Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

From a purely physical perspective, Evan ought to have been suspended in mid-air atop Ravenclaw’s castle, but the passageway before him continued upward without end. This was a place much like the Room of Requirement — a magical space that existed within the real world, yet was not bound by it.

Evan climbed higher, the monotonous music growing clearer with every step.

Furthermore, the surrounding magical currents became increasingly chaotic. Even the power of the evil gods was weakening here.

“The magic of time is becoming more and more chaotic!”

Evan took out the Time-Turner. The hands upon it were spinning faster and faster.

He had felt something similar before, back in the Egyptian temple, where the turbulence of magic had also thrown time itself into disorder.

If this continued, Evan suspected the Time-Turner might drag him onto yet another timeline.

All signs pointed to one conclusion: this place had once housed a powerful magical artifact — an exceptionally potent legendary magical item.

The power of this magical item had been used in an improper way, causing the magic to spiral out of control.

“Let’s hope this won’t become too troublesome,” Evan said quietly, drawing a deep breath as he held his wand horizontally before his chest.

He had had quite enough of ruins and magical objects from the age of ancient magic. The spellcasters of that era were monsters.

The feeling that something was finally falling into place crept over him. He seemed to have grasped something important, though he could not yet put it into words. Carefully, he climbed on.

At the end of the passage lay a hollow, circular chamber. Above him stretched a vast dome, covered in intricate magical runes that resembled a river of stars.

Five enormous stone pillars stood evenly spaced around the chamber, and apart from that, there were no walls in sight.

This place must be incredibly high, because Evan could no longer see the two phantom figures of the evil gods in the distance.

He looked towards the ruins of the Veil of Death, where only a ghostly green light filtered upward from beneath the thick clouds.

After a moment, his fear of heights flared up again, and he quickly looked away.

He didn’t like this place; both the height and the chaotic magic around him made him feel uneasy.

When his gaze returned to the chamber, he saw before him a massive spherical stone sculpture, where all the magical runes had converged. The sculpture, however, had already shattered, and atop the fragments rested a small music box.

That monotonous, even somewhat eerie melody was coming from it.

Just as Evan was considering whether to destroy the irritating music box, a voice came eerily from his left front.

“You have come at last, heir of Rowena Ravenclaw.”

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Evan spun around at once, pointing his wand at one of the stone pillars.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dalian Ravenclaw. Lady Rowena Ravenclaw was my aunt.”

A white, semi-transparent ghost stepped out from behind the pillar, hands clasped behind his back. He was a refined-looking youth dressed in ancient noble robes, appearing roughly Evan’s age — perhaps even younger.

“Dalian?!”

“Yes,” he said, in a strangely even tone. “And, as you may have guessed, I am a Squib — born without magic, and considered quite useless in my time.”

“Is that so? Then why are you here? And what is this place?” Evan asked, not letting his guard down at all.

He sized the man up. Since entering the castle, he had heard far too much about this so-called Young Master Dalian.

If he were truly a Squib, he couldn’t possibly have sculpted the evil god’s creations below, nor could he possibly be here.

“Oh, before asking questions, aren’t you going to introduce yourself? After all, living people aren’t exactly common in a place like this.”

Evan did not answer, his wand tip emitting faint glows.

“Stop, stop! This isn’t proper Wizarding etiquette. Listen, we are not enemies. This is the Ravenclaw family’s secret library, a separate space located within the head of the Valkyrie statue above the castle,” Dalian tapped his head with his finger and continued, “After all, the Ravenclaws have always believed that wisdom is the most important quality. We have always thought ourselves a little cleverer than other wizards.”

“So this really is the Ravenclaw family’s secret library?” Evan said. “Very well. Then why are you here?”

“Is that so strange? Although I am a Squib, I am still one of the legitimate heirs of the Ravenclaw family,” said Dalian. “In Muggle noble terms, I would be fifth in line to inherit the family and this land. If my father, my brother, and my sisters were to meet with unfortunate ends, then —”

“Enough,” Evan cut in. “Marcus said that only Ravenclaw’s Diadem can open the passage leading here.”

“Oh, you’ve met the poor old steward. I imagine he must have wandered in endless darkness for a very long time,” said Dalian.

He paused, then went on lightly, “Come to think of it, old Marcus was never very friendly toward me. Always telling me where I couldn’t go, where I wasn’t allowed to sit — after all, I was a Squib, completely without magical ability, wasn’t I?”

He gave a small, hollow smile. “Mm. He was also one of Father’s accomplices in tormenting me. But it doesn’t matter now. No matter how much hatred there once was, we are nothing more than echoes of the past now — not even ghosts, really…”

“I don’t have time to listen to your reminiscences!” Evan said bluntly, cutting him off. “Answer my questions: Why are you here? And what secrets does this castle hold? What tricks are you playing? What is the magic of the Veil of Death? I suggest you speak plainly, Dalian — or I will deal with these troubles in a more direct way. For example, by destroying you. I’ve already exhausted far too much patience tonight.”

Considering the ongoing magic at the Veil of Death, Harry’s condition, and the fact that the Order of the Phoenix wizards were fighting the revived evil god’s creations, Evan intended to end this quickly. He had no time to indulge in anyone’s memories of the past.

In fact, he realized now that he should never have listened to the old ghost’s rambling down below.

Evan had assumed that Marcus and the Ravenclaw family’s soldiers were ghosts — but with the dark god’s aura seeping in, and Dalian’s mention of “echoes of the past,” he finally understood.

Everything he had seen was nothing more than illusionary magic.

It was an exceedingly sophisticated piece of magic, one that made him believe all of this was truly real.

At this very moment, he was caught within it.

And if it was magic, then there had to be a caster.

All the people he had seen before were nothing but illusions. Everything they did, everything they said, was directed by the caster — devoid of any real meaning.

Evan decided to be direct: either talk to the caster or break the spell.

Who was the caster? Could it be Dalian Ravenclaw?

After all, he appeared far more lucid than Marcus, and behaved nothing like a Squib.

Not to mention the fact that he had appeared within the Ravenclaw family’s secret library.

Whether Dalian was the caster or not, Evan could not be sure.

Just like he couldn’t see through the magic, but he wasn’t going to waste any more time on it.

“Tell me what is really going on here? Who is casting the spell that is making all of you reappear? And why are you here?” Evan asked, his wand pointing steadily at Dalian. “I hope this is the last time I have to ask. If you don’t know — then my apologies!”