A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 683 Can we go together?

Charles didn't take the information provided by Myrtle too seriously. The most likely cause of the commotion underground was Voldemort or goblins digging tunnels down. At worst, he could deal with them with gas canisters.

If it's not them, then it's most likely some ancient treasure or something similar, so there's even less of a rush.

After confirming that it was not something left by the old man, he decided to treat the exploration as an "extracurricular relaxation" activity.

That very evening, he began his investigation.

It was late at night, and Hogwarts Castle was quiet, except for the distant sound of armor falling to the ground in the corridor.

Pipi knocked over a tin can and was about to leave triumphantly when suddenly a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

“We haven’t talked in a long time,” Charles’s voice was eerie in the quiet corridor. “An old friend asked me to give you his regards.”

Pipi Ghost shuddered, turned around, and asked nervously, "Have you seen her?"

Charles replied with a cold laugh, "My relationship with her is closer than you think."

Mischievous Ghost immediately exclaimed in surprise, "You're the person she's looking for?!"

Charles thought for a moment, but he couldn't explain to Peeves that the legendary wizard from five hundred years ago was actually two parts of the same soul split off from himself, for fear of being studied as a Horcrux. So he said, "You must never mention her again until I leave this world, understand?"

Peeves' face contorted with the expression Hermione had when she discovered a new spell.

Charles didn't bring up the matter again, and instead talked about the purpose of his visit tonight to see Pippi.

"The underground area outside the castle?" Peeves flew around the ceiling twice. "Who would go to a place like that?"

After saying that, he made an exaggerated vomiting face.

"The underground is not a comfortable place; you'll see when you go there."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and disappeared into the ceiling, seemingly afraid that Charles would ask him to do something.

Charles thought for a moment, then turned and went downstairs to the basement.

Nick, who was almost headless, and several other ghosts, including the fat monk, were sitting around a table, their faces showing expressions of rapture.

In the middle of the table was an open can of herring.

Charles cast a bubble-head spell on himself, attached an oxygen cylinder to a tube and placed it within the range of the magical bubbles, before daring to enter the ghosts' restaurant.

He explained his purpose and inquired about the discovery made by the underground myrtle.

A look of frustration and disappointment flashed across Nick's face.

“Dear Charles,” Nick said, drooping his head, “just because we can penetrate walls doesn’t mean we’re happy to spend long periods of time in rocks, mud, and water.”

The fat monk continued, "We are not completely detached from this world; we can also sense the world of the living."

"Underground, we feel restricted by our surroundings, restricted from the inside out, making it very inconvenient to move around. That feeling is extremely unpleasant."

"Therefore, we will not go into the soil for no reason; that would be asking for trouble."

The surrounding wandering spirits nodded in agreement.

Charles thanked them and left, pondering the intelligence he had just received.

The ghosts can sense their surroundings, which aligns with Charles's understanding of them. One manifestation of this is the strong smell of rotting meat and canned herring. It is said that in some places, the smell of too much spicy chili pepper when cooking can also attract ghosts.

The Pikachu ghost also has this reaction. The reason is unclear, so let's just treat it as a ghost.

This makes it seem somewhat illogical that Myrtle would venture deep into the underground rock strata.

Theoretically, to avoid Pikachu, you only need to hide a little bit inside; it won't chase you in, so there's no need to go deeper.

Charles wondered, could it be the difference between the new ghost and the old ghost?
He didn't think about this matter in depth; there were other problems that needed to be solved.

The next morning, Professor Flitwick finished teaching the first-year class, and the students all ran off in the blink of an eye.

He had just finished tidying up his things on the podium when he saw Charles walk into the classroom.

“Charles,” he greeted with a smile, “any good news?”

He thought Charles had called him to talk about the mobile library.

Charles replied with a smile, "Professor, I have a question I'd like to ask you today."

"How much do you know about magical barriers that can block ghosts?"

He needed to figure out how he had managed to block Myrtle's magic.

Professor Flitwick nodded, assuming it was an addition of new features to the home security system being built at Falbaddon Castle.

He cleared his throat and said, “Oh, the Ghost Barrier, that’s a rather ancient magical realm.” “Not all ghosts are as relatively friendly as the residents of Hogwarts; quite a few ghosts do things… worse than Peeves, like specifically targeting couples.”

"Historically, wizards invented many kinds of magic to block, banish, or even imprison ghosts, and now most of them are used by experienced Aurors."

“Ghost barriers on buildings such as houses are common. This type of magic is usually very effective against ghosts, but it has little effect on the living.”

Charles listened and nodded repeatedly, then thanked the professor and left.

Based on the available information, he discovered something very interesting.

This mysterious place was arranged from the beginning in a place that ghosts would not like to go, and then there was a ghost barrier protecting it, as if it was specifically designed to keep them away.

Of course, guarding against ghosts may only be the first line of defense; there are probably other things that require more thought.

Charles found the place increasingly interesting.

Meanwhile, Harry, Harry, and his friends are also busy with the same thing.

After eavesdropping at the bathroom door, the three of them were filled with the urge to explore the secret place that Myrtle had mentioned, just like Crookshanks, whose playful nature had taken hold, constantly nagging at their hearts.

Harry didn't get a chance to talk to Charles about it yesterday, but they've already started preparations.

Hermione went to the library and browsed among the bookshelves. In addition to "Hogwarts: A History of the School," she also found many books about Hogwarts Castle.

She paid particular attention to the legends about Hogwarts Castle and its secret treasures, and then suddenly remembered that the castle had defensive features when it was built, so she paid more attention to that part as well.

Ron mentally prepared himself and steeled himself to go to Professor Binns to ask about what Myrtle had said.

Next, he saw Professor Binns deep in thought and recollection for the first time.

"The covered bridge at the back entrance was built at the same time as the castle..."

The professor talked a lot about the history of the covered bridge, even including the story of a student who committed suicide by jumping off the bridge after a breakup, but he didn't mention anything about what was underground.

After yawning, Ron asked, "Professor, are there any special underground structures near the covered bridge?"

Professor Binns looked at him with a puzzled expression, and finally shook his head, saying, "I haven't heard of any buildings there."

Ron yawned, thanked the professor, and left immediately, afraid he would fall asleep on the floor.

As for Harry, he contacted Dobby.

That evening, Charles was writing at his desk in his dormitory when Harry appeared.

He placed a strawberry cream cake on the desk and then began massaging Charles's shoulders.

Seamus, who was studying Charles's homework at the next desk, saw this and couldn't help but ask, "Harry, have you gotten yourself into big trouble?"

Without looking up, Charles said, "I think he's definitely going to get fired and might end up living in Azkaban for the rest of his life."

Simo nodded.

Harry shuddered instinctively at the mention of Azkaban, then immediately said, "No, I didn't do anything wrong."

Charles asked curiously, "What would you like me to buy for you?"

As the saying goes, "If someone is being unusually kind, they're either up to no good or a thief." Harry's sudden act of filial piety must mean something's up.

If he hadn't caused trouble, then he must have wanted something in return. Charles couldn't think of anything else; it couldn't possibly be a marriage proposal to the Weasleys.

Harry shook his head and said, "No, I just want to discuss something with you."

Charles said calmly: "Although I encourage request submissions, please be advised that my capability to fulfill one does not constitute an obligation on my part."

(While I encourage you to submit a request, please note that my ability to fulfill a request does not constitute an obligation on my part.)
Simo paused for a moment before realizing the meaning of the extremely formal, long sentence he had uttered, which sounded like an official speaking. He then burst out laughing.

Harry immediately asked, "I heard you're going to explore under the covered bridge, can you take us with you?"

Upon hearing this, Seamus shook his head and said, "Charles, Harry, I don't recommend you go under the covered bridge. I've heard that many people have fallen to their deaths there; it's considered unlucky."

Charles, naturally disregarding whether it was auspicious or not, thought for a moment and said, "Whatever you want, come along if you want."

"But it's a deal, I won't be responsible if anything goes wrong."

"The timeframe is after the monthly exam and before Halloween."

"Is there a problem? If there is, just assume you disagree."

Harry's face lit up with a bright smile, and he immediately nodded and said, "Agreed, of course, no problem!"

Simo simply continued doing his homework; he didn't want to go to that place.

(End of this chapter)