Chapter 20: The Mysterious Club

After returning to the school and hiding his Transfiguration book, Hofa headed straight for the club registration room. 

Indor was right—at Hogwarts, there were many student organizations similar to clubs. 

For example, in the future, Harry Potter would establish D.A., also known as Dumbledore's Army, a club for learning Defense Against the Dark Arts in the Room of Requirement. 

However, their decision to use the Room of Requirement was out of necessity, as Hogwarts at that time was under the strict control of the British Ministry of Magic, and they had to avoid Dolores Umbridge's spies. 

But in this era, Hogwarts was far from that situation, and clubs were thriving. 

Hofa casually asked a senior student on the way, and they told him the location of the school's club registration room. 

In Western society, education often leans heavily toward interests and hobbies, focusing on nurturing talents. 

From elementary school onward, schools typically have various clubs to develop students' diverse abilities. 

However, due to cultural and lifestyle differences, Hofa had never experienced clubs in his previous life. 

In high school, there were no clubs because everyone feared they would interfere with studies. 

By the time he reached university, most clubs were superficial, often used by seniors to flirt with naive freshmen rather than genuinely cultivating interests. 

So, clubs were a completely new concept to Hofa. 

The club registration office at Hogwarts was located behind a massive painting on the second floor, depicting over a hundred ancient Greek philosophers arguing noisily. 

No password was needed to enter the painting, as students were constantly coming and going. 

Passing through the gray stone corridor behind the painting, Hofa arrived at a grand hall surrounded by arched cloisters. The intricate patterns on the cloisters occasionally transformed into magical symbols, shimmering faintly on the walls. 

In the center of the hall stood statues of young wizards holding wands, looking spirited and confident. 

The walls were adorned with portraits of various outstanding students from past generations, each advertising their clubs and recruiting new members. 

Many students wandered around, most of them first-years like Hofa. 

After observing for a while, Hofa spotted a consultation desk in the corner of the hall, where a neat-looking girl was seated. 

She wore school robes, appeared to be a sixth-year, and was swiftly writing something with a quill, looking very efficient. 

Hofa approached her, and the girl looked up with a professional smile. 

"Hello, how can I help you?" 

"I'd like to ask if you know of any spell-focused clubs," Hofa asked politely. 

"There are 17 spell-focused clubs in the school. Which one are you interested in?" 

As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of parchment. 

"Uh…" Hofa was momentarily stunned. Indor had only mentioned that spell-focused clubs could teach him magic but hadn't specified which one. He hadn't expected there to be as many as 17 clubs just for learning spells. 

Seeing Hofa's hesitation, the girl asked, "Do you have an invitation? Some clubs require one to join." 

"No," Hofa admitted honestly. 

"Hmm, only three clubs don't require invitations. But I think you should browse through these first." 

She handed Hofa a stack of parchment. 

Hofa glanced at it and saw a long list of various club names: 

The Trastra Spell Society, Horned Society, Arcane Magic Society, Cryptia Club, Omaheni Brotherhood, Northern Ireland Magic Club, Northumberland Society… 

These clubs not only listed their founding dates and founders but also had specific requirements for membership, such as region, family, and even bloodline. 

Hofa scanned the list but couldn't identify the club Indor had mentioned, the one that supposedly taught any spell upon joining. 

So he asked the senior girl, "Which of these clubs teaches any spell upon joining?" 

"Any spell?" The girl frowned. 

"I've never heard of any club claiming to teach any spell. Besides, new members usually focus on learning the club's rules first. No one would casually teach spells." 

Hofa was taken aback. This didn't align with what Indor had said. 

He absentmindedly flipped through the parchment, deep in thought. 

Suddenly, his finger paused on the last page, which listed a club called the Violet Wizards' Society. 

The Violet Wizards' Society: Only the wise, rigorous, and determined may join. Only those who can strictly keep secrets may join. 

At the bottom of the parchment, a small note read: (Recruitment is full.) 

But what caught Hofa's attention wasn't the club's name or its requirements—it was a small drawing on the parchment. 

It depicted a man wearing a strange, pale mask that covered his entire face, obscuring his features. However, the man's ear bore an earring identical to Hofa's. 

Hofa immediately knew which club he needed to join. 

He turned to the senior girl and said, "This one. I want to join this club." 

The girl took the parchment, glanced at it, and widened her eyes. "The Violet Society… But this club is already full. Didn't you see?" 

"Tell me its location. I'll visit them myself," Hofa insisted. 

His determination to learn the Disillusionment Charm was unwavering, and he wouldn't be deterred by obstacles. 

"Alright," the girl relented. She pulled out a stack of small cards from under the desk and handed one to Hofa. 

"Here, just follow the arrow. But if they don't let you in, that's not my problem." 

Hofa took the card and saw a hand-drawn map of a tower area with a small, flickering arrow in the center, indicating his current location. 

Thanking the senior girl, Hofa followed the card's directions to the school's club district. 

Hogwarts had a dedicated area for most clubs. 

Compared to the bustling hall earlier, the club district was remarkably quiet. 

It was a tall, pointed tower with a transparent glass ceiling. A bright white light connected the ceiling to the floor, resembling the core of some magical formation. 

Strange instruments slowly rotated around the light, occasionally emitting a pleasant chime. 

The tower was lined with portraits, but unlike the lively ones in the hall, these portraits were silent, each engrossed in their own activities. 

Occasionally, someone in a portrait would glance up at Hofa before returning to their work, ignoring him. 

Along the way, Hofa also saw some wizard students standing in front of portraits. They fell silent as he approached, only speaking the password and disappearing into the portraits after he passed. 

It was clear to Hofa that each portrait concealed a different student group. 

This realization filled him with a sense of awe. With so many hidden chambers, wizard groups, and ancient secrets, exploring the school 100% to gain the Great Sage's knowledge seemed like an endless task. 

Hofa held the card and slowly walked up the tower's staircase, moving further into the secluded areas. 

Finally, he stopped in front of a large portrait of a woman wearing a mask and holding a bouquet of violets. 

This area was extremely remote, with few other portraits nearby. 

The woman in the portrait noticed Hofa's approach and seemed to sense his purpose. 

"What do you want?" she asked calmly. 

"Excuse me, I'd like to apply to join the club," Hofa said politely. 

The woman put down the bouquet, stood up, and slowly disappeared into the corridor within the portrait. 

Soon, she returned with another person—a petite student wearing a pale mask. The two walked together within the portrait. 

The masked student approached Hofa, examined him, and then stepped out of the portrait, startling Hofa. (He had assumed the figure was part of the painting.) 

"What do you want?" the masked figure asked. 

Her voice was feminine and sounded young. 

Hofa, still recovering from the shock, studied her. She seemed to be under some profound spell, as her presence felt both near and far, hazy and indistinct, as if she might vanish the moment he looked away. 

Hofa asked respectfully, "I'd like to know if it's still possible to join the club." 

"You want to join?" The masked figure tilted her head. "Didn't the student council tell you the club is full?" 

Her voice was ethereal, lacking substance. 

"They did, but I still wanted to try," Hofa replied. 

The masked girl said, "Then what's your purpose? State your purpose." 

Hofa looked up, meeting her eyes beneath the mask. 

"I want to learn a spell. I heard that joining your club allows one to learn any spell." 

The masked girl shook her head, then nodded. 

She chuckled inexplicably, "Quite an honest answer. Interesting. I wonder who told you that. But joining the Violet Wizards' Society isn't impossible. However, I must first give you a small test." 

"What test?" 

"Recite the club's requirements to me. I assume you saw them at the student council?" 

Hofa replied, "Only the wise, rigorous, and determined may join. Only those who can strictly keep secrets may join." 

"Good, your memory is sharp," the masked girl said. 

She stepped closer, circling Hofa halfway. 

"Tell me, are you truly such a person?" 

Hofa thought for a moment, "I wouldn't call myself wise, and I'm not sure about rigorous or determined. But the second requirement—keeping secrets—I believe I can fulfill." 

"You're quite humble. Follow me." 

She turned and walked into the portrait, disappearing inside. 

Hofa followed her through the portrait, feeling as though he had passed through a thin veil. 

He knew this was due to some kind of magic. Without the masked girl's guidance, he would never have been able to pass this barrier. 

Inside, Hofa found the space to be dimly lit. 

A stone staircase led downward, with strange carvings on the floor. 

Fire basins lined the walls at intervals. 

Descending the stairs, Hofa entered a square underground hall. 

The hall was perfectly square, with a raised stone platform in the center. Glass cases were neatly arranged around the platform, and a single cushion lay on the floor. 

The place was clean and simple but strangely eerie. 

This was Hofa's first impression of the club. 

After leading Hofa in, the masked girl ignored him. Instead, she picked up a bouquet of violets from the platform and walked to a row of portraits. 

The people in these portraits all wore masks of various designs. 

Unlike the lively portraits outside, these seemed like Muggle paintings, completely still and covered in thick dust. 

Beneath each portrait was a transparent vase. 

Some vases held fresh violets, while others contained withered flowers that looked like they hadn't been changed in over a decade. 

The masked girl replaced the old, dried flowers with fresh ones. 

Her movements were slow, solemn, and mysterious. 

For some reason, Hofa felt this place was less like a clubroom and more like a tomb. 

The atmosphere was too eerie, with no one else around. 

The fire basins provided no warmth, and the air felt lifeless. 

Hofa shivered involuntarily, looking around for other people, but the underground hall was empty except for the masked girl tending to the flowers. 

Finally, after replacing the flowers, the masked girl approached the platform and pointed to the single cushion on the floor. 

"Sit." 

"Where are the others?" Hofa asked as he sat down, glancing around. 

"The club consists of only me," the masked girl said in her ethereal voice. 

Hofa was shocked. 

"You said the club was full!" 

"If one person can do the work of ten, then the other nine are unnecessary," the masked girl replied, her hands tucked into her sleeves as she stood behind Hofa. 

"But you're in luck. I was just looking for someone to help organize the club, and you showed up." 

"Will you teach me spells?" Hofa asked, half-doubting. He couldn't shake a growing sense of unease. 

"If you pass the real test, I don't mind," the masked girl said. 

She walked to the platform, drew her wand, and tapped the glass cases beside it. 

The cases slowly opened, and she pulled out a scroll. 

Hofa frowned slightly. 

"What's your test?" 

"Simple. The Violet Wizards' Society is a spell-focused organization, so it's our duty to help students learn spells," she said, placing the scroll in front of Hofa. 

"I don't know who told you our club teaches spells, but you clearly have some misconceptions. Our test is to have students learn any spell within a short time. If you succeed, you pass the test." 

"But if you fail…" The masked girl unrolled the scroll. 

"The consequences are on you. Proceed." 

Hofa looked at the scroll but saw only flowing white light—nothing else. 

"This…" Hofa looked up to ask a question. 

Suddenly, the scroll emitted a blinding white light. Hofa felt his entire body twist as if twenty Dementors were tearing at his soul from within the scroll, leaving him unable to breathe. 

A few seconds later, the light faded. 

Hofa collapsed onto the table, unconscious. 

The masked girl's expression was unreadable. She bent down, collected the scroll from the platform, and pulled out a small white hourglass from her sleeve. 

She placed it beside Hofa. 

Tilting her head slightly to look at Hofa's now vacant eyes, she said coldly, "A friendly reminder: in the Book of Spells, only pure intent is the sole truth."