Chapter 24: Mrs. Grey's Confession
It was June, a hot summer day with a brilliant blue sky. When the roses in the courtyard were in full bloom, Hogwarts welcomed the exam season.
It seemed ages ago that the last time a pineapple had tap-danced across a desk during Professor Flitwick's exam.
Starting over again, Draco's mentality changed drastically.
He was no longer the silly, foolish little boy who was nervous about the final exams, fearing that he would perform poorly and bring shame to his father.
In this life, he has so many important things in his heart, and so many lingering memories and shadows in his mind!
In comparison, the trivial matter of taking an exam seems somewhat familiar.
Fortunately, the inner torment and life pain of the previous life may not happen again in this life - as long as I can get that damn crown.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and with a nostalgic attitude, he transformed the mouse into an exquisite, antique snuff bottle in front of Professor McGonagall, and under the admiring gaze of Professor Snape, he prepared a perfect potion of forgetfulness.
Finally, he used his anti-cheating quill pen to write on Professor Binns's answer sheet that the wizard who invented the automatic stirring crucible was Gespard Singleton - the exam season officially came to an end.
"You're right, Draco." Hermione said convincingly as she and Draco walked out onto the sunny grounds outside the castle. "The code of conduct for werewolves and the course of the elf rebellion in 1637 were indeed not considered."
"You still remember what I just said?" Draco raised his eyebrows.
Hermione Granger's terrifying memory always amazed him.
"Of course." The sunlight hit Hermione's face, adding a little redness to her face.
Hermione would never admit that she remembered every word he said.
Now they wandered leisurely across the grounds, down the slope, and came to the edge of Black Lake, where they sat under the great oak tree where they had often stopped.
Looking toward the lake from here, they could see the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan fiddling with the tentacles of a giant squid lying in the shallow water.
The two watched in silence for a while, neither of them paying attention to the giant squid.
By this time, the night dew of fear had been evaporated by the scorching sun—they had become clouds in the clear sky, free and pure. Darkness had no place to hide, shadows were gone. All was radiant, all was alive.
The light dispelled the terrible meaning behind the word "forbidden forest" and gave the girl the courage to talk about it.
"Harry has been acting very worried. You know, that day in the Forbidden Forest, his scar suddenly started to hurt." Hermione said bluntly, breaking the calm atmosphere.
Draco was also quite concerned about this matter.
In his previous life, he had thought that Potter was just trying to attract attention by shouting "my scar hurts" whenever he had nothing to do; but in this life, observing Potter closely, he found that Potter's expression of pain was real, not like a boy who was acting poorly to attract attention.
After a moment's reflection, he said, "He did confront him, didn't he? The last time they met, it wasn't a pleasant experience."
"Maybe. Professor Dumbledore said that this represents a warning. When Harry faces danger, the scar will remind Harry." Hermione pondered.
Draco saw that her endearing, little-girl vivacity vanished for a moment, and the thoughtful, solemn expression that was Hermione Granger's expression took over.
"Yes, Harry's unique lightning-shaped 'siren'." He showed a somewhat teasing expression, trying to drive away her expression.
"Oh, seriously, Draco, this is no joke." Hermione glared at him.
"Seriously, you're right to be worried." Draco pouted and looked at the dizzy squid - the Weasley twins were trying to pull out its tentacles.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Being petrified does not mean being destroyed. If we don't treat him with care and caution, darkness may return one day."
"Professor Dumbledore said something similar. Harry told me that Professor Dumbledore has placed Quirrell's body in a safe place. He won't unpetrify Quirrell until he finds out the back of his head." Hermione looked around vigilantly, moved closer to him, and whispered.
"Good." Draco breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the Dark Lord doesn't come out to wreak havoc on the world, everything is fine.
On this day, Draco's good luck had not yet ended.
When he reappeared before Ms. Grey, she did not leave but waited where she was, looking condescendingly at the Slytherin boy as he approached her.
When you look closely at Ms. Grey, you will realize more clearly that under the long cloak that drags on the ground, there is a beauty with waist-length hair.
Her outstanding appearance makes her arrogant personality seem not annoying but justified.
"Why can't you leave me alone?" she asked in confusion, a look of distressed fatigue appearing on her pretty face.
"Please, I need your help." Draco put on a respectful and upright appearance and bowed to her firmly, trying to leave a good impression on her. "I want to know everything about the Ravenclaw Diadem."
Ms. Grey looked at the elegant boy with uncertain eyes, and suddenly a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth. "You are not the first person to covet the crown."
Her expression returned to indifference, and she resolved to continue on her way. "I'm afraid I can't help you."
"Wait!" Draco watched her turn her head, trying to float steadily away from him, and finally gave up his etiquette - maybe he should learn from Hermione's directness instead of beating around the bush.
He knew that if he didn't seize the opportunity this time, it would be an unknown time before she would be willing to talk to him again.
He shouted unwillingly: "I know you hid it in the Albanian forest!"
She suddenly stopped, but remained calm, floating leisurely in the air.
"How do you know—" she turned around and asked expressionlessly.
"I know this is your mother's diadem, Helena Ravenclaw! I know you escaped to the Albanian forest with it..." Draco said calmly.
Ms. Grey's composed expression faded.
"I know where it is now. It's at Hogwarts, right?" Draco asked in Granger's insistent tone.
"How do you know..." Ms. Grey - no, at this time, perhaps it would be more accurate to call her Helena.
She was horrified, staring at Draco intently, and asked maliciously, "You want to find it... you want to wear it? Just you, an ordinary first-year student? You want to get a high score, right?"
"I have no interest in wearing it," Draco said quietly.
"I know the Dark Lord deceived you, betrayed your trust. I only want to know what the Dark Lord did to it. You must know something. Please tell me, unless you are on the Dark Lord's side..."
"Of course I—how dare you say that!" Helena retorted fiercely.
She looked down at Draco, a terrifying look on her face – she was completely different from being gentle at that moment.
As if she had made up her mind, she snapped, "How could I possibly stand on his side? He desecrated the Diadem of Ravenclaw with his Dark Arts! He listened to my story and stole it from the hollow tree in the Albanian forest!"
Sure enough, the Dark Lord took the diadem from the Albanian forest.
Draco closed his eyes and continued to ask, "How did it get back to Hogwarts?"
"Much later," Ms. Grey recalled softly, "one day he came to Hogwarts looking for a job. He said he wanted to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Dumbledore, of course, turned him down! And then he left it here!"
"I can hear the Crown wailing day and night!" she said through gritted teeth.
"Wheeling?" Draco noticed the word.
"Yes! He made my mother's crown into a Horcrux and put his dirty soul into it! My mother will never forgive me." Helena Ravenclaw said angrily.
A Horcrux. It was a Horcrux. That was certain.
Although he had doubts and guesses in his mind, when he actually confirmed it from someone else's mouth, he still felt a chill run down his spine.
The Dark Lord actually did the horrific act of splitting the soul. Didn't he know what consequences this would bring?
The rupture of the soul would bring about irreversible and permanent loss, which was the lowest form of depravity in the eyes of any pure-blood wizard family.
This was the most absurd thing in the world. The Dark Lord had fallen into depravity, pursuing something that pure-blood wizards rejected; those pure-blood wizards were completely unaware and blindly followed him.
The Malfoy family, in their previous life, were fooling around with such a soul-broken thing.
Draco's face gradually turned pale. Because of the final confirmation of the Horcrux and the Dark Lord's evil, madness and stupidity, he felt cold all over - a coldness that penetrated his flesh and bones.
Ms. Grey had no time to pay attention to Draco's expression. Her years of depression had found an outlet due to Draco's questioning. The sorrows of the past hidden in her heart were poured out continuously by her:
"That crown, that crown... I wanted to be smarter and more prestigious than my mother. I wanted to prove myself, to make her recognize my abilities. I brought it to a place where she couldn't reach me, and with it, I eagerly explored the limits of magic... I made so much progress! But the world never knew of my achievements! And my poor mother, she died without ever seeing me."
Draco didn't know whether the Ravenclaw Diadem could really bring wisdom.
What was certain was that he saw endless regret and sadness through Helena's expression.
"The Baron killed you, didn't he? That's why he's in shackles." Draco asked softly.
"Ha! Of course you do. Barrow deserves it." Mrs. Grey laughed harshly, like a violin with the wrong bowstring, playing a mocking tune.
She stared at the Astronomy Tower in the distance and murmured, "I saw you talking to him in the Astronomy Tower. You are both Slytherins, so you have a common language. I didn't want to have anything to do with any Slytherin again. I will never be able to understand your ambition, stubbornness, and madness..."
"The funny thing is, I still confide in Slytherin again and again... Unscrupulous Slytherin, deceived me, hurt me, betrayed me!" She screamed hysterically, venting her anger to the dark night sky.
Suddenly, Draco understood why he kept running into obstacles with Ms. Grey—she was extremely wary of the color silver-green.
If he had worn a red-and-gold tie, they might have started talking earlier.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
This damned, stubborn house prejudice is everywhere in Hogwarts! Even the ghosts are not immune.
"I'm sorry. Both for your death and for you being used by the Dark Lord." He was uneasy, choosing his words, trying to soothe Ms. Grey's unstable emotions.
"Dark Lord? Ha! This self-aggrandizing title makes me want to vomit!" The female ghost said disdainfully, "Fifty years ago, he was not called the Dark Lord. He asked me to call him Tom. At that time, he was just an ordinary student. Somewhat handsome, compassionate, and very considerate... I trusted him wrongly. Slytherin, these cunning and venomous snakes, always like to put on that elegant appearance to deceive people-"
Ms. Grey turned around, her eyes as if filled with poison, and looked at Draco sinisterly. "Tell me, what's the difference between you and him? How can I trust you?"
At this moment, no one would think she was beautiful. Her face looked extremely hideous because of the expression of disgust and hatred.
"I don't want to use it. If I could, I would destroy that soul and wash away the shame of Ravenclaw's crown. But I need your help. You need to tell me exactly how to do it." Draco said with difficulty as he continued to swallow the shocking news.
Merlin, he wouldn't be murdered by a ghost, would he? Seeing Ms. Grey looking like she wanted to kill someone, Draco wailed inwardly.
After hearing his words, Ms. Grey stopped losing her temper. She suddenly became quiet, looking out at the deep darkness outside the Ravenclaw Tower, pondering in silence.
Following her gaze, Draco vaguely saw the Astronomy Tower opposite, and the Bloody Baron standing there in a daze again.
"Do you know what you can see from here?" She saw Draco's secretive expression and said impatiently, "Except the Astronomy Tower."
Draco gave her a startled look but didn't answer.
Probably not looking at the stars, he thought.
"I can see the Forbidden Forest. I know what you did that night—you were targeting him. But you were wrong. Ignorant, shallow, and childish." She criticized his actions mercilessly. "His spirit is still there, isn't it?"
Draco didn't expect that this secret would be known to anyone other than Hermione.
Since that was the case, he no longer concealed it and said frankly: "Yes. I am dealing with him. Then, perhaps you can tell me how to destroy his soul?"
"Unless you destroy the Horcruxes he created, you can't truly destroy his soul." She frowned, as if thinking about some important issue.
There was so much information in her words that Draco didn't know how to respond.
Finally, he decided to ask the most core and important question.
"How to destroy a Horcrux?" he asked without much hope.
There was no response. Ms. Grey fell silent.
This didn't surprise him.
He checked so many books on dark magic in the restricted section, but there were only a few that mentioned "Horcruxes".
For example, in the book "The Most Toxic Magic", although the term "Horcrux" was mentioned, it was only briefly mentioned without even explaining its concept, let alone how to destroy it.
How can you expect a ghost who has been dead for a long time to know more?
After what seemed like a century, Lady Grey spoke again.
Much to Draco's surprise, she actually knew how to destroy a Horcrux.
"It is difficult, very difficult, to destroy the Horcruxes. It must be an indestructible weapon, such as the blade made by the Goblin King - Godric Gryffindor's sword - I'm not sure it will work, it is an option worth trying, but it has been lost for a long time like the Ravenclaw Diadem; or equally evil black magic, such as the cursed power of Fiendfyre, which can devour and burn everything, but it is too dangerous. I have never heard of anyone being able to control it, and the spell is incomplete. I wonder if there is any ancient wizard family that can pass it down; and--" Helena's eyes became vague.
"What else?" Draco demanded.
"The ultimate monster in the wizarding world is the basilisk. Its venom is so destructive that it cannot be repaired by magic. There is a basilisk of Salazar Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts. I guess it is still alive?" Helena said reluctantly.
"Chamber of Secrets? Where exactly is the Chamber of Secrets?" Draco remembered the Chamber of Secrets incident in his previous life that caused a sensation in the city and almost led to the closure of Hogwarts.
But at that time, he was still young and had no intention of understanding the deep meaning behind the secret room.
Regarding the matter of "Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets", in his previous life, most of his free time was spent either being complacent about his pure-blood identity, firmly believing that the misfortune of being petrified would not happen to a Malfoy; or busy arguing with Potter and the others; from time to time, he would also scare the Muggle-born Hermione Granger and compete with her...
All in all, not much serious work was done.
Regret! His memories of his past life contained too few clues. Draco had never focused on exploring the Chamber of Secrets itself; as for his father, Lucius, he had only briefly explained the Chamber's surface knowledge to him. When it came to core issues, he was always vague or remained silent.
If only Ms. Grey knew—Draco turned his expectant gaze upon her.
"I don't know. I was away from Hogwarts for so long." A hint of sadness flashed in Ms. Grey's eyes. She said ruefully, "When I came back, they had already renovated Hogwarts. It was no longer what I remembered. Sorry, I can't remember."