A frantic noise came from outside the door, and a ghostly figure rushed into the Room of Requirement.
"Mother... Mother!" It was the Grey Lady—or as she should be called, Helena Ravenclaw.
After a thousand years, the estrangement in Helena's heart dissolved the moment she saw her mother. She threw herself into Lady Rowena's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Still such a child, Helena," Lady Rowena said, her voice a gentle reprimand. "You haven't grown at all." Though her words were stern, the kindness in her expression betrayed her true feelings.
"I've missed you so much," Helena sobbed, her voice muffled against her mother's spectral form. "And I'm so sorry, I'm truly sorry..."
"Silly girl," Lady Rowena said, gently stroking her daughter's back. "Do you still think I would blame you now? You even became a ghost... what a silly girl."
"But it was I who tarnished the name of Ravenclaw," Helena cried, confiding the true feelings she had held for a millennium. "I'm not as smart as you, and I always bring you criticism."
"Alright," Lady Rowena's voice suddenly became sharp, imbued with an ancient power. "Do I, Rowena Ravenclaw, need to live by the comments of others?" Helena was so shocked she couldn't speak. The immense power of her mother's mind began to pull at the very fabric of the room, the walls and decorations starting to shimmer and twist as reality blurred.
Aiden's eyes flashed. His long staff emerged from the void and struck the ground with a heavy thud. A wave of stabilizing energy pulsed outward, and the illusory walls and decorations solidified, the environmental shifts ceasing.
"My lady," Aiden said gently, "it seems you have made remarkable progress from afar, but this is Hogwarts, the school you founded. Please, leave something complete for future generations."
"It was my fault," Lady Rowena nodded slightly to Aiden, her composure returning. "Listen to me, Helena," she said, turning back to her daughter. "I have never blamed you. You are my daughter, Rowena Ravenclaw's greatest treasure. Stop tormenting yourself. Let yourself go, Helena."
Helena fell silent. Seeing her daughter's unending grief, Lady Rowena sighed. "Helena, your name comes from the ancient Greek, and its meaning is 'bright.' Did you know that when you stepped into my life, colors began to appear in what was once a gray world focused only on magic?" Lady Rowena's voice became distant, as if scenes from the past were being projected before everyone's eyes.
Aiden understood. This was a manifestation of her immense mental power. She was projecting her memories onto her daughter, trying to enlighten her. His own eyes curved into a subtle smile, and strands of his own mental power began to entwine the Room of Requirement, forming a vast, invisible signal-receiving network to create the perfect environment for her projection.
Lady Rowena gave Aiden a grateful look, while Helena became completely immersed in her mother's narration.
"Your name also symbolizes light and wisdom," Lady Rowena's voice was long and tinged with sadness. "I hoped you could become a person who pursues light, wisdom, and the beautiful things in life." Her precious memories of her daughter transformed into shimmering bubbles and began to emerge around them.
"Helena, all mothers love their children. There is an ancient saying: A mother's love for her child is deep and plans far into their future." The scene in one of the bubbles changed, and a younger Lady Rowena was taking a small, young Helena's hand, leading her to Hogwarts for the first time. "I brought you to this school because I hoped you could find happiness and knowledge here, and make friends... but who would have thought..." Her voice faltered, and the image shifted to show a lonely Helena, isolated by her mother's fame.
"I never expected that my reputation would bring you such great pressure. They call me a witch of unparalleled wisdom, but I am just a useless mother who doesn't even understand her own daughter's feelings." Lady Rowena's spectral tears fell, and the scene rippled, showing her lying on her deathbed.
"I have never blamed you," the memory Rowena whispered. "Let it go, my child. Leave with me, Helena."
The memory faded, and the present Lady Rowena took her daughter's translucent hand, looking at her with solemnity. "I love you, my daughter. Even if the long river of time has blown away my soul and rotted my body, my love for you has never gone far." She pulled her daughter into an embrace, but sadly, neither could feel warmth from the other.
"Mother," Helena's tears dripped down, and her pale, ghostly form began to slowly dissipate into shimmering light.
Rowena smiled gently, then turned her gaze to Aiden. "It seems we are about to leave, but we have not yet learned your names."
"Aiden Prewett, my lady," he said. "And this is Oliver Graves." The two young men saluted her one last time.
"I will remember," she said, her form beginning to fade. "Aiden, Oliver... I hope not to see you too early on the road to the distant."
With a final flash of light, the mother and daughter dissipated completely.
"Though it may be a bit of a mood killer at this moment," Oliver said, looking back at Aiden, "did we just send away our Ravenclaw's ghost?"
"It's better than letting her linger in this world, suffering the torment of sadness and pain," Aiden shrugged.
News of the Grey Lady's departure soon reached the Bloody Baron, who, a night later, also quietly departed. With that, a strange rumor spread through Hogwarts: a monster specializing in consuming ghosts had appeared in the school. The monster had eaten the ghosts of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, causing the Fat Friar and Sir Nick to tremble with fear and protest to Dumbledore multiple times.
The helpless headmaster could only seek out a certain dragon, whom he found basking in the sun atop the Astronomy Tower.
Choosing a suitable spot to sit, Dumbledore spoke. "Well, I have never admired Hogwarts from this position before. This truly is a treasured land."
The sunbathing dragon rolled over, pointedly ignoring him.
"Recently," Dumbledore continued with a smile, "two ghosts have disappeared from the academy. Could it be related to a certain young wizard who happened to obtain a certain diadem?"
"Their mother came back to collect them in person," Aiden said, finally annoyed enough to respond. "Could you have stopped them? Think about the name of my house, Professor."
"Ho ho, family," Dumbledore chuckled, having gotten the answer he wanted. "That's truly wonderful." He immediately abandoned Aiden and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
That evening, at the banquet, Dumbledore publicly announced the departure of the two ghosts, explaining to the students that ghosts could find peace and move on if they let go of their obsessions. The news left the students of Hogwarts marveling.
But soon, a new problem arose. Peeves, having lost the one being he feared—the Bloody Baron—became simply unstoppable. He played pranks all over the castle, greatly increasing Professor McGonagall's burden, and Dumbledore once again received a flood of complaints.
Aiden, knowing this troublemaker had no good intentions for him, had already hidden himself deep in a conscious blind spot, letting Dumbledore enjoy a 'happy' and chaotic campus life.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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