Siblings, Spells, and Secrets

"Tell me, what's been going on lately?" Bella sat in the empty great hall, cutting her sandwich while scrutinizing Jon with her eyes.

There weren't many people in the great hall at this time because on Sundays, everyone would only wake up around 8 o'clock. Bella was up this early solely because of a magical alchemical item from Ravenclaw.

"The Ravenclaw Awakening Clock" was created by a Ravenclaw graduate and was equipped with a simple communication spell. This item obtained its magic from Hogwarts Castle and worked through a magical wooden board set behind the Ravenclaw statue, engraved with the names of all Ravenclaw students. If a name on the board was touched, the corresponding student's dormitory would be alerted with a ringing bell.

This ringing usually indicated that someone was looking for them outside or there was an important announcement to be made. So when Bella heard the ringing, she quickly got dressed and left.

She truly didn't expect that her brother had the ability to sneak into the Ravenclaw common room on his own.

"Oh, nothing much, everything's been fine lately," Jon mumbled with a mouthful of pie.

Bella wouldn't believe his words. If Jon had something going on, she wouldn't acknowledge it unless she personally witnessed it. So whether Jon had something to hide from her or not, she was certain he had something to hide.

"My affairs have nothing to do with you," Jon said. He wasn't good at interacting with girls, so he rarely had any interaction with them. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm doing just fine. But what about you? Why did you ask me to come over?"

"I asked you?" Bella paused for a moment, then remembered that she had indeed mentioned it to Cedric. She replied, "It was just an excuse to have a chat with Cedric."

Jon's motion of holding the pie and bringing it to his mouth came to a sudden halt.

Well, he should have known. This girl was always like this. If there was something else that caught her attention, her own brother would be completely ignored.

"But you haven't asked me anything recently. Except for bringing McDonald's to me. Oh, by the way, how did you manage to get McDonald's? There are no chain stores near the school, right?"

Jon rolled his eyes at her and said, "I bought it from Greenwich. My mom put it in a sheepskin paper bag that was charmed with a warming and preservation spell, and it was delivered by owl."

"No wonder. I knew you couldn't leave the school. How could you possibly get McDonald's?" Bella's eyes revealed a calculating expression, and Jon didn't need to guess what she was thinking.

"Don't even think about it. Your aunt is pregnant now and can't keep running around outside. Besides, isn't the food at school delicious?" He poked the mashed potatoes on his plate with a silver spoon. "Moreover, it's an opportunity to lose weight."

Silence.

After a while, Jon finally heard a cold voice coming from across the table.

"Oh? Are you implying that I'm fat?"

In this world, there is no younger brother who doesn't get beaten by his elder sister. Jon rubbed his waist as he walked toward the library. He came out today mainly to ask Bella to buy him something because third-year students were now allowed to go to Hogsmeade village.

In order to get Bella's help, she had just pinched his waist hard a few times, and he didn't resist—of course, he couldn't resist since Bella had bound his hands with a binding spell. So this time, besides causing Jon great pain, Bella also showed him the power of Hogwarts students.

It was much stronger than he had imagined.

Bella claimed to be an average student in Ravenclaw, but with just a binding spell, she had demonstrated several different variations, greatly improving its practicality. This was something Jon had never thought of before.

Spellcasting was quite a profound discipline—at least for Jon. When this subject was mastered, it often led to extraordinary experiences. Of course, it wasn't like using the Disarming Charm to its fullest potential, which was merely a matter of practice.

Helga had told Jon that a skilled wizard, even with the simplest spell, could create extraordinary effects. On the other hand, a foolish wizard, even if they learned all the powerful spells, still couldn't surpass the limitations of their own knowledge and become a top-tier wizard.

Jon understood this very well. It was similar to studying—some people could achieve good grades through rote memorization, while others could apply their knowledge to different situations. Although their grades might be the same, the underlying difference was vast.

"Good morning, Mrs. Pince."

Jon smiled as he looked at the yawning Mrs. Pince, completely disregarding the helplessness she showed as a witch. As a young wizard who loved studying, shouldn't he be welcomed by the teachers?

"Are you trying to read those advanced spell books again? I'm telling you, it's not allowed."

Mrs. Pince looked at this little imp who was slightly shorter than herself. She had been in charge of the library for so many years and had never encountered such a stubborn student. For a whole week, he had been secretly trying to read the books meant for higher-grade students, and he had succeeded several times. If the restricted section books weren't locked, Mrs. Pince even suspected that this young wizard would have read them too.

"No, ma'am, today I just came to look at some history books."

Jon smiled innocently, and it must be said that his expression was quite convincing.

"Better be that way."

Jon didn't say much and quickly entered the library.

During the first week of school, there weren't many people studying here, but as time went on, more people started coming, and it became less convenient to do anything.

Jon was here to sneak a peek at the advanced books, mainly to practice Transfiguration. He had made some progress in Transfiguration recently, so he wouldn't need to come here often in the future.

Furthermore, in two weeks, after Helga began teaching him the Concealment Charm, he would be able to go to the Ravenclaw common room every night and start studying magic.

Thinking about it, he was actually a little excited. Having a legendary wizard teach him privately was a privilege usually reserved for Harry in the later stages of the story.

Today, Jon came to the library mainly to read a spell recorded in the book "A History of Transfiguration."

He placed the thick book on the table and, using the table as a cover, took out his notebook and pen from his ring, and also pulled out a copper coin from his pocket.

This copper coin was used as an aid for thinking. Jon liked to twirl a pen while thinking, but he only brought one fountain pen with him and didn't have any backups. In case it got damaged while twirling, it wouldn't be worth it, so Jon took a copper coin as a substitute.

After all, it didn't matter what he twirled.

"Okay, preparations complete. Let's start reading."