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Robert turned to the door knocker and gently tapped the eagle's head.
The eagle-shaped door knocker suddenly came to life and asked in a clear voice, "What becomes more abundant the more it is shared?"
"See? A perfectly normal question," Robert turned to the new students and shrugged. "I think every Ravenclaw could answer it. The answer is 'knowledge.'"
With the sound of the mechanism turning, the bronze eagle on the wooden door folded its wings, and the door opened automatically.
"Please come in, everyone," Robert stepped aside to make way, gesturing for you to enter. "Welcome to your new home."
As Morris followed the crowd through the archway, the first thing that caught his eye was a wall with a huge eagle-shaped stone sculpture, flanked by two curved staircases.
Only after climbing the stairs does the Ravenclaw lounge truly come into view.
This is a stunning circular space with a high-hanging dome and a deep blue carpet woven with intricate spherical patterns underfoot. Several comfortable sofas and armchairs surround a fireplace, with books scattered around, adding a touch of life to the space.
The most striking feature is the white marble statue standing at the top of the stairs.
She was a graceful witch. Maurice guessed that this must be Rowena Ravenclaw herself, the founder of the house.
Robert explained, "The lounge has two floors. Go up the middle staircase and you'll find your dorm rooms. The boys are on the right and the girls are on the left. I'll give you the dorm room numbers later."
"Now, you are free to move around as you please."
The students immediately became lively, and began to wander around in twos and threes.
Morris sat down in the armchair by the fireplace, looked around, and casually picked up a book that had fallen to the floor.
What a pleasant environment.
He nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the book in his hands.
The books that Ravenclaw students read must certainly not be ordinary.
He looked at the book's title—
How to Win the Heart of a Gay Male Wizard
"..."
Morris silently put the book back in its place.
It seems this lounge is more dangerous than he thought.
About three minutes later, Robert returned to the lounge.
He cleared his throat and said loudly, "First graders, come here."
The freshmen immediately gathered around, and Morris was no exception.
Robert unfolded the parchment in his hand and announced, "There are only five male freshmen in Ravenclaw this year, which isn't too many. Dormitories will be allocated in groups of four, but because of the number of students, one person will be able to have a room by themselves."
He looked around at the new students and asked, "Does anyone want a room to themselves? A single room is more spacious."
The freshmen looked at each other and began to whisper among themselves.
Most people seemed hesitant.
While a single room is tempting, it's obviously a bit scary for an eleven-year-old to spend the night alone in a strange place, even if it's Hogwarts.
"Are there any volunteers?" Robert asked again.
Morris and a dark-haired boy raised their hands almost simultaneously.
Seeing this, Robert breathed a sigh of relief—he was worried that no one would want to live alone, which would make things difficult.
"Very well, Maurice Black, and… Kyle Chesterfield," he glanced at the list, "but there's only one single room available. Since you all want one…"
"duel!"
A senior student who was watching the commotion nearby suddenly shouted, which immediately drew a burst of laughter.
"Don't interrupt, Cyril." Robert glared at the man helplessly, then turned to the two freshmen. "How about a match, as is the tradition of Ravenclaw? Oh, not a duel, of course, don't worry."
Chapter 25 It's unfair! It's unfair!
"Of course," Morris replied calmly.
"No problem." The boy named Kyle nodded as well.
Robert smiled with satisfaction. "Very well, then I'll decide the competition content. May I ask, did you all practice the Transfiguration Charm during the summer vacation?"
Morris and Kyle nodded simultaneously.
"That's great. You all seem very confident. You're all worthy of being Ravenclaw students," Robert said approvingly, his gaze casually sweeping over the other freshmen around him.
Two of them lowered their heads in shame—they had spent the entire summer vacation enjoying their last moments of fun and hadn't even thought about previewing the textbook.
"Then the competition will be about the Transfiguration Spell."
Robert walked to a table with all sorts of random odds and ends on it.
"The rules are simple," he gestured for the two to come forward, "You can choose any item from this table and transform it into whatever you want, the more detailed the better. In the end, everyone present will vote to decide the winner."
The older students gathered around, their faces showing expressions of anticipation.
They knew very well that very few students could master the Transfiguration Charm before even entering school.
In their eyes, Maurice and Kyle were mostly just putting on a brave face.
"A Transfiguration Charm?"
Morris drew his wand from his waist and gently waved it at a silver teapot on the table.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the teapot began to deform.
The body of the pot transformed into a robe, the spout extended into an arm, and the lid became that familiar face with a wise smile.
In just ten seconds, a delicate miniature statue of Rowena Ravenclaw appeared on the table, almost identical to the statue at the bottom of the stairs, except for a few details such as the folds in her clothes.
"That's all there is to it," Morris said with a shrug.
He doesn't know how good others are, but this is the limit he can currently achieve.
Robert strode forward and examined the small statue closely. "Perfect attention to detail. This is already at the level of a third-year student, Morris."
The Ravenclaw students watching spontaneously burst into applause.
The older students' faces were filled with surprise.
They came to watch the spectacle, but unexpectedly witnessed the birth of a transformation genius.
Robert also developed a strong interest in this freshman named "Maurice".
Excellent people often share common traits.
In fact, he was able to do such a transformation when he was a first-year student, so he understands that it takes extremely high talent and hard work to master it in a short period of time.
He carefully observed the dark-haired boy in front of him—Maurice's face remained calm, as if the amazing transformation he had just performed was nothing more than a casual act.
Could it be that he's still hiding his true strength?
Robert shook his head, clearing his mind, and turned to Kyle gently, asking, "Do you still want to continue the competition? I think Maurice must have put in a tremendous amount of effort over the summer to reach this level."
Kyle: "..."
Is there even a need to compare?
He was just an ordinary freshman.
Although I did study the basics of Transfiguration during the summer vacation, it was limited to the simplest transformation, such as turning a match into a needle.
He looked at the lifelike miniature statue on the table and felt a wave of powerlessness.
Is this guy really a freshman?
"I give up," he said softly.
Thus, Morris got the only single dormitory room he wanted.
Morris put away his wand and nodded slightly to Robert. "Thank you."
"You deserve it. Your room is on the top floor, room number seven," Robert said with a smile. "But I must warn you, while a single room is quiet, it also means you'll lack roommate support. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me."
"Also, your luggage will be delivered in about five minutes."
"I understand," Morris nodded.
His prefect seemed to be a friendly person.
"Alright, everyone," Robert clapped his hands and announced to the crowd, "You can now choose to go back to your rooms or stay here a little longer. That's it, dismissed!"
...
It has been proven that outstanding individuals often receive special attention.
This is especially evident in Ravenclaw.
Morris was just resting on the sofa in the lounge while waiting for his luggage to arrive when several students from different grades came up to talk to him.
Morris had to answer all sorts of questions from them.
The Ravenclaw students seemed to really enjoy this segment, asking all sorts of unusual questions:
"How did you learn your Transfiguration spell?"
"Based on intuition."
What do your parents do? Are they wizards?
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