After parting ways with Fred and George, Ethan arrived at the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, opposite the tapestry of the giant bashing Barnabas.
He paced back and forth in front of the wall, silently repeating to himself, 'I need a place to hide things!'.
The moment Ethan stopped, a smooth door materialized out of thin air on the wall.
Without hesitation, Ethan dashed through the door.
As he entered, the doorway began to fade, vanishing without a trace. From the outside, everything seemed quiet, as if nothing had happened.
Inside, Ethan found a large, cluttered space that resembled a junk room, filled with all sorts of odds and ends.
After a quick exploration, Ethan realized he might have stumbled upon a gold mine.
Over the centuries, countless Hogwarts students had hidden things in this room. While there was an abundance of junk, there were also many valuable items, left behind for unknown reasons.
On the shelves lining the walls, Ethan discovered hundreds of books, some neatly stacked, others scattered on the floor. Protected by magic, they had not decayed, likely hidden by Ravenclaw students. Ethan had a few theories about why they would hide them.
Ravenclaw, literally translated as 'Raven's Claw,' implies a greedy predator, but its true meaning is an extreme thirst for knowledge.
To achieve their goals, they often resorted to unscrupulous means, as demonstrated by two of their graduates, 'Quirrell' and 'Lockhart.' One dedicated himself to Voldemort for knowledge and power, while the other stole the 'knowledge' of others for fame and fortune.
Most of these hidden books were either forbidden tomes or those obtained through unorthodox means, making them extremely valuable.
Ethan opened his suitcase, which had been expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm, and used the Accio spell to gather the books, promising to sort them later.
Next came Ethan's treasure hunt: strange alchemy tools he couldn't understand, decorations that were either pure gold or gold-plated, jewelry, gold Galleons, and silver Sickles.
He even found more than one potion counter, filled with countless vials and jars. It was unclear what was stored in those jars, or if they had expired.
Ethan also discovered dozens of broomsticks, from the latest models to older, outdated ones. He wondered if there were any wizards in the world who collected such antiques. (Quidditch became popular in Ireland in the 14th century, meaning broomsticks must have been around even earlier.)
Bang!
Startled by Ethan's noise, a group of tiny creatures darted out from a pile of old, broken tables and chairs.
They had iron-grey skin, stood about eight inches tall, and emitted an earsplitting chirping sound as they flew through the air.
Ethan recognized them: Cornish pixies!
They were known for their mischievousness and love of pranks.
He wondered who had hidden them here, and how they had survived so long without food.
Initially, Ethan ignored them, but their noise was driving him crazy.
"Time for a snack!"
He pulled a shrunken-down Crumple-Horned Snorkack egg from his pocket and tossed it into the air. With a sharp whistle, the Snorkack regained its full size, darting through the air in a blur.
The Cornish pixies, as if encountering their nemesis, shrieked and scattered in all directions. But against the Snorkack, which dwarfed them in size, strength, and speed, their efforts were futile.
Every now and then, a Cornish pixie corpse would fall from the sky. Even those that burrowed into crevices were chased down by the Snorkack, which slammed through the obstacles with brute force and devoured their brains.
Ethan didn't want to waste the corpses, so he summoned the Fanged Bats from his pendant to consume them.
He then fed them a few energy cubes and put them away.
The energy cubes were primarily made from dragon blood, while the Fanged Bats' main ingredient was Thestral bone, which had significantly improved both their condition and size.
With the Cornish pixies dealt with, Ethan resumed his collecting, putting everything he found desirable into the suitcase.
He stopped at a table. Underneath a pile of twine, a box lay waiting. It held the Ravenclaw Diadem, a scene Ethan remembered vividly.
He opened the box to find a magnificent golden crown, crafted in the shape of a spread-winged eagle with a dim gem embedded in its center. It was the emblem of Ravenclaw House.
Legend had it that Rowena Ravenclaw had imbued it with magic, granting the wearer increased wisdom. But Ethan didn't dare try it now.
Voldemort had turned it into a Horcrux, and although it wouldn't affect the wearer, Ethan wasn't willing to take any chances.
He had no intention of destroying the Horcrux now. Voldemort would sense its destruction, especially since he was currently at Hogwarts. (When the Diadem was destroyed, Voldemort was practically insane. At that time, Nagini was his only Horcrux, and he kept it close, tucked carefully in his sleeve.)
With the items he was interested in collected, the rest were just boar statues, broken cauldrons, and damaged tables and chairs.
His gaze fell on the panel, which had been flashing nonstop since he entered the Room of Requirement.
【Room of Requirement】
Please make your wish, and I will fulfill it. But everything comes at a price. Are you ready?
Achievement goal: Enter the Room of Requirement (1/1)
Achievement reward: One random ancient magic
【Thief】
That shameless fellow, put my treasure back!
Achievement goal: Steal one item (1/1)
Achievement reward: One random magic
【Master Thief】
Don't go where you shouldn't, don't covet what you shouldn't, yet you do both
Achievement goal: Steal items without being detected (100/100)
Achievement reward: One random Dark Magic
He'd completed three achievements in one go. Adding the night-walk achievement, that made four in just two days at Hogwarts. He was racking up the achievements.
As the information was absorbed, Ethan understood the nature of these three spells.
First, the ancient magic: Mjolnir, a magic from the early Middle Ages, during the period when the Baltic coast was plagued by Vikings.
It was simple and powerful, using a large, lightning-charged hammer to strike opponents. It had a wide range, a large area of effect, and immense power, but also consumed a significant amount of magic. When he received the information, he also gained knowledge of ancient runes, or runescript.
The other two spells weren't as impressive.
Mark Reveal: It could ignite objects, creating a desired shape as a mark or for attack.
Budding Curse: A curse spell that was quiet and stealthy, requiring a piece of the target's physical body, like hair or skin flakes. Once cast, a tumor would grow on the target, absorbing magic and growing rapidly until it drained the wizard dry.