Chapter 558: The Mystical Crown
Chapter 558: The Mystical Crown
The next day was the Easter holiday, and Kyle rose early, leaving the common room.
With the help of the Fat Friar, he first located Helena in one of the castle's towers before making his way to Hogsmeade Station, arriving just before nine o'clock.
Perhaps due to the Triwizard Tournament, hardly anyone was going home for the holidays this year. The prefect's compartment was empty except for Kyle.
But that was just fine; he wouldn't need to look for a different place to be alone.
As the train doors closed and it prepared to depart, Kyle took out the key that Dumbledore had given him the day before and whispered, "Nicollem."
The shrill whistle of the train abruptly ceased, and when Kyle opened his eyes again, he found himself in front of a familiar manor, with its grand gates and two lifelike statues of fire-breathing dragons.
Intrigued, Kyle walked over, recalling that Nicoll had once mentioned that these statues were among his most satisfying creations in recent centuries.
However, Kyle couldn't discern anything extraordinary about them. They seemed no different from the stone statues within the castle, except for the intricate magical runes that adorned these dragons.
"Welcome, sir!"
A sharp voice reached his ears, and Kyle saw the house-elf, Tata, standing there, bowing to him.
"Tata is here to escort you, sir, as Master Nicoll instructed."
"Thank you, Tata," Kyle said.
Even though he had been invited by Nicoll, it was reassuring to have a house-elf guide him through the manor.
"It is Tata's honor," the house-elf replied.
He then led Kyle into the manor, through the front yard and the entrance hall, down a long corridor, and stopped at the door of an inconspicuous room.
Tata knocked on the door politely.
Soon, the door opened.
Kyle was greeted by Nicoll, or rather, an image of him in a mirror. It was similar to the portraits in the Headmaster's office.
"It's wonderful to see you, Kyle," said the Nicoll in the mirror as he turned around. "The creation of the Philosopher's Stone has reached a critical stage, and I cannot leave.
Fortunately, I prepared this beforehand."
As he spoke, the Nicoll in the mirror stepped out, his body phasing through the desk and appearing before Kyle.
"Another application of the Pensieve," he explained. "What you see before you is merely a memory."
Of course, even without the explanation, Kyle could tell that this Nicoll wasn't real.
Aside from his body passing through solid objects, the real Nicoll wouldn't be able to move so swiftly.
While they spoke, Tata had quietly exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"You've received my letter, haven't you?" Nicoll said.
Kyle nodded.
"Then... come this way."
Nicoll led Kyle to a shelf, where a purple velvet cushion sat in the middle compartment, and upon it rested a delicate crown.
The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.
The tarnish was gone, revealing its true form.
It was predominantly silver, resembling a raven with its wings spread, and at its center—where the raven's body would be—rested a single, large sapphire.
The restored diadem appeared ordinary, and Kyle couldn't sense even a hint of magic emanating from it. It seemed no more than an exquisitely crafted ornament.
"The pinnacle of alchemy, resulting in virtually no loss of magical power," Nicoll marveled. "It took me nearly three centuries to achieve this level of perfection.
I believe you've guessed who the lady I mentioned in my letter is."
"I have a name in mind," Kyle said, "but I can't be sure... It's just too incredible."
"So, it really is Rowena Ravenclaw?" Kyle asked.
"Who else could it be?" Nicoll laughed. "It's not like Albus's voice was coming from the diadem."
"That must have been terrifying," Kyle said, laughing as well.
Neither Kyle nor Nicoll had informed Dumbledore that the diadem had been found. Not a word had been mentioned to him.
After all, the diadem was technically the property of the school, and they weren't sure what he would do if he insisted on taking it back. On this matter, the two of them were surprisingly in sync.
"Well, it seems that Lady Ravenclaw would like to speak with you alone, so I'll take my leave..." Nicoll said, and then he disappeared, leaving only a faint glow on the wall where the mirror hung.
Kyle looked at the diadem before him and carefully lifted it from its velvet cushion.
The diadem wasn't heavy, weighing about the same as a regular book. Kyle took a deep breath and placed it on his head.
Suddenly, the world before him seemed to brighten.
Kyle felt his mind become clearer than ever before, and some problems that had plagued him for a long time were instantly solved.
He understood why his 'Fire Lane Opening' was so inferior to Dumbledore's. Previously, he had thought it was an issue with his magical power, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
He didn't need to use magical power to maintain the shape and stability of the flames; that would be too wasteful. Instead, he should have converted his magical power into guiding runes from the very beginning.
By doing so, he would only need to manipulate the spell, like flying a kite. As long as the string was in his hand, the kite would never go out of control.
So that was it... No wonder Dumbledore had reminded him several times to study that booklet more carefully.
Kyle turned his head instinctively and looked at the mirror on the wall.
To him, the runes engraved on the mirror frame suddenly came to life. They jumped and danced, arranging themselves in front of Kyle.
It was like a Quidditch match.
Some runes formed Chasers, some formed Seekers, and there were also the Golden Snitch, Bludgers, and Quaffle.
Each played their respective roles, together forming an exciting match.
Their functions in the game were also clear at a glance.
"It's incredible..." Kyle murmured.
"That's because you already understood this knowledge," a strange yet familiar cold female voice said in his ear.
"The diadem cannot give people something they do not inherently possess. Someone who is completely ignorant of runes would never be able to understand the function of this mirror, even if they wore the diadem," the voice explained.
Then, the dancing images before his eyes disappeared.
Kyle suddenly felt a strong sense of loss. He didn't want this magical state to end; he wanted it to last forever.
In his daze, it felt like a breeze blew by, a morning breeze carrying dew, cool and refreshing, briefly bringing Kyle back to his senses.
"No!"
Kyle panted, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
He finally understood what Nicoll had meant. This feeling of omniscience was indeed addictive.
He had only experienced it for a few seconds, and he was already so engrossed. If he had kept it on for longer, he would have surely gone mad from the immense contrast after removing the diadem.
With this realization, Kyle subconsciously reached up to take the diadem off his head.
But it was as if the diadem had grown on his head; he couldn't budge it at all.
(End of Chapter)
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