Whether during his student days or after coming to Hogwarts,
Li Wei had never wandered the halls at night.
During his own student days, the campus environment had still been rather savage. Not only did students frequently come to blows, but the school's punishments for nighttime wandering had also been extremely harsh.
Young wizards caught by Filch were often hung up for an entire night and whipped by him.
Li Wei had absolutely no desire to experience that.
Therefore, he had never viewed the castle where he had once lived for seven years from this perspective.
After completely changing his mindset, everything he saw changed with it.
This change was not necessarily a good one, but it truly let Li Wei experience something different.
The steady, surging magic within him temporarily lost the precision Li Wei had always pursued. It grew quieter and more relaxed, gentle yet abundant, like a tranquil lake rising and falling peacefully with his breathing.
Li Wei stood in the middle of the third-floor corridor, quietly closing his eyes in the darkness.
Then, he felt it.
The wind outside the castle stirring the grass, the intermittent cries of night owls, the dust continuously falling beneath the moonlight. Magical currents flowed silently through the castle amid that descent.
And when he consciously began to sense and search for these things, his soul seemed to suddenly break free from some kind of cage, and his mind became much clearer.
He even developed an illusion.
At this moment, with just a slight wave of his hand, he could immediately draw upon the magic of nature and use it for himself.
Not by using the magic within his body as a guide, but by controlling it directly. This change alone was enough to take his Transfiguration another step forward—once he mastered this power, no one would be able to transfigure any object around him unless their magical attainment surpassed his own.
Then the goal was clear—when he could accomplish this completely, it would mean his control over magic had risen to another level.
That alone would make tonight's trip worthwhile.
It was at that moment that Li Wei sensed two "unfamiliar magical presences" intruding here, disrupting the harmonious atmosphere.
He turned his head, but saw nothing. A flash of ghostly blue skirts seemed to vanish around the corner.
A ghost?
Come to think of it, during his student days, there had always seemed to be a ghost secretly watching him.
If it had been before, Li Wei would certainly have turned a blind eye to it—he would not care about things that could not affect him.
What could a ghost's spying possibly do? It could not harm him in the slightest.
But now, he felt like investigating.
The thought arose naturally in his mind. It was neither interest nor annoyance, merely a natural emotion—Li Wei noticed the change in his attitude toward life and lowered his eyes. Even now, he could not distinguish this subtle feeling.
"Is that you, Lady Grey? If there's something you want to say to me, please give me a chance."
Li Wei's voice echoed through the empty castle.
There was no response.
"Don't you want to see me?"
Unable to understand what the ghost was thinking, Li Wei shifted his gaze, glanced once more at the handrail to the right of the second-floor staircase, and continued upward.
Two minutes later, Li Wei's figure disappeared completely.
Helena Ravenclaw emerged from around the corner once more, about to stubbornly follow him again.
But at that moment, two children's figures suddenly entered her sight.
"Hey, wait."
Helena slowly turned around. There was no shame or timidity on her face at having been caught following someone; she was cold as frost.
Harry had no time to appreciate her beauty and said quietly:
"Are you following Professor Li Wei too? Our goals are the same. Would you like to talk with us?"
"You are... the Boy Who Lived."
Helena frowned slightly, her gaze falling upon the invisible cloak draped over the two of them.
"Deathly Hallows."
After murmuring it softly, she swiftly flew before them.
"Follow me."
Her words carried little emotion, yet held the commanding air of someone giving orders.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, then obediently followed after putting on the cloak.
Helena led them through several twists and turns until they gradually reached a concealed passageway.
"Speak. What do you want to talk to me about?"
"What are you following Professor Li Wei for?"
"And what are you following him for?"
Faced with Helena answering a question with another question, Harry did not notice anything amiss and simply answered honestly:
"We suspect he has something to do with the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."
He told Helena every detail of the Chamber of Secrets, and the calm expression on her face gradually became serious.
"Your guess is very likely correct."
"What?!"
Harry and Ron had not expected to receive confirmation from a ghost, and they stared at her in shock!
"I have been watching Li Wei since his student days. I know his terrifying side far better than you do."
"His student days? But I heard people say that the professor was very inconspicuous when he was a student?"
"Inconspicuous? Heh, that was probably exactly how he wanted to appear."
A mocking look appeared on Helena's face, making her seem quite harsh—in her life, there were two things she regretted beyond measure.
One was that, while she was alive, she had failed to see her mother one last time—and that was entirely the fault of that damned Bloody Baron!
The other was that, after death, she had been deceived by Tom Riddle and had once lost the relic her mother had left her—the Diadem of Ravenclaw.
No matter which it was, Helena could never let it go.
Therefore, when she discovered that another terrifying person had appeared in Slytherin, she became incomparably vigilant!
This actually had nothing to do with that unlucky fellow. It was her struggle against her past self.
Last time, she had been deceived by someone with sinister intentions.
This time, she would expose the lies of a second schemer.
And that person was Li Wei, who had remained inconspicuous throughout his school life.
"I have never seen a young wizard like him, not even in the past."
"What exactly did he do?"
Seeing Helena stop halfway through, Ron could not help urging her on.
Interrupted by him, Helena glared at him and continued:
"He woke up at five every morning, ran for fifteen minutes, did physical exercises I could not understand, then went to eat and attend class.
After class, I don't know how he learned about the Room of Requirement, but he spent all day studying or practicing magic there. He associated with no one and did not leave until close to curfew.
Other than attending class and eating, he spent all his time studying magic, yet I almost never saw him fight with other young wizards.
For seven consecutive years, he was like that, without ever changing."
Helena stopped there and waited for their reactions.
"That sounds perfectly normal. What's the problem?"
Harry could not help asking—actually, he was also interested in the Room of Requirement Helena had mentioned, but the timing was inappropriate, so he did not ask.
"Of course there's a problem, Harry!"
Ron cried out strangely.
"Can you imagine living like that? You get up at five every day for Quidditch practice, then go to class afterward, and after eating, you go study magic again. Every day is the same, without a single day to rest.
If I had to live like that, I'd rather die!"
"This foolish little idiot is right!"
Helena nodded, affirming Ron's words while ignoring his protest.
"I have seen countless people of every kind in my life, but never a young wizard like him!
What kind of perseverance and ambition would it take to reach that level? Everything he said and did simply did not resemble a child!
I even suspect that what was inside his body might very well have been the soul of some old wizard."
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