The library was nearly empty when Ethan returned after dinner. Most students were in the common rooms, chatting or finishing homework. But Ethan preferred silence. Silence sharpened focus.
He wandered past the main shelves—Charms, Transfiguration, Magical Creatures—then deeper, toward the older stacks. Dust clung to the spines here. The air smelled of parchment and candle wax.
He wasn't looking for anything specific. He was following instinct.
One shelf caught his eye. It shimmered faintly, as if warded. The books were unlabeled, bound in dark leather, their titles etched in faded runes.
One volume pulsed softly when he reached for it.
The moment his fingers touched the cover, the air shifted. The book opened on its own.
Inside were diagrams—wand paths, runes, alchemical symbols. No title. No author. Just knowledge.
Ethan sat down, heart steady, mind alert.
He began to read.
The book was unlike anything he'd seen. It didn't explain—it demonstrated. Each page revealed a magical principle through layered sketches and annotations. Some diagrams moved, adjusting themselves as if reacting to his gaze.
He flipped to a page on magical architecture. It showed Hogwarts itself—its towers, corridors, and hidden passageways. One section glowed faintly, marked with a symbol resembling a raven's eye.
Ethan traced it with his finger.
The page shifted, revealing a map. Not a full one—just a fragment. A corridor behind the library. A staircase that didn't exist on the official floor plan.
He memorized it.
The next evening, he returned with Terry and Hermione.
"I found something," he said quietly. "A book. It reacts. It showed me a passage."
Hermione frowned. "You're not supposed to be in the Restricted Section."
"I wasn't. It was shelved near it. No lock. No warning."
Terry leaned in. "What kind of passage?"
"A hidden corridor. Behind the library. I want to check it."
Hermione hesitated. "We could get in trouble."
"We won't," Ethan said. "I've mapped the route. No patrols at that hour."
Terry grinned. "I'm in."
Hermione sighed. "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm blaming both of you."
They waited until the castle quieted. Then, cloaked in shadows, they slipped out of the Ravenclaw common room and made their way to the library.
Ethan led them past the main shelves, then behind a tapestry depicting Rowena Ravenclaw. He tapped the stone wall in a specific rhythm.
A section of the wall shimmered, then slid open.
Behind it was a narrow corridor, lit by faint blue runes.
Hermione gasped. "This isn't on any map."
Terry stared. "It's like the castle's hiding its own memory."
Ethan stepped inside. The air was cool, dry, ancient.
They followed the corridor to a spiral staircase. It led downward, deeper than the library's foundations.
At the bottom was a circular chamber. Empty—except for a pedestal.
On it rested another book.
This one was smaller, bound in silver-threaded leather. Ethan opened it carefully.
Inside were riddles. Not written—etched. Each page bore a question, and a space for an answer. The ink shimmered, waiting.
He read the first:
"I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"
Hermione whispered, "An echo."
Ethan wrote it in the space.
The page glowed, then turned on its own.
Terry grinned. "This is a test. A layered one."
Ethan nodded. "And it's meant for Ravenclaws."
They spent an hour solving riddles. Each correct answer unlocked a new page—some with spells, others with historical secrets. One revealed a forgotten charm that allowed temporary silence in a radius. Another described a lost corridor that once connected the Astronomy Tower to the kitchens.
Hermione was breathless. "This is incredible. Why isn't this part of the curriculum?"
"Because it's hidden," Ethan said. "And Hogwarts rewards those who look deeper."
They returned to the dormitory just before curfew. No one noticed their absence.
Ethan lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling.
The castle was alive. It had layers. Secrets. Systems.
And he was beginning to understand them.
Over the next week, Ethan, Terry, and Hermione returned to the chamber twice. They logged every riddle, every spell, every architectural note. They began building their own map—one that included hidden staircases, forgotten alcoves, and magical pressure points.
Ethan noticed patterns. The castle's design wasn't random. It followed principles—symmetry, elemental alignment, magical flow.
He began sketching diagrams in his notebook, cross-referencing them with spell behavior. Some corridors amplified charms. Others dampened them. One hallway near the dungeons seemed to distort time slightly—steps felt longer, clocks ticked slower.
Hermione theorized it was a residual enchantment from the Founders.
Terry suggested testing spell duration in different zones.
Ethan agreed. "We're not just learning magic. We're learning Hogwarts."
One afternoon, Professor Flitwick pulled Ethan aside after Charms.
"I've noticed your progress," he said gently. "Your wand work is unusually refined for a first-year."
Ethan nodded. "I practice."
Flitwick smiled. "I can see that. But it's more than practice. You observe. You adapt. That's Ravenclaw at its best."
Ethan didn't respond. He didn't need to.
Flitwick continued, "If you're curious about advanced theory, I can recommend some texts. They're not on the standard list."
"I'd appreciate that."
Flitwick handed him a slip of parchment. "Start with these. And if you find anything unusual… come to me."
Ethan tucked the list into his robe. He would read every word.