After hearing Professor Flitwick's words, Phineas scratched his head in embarrassment and said,
"I thought the inheritance of the treasure was a secret."
Flitwick smiled and replied,
"The four founders each left behind a legacy: Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, Ravenclaw's private library, Hufflepuff's enchanted kitchen, and Gryffindor's Sword of Courage. Hogwarts was built on these foundations. Over the centuries, countless students have come and gone. Do you think none of them ever sought these legacies? It's become something of an open secret. Since you're interested—and you've answered so many questions—come with me."
With that, Flitwick smiled and knocked on the door to the Ravenclaw common room.
"What is death?"
"It's the end of everything—and the beginning of everything."
"That makes sense."
As the door opened, Flitwick led Phineas into the Ravenclaw common room.
It was Phineas's first time inside another house's common room.
Just as he stepped in, a soft chime sounded from the System in his mind:
"You have entered the Ravenclaw common room. Hidden achievement unlocked. Current progress of 'Exploring Hogwarts': 35%. Reward unlocked upon reaching 100%—'Fiendfyre Mastery' (includes counter-spell)."
Phineas froze at the notification. This task might not be particularly difficult, but the reward was incredibly generous. Fiendfyre—a powerful, near-uncontrollable Dark spell—summons cursed flames that grow stronger over time and can even take on monstrous shapes, consuming everything in their path, friend or foe alike.
Worse, Fiendfyre can't be extinguished by normal magic—only a rare and difficult counter-spell can stop it.
The Counter-Curse—All Curses End—was a high-level spell that forcefully nullifies magic by manipulating the surrounding magical elements. It required immense magical power. During the battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, even multiple skilled wizards had to combine their power to cast it.
Because of its danger, very few wizards dared to use Fiendfyre unless they also knew the counter-spell. And that counter-spell had largely faded from memory due to its difficulty.
But now, as long as Phineas completed the achievement, he would not only obtain Fiendfyre but also its counter-spell—making this reward worth everything.
He immediately opened the achievement interface:
Exploring Hogwarts:
Tour all locations within Hogwarts (except *****), including common classrooms, corridors, staircases, etc.
Completed:
House Common Rooms: Slytherin, Ravenclaw
Room of Requirement
Incomplete:
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff common rooms
Professors' Offices
Kitchens
Secret Passages
Founders' Treasures
Seeing that the achievement had clear objectives, Phineas felt relieved—he could now complete it methodically.
Meanwhile, in the real world, he followed Professor Flitwick to the sculpture of Rowena Ravenclaw opposite the common room entrance.
Flitwick drew his wand and said,
"Revelio Traccia!"
It was a revealing spell—one that required advanced magical ability.
"Actually," Flitwick explained, "you don't need to use such a complex spell. A simple manifestation charm, like the basic 'Appare Vestigium,' would do."
Just then, Phineas noticed a dark void appear beneath the statue's base. Inside was a small metallic handle.
"Is that... a Portkey?" he asked hesitantly.
Flitwick smiled and nodded approvingly.
"You're quite clever. Yes, it's a Portkey. Ms. Ravenclaw's private library is heavily warded—no Apparition allowed. You can only enter via Portkey. Now, take hold of the handle."
He grabbed it first, and Phineas quickly followed.
Unlike being taken by Kreacher's Apparition, traveling by Portkey felt far worse. It was like an iron hook had latched onto his navel, yanking him through a whirling vortex like a spin cycle in a washing machine. He was dizzy, nauseous, and disoriented.
"You'll get used to it once you're allowed to learn Apparition in sixth year," Flitwick offered.
Phineas retched slightly and groaned, "Professor, I don't think I'll ever get used to this."
Flitwick only chuckled.
Phineas then looked around at the legendary library.
It wasn't what he had imagined. The room was circular, about the size of the Ravenclaw common room—not particularly vast. Its semi-dome ceiling was crafted from enchanted glass, shimmering with stars that mirrored the real night sky above.
"The stars above match the actual sky," Flitwick said with a touch of reverence. "They change in real time. No one knows exactly how Rowena Ravenclaw achieved this, but it's surely a masterwork of magic."
Phineas nodded in awe. His library at Grimmauld Place was much larger and contained more books, but this one felt more magical, more alive.
There weren't many shelves—just a curved bookshelf hugging the wall, divided by size and category. Despite having no visible light sources, the room was brightly illuminated.
He approached the shelves. Though small in number, the books here contained profound magical theories and secrets—many were rare volumes lost to time. He even spotted some of Rowena Ravenclaw's own handwritten journals.
"Professor," Phineas turned and asked, "would I be allowed to borrow some of these books to study?"
It was only polite to ask. After all, this was the treasure of Ravenclaw House—and Professor Flitwick had brought him in personally.
Flitwick smiled warmly.
"Of course. As long as you don't damage them. We welcome bright minds. And these books aren't only Rowena Ravenclaw's. See that cabinet there? It contains research contributed by Ravenclaw graduates over the centuries."