Chapter 137: Aftermath
Chapter 137: Aftermath
The young wizards were dismissed by the professor.
Professor Mcgonagall directed the prefects to take their respective students away, allowing them to go wherever they wished. In truth, her own feelings were quite complex.
Startled by Felix's sudden shout, she had thought an emergency had occurred and rushed over, even using her Animagus transformation halfway there.
More than one young wizard saw a cat nimbly leap over the flower beds, its shadow flashing by. They thought Mrs. Norris, who had been petrified by the Basilisk, had somehow recovered.
Although the situation was different from what she had imagined, it was still considered 'urgent.' She witnessed the two thousand-year-old ghosts of Hogwarts vanishing before her eyes.
This was a good thing, but she was still full of questions. What exactly had happened?
Most of the professors and ghosts stayed behind, watching Felix on the field as if they were eager to hear a story.
Snape, standing by a column in the courtyard, had an inscrutable expression. He was thinking about how many times this year something could be called an 'accident,' and it seemed each one could be traced back to Felix.
Professor Flitwick stood to the side, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something. He knew the true identity of the Grey Lady and had always held her in high regard. He was the most eager to know the truth.
Dumbledore was even more affected. He kept his eyes on the spot where the two ghosts had disappeared, muttering softly, his silver beard quivering. No one could guess what the hundred-year-old man was thinking.
"Felix..." Dumbledore said softly, "It seems something incredible has happened to you."
Felix's expression was somewhat 'depressed.' His peripheral vision swept over the professors present—Snape, Mcgonagall, Belby, Flitwick, Sprout, Madam Hooch...
And the ghosts of Hogwarts—Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Friar, Professor Binns, and a few he couldn't name.
Almost everyone who could be there was there.
He spoke in a flat tone, "It is indeed a long story, but it concerns the privacy of two distinguished ghosts. Given my current complex emotions, I am not in the mood to recount it."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, please forgive me for leaving temporarily. Once I have calmed down, I will reveal the truth to honor my friends."
Dumbledore's gaze discreetly swept over the others. He acquiesced, "Of course, Felix. I think no one here has borne more sorrow than you."
Felix and Dumbledore left one after the other. The professors looked at each other, and the ghosts, who shared similar feelings, also knew they could only wait. After a brief discussion, they dispersed.
Ancient Runes Office.
Felix sat behind his desk, taking out a stack of parchment and writing furiously, recording his entire conversation with Rowena Ravenclaw. As the memories took shape in the Mind Chamber, the parchment in front of Felix quietly turned to ash.
Only after completing these tasks did Felix lean back in his chair, a diary and a new diadem in front of him, lost in thought.
His mood was indeed low and complex, but the main reason was that he couldn't tell the story without revealing some crucial information and making it flawless.
For example, Rowena Ravenclaw's thousand-year-old memories, the diadem, and the Horcrux...
He didn't want too many people to know about these things.
Many secrets, once shared with a second person, can no longer be called secrets.
But regarding the Horcrux, he didn't want to hide it from Dumbledore, especially since he had two of them. He was somewhat puzzled by how things had unfolded this way.
Let Voldemort's troubles be the Headmaster's headache.
More importantly, he seemed to be able to integrate the diary into the story reasonably well...
Including Ginny, Draco Malfoy, and Dobby, the clues he had gathered intermittently could all be handed over to Dumbledore.
Resolving the Chamber of Secrets incident would allow Hagrid to regain his good name once Dobby's troubles were resolved.
Speaking of which, why hadn't Dobby contacted him? Was it an accident, or had the house-elf's instincts taken over?
The office was deathly silent.
Elsewhere in Hogwarts, the young wizards were buzzing with their opinions about the shocking events of the day.
What Harry was most concerned about was what had happened to the two ghosts.
At that moment, the Golden Trio followed the crowd, led by the prefects, back to the Gryffindor common room. The Gryffindors, who had been whispering, suddenly burst into a loud cheer, nearly bringing the ceiling down.
Hermione gave Harry and Ron a meaningful look, and they chose a long sofa with a partition and red curtains, sitting down. On the other side of the partition, a few Gryffindor prefects were also discussing the events.
"It's the redemption of the ghosts!" Percy said confidently. "I've read about similar cases in books; it's extremely rare."
A fifth-year female prefect said doubtfully, "I seem to have heard something about it from my family, but wasn't it just a fairy tale?"
"Ha, have you heard the story of 'The Vanishing of Ghost Barney'?" a wizard's voice chimed in.
On the other side of the partition, Hermione mouthed, 'Have you heard this story?'
Ron shook his head.
The discussion continued—
The female prefect said, "I always thought it was fake, but I never expected to see it happen right before my eyes."
"What do you think happened?"
"What's the relationship between the Grey Lady and Baron Blood?"
"Maybe they were lovers?"
"Oh, no way, the Grey Lady said the word 'forgiveness.'"
"Did you hear that? It was too far away, and Professor Mcgonagall wouldn't let us get close!"
"I saw her mouth the words..."
"So they were enemies. Honestly, I think this is more likely, like he murdered the Grey Lady..."
A new, excited female voice joined in, "What if... Baron Blood was a killer, and he killed many people, but was eventually put on trial. Before he died, he still wanted to fight back... and that's how he became a ghost." She added a dramatic twist to her speculation.
The three of them moved to a more secluded corner.
"What do you think?" Harry asked.
"Besides the ghost redemption theory, everything else is unreliable", Ron said. "Especially that girl with the high-pitched voice, always trying to tie it to love and revenge."
"They're overlooking Professor Hep, who summoned Baron Blood", Harry speculated. "Hermione, what do you think?"
"I also think it's related to Professor Hep. He looked sad, and I know he and the Grey Lady were friends", Hermione shared the information she knew.
The Gryffindors weren't the most enthusiastic, but among the four houses, the Ravenclaws had the strongest reaction.
While the Grey Lady was often perceived as proud, she was generous in offering guidance to young wizards, especially to her own house.
Her departure left the young Ravens deeply saddened.
...
In the evening, Felix left the school and arrived in Old London.
He walked down a dark, shadowy path and entered a cemetery, where the gatekeeper ignored him.
About three or four minutes later, Felix stood before a gravestone.
(End of Chapter)
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