Accompanied by her domestic elf, Berli, Elena found herself particularly intrigued by the room of requirement, located on the eighth floor of the castle, opposite the tapestry depicting the bewilderingly clunky barbaric beast, Banabana. However, her curiosity remained suppressed, and she followed the standard path for the tour.
While Elena could previously mask her understanding of the wizarding world with her past experiences, it seemed a bit over-the-top for a young girl who had never set foot in Hogwarts to pinpoint a place that most students might not discover until their graduation.
Similarly, on the sixth floor of the castle, there lay the Prefects' bathroom to the left of the befuddled egg Boris statue.
A lavish chandelier, lit with candles, cast a warm glow in the room. Everything was crafted from snow-white marble, including the large sunken bath in the middle, resembling a rectangular swimming pool. Around the bath, approximately a hundred golden taps were embedded, each adorned with a different-colored gemstone on its handle. There was even a diving board. Snow-white linen curtains hung on the windows, and a pile of fluffy white towels rested in a corner.
In Elena's imagination as a girl, this luxurious bathroom template was nearly ideal.
Considering her past experiences at university, where the bathrooms were restricted and timed, allowing only fifteen minutes per card swipe—imagine, in the cold winter, a hand covered in white bubbles tremblingly extending out to renew the time with a student card—this realization left Elena disheartened.
At that moment, Elena became despondently aware of a problem: if not a student at Hogwarts, she wouldn't have access to many of the wondrous, magically sealed rooms, such as the teachers' offices, Filch's office, or even the library that housed a staggering 103,000 magic books.
It was frustrating to Elena that she couldn't pop by for a snack from a certain half-blood prince or catch a glimpse of the forbidden toys of the wizarding world's mischief-makers due to these restrictions.
Oh, there was a slightly ajar door to Professor McGonagall's office on the second floor of the castle's main marble staircase. Yet, Elena sensibly refrained from knocking—who knew if the perilous Professor McGonagall might remember previous incidents and seek revenge?
And the empty classrooms held even less appeal for sightseeing; apart from the Potions classroom, most classrooms seemed indistinguishable to Elena, merely wooden podiums surrounded by rows of vacant chairs.
Nevertheless, Elena felt content.
Even without any ghosts making an appearance, the entirety of Hogwarts Castle exuded a magical charm, with everything seemingly in constant motion, portraits visiting one another, and staircases shifting.
During her tour, what brought Elena the most joy was the Ravenclaw Common Room atop the Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the castle, particularly the charming bronze door knocker.
In adherence to the beliefs held by the house's founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room did not require a password like the entrances to the other houses. Instead, anyone who could answer the question was welcome to enter.
Standing at the polished wooden door, Elena knocked gently. The bronze eagle's beak on the door knocker opened, asking in a soft voice, "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"
It seemed the question pool wasn't extensive, and Elena lucked out with an original question from the books, "That is a riddle, and it has no answer. A circle has no beginning."
"Correct," the voice replied, and the door creaked open on its own.
However, despite answering correctly, Elena didn't rush to enter.
"Dear door knocker, how do you ensure that the answers to your questions are the only correct ones prepared?" Elena cutely squinted at the eagle-shaped door knocker, shrugging her shoulders. "Language and words, you know, are the most prone to multiple meanings. All sayings might be given new meanings at any time."
The eagle's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Yet, Elena sensed a magical force appraising her from the door knocker in front of her, indicating that this enchanted door knocker, akin to the Sorting Hat, possessed its own consciousness.
Since she was at Hogwarts, leaving a trace seemed necessary; otherwise, it would be rather dull.
The silver-haired young girl grinned mischievously, using a tempting tone, "I've heard that many math problems usually have only one unique objective solution at the foundational level."
"Math problems? Simple calculations don't test a student's intellect," the eagle-shaped door knocker's voice sounded puzzled.
"What if it's like this?" Elena paused for a moment, speaking with exceptional excitement, "Putting chickens and rabbits together in a cage, counting from above, there are thirty-five heads; counting from below, there are ninety-four feet. How many chickens and rabbits are in the cage?"
Pausing briefly, the silver-haired girl continued, "And, by simply changing a few numbers, you can derive an infinite number of intriguing problems like this. Intelligence lies in the thought process, not the conclusion, don't you think?"
The eagle-shaped door knocker fell silent for a few more seconds before nodding slightly, "You make a valid point. I need to ponder over this. Thank you."
With that, the door knocker ceased speaking, reverting to its original copper form.
It worked!
Elena quietly pumped her fist, elatedly turning away.
"Berli, I think that's enough; let's head back."
May God bless the Ravenclaw students this year. However, with enough patience, they could still count each one out.
Soon enough, with a secret thrill, Elena returned to the eighth floor of the castle with her domestic elf, Berli.
"Next up, meeting Dumbledore."
Elena took a deep breath, eyeing the staircase next to the colossal stone statue, preparing to ascend.
Suddenly, at the end of the corridor, there appeared to be an unused classroom that Elena hadn't entered before, seemingly overlooked when she turned around earlier.
Curiously, Elena examined the area; apart from the Room of Requirement, she didn't think there was anything else special on this floor.
Wait a minute, could it be the Room of Requirement?! The silver-haired girl's eyes lit up with excitement as she eagerly inquired.
"Berli, what's that place? Is it..."
"Oh, that..." Berli, walking behind Elena, lifted her head, following the direction of the girl's arm, and replied in a nonchalant tone, "Seems to be an abandoned classroom."
"No, no, I didn't see it just now." Elena earnestly shook her head, muttering to herself, hastening her pace toward that classroom.
"Hey? Oh..."
The silver-haired girl pushed the door with hope, glancing inside, but her little face suddenly drooped, letting out a sigh.
As Berli had said, it was indeed an abandoned classroom.
Wooden desks and chairs were piled up haphazardly at the back of the classroom. From the dusty empty bottles and wooden shelves, it seemed this place had once served as a classroom for either Potions or Herbology.
"Um, what's that?" Elena glanced around, intending to turn around and leave
.
On the teacher's desk sat an old piano covered with a velvet cloth, its lid slightly ajar.
Elena's heart skipped a beat, her silvery eyes glistening as she stepped forward, pulling away the dust-ridden cloth.
A century-old piano with faded ebony and ivory keys lay there, a forgotten treasure amidst the abandoned room.
Even without sound, Elena could sense its history.
Berli came closer, whispering with curiosity, "What is it, Miss?"
"This is a piano," Elena said softly, her fingers gently brushing the keys. "A magical instrument."
"Magical instrument?"
"Yes, it can create music, a language that transcends barriers." Elena's eyes sparkled as she ran her fingers along the keyboard, not producing a sound. "But this one seems to have been neglected for a very long time."
As her fingers danced across the keys, Elena wondered if it was the right thing to leave the piano in its desolate state. Perhaps she could do something about it.