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Chapter 144: A Golden Pie from the Sky
July 14, 2022 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Start of school?
William was stunned for a moment, finally remembering what the "Start of School" incident was about—a crazy ghost had bothered him back then. So, it was this one right in front of him?
"I wasn't laughing at you; I was just thinking of something happy."
"What happy thing?"
The ghost named Helena Ravenclaw pursued him relentlessly.
"Once this matter is resolved, I might get a raise."
William quickly concocted a pretext, then shot a pleading look at Professor McGonagall—after a month at Hogwarts, he roughly understood that Dumbledore couldn't be relied upon; the Deputy Headmaster managed the funds.
"Of course," Professor McGonagall nodded, living up to his expectations, then turned to Helena Ravenclaw. "It's quite normal for young Professor Williams, who are a bit tight on funds, to be happy when they encounter something that can get them a raise."
Professor McGonagall played peacemaker—it was like a disciplined teacher encountering a whimsical, childish character; what else could she do but humor the Founder's daughter's ghost? This ghost didn't seem too bright anyway; just humor her and it would be over...
"So, what do you think about me stealing the Diadem?"
Helena Ravenclaw fixed her gaze on William, refusing to let him off the hook.
‘How am I supposed to know? I received Eastern education. How are Western children judged for stealing their parents' wealth? How would I know? Not to mention this is a Magical Society; who knows what's different here!’
"I'm not quite clear on that. I didn't receive Hogwarts education. My teacher taught me a different way of thinking: children stealing from their parents isn't considered theft."
Anyway, that teacher had died in a laboratory accident, so William simply blamed him.
"Of course, correspondingly, parents' discipline of their children needn't be limited by law or regulation. If they make a mistake, appropriate corporal punishment can be used to chastise them. If they hit too hard, others will intervene, but no one will think there's anything wrong with the hitting itself."
"Such an education exists?"
Helena Ravenclaw stared intently at William, her gaze full of suspicion.
"Yes, Eastern education seems to be like that."
Professor Flitwick stepped forward to vouch for William.
"So, what if they hit *really* hard?"
She stared at William.
"If it's not too hard, accept it. If it's too hard, you can just run away."
William answered without hesitation.
"What about murder?"
"Murder is a crime everywhere."
"Professor Flitwick, is what he's saying true?"
Helena Ravenclaw fixed her gaze on Professor Flitwick.
"Of course, I've heard of it, and even researched it."
"So, she was wrong, not me—" She smiled happily, fixing her gaze on William. "You have a deceptive face, but you're not as good at deceiving as him. He was much more understanding than you."
Who is he? And since when did I have a deceptive face?!
But William didn't speak out to provoke this rambling ghost.
"I've watched your class—" the ghost said without much thought, but William quickly realized she was referring to him. "You always seem to teach the students things that aren't in their textbooks, but they listen very happily."
"But now I think I understand; it truly makes people happy." She chuckled and walked towards Dumbledore.
"Professor Albus Dumbledore, am I recorded in the Headmaster's notebooks?"
"Of course," Dumbledore smiled gently.
"Then, should the Diadem belong to me?"
"Without a doubt, Ms. Helena Ravenclaw."
"Last time, I gave it to a student who made me happy, someone named Tom—" She pointed to the broken Diadem. "Now I'm going to give it to this Professor named William. There's no problem, is there?"
"That is your freedom, Miss Helena Ravenclaw."
Dumbledore's expression was full of gentleness, but William, who was in a state of utter shock, felt absolutely nothing.
A secret treasure passed down for a thousand years, the Diadem of Hogwarts's Founder—it was just given to him?
By the time he thought of refusing, he found that the room was already filled with a white glow, emanating from the ghost standing before Dumbledore.
"Oh, and tell Bloody Baron that scoundrel he deserved it!"
Before the last of the glow vanished, the ghost named Helena Ravenclaw spoke her final words.
"This is...?"
William was startled by this change. Can ghosts die too?
"It's worth celebrating," Dumbledore's gaze fell on William. "Miss Helena Ravenclaw has overcome her last fear of death. She has decided to move on instead of lingering at Hogwarts."
"Professor, I don't quite understand."
William candidly admitted his lack of understanding.
"Lady Ravenclaw eventually died due to a serious illness, supposedly from grief. It now seems that Miss Helena Ravenclaw was Lady Ravenclaw's deepest sorrow at the time. Also, due to the guilt of the theft, Miss Helena Ravenclaw also wandered the Castle, not daring to face death," Dumbledore patted William's shoulder. "Quite clearly, your words gave her the courage to face her mother."
"But I only said a few simple words; they were nothing out of the ordinary."
William shook his head, not believing that a thousand years of entanglement could be resolved with just a few sentences.
"Perhaps it was just that one sentence, or perhaps it was just the release of this Diadem. In any case, once the Diadem and your words appeared simultaneously, Miss Helena Ravenclaw's reason for lingering vanished." Dumbledore looked at William, his expression gentle. "I had prepared ample pretexts, but now it seems I'll have to change them."
‘Pretexts?’
William didn't quite grasp it—too much had happened today. Not even his grueling time in Azkaban had prepared him to fully process it all.
"Of course, I originally thought I'd have to persuade Professor Flitwick, but now that Diadem belongs to you." Dumbledore softly reiterated the unbelievable news to William. "I apologize, Professor William, but perhaps we will have to destroy this Diadem."
"Destroy it!"
Before William could react, Professor Flitwick's shriek had already drowned out all other sounds.
"Albus, what kind of joke is this!"
Professor Flitwick was genuinely furious—first, Ravenclaw's Diadem appeared, then Ravenclaw's daughter appeared, and before he could even process the entire event, an unexpected turn occurred: Ravenclaw's daughter's ghost resolved her inner turmoil and decided to accept death, and Ravenclaw's Diadem was given by her to someone not from her own House.
These events were already almost too much for him to accept, and now Dumbledore declared that he wanted to destroy the Diadem!
If it weren't for the authority Dumbledore had accumulated from years as Headmaster, Professor Flitwick would have pulled out his wand and initiated a duel right then and there.
Destroy the Diadem! Is that something a person would say?
"It's too dangerous, you know that, Professor Flitwick. Even Severus Snape couldn't see through the traps on it."
"Then investigate it properly, Albus! If Professor Snape can't figure it out, does that mean you can't either?"
Professor Flitwick glared intently at Dumbledore.
"Professor William?"
"I have no objection," William had recovered by this point—although the Diadem sounded formidable, he had no confidence in dealing with a Diadem that could erase memory and documents like files. Would he just take it and research it himself, instead of letting Dumbledore handle it?
What a joke; he was terrified of having the means to take it but not the life to use it.
When it came to his life, he had absolutely no greed.
(end of chapter)
July 14, 2022 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Start of school?
William was stunned for a moment, finally remembering what the "Start of School" incident was about—a crazy ghost had bothered him back then. So, it was this one right in front of him?
"I wasn't laughing at you; I was just thinking of something happy."
"What happy thing?"
The ghost named Helena Ravenclaw pursued him relentlessly.
"Once this matter is resolved, I might get a raise."
William quickly concocted a pretext, then shot a pleading look at Professor McGonagall—after a month at Hogwarts, he roughly understood that Dumbledore couldn't be relied upon; the Deputy Headmaster managed the funds.
"Of course," Professor McGonagall nodded, living up to his expectations, then turned to Helena Ravenclaw. "It's quite normal for young Professor Williams, who are a bit tight on funds, to be happy when they encounter something that can get them a raise."
Professor McGonagall played peacemaker—it was like a disciplined teacher encountering a whimsical, childish character; what else could she do but humor the Founder's daughter's ghost? This ghost didn't seem too bright anyway; just humor her and it would be over...
"So, what do you think about me stealing the Diadem?"
Helena Ravenclaw fixed her gaze on William, refusing to let him off the hook.
‘How am I supposed to know? I received Eastern education. How are Western children judged for stealing their parents' wealth? How would I know? Not to mention this is a Magical Society; who knows what's different here!’
"I'm not quite clear on that. I didn't receive Hogwarts education. My teacher taught me a different way of thinking: children stealing from their parents isn't considered theft."
Anyway, that teacher had died in a laboratory accident, so William simply blamed him.
"Of course, correspondingly, parents' discipline of their children needn't be limited by law or regulation. If they make a mistake, appropriate corporal punishment can be used to chastise them. If they hit too hard, others will intervene, but no one will think there's anything wrong with the hitting itself."
"Such an education exists?"
Helena Ravenclaw stared intently at William, her gaze full of suspicion.
"Yes, Eastern education seems to be like that."
Professor Flitwick stepped forward to vouch for William.
"So, what if they hit *really* hard?"
She stared at William.
"If it's not too hard, accept it. If it's too hard, you can just run away."
William answered without hesitation.
"What about murder?"
"Murder is a crime everywhere."
"Professor Flitwick, is what he's saying true?"
Helena Ravenclaw fixed her gaze on Professor Flitwick.
"Of course, I've heard of it, and even researched it."
"So, she was wrong, not me—" She smiled happily, fixing her gaze on William. "You have a deceptive face, but you're not as good at deceiving as him. He was much more understanding than you."
Who is he? And since when did I have a deceptive face?!
But William didn't speak out to provoke this rambling ghost.
"I've watched your class—" the ghost said without much thought, but William quickly realized she was referring to him. "You always seem to teach the students things that aren't in their textbooks, but they listen very happily."
"But now I think I understand; it truly makes people happy." She chuckled and walked towards Dumbledore.
"Professor Albus Dumbledore, am I recorded in the Headmaster's notebooks?"
"Of course," Dumbledore smiled gently.
"Then, should the Diadem belong to me?"
"Without a doubt, Ms. Helena Ravenclaw."
"Last time, I gave it to a student who made me happy, someone named Tom—" She pointed to the broken Diadem. "Now I'm going to give it to this Professor named William. There's no problem, is there?"
"That is your freedom, Miss Helena Ravenclaw."
Dumbledore's expression was full of gentleness, but William, who was in a state of utter shock, felt absolutely nothing.
A secret treasure passed down for a thousand years, the Diadem of Hogwarts's Founder—it was just given to him?
By the time he thought of refusing, he found that the room was already filled with a white glow, emanating from the ghost standing before Dumbledore.
"Oh, and tell Bloody Baron that scoundrel he deserved it!"
Before the last of the glow vanished, the ghost named Helena Ravenclaw spoke her final words.
"This is...?"
William was startled by this change. Can ghosts die too?
"It's worth celebrating," Dumbledore's gaze fell on William. "Miss Helena Ravenclaw has overcome her last fear of death. She has decided to move on instead of lingering at Hogwarts."
"Professor, I don't quite understand."
William candidly admitted his lack of understanding.
"Lady Ravenclaw eventually died due to a serious illness, supposedly from grief. It now seems that Miss Helena Ravenclaw was Lady Ravenclaw's deepest sorrow at the time. Also, due to the guilt of the theft, Miss Helena Ravenclaw also wandered the Castle, not daring to face death," Dumbledore patted William's shoulder. "Quite clearly, your words gave her the courage to face her mother."
"But I only said a few simple words; they were nothing out of the ordinary."
William shook his head, not believing that a thousand years of entanglement could be resolved with just a few sentences.
"Perhaps it was just that one sentence, or perhaps it was just the release of this Diadem. In any case, once the Diadem and your words appeared simultaneously, Miss Helena Ravenclaw's reason for lingering vanished." Dumbledore looked at William, his expression gentle. "I had prepared ample pretexts, but now it seems I'll have to change them."
‘Pretexts?’
William didn't quite grasp it—too much had happened today. Not even his grueling time in Azkaban had prepared him to fully process it all.
"Of course, I originally thought I'd have to persuade Professor Flitwick, but now that Diadem belongs to you." Dumbledore softly reiterated the unbelievable news to William. "I apologize, Professor William, but perhaps we will have to destroy this Diadem."
"Destroy it!"
Before William could react, Professor Flitwick's shriek had already drowned out all other sounds.
"Albus, what kind of joke is this!"
Professor Flitwick was genuinely furious—first, Ravenclaw's Diadem appeared, then Ravenclaw's daughter appeared, and before he could even process the entire event, an unexpected turn occurred: Ravenclaw's daughter's ghost resolved her inner turmoil and decided to accept death, and Ravenclaw's Diadem was given by her to someone not from her own House.
These events were already almost too much for him to accept, and now Dumbledore declared that he wanted to destroy the Diadem!
If it weren't for the authority Dumbledore had accumulated from years as Headmaster, Professor Flitwick would have pulled out his wand and initiated a duel right then and there.
Destroy the Diadem! Is that something a person would say?
"It's too dangerous, you know that, Professor Flitwick. Even Severus Snape couldn't see through the traps on it."
"Then investigate it properly, Albus! If Professor Snape can't figure it out, does that mean you can't either?"
Professor Flitwick glared intently at Dumbledore.
"Professor William?"
"I have no objection," William had recovered by this point—although the Diadem sounded formidable, he had no confidence in dealing with a Diadem that could erase memory and documents like files. Would he just take it and research it himself, instead of letting Dumbledore handle it?
What a joke; he was terrified of having the means to take it but not the life to use it.
When it came to his life, he had absolutely no greed.
(end of chapter)
