Ravenclaw Common Room

Hearing someone calling his name, the Gray-haired girl turned her head, looking at Kevin with curiosity, as if wondering why this new student she had never met before knew her. Their eyes met, and Kevin immediately realized his gaffe. At the same time, he could observe this girl more closely.

The girl appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, likely in the same year as Penelope Clearwater, a prefect from Ravenclaw, and they seemed to have a good relationship. When Kevin saw Cirilla's face, he thought she indeed bore a striking resemblance to Ciri from "The Witcher 3," but much younger. Additionally, her reaction upon hearing the name "Cirilla" confirmed Kevin's suspicion.

Kevin could reasonably assume that the girl in front of him was Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, also known as Ciri. However, a big question remained: why was she at Hogwarts? This wasn't Kaer Morhen, and Kevin hadn't heard any rumours of sorceresses or witchers in the magical world. Considering Ciri's ability to travel through time and space, as depicted in "The Witcher" novels, she had visited various places and time periods, including Medieval Venice and Industrial Era Britain.

"Could it be that she travelled to Hogwarts on her own?" Kevin furrowed his brow, sensing that something was amiss. Given her tragic backstory, if she had the power to travel between worlds, it was unlikely she would choose to attend classes in a different dimension.

Suddenly, Kevin recalled his earlier insight: "The anomalies caused by you will gradually unfold." Did this mean that he was somehow influencing this world? With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Kevin didn't make any further contact with his fellow student.

He decided not to reveal his knowledge of her until he became better acquainted with her. There were too many unexplained mysteries surrounding her presence. After various contemplations, Kevin continued to follow the group towards the Ravenclaw common room.

The Ravenclaw common room was located in a high tower, and the stairs leading to it were ever-changing. As they ascended the tower, Kevin couldn't help but think that while ravens and eagles might prefer to reside in high places, these small wizards and witches were still humans. He questioned the necessity of placing the Ravenclaw common room so high.

However, before his impatience reached its limit, they finally reached the top of the tower and stood at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. The entrance featured an ancient, smooth wooden board with a massive bronze door knocker shaped like an eagle.

Penelope Clearwater, leading the way, gently knocked on the door knocker three times. It produced a magnetic, mysterious sound.

"I only work under pressure, and only I can hurt myself. Who am I?"

"Diamond."

Almost immediately, Penelope gave the answer. However, she didn't enter right away but turned back to explain to the new students.

"In fact, you'll find that other houses have set passwords for their common rooms, but we don't. As long as you can answer the question posed by the door knocker, you can enter. Don't worry; the door knocker won't ask rigid logic questions. Instead, it poses philosophical questions that don't necessarily have a single, fixed answer. As long as you can provide a convincing reason, you can come in."

"Don't worry about the security; for nearly a thousand years, besides us Ravenclaws, no one else has been able to pass through this simple barrier."

Hearing this, Kevin raised an eyebrow. While Ravenclaw favoured intelligence, it didn't guarantee that all intelligent individuals ended up in Ravenclaw. For instance, Hermione Granger, a true academic star, had been sorted into Gryffindor. If no one from outside had entered in a thousand years, how did the eagle knocker ensure that only Ravenclaw students could answer the question? Perhaps the knocker itself had the ability to distinguish outsiders. If it encountered an outsider, the question would be extremely challenging. But when it met a Ravenclaw, the question was much simpler.

The female prefect continued with her introduction, "Don't be afraid of the eagle knocker's questions. We Ravenclaws are good at learning, and you'll quickly learn to enjoy the challenges it sets. Students from different years often attempt to answer the question of the day together; it's not uncommon, and it's a great opportunity to get to know students from other years."

She further added, "However, when you forget your books or Quidditch robes needed for the day, these challenges can become quite annoying... so, I recommend double-checking your bags before leaving the Ravenclaw Tower."

She finally opened the door, indicating for the young wizards and witches to enter. The Ravenclaw common room was a large, circular room with elegant arched windows on the walls, adorned with blue and bronze silk curtains. Through these windows, they could see the beautiful Hogwarts grounds, including the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, and the greenhouses.

The ceiling had a domed appearance, decorated with stars, and the deep blue carpet on the floor was also sprinkled with stars, creating an atmosphere that was profound, mystical, and mysterious. The room featured spacious tables and chairs and rows of bookshelves. Across from the entrance, there was a niche containing a half-statue of a beautiful and wise woman – Rowena Ravenclaw. A door beside the statue led to the dormitories above.

"Through the arched windows of the circular common room, you'll have a sweeping view of the Hogwarts campus: the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, and the greenhouses. Students from other houses don't have the privilege of enjoying this beautiful scenery."

She continued, "Ravenclaw has another cool aspect: we are all quite individualistic - some might even call us quirky. But genius often walks to the beat of a different drum compared to ordinary folks. However, some people might say that our appreciation for the unconventional is just lip service."

Kevin suddenly remembered the "Loony" Luna Lovegood, who was to start at Hogwarts next year. She was often bullied for her oddities, so perhaps the "appreciation for the unconventional" was merely rhetoric. Or maybe Luna was so peculiar that even Ravenclaw couldn't handle it.

Speaking of unconventional people, "You'll also like our head of house, Professor Filius Flitwick. People often underestimate him because of his short stature and high-pitched voice, but he's the most knowledgeable Charms professor alive. Some even say he has part-goblin blood, but please don't rudely ask him about it."

"His office door is always open to any Ravenclaw who has a problem. If you're unhappy, he'll release those delightful pocket-sized cakes hidden in his office desk drawer, and they'll dance for you. In fact, you can pretend to be upset just to see the cakes do a little square dance - it's definitely worth a try."

"Ravenclaw has a glorious history. Most of the great wizard inventors and innovators come from our house, including Perpetua Vanthampur, the inventor of the Moon Mirror; Lavender De Montmorency, a great potioneer who invented several love potions; and Ignatia Wildsmith, the creator of Floo Powder."

"We've also had famous Ministers of Magic from Ravenclaw, like Millicent Bagnold, who happened to be in office the night Harry Potter survived the Killing Curse. She staunchly defended the rights of the wizarding world with her words: 'I assert our inalienable right to party.'"

"Then there's Loken Maclaren, a rather clever wizard, but he prefers to communicate by producing smoke from the tip of his wand."

"Of course, as I mentioned earlier, we produce eccentrics. In fact, we contributed a few oddballs to the magical world. There's Uric the Oddball, who was known for wearing jellyfish as a hat. He's a classic in many wizarding jokes."

"As for our relationships with the other three houses... You've probably heard about Slytherin. They're not all bad, but it's advisable to stay cautious when dealing with them."

"They have a long-standing tradition of winning at all costs – so, be vigilant, especially during Quidditch matches and exams."

"Gryffindor students are not bad either, but if I had to comment, it's that they enjoy showing off too much."

"And as for Hufflepuff, no one will say they aren't friendly."

"You could say, when it comes to competition during exams, you don't need to worry too much about them."

"One more thing... Our house ghost is the Grey Lady."

"Others believe she never speaks, but she occasionally consents to converse with us Ravenclaws."

"She's the daughter of Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw, a lady known for her beauty. It's rumoured she has some connection with the Bloody Baron, but, of course, we never ask her about it."

"When you get lost or can't find something, she's particularly helpful."

"Lastly, I'll say it again: congratulations on becoming a member of the smartest, most agile, and most interesting house at Hogwarts."

The female prefect completed her introduction like she was reciting a speech and then disappeared into the girls' dormitory along with Cirilla. Kevin and the other new students began choosing their dormitories. Kevin randomly picked a bed that belonged to him, and Stephen Crowfoot and another Ravenclaw NPC-Kevin Entwhistle, were his fellow dorm mates. They exchanged goodnights and soon drifted into slumber.