Hogwarts Raven

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"Ian really didn't like dealing with riddles. He only enjoyed being the riddler himself.

Fortunately, although the mysterious Witch had picked up some bad habits from wizards, her fondness for riddles wasn't too severe. Seeing Ian's confused, wide-eyed expression, she provided a detailed explanation.

"You and that little girl have often talked about a dark wizard named Tom by the riverside over the years, discussing how dangerous it is to attend that school called Hogwarts... Perhaps next time, you should keep your voices a bit lower." The Witch had clearly adapted to Ian's "slowness."

This was truly an unexpected answer for Ian. Yet it seemed so reasonable. 

'Observation? Easy to read? It's more like you were eavesdropping on my conversation!' Ian silently cursed her in his heart, but on the surface, he forced an awkward smile as he spoke. "I didn't expect that you've been quietly observing me for so long."

'What else could he say?' Of course, he could only resort to some classic lines from 'The Path to Civil Service Promotion!' Ian had learned them before crossing over but never had the chance to use them. He never expected to use them in such a strange situation now.

"Observation, yes... observation." The mysterious Witch's eyes narrowed into crescents, not pure or cute, but rather with a fox-like cunning. "We've been talking for a long time, and I've answered quite a few of your foolish questions. But until now, I haven't heard you call me 'Professor,' have I?" 

Her tone remained soft and slightly lazy, but beneath the calm surface of her voice, there was a hint of sharpness.

"That's because you haven't told me your honorable name yet." Ian immediately perked up, slightly bowing, using his actions to prove that he wasn't truly "slow."

"You may call me Professor Mara."

Mara's lips curled into a faint smile. Her smile seemed to carry a deeper meaning, like a flower blooming in the rainforest— beautiful yet thorny.

"Professor Mara." Ian immediately blurted it out while putting on the demeanor of a well-behaved child. 

However, at the same time, he was also muttering in his heart— in the widely known Harry Potter story, he had never heard of any famous witch by this name. Was it a pseudonym? Or had this Professor's name been buried in the dust of history over time? 

Hmm, it seemed this Professor wasn't an overly powerful wizard, after all. Whether it was the Hogwarts founders or Merlin, the names of the greatest never faded with time. Of course. Professor Mara might have come from an even more ancient era, or perhaps this wasn't her original name, but one she had given herself as her memories faded.

Thinking of this. Ian couldn't help but recall some of the things Professor Mara had said earlier. His heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask with a mix of curiosity and confusion. 

"Professor Mara, you said you no longer possess the powers and magic you had when you were alive?" Ian asked cautiously, but it still drew a pressure-filled gaze from the Witch.

"Do you think I can't teach you anything?" The Witch smiled. 

"Of course not, I'm just curious about those utensils that ran away. Weren't they enchanted with magic?" Ian avoided her gaze by looking around.

"The mortal world can take away my magic, strip me of my power and bloodline, but..." The Witch leaned back on the bench and pointed to her head with her slender hand. "Knowledge will never betray its owner. Remember, my dumb apprentice, knowledge is the most precious treasure we possess. It will accompany us on every journey. Until... the end."

For the first time, the Witch spoke to Ian with a serious tone, imparting a meaningful lesson.

"The end?" Ian looked at the Witch.

"For me, and for all the souls here, it represents the unknown ahead." The Witch smiled as she responded, her tone even carrying a hint of anticipation.

Every soul lingering in the Twilight Zone still harbored obsessions. To be honest, Ian was now very curious about what kind of obsession troubled Professor Mara, who seemed so full of anticipation for the future. However, since this might touch on some scars of the soul, he didn't dare to ask why she was still lingering in the Twilight Zone.

"Professor Mara, what kind of knowledge can I learn?" Since he had already called her "Professor," Ian naturally hoped to learn as eagerly as if he were starving.

"Magic and potions, which would you like to learn first?" Mara was clearly very confident in her abilities, and her tone and demeanor all reflected this.

"You can brew potions too?" Ian was somewhat surprised. He wondered who was stronger in this field— Professor Mara or Professor Snape? Probably Snape, given the many years of development since her time.

"Of course." Witch Mara nodded noncommittally, then suddenly changed the subject. "However, this is a field with a high barrier to entry. Few can appreciate the beauty of a cauldron simmering over a low flame, emitting white smoke and a true fragrance. Even fewer can truly feel the magical power contained in the liquid flowing through people's veins." 

Her voice seemed to carry the mystery of ancient legends.

However. No matter how he listened. Ian found it all too familiar. "Uh, are you going to tell me next that as long as I'm not a fool, you can teach me how to raise my status, brew glory, and even stop death?" 

How could he not be familiar with it! It was Snape's annual opening speech to new students! Do all potion enthusiasts use the same script?

"Hmm." Witch Mara was slightly taken aback at first, then let out a soft laugh. "It seems that in the mortal world, there are still traces of my existence."

'What did she mean?' Ian's thoughts raced. He immediately understood— Snape was a plagiarist! "Did you write those words before?" Ian's eyes sparkled. His gossip-loving heart was ignited. He felt he had uncovered a big secret about Snape.

"Of course, I must have left behind a book." Witch Mara whispered softly, as if lost in memories she could no longer grasp. A hint of sadness flashed across her delicate face.

However. Ian didn't notice this. He was still immersed in the shocking revelation that Snape was a plagiarist. Thinking about it, it made sense! Snape must have come across a book left behind by Professor Mara! Perhaps he sought it out deliberately? 

After all, Snape had a passion and pursuit for potions, so it was natural for him to seek out obscure ancient potion texts. It was entirely possible that he had obtained a potion book left behind by Professor Mara. 

Just like phrases such as "The king must not be humiliated" and "Bearing the world alone, severing eternity." Our Half-Blood Prince might have seen inspiring words in Professor Mara's book that ignited his chuunibyou spirit. 

From then on, he excerpted those words and made them his annual opening speech to new students. 

Hiss! 

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed! Ian felt he had caught Snape by the tail! 

After all. Just as Wu Cheng'en couldn't have written Journey to the West after playing Black Myth, Professor Mara was a ghost who had been dead for many years. It couldn't possibly be that she stole Snape's classic lines, right?

(End of Chapter)