structured, and far more advanced.
This frustrated Hermione immensely.
She refused to accept defeat.
In fact, her stubborn determination only grew stronger.
Recently, she had even started reviewing her handwritten notes while eating meals, chewing bread absentmindedly as she memorized magical theory.
Ryze sometimes wondered whether the Ravenclaw Morning Study Group should invite Hermione to join them.
After all, across the entire school, there were very few students who studied as obsessively as she did.
Looking at Hermione now—her eyes blazing with determination—Ryze knew exactly what was happening.
Her competitive spirit had flared up again.
Most people wouldn't bother reminding a rival if they saw them slacking off.
But Hermione wasn't like most people.
When she saw Ryze relaxing only a week after arriving at Hogwarts, she felt deeply dissatisfied.
Especially when she witnessed him chatting casually with Harry and Ron for half an hour inside the library.
To Hermione, that behavior was unacceptable.
In her mind, defeating an opponent who wasn't even trying wouldn't feel like a real victory.
So she had marched over to correct him.
Watching her glare at him stubbornly, Ryze didn't immediately respond to her accusations.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly and asked a completely unrelated question.
"By the way, Hermione… how good are you at solving puzzles?"
Hermione blinked.
For a moment, her mind went completely blank.
That wasn't the answer she had expected.
After several seconds, she hesitated before replying.
"I suppose I'm… fairly good at it," she said uncertainly.
"When I was younger, I read a lot of detective novels. I was usually able to guess who the culprit was before the story ended."
Then she suddenly realized something.
"Wait—that's not what we were talking about!"
She frowned again.
"I was asking about your studying!"
But before she could continue her lecture, Ryze raised a hand calmly.
"Just listen for a moment," he said.
"This morning, I discovered something interesting in the Ravenclaw Room of Requirement."
Hermione's expression shifted slightly.
"A statue," Ryze continued. "It appears to date back to the founding era of Hogwarts."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"A statue from the founding era?"
Ryze nodded.
"I have a feeling that the statue hides some kind of secret."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Over the centuries, many people have tried to uncover it. They used all kinds of magical methods—common revealing charms, obscure detection spells, advanced transfiguration, even dismantling the statue and reconstructing it piece by piece."
He spread his hands.
"But after thousands of years, no one has managed to unlock its mystery."
Hermione frowned thoughtfully.
"So why do you think you can succeed?"
Ryze smiled faintly.
"Because I suspect the solution has nothing to do with magic."
Hermione's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Instead," he continued, "it might rely on logic—like the riddles you find in detective stories."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So I thought… maybe someone with strong puzzle-solving skills might be interested."
"Would you like to try solving it?"
By the time Ryze finished speaking, Hermione's attention had been completely captured.
A mysterious statue.
A hidden secret from the founding era.
Possibly connected to the founders themselves.
All of that sounded incredibly fascinating.
However, Hermione still frowned slightly.
"You said it's just a 'hunch,'" she pointed out.
"That sounds rather vague."
She crossed her arms again.
"And you also said that countless scholars and wizards studied that statue before you."
"If none of them discovered its secret, what makes you think your guess is correct?"
Ryze chuckled softly.
"Because I have a mission," he thought.
But of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
Instead, he shrugged casually.
"It's difficult to explain."
"You know about Divination, right?"
Hermione nodded slowly.
Ryze continued, "I think I might have a bit of talent in that area."
"But since I haven't formally studied the basics yet, I can only sense fragments of things. I can't produce a complete prophecy."
He paused before adding quietly:
"Still… I have a strong feeling that the statue might be related to Rowena Ravenclaw."
Hermione's eyes widened again.
"If we solve the riddle," Ryze said calmly, "we might discover something left behind by one of the founders."
Hermione stared at him silently.
Her mind was racing.
When had the conversation shifted from homework… to the Four Founders of Hogwarts?
And what was this about Divination talent?
She knew that Divination was an elective course available to third-year students, just like Ancient Runes.
But Ryze was only a first-year.
Yet he was already studying Ancient Runes in advance with Professor Babbling…
And now he was apparently teaching himself Divination as well.
Hermione clenched her fists.
"Unbelievable," she thought.
"This guy is showing off again."
Her determination hardened.
"No," she decided firmly.
"Besides the introductory Ancient Runes book I'm currently reading…"
"I'll also borrow several books on Divination tonight."
She lifted her chin stubbornly.
"There's no way I'm letting Ryze get ahead of me on another subject."
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