Ravenclaw

The entire Gryffindor House is focused on the upcoming match.

In everyone's memory, no match has ever started in such a tense atmosphere.

After the Easter break, tensions between the two teams and the two houses reached a breaking point. Several minor brawls broke out in the hallways, and in the worst incident, a fourth-year Gryffindor student and a sixth-year Slytherin student ended up in the Hospital Wing with leeks sticking out of their ears.

Harry's days were particularly difficult.

Under Marcus Flint's leadership, all the Gryffindor Quidditch Team players became targets, with Harry, the youngest member of the team, being the primary focus. This was not only due to his exceptional flying skills but also because he possessed the Firebolt, unique to both houses (Draco's Firebolt was a secret). This caught Wood's attention.

"We must be on high alert, especially Harry; he needs protection!" His attitude was very firm.

"I'm fine, Wood, don't worry about me," Harry protested weakly, but was firmly rejected by the vast majority of people.

"Don't worry, Oliver, Harry's safety is in our hands," the Weasley Twins assured him, patting their chests. It was foreseeable that any Slytherin students who dared to wander in would be greeted with a Dungbomb, Fanged Frisbee, and other friendly saliva.

Indeed, this was the case; the Slytherin students suffered a terrible ordeal in the following days. Various types of Dungbomb would appear on their tables from time to time, stray embers would Silencio emerge from their Potions cauldrons, Dr. Filibuster's Fireworks Fanged Frisbee through the corridors gnawing at their hair, and they would be tripped up by "automatic tripwires" and fall straight down the stairs. After a few days, the Slytherin were all pale and thin, listless, terrified by any sound, and lived in constant fear, almost like frightened birds.

Originally, none of this concerned Skylar —his reputation at Hogwarts made the lion cubs avoid him like the plague, and no one dared to confront him. Draco, on the other hand, was much more low-key; he rarely appeared in public, and even when he did, he was always accompanied by Goyle and Crabbe for protection.

However, on one occasion, during an attack on a senior Slytherin student, Gryffindor fourth-year student Harold Dingo accidentally included an innocent passerby Astoria, in the attack. Her robes were covered in Dungbomb and reeked of a disgusting stench, causing her to run back to her dormitory crying.

Daphne, heartbroken for her sister, sought out Skylar, "Gryffindor has gone too far! We all followed your advice and didn't get involved in this mess, even Vincent and Gregory refrained from fighting, and now they've been bullied!"

Skylar's original intention was not to get involved in this pointless dispute; matters on the field should naturally be resolved on the field—wouldn't it be enough for Draco to deliver a fatal blow to Gryffindor with a victory? But since someone close to him had been bullied, it seemed unreasonable to do nothing.

A cold glint flashed in Skylar's eyes. "Don't worry! With Draco's Firebolt, this victory will surely belong to Slytherin. Let's use this victory to demonstrate our strength! After that, I will definitely avenge Tori (Astoria's affectionate nickname)."

After understanding Skylar's meaning, Daphne kissed Skylar on the cheek, then turned to find her sister and comfort her.

With the semester drawing to a close, Skylar suddenly remembered that he and Luna had made a promise, so he decided to go to the Ravenclaw Common Room to find her and, while he was there, see the legendary Bronze Eagle Knocker.

The entrance to Ravenclaw's common room was at the top of a spiral staircase on the west side of the castle. There, a bare, old wooden door stood with only a Bronze Door Knocker. Skylar gently picked up the knocker and knocked twice. The eagle's beak on the Bronze Door Knocker opened, and it spoke in a gentle, rhythmic voice. "Where do people go after they die?"

Wow, that's really difficult? It's not that Skylar doesn't know the answer, but he seriously doubts how many junior wizards are capable of answering it. Life and death have always been the highest secrets in the wizarding world, and there are probably no more than ten people in the whole world who know this secret. Moreover, the Britain Ministry of Magic has a special department called the Department of Mysteries studies this topic, which means that there are still many unsolved mysteries in this field.

"Limbo," Skylar replied quickly after a moment's thought, but the door showed no sign of opening.

(Note: People's Publishing House did not translate Limbo's work; this translation is the author's personal translation.)

After a while, Eagle Beak spoke again, "Where can one go from the Limbo?"

"Shouldn't it just be one question to answer?" Skylar had heard Luna describe the Bronze Eagle Knocker before; it always involved answering just one question. He frowned in confusion, but still answered honestly, "Choosing 'Forward' will take you to the Afterlife, while choosing 'Back' will return you to reality as Ghost. Of course, there are exceptions, such as those with incomplete souls, or those whose souls are anchored in reality by some kind of bondage..."

(Note: Voldemort's soul was incomplete, and he was ultimately trapped in the Limbo, unable to escape; Harry's soul was anchored, and he successfully resurrected and returned to reality through his bond with Voldemort.)

"What is the true meaning of life?" -- After a short while, the third question followed.

These questions were clearly a series of in-depth explorations, not questions meant for students. For the first time, Skylar felt that his brain wasn't quite up to the task.

After pondering for a while, he cautiously replied, "Life is born from nothingness, exists in the world in physical form, and finally perishes in reality, going to the world of the dead. Living shouldn't merely be about eating, drinking, defecating, and procreation, but about exploring the truths of oneself and the universe—everyone's perception and understanding of life is different, so I believe the true meaning of life is matter, spirit, and soul!"

(To put it simply, life is the Trinity body, mind, and emotions. Without any one of them, like Voldemort or the Ghost, one cannot be considered a complete life.)

The bronze eagle's eyes gradually lit up. It didn't ask any more questions and returned to its original Bronze Door Knocker shape.

This means I can come in, right? Skylar glanced at it and pushed the door open. What came into view was a simple yet exquisite room. The bookshelves along the wall were piled high with books, the sky-blue curtains were drawn, and many magical objects that Skylar did not recognize floated on the ceiling, emitting a faint glow. In front of him was a desk, with books scattered haphazardly on it.

Although Skylar had never been to the Ravenclaw common room, he could tell that this was not a common room. The room was too simple and had no doors or passageways leading to the dormitories. It was more like a professor's office.

A translucent, eagle-shaped phantom, identical in appearance to the small eagle on the Bronze Door Knocker, suddenly flew out from mid-air. "Chosen candidate, welcome to Ravenclaw's Chamber."

Aha! Just as I thought, Slytherin wasn't the only one who knew how to secretly build Chamber of Secrets to leave behind a legacy. The great time-traveling predecessors were right!

"Respected senior, may I ask... why was I chosen? I am a Slytherin." Skylar didn't believe in free lunches; he needed to find out why he had been chosen.

"Heh, not bad, very cautious. You possess a Ravenclaw relic, don't you? That's the key to enter here. To become a candidate, one must possess the key and pass my Test of Truth; both conditions are indispensable."

Skylar took out Ravenclaw's Diadem and noticed it emitting a faint silver glow; within his Magic Eye, he could see clear and active magical fluctuations. Skylar said softly, "Is this what you were talking about, senior?"

The eagle-shaped phantom said, "Don't call me 'senior,' it makes me sound old. Just call me Aquila. Yes, what you're holding is indeed the Diadem of Wisdom, the key to enter this place, but why does this Diadem look somewhat different from what I remember?"

Skylar quickly recounted how the Diadem was stolen by Helena the Grey Lady Ravenclaw, and then tricked by Voldemort into turning it into Horcrux.

Aquila wore a complicated expression. "Tsk tsk, Horcrux. That's incredibly evil magic. I never imagined Hogwarts would produce a wizard like this..."

Skylar Aquila was about to ramble on about this topic, Schelling quickly steered the conversation back to the Chamber of Secrets: "What's the deal with this Chamber of Secrets? What benefits will I get as a candidate? And what do I need to do?"

Aquila gave a meaningful look. "It seems you've already seen the other old guys' Chamber of Secrets. Let me guess, it's Chamber of Secrets's, isn't it? That guy's Chamber of Secrets the most conspicuous, especially for Pure-blood wizard like you..."

Wow, you guessed right!

However, Skylar was a little puzzled. "Aquila, how come I heard that Slytherin left the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets without letting the other Founders know about it, only allowing his descendants who inherited his will to use the Chamber of Secrets to purge Muggle-born wizard in the future?"

Aquila sneered, "The old man thinks he's been very discreet, what a boastful arrogance. In fact, the year he left, Ravenclaw used a sophisticated spatial magic to find the Chamber of Secrets. Don't forget, it was Ravenclaw who chose the school site in the first place."

So that's how it is? Skylar really didn't know that; he only knew that Hogwarts was founded by the Four Founders. He immediately showed an expression of great interest.

Aquila explained, "Ravenclaw was guided by a dream to choose the current location of Hogwarts. This place hides many secrets, which even the four Founders did not fully understand. Of course, Ravenclaw's exploration and understanding of this place are the deepest. However, considering that Slytherin also contributed to the establishment of Hogwarts, and that Slytherin's ideas may not have been wrong, the three Founders decided to preserve the Chamber of Secrets —in case one day Muggle-born wizard betray us and bring disaster to the wizarding world, this Chamber of Secrets can serve as a backup plan."

(Note: In the dream, a warthog led Ravenclaw to the cliff in front of the Black Lake. Hogwarts is named after that warthog Hogwarts. )

Aquila continued, "Let's talk about you first—you're currently only a candidate, not yet the fully recognized successor to Ravenclaw. You have the authority to enter this Chamber of Secrets at any time, but you cannot bring anyone in. You also have the authority to read and take away all the books and scriptures here. These books contain the magic that Lady Ravenclaw has researched throughout her life, embodying her countless wisdom and efforts..."

"As everyone knows, Ravenclaw is renowned for her wisdom, and the magical legacy she left behind is the most vast and abundant of the Four Founders. The books here belong to her private collection and have not been circulated. Someone as intelligent as you should know the value of these books."

Skylar naturally knew the value of these books. The Four Founders of Hogwarts were the most outstanding wizards of their time, and their selfless establishment of the magic school and sharing of their magical knowledge was truly remarkable.

It's understandable that they kept their unique skills to themselves as Killer cards. This wasn't because they were selfish, but because in that dark age of the Middle Ages, no wizard could reveal their full power; doing so would be a death sentence.

"To become the true heir, you only need to do two things: First, read all the magical books here, inherit all of Ravenclaw's knowledge, and then find a candidate to carry on the legacy of this Chamber of Secrets; second, discover the true use of the Diadem of Wisdom, but I think you may need to remove the Horcrux's power from the Diadem before that... You only need to complete one of these two tests to be recognized as the official heir of Ravenclaw, and you will gain my loyalty."

"Hmm... Aquila... I'm curious, what kind of being are you? What would I need your allegiance for?"

"You brat, I am the most prized magical creation of Lady Ravenclaw from a thousand years ago. I accompanied her through countless magical researches, and I followed her in countless magical battles. Ravenclaw cherishes me more than the Diadem of Wisdom. What do you say?"

"It sounds like a research assistant and battle summoner. It's definitely a good thing, "Skylar thought.

The first task wasn't difficult. With Skylar's intelligence and the Time-Turner, reading through the entire collection was only a matter of time. He also had a clue about the second task. First, he would try to destroy the Horcrux with a pure silver dagger without damaging the Diadem, perhaps requiring some soul magic. Then, he could look up the Diadem's true purpose in the history books, or perhaps asking Professor Binns directly would also be a good option.