Inside Ravenclaw Tower, Allen entered his room and found Edward had already collapsed back into a deep, exhausted sleep. However, just as Allen lay down, he heard a sharp rap on the door, and Head Prefect Penelope Clearwater swept in.
"Allen Harris! You're a first-year, and you had the audacity to confront a Mountain Troll?! When Edward reported you missing during attendance, I searched the entire route back from the Great Hall! Then I heard the professors discussing how you single-handedly managed the troll!" Penelope, an excellent student rarely criticized, was clearly distraught and agitated, marching quickly toward Allen with an expression of fierce exasperation.
"I was suddenly struck by nausea and simply ran into the troll on my way back from the feast. Please, Miss Clearwater, forgive me for accidentally earning Ravenclaw twenty points. I was a victim of circumstance!" Allen strategically backed away, immediately changing tack. "Besides, Miss Clearwater, you look far more radiant today than usual!"
Penelope, thrown off balance by the sudden flattery, paused mid-stride. "You are a Ravenclaw, not some reckless Gryffindor lion! Don't let me catch you doing anything so dangerous again. But… I must admit, handling a full-grown troll entirely on your own as a first-year is quite exceptional."
She quickly regained her composure. "Also, the Headmaster asked me to inform you that now that the troll situation has been resolved, the Halloween celebrations will continue. We Ravenclaws are holding a Masquerade Ball by the Black Lake."
"The other three Houses are confined to their common rooms, but I thought Ravenclaw should be more adventurous, so I proposed the lakeside event," Penelope continued, her voice gaining an excited, proud pitch.
"Professor Flitwick was surprisingly supportive; he's personally ensuring our safety. Look out the common room windows—those magnificent, floating lanterns are all thanks to Professor Flitwick's magic! All the girls loved the idea and donated their most beautiful scarves, though Headmaster Dumbledore, regrettably, declined our invitation, claiming he had other matters to attend to."
Allen immediately sensed a different side to Penelope. Though she usually projected a tough, unapproachable exterior, deep down, young people always harbored countless imaginative and grand ideas.
The regrouped Ravenclaw students eagerly made their way to the lakeshore. The colossal castle shimmered, perfectly mirrored in the still water of the Black Lake. Colourful lanterns adorned the surrounding trees, many magically suspended in mid-air. Long tables, arranged in a large U-shape on the lakeside lawn, were draped with pale blue cloth, laden with ample food and drinks for the students to enjoy.
Elegant white Roman-style chairs were scattered across the grass, their long sashes fluttering gently in the magically warmed breeze. Some students gathered around crackling bonfires, others strolled in small groups along the water's edge, and still others set off bright, loud fireworks in the distance, illuminating the night sky and their cheerful, relieved faces. The surprise lack of cold confirmed Professor Flitwick had indeed cast extensive temperature-regulating charms over the entire area.
Allen even spotted Lady Grey gliding through the festivities. Her expression was aloof, as always, but she floated gracefully among the flowing scarves and dancing lights, seemingly immersed in the beautiful atmosphere of the party. Allen suddenly remembered their recent conversation and the empty common room he had just left. The statue of Rowena Ravenclaw was clearly unguarded.
A plan instantly formed.
He arrived at the edge of the banquet area, retreated into the shadows of a large oak tree, cast a flawless Disillusionment Charm upon himself, and slipped away, running with practiced stealth back toward the castle and the Ravenclaw Tower. Allen quickly checked the common room to confirm it was deserted before swiftly approaching the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Although he had already deduced that the statue was hollow, he began a meticulous, angular examination, finding no obvious seams or openings. He even knelt at the founder's feet, peering intently up under her marble skirt, finding nothing but solid stone.
Frustrated, Allen stood up and carefully considered the statue's head once more. Rowena Ravenclaw's long, intricately curled hair was carved in a beautiful, sweeping arc at the top of her head. The arc looked strangely familiar; he recalled Lady Grey's translucent form and their discussion.
Then, it clicked: he remembered the description of the Ravenclaw Diadem. Allen mentally slapped his forehead. That arc was the exact negative space where a crown would perfectly rest! The entire top of the statue was designed to cradle the Diadem, making the two objects appear as one seamless piece when assembled.
This meant the next step was to retrieve the actual Diadem.
Allen knew exactly where the artifact was located. The Ravenclaw Diadem was currently sequestered deep within the Room of Requirement, having been transfigured into a Horcrux by the Dark Lord. He vaguely recalled it being hidden on the bust of a dilapidated, ugly old wizard, but he wasn't certain if the corrupted artifact was capable of opening the statue compartment.
After quickly reinforcing his Disillusionment Charm, Allen ran with confident ease to the castle's eighth floor. He paused before the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy and the idiotic trolls, held his breath, cleared his mind of everything except a singular, simple thought: "I need a place to hide things." He repeated the phrase silently three times, and the entrance to the Room of Requirement shimmered into existence.
Allen stepped inside. The room stretched out before him—a colossal cathedral of discarded, forgotten relics: towering mountains of battered furniture, shattered vials, tattered old textbooks, strangely shaped robes, and thousands upon thousands of odd, unusual objects. He nodded with satisfaction, making a mental note that perhaps he should return during the holidays to explore the possibility of salvaging less dangerous, profitable items for pocket money…
A strange, familiar odor suddenly reached him. Allen finally traced the stench—it was the metallic, foul scent of the Mountain Troll, emanating from the slightly ajar door of a massive, antique wardrobe. Allen raised his wand, walked slowly toward the wardrobe, and cautiously opened the door with his left hand.
Allen's expression instantly twisted into one of profound surprise. Inside the wardrobe, suspended in a pale, viscous embalming fluid, was the perfectly preserved specimen of the dead Mountain Troll. Even the wooden club it had been carrying was floating beside it! Who had managed to reduce that massive beast to a specimen and preserve it so quickly? And in an embalming potion, no less?
Determined to find the crown and leave before the mysterious collector returned, Allen sped up his search.
He soon spotted it: the statue of an old, pockmarked wizard with dirty, worn hair and a tarnished, ancient-looking crown sitting atop its head. That was the one! Allen rushed over, locking down his mind with the full force of his Occlumency to prevent the crown, now a Horcrux, from mentally interfering with him. Then, using his wand like a crane, he carefully Levitated the Diadem into the air and deposited it directly into his system's spatial storage compartment.
[A fragment of a broken soul has been detected. System alert: creatures containing a soul cannot be stored in the System's Inventory. Are you certain you wish to proceed with the storage request?]
The System, which had been silent since issuing his last mandatory quest, spoke in his mind.
"Excuse me, what exactly will happen if I insist on storing it?" Allen asked internally, intensely curious. He had a vague, exciting prediction: either the item would simply be rejected, or the shattered soul fragments left by the Dark Lord when creating the Horcrux would be destroyed.
[If the Host insists on placing a sentient artifact or a living creature, the System will immediately separate the Soul-Binding Artifact fragments and convert them into pure energy, which the System can then absorb and utilize. However, the Host will receive no standard reward for the energy obtained through this process. Note: only living creatures incapable of strong mental resistance can be successfully stored in the Inventory.] The System's ethereal voice was utterly devoid of emotion.
This is better than destroying it by conventional means! Allen thought, a thrill running through him. The system could purify the artifact into raw power without the dramatic confrontation or the risk of magical backlash.
"Yes, I insist. Store the item now."