HP: The Boy who saw Magic

After dinner, Hogwarts was shrouded in twilight, and the stone walls of the castle were dyed golden by the last rays of sunset. Kevin and his roommates walked slowly towards the Astronomy Tower with other Ravenclaw students, his gray-blue eyes occasionally scanning the portraits on both sides of the corridor.

"Look at that!" Wesley suddenly grabbed Kevin's sleeve, his reddish-brown curly hair shaking with excitement. He pointed to a huge portrait of a knight, in which a dozen wizards in costumes of different eras were holding a banquet, and a drunken wizard was trying to catch a flying roast chicken with a fork.

Fabian pushed his glasses up, a look of surprise on his face. "It's mentioned in the History of Magical Art that this is a painting of the 'Millennium Banquet,' which records the major celebrations since the founding of Hogwarts."

Turning a corner, they saw another empty portrait with only a lonely armchair in the frame. Just as they were puzzled, an old wizard wearing a nightcap suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the chair, made a face at them, and disappeared again.

"Merlin's beard!" Wesley exclaimed. "These are really interesting drawings."

Kevin noticed a particular painting, which showed a starry sky with a witch in ancient robes measuring the position of the stars with an astrolabe. As he passed by, the witch suddenly looked up and winked at him.

Climbing the spiral staircase of the Astronomy Tower made everyone breathless. When they finally reached the top of the tower, the night breeze blew across their sweaty foreheads, bringing a hint of coolness. Professor Sinistra was already waiting there, her long hair fluttering in the night breeze, and the starry sky gradually appeared behind her.

"Welcome to the astronomy class," her voice was as gentle as the night breeze, "Here, we don't need wands and spells, we just need your eyes and curiosity."

Kevin looked around. The top of the Astronomy Tower was open in a circular shape, surrounded by copper telescopes. In the center of the tower was a huge planetarium with constellations intricately carved on it.

"Tonight, we are going to learn about the universe we live in." Professor Sinistra took out a black box covered with silver patterns from her robe. "This is an alchemical tool specially made by Professor Eisenberg. It can be used as a teaching aid in our astronomy class."

Kevin's "Eye of Truth" was immediately activated. In his eyes, the silver patterns on the box turned into flowing magical veins, as complex as a spider web, but following certain cosmic laws.

Professor Sinistra tapped the box with her wand, and the silver pattern suddenly lit up. In an instant, the entire Astronomy Tower seemed to disappear, and they were suspended in the vast universe. Wesley cried out in surprise and subconsciously grabbed Kevin's robe.

"Don't panic," Professor Sinistra's voice echoed across the starry sky. "This is just a stereoscopic projection."

A burning star appeared before them, surrounded by eight planets of varying sizes.

"This is our solar system." The professor waved her magic wand, and a blue planet was magnified. "This is Earth, the world we live in."

Ernesto suddenly spoke, his voice filled with rare enthusiasm: "Mercury represents communication, Venus symbolizes love, Mars is related to war… Each planet has a special meaning in astrology."

Kevin looked at him in surprise. At this moment, Ernesto's eyes were shining with passion for the starry sky.

"That's right, Mr. Griffith." Professor Sinistra smiled. "Five points for Ravenclaw. Now, please divide into groups and use your telescopes to try to find these planets."

Kevin and his roommates came to a bronze telescope. Ernesto adjusted the focus expertly: "First, find Jupiter. It should be in the direction of Scorpius now… Look, the Great Red Spot with a halo."

Wesley leaned forward, his reddish-brown hair almost poking through the eyepiece. "Wow! I see it! What are those little dots around it?"

"Its satellites," Fabian explained, "were discovered by Galileo through his telescope, and shook the foundations of geocentrism."

Ernesto recorded the observation data while explaining: "The wizarding world has long known that the earth is not the center of the universe. In the Middle Ages, a lot of astronomical knowledge was leaked from wizards to Muggles."

Kevin observed the rings of Saturn through the telescope, his gray-blue eyes reflecting the distant starlight. Compared with the images he had seen in the Muggle planetarium in his previous life, the starry sky displayed by this magic telescope was clearer and more vivid, as if it was within reach.

"Why do wizards' telescopes seem so much more advanced than Muggles'?" he couldn't help but ask.

Ernesto rarely showed his arrogance: "Because magic telescopes can break through the interference of the atmosphere, and…" He lowered his voice, "some top wizard observatories are built directly in space."

"Really?" Wesley's eyes widened. "How do we get up there? On a broomstick?"

"A special combination of Portkey and Apparition," Ernesto said. "Of course, this involves advanced magic and top-notch alchemical tools. My father said the Ministry of Magic has strict controls, but my grandfather has been there."

The observation continued into the night, and as they searched for and identified new stars, Professor Sinistra announced the end of the course. The light of the alchemical tools gradually dimmed, the cosmic illusion receded like a tide, and the Astronomy Tower returned to its original appearance.

"We will continue observing the sky next week." The professor put away the black box. "The assignment is to draw a star map that includes the positions of at least five planets."

On the way back to the dormitory, the four boys were still immersed in the awe of the starry sky. Wesley excitedly imitated the movement of the planets while walking: "I am Jupiter, and there are many small satellites following me!"

"Be quiet," Fabian lowered his voice, "It's almost curfew."

After returning to the Ravenclaw Tower and washing up simply, Kevin did not rush to bed. Instead, he took out parchment and a quill and walked to the oak table beside the fireplace.

The other students had returned to their dormitories, leaving Kevin alone at the oak table, his quill scratching on the parchment.

"Dear Mum and Dad," he began, his grey-blue eyes reflecting the dim light of the fire, "my first week at Hogwarts has been more wonderful than I could have imagined…"

The quill paused, and the ink dripped onto the parchment, creating a small dot. Kevin's thoughts drifted back to the first Transfiguration class, when Professor McGonagall turned the match into a silver needle with precise control of magic. He omitted the Slytherin stuff and simply wrote, "Transfiguration is very interesting. Professor McGonagall said my wrist movements are very standard."

The starry sky outside the window poured in through the arched glass windows, interweaving with the glow of the fire. Kevin's pen continued to slide: "In the Charms class, Professor Flitwick taught us the Levitation Charm. He is a hybrid of a goblin and a wizard, a very nice person, and the dean of our college. Although he is very small, his voice is surprisingly loud when he recites the spell…"

"The Herbology class was the most thrilling." The corners of Kevin's mouth rose unconsciously as he wrote this. The parchment was soon covered with words describing the Devil's Snare, its dark purple vines, its damp smell, and Wesley's funny expression when he was entangled. "Fortunately, I remembered Professor Sprout's reminder and used a strong light to rescue Wesley. As a reward, Ravenclaw added ten points."

The fire in the fireplace suddenly jumped, and Kevin looked out the window. The stars twinkled in the night sky, reminding him of the shock of tonight's astronomy class. He dipped his quill pen in ink and began to describe the black box covered with silver patterns:

"When Professor Sinistra activated it, the whole classroom seemed to float in space. We saw with our own eyes the rings of Saturn, the Great Red Spot of Jupiter… Ernesto, my roommate, is very knowledgeable about astronomy. He told us the special significance of each planet in the wizarding world."

Kevin stopped writing, thinking about how to describe Ernesto's rare enthusiasm tonight. The boy who always had a bit of arrogance, the twinkle in his eyes when he talked about the stars, was completely different from his usual self.

"Although he sneers at the technology of our ordinary world, we have to admit that the achievements of wizards in astronomy are amazing. Their magic telescopes can see the stars more clearly than technological equipment…"

The quill paused on the words "magic telescope." Kevin turned to describe the magical portraits in the corridor:

"Some portraits are empty, but when you turn around, a dozing old wizard suddenly appears inside. In another painting, a banquet is being held, with more than a dozen wizards from different eras drinking together… There are surprises hidden in every corner of Hogwarts."

The parchment was already half full. Kevin rubbed his wrists, thinking about what else he could share. Defense Against the Dark Arts? He couldn't mention the conversation with Professor Victor. The Chamber of Secrets and the Alchemy Notes? Even less so. In the end, he decided to focus on describing the wonders of the castle itself:

"We found an abandoned classroom and planned to apply to use it as a study room. Professor Flitwick was very supportive of this idea and helped us submit an application to Professor McGonagall. Yesterday, the classroom officially became ours."

It's not a complete lie, just a selection of facts to keep them from worrying, Kevin said to himself. The fire was getting low, and the night was getting late. He quickly wrote the ending:

"Everything is fine, don't worry. The Hogwarts library is even more magical than described, and I learn something new every day. I look forward to your reply.

Love you,

Kevin"

Rolling up the parchment and tying it with a green ribbon, Kevin sighed softly. The letter was like a carefully trimmed puzzle, showing only the safest pieces.

The door to the common room suddenly opened and Ernesto walked in, holding a thick volume of Celestial Magic in his hands.

"Are you still awake?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise, his grey eyes looking particularly deep in the light of the fire.

"Writing a letter home." Kevin shook the rolled parchment. "Why are you…"

"Looking up some information." Ernesto showed a rare embarrassed expression, "Tonight's class reminded me of the experience of stargazing with my grandfather when I was a child."

He sat down across from Kevin and opened the book, which Kevin noticed was an old manuscript with astronomical charts gilded around the edges.

"This is..."

"A family collection of books," Ernesto said softly. "I used to take this knowledge for granted, until I saw Wesley's expression tonight. I realized that not everyone grew up with a planetarium."

Kevin smiled slightly: "He was shocked, and so was I."

Ernesto hesitated, then pushed the book across the table. "If you want to know more… I can lend it to you. Muggle astronomy misses too many magical meanings."

This simple gesture warmed Kevin's heart.

"Thank you." Kevin said sincerely, "By the way, did your grandfather really go to the space observatory?"

Ernesto's mouth curled up into a mysterious smile: "That's another story. I'll tell you when I have the chance."

The fire eventually died down and the two boys returned to their dormitories, where Kevin placed the letter on the bedside table to be owled tomorrow.

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