A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

Oh, and Harry also received a special gift. Do you know what it is?

“Ron!” Harry glared at him.

"I'm sorry, his gift is quite valuable, and he doesn't want too many people to know about it."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. If Harry hadn't stopped Ron in time, he figured it would have become common knowledge much sooner or later.

"Um... Aaron, Merry Christmas."

"Yes! Merry Christmas." Aaron looked at Harry. "Just say what you have to say! I'm getting impatient with you."

"All right!

First of all, thank you for the gift; I really like those pictures.

“Yes,” Ron immediately interjected, “that was the most valuable gift I’ve ever received in my life: a gold Galleon, a silver Sickle, and a bronze Nat.”

But why did you give me money?

"Because that might be something you really want, something you desperately need, and Harry isn't short of money."

“That makes sense!” Ron nodded in deep agreement.

"Ahem!" Harry coughed lightly, then glanced discreetly at the teachers' table, making sure no one was paying attention before speaking, "And then, there's something I need to ask you. I'd like to look for clues about Nicolas Flamel in the forbidden section, so..."

"Pfft!" Aaron almost spat out the food he was eating. He stared at Harry in astonishment. "No way! You haven't given up yet?"

As I said before, there's no way I can help you with this.

The restricted reading area is not for first-year students.

"But why were you allowed to go?" Ron said, somewhat unconvinced. "I saw you in the library with Harry before, and Ms. Pince put you in the restricted section. Does that mean you're not a first-year student?"

Aaron turned his head, gave Ron a meaningful look, and then patted him on the shoulder. "Ron, people are different."

As you know, our dean thinks highly of me; getting approval is a piece of cake for him.

Harry's lips twitched, and he said with a wry smile, "But Aaron, this is really important, I..."

"Stop. No matter how important it is, it has nothing to do with me," Aaron said seriously. "I can help you in some ways, but there are some things I absolutely cannot."

"Like I said, the forbidden book section is a bit too early for you."

Chapter 40 Fragments Found in the Forbidden Book Section

The day after Christmas.

The alarm clock rang, and Aaron groggily opened his eyes.

After washing up, he went to the auditorium for lunch as usual, and then went to the library.

He showed Ms. Pince Professor Snape's note and then went straight into the restricted section.

This is not to say that the books in the general section are useless. On the contrary, the books in the general section are more useful to students, and almost 99% of the questions can be answered there.

But that's precisely why he found it somewhat boring.

The forbidden book section seems to be prepared for that so-called one percent. It contains content that is not covered in regular classes, secrets of the magical world, the habits of dark creatures, and deeply buried history. Even research on the soul can be found here.

In modern terms, one can be freely accessed online, while the other is only accessible to VIPs. Obviously, the VIP access is more valuable!

Walking past rows of bookshelves, Aaron stopped in front of a gray book that told the history of the elves, including their wars with other races, the magical treasures they possessed, and so on.

Although only a portion of the records exist, they can still greatly broaden one's horizons.

Because in the history of magic class, the professor would only mention these secrets of other races in a few words.

If you were to ask for more details, it would be awkward, because even the professor might not know.

Just as Aaron was engrossed in watching, the angle of the sunlight streaming through the window slowly shifted, and the reflection on the floor stung his eyes.

"What is that?" Aaron closed the book, walked closer, and saw that it was a few shards of glass with some grayish-white lamp oil stuck to them.

After pondering for a few seconds, Aaron's face showed a hint of amusement. He then picked up the shards of glass, put the book back on the shelf, and walked out of the restricted book section.

......

"Hello, Gryffindor prefect," Aaron stopped Percy in the hallway. "There's something I might need to ask you."

"You are... Aaron?" Percy frowned subconsciously as he looked at the Slytherin insignia on Aaron's robes, wondering what a Slytherin wanted with him.

“Yes, it’s me, Aaron Gaius.”

"Oh! Fred and George have told me about you, and they speak very highly of you."

Is there anything you need from me?"

“I have something important to discuss with Harry Potter, but he should be resting in his dorm right now.”

If a Slytherin who doesn't know the password were to go in, the Fat Lady wouldn't let me in.

I don't want to bother Professor McGonagall with such a small matter, so I can only ask you, as the prefect, for help."

Percy hesitated for two seconds, then said seriously, "I can help you with this, but I need to know why you want to see him."

After all, you are a Slytherin, and Slytherins and Gryffindors have always been at odds.

I won't take you to the common room without a very good reason, please understand.

"Um..." Aaron was a little amused and exasperated. "Actually, it's not as serious as you make it out to be. I don't need to go in. All I need to do is call Harry out."

Percy looked directly into Aaron's eyes, slightly hesitant.

Who knows if this Slytherin might corrupt the Gryffindor students? If something goes wrong, he, as the prefect, will be held responsible.

Since he's encountered this situation, he has to find a way to handle it.

"Let's just go to the common lounge! Otherwise, going back and forth is quite troublesome."

"Isn't a sufficiently good reason required?"

Percy paused for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "There's no need for so many formalities during the holidays."

The two arrived one after the other at the end of the corridor on the seventh floor of Hogwarts Castle, where the Fat Lady stood guard at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room in a painting.

"Dragon scum!"

Percy read out the command, and the fat lady opened the door, revealing a circular entrance.

"Come in! You should be the first person from Slytherin to visit here."

"So I'm quite honored."

As soon as they entered the gate, the warmth dispelled the chill from their bodies.

A fire was burning in the fireplace, and the phoenix pattern on it was faintly visible. The lounge, built of volcanic rock, felt quite warm.

Percy led Aaron to a sofa. "Wait here for a moment, don't move around. I'll go get Harry."

"sorry to bother you."

“No trouble at all, it’s my duty as a prefect,” Percy said, walking toward a staircase.

A few minutes later, Harry and Ron, wearing bathrobes, came downstairs, while Percy sat down at a table behind them with a book and began reading quite naturally.

"Ah!" Harry yawned. "Aaron, what do you want?"

“Um…this matter might be quite important. Let’s talk about it privately, the three of us. There’s no need to let anyone else know.” Aaron winked at the two of them, mouthing ‘Percy,’ the meaning of which was self-evident.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, a bitter feeling rising in their hearts.

When Percy woke them up, he specifically told them that he absolutely had to listen in.

“It’s alright, we’re all on the same side, you can just say what you want,” Ron said.

Aaron was amused and turned to Percy. "Well, I appreciate you bringing me here."

"But could you please excuse yourself for a moment? This really isn't something the Gryffindor prefects should know about."

"Really? You broke the school rules?" Percy asked meaningfully.

"No!" Aaron nodded very seriously.

“What can’t I know?” Percy retorted. “You should know that Gryffindor and Slytherin have never gotten along. I’ve already made an exception by letting you in.”

"I only want to audit the classes now to make sure you freshmen won't cause me trouble during the holidays. After all, I'm the one who brought you in, and I'll be responsible if anything happens."

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. No wonder this guy is a prefect!

To be able to eavesdrop, they even resorted to such petty tricks; look how eloquently they put on the show.

He could have simply left, but he felt rather frustrated. "Out of politeness, I'll address you as senior."

Senior, believe me, it's better if we discuss this privately among ourselves.

Once you find out, the nature of the situation changes.

Percy nodded. "I still stand by my original opinion."

"Alright!" Aaron turned to Harry and Ron with a sigh. "What do you think?"

Let me give you a hint: sometimes you have to know how to fight back.

You can come out with me. I'll just give you a few quick instructions, and everything will be fine.

"Well..." Harry was about to speak when Percy coughed twice.

"I think we should talk here! We don't have anything to hide."

“Well said, but I hope you won’t regret it later,” Aaron said, then took a piece of cloth from his pocket and placed it on the table.

As the cloth was opened, several shards of glass came into view.

Ron and Percy were puzzled, but Harry seemed to realize something and his expression changed slightly.

"I went to the restricted book section this morning..."

"Wait, you mean the restricted section?" Percy looked at Aaron in astonishment. "Is that a place a first-year student like you can go?"

“I have a professor’s approval, otherwise Ms. Pince wouldn’t have let me in,” Aaron explained, feeling that Percy seemed to be hoping he would make a mistake.

"I still feel it's somewhat inappropriate."

"Ha! That's hilarious. You're a Gryffindor prefect, and I'm a Slytherin."

"Whether it's suitable or not isn't up to you to decide," Aaron joked, then picked up one of the fragments. "I found these fragments in front of a bookshelf while I was reading a book."