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**Chapter 143: Young Runtu and the Cha**
July 14, 2022 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
The bandages William had used to restrain the Prisoner were easily untied by Dumbledore. The unconscious Ginny was picked up by Mrs. Weasley, and the red-headed family soon bustled out of William's office.
Although everyone present was filled with curiosity about the Diadem, Dumbledore remained silent, staring at it, and the atmosphere in the office quickly grew heavy.
"Severus," Dumbledore, who had been observing intently, suddenly broke the silence in the office with a question, "What do you think of that Memory?"
"I can't see any problems, Dumbledore. Those Memories are too chaotic and fragmented; no one could discern them." Professor Snape, surprisingly, wasn't using his usual disdainful tone at this moment—more precisely, his tone was filled with curiosity.
"Could the Diadem be placed with me? Dumbledore, I'm very curious as to what kind of transformation would cause such a significant change in a legendary artifact."
"Don't even think about it!" Professor Flitwick's voice, usually somewhat sharp even when calm, was now several times shriller. This amiable old Professor glared at Professor Snape, his expression clearly declaring, "If you dare touch this Diadem, we'll have a duel today."
William, however, could completely understand. For a House with a thousand years of legacy, encountering a Ravenclaw relic for the first time—if Professor Flitwick, as the Head of House, were to let it be placed on the Slytherin Head of House's desk, he wouldn't even need letters from graduated alumni; Professor Flitwick himself would be utterly mortified.
Dumbledore, however, didn't respond to Professor Snape's suggestion. Instead, he gently addressed someone William would never have imagined: "Grey Lady, although the notebooks of successive Headmasters have warned their successors not to disturb you casually, today I must presume to bother you—this Diadem, is it truly Madam Ravenclaw's personal possession?"
'Do not disturb casually'—could this Grey Lady have been Madam Ravenclaw's maid or attendant from back then?
"There's such a rule?" The ghost lady, who had been nonchalant since entering, finally perked up. She floated towards Dumbledore and stared fixedly at him.
"Yes, of course," Dumbledore replied with a gentle gaze, "The notebooks of successive Headmasters all clearly document this point."
"If that's the case, then my answer is—" The proud ghost raised her head and glanced at the Diadem, "Yes, it is. Although I don't know why it's here, there's no doubt that this is the Diadem I stole back then."
*The Diadem I stole!* This sentence exploded like thunder in William's ears—*What do you mean, 'the Diadem I stole'? Are you like Mundungus, unwilling to do anything that involves basic human decency? Is theft something to be proud of?*
This explosive news not only startled William but also everyone else present—including Dumbledore.
It was the first time William had seen such a surprised expression on the white-bearded Headmaster; his glasses were even a bit askew, as if he had heard a horror story.
"Grey Lady, you stole the Diadem? Madam Ravenclaw's Diadem?" Professor Flitwick's sharp voice once again filled the entire office. Clearly, as the Ravenclaw Head of House, it was his first time encountering such a huge piece of gossip concerning his own house.
This tone, filled with condemnation and complaint, infuriated the ghost.
"Don't talk to me in that tone," the Grey Lady's voice was filled with agitation. "That's my mother's Diadem; it was rightfully meant to be passed down to me!"
The new piece of gossip was too overwhelming; William was completely dumbfounded.
"Mother?" Professor Flitwick's voice once again silenced everyone.
"Of course," the Grey Lady's voice stiffened—she seemed to realize she had revealed many things she shouldn't have. "Of course, my mother, when I was alive, I was Helena Ravenclaw."
William couldn't help but look towards Professor Flitwick—*Although I know Hogwarts was established a thousand years ago, with a long history and continuous tradition, it's a bit much that even your Ravenclaw House's ghosts date back to the school's founding.*
Hit by a string of bombshell gossip, he now had no capacity for thought. *Anyway, there are plenty of tall people in the room; let them do the thinking.*
"I think I understand now," the Headmaster said, adjusting his slightly askew glasses and looking at Helena Ravenclaw. "So, Grey Lady, where did you hide the Diadem before? In the school's castle?"
"Of course not, in a forest in Albania, but it was clearly useless," Helena Ravenclaw replied with a puffed-up tone, glancing at the Diadem on the desk. "It's appeared in this castle again."
"So, did you tell anyone else its hiding place?"
Even in front of Dumbledore, the ghost still showed a scornful expression—"Which generation of students didn't covet the legendary Diadem? They knew nothing, yet they tried to ask me about the Diadem or such things..."
The ghost gently shook her head, "It's true that the Diadem would grant them extraordinary wisdom, but those foolish students only thought about using it to get good grades..."
This was indeed the sort of foolishness students often engaged in—William, having barely digested some of the gossip, could finally process information normally.
Ravenclaw's daughter—if she came to the castle after she died, then her proud tone was completely understandable. This wasn't because of her noble birth or anything, but because this ghost might have witnessed the youthful embarrassments of the ancestors of everyone present, generation after generation, including Dumbledore...
*'Hmm, this is a good way to inquire about gossip. Who knows, there might even be some valuable spells buried by history or something. I really should attend that Halloween Feast the Fat Friar arranged for me, even though the Rooster Incident has already been resolved.'*
William mused to himself, frantically warning himself not to snoop around carelessly—*'Heaven knows which ghost has seen embarrassing incidents of Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall; if I were to dig those up, how would I ever survive in this castle?!'*
"You've been laughing, you new swindler professor! What are you laughing at?" As William's mind was wandering, the ghost named Helena Ravenclaw began yelling exasperatedly.
*A new swindler professor? Which one?* William was startled for a moment, then his gaze swept across the room.
Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, the Grey Lady—and himself.
Without a doubt, he was the new professor.
"Me?" William asked in a questioning tone.
"Who else could it be? You've been laughing from the start! You're mocking me, aren't you?" She swiftly flew in front of William, then pointed a finger at him, "You're mocking me!"
"No, no!" William rapidly shook his head. He wasn't taking the blame for this.
"Another lie! You've been lying since the start of school, and you still are!"
(end of chapter)
July 14, 2022 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
The bandages William had used to restrain the Prisoner were easily untied by Dumbledore. The unconscious Ginny was picked up by Mrs. Weasley, and the red-headed family soon bustled out of William's office.
Although everyone present was filled with curiosity about the Diadem, Dumbledore remained silent, staring at it, and the atmosphere in the office quickly grew heavy.
"Severus," Dumbledore, who had been observing intently, suddenly broke the silence in the office with a question, "What do you think of that Memory?"
"I can't see any problems, Dumbledore. Those Memories are too chaotic and fragmented; no one could discern them." Professor Snape, surprisingly, wasn't using his usual disdainful tone at this moment—more precisely, his tone was filled with curiosity.
"Could the Diadem be placed with me? Dumbledore, I'm very curious as to what kind of transformation would cause such a significant change in a legendary artifact."
"Don't even think about it!" Professor Flitwick's voice, usually somewhat sharp even when calm, was now several times shriller. This amiable old Professor glared at Professor Snape, his expression clearly declaring, "If you dare touch this Diadem, we'll have a duel today."
William, however, could completely understand. For a House with a thousand years of legacy, encountering a Ravenclaw relic for the first time—if Professor Flitwick, as the Head of House, were to let it be placed on the Slytherin Head of House's desk, he wouldn't even need letters from graduated alumni; Professor Flitwick himself would be utterly mortified.
Dumbledore, however, didn't respond to Professor Snape's suggestion. Instead, he gently addressed someone William would never have imagined: "Grey Lady, although the notebooks of successive Headmasters have warned their successors not to disturb you casually, today I must presume to bother you—this Diadem, is it truly Madam Ravenclaw's personal possession?"
'Do not disturb casually'—could this Grey Lady have been Madam Ravenclaw's maid or attendant from back then?
"There's such a rule?" The ghost lady, who had been nonchalant since entering, finally perked up. She floated towards Dumbledore and stared fixedly at him.
"Yes, of course," Dumbledore replied with a gentle gaze, "The notebooks of successive Headmasters all clearly document this point."
"If that's the case, then my answer is—" The proud ghost raised her head and glanced at the Diadem, "Yes, it is. Although I don't know why it's here, there's no doubt that this is the Diadem I stole back then."
*The Diadem I stole!* This sentence exploded like thunder in William's ears—*What do you mean, 'the Diadem I stole'? Are you like Mundungus, unwilling to do anything that involves basic human decency? Is theft something to be proud of?*
This explosive news not only startled William but also everyone else present—including Dumbledore.
It was the first time William had seen such a surprised expression on the white-bearded Headmaster; his glasses were even a bit askew, as if he had heard a horror story.
"Grey Lady, you stole the Diadem? Madam Ravenclaw's Diadem?" Professor Flitwick's sharp voice once again filled the entire office. Clearly, as the Ravenclaw Head of House, it was his first time encountering such a huge piece of gossip concerning his own house.
This tone, filled with condemnation and complaint, infuriated the ghost.
"Don't talk to me in that tone," the Grey Lady's voice was filled with agitation. "That's my mother's Diadem; it was rightfully meant to be passed down to me!"
The new piece of gossip was too overwhelming; William was completely dumbfounded.
"Mother?" Professor Flitwick's voice once again silenced everyone.
"Of course," the Grey Lady's voice stiffened—she seemed to realize she had revealed many things she shouldn't have. "Of course, my mother, when I was alive, I was Helena Ravenclaw."
William couldn't help but look towards Professor Flitwick—*Although I know Hogwarts was established a thousand years ago, with a long history and continuous tradition, it's a bit much that even your Ravenclaw House's ghosts date back to the school's founding.*
Hit by a string of bombshell gossip, he now had no capacity for thought. *Anyway, there are plenty of tall people in the room; let them do the thinking.*
"I think I understand now," the Headmaster said, adjusting his slightly askew glasses and looking at Helena Ravenclaw. "So, Grey Lady, where did you hide the Diadem before? In the school's castle?"
"Of course not, in a forest in Albania, but it was clearly useless," Helena Ravenclaw replied with a puffed-up tone, glancing at the Diadem on the desk. "It's appeared in this castle again."
"So, did you tell anyone else its hiding place?"
Even in front of Dumbledore, the ghost still showed a scornful expression—"Which generation of students didn't covet the legendary Diadem? They knew nothing, yet they tried to ask me about the Diadem or such things..."
The ghost gently shook her head, "It's true that the Diadem would grant them extraordinary wisdom, but those foolish students only thought about using it to get good grades..."
This was indeed the sort of foolishness students often engaged in—William, having barely digested some of the gossip, could finally process information normally.
Ravenclaw's daughter—if she came to the castle after she died, then her proud tone was completely understandable. This wasn't because of her noble birth or anything, but because this ghost might have witnessed the youthful embarrassments of the ancestors of everyone present, generation after generation, including Dumbledore...
*'Hmm, this is a good way to inquire about gossip. Who knows, there might even be some valuable spells buried by history or something. I really should attend that Halloween Feast the Fat Friar arranged for me, even though the Rooster Incident has already been resolved.'*
William mused to himself, frantically warning himself not to snoop around carelessly—*'Heaven knows which ghost has seen embarrassing incidents of Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall; if I were to dig those up, how would I ever survive in this castle?!'*
"You've been laughing, you new swindler professor! What are you laughing at?" As William's mind was wandering, the ghost named Helena Ravenclaw began yelling exasperatedly.
*A new swindler professor? Which one?* William was startled for a moment, then his gaze swept across the room.
Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, the Grey Lady—and himself.
Without a doubt, he was the new professor.
"Me?" William asked in a questioning tone.
"Who else could it be? You've been laughing from the start! You're mocking me, aren't you?" She swiftly flew in front of William, then pointed a finger at him, "You're mocking me!"
"No, no!" William rapidly shook his head. He wasn't taking the blame for this.
"Another lie! You've been lying since the start of school, and you still are!"
(end of chapter)
