Chapter Thirty-Two: Xiwen in Ravenclaw

"Care to explain how you ended up here?" Miranda crossed her arms, looking at Siwen with an amused expression.

"Uh... well, this—this I can explain!" Siwen instantly ran through a hundred excuses in his mind, only to dismiss them one by one. In the end, he decided to tell the truth.

"I actually came to borrow your notes." He spread his hands as he spoke.

"Oh?" Miranda gazed at him with a half-smile.

"Alright, and I was also a little bit curious about the Ravenclaw common room." Siwen held up his thumb and forefinger, showing a tiny gap. "Who would have thought your door knocker is so creative, asking riddles, and I just happened to answer one by accident and got in..."

"So should I compliment you on your cleverness?" Miranda laughed.

"There's no need..." Siwen answered guiltily.

"Come on then." Miranda smiled, turning and signaling him to follow. "Since you're interested, I'll show you around."

Siwen followed Miranda up the steps that ran along the wall of the Ravenclaw common room. At the end of the stairs was an arched doorway, and from time to time, a few Ravenclaw girls in pajamas passed through.

"Is this... the girls' dormitory?" Siwen asked in surprise. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"I'm not letting you in!" Miranda rolled her eyes.

As they neared the doorway, she glanced back at Siwen and asked, "Herbology notes?"

Siwen chuckled awkwardly, lacking confidence. "It would be best if I could see your Charms notes too; I've run into some trouble lately."

"What kind of trouble?" Miranda asked, surprised.

Siwen explained the problem he'd encountered casting spells in the dungeons: "If dust or dirt has fused with the floor, which spell is best for cleaning it? I've tried the Scouring Charm and Tergeo, but neither works well."

"I can't imagine where you'd run into such a problem," Miranda muttered, but she still gave him an answer.

"First of all, you, a so-called 'noble' born with a silver spoon, probably haven't heard of the Washing-Up Spell, a household essential. In cases like yours, it works much better than the Scouring Charm."

Siwen rubbed his nose, unsure if Miranda harbored some prejudice against the aristocracy—she managed to slip in a jab even now.

"Of course, if the dirt is stuck too firmly to the floor and the Washing-Up Spell doesn't help, I'd suggest using a carefully controlled Severing Charm to cut away the grime, then follow up with the Washing-Up Spell and Scouring Charm to finish the job."

"If you mess up the Severing Charm and damage the floor, you can always use the Mending Charm to restore it. Usually, this won’t bring back any dirt attached to the surface," Miranda explained thoroughly.

"What if that still doesn't work?" Siwen asked.

"Then I'd suggest replacing the floor," Miranda replied, rolling her eyes.

Siwen grinned, delighted. "Thank you! You’ve been a huge help!"

Miranda shook her head, handed over a thick leather-bound book, and said, "These are my Charms notes. You can borrow them, but don't look at the advanced spells in the latter half just yet. As for my first-year Herbology notes, I'll have to search; whether I find them depends on your luck."

"Notes? Is this not a book?" Siwen exclaimed, taking the hefty volume and flipping it open.

Inside, neat and elegant handwriting filled the pages, listing spell after spell. Besides spell names and incantations, it included casting motions, practical applications, and combat analysis—a thorough and clear compendium.

"This could basically become our textbook!" Siwen looked at Miranda in awe. "Miranda, honestly, you should publish this! Our Charms textbook, 'A Detailed Guide to Common Spells,' is messy and riddled with errors. Your notes are so much better."

"My family can invest in printing this book. Once published, it could easily become Hogwarts’ new Charms curriculum!" Siwen seized the opportunity. "I say, call it 'The Book of Spells!'"

Watching Siwen's excitement, Miranda's lips twitched.

"I still have three years before graduation; it's far too early for that!" She shook her head and stepped into the girls’ dormitory. "Wait here. I'll go look for the Herbology notes."

Siwen nodded, leisurely waiting outside the Ravenclaw girls’ dormitory, engrossed in the “Charms notes.”

As time passed and the sun climbed higher, more and more students appeared in the Ravenclaw common room. They cast curious glances at the unfamiliar young wizard standing outside the girls’ dormitory.

The attention grew, and Siwen’s previously calm expression began to falter. He felt like a husky lost in a pack of wolves—barely hanging on, but thoroughly flustered...

Just then, a freckled little girl emerged from the dormitory, staring at Siwen in surprise. She called out loudly, "Are you Siwen Rozier? Aren’t you in Slytherin?"

The air grew suddenly quiet.

Siwen felt every eye in the common room fix upon him.

He awkwardly looked up at the freckled girl who’d bumped into him in the train carriage and later stepped on his foot during the sorting ceremony. He forced a smile and said, "Good morning, Miss Mannis."

"Good morning!" Mannis replied cheerfully. "I thought people like you wouldn’t bother greeting Muggle-born witches like me."

"Mannis, don’t belittle yourself. Remember, you’re a wise Ravenclaw," an older male wizard ascended the stairs and spoke to her.

Mannis blushed and whispered, "I always thought I’d be sorted into Hufflepuff..."

The older student didn’t hear this, but instead turned to Siwen, asking curiously, "Slytherin wizard, what are you doing here?"

"I’m here to borrow notes from Senior Goshawk," Siwen replied earnestly, showing the leather-bound book in his hands.

"She brought you in?" the upper-year wizard frowned.

Siwen shook his head. "No. I just happened to answer a question, and the door opened..."

Now, the Ravenclaw “eaglets” couldn’t contain their curiosity, crowding closer to get a good look at Siwen. After all, it was exceedingly rare for a student from another house to answer the eagle door knocker’s riddle and enter the common room.

Siwen was soon surrounded by Ravenclaw witches and wizards, pressed so tightly he had to stash the book in his pocket watch space to keep it safe.

As everyone examined him with curiosity, Siwen glanced at the culprit—freckled Patty Mannis. Suddenly, he noticed beside her a silver-haired, cool and beautiful girl, watching him with strange pale eyes that seemed shrouded in thick white mist.

Seeing those eerie eyes, Siwen shivered.

The owner of those eyes suddenly spoke, her voice ethereal and wavering:

"I cannot see you—"

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