Harry Potter: The Legend of Nero Ravenclaw

The moment the massive doors to the Great Hall swung open, a wave of silence rippled through the students. 

It wasn't an immediate hush, but rather a gradual dimming of conversation, like a fire being slowly smothered.

Nero, Lilith, Ember, and Alaric walked in side by side, their gazes sweeping across the room. They had barely taken a few steps inside when the murmurs began.

"Merlin's beard, that's them! The heirs! They are back!" someone hissed.

"I heard the Gryffindor heir hacks people apart with that dagger of hers."

"My cousin in third year says the Ravenclaw one dissects people and magical objects in his free time!"

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know! One of the older students said he once tried to take apart a magical crystal, disregarding the professor's warning!"

A group of first-years huddled together, eyes wide with terror.

"That can't be true, right?" one whispered.

"Oh, it's true," an older student muttered ominously. "They're monsters, walking calamities."

"I heard the Slytherin heir blew up a classroom."

"I thought it was the Gryffindor one?"

"No, no, she prefers throwing her dagger at professors."

"Wait, what?"

More whispers swirled around them as they walked, completely aware of the spectacle they were making just by existing.

"Psst! What about the Hufflepuff one?"

"Him? Oh, he talks to… things. They say he once spent an entire class trying to negotiate with a chair."

"…Did it work?"

"Nobody knows. But I swear, the chair moved on its own afterward."

At this, one of the first-years visibly paled.

By the time Nero and the others were about to separate to go to their own seats, the Great Hall was practically buzzing with speculation. 

"I love our reputation," she announced, grinning. "Absolutely terrifying."

Lilith smirked, "We should start charging for rumors. Imagine the fortune we'd make."

Alaric chuckled and replied. "You lot enjoy this far too much."

Nero shook his head. "I still don't understand how I got labeled as someone who dissects people."

Ember dropped into her seat at the Gryffindor table with a dramatic sigh, kicking her feet up on the bench.

Lilith, gracefully settled into her seat at the Slytherin table

Alaric took his place at the Hufflepuff table.

Nero merely adjusted his sleeves before taking his seat at the Ravenclaw table, unbothered as ever. 

A nearby third-year at the Ravenclaw table flinched and quickly scooted a few inches away from him.

Nero sighed. It was going to be a long year.

As the Sorting Ceremony concluded, the newly sorted first-years shuffling toward their house tables with varying expressions of relief, anticipation, and in some cases, sheer terror. 

With the formalities over, the Hogwarts students finally dug into their long-awaited feast.

As the feast wound down and the prefects began ushering their housemates toward the common rooms, Nero followed the flow of students up the winding staircase to the Ravenclaw Tower.

The bronze eagle knocker posed its nightly riddle, one that an eager first-year answered with only mild hesitation, and soon, the large common room revealed itself in all its grandeur.

Bookcases lined the walls, enchanted blue flames flickered softly in the hearth, and large windows offered a breathtaking view of the moonlit Hogwarts grounds. 

The soft murmuring of students filled the space, some already discussing the upcoming school year while others simply relished the comfort of home.

Nero made his way toward the boys' dormitory, anticipation creeping into his steps. 

He had spent the past few months immersed in intense training, far removed from the casual camaraderie of Hogwarts life. 

Reuniting with his housemates would be… interesting.

Pushing open the door to his shared dorm, he found himself face-to-face with his three roommates, who had been mid-conversation, until they spotted him.

"Nero," Callum Ashridge groaned immediately, rubbing his temples as if bracing for impact. "Promise us. No experiments this year."

Nero blinked. "Experiments?"

Callum, Theo Wainwright, and Marcus Veltry exchanged long-suffering looks.

"Yes, experiments," emphasized Marcus, crossing his arms. 

"Do you have any idea what you put us through last year?"

Realization dawned, and a slow smirk crept onto Nero's face. "Ah. That."

The memory of last year's… incident replayed in his mind. His nightly attempts at refining water magic had led to weeks of unexpected consequences, most notably, his roommates waking up with a specific body part drenched every single morning.

Nero folded his arms, taking on an air of deep disappointment. "And you call yourselves proud Ravenclaws?" He sighed, shaking his head dramatically. "You would make my ancestor Rowena ashamed."

"How is preserving our dignity something to be ashamed of?" asked Theo incredulously.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Nero's voice grew fervent, and in an instant, he was pacing, eyes alight with conviction.

"A true Ravenclaw does not fear the pursuit of knowledge! We are not bound by trivial concerns like dignity or comfort. No, our house was built on intellectual courage, on the willingness to risk it all in the name of discovery! What is dignity, if not a fleeting illusion that crumbles before the truth? What are we, if not seekers of knowledge, willing to sacrifice anything to uncover the mysteries of the universe? The pioneers of magic before us, do you think they hesitated? Do you think they quailed at the thought of a few inconveniences?"

His voice grew stronger, his passion undeniable.

"Rowena Ravenclaw herself pushed the boundaries of magical understanding! She was relentless! If the world called her mad, she simply proved it wrong! And yet here we are, shying away from mere experimentation because it was…what? Uncomfortable? Inconvenient?"

His roommates were utterly still, staring at him.

"You," he continued, pointing at Callum, "belong to the house of scholars. And you" he turned to Theo, "have the intelligence to understand that knowledge demands sacrifice. And you" he jabbed a finger toward Marcus, "should be honored that you were part of something greater than yourselves! Magic has a will, a pulse, a secret language of its own! And it is our duty to unravel it!"

A hush fell over the dormitory.

Then, slowly, one of his roommates nodded, his expression shifting from reluctant skepticism to dawning realization.

"...He's right," murmured Theo.

Callum exhaled, as if the weight of his previous doubts had been lifted. "It's not about dignity. It's about the truth."

Marcus clenched his fist, his eyes burning with newfound purpose. "For Rowena. For knowledge."

A grin spread across Nero's face.

Later that week, the three of them would embark on a series of utterly reckless magical experiments, half-mad, entirely unnecessary, and unquestionably for the pursuit of truth.

History would not remember their names.

But Hogwarts professors would.

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3rd chapter of the day! (3/3)

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