Chapter 14: Chapter 14
**Early in the Morning**
Albert woke to the sound of birds chirping. He got out of bed, heading to wash his face and prepare for the new day ahead.
After washing up and dressing in his school robes, he grabbed his class schedule. He noted that there were a total of eight subjects to be taken in the first year.
Classes generally ran from Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 12 noon, and from 2 PM to 3:30 PM, with Astronomy being the only class held between 8 PM and 9 PM. Honestly, the study hours were much shorter than those in middle school back in his previous life.
With everything ready and realizing there were no classes that morning, Albert refrained from waking his roommates and quietly descended the stairs to the common room.
Hermione was already sitting on the couch, engrossed in a book.
"Good morning, Hermione," Albert said, taking a seat beside her. "Even though there aren't any classes this morning, you still need to have breakfast. Skipping breakfast isn't a good idea."
Hermione flipped to a specific page in her book and pointed at the content. "I learned from *Hogwarts: A History* that the castle has a total of one hundred and forty staircases."
"Some are wide and sweeping, some are narrow and rickety, and some lead to different places every Friday. There are even some that disappear halfway through."
"The worst part," she continued, closing the book and gesturing with her hands, "is that there are many doors that won't open if you ask them politely or prod them in the right spot. And some doors aren't even doors at all—they're just illusions. It's hard to remember where the real doors are when the solid walls look just like doors."
Hermione sighed, closing the book with a soft thud. "So now, I'm just waiting here to see if any older students can take me to the Great Hall for breakfast."
Fortunately, it wasn't long before Albert heard footsteps on the stairs, and a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail descended.
Hermione immediately approached her for help. The girl, who introduced herself as Angelina Johnson, eagerly offered assistance and invited Albert and Hermione to follow her to the Great Hall.
As they walked, Angelina explained the quirks of the staircases and secret passages to Albert and Hermione.
When they finally reached the Great Hall, Angelina advised them that these quirks changed regularly, and with enough attention, they'd soon learn to navigate the stairs.
While eating, Albert couldn't help but envy Hufflepuff, as their common room was the closest to the Great Hall and right next to the kitchens.
After breakfast, Albert originally planned to explore the castle since there were no morning classes.
After all, being a fan of the Harry Potter series in his previous life, how could he resist visiting the familiar places described in the books?
Unfortunately, this plan was thwarted by Hermione. She believed that self-study before class was essential, so she decided to head to the library and invited Albert to join her.
Albert thought that if he didn't go to the library, Hermione might look at him with disdain, as if he were a slacker, and he didn't want to lose face. He could have refused, but considering that he could benefit from learning something useful at the school library, he decided it was better than doing nothing.
The one thing Albert lacked to become truly formidable was knowledge. He had spent most of his life in this world locked away, so it would be wise to read more books about history and other subjects.
Moreover, the library was also an important location in the original story. Albert abandoned his original plan to explore the castle and decided to go to the library with Hermione instead.
The library was located on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle and had a high domed ceiling. Inside, there were thousands of bookshelves, holding countless volumes.
Perhaps because it was still early in the morning, Albert and Hermione found the library to be rather empty. Hermione chose an empty table, sat down, opened her textbook, and began reading, occasionally jotting something down in a notebook beside her.
Albert selected a few books that provided insights into the current state of the magical world and started reading. After all, having spent his life in prison, the novels he had read in his previous life could only offer so much information. These comprehensive introductions to the magical world were the cornerstone of surviving in this fantastic new world.
After more than an hour, the morning classes at Hogwarts ended, and a large number of students poured into the library, busy searching for materials and working on their homework.
The crowded environment clearly made Albert a bit uncomfortable, but seeing that Hermione was deeply engrossed in her studies, he didn't disturb her. After skimming through several books with Madam Pince's help, Albert left the library with a stack of books under his arm.
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