"Mother…"
Looking at the illusory figure of Rowena Ravenclaw before her, Helena trembled and spoke in an almost inaudible voice.
"Helena, my child." Rowena's gentle voice, after a thousand years, echoed in Helena's ears once more.
"I'm sorry, Mother, I stole the diadem back then, I… I disappointed you." Helena lowered her head, uttering an apology a thousand years too late, her voice choked, not daring to look directly at Rowena.
"You never disappointed me, Helena. You merely lost your way."
Rowena slowly approached, reaching out her hand, attempting to touch Helena's cheek.
"No matter what you did, you are my daughter, my most precious treasure."
Just as Tom and Cassandra quietly watched the touching scene of Rowena and Helena's reunion after a thousand years, an untimely voice came from beside them.
"What a touching mother-daughter reunion."
At some point, Grindelwald had appeared next to the two of them.
Tom gave him a disdainful look, filled with resentment towards Dumbledore: "Why are you everywhere? Is it because a certain someone is old and lacks stamina, and didn't even drain you dry, allowing you to still run around lively? If needed, I can provide Indian magic medicine for free."
Grindelwald froze as he listened to Tom's tirade. He had only made a normal entrance, but Tom's rotten mouth had made him lose so much face. How could he, Grindelwald, still have any dignity if people heard this?
Wait, no, it seemed like people had already heard it.
At this moment, Cassandra, who was nearby, suddenly blurted out, "Who can't do it? Professor Lockhart?"
Emotional scenes of mother-daughter reunions were nowhere near as captivating as gossip. At this moment, Grindelwald was immensely grateful that he was still using Gilderoy Lockhart's identity.
Tom glared at Cassandra: "Go away, little kid, don't meddle in adult affairs."
That one sentence provoked a furious glare from Cassandra.
It seemed this grand drama of forgiveness and redemption had played out long enough.
Tom wiped away non-existent tears from the corner of his eyes: "How touching, but Rowena Ravenclaw's state is a bit strange. This doesn't look like someone who won the resurrection match. Origi… Grin… No, Professor Lockhart, what do you think?"
Grindelwald always felt that Tom's words were odd, but he didn't think much of it. Instead, he seriously discussed with Tom: "Not a living person, nor a ghost. It's more like a collection of consciousness and energy."
"Indeed, it's possible Rowena sealed a part of her consciousness and energy in the statue before she died, and the diadem was the key to activate it." Tom nodded, agreeing with Grindelwald's view, "Not only that, but I also seem to sense a trace of energy that doesn't belong to this world."
'What are they talking about?'
Cassandra listened to Tom and Grindelwald's conversation and felt like a husky mixed in with a pack of wolves, so out of place.
At this moment, Rowena, having finished her conversation, brought Helena before the three of them.
"Thank you. For giving a mother the chance to see her daughter again."
"You're welcome, Madam Ravenclaw, it's what I should do. After all, Helena and I are very good friends."
Tom accepted Rowena's thanks without hesitation, which earned him a furious glare from Helena.
"You liar, how dare you say that? Back then…"
"Stop!" Just as Helena was about to bring up the past, she was once again cut off by Tom.
"If we're going to discuss what happened back then, let's talk it through properly. You told me the diadem was hidden in the Albanian forest, hoping it could be found. So, where was the diadem taken later?"
"You brought it back to Hogwarts."
"Then did I not fulfill my promise?"
Seeing Tom's expression, as if he was asking for praise, Helena became even more exasperated.
"But you turned it into a Dark Arts object!"
At this point, Grindelwald, who had been watching the show, uncharacteristically spoke up for Tom.
"But there are no traces of Dark Arts on it."
That one sentence choked Helena's next words.
And Tom clearly had no intention of letting Helena off the hook, continuing: "Moreover, you wanted the diadem returned to its rightful owner, and I did that for you. You wanted to see Madam Ravenclaw again, and I helped you fulfill that wish."
"Everything I did was according to your wishes, Helena, so why are you angry, my friend?"
It seemed, apparently, what he said made a lot of sense, so why should she be angry?
Helena was clearly confused by Tom, and even, as if by a ghost's whim, said: "I'm sorry, and thank you, Tom!"
Tom looked at Helena with satisfaction. Knowing her mistakes and correcting them, she was still a good comrade.
At this moment, Rowena, seeing Helena finish talking with her friend, spoke up at the right time: "Alright, Helena, we don't have much time. It's time to embark on our journey. Godric and Helga have already gone far on that path. I hope we can catch up with them."
Tom immediately caught something amiss in Rowena's words: "Then, Salazar Slytherin, did he not take this path? And can a ghost who has already made a choice at the time of death truly embark on that path?"
"I don't know, at least I never saw Salazar during the thousand years I waited for Helena in Limbo."
Rowena was very apologetic about Tom's first question, as she also didn't know the answer.
"As for the second question, that requires a little help."
As Rowena's words fell, the hidden runes of the entire Ravenclaw Tower shimmered with blue light, and a massive amount of magic gathered towards Rowena's location.
"Tonight, Ravenclaw will lose their ghost."
Dumbledore, who had left the dinner early, stood by the Castle window, watching the scene at the Ravenclaw Tower and murmured to himself.
At the scene, Tom saw a passage open before Rowena. He couldn't see what was on the other side of the passage, but he felt a homologous energy from it that didn't belong to this world, the same energy of death that Tom had felt countless times from the resurrection stone.
Meanwhile, Cassandra was still in a state of confusion, not knowing what was happening, but Grindelwald's eyes already showed an unusual light.
"Helena, do you have anything else you want to say to your friends?"
Rowena softly asked Helena.
Seeing Helena shake her head, Rowena bid farewell to Tom and the other two: "I've left a small gift as a token of my gratitude. So, farewell."
Just as Rowena and Helena were about to step into the passage, Tom suddenly called out: "Wait, I have one last question, are Salazar and Godric really a couple?"
Rowena paused for a moment, only leaving behind a single sentence: "They were the best of friends." Then she quickly stepped into the passage with Helena, looking somewhat like she was fleeing in a hurry.
"Honestly, leaving so quickly, without explaining in detail." Tom muttered, somewhat dissatisfied, as he watched the passage slowly close.
However, at the very last moment before the passage closed, Tom suddenly shouted at it.
"Farewell, both Madam Ravenclaws!"