Chapter 988: The Disappearing Ghost
Chapter 988: The Disappearing Ghost
Grindelwald's news swept through the wizarding world, but it didn't affect Hogwarts.
The students seemed uninterested in this legendary figure from seventy years ago. Compared to Grindelwald, they were more excited about the upcoming Quidditch tryouts.
It was said that the tryouts would be presided over by the Headmaster himself, and the second-year students couldn't wait. Many first-year students felt the same way.
Although the school rules explicitly stated that first-year students were not allowed to participate in Quidditch, there were exceptions to every rule.
Take the famous Harry Potter, for example. It was said that he displayed exceptional Quidditch talent in his first year and was admitted to the team by Professor McGonagall, who was still the Deputy Headmistress at the time.
Coincidentally, Professor McGonagall was also in charge of the tryouts this year, which meant that the first-year students had a chance to join the team as well.
The professors were also looking forward to it. Due to various reasons, Quidditch had been suspended for a long time, and this was the first time it was genuinely being resumed.
There weren't many entertainment activities in the wizarding world, and even fewer in the school. Watching students play Quidditch was one of the favorite activities of many professors.
Everyone was waiting for the tryouts to begin, except for Kyle, who was getting busier.
After meeting with Rita Skeeter, he encountered Helena Ravenclaw upon his return.
After disappearing for a long time, she reappeared in Hogwarts Castle, still in her ghostly form.
However, unlike the gloomy Grey Lady, Helena was now much more cheerful, even to the point of being overly so.
When Kyle saw her, she was persuading Nearly Headless Nick to perform a head-banging dance in the first-year students' dormitory in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, Nearly Headless Nick refused her suggestion, sparing those poor new students.
Kyle asked her about Rowena Ravenclaw, but Helena didn't answer. Instead, she spoke in a deep voice:
"Do you remember? She's just a memory that has been preserved for a thousand years."
After that, Kyle didn't ask again.
Memories are not eternal; they are more fragile than ghosts. Perhaps Rowena Ravenclaw had the ability to keep her memory alive, but would she really do that? Kyle didn't know, and he didn't want to know.
However, Rowena Ravenclaw guessed what he wanted to ask.
Helena suggested that Kyle go to the school library, saying that everything he wanted to know was there, but it was up to him to find it.
So, during this time, Kyle basically ran to the library whenever he had some free time, even more diligently than when he was attending classes.
At least now, he didn't need to sneak into the library at night; he could stay there all night without any problems.
Although it was tiring, the rewards were significant.
Kyle found two books that weren't originally there but had been newly added to the library.
After all, there were no books signed by Rowena Ravenclaw in the library before.
The titles were small, but the content of the books was exactly what Kyle needed.
One book was about magical scripts, and it was more complex than any other magical script book he had encountered. He couldn't quite understand it yet.
The other book he could understand was about Horcruxes. It not only described the process of making Horcruxes but also recorded the changes in Horcruxes during the era of Herpo the Foul.
It included changes in form and the evolution of the concept.
It was very useful and exactly what Kyle needed. After reading it for a few days, he could easily insert the 'thin layer' wrapped around the stone into the Horcrux.
On the day of the Quidditch new player tryouts, most students went to the Quidditch pitch to watch the excitement, leaving the castle unusually empty.
Kyle walked out of the library.
Rowena Ravenclaw seemed to have hidden only two books there... at least, Kyle couldn't find a third one.
The corridor outside was quiet, with only faint sounds of laughter and noise coming from far away upstairs.
"How are they? Were the things my mother prepared useful to you?" a voice came from the left.
Then, a semi-transparent ghost with a pearly white glow emerged from the wall.
"Very useful," Kyle turned his head, "Um... I'd like to ask, would you prefer me calling you Helena or Grey Lady?"
"It's up to you."
"Then Helena it is," said Kyle, taking out the book he had found in the library, "Thank you, this is exactly what I needed."
"You don't need to thank me; there's no credit to me in this," Helena said.
"In that case, could you pass on my message to Ms. Rowena Ravenclaw?"
"I will."
Helena's response caused Kyle to pause momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure.
"I also want to thank you," Helena said, "Before this, I never knew how to face my mother. If you hadn't taken me directly to her, I might never have had the courage to face her."
"Well... you don't really need to thank me." Kyle said, "To be honest, I wasn't trying to help you. At the time, you were just a bribe for Ms. Ravenclaw."
"I know, but that doesn't conflict with my gratitude towards you." Helena smiled.
Kyle suddenly realized that her smile was much more captivating than her usual somber expression. Her smile was bright, sunny, and her brows carried a hint of Ravenclaw's characteristic intellect.
It was as if she had transformed into a different person... well, a ghost.
"By the way, can I ask you a question?" Kyle suddenly asked, "Of course, this question might be a bit offensive, so if you mind..."
"Go ahead and ask." Helena said with a smirk, "Even if you want to know about Gryffindor's romantic escapades, it's fine. I have some information here that no one else could possibly know."
This was certainly true. As the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw and a contemporary of Gryffindor, she must have many secrets unknown to others.
For a fleeting moment, Kyle was tempted, but only for that brief moment.
While Gryffindor's gossip was intriguing, the character columns in the "Singing Against the Tide" were equally captivating.
Gryffindor, as a regular guest, had accumulated enough stories to fill a book.
Although all the information was one hundred percent fabricated, it was still exciting, and there might even be a few truths hidden within.
Moreover, it was all a thousand years ago, so whether it was true or not didn't seem that important.
"I want to ask why you're still here." Kyle looked at Helena, "I mean, I thought you would be with Rowena Ravenclaw, and you shouldn't have any reason to stay at Hogwarts anymore. Why are you still a ghost?"
"Of course, it's because I became a coward." Helena said without hesitation, "Just like the other ghosts in this castle, I was weak, timid, and ordinary. That's why I stole my mother's crown, and I'm still a ghost."
Kyle was taken aback.
Helena's bluntness left him momentarily speechless.
"Barrow the Bloodman was brave." Helena spoke softly again, "He asked for my mother's forgiveness, and one day after he received it... he disappeared."
"Did you forgive him?" Kyle asked.
"I probably will never forgive him." Helena said, "But for a moment, I suddenly felt it didn't matter."
"What about Barrow the Bloodman..."
"There's no more Barrow the Bloodman. If you happened to go to the underground classroom last week, you might have even attended the grandest ghost party in Hogwarts' history."
"A ghost party?" Kyle thought for a moment, "Who turned five hundred years old?"
"Even more grand than that." Helena murmured, "Every ghost's disappearance deserves a grand celebration. All the famous ghosts in Britain came, and the revelry lasted an entire week."
"No wonder..." Kyle clicked his tongue, "Recently, the ghosts in the castle seemed to have collectively disappeared, even Peeves hasn't been seen in a while."
"I guess he was the happiest one."
"Peeves was indeed overjoyed." Helena said with a hint of amusement.
"So Slytherin doesn't have a ghost anymore?"
"They can find another one. I think the Screaming Hag would be a good choice; at least her name suits Slytherin as much as Barrow the Bloodman."
...
They continued their conversation as they walked downstairs.
The original text can be found in Chapter 6, Section 9, of the book/online.
This time, Helena seemed to want to thank Kyle for taking her to Rowena Ravenclaw. When they reached the foyer, she disappeared into the wall.
According to Helena, she now wanted to see Hogwarts with a different perspective, one that was completely unlike her previous attitude.
Kyle naturally expressed his support for her decision.
...
Afterward, he walked through the foyer and into the courtyard, heading towards the school infirmary.
He had just been to the office but couldn't find anyone, so he decided to try his luck here.
As he opened the door, Professor Saxia was indeed there, discussing Quidditch with Madam Pomfrey.
Of course, Madam Pomfrey's version of Quidditch was somewhat different from others. She was more inclined to cancel this dangerous game, which would significantly reduce the injury rate at Hogwarts.
Every year during the Quidditch Trials and Matches, she would bring up this matter again. At this moment, she was trying to persuade Professor Saxia and Conna to join her.
Just looking at Professor Saxia's expression, she didn't seem to agree with this view.
"Kyle, how did you get here?" she said, standing up immediately and changing the subject when she saw Kyle.
"Nothing, I just happened to pass by," Kyle said, casually taking out a stone.
When Professor Saxia saw the stone, her eyes flashed.
"Poppy, I suddenly remembered I have something to do. Let's talk next time," she said.
"Of course, of course, no problem," Madam Pomfrey replied.
Professor Saxia nodded and left the school hospital.
Kyle and Conna followed closely behind.
The three of them arrived in the courtyard outside.
Before Kyle could open his mouth, Saxia spoke first, "Did you succeed?"
"Yes," Kyle said, taking out the stone again, "A proper Horcrux, even Voldemort wouldn't be able to find a single flaw in it."
"But, you couldn't do this so...perfectly just a few days ago," Saxia frowned.
She knew Kyle was smart, but it was hard to believe that he could solve all the problems he encountered in such a short time.
"I got...a little help," Kyle said.
"Don't tell me it's Rowena Ravenclaw..." Saxia turned her head, "I wouldn't believe it until I saw the memory you mentioned."
"It's not a memory, it's knowledge," Kyle said, taking out a book.
Saxia took it and flipped through a few pages.
"Did you...not sleep well last night?"
"It's not bad."
"Then why did you give me a blank book?" Saxia opened the book.
Kyle looked over subconsciously and realized that the content previously recorded in it had all disappeared.
"Was there really something on it before?" Conna asked quietly.
"Yes, there was," Kyle nodded, "She seems to not want too many people to see this part."
"Probably used Vanishing Ink," Conna said.
She naturally believed Kyle, and she was one of the few who knew about Rowena Ravenclaw's existence.
"Weasley Wizarding Wheezes has this stuff, one Galleon per bottle, and the words written with it disappear with a gust of wind.
"Some students even use it as an excuse, saying their ink was switched, to cover up their blank homework."
"Maybe it's like that," Kyle said, "But I can assure you, there was really something in this book when I saw it, and it benefited me greatly."
"All the problems I encountered could find answers in it, and that's why I was able to make a perfect Horcrux so quickly."
Professor Saxia remained silent.
It's not that she didn't believe Kyle's words, but some things, if you can't see the truth, it's not so easy to accept in a short time.
Although her rationality, experience, and instincts didn't believe that Rowena Ravenclaw could still be alive, she also didn't believe that Kyle would lie about this matter.
Moreover, the 'Horcrux' stone was also real, and this couldn't be faked.
Saxia looked down at the stone in her hand. Regardless of whether there was a person named Ravenclaw or not, this thing had already proven Kyle's abilities.
"So, you came to me this time because of the Lombard family's matter?"
"Yes," Kyle said, "I think it's time. If it's not stable enough, I can do it again in front of the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall."
"That's different from what you told me," Saxia reminded him, "Also, the Ministry of Magic will definitely not agree with you making Horcruxes, even if it's to save people."
"It's okay, I know what to do," Kyle said, "It's just a different container for the soul, whether it's a stone, a bone, or something else, it's actually quite similar."
"There's one more thing."
"What?"
"The person you should find is not me." Saxia turned around and handed the stone back to Kyle.
"Did you forget? I've already retired."
"The person you should be looking for right now is actually Lady Lombard or Mr. Lombard."
Saxia glanced in the direction of the school greenhouse. "If I remember correctly, Pomona mentioned that she found an excellent assistant, and his last name is Lombard."
...
(End of Chapter)
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