Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 277 The Whispers of the Castle Statue

Chapter 277 The Whispers of the Castle Statue

The underwater exploration of the Black Lake came to a temporary halt, and Cullen's attention returned to the grand Hogwarts Castle itself. He had not forgotten the scattered pieces of information about other secrets of the castle that might be revealed in the Marauder's Map and the journal.

Over the weekend, he took out the Marauder's Map again and carefully searched for the markings on the secluded corridors and rooms with little student activity. At the same time, he recalled his conversations with Tom Riddle, during which the latter occasionally mentioned "the forgotten corners of the castle" and "the stone statues with ancient guards."

"What are you looking for?" Fabian asked curiously when he saw Karen deep in thought while looking at the map.

"Look for something different." Karen replied without looking up, "Besides Slytherin, didn't the other three founders, or some of the later outstanding wizards, leave any special traces in the castle? Especially those things that look ordinary but might have hidden meanings."

"For example?" Ernesto asked, intrigued.

"For example, certain statues or reliefs that look particularly old, or decorations that don't quite fit the overall style of the castle," Karen said. "They might not have the obvious serpentine features of the Slytherin emblem and are more easily overlooked."

Wesley yawned. "Sounds like another long hike. Need any help?"

Karen smiled. "We don't need to send everyone this time. I'm mainly going to do the initial investigation and record things. If we find anything, we'll call you all to study it together."

Over the next few days, whenever she had free time, Karen would take the Marauder's Map and "wander" through the various corridors of the castle.

He avoided the bustling main staircase and corridors, focusing instead on the secluded paths leading to the towers, cellars, or the outskirts of the castle.

He saw all sorts of statues and reliefs: armor, water sprites, strange beasts, famous wizard statues—most of the statues, in the "Eye of Truth's" view, were connected to the vast and complex defensive magic network of the castle's foundation, radiating a unified and harmonious magical aura; they were part of the castle's protective system.

Some statues have lost their magical power and are merely ordinary decorations. A few statues are imbued with simple warning magic, which will sound an alarm if someone damages them.

On Tuesday afternoon, as he was navigating a spiraling corridor leading to the astronomy classroom in the North Tower, he made an unexpected discovery at a dimly lit corner.

There stood a unicorn statue. It looked ancient, its surface somewhat weathered, one foreleg slightly raised, its head bowed, as if gazing at the ground. This kind of statue wasn't particularly rare at Hogwarts; there was a similar decoration at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.

Karen was about to walk over, but the corner of his eye from the "Eye of Truth" seemed to catch a very faint, discordant fluctuation of magical energy. He stopped and looked closely at the base of the statue.

A thin layer of dust covered the base. He crouched down, gently blew away the dust, and discovered that the base was carved with some ancient runic markings that had been almost worn away by time. These markings were very shallow, almost blending into the texture of the stone itself, and were almost invisible without careful observation.

Under the focused observation of the "Eye of Truth," Karen saw these ancient markings absorbing the trace amounts of magic dissipating from the air at an extremely slow, almost stagnant pace. This absorption was not to maintain the connection with the castle's defensive network, because the magical fluctuations it emitted were completely different from the robust feel of the main castle network; they were more subtle and restrained, carrying a sense of "purification" and "protection." This feeling was closer to the style of Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff as he understood it, rather than Slytherin.

Moreover, this extremely faint flow of magic was not directed towards the castle's foundation, but rather seemed to resonate with the core of the statue itself at a very low frequency, in a periodic manner. Every ten minutes or so, the magic would fluctuate extremely faintly, like an almost inaudible whisper.

Karen immediately took out parchment and pen, and made as many detailed rubbings as possible of the location, the shape of the statue, the runic markings on the base, and the frequency and characteristics of the observed magical fluctuations.

He tried several common activation spells, and even some ritualistic gestures and syllables he'd read about in ancient spellbooks for communicating with guardian spirits, but the statue remained unresponsive. It seemed to have been dormant for far too long, or perhaps its activation conditions were more specific.

Back at Eagle's Nest that evening, Karen shared his findings with his roommates, and together they looked up information.

"Unicorn — Purification and Protection —" Fabian flipped through a book titled "A Study of the Symbolic Meaning of Magical Creatures." "This sounds more like Helga Hufflepuff's style? Or was it left behind by a Hufflepuff who greatly admired nature and purity?"

"The Griffith family's library mentions that Helga Hufflepuff was indeed skilled in various protective magic and magic that resonates with nature," Ernesto pondered. "But this mark is too ancient to be certain. It could also be the work of a distinguished Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff predecessor, left here permanently."

"It's still working, albeit very slowly." Karen pointed to the frequency of magical fluctuations on the record. "What is its function? Is it merely to purify the air in this little corner? Or is it some kind of long-term protection against specific evil? Or—is it a beacon? A recording device?"

Wesley speculated, "Could it also be the entrance to a secret room?"

Karen shook her head: "It doesn't seem like it. Its magic doesn't point to any hidden space; it's more about introspection and circulation. I'm more inclined to think it's a functional magical artifact than an entrance."

This discovery made Cullen realize that the secrets of Hogwarts were far more diverse and complex than he had imagined. Every founder, and even the most talented wizards of later generations, may have left their own unique magical traces within the castle. These may not be as dramatic and dangerous as the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, but they still contain profound magical wisdom and historical value.

"We need to investigate more systematically," Karen decided. "Not just looking for traces of Slytherin, but paying attention to any ancient objects that seem unusual. We should carefully record their locations and magical properties; perhaps we can discover some patterns or find more clues about the castle's history."

This work was destined to be long, but Cullen and his friends enjoyed it. Each small discovery was like piecing together a piece of Hogwarts' thousand-year history.