Following Ryze's words, the gazes of the hundreds of knights within the painting all turned simultaneously in the direction he had pointed.
The moment Ryze finished speaking, the entire hall of painted knights seemed to freeze. Armor creaked, plumes swayed, and the clinking of metal echoed faintly as dozens upon dozens of painted warriors twisted in their frames to look at the same spot.
However, Sir Cadogan had not yet realized the problem.
He was still busy trying to get the stubborn pony beneath him to cooperate. The small horse stomped its hooves impatiently and tossed its head from side to side, completely ignoring its rider's dramatic commands.
"Forward, noble steed!" Sir Cadogan cried, tugging at the reins. "To glory!"
The pony snorted and refused to move.
The result was that both rider and horse had their own ideas, and neither was willing to compromise. Sir Cadogan leaned forward dramatically, while the pony simply planted its feet firmly on the ground.
By the time he finally managed to calm the animal down and sit upright again, he looked up only to discover that, at some unknown moment, a crowd of knights had already gathered around him.
Some of them he recognized. Others he clearly did not.
"Oh! My King! And Merlin as well!" Sir Cadogan exclaimed excitedly.
He immediately spotted the most prominent figures among them—King Arthur and Merlin—and greeted them enthusiastically.
"It truly has been a long time!" he continued loudly. "Although we're only five floors apart, it seems the last time we met must have been at least five years ago!"
Sir Cadogan leaned proudly in his saddle, clearly delighted.
"I've always wanted to visit you, you know. But every time I came by, you never seemed to be home. I'm absolutely thrilled that you remembered to invite me this time!"
He seemed completely oblivious to the strange and somewhat tense atmosphere surrounding him.
Instead, he continued chattering about his own affairs without pause.
"But actually," he went on, waving his hand dramatically, "I much prefer staying on the eighth floor. Every time I try to ride down the stairs, it becomes a perilous adventure for my poor pony. Once we start going down, there's simply no turning back!"
He stroked the pony's mane with exaggerated seriousness.
"I still remember that banquet twenty years ago. My pony slipped on the stairs and—"
Seeing that Sir Cadogan was beginning to slip fully into one of his rambling storytelling moods, Professor Babbling sighed and raised her wand.
A soft flash of magic struck the painting.
Sir Cadogan's voice abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
His mouth remained open, but no sound came out.
Only then did the surrounding knights finally relax.
Ryze stepped forward calmly and spoke.
"Sir Cadogan," he said, "we wanted to ask you about the vision you mentioned seeing yesterday."
Professor Babbling released the spell, allowing the knight to speak again.
Sir Cadogan immediately perked up.
"Oh! Yes, yes! The vision!" he said enthusiastically.
He scratched his helmet thoughtfully.
"It does sound rather similar to the stair landing on the eighth floor where I reside," he explained. "But there aren't many classrooms or rooms there. It's mostly just a very long corridor."
He shrugged.
"Aside from the occasional young wizard sneaking there for a romantic tryst, I rarely see anyone. Perhaps once a week, if I'm lucky."
Sir Cadogan sighed dramatically.
"For a long time, my surroundings consisted only of a few terribly dull wizard portraits who had absolutely no joy for life. It was even worse than returning to my own home to sleep."
He paused, thinking.
"Until two hundred… or was it three hundred years ago?"
He scratched his chin.
"Well, anyway! Several centuries ago, one of the Headmasters decided to bring a very interesting tapestry and hang it in that corridor. Ever since then, life there has been slightly more cheerful."
Professor Babbling rubbed her forehead in frustration.
"Why did it have to be this guy…" she muttered under her breath.
Even the other knights in the paintings quietly distanced themselves from Sir Cadogan.
Their expressions suggested that they were very unwilling to admit that this somewhat eccentric knight had once been a member of the legendary Knights of the Round Table, just like them.
Seeing Ryze and the young wizards looking puzzled, Professor Babbling briefly explained the situation.
"Most portraits inside Hogwarts Castle do not possess full consciousness," she said.
"But Sir Cadogan is an exception."
She pointed toward the painting.
"This portrait was donated to Hogwarts by Sir Cadogan's descendants. According to their family records, Sir Cadogan himself was not nearly as ridiculous during his lifetime as this painting makes him appear."
She folded her arms.
"After King Arthur fell in battle, Sir Cadogan returned to the wizarding world. He married, raised children, and spent the rest of his life living peacefully."
Anthony looked surprised.
"But for some unknown reason," Professor Babbling continued, "the portrait created from his consciousness turned out… rather eccentric."
She glanced back at Sir Cadogan, who was now attempting to teach his pony how to salute.
"He spends all day thinking about adventures and heroic quests. He refuses to stay quietly in his frame at home."
"That's why his descendants eventually decided to donate the portrait to Hogwarts. They believed a lively environment would suit him better."
She sighed slightly.
"Unfortunately, the personality displayed in this portrait has directly influenced how later generations of wizards judge the real Sir Cadogan."
Anthony's eyes lit up.
"In other words," he said excitedly, "this portrait was infused with Sir Cadogan's own will?"
He immediately looked at the knight with renewed interest.
"Legend says he was a close friend of Merlin. Doesn't that mean we might be able to learn something about Merlin from him?"
Professor Babbling waved her hand dismissively.
"Many people have already tried asking him about the final fate of King Arthur and Merlin," she said.
"So far, no one has succeeded."
Then she glanced at Ryze.
"Of course," she added thoughtfully, "perhaps those people simply lacked the necessary talent… or patience."
"If you can endure his endless chatter, you're welcome to try."
She turned toward the corridor.
"Anyway, according to him, his frame shouldn't have moved. Let's go take a look first."
Before leaving, Professor Babbling thanked the knights who had gathered in the painting.
Then she raised her wand and made several graceful strokes across the canvas.
Instantly, several large barrels of beer appeared inside the painting.
"Here is the promised reward," she said.
"You may enjoy your banquet. Just remember to clean up all the portraits afterward."
The knights immediately burst into cheers.
It was unclear exactly how this magically created beer differed from ordinary food depicted in paintings, but they seemed extremely excited about it.
Meanwhile, the group left the portrait hall and began making their way through the castle.
Hogwarts' layout was famously complicated.
Even after reaching a certain floor, it did not mean one could immediately explore the entire level.
Sometimes, two classrooms on the same floor could require more than ten minutes of walking to reach, especially when corridors were blocked or staircases shifted unpredictably.
As they walked, Professor Babbling continued explaining.
"This is part of Portrait Magic," she said.
"The beer I created contains magical energy. When the portraits drink it, their thoughts and movements become temporarily more active."
She gestured casually.
"This type of magic is usually studied by students after their sixth year. It's an elective area based on personal interests and career goals."
"If someone is skilled in painting and understands magical theory, they can specialize in portrait enchantment."
She smiled faintly.
"And if you master it well, finding employment anywhere in the wizarding world will not be difficult."
The young wizards exchanged looks of admiration.
This Ancient Runes professor seemed to possess an astonishing breadth of knowledge.
She understood divination.
She knew portrait magic.
She was also deeply familiar with the history of figures like Sir Cadogan.
Did one truly need such extensive knowledge to become a master of Ancient Runes?
The question lingered silently in their minds.
After taking a long detour—even after already reaching the eighth floor—the group finally arrived at the corridor Sir Cadogan had described.
It was quiet.
Extremely quiet.
On one side of the hallway hung the blank portrait frame where Sir Cadogan normally resided.
"Actually," Professor Babbling said, pointing down the hallway, "if you continue that way, take three turns, and go up two more flights of stairs, you'll eventually reach the Headmaster's Office."
She shrugged slightly.
"However, this part of the corridor is usually very empty. Headmaster Dumbledore rarely walks this route. He prefers the path leading toward Gryffindor Tower."
She turned toward Ryze.
"Does this resemble the scene you saw in your vision?"
Ryze nodded slowly.
"The decorations are different," he said.
"The lighting, the color of the walls, even the style of the carpet—it's all changed."
He paused.
"But the general layout… is very similar."
He walked toward a particular section of the wall.
"According to the vision I saw, the room should be located somewhere around here."
He stopped.
In front of him was nothing but a blank wall.
However, directly opposite the wall hung an enormous tapestry.
It was the very tapestry Sir Cadogan had mentioned earlier.
Ryze stared at it.
The moment his eyes fell upon the image, he suddenly froze.
His pupils narrowed slightly.
So…
Was this the place he had seen in his divination?
Behind him, Anthony quickly recognized the image on the tapestry.
"Oh!" he exclaimed.
"This is the famous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet!"
He pointed at the artwork excitedly.
"I've heard this story since I was a child."
"In the legend, Barnabas was a wizard who tried to teach trolls how to dance ballet."
Anthony chuckled.
"Unfortunately, the trolls didn't appreciate his teaching methods."
"In the end, they beat him quite badly."
Anthony examined the tapestry more closely.
"It's enormous," he added. "The Headmaster who hung this here must have really loved the story."
Curious, he even tried lifting the tapestry to see if something might be hidden behind it.
But there was nothing.
Just a cold stone wall.
"No hidden room," Anthony muttered.
"It seems this isn't the place either."
He turned back toward Ryze.
"Hey… Ryze? What's wrong?"
Ryze hadn't moved.
He was still staring at the tapestry.
Anthony waved his hand in front of his face.
But before he could disturb him further, Professor Babbling stopped him.
Her expression had suddenly turned serious.
"Don't interrupt him," she said quietly.
Anthony blinked.
"Why?"
Professor Babbling kept her gaze fixed on Ryze.
"He might have seen something again."
"Just wait."
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