After leaving Professor Flitwick’s office, Alvin headed straight for the library.
As he walked through the castle corridors, his thoughts remained occupied by their conversation.
The discussion had given him something invaluable: Direction.
Magic was far more than spoken incantations and wand movements.
Most witches and wizards learned how to cast spells without ever truly understanding why those spells worked.
They knew the method.
Not the principle.
Of course, Hogwarts was not designed solely to train magical prodigies.
Its purpose was to educate an entire generation of British witches and wizards.
As a result, professors generally focused on practical application rather than deep magical theory.
The more advanced truths only revealed themselves when students actively sought them out.
Most students were perfectly content with that arrangement.
Alvin was not.
He wanted to understand magic itself.
Its structure.
Its foundations.
Its secrets.
And according to Flitwick, Ancient Runes might provide part of that answer.
So Ancient Runes it would be.
The Hogwarts Library was already fairly busy when he arrived.
Madam Pince sat at her desk like a dragon guarding a treasure hoard.
To her, books were sacred.
Every few moments, her sharp eyes swept across the room.
Any student who dared mistreat a book or make excessive noise immediately found themselves on the receiving end of a stare capable of freezing lava.
Alvin wisely avoided attracting attention.
After some searching, he located a book titled: Introduction to Ancient Runes — Sylvis Victor It was a standard third-year text and remained in use through fifth year.
For a first-year seeking foundational knowledge, it was more than sufficient.
Taking the book to a quiet corner, Alvin settled into a chair and began reading.
Hours passed unnoticed.
By the time he finally looked up, dinner was approaching.
Reluctantly, he returned the book to its shelf.
As he left the library, he sighed.
“I really need my own copy.” Walking through the corridor, he considered the problem.
Ordering one by owl seemed obvious.
Unfortunately, sending a phoenix to purchase textbooks would attract exactly the sort of attention he preferred to avoid.
“I’ll borrow a school owl.” Then he glanced back toward the library.
“Though I suppose I could just come back tonight.” After all…
Rules were only rules if someone caught you breaking them.
As a proud future practitioner of strategic rule interpretation, Alvin considered that distinction very important.
By the time he reached the Great Hall, Cho had already arrived.
As expected, she had saved him a seat.
Alvin sat down.
A moment later, food began appearing.
A lot of food.
An alarming amount of food.
His plate quickly accumulated nearly four times as much as Cho’s.
The resulting pile looked capable of feeding a small family.
Cho stared.
Then burst out laughing.
“Alvin.” “How are you this hungry?” “Studying burns energy.” He spoke through a mouthful of food.
“I’ve been in the library all afternoon.” “Of course.” Cho nodded solemnly.
“The first Ravenclaw student to earn House points this year must keep up his strength.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Then she slid a glass of juice toward him.
Apparently, she had decided he represented a choking hazard.
Alvin rolled his eyes and continued eating.
After dinner, their paths diverged.
Cho had no evening classes and returned to Ravenclaw Tower with several friends to play Wizard Chess.
Alvin, meanwhile, suffered a crueler fate.
Astronomy.
The least magical magical subject imaginable.
For an entire evening, he stood atop the Astronomy Tower peering through a telescope.
Charts.
Stars.
Constellations.
Planetary movements.
Everything looked suspiciously similar to Muggle astronomy.
By the time class finally ended, his eyes felt ready to resign.
At nine o’clock, he staggered back to his room and collapsed onto his bed.
“This is fine.” “I live here now.” The mattress was extremely convincing.
For several minutes, he seriously considered surrendering to sleep.
Then he remembered something.
Ancient Runes.
Wandless Magic.
Progress.
With a groan, Alvin sat back up.
“No.” “Can’t stop now.” The sooner he mastered Wandless Magic, the sooner he eliminated one of the greatest weaknesses shared by most wizards.
Take away a wand, and many witches and wizards became helpless.
Alvin had no intention of ever finding himself in that situation.
Eventually, midnight arrived.
After ensuring the common room had emptied, he prepared to leave.
A quick Disillusionment Charm concealed him from casual observation.
Then he slipped out of his room.
The Ravenclaw Common Room was deserted.
Good.
Many Ravenclaws enjoyed studying until absurd hours.
Tonight, fortunately, no one remained.
Alvin exited the tower and began making his way toward the library.
Every step was careful.
Every corner received suspicious scrutiny.
Above all else, he wanted to avoid one particular individual.
Argus Filch.
And Mrs.
Norris.
The caretaker and his cat roamed Hogwarts after dark like malicious spirits.
Entire generations of students had suffered because of them.
Alvin had no desire to join that tradition.
Several minutes later, he slipped into the library.
After retrieving the Ancient Runes textbook, he hesitated.
Then another idea occurred to him.
The Restricted Section.
It sat deeper within the library.
More importantly, it offered better hiding places if someone came looking.
A practical decision.
Absolutely not curiosity.
Settling into a secluded corner near the Restricted Section, Alvin cast Lumos and propped his wand beside him.
Then he resumed reading.
The book proved fascinating.
Ancient Runes were not merely symbols.
Each rune carried magical significance.
Meaning.
Power.
Concept.
Entire books could be written about a single rune.
In fact, many had been.
The introductory text only scratched the surface.
But for Alvin, it was exactly what he needed.
Not spells.
Principles.
Foundations.
Understanding.
His attention became completely absorbed.
Time faded away.
Elsewhere in Hogwarts…
“George, run faster!” “If Filch catches us because of you, I’ll laugh at you for an entire term!” “Fred, I was setting up the Dungbomb trap!” “That’s called strategic preparation!” Two red-haired third-years sprinted through the corridors.
The Weasley twins.
Naturally.
Behind them echoed the unmistakable voice of Argus Filch.
“You little criminals!” “I know you’re there!” “When I catch you, it’ll be detention!” “A whole term of detention!” The twins merely laughed harder.
Apparently, being chased was half the fun.
Their route carried them steadily toward the library.
Back in the Restricted Section, Alvin’s ears twitched.
He slowly emerged from his reading trance.
Someone was coming.
Several someones, judging by the noise.
Without hesitation, he extinguished the light from his wand.
Another Disillusionment Charm followed.
Then he returned the book to its shelf.
Just in case.
Experience suggested that mysterious nighttime disturbances rarely improved after investigation.
Quietly approaching the library entrance, he peered outside.
Then he saw them.
Fred and George Weasley.
Running.
Shoving each other.
Laughing.
Looking exactly like two escaped lunatics.
Behind them thundered Filch’s increasingly furious voice.
“I KNOW YOU’RE IN FRONT OF ME!” “YOU WON’T ESCAPE THIS TIME!” Alvin closed his eyes.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Of all the possibilities he had considered tonight…
This had not been one of them.
His carefully planned study session.
Destroyed.
Not by danger.
Not by professors.
Not by magical creatures.
By two Weasleys.
In fairness, the twins were experienced professionals when it came to surviving Filch.
They hardly needed rescuing.
And since reading was no longer an option…
Alvin made a decision.
He leaned casually against the wall.
Folded his arms.
And prepared to enjoy the show.