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After breakfast, Professor McGonagall summoned Percy Weasley and several other Gryffindor prefects to her office and informed them of the results of the previous exams.
The prefects were concerned about losing to Slytherin.
"I've reviewed the exam papers, and our main problem was choosing too many wrong answers. Next time, be careful, and if you're unsure, don't choose," Professor McGonagall said, taking out the papers she had just received from Professor Lockhart. The prefects, especially Percy, looked serious.
"All right, for the next exam, don't let it happen again. I couldn't even look Snape in the eyes this morning! Strive to get all the questions right, and we can definitely beat Slytherin."
Percy thought for a moment and suggested, "We can summarize the questions every day after the exam; it might be helpful."
Professor McGonagall considered it and found Percy's idea sensible.
"Let's do that then. Go back and tell them. But don't take up too much time; you have other subjects to study. Also, I've received some information here that Professor Snape seems to be planning a surprise exam next week, so be prepared." Professor McGonagall then signaled that the prefects could leave.
The prefects exchanged glances, surprised by this explosive internal news. They nodded seriously and left the office to announce this news in the common room.
The weekends of the four houses were not peaceful, but it had nothing to do with Tom, the instigator.
On Saturday, he arrived early at the library. As soon as the door opened, he slipped inside, heading straight for the Restricted Section.
As he entered the Forbidden Section, a shadow followed him.
Tom noticed the movement behind him, turned, and said, "Miss Granger, coming to the library early on a Saturday morning to study. You're truly diligent. Hardworking children deserve praise; I'll give Ravenclaw five points." Tom, when not in class, had the authority to award or deduct points, though the daily quota was less.
After adding the points, he continued, "In the Muggle world, there's a saying: 'One percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration,' constituting genius. Miss Granger, you're on the path to genius."
Hermione blushed; she knew exactly who the person with the appearance of Lockhart was. Tom's compliments made her heart race.
"There's a second part to that saying. However, that one percent inspiration is often more critical than the ninety-nine percent perspiration," she said softly. "And Edison had a poor reputation. Please refrain from quoting him."
"Oh?" Tom became interested in Edison's gossip. He inquired, and Hermione explained, revealing Edison's true character.
When it came to Edison, one would immediately think of the light bulb, one of his most famous inventions. In 1879, on October 21st, in Edison's laboratory, the world's first light bulb was successfully produced, providing continuous light for about 13 hours. However, as early as 1854, a Canadian electrician named Goebel completed the world's first light bulb experiment: he placed carbonized bamboo filaments in a vacuum glass bottle and passed electricity through it, making it glow for 400 hours!
Unfortunately, he did not apply for a patent.
In 1874, two Canadian electrical engineers applied for a patent for a glass bulb filled with ammonia to make the carbon filament glow. Unfortunately, they lacked the funds to continue their research and had to sell the patent to Edison.
So, however you look at it, Edison was not the inventor of the light bulb. He was more of a businessman who commercialized the light bulb.
Many claimed that Edison was the "king of a thousand inventions," but in his laboratory, there were countless engineers, mechanics, and physicists who contributed, only to be forgotten by the world.
This was child's play compared to the squabble between him and Tesla! It would be enough material for a thrilling story with Tesla as the protagonist.
In addition to this, Edison also played a role in the birth of Hollywood: he patented the phonograph and the movie camera, and after inventing these two things, Edison hired many lawyers, aggressively suing filmmakers in an attempt to ensure that only Edison's studio could make films.
At that time, countless film companies fled to Los Angeles on the West Coast to avoid Edison, eventually becoming today's Hollywood.
Edison, somewhat like the non-magical Lockhart, was a bit stronger but specialized in more projects. Lockhart was no match even if he knew a few spells; his reputation was not so tarnished.
Tom's image of Edison was overturned in Hermione's mind, and he remained silent for a long time.
"Alright, Professor Lockhart, stop daydreaming." Hermione had found a table and started piling it with various books, several rolls of parchment, and a bottle of ink.
Tom took a piece of parchment, signed his name in a flourish, and said, "You take this. If you find a book you want to read in the Restricted Section, just borrow it."
Hermione suddenly lifted her head, her eyes shining. "Isn't this improper?"
"What's improper about it? I am a legitimate professor at Hogwarts!" Tom waved his hand dismissively. Foolish question! If he didn't want to enjoy the Restricted Section of Hogwarts, he wouldn't bother impersonating Professor Lockhart! With class time, he could spend more time reading books. Of course, it was also crucial to expose the charlatan's true face, let justice prevail, and help the poor regain their memories.
Tom walked alone into the Restricted Section, still uncertain about the "Enchanted Castle" mentioned in the time turner's manufacturing method. He wanted to see if he could find clues in the Restricted Section.
"Ancient Forbidden Legends," "Buried Celts"... These two seem interesting. Tom took these two books from the shelf. The books seemed quite old, one with a tattered cover, and the other entirely blood-red. Just looking at them gave a sense of great evil.
His goal was clear: the contents of the books should record ancient things, considering that Salazar Slytherin himself lived over a thousand years ago, and the scrolls he collected mentioned things that were at least a millennium old.
For ancient history, ordinary books in the general section often lacked details. Tom could only search for clues in the Restricted Section. He had been looking for information like this for a week, and he had already read several books.
Tom returned to Hermione's table with these two books, sitting across from her. They started reading quietly together.
Tom began with "Ancient Forbidden Legends." This book was placed in the Restricted Section for a reason. Even the illustrations inside were enough to make people uncomfortable. Tom only read a few pages, and he already saw an illustration of a human being skinned and a witch with numerous arms growing from her shoulder.
Feeling a wave of nausea, he switched to "Buried Celts." Tom borrowed the crucial keyword bookmark from Hermione, inserted it into "Ancient Forbidden Legends," and waited for the bookmark scan to finish. Then, he could try searching for "Enchanted Castle."
"Bell Tolls" finished scanning the bookmark, and Tom took it and rescanned "Buried Celts." This time, the bookmark reacted.
Tom's spirits lifted, and Hermione also sat down beside him, looking.
"Enchanted Castle," also known as "Fairy Tomb," is said to be the entrance to the "Other World." After the sacred tribe of Asa de Danann was defeated by the Milesians, they opened the "Other World" as their territory. The Milesians ruled the mundane world of Ireland, while the de Danann controlled the land of the gods at the end of the underground and the sea.
The "Other World" is the Elysium in Celtic mythology, the happiest land in the world. There, the trees are lush, the grass is fresh, and the branches are laden with abundant fruit. The residents never age and enjoy eternal youth. The place hosts feasts and revelries all day long, with music, wealth, and treasures abound. This is the mysterious and magical land in ancient Celtic mythology.
The "Enchanted Castle" is the entrance to the "Other World."
Seeing this, Tom and Hermione were dumbfounded. If they came across such a record in the non-magical world, they'd probably dismiss it as mere mythology—every civilization had a few. But finding it in the Hogwarts Restricted Section increased its credibility significantly.
"This book was included shortly after Hogwarts was founded," Hermione said, looking at the description on the book cover. "It was compiled by a wizard in the Middle Ages who, on the surface, was a cleric. He referenced documents left in several English monasteries—presumably now lost—to write this book."
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