Chapter 136: The Curtain Falls
Chapter 136: The Curtain Falls
"Birdhouse, rope, thread." Felix repeated.
He suddenly noticed a trait of Rowena Ravenclaw: she loved to inspire others, whether they wanted to be inspired or not.
"Mother, can't you just say it plainly?" Helena asked from the side.
Rowena Ravenclaw glanced at her and reluctantly revealed the answer: "Don't forcefully cram memories into anything. You need to shape the memories."
Felix seemed to have an idea, but it was like a window pane still separating him from a clear understanding, making it hard to grasp.
"Shaping memories, or rather, stabilizing the structure of memories."
In Rowena Ravenclaw's hand, Swift transformed into a silvery mist, then reformed into a proud and upright eagle. The eagle's body was filled with countless glowing points.
The eagle landed, exuding a commanding presence.
"These are?" Felix's breath seemed to stop. He activated his mind acceleration and desperately tried to memorize the structure of these glowing points.
Rowena Ravenclaw said calmly, "Soul nodes? Memory nodes? Call them whatever you like. I just discovered a way to stabilize the structure of memories."
"So, you are..." constructed this way?
"Yes, I am just a memory of 'Rowena Ravenclaw.' I am not a real person, not a ghost, and not even a life form, but my emotions are genuine."
"As for transferring consciousness, you can refer to binding magic", she said quickly.
Felix could only take note. He then asked his final question, "Lady, I want to know, to what extent did the four founders push magic?"
Rowena Ravenclaw gave him an approving look. "Saying too much would only confuse you. What I can tell you is that we ourselves are magical beings."
She glanced at the diadem being continuously washed by powerful magic, with large amounts of dark energy being shattered.
"It's about time", Rowena Ravenclaw said softly. Her form gradually faded, but she still looked at Helena with warmth.
Helena's light grew brighter and more sacred, a genuine joy spreading from within her.
The temporary body constructed by magic had disappeared, and she had returned to her ghostly form.
"Can I hug you one more time?" she asked.
Rowena Ravenclaw opened her arms, and the two somewhat ethereal figures embraced, staying that way for a long time before parting.
In the vortex of magic, a blurry face emerged from the diadem but quickly and silently shattered.
Rowena Ravenclaw grabbed the diadem—it was now clean and bright, like new, shimmering with a radiant light.
"I will remake the diadem as your reward", she told Felix.
"Rowena Ravenclaw, you don't have to..." he hesitated.
"It's not as advanced as you think. What can be granted is not wisdom", Rowena Ravenclaw said. Her form grew increasingly faint, while the diadem became increasingly bright.
She turned her head and looked at Helena.
"It's a bit regretful that I can't accompany you further", Rowena Ravenclaw said. She was just a memory, and today she had completed her mission and was about to dissipate.
Helena smiled. "I already have the courage to move forward."
Rowena Ravenclaw gazed at her. After three minutes, maybe five, or even ten, she finally disappeared.
"Clank!"
The diadem fell to the ground and rolled a couple of times.
"Take it, it belongs to you", Helena said.
Helena's light grew even brighter, and the restrictions Rowena Ravenclaw had placed on her had vanished.
Felix didn't even look at the diadem. He gazed at Helena and said, somewhat painfully, "I'm going to lose another friend today."
She floated in front of him, trying to touch his cheek, but her fingers passed through him.
"I see you've had your share of sadness."
Felix fell silent for a moment. "Let's go outside." He extended his hand, and the diadem, along with the diary, flew over to him. He slipped them into his ring.
The two of them left the Room of Requirement, and a soft glow quickly spread from her body, illuminating the entire eighth-floor corridor with a gentle light.
"It might be too late. I have something I need to say to someone", Helena said.
"Do you need help?" Felix asked, knowing who she meant.
"Of course", she smiled at him. "We are friends, aren't we?"
Felix's wand emitted a loud crack, and the window in front of them vanished. He lifted Helena and they leaped out of the eighth-floor window, landing softly in the courtyard.
In the next moment, Felix's voice echoed throughout the castle—
"Barrow, come to the courtyard. Helena has something to say to you."
The young wizards inside the castle looked up, startled by the loud voice.
What was happening?
"Come on, let's go see", Harry said to Ron and Hermione, and the three of them started running.
Others, equally curious, also hurried toward the courtyard.
It was a weekend, and everyone was idle.
They all ran to the courtyard without a word.
But the fastest was Dumbledore, who appeared abruptly in front of Felix and Helena, his expression puzzled. However, when he saw the white light surrounding Helena, his bright blue eyes widened.
He looked at Felix, who nodded gently.
A few seconds later, a silver figure passed through walls and appeared in the courtyard.
It was Baron Blood.
He still looked terrifying, covered in silver blood and carrying a massive chain. But his expression was one of unprecedented tension and fear.
Baron Blood looked at Helena, bathed in the light, and stammered, "Congratulations, Helena."
One by one, young wizards, professors, and ghosts arrived from a distance. They stopped in their tracks when they saw the scene in the courtyard.
The young wizards were confused, but the professors and ghosts, being more knowledgeable, recognized Helena's state.
Nearly Headless Nick clutched his mouth, "Oh, my goodness."
The other ghosts watched the courtyard with tense expressions.
"Sir Barrow, I am about to leave", Helena said. "Someone told me to forgive myself... I pass this message on to you."
"And what about you?" Barrow asked, his body trembling. "Will you forgive me?"
"I have hated you, but I will try to forgive you, starting now", Helena Ravenclaw said.
The light around her body suddenly exploded, forming a long, white staircase. Helena glanced around, lingering on Felix for a moment, before stepping onto the staircase.
Her figure disappeared.
Felix felt a sense of loss.
"Felix, thank you. I know the person she meant was you", Barrow said, as a white light began to spread from his body.
"I didn't do anything", Felix shook his head.
The ghosts in the distance burst into a commotion. What was happening today? Two ghosts breaking free one after another!
Only those who knew the thousand-year-old grudge between the two ghosts could not help but feel a profound sense of emotion.
Barrow did not resist the white light enveloping him. In a solemn atmosphere, his figure disappeared.
The young wizards stared in shock at the scene. They did not understand what was happening, but they knew that the ghosts of Ravenclaw and Slytherin had vanished forever on this day.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
