Chapter 561: Succeeding Filch?
Chapter 561: Succeeding Filch?
In the room, Kyle held his wand and used it like a quill, carefully inscribing magical runes and symbols onto the frame of the mirror made from rowan wood.
Inscribing runes was not like writing with ink; there was no room for error, as mistakes could not be erased. It was a tedious task that required immense patience and focus.
Fortunately, Kyle possessed both of these qualities.
Time seemed to pass quicker when he focused on the intricate rune formulas. Before he knew it, a week had gone by, and he had only completed half of the mirror's frame.
This also meant that the Easter holidays were coming to an end.
That morning, as usual, the house-elf Tata delivered a plate of sandwiches and smoked meat.
The dining table was rather large, and with only Kyle there, he felt more comfortable eating in the room.
As he picked up a sandwich to take a bite, a head suddenly popped out of the plate, appearing right in front of Kyle.
This unexpected apparition startled Kyle so much that he almost threw the sandwich in his hand. Tata, who was nearby, let out a piercing shriek and bolted out of the room.
"Ms. Helena..." Kyle said, still startled. "When did you learn that trick from Peeves?"
"No wonder Peeves loves playing pranks so much. This is indeed quite fun," Helena replied cheerfully.
She seemed like a changed ghost, her tone light and joyful, and the perpetually worried expression that had previously graced her face was gone.
She was smiling, and it was a genuine smile.
It had to be said that as the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, Helena had indeed raised the average appearance level of the Hogwarts ghosts. Even when she had been frowning, she had been quite the looker, and now that she was smiling, she could probably charm the Bloody Baron into a state of infatuated idiocy.
"Ms. Helena, one Peeves in the castle is enough. If there were another, I'm afraid everyone would go crazy," Kyle said helplessly as he put down his sandwich. "Are you two done talking now?"
"Not yet," Helena shook her head. "But Mother said that we can continue our conversations later. For now, it's best to leave you some time."
"For me?" Kyle asked, confused, lifting his head.
"Yes, you'll understand when you get there," Helena said. "But you'd better hurry. The Easter holidays are almost over."
Kyle nodded, put away his wand and the half-completed mirror, and turned to head back to the previous room.
Tata had long since scampered off, still shrieking.
Kyle made his way downstairs to the room he had visited before and pushed open the oak door to enter.
The diadem was sitting on the table, clearly visible.
As he picked it up, he hesitated for a moment, wondering whether or not to put it on.
"Don't worry," Helena said from behind him. "With Mother here, she won't let the diadem influence you.
Kyle could hear a hint of pride in her voice, and rightly so—she was, after all, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Without further hesitation, Kyle placed the diadem on his head.
This time, he didn't experience the same extraordinary sensation he had felt before. Kyle exhaled, unsure if he felt relieved or disappointed.
"Thank you, child," came Rowena Ravenclaw's voice. "Thank you for bringing Helena to me. This child has always been reluctant to speak to me, and I rarely paid attention to what she wanted... If I had shown her more care, perhaps she wouldn't have been so determined to steal the diadem.
"I never imagined that my neglect would end up chaining her to this place for over a millennium."
"It's a bit late, but at least the misunderstanding has been cleared up," Kyle said. "And Ms. Helena did help me a lot during the Triwizard Tournament... Oh, that's a competition among the European wizarding schools, including Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.
If it got Salazar Slytherin's approval, it was most likely not Beauxbatons... So, was it Durmstrang?
Unexpectedly, the founder of this school also had connections with the Four Founders.
"Anyway, you've solved my biggest problem... a problem that I couldn't solve while I was alive."
Ravenclaw's voice sounded somewhat distant, less clear than before.
"As a token of my gratitude, I can grant you one request, as I mentioned before, be it wealth or knowledge."
Kyle was thrilled.
Although this request seemed rather straightforward, he had indeed been waiting for these words.
Additionally, it must be said that Ravenclaw, as one of the Four Founders, was indeed generous, unlike that old stickler Dumbledore, who would have attached a slew of restrictions.
"I want to learn the Vanishing Spell." Kyle replied without hesitation.
"The Vanishing Spell?" Ravenclaw pondered for a moment, "Do you mean the spell that erases objects? While I can teach it to you, I must warn you that this spell requires the use of intricate runes and even a slight mistake can backfire, causing irreversible harm. Even in my time, it was extremely dangerous."
"We prefer to use the Lava Engulfing Spell, which may not be as visually striking as the Vanishing Spell, but it's relatively safer and achieves a similar effect."
Kyle's lips twitched as he felt that Ravenclaw might have misunderstood something. Erasing and vanishing seemed a bit different, didn't they?
And was it similar to the Lava Engulfing Spell? Was that what he had in mind?
It seemed like she was willing to teach anything...
Kyle's heart stirred, but he quickly shook his head and suppressed the urge to agree immediately.
"No, you've misunderstood," he said. "I'm referring to this kind of vanishing spell."
Kyle pointed his wand at a book on the table, and soon, the book vanished. After Kyle recited the counter-curse, the book reappeared on the table.
"A fine Transfiguration Spell..." Ravenclaw commented, "You've already mastered it quite well. The transformation process is stable, and I don't think you need to learn it further."
"That's true for objects," Kyle said, "But I want to learn how to cast it on myself."
Kyle then briefly explained his idea... that is, to use this spell to make himself truly invisible.
"A brilliant idea," Ravenclaw praised.
"Is it feasible?" Kyle asked eagerly.
"Yes," Ravenclaw replied without hesitation, "The biggest challenge lies in resolving the conflict of magical energies, so all you need to do is turn yourself into a Squib."
Kyle's excitement cooled instantly at her words.
"Then I guess I'll pass?" he said.
If he became a Squib, how could he use magic? That was inherently impossible.
And he wasn't ready to take over Filch's job just yet... Although using this method to catch students breaking the rules would indeed be convenient.
"No, there's another way," Ravenclaw continued, "The simplest method is to use a magical artifact."
"What artifact?" Kyle asked hastily.
"Salazar has a pendant box that can connect to one's magical power," Ravenclaw explained calmly, "When you wear it, the pendant box becomes a part of you, yet remains relatively independent.
"This way, you can use magic without having any magical power of your own."
(End of Chapter)
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