The first week of school flew by at this pace. Studying material from books is not the same as studying material with knowledgeable people, in this case professors. It's worth giving credit to Hogue and his director. Having such good teachers is captivating.
What is a library worth? The presence of so many books was amazing. It seemed like you could get lost here. The orderly rows of cabinets and shelves for books went so far away that the opposite wall was not visible.
But there is one significant drawback. All the books were not sorted. Not even that, they were not completely sorted.
Let me give you an example: books related to a particular subject were in one place, in one section, but then everything. There was no sorting by level of "knowledge" or by level of "clearance". For example, while looking through the section on charms, flipping through books, I came across the Talmud, dedicated to the spell "Expelliarmus". Disarming spell. This spell can be completed at least at course 5, and as a rule, not everyone has the strength to fully master this spell at an acceptable level.
And there are plenty of such examples. After this, you are not surprised that most students do not know school subjects at a decent level. Here, if you want, you may not find anything. And if you try, you may stumble upon books with knowledge that, without initial preparation, can do harm. You don't need to look far for examples. I remember in the book on GP it was said that Leviosa was not pronounced correctly. Seamus, apparently that was his name, managed to blow up(*) his pen due to incorrect pronunciation... It is not customary to write about such incidents in standard literature, like our educational material. All that is said there is: "Incorrect pronunciation or failure to follow a gesture when creating a spell can lead to unforeseen consequences." That's all. What else could you expect from a magical education?
The only person who can navigate this labyrinth is the one who practically lives here. This is Madame Pince. This woman is simply a salvation for schoolchildren hungry for knowledge. Outwardly, she did not stand out in any way: black hair, brown eyes, dry figure. Age somewhere around 30-40 years. A standard representative of the magical society of England.
This is where you should turn to for help in your search for knowledge. She can provide both the entire list of literature recommended by professors and select literature on a topic that interests you. The only rule when visiting the library and when communicating with Madame Pince is no noise. There were incidents when she kicked out visitors regardless of gender, age and home.
This whole week I spent all my free time in the library. Nev was also with me a couple of times. In general, the library is not a very popular place. In it every day there is Merlin 1/20 of the entire school. And these are regular visitors. Which is not at all strange, Hermione is here every day. Covered with a whole mountain of books, she went into the world of pens and ink(*). I didn't approach her and introduce myself. I don't need extra attention, as well as my participation in canon events.
My daily routine during the week was monotonous and meager. Got up -> exercise -> magical training -> shower -> breakfast -> first couples -> lunch -> second part of couples -> visiting the library with homework -> dinner -> visiting the library until bedtime -> mana control training, meditation, occlumency -> sleep.
And so on, day after day, day after day. Occasionally, this routine is diluted by communication with representatives of senior courses, as well as communication in classes and in the library with Nev.
Some might ask, why did I even become friends with Neville? There are two reasons for this. The first, the most mercantile one, is Nev, a representative of the ruling elite of magical England. Even though his family has decided to head in the person of his father Neville, his grandmother still firmly holds the family itself, its politics and finances in a steel grip. I think she's called the Lady of Steel for a reason. Also, the Longobot family is one of 28 ancient and noble families. Who knows how my life will turn out? It may be that I will need the help of a representative of one of these families. That's why I became friends with Nev.
The second reason is his gift of "communication" with plants. The way he interacts with them and the way the plants are drawn to him seriously interested me. What if watching him open new horizons for me or expand old ones? All this may or may not happen.
Let's return to Hog himself, namely to teaching children. As it became clear: the deans of the houses know their subject, if not 100 out of 100, then 95 for sure. Therefore, it is a pleasure to study under their guidance. Their seemingly insignificant comments can open the subject of discussion from a completely different side. An example of this is the hair gel that potions use.
As commendable as the deans are, other faculty members are just as frustrating.
History: a complete retelling of the goblin wars from a ghost. You can't tell from him whether he realizes that he's already died? Or is it still moving by inertia? By the way, in a magician's vision it looks like a piece of the aura fixed in one position; it does not change, does not develop. Just an ordinary aura with the 1st and 2nd beginnings torn out, as well as damaged parts of other shells.
ZOTI is a separate story. The smell in the office is so striking that it completely interrupts any study activity. And the smell coming from the teacher. Mm, the smell of decaying meat, as well as the terrible amber of perfume and garlic...
But all this pales in comparison to his teaching style. This "creature" simply repeated half the chapter, and because of the stuttering, even this half turned into barely understandable nonsense... It seems that Tom once wanted to be a DADA teacher, but he was refused. What is this? The influence of his destroyed soul or revenge for denial of training? Who knows, definitely not me.
This is what education is like in Hoga...
***
September 8, evening before lights out, Calder's room, Hogwarts.
Slowly inhale and exhale. Watching the flow of mana, I directed it to all the cells of my body. Each inhalation is an overflow of mana into the cells of the body, exhalation is the assimilation of mana and directing it to its, the body's, needs.
What's interesting is that inhaling and exhaling does not affect the process of "drinking" mana; this action is a kind of psychological trigger for better management of mana.
Sitting in meditation and saturating the body with mana, thereby expanding the limits of the body, I prepared. I was preparing for my first adventure in Hoga. Room on demand, that's my goal.
In general, I have long wanted to visit it. But only today the first opportunity appeared. Before this, I was either too busy or under the supervision of someone. Today, on Sunday, the elders relaxed and gave us more freedom of action. Just what I was waiting for.
There were several reasons for visiting(*). Firstly, checking its presence, whether it is missing or whether it is there, but not where it was written in the book. Secondly, the library. Many fanfictions talked about the miraculous ability to retain all of Hog's literature within himself. Thirdly, the trash stored there. You never know what's there? Well, let's check if this is true.
Preparation for the sortie consisted of several stages. The first is the invisibility or stealth charm. I partially managed to find them. Incospicuam is a stealth spell created in ancient Rome. Its undoubted advantage over modern enchantments is the difficulty of detecting it using search enchantments. But where there are pros, there are also cons.
In this case there is also one big drawback. The spell does not immediately make the user invisible or undetectable, like most modern charms, but only enhances the user's stealth. In other words, this spell is completely dependent on the user, the less invisible he is at the moment, the more powerful the spell is. Historically, it is known that users of these spells were either spies or murderers. But over time, enchantments appeared with fewer demands on the user. So the spell went out of use and was also forgotten. I found it, by the way, in the far corner of the section dedicated to history... Where else could it be, right?
The second point is to study the movement of teachers. Each teacher is required to go on duty once at a certain time. Therefore, over the course of a week, I unobtrusively found out which of the teachers was on duty, when, how and where exactly. Today the share fell on the dean of Lvov. She usually hangs around the dungeons where snakes live, the Lion Tower, and the Director's Tower. Even here the enmity of the faculties has made its way.
It is also reliably known that around midnight she is often located at the director's tower. The same tower is located in the opposite direction* from my goal.
The third is the caretaker Filch and Mrs. Noris, his cat. They are the most problematic part. Not only do they move along an incalculable route, but in addition, a cat has a better sense of smell than a dog.
The stealth charm will partially help with the smell, but with their movement I already have an idea...
And fourth and last, metamorphism. Since no one knows that I have this gift, it's worth using it.
That's why I wait for midnight to approach. The fatal hour is near.
***
Midnight, Ravens' Lounge, Calder.
Going down the stairs leading to the boys' rooms, I simultaneously listen to the situation, you never know who is in the living room. By the sounds of no one. You can go slowly.
I look around with my magic vision to notice any unexpected spells, if any. To my slight surprise there are none. Apparently it's not for nothing that professors patrol the school corridors.
Leaving the living room, I waited until the passage behind me closed and moved forward.
Every step I took became lighter and quieter, and at the same time my appearance changed.
Step - The body returns to its usual size, the second - the hair changes length and color, becoming a stylish hedgehog, the color of a raven's wing, the third - the skin color darkens so much that it seems as if it merges with the black robe I am wearing, the fourth - two eyes become filled with color an amber color, so bright, like a fire in a deserted wasteland during pitch darkness.
Throwing the hood over my head, I turned the corner and said:
"Incospicuam," a quiet, barely audible sound escaped my lips. Like the flap of a night bird's wing.
Fifth step - the figure is covered with a barely visible film. As soon as she disappeared, I disappeared too.
***
Corridor, corridor, turn, turn, staircase. This is exactly the path that was before me. Walking forward, I did not forget to look back, so as not to miss the appearance of someone behind me.
So far I have been lucky or it is a consequence of my preparation, but I have not met anyone on my way. Only somewhere around the bend could the voices of some students be heard. Apparently I wasn't the only one who came up with the idea of a night walk.
Walking towards my goal, I observed the castle, its corridors, nooks and crannies, as well as its magical component.
The castle is beautiful, truly beautiful. The monstrousness of this structure is immediately striking. Taking a closer look, it becomes clear that they built it conscientiously. Also, this castle was precisely defensive, and only then a place of luxury. If you think about it and remember the times when it was built, it becomes clear why this is so. Wars then happened almost every decade, and major ones every century. What are wars with goblins worth... Perhaps from this loophole that was in front of me, someone shot back from the goblins or died at their hands.
Here is the last turn, according to the idea behind it is the desired corridor.
Step, stop. A picture appeared before me: Troll teaching ballet. The author has absolutely no taste.
Having walked near the wall three times, I kept one thought in my head: A complete library.
After 3 seconds, a wooden door appeared opposite the painting. Approaching her, I examined her magician. vision. The entire door was imbued with mana, as well as enchantment. But all the spells were locked on the room, not a single signal went anywhere else. This is good, it means they didn't put a surveillance device (?) here. Or, it's basically impossible to attach a tracker here. Most likely the second.
Pushing open the door, I entered the room.
***
When I visited, I found myself in... a library, unexpectedly, right? And to be honest, it was actually a library. True, it was even larger than Hogwarts... not only was there no end to the rows of shelves visible, but they were also much larger in height. They went straight to the ceiling, which was a projection of the sky, just like in the great hall.
How can one find anything here? In order to find the answer to this question, I had to get lost for 15 minutes. Somewhere to the right of the exit there was a place for reading.
Chair, sofa and tea table. There was a tea set with a teapot on the table. Thick steam came out of it.
At a distance from this corner there was a simple table with a chair. It's like a place to study. There was a book on the desk. Approaching the table, I took this book in my hands. It felt like she was covered with skin, along with metal plates. Its name: "Spatial room management. Education." Authored by some G.S.R.H.
This is direct proof that this room was created by the founders. And how many theories arose about it. Either Merlin himself created it, or the founders found it and built Hog in its place, there was even a theory about its emergence after Hog. But tell me, how powerful a magician must be in order to make changes to such a large and complex artifact called Hogwarts? After all, as you know, it is unrealistically difficult to change a finished artifact. Almost impossible. And if we are talking about hoga...
Taking the book in my hands, I sat down on a soft chair and began to read. I didn't drink tea, you never know.
Let's see what they write about here...