Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

The most eye-catching figure was still the knight riding ahead of the carriage. This knight was very strong, a battle-hardened warrior, but Evan’s focus wasn’t on him. He examined the knight’s armor. Aside from the Ravenclaw family’s distinctive crest and the shimmering magical runes etched across it, the armor itself spoke volumes.

His whole body was encased in heavy plating, and even his mount was heavily armored.

The knight’s mount wasn’t an ordinary horse; it was likely some kind of powerful magical creature. Evan didn’t recognize it, but he guessed it might be some kind of hybrid. Only its lower legs were exposed, and even its eyes were shielded beneath visors designed to protect against arrows.

In Muggle terms, this was a heavy cavalryman — an entire mobile fortress on legs!

If he were on the battlefield, the destruction he could unleash would be staggering. Of course, in an era of low productivity a thousand years ago, equipping such a heavily armored knight would have been incredibly expensive. An average minor Wizarding family or Muggle noble might have to empty their coffers just to equip one such knight. But this wasn’t a problem for the Ravenclaw family. For those high-ranking wizards, gold was merely a slightly more luxurious ornament.

The Ravenclaw family might not have been able to turn lead into gold, but they certainly had other ways to obtain it.

And with enough gold coins, in those dark, chaotic centuries, there was no kind of army one couldn’t build. Mercenaries hardly cared whether their lord was a king… or a wizard.

In fact, Evan suspected Ravenclaw’s military forces could be far more impressive than what he was seeing now.

As if to confirm his guess, as the carriage moved forward, more guards appeared out of thin air.

Knights, wizards, warriors, rangers — they appeared in droves, forming ranks to protect the carriage.

Each of these guards was a battle-hardened warrior; this was an army, the Ravenclaw family’s army.

But was that all? Just wizards, warriors, rangers, and heavily armored knights?! Shouldn’t there be archers, pegasus knights, Centaurs, unicorns, goblins, vampires, golems, elemental constructs, phoenixes, fire-breathing dragons?!

It seemed there weren’t any. What a lack of creativity!

Evan shook his head, his gaze passing over the army outside the carriage and towards the increasingly bustling street.

The town was lively — crowded with the drifting figures of the long-dead. The ghosts wore clothing straight out of the Middle Ages.

They were all former residents of this town, of various identities; besides wizards, there were many Muggle merchants, farmers, craftsmen, and so on. A thousand years ago, there was no Statute of Secrecy, and in some places, wizards and Muggles lived together.

Ravenclaw’s territory was such an area where wizards and Muggles lived together.

Seeing the carriage approaching, the ghosts hurriedly made way, some quickly removing their hats in a gesture of respect.

It was clear they had great reverence for the Ravenclaws, and snatches of their murmured conversations drifted into Evan’s ears.

“Oh heavens, did you see that carriage?”

“There’s a living person inside. I can smell it. I’m so hungry… I want to eat meat…”

“Keep your voice down! That’s a Ravenclaw family carriage.”

“Who’s inside? Is it Lady Ravenclaw?”

“Impossible, it’s been so long. Lady Ravenclaw is long dead…”

“Could such a powerful witch really die? Have you forgotten what her magic could do? But yes… time has passed… a very long time…”

“How long has it been? I can’t remember. All I recall is the disaster of that day. I was out in the street sunning myself when I saw pitch-black mist rolling in from the lake. Darkness swallowed the sky, swallowed the sun. It had to be a demon’s spell. I was terrified!”

“Everyone was terrified, and then what happened?”

“Then, everyone died, nevertheless not in much pain.”

“Yes, dead, everyone died. So dark… not a trace of light… I’m so hungry.”

“Darkness followed like a shadow!”

“I hate the darkness. Come to think of it, how long has it been since we last talked like this?”

“Not since we died. We lost all reason… trapped here forever.”

“Wait, why can’t I remember who I am? How terrifying, that wizard, what’s going on?”

“It’s a curse, a curse from the darkness! The most evil witchcraft, it killed us all! Because of the curse’s power, after death we neither continued on our journey nor became undead, instead we’re bound here as mindless ghosts.”

“Horrible, the darkness is so cold, I want to go home.”

“I’m so hungry, I want meat…”

“Shut up, you idiot, your voice is too loud, don’t let Lady Ravenclaw hear you.”

“The person in the carriage isn’t Lady Ravenclaw, she’s abandoned this place, it’s been cursed.”

“No, you’re talking nonsense! It must be Lady Ravenclaw who’s back! We’re going to be saved! God hasn’t forgotten us!”

“What God? You believe in that stuff? That’s ridiculous! Those guys from the Church wouldn’t come to save wizards.”

“It was our own greed that destroyed us.”

“No, it was the Ravenclaw family that doomed us! They were using evil magic! I remember everything!”

“That darkness, that curse, that magic — it all came from the Great Castle! The black mist spread like a plague.”

“The Ravenclaw family, darkness, the curse… ah, my head hurts!”

“Darkness, greed, death… I’m so hungry! I want meat! I can’t stand it!”

“Wait, I remember now! Lady Ravenclaw is dead! I went to Hogwarts for her funeral!”

“Oh my god! I remember now too! Those guys in the Great Castle were searching everywhere for Lady Ravenclaw’s Diadem, but they lost it forever. Only the wisest wizard in the world is worthy of that diadem. After Lady Ravenclaw, it vanished — off to find its new owner!”

“If Lady Ravenclaw is dead, then who’s in the carriage?”

“A living person. Food. No one is coming to save us. We should take revenge on the Ravenclaw family!”

“I’m so hungry! I can’t take it anymore! I want meat! Ah, ah, ah!”

A ghost dressed as a Muggle farmer suddenly howled and charged toward the caravan.

Evan turned to him, but someone was faster. A knight drew his sword and instantly sliced the charging farmer in two.

Blue light flickered, and the farmer dissolved into shimmering motes that vanished into the air.

The knights drew their swords one after another, their imposing presence causing the pedestrians who had intended to attack the caravan to stop in their tracks.