My necromancer career begins at Hogwarts

Seeing Maurice poking around inside the ghost's body, Cho Chang quickly grabbed his sleeve. "Stop! You can't touch the ghost like that!"

Morris withdrew his hand, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Sir Nicholas doesn't seem angry."

"It's not a matter of whether you get angry or not," Qiu Zhang explained seriously. "Ghosts carry a special aura, and if a living person comes into contact with them for a long time, they may get sick. Last year, a student spent one night with a ghost and ended up lying in the school clinic for a whole week."

"Okay, thanks for reminding me." Morris nodded thoughtfully.

Nick, who had almost lost his head, elegantly straightened his collar. "This young lady is right. Although it wasn't our intention, ghosts are indeed not suited for too much physical contact with the living. But rest assured, brief contact will be fine."

In fact, Morris did not feel any discomfort; on the contrary, the strange coolness made him feel exceptionally comfortable.

He was confident that the ghost could not harm him.

However, since someone kindly reminded him, he thought it best to comply.

Afterwards, Nick, who was almost headless, returned to his desk in Gryffindor, and Maurice's first encounter with the ghost came to an end.

......

After Dumbledore delivered a thought-provoking speech and led all the teachers and students in a broken rendition of the school song, it was finally time to return to the dormitory.

First-year students are required to follow their respective house prefects. Ravenclaw's prefect was a tall, thin boy, but Maurice didn't know his name.

Throughout the journey, Maurice kept thinking about what the principal had said at the end.

"...Finally, I must tell everyone that anyone who does not wish to encounter an accident and die a painful death should not enter the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor."

This blunt warning is less of a dissuasion and more of a way to pique curiosity.

It must be said that Dumbledore is good at stirring up trouble.

Even the usually cautious Maurice couldn't help but become interested in that place.

However, he quickly suppressed the thought.

It would be too hasty to investigate now, and more importantly, he had a vague feeling that this matter might be related to Harry Potter.

Unless you are fully prepared, it is wise to keep your distance.

Led by the prefect, Maurice followed the group up the marble stairs, through a corridor, and finally down a narrow spiral staircase to a strange wooden door.

A delicate bronze eagle-shaped door knocker is inlaid in the center of the wooden door, gleaming with metallic luster under the light.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw common room." The prefect turned to face the new students with a polite smile. "I am Prefect Robert Hilliard. As you can see, there is no fixed password here."

Robert pointed to the eagle-shaped door knocker. "To enter the lounge, you must answer a question posed by this knocker. It could be a riddle, a logic puzzle, or a corny joke. If you answer correctly, the door will open. If you answer incorrectly..."

He shrugged. "Then we can only wait until someone answers the question correctly, or try again at a different time."

A slight commotion arose among the freshmen.

Morris examined the unique access control system with great interest—it certainly had a Ravenclaw feel to it.

Unfortunately, he wasn't good at solving riddles.

Robert turned to the door knocker and gently tapped the eagle's head.

The eagle-shaped door knocker suddenly came to life and asked in a clear voice, "What things multiply the more they are shared?"

“See? A perfectly normal question,” Robert turned to the new students and shrugged. “I think every Ravenclaw could answer it. The answer is ‘knowledge.’”

With the sound of the mechanism turning, the bronze eagle on the wooden door folded its wings, and the door opened automatically.

"Please come in, everyone," Robert stepped aside to make way, gesturing for you to enter. "Welcome to your new home."

As Morris followed the crowd through the archway, the first thing that caught his eye was a wall with a huge eagle-shaped stone sculpture, flanked by two curved staircases.

Only after climbing the stairs does the Ravenclaw lounge truly come into view.

This is a stunning circular space with a high-hanging dome and a deep blue carpet woven with intricate spherical patterns underfoot. Several comfortable sofas and armchairs surround a fireplace, with books scattered around, adding a touch of life to the space.

The most striking feature is the white marble statue standing at the top of the stairs.

She was a graceful witch. Maurice guessed that this must be Rowena Ravenclaw herself, the founder of the house.

Robert explained, "The lounge has two floors. Go up the middle staircase and you'll find your dorm rooms. The boys' rooms are on the right, and the girls' rooms are on the left. I'll give you the dorm room numbers later."

"Now, you are free to do as you please."

The students immediately became lively, and began to wander around in twos and threes.

Morris sat down in the armchair by the fireplace, looked around, and casually picked up a book that had fallen to the floor.

What a pleasant environment.

He nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the book in his hands.

The books that Ravenclaw students read must certainly not be ordinary.

He looked at the book's title—

How to Win the Heart of a Gay Male Wizard

"..."

Morris silently put the book back in its place.

It seems this lounge is more dangerous than he imagined.

About three minutes later, Robert returned to the lounge.

He cleared his throat and said loudly, "First graders, come here."

The freshmen immediately gathered around, and Morris was no exception.

Robert unfolded the parchment in his hand and announced, "There are only five male freshmen in Ravenclaw this year, which isn't too many. Dormitories will be allocated in groups of four, but because of the number of students, one person will be able to have a room by themselves."

He looked around at the new students. "Does anyone want a room to themselves? A single room is more spacious."

The freshmen looked at each other and began to whisper among themselves.

Most people seemed hesitant.

While a single room is tempting, it's obviously a bit scary for an eleven-year-old to spend the night alone in a strange place, even if it's Hogwarts.

"Anyone volunteering?" Robert asked again.

Morris and a dark-haired boy raised their hands almost simultaneously.

Seeing this, Robert breathed a sigh of relief—he was worried that no one would want to live alone, which would make things difficult.

"Very well, Maurice Black, and... Kyle Chesterfield," he glanced at the list, "but there's only one single room available. Since you all want one..."

"duel!"

A senior student who was watching the commotion nearby suddenly shouted, which immediately drew laughter.

"Don't interrupt, Cyril." Robert glared at the man helplessly, then turned to the two freshmen. "How about a match, according to Ravenclaw tradition? Oh, not a duel, of course, don't worry."