Harry Potter: The Rise Of Malfoy

Chapter 70

The entire Gryffindor house was fixated on the forthcoming match.

In everyone's recollection, no match had ever arrived with such an electrifying atmosphere.

Following the Easter holidays, the tension between the two teams and houses escalated to a breaking point. Some minor altercations erupted in the hallways, and in the most severe incident, a fourth-year Gryffindor student and a sixth-year Slytherin student found themselves in the hospital wing, with their ears stuffed with chives.

Harry was experiencing a particularly challenging time.

Under Marcus Flint's command, all the Gryffindor players became targets, with the youngest team member, Harry, being the center of attention. This was not only due to his remarkable flying abilities but also because he owned a unique Firebolt (Draco's Firebolt was a secret). This caught Wood's notice.

"We must remain alert, especially Harry; he needs someone to safeguard him!" His tone was very assertive.

"I'm fine, Wood; you don't need to be overly concerned about me," Harry weakly protested, but the majority dismissed him firmly.

"Don't worry, Oliver; Harry's safety is in our hands," vowed the Weasley twins, thumping their chests. It was predictable that any Slytherin students who dared to show their faces would likely be met with dung bombs, fang frisbees, and other friendly reminders.

And indeed, the Slytherin students faced a tough few days ahead. Various types of dung bombs would occasionally appear on their dining table, potion cauldrons would silently emit troublesome smoke, fang frisbees would zoom by and tug at their hair in the corridors, and they would trip over "automatic tripwires" while descending the stairs. After a few days, the Slytherins looked pale and worn out, mentally drained, and flinched at every sound, resembling startled birds.

Initially, none of this bothered Soren—his reputation at Hogwarts made the little lions steer clear of him, and no one dared to confront him. Draco, on the other hand, maintained a much lower profile, rarely appearing in public, and when he did, he was always shielded by Goyle and Crabbe.

However, once, during an attack on a Slytherin upperclassman, Gryffindor fourth-year Harold Dingo inadvertently included the innocent Astoria, who was merely passing by, in the attack. Her robes were splattered with dung bombs, releasing a foul odor, prompting her to rush back to the dormitory in tears.

Daphne, feeling sympathy for her sister, sought out Soren. "Gryffindor is going too far! We all heeded your advice and stayed out of this mess, even Vincent and Gregory held back, yet we ended up being bullied!"

Soren's intention was to avoid engaging in such a trivial dispute; matters on the field should naturally be settled on the field—let Draco deliver a decisive blow to Gryffindor with a victory. But since his people were being mistreated, remaining inactive seemed inappropriate.

A cold glint flashed in Soren's eyes. "Don't worry! With Draco's Firebolt, this victory will undoubtedly belong to Slytherin. First, we will demonstrate our strength with this win! After that, I will certainly help Tori take revenge."

Understanding Soren's intent, Daphne kissed him on the cheek and turned to find her sister to console her.

The semester was nearing its end, and Soren suddenly recalled that he had made an appointment with Luna, so he decided to visit the Ravenclaw common room to find her and also to see the legendary bronze eagle knocker.

The entrance to the Ravenclaw common room is situated at the top of a spiral staircase on the west side of the castle. There, there was a bare old wooden door with only a bronze eagle knocker on it. Soren gently lifted the knocker and knocked twice; the eagle's beak opened, and it spoke in a soft and rhythmic voice: "Where do people go after death?"

Wow, such a challenging question? Soren could answer it, but he seriously doubted how many young wizards had the capability to respond to this question. Life and death had always been the greatest mysteries in the wizarding world, and those who understood this secret numbered no more than ten in the world. Moreover, the Ministry of Magic in Britain had a department specifically studying this topic, indicating that there were still many unresolved issues in this field.

"Limbo," Soren thought for a moment and quickly answered, but the door showed no sign of opening.

After a while, the eagle's beak opened again: "Where can one go from the Underworld Illusion?"

"Isn't it supposed to answer just one question?" Soren frowned in confusion, having heard Luna describe this eagle-shaped bronze door knocker, which was always supposed to answer just one question. However, he honestly replied, "Choosing 'forward' can enter the Afterlife, while choosing 'return' will bring you back to reality in the form of a ghost. Of course, there are exceptions, such as incomplete souls, or souls anchored in reality by certain bonds..."

"What is the essence of life?" — After a short while, the third question followed.

These questions were clearly a series of probing explorations, not at all like questions meant for students. For the first time, Soren felt that his brain was somewhat insufficient.

After pondering for a while, he cautiously replied, "Life is born from nothingness, exists in the world with a physical form, and ultimately perishes in reality, going to the world of the dead. Living should not merely be about eating, drinking, relieving oneself, and reproducing, but rather about exploring the truths of oneself and the universe — everyone's insights and understandings of life are different, so I believe the essence of life is matter, spirit, and soul!"

The bronze eagle's eyes gradually lit up. It did not continue to ask questions and reverted to its usual bronze door knocker form.

This means I can enter, right? Soren glanced at it and pushed the door open. What came into view was a simple yet exquisite room. The bookshelf against the wall was piled high with books, the sky-blue curtains were drawn, and many magical objects that Soren did not recognize floated on the ceiling, emitting a faint glow. In front of him was a desk with books scattered haphazardly across it.

Although Soren had never been to the Ravenclaw common room, he could tell that this was not a common room; the room was too simple and did not have a portal or passage leading to the dormitory. It resembled a professor's office more.

A translucent eagle-shaped phantom, identical to the one on the bronze door knocker, suddenly flew out from mid-air. "Chosen candidate, welcome to the Chamber of Ravenclaw."

Aha! Indeed, it seems that understanding the secret of building a hidden chamber and leaving a legacy is not just the domain of Slytherin; the great predecessors of time travel do not deceive me!

"Respected predecessor, may I ask... why was I chosen? I am a Slytherin." Soren did not believe in good fortune falling from the sky; he needed to understand the reason for his selection.

"Hehe, quite cautious. You possess Ravenclaw's relic, right? That is the key to enter here. To become a candidate, you must have the key and pass my test of truth; both conditions are indispensable."

Soren took out Ravenclaw's diadem and found it emitting a faint silver glow; the magical eye revealed obvious and active magical fluctuations. Soren gently said, "Is this what you meant, predecessor?"

The eagle-shaped phantom replied, "Don't call me predecessor; that makes me sound old. Just call me Aquila. Yes, what you hold is indeed the Diadem of Wisdom, the key to enter here, but why does this diadem seem different from what I remember?"

Soren quickly explained that this diadem was stolen by Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, and was later tricked away by Voldemort to become a Horcrux.

Aquila displayed a complex expression: "Tsk tsk, a Horcrux. That's quite an evil magic; I never expected Hogwarts would produce such a wizard..."

Seeing that Aquila intended to dwell on this topic, Soren hurriedly steered the conversation back to the chamber: "What is this chamber about? What benefits will I receive as a candidate? What do I need to do?"

Aquila revealed a meaningful expression, "It seems you have already seen the chambers of other old fellows; let me guess, it was Slytherin's chamber, right? That guy's chamber is the most conspicuous, especially for a pure-blood wizard like you..."

Wow. That's a really accurate guess!

However, Soren was a bit confused. "Aquila, how come I heard that Slytherin left the Chamber of Secrets without informing the other founders, only allowing his descendants who inherited his will to use the Chamber in the future to cleanse wizards of Muggle descent?"

Aquila sneered, "The old man thought he was being very discreet, what a shameless boast. In fact, the year he left, Lady Ravenclaw used a profound spatial magic to locate the Chamber. Don't forget that the location of the school was chosen by Lady Ravenclaw."

So there was such a story? Soren really didn't know; he only knew that Hogwarts was founded by the four founders together, and he immediately showed a look of great interest.

Aquila explained, "Lady Ravenclaw was guided by a dream when she chose the current location of Hogwarts. This place hides many secrets, which even the four founders could not fully understand. Of course, Lady Ravenclaw's exploration and understanding of this place are the deepest. However, considering that Slytherin also contributed to the establishment of Hogwarts and that Slytherin's ideas weren't necessarily wrong, the three founders decided to keep the Chamber—if one day a wizard of Muggle descent truly betrays us and brings disaster to the wizarding world, this Chamber can serve as a backup."

Aquila continued, "Let's talk about your situation first—you are currently only considered a candidate, not yet an officially recognized heir of Ravenclaw. You have the right to enter this Chamber at any time, but you cannot bring anyone in, and you also have the right to read and take all the books here. These books are the result of Lady Ravenclaw's lifelong research in magic, containing her countless wisdom and efforts..."

"It is well known that Ravenclaw is famous for her wisdom, and the magical legacy she left behind is the most vast and rich among the four founders. The books here belong to her private collection and have not been passed down; someone as clever as you should understand the value of these books."

Soren naturally knew the value of these books. The four founders of Hogwarts were the most outstanding wizards of their time, and their selfless establishment of a magical school to share and impart their magical knowledge was already remarkable.

They kept their unique skills privately as a trump card, which is understandable. This was not out of selfishness, but in that dark medieval era, every wizard could not freely reveal all their powers, as it would lead to death.

"To become the true heir, you only need to do two things: First, read all the magical books here and inherit all of Ravenclaw's knowledge, then find the next candidate for the inheritance of this Chamber; Second, discover the true use of the Crown of Wisdom, but I think before that, you may need to first eliminate the power of the Horcrux that has tainted the crown... You only need to complete one of these two trials to be recognized as the official heir of Ravenclaw, and you will receive my loyalty."

"Um... Aquila... I'm curious, what kind of being are you, and what do I need your loyalty for?"

"You brat, I am Lady Ravenclaw's most prized magical creation from a thousand years ago. I accompanied her through countless magical studies, and I followed her in numerous magical battles. Ravenclaw cherishes me even more than the Crown of Wisdom, don't you think?"

It sounded like a research assistant and combat summon, indeed a good thing, Soren thought.

The first task wasn't difficult; with Soren's intelligence, plus the Time-Turner, finishing the reading of the collection was only a matter of time. He also had an idea for the second task: first, find a way to use a pure silver dagger to destroy the Horcrux without harming the crown, perhaps needing some soul magic assistance in the process; then he could look for the true use of the crown in history books, or directly ask Professor Binns, which also seemed like a good choice.

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