MTL NOVEL Chapter 19: Chapter 19
[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
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Harry was extremely curious about the fourth-floor corridor and the Forbidden Forest, both of which Dumbledore had strictly forbidden students from visiting.
The more adults forbade children from going somewhere, the more they wanted to go. It was the Pandora Effect, Harry had heard that term in a movie. The feast wasn't over yet, but he was already wondering whether he should visit the Forbidden Forest or the fourth-floor corridor first.
The final part of the banquet was the school song, which everyone sang together.
Harry had sung many school songs during his time in primary school, so he was quite familiar with the idea. Usually, both the lyrics and melody of a school song weren't too complicated.
But Hogwarts' school song? That was something else entirely.
There were lyrics, but no set melody!
Each student sang in their own tune, creating a cacophony even louder than the arguments between politicians in movies. But Professor Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of their time, didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked delighted.
Harry once again witnessed just how strange his two peculiar brothers, Fred and George, were, as Ron had described them. They sang the usually cheerful lyrics agonizingly slowly, using the tune of a funeral march.
Since their pace was so slow, they were the last to finish.
Dumbledore, just as odd in Harry's eyes, conducted their final notes and clapped enthusiastically when they were done, looking happier than anyone else.
The greatest wizard of the century? Maybe.
The greatest oddball in the wizarding world? Probably.
After the feast, Dumbledore instructed the house prefects to lead the students to their respective common rooms.
On the train ride to Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione had explained the prefect system to each other. Prefects were part of Hogwarts' student self-governance. Starting from fifth year, each house selected two prefects, one male and one female.
With the exception of fifth-year students, prefects could request to step down from their duties, but few ever did. In fact, in the past century, fewer than ten students had given up their positions. After all, being a prefect didn't come with many burdens, but it did come with privileges.
At most, each house could have six prefects at a time, meaning there were twenty-four prefects in the entire school.
Among them, the most active, without a doubt, was Percy Weasley, who had just been appointed as a prefect that year. His voice was the loudest as he led the first-years to their common room, following Dumbledore's instructions.
As for the older students, many of them wanted to linger outside a little longer. Compared to the exhausted first-years, who had crossed the lake in boats and then walked all the way up to the castle, the older students were full of energy.
It was worth noting that Ron only knew about prefects because Percy wouldn't stop talking about it all summer. Percy had received his Hogwarts letter during the holidays, informing him that he had been made a prefect. Ever since then, he had boasted about it constantly at home.
Harry found it amusing to watch Percy rush around, especially as he greeted every new student with exaggerated enthusiasm. Percy might have been a bit showy, maybe even power-hungry, but judging by his actions, he was indeed a capable prefect.
And from watching him, Harry also learned something new: Peeves, the mischievous poltergeist, seemed to fear the Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin House. As for why, Harry would have to find out later.
There was something else that puzzled him. Other ghosts could pass through walls or suddenly emerge from the banquet table, especially Sir Nicholas, the Gryffindor ghost, who delighted in such antics. But none of them seemed to have any physical effect on real objects.
Yet when Peeves had zoomed down the corridor, the suits of armor lining the walls rattled loudly.
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Access to the common room required a password, which changed at least once a week, sometimes every two or three days.
Harry and the others thought they could handle that, but when Neville heard it, his face fell.
On the train, Harry had noticed that Neville wasn't just shy, his memory was terrible. He struggled to remember things, even simple names.
For example, he only remembered Hermione's name after she repeated it three times.
The Gryffindor common room was a large, warm, circular space. It was filled with plush armchairs and small tables, creating a cozy atmosphere. Two doors on opposite sides led to the boys' and girls' dormitories.
The warmth of the room made Harry drowsy. He had planned to explore a bit more, but now, exhaustion was taking over.
The other first-years were yawning as well.
The dormitory was strange in many ways.
After passing through the entrance, they climbed a spiral staircase leading straight to the dormitories. But something about it felt odd. Gryffindor had students across six different years. Even if each year only required two dormitories, one for boys and one for girls, that would still mean at least seven different dormitory areas.
Yet when Harry climbed the stairs, it felt like he had somehow walked directly into his own dormitory.
"Spatial magic?" Harry thought excitedly.
In his memories, Neil had once read about Aegean magic, a field known for its diversity and complexity. Among the rarest and most bizarre types of magic were those related to space manipulation.
But Harry already knew that this world had spatial magic. Ron had mentioned that Percy was preparing for his Apparition test. And based on the description, Apparition was clearly a form of spatial magic.
It allowed a wizard to vanish from one place and reappear in another. However, since it was highly advanced and carried significant risks, wizards had to pass a rigorous exam and obtain a license before using it. Otherwise, it was illegal.
By the time Harry returned to the common room, he was feeling completely sleepy.
When Harry realized that the dormitory was truly enchanted with spatial magic, the kind Neil had considered the most bizarre and mystical, he suddenly felt less sleepy.
There were only forty new students this year. Harry hadn't counted them himself, but Hagrid had announced the number multiple times in front of him. There were ten students in each of the four houses, evenly split between boys and girls.
Gryffindor, where Harry and his friends were placed, had an equal division. In addition to Ron and Neville, whom they had met on the train, there were Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Both boys were excited, but they couldn't stop glancing at Harry's face, something Harry was already used to.
The dormitory had a bathroom, and despite their exhaustion, the young wizards forced themselves to take a quick wash before collapsing onto their beds. They started snoring before they could even say goodnight.
Harry, however, didn't fall asleep immediately, and it wasn't because of his roommates' snoring.
Even though he had never lived on a school campus, he had attended summer camps multiple times and had experience sharing tents with other kids. Living in a large dormitory wasn't an issue for him.
In fact, during summer holidays or other breaks, he and Dudley often stayed up all night playing, eventually falling asleep on the carpet, wrapped in blankets.
Yet tonight, Harry couldn't sleep at all, his mind was preoccupied with the Sorting Hat.
The Sorting Hat could read thoughts, something akin to telepathy. That realization made Harry uneasy.
He was worried that the secret in his mind might cause problems. After all, having a consciousness from another world invade someone's mind and nearly take over their body had to be a rare occurrence, even in the wizarding world, right?
If people found out that I have knowledge of magic from another world, would the Ministry of Magic capture me and study me?
Both Hagrid and Ron had expressed frustrations with the Ministry of Magic. Based on Harry's impression so far, the Ministry wasn't exactly friendly.
Harry knew one thing for sure, he couldn't let anyone discover his secret.
If this were the Muggle world, he could simply keep quiet, and no one would ever know. But in the wizarding world, things weren't that simple.
That tattered old hat could peer into people's minds, and powerful wizards could do even more.
Harry needed to find a way to protect his thoughts from prying eyes.
Was there a way to do that?
Yes, there was!
In Neil's world, mental magic wasn't as common as elemental magic, like earth, water, fire, and wind, but it wasn't particularly rare either. In fact, Neil had been an expert in the field.
Although Harry's fragmented memories didn't contain much high-level mental magic, he did remember a few simple, commonly used spells.
For example, he hadn't mastered the art of mind reading, but he understood the basic principles. As long as he strengthened his mental power, he would eventually be able to use it.
More importantly, he remembered a spell that could block people from reading his mind, a technique called Heart Lock Magic.
It was actually simpler than mind-reading magic.
Harry had no experience using it, but he had spent time among Muggles, where such skills weren't needed. Still, learning it shouldn't be too difficult.
Compared to mind-reading, the mind-blocking technique required far less mental strength.
Harry had started meditating when he was six or seven years old. He hadn't been very diligent about it, but over time, he had built up a decent amount of mental energy, enough to attempt the mind-blocking technique.
Harry followed the method for Heart Lock Magic as he remembered it and began constructing a special symbol in his mind.
Unlike ordinary meditation, this symbol was more complex.
If he had tried this before, the old Harry wouldn't have been able to form the image clearly in his mind. But now? He could just barely manage it.
A small golden orb of light gradually took shape in his mind. Slowly, it expanded.
As it grew, the golden light transformed into a round, cage-like structure, shimmering with a metallic sheen.
Under Harry's conscious control, the golden cage gradually expanded, stretching until it encompassed his entire field of vision as he closed his eyes and meditated.
Only then did Harry release his focus.
"It worked."
Harry smiled in satisfaction, though his face showed traces of exhaustion.
Even though it was a simple spell, it had still taken a lot out of him. Mental magic required intense concentration, and his energy was nearly drained.
Still, this Heart Lock Cage would at least ensure that his thoughts remained safe from prying eyes, for a few hours.
The mental strain made Harry feel drowsy once again.
This time, he relaxed against the soft mattress, let out a contented sigh, and fell into a deep sleep.
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Meanwhile, in a Private Staff Dormitory.
The air reeked of burnt hair.
Professor Quirrell stared at the scorched tuft of hair that had turned to ash between his fingers. His eyes flicked to the crystal ball in front of him, which was now clouded with dense gray mist.
His expression darkened as he muttered in confusion,
"The surveillance is blocked. Is it Hogwarts' protective barrier?"
A voice, dripping with disdain, hissed from the back of his head, from within his turban.
"Possible. After all, the master of this place is Dumbledore! Ah yes, the great 'White Wizard' himself!"
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