Capítulo 109: Chapter 109
At night, when only Ethan and the others were left in the Ravenclaw common room, a gorgeous diadem made of gold, with a winged eagle carved on top and a dim gemstone in the middle, appeared in Ethan's hand.
"Is this the Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
The moment the diadem appeared, Penelope and Cho Chang stared at the gorgeous object in Ethan's hand with excitement.
The symbol of Ravenclaw House, it was said to have the ability to increase the wisdom of its wearer. The importance of wisdom was something every little Ravenclaw wizard could understand.
One could say that obtaining this diadem was like seeing a ladder to heaven; the rest was simply about climbing it.
"I feel like this diadem isn't right, and there's a voice in my heart telling me to stay away from it," Luna frowned at both the diadem and Ethan, her light eyebrows almost knitting together.
She trusted her intuition. This was definitely not a good thing, so no one should touch it. Even Luna began to doubt if this was truly Ravenclaw's diadem. It looked similar, but the diadem shouldn't give her such a feeling.
"Luna's feeling is correct. Ravenclaw's diadem was turned into a cursed dark object by a certain wizard, so it can't be worn on the head anymore. As for whether it still works as a key, I can't guarantee that," Ethan said, showing the small inscription at the base of the diadem to the others: Extraordinary wisdom is the greatest treasure of mankind.
It was a bit surprising that Luna had sensed something wrong with the diadem! The three girls stepped forward and carefully examined the diadem, observing its appearance and motto inch by inch.
Afterward, under the gaze of the three girls, Ethan used a levitation spell to send the diadem to Ms. Ravenclaw's statue, placing it on her head and completing the statue's perfect form.
In an instant, an inexplicable light-blue glow illuminated the entire Ravenclaw common room, originating from the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.
The statue, bathed in blue light, slowly shifted to the left, revealing a glowing blue circle beneath it.
It was impossible to see what lay under the circle of light, but it likely concealed a passage. In terms of style, it was far more sophisticated than Slytherin's sewer tunnels—befitting an academic.
The secret room of Ravenclaw could only be opened with the diadem that had been lost for a thousand years, which explained why there were no legends about it.
"Luna's guess was right!" Penelope said, looking at Luna deeply. As the class leader, she hadn't figured it out, but a new student had. Under Luna's seemingly eccentric behavior lay impressive wisdom.
"Does anyone want to go in?" Ethan asked, looking at the three of them slowly.
The contents inside were likely to be books, alchemical tools, or some of Ravenclaw's research ideas. There probably wasn't any fantastical inherited power, so it didn't matter how many people entered.
"I won't go in~!"
The three women looked at each other, took a step back, and said.
The diadem had been found by Ethan, and the secret room was his idea. Whatever was inside should rightfully belong to him.
"Alright, then I'll go in!"
Seeing that the three really didn't want to enter, Ethan didn't hesitate and jumped into the blue light circle, just as he had jumped into the pipe the previous night.
It felt like jumping down from a great height—there was no sensation of falling, and he reached the bottom in an instant.
Looking up, Ethan saw that there was no blue light circle anymore, only a ceiling above him.
"Lumos!"
The soft white light dispelled the darkness, revealing a vast enclosed space. There were sections for book collections, workspaces, and even beds like those in Ravenclaw's dormitory. Some everyday items were also scattered in the corners.
A portrait hung in the front, showing two men and two women. They resembled the four founders in their youth.
Was this Ravenclaw's private chamber?
Despite the passage of thousands of years, everything remained as it had been, untouched by dust or the ravages of time, as though someone had regularly cleaned it and lived there recently.
The moment this thought crossed Ethan's mind, he startled himself. Could Rowena Ravenclaw still be alive?
It seemed unlikely. If she were, she wouldn't have let her daughter, Helena, roam alone in Hogwarts Castle. She would have either taken her along or found a way to resurrect her.
With Rowena Ravenclaw's guidance, Helena wouldn't have been so easily deceived by Tom Riddle into giving up the diadem.
While Ethan explored the space, the others in the Ravenclaw common room grew anxious.
Not long after Ethan had jumped down, the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw began to move back to its original position, sealing the passage under the statue. The blue light faded, and the Ravenclaw common room returned to its usual appearance—except for the diadem now resting on the statue.
"What do we do now?" Cho Chang asked, looking at Penelope in confusion. The passage had been sealed underground by the statue. Would Ethan be able to come back?
"Let's wait. If Ethan hasn't returned by the time classes start, we'll go to Professor Flitwick," Penelope said, though she was uneasy as well.
It shouldn't be life-threatening, but Penelope couldn't guarantee Ethan wouldn't be trapped somewhere, unable to return, with the way back blocked.
This was Ravenclaw's legacy for her descendants. There could be tests, but it was unlikely to be life-threatening. As one of Hogwarts' founders, she wouldn't harm the students of her own house.
I can only hope that Ethan finds his way back quickly.
"Senior, should we cover this diadem?" Luna pointed to the diadem emitting a faint light on the Ravenclaw statue and asked Penelope.
"It's too conspicuous. Anyone who comes in will definitely notice it."
"Cover it up!" Penelope said, using Transfiguration to conjure a wizard's hat for the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Although it looked a bit suspicious, Penelope believed it could fool anyone who saw it.
At this moment, Ethan had reached the center of the secret room.
Before he could reach the book collection area, torches suddenly emerged from the walls around the room.
The flames in the torches were not the usual bright yellow but a light blue.
At the same time, a crystal ball on the workbench began to glow with an azure blue light.
Ethan paused, watching as he realized he had triggered some sort of mechanism.
As the blue light grew brighter and brighter, Ethan couldn't help but cover his eyes until it finally stopped flashing. Only then did he lower his hands.
In front of him stood a witch in a blue robe. She was tall, with black hair, sharp eyes, and a stern face. She appeared to be in her early thirties, much younger than the statue in the common room. She bore a striking resemblance to the Ravenclaw portrait in this secret room—about nine-tenths similar.
"Nine hundred and eighty years?" the witch muttered, frowning. This time span far exceeded her expectations.
Why did the Chamber of Secrets, which should have been opened quickly, take so long?
"Are you Ms. Ravenclaw?" Ethan asked, showing respect for the founder of Hogwarts, though he couldn't quite tell what Ravenclaw's current state was.
"I am not Ravenclaw herself, but a magical imprint she left behind!" Ravenclaw's tone was filled with regret.
This wasn't just a magical mark but also contained a fragment of her soul, left behind in hopes of seeing Helena again.
Unfortunately, it still didn't work, and it had taken nearly a thousand years to be activated.
But she had prepared for the possibility that the person who found it wouldn't be Helena.
"Also, who turned my diadem into a Horcrux?" Ravenclaw's expression suddenly changed, becoming cold.
As soon as she was revived, she sensed the diadem on the statue, which she had crafted herself and worn for many years. She knew it well.
The soul inside was glaringly obvious.
Ravenclaw didn't mind someone making a Horcrux—she could have done it herself if she wished—but turning her diadem into one? That was unacceptable.
"This was the work of the most powerful Dark wizard of our time. He created the Horcrux fifty years ago and hid it in the Room of Requirement, where I found it. Now he has multiple fragments of his soul, and I don't know where they are hidden."
Technically, it was over forty years ago, but that was close enough.
"How is Helena now? You should know who I'm talking about!" Ravenclaw's voice softened, showing what she truly cared about. After sending Barrow to find Helena, she had died of illness. Now, a thousand years later, her soul fragment was awakened, but it was not her blood descendant who had come.
To find her secret room and obtain her diadem, someone must have researched her well. Helena's existence wasn't a secret, and anyone curious enough could discover it.
"Ms. Helena is now known as the Grey Lady, a ghost of Ravenclaw House, and she still roams in Hogwarts," Ethan explained, revealing what he knew. How many years had passed without her knowing anything about her daughter?
"A ghost?" Ravenclaw seemed dazed for a moment. She hadn't expected to hear such news.
Becoming a ghost meant that everything here no longer mattered to Helena.
"If you pass the test, you will inherit everything here. Are you ready?"
"Keep in mind, there is only one chance. If you fail, you will be sent away, and there will be no second opportunity."
"Yes, I'm ready!" Ethan nodded confidently.
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