Chapter 415: Muggles at Hogwarts (Edited)

Standing by the Black Lake, you could see Hogwarts Castle. This magnificent castle stood on a hillside, with imposing towers bathed in sunlight, giving it a golden glow.

As they crossed the lake in the small boat, Hacker remained silent, listening attentively to Professor McGonagall's explanations, while gazing at the enormous castle rising towards the sky. As they approached the cliff where the castle stood, it seemed to loom over them, suspended above their heads, as if crushing them.

Hacker lowered his head, watching the water's surface break as the boat moved, once again feeling the wonder of magic.

It's quite fascinating. Does this boat work with magic? Hacker wondered to himself. And to think that this school has existed for a thousand years. A thousand years ago, the school's founder, just like them, crossed the Black Lake in a small boat. And now, the castle they left behind still stood, watching generations of students coming to seek knowledge, while they, the founders, had disappeared over time.

An overwhelming sense of history washed over them...

Before Hacker could finish his amazement, the boat carried them through the curtain of ivy covering the cliff's facade, turning towards a secret entrance and finally arriving at an underground-like dock. The four of them jumped off the boat to find themselves on a pebble-covered ground.

Hacker: ...

For this special visit, Hacker had donned his best attire, but it turned out that this stretch of path was surprisingly rudimentary. Walking on the stone path, the stones didn't seem to be in his shoes but rather embedded in Hacker's heart.

My elegant leather shoes!!

Nevertheless, this journey was very mysterious and magical, giving them the feeling of explorers leading an adventure team to discover ancient ruins.

This path wasn't long, and soon the pebble path turned into stone steps. At the end of the stone steps was a large oak door.

The door opened slowly, revealing a golden glow.

"Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you in his office, shall I take you there first?" Before entering, Professor McGonagall informed Hacker that she would first take him to meet Headmaster Dumbledore in his office, and then they would arrange for lunch.

Hacker naturally had no objections. He was quite flexible and wouldn't get entangled in these trivial details with others or think that Dumbledore was asserting his authority.

Hacker followed Professor McGonagall into Hogwarts' majestic entrance hall. The walls on both sides were like those of any common castle, made of thick stone walls with torches placed on them. In front of the entrance hall was a grand marble staircase that led directly upstairs, looking extremely luxurious. Hacker looked up and found that the entrance hall's ceiling was so high that he could barely see the top. Hacker even had the feeling that he was looking at an illusion, looking up and down, always feeling that the castle's top seemed like a starry sky.

"Don't stare at the starry sky... the stars will burn your eyes..." An old and deranged voice echoed in Hacker's ear, startling him.

He turned to look for who was speaking, but Hacker didn't see a single human figure; there were only some portraits behind him.

They couldn't be the portraits speaking, could they?

"Don't worry about him; this guy went crazy over astrology." Another voice chimed in, and its source was a portrait of a monk. The monk wore an old, tattered robe and held a wooden cross in his hand.

They really are the portraits that are talking!

"Do all the portraits in the wizarding world talk?" Hacker was amazed.

"Strictly speaking, not all of them can talk. Here, all the portraits can move, but only some can talk, and they can even 'visit' other frames!" Tom pointed to the portraits on the wall, and Hacker noticed there was a frame with several crowded people, while others were empty, with only a canvas or background.

"Are they all wizards who existed in the wizarding world?"

"Of course." Tom has never seen any Muggle portrayed in wizarding portraits.

Hacker's eyes lit up. "What about non-magical people? Are there portraits that can leave an animated image?"

"No, there are no portraits of Mr. Churchill here." Hacker only half-stated, and Tom understood his meaning. This guy wanted to speak directly with Mr. Churchill. That was impossible! No matter how powerful Churchill was, he was still a Muggle; he couldn't leave a moving image.

"Ah," Hacker felt a bit disappointed. After realizing he couldn't have a conversation through time and space with Churchill, his attention shifted to understanding the principles behind these portraits.

"Is it through some kind of magical sorcery that people's souls are preserved in these portraits for all eternity?" Hacker analyzed for a moment and instinctively uttered his response.

As soon as those words came out of his mouth, Hacker could feel a moment of silence in the air, and the atmosphere became subtle.

"It's not like that. The souls of wizards are not contained in these portraits. If we have to define it, it's more like an image imbued with the wisdom left by the wizards during their lifetime," Professor McGonagall explained the principles of magical portraits to Hacker.

Hacker felt like he had inadvertently violated a taboo among wizards. However, after hearing Professor McGonagall's explanation, he couldn't help but feel that these portraits still contained a fragment of a wizard's soul within them. What was the difference between that and what he said?

"For wizards, the inability to secure the integrity of their soul is the severest punishment," Tom said as he chatted with Hacker just as a plump friar from Hufflepuff floated past them in the entrance hall. Seeing the four of them, he stopped his steps, greeted them, and offered a friendly smile.

"Is he a ghost?" Hacker widened his eyes, staring at the friar.

"That's right, I'm the Hufflepuff House ghost," the friar smiled kindly at Hacker. "Are you a Muggle? It's rare to see one enter Hogwarts. The last time a Muggle entered Hogwarts was almost seventy years ago."

"The last time?" Hacker was curious. Who was the last common person to enter Hogwarts?

The friar didn't continue the conversation. "Enjoy your time at Hogwarts," he said playfully as he passed through Hacker.

Suddenly, Hacker felt like he had been doused in ice water.

"This ghost seems a bit different from the portraits we just saw," Hacker shivered. Through their conversation, he noted that the friar seemed somewhat distinct. "Was he also a wizard at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, the friar used to belong to the Hufflepuff House at Hogwarts. After his death, he became a ghost and has been wandering inside the castle," Hermione clarified beside him, sharing the information she had gathered from her Hufflepuff peers.

"Do all wizards become ghosts after they die?"

Upon hearing this, Tom shook his head. "Yes and no. Each wizard can choose to become a ghost, but most reject this option."

Hacker: ...

He couldn't fully comprehend the decisions wizards made. From his perspective, it was simply another form of immortality. Why would someone reject it? And he really hated the answer of "yes and no."