Chapter 73: Restoring the Mana Node

Lady Ravenclaw smiled at Siwen, applauding softly. Her marble hands met with a clear, melodious sound.
"Very good, you’ve passed," she said with a gentle smile.
"...Ah?" Siwen looked at Lady Ravenclaw in astonishment. "So, that was a test just now?"
"If my daughter wants to find a soulmate, as her mother, don’t you think I should take a look at this person’s character?" Lady Ravenclaw replied with a warm smile. "Isn’t that right, Mr. Strange—or should I call you Mr. Rozier?"
Siwen touched his nose a bit awkwardly. "Actually, you can use my original name. My surname is Xi, and my given name is Wen."
"What a strange name," Helena pouted, then made an effort to learn how to pronounce Siwen’s name. "Is it Vaughn? Or Vane?"
"It’s ‘Wen’—" Siwen elongated the syllable, trying to make it clearer for Helena.
...
Five minutes later.
"Why don’t you just keep calling me Stephen," Siwen said helplessly. "After all these months, I’ve gotten used to it. Having an extra English name isn’t so bad..."
Helena curled her lips playfully. "Serves you right! You kept the truth from me for two months. I can’t change how I call you anymore."
"Well, I suppose that is my fault, isn’t it?" Siwen raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, you two will have plenty of time to get close in the future. For now, leave me and Helena some space for ourselves!" Lady Ravenclaw finally seemed unable to watch their interaction any longer and interrupted them.
Siwen gave a sheepish smile, then drifted out of the Room of Requirement, leaving the space to Helena and her mother.

Outside, standing in the corridor on the eighth floor, Siwen let out a long breath, feeling immensely relieved.
After confessing his true origins, the heavy secret was no longer his alone to bear. He felt as though a great weight had been lifted, making him feel light as air.
Moreover, this honesty hadn’t created a rift between him and Helena; on the contrary, opening his heart had drawn them closer together.

...
Meanwhile, in the dungeons of the castle, in the innermost section near the cells.
This was a damp, shadowy place littered with rubble, mud, and cobwebs. Black spiders and rats scurried about. In the distance, a faint glow could be seen—the direction of the room that the ghost Siwen had just received as compensation from Hogwarts.
Although Siwen had arranged with the house-elves to include the dungeons in the castle’s maintenance, this remote corner was still entirely neglected.
Siwen hadn’t imagined that the magical node left by Salazar Slytherin would be in such an out-of-the-way spot—truly worthy of Slytherin’s reputation.
At the same time, this was also the first magical node Professor Lore had damaged. How Scholar Angulo had discovered the location was anyone’s guess!
Now, the professors—resourceful as ever—had already repaired two of the castle’s magical nodes as described in the book, and part of Hogwarts’ magical system was functioning normally again.
"This is the last one, right?" Professor Melus asked nervously, her wand illuminated.
"If all goes well, yes," Dumbledore nodded. The book detailing castle maintenance floated open beside him, and the professors followed its guidance to find the precise route.
"Galadia, Horace, Herbert, as before, each of us will manage the path corresponding to our house founder and bring the other three lines here," Dumbledore instructed. "Horace, this is Slytherin’s node—you’re responsible for its core stability."
The three heads of house nodded and each began to direct the magical energy along their designated paths, gradually linking them together.
With a resonant hum, the three lines of magical energy connected to Slytherin’s node. Instantly, each shimmering filament burst into dazzling, beautiful light!
"Did we succeed?" Professor Melus asked, entranced by the spectacle of the four colored lights entwining.
"Yes, we did!" Dumbledore replied with relief.
Professors Slughorn and Bilry beamed with delight.
However, their pleasure was abruptly interrupted by a rat scurrying past.
"I must say, this place is truly disgusting!" Professor Melus complained, pinching her nose.

Professor Slughorn nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I can hardly believe my Potions classroom is on the same floor as this!"
At this, Dumbledore simply raised his still-drawn wand and said to the others, "Since we’re here, let’s help with a bit of cleaning."
At the mention of cleaning the dungeons, Siwen—who had been loitering nearby—immediately perked up. "Professor, I know how to do this. Use a Severing Charm to slice off the grime from the floor, then a Mending Charm to restore it. It’s very efficient!"
"A very creative idea," Professor Melus said approvingly to Siwen. "Did you come up with it yourself?"
"Er, no," Siwen admitted. "It was Prefect Goshak’s idea."
"Miranda? That makes sense—she always has unique insights when it comes to charms," Professor Melus said cheerfully, evidently pleased that her own house student had devised the method.
‘Do I not look like a student with unique insights into charms?’ Siwen thought to himself, shrugging inwardly. He had to admit, he wasn’t really that kind of talent.
As the professors raised their wands, Siwen witnessed a veritable feast of magic.
First, Professor Melus cast a large-scale cleaning charm, instantly vanishing the dirt on the surface; then, Professor Slughorn flicked out a deft Severing Charm, slicing away the stubborn stains clinging to the floor and walls; next, Dumbledore’s casual Mending Charm restored all the floors and walls to their pristine state.
Finally, Professor Bilry placed a pouch filled with some unknown spice on the ground. The open bag, clearly enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, quickly attracted all the rats and spiders, which crawled eagerly inside.
The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, and within a few breaths, the most remote corner of the dungeon was utterly transformed!
Siwen watched in awe from the side—so this was another way magic could be used?
...
...