Chapter 118 - The Room of Requirement

After Helena refused once more, the Bloody Baron killed her, then took his own life.

That is why the Bloody Baron wears chains.

"What use is that?" Praeris looked up at Helena. "Did his repentance change anything? Did his chains give you — or the people who loved you, the people you loved — any recompense at all?"

Helena was stunned. She had always thought the Bloody Baron's state was what he deserved. But this was the first time anyone had asked her what use the Bloody Baron's repentance actually was.

"You're right. It's no use at all," Helena said. "To me, it's nothing more than a clumsy performance."

She was already dead. That could not be changed.

The Bloody Baron's repentance could only comfort one thing, his own conscience.

At this moment, Praeris did not know that her uncle Snape was doing the same thing as the Bloody Baron: redeeming his soul through repentance.

Across a thousand years, these two men of considerable influence in Slytherin had committed the same sin, causing the death of the one they loved.

Except one did it deliberately, the other unintentionally.

Except one did it directly, the other indirectly.

As if fate were playing a joke on Slytherin.

What did Snape's repentance have to do with Lily?

Nothing at all.

Repentance could not redeem Lily, who was already dead. The only thing it could redeem was his own soul.

Perhaps Snape knew this too, which was why he willingly protected the child Lily had left behind with his mortal enemy.

"In any case," Helena said softly, "that was the last time I saw the diadem. I placed it in a hollow tree in Albania."

"Albania..."

Praeris searched her memory.

Professor Quirrell had encountered Voldemort in the forests of Albania, been beguiled by him, and become his servant.

Which meant a part of Voldemort had once hidden in Albania, and had the opportunity to come into contact with the diadem.

But if he did not know it was Ravenclaw's diadem, he would not necessarily have made it into a Horcrux.

It is our tradition for Ravenclaw ghosts to engage in romance with students.

Moaning Myrtle's light, breezy voice suddenly sprang up.

Myrtle had been killed by Voldemort, and during her time at school Voldemort was still a student.

There were not many ghosts from Ravenclaw. Within Praeris's knowledge, there were only two.

"Miss Helena," Praeris asked softly, "I am not the first student to know this, am I?"

Helena nodded hesitantly. "There was one other person... I don't know... I think he understood me very well, and was very good at pleasing me... But after I told him about the diadem, he never came back to visit me again."

Praeris suddenly felt a bit guilty.

If ghostly romance was a Ravenclaw tradition, then was Slytherin's tradition tricking Ravenclaw's ghosts?

3 years ago, to find clues about the Chamber of Secrets, Praeris had told lie after lie to gain Myrtle's trust.

Back then, survival crises weighed heavily on her. She did not know her relationship with Professor Snape, nor did she know that Dumbledore had long ago arranged an additional guardian for her.

Miss Helena, rather than worrying about me being deceived by Slytherin boys, you should worry about me deceiving others.

Praeris comforted herself, but you really did become friends with Myrtle, didn't you? If not for you, Myrtle would still be crying now.

"I am sorry," Praeris said.

Helena shook her head. "What does that have to do with you? It is simply that we are always too quick to give our trust."

Helena was like that, and so was her mother Ravenclaw.

Confirming the diadem was a Horcrux was not the end. The real question was: where exactly was the diadem?

"Thank you, Miss Helena." Praeris bowed to Helena. "I believe I have gotten the information I needed."

Helena said, "No need to thank me. Perhaps I simply hope that you can reunite with your family."

Helena was not without regret for her own willfulness. It was just that what had happened could no longer be changed.

When she had returned to Hogwarts, her mother had already died of illness.

After becoming a ghost, she had lingered in the high tower of Ravenclaw, lingering in the place where her mother had poured out her heart's devotion.

Praeris walked out of the washroom.

On Christmas Eve night, the snow absorbed every faint sound. Everywhere was utterly silent.

"She is perfectly fine," Snape said icily. "So long as you do not concern yourself with her, she will continue to be perfectly fine."

Winnie fell silent. She could not deny this.

Just as Voldemort had mocked her when he said: My timid and pitiful student, love is poison. Your love is the poison that kills people!

Back then, Voldemort had failed to become the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so he played the professor to his heart's content on Winnie.

He wanted Winnie to be intelligent but not foolish, yet also obedient and easy to control. He wanted Winnie to be loyal and never betray him, yet he never offered her a shred of respect.

Frankly, he wanted his student to be a cross between a border collie and a wolf. He wanted the border collie's loyalty and intelligence, and the wolf's ferocity.

He also wanted to use Winnie to prove to Dumbledore that Dumbledore had misjudged him, that not letting him be a Hogwarts professor was Dumbledore's poor discernment.

Winnie's betrayal was like a resounding slap, as if Dumbledore's mockery of Voldemort: See, even the student you personally trained is not loyal to you!

It was not that Voldemort did not want to kill Winnie, but killing Winnie would be admitting defeat to Dumbledore, admitting he was unworthy.

Dumbledore had students loyal to him, Newt Scamander and Harry Potter. And what about Voldemort's student? She defected to Dumbledore's side without a moment's hesitation!

After her return, Winnie became the anti-You-Know-Who among the Death Eaters. Everyone knew her, everyone looked down on her, but no one actively provoked her, except Lady Burstow, who was jealous of her.

"You are right. My love is indeed poisonous," Winnie said with a bitter smile.

She composed herself and said to Snape, "That night you asked about — Nagini, the snake my teacher keeps, did come back from outside and did not eat dinner. I think she ate something else."

Something like Arthur Weasley's blood.

"He wants me to win over the Americans." Winnie swallowed. "I made an excuse to stall, but sooner or later he will make me contact the Smith sisters again."

"Contact them. Express your submission to him," Snape said calmly. "Charlotte Smith has already boarded a ship at Southampton and will arrive in New York tonight."

If she hurried, she could still make it to her sister Elizabeth's Christmas dinner.

In other words, Dumbledore had already informed Ms. Smith of Winnie's situation.

Before the war ended, no matter how earnestly worded a letter Winnie wrote, Ms. Smith would not set foot on European soil again.

Of the Smith sisters, the elder Elizabeth was the current Deputy Headmistress of Ilvermorny.

The younger Charlotte had once been the MACUSA representative to the International Confederation of Wizards, former Head of Ilvermorny's Horned Serpent House, a renowned Charms master in America, and the author of Ilvermorny's Charms textbook.

If Charlotte were to turn to Voldemort, it would entangle the vast network of connections behind her.

Dumbledore had long been prepared and would never let Voldemort reap that advantage.

The words had been spoken. Snape turned to leave.

Winnie hurriedly turned and said to him, "Could you —"

Could you pass a message to Praeris for me.

"No," Snape said coldly. "If you yourself hesitate, then do not speak it aloud."

Snape turned and departed, his billowing cloak like black storm clouds, carrying away Winnie's faint hope.

Fine. Now, she was on her own.

Winnie reached out and put on her black formal hat, turned, and walked the road she did not want to walk. She had to write Lottie a false, fawning, exaggerated invitation letter.

Hogwarts. Day broke.

Though it was the holidays, Praeris still rose early.

She crouched at the head of her bed and inventoried the Christmas gifts she had received.

Among the gifts at the head of her bed, there were some names that had not been there before, and some names that had been there before were missing. There were no gifts from Winnie, Lady Puli, or Professor Snape.

Praeris ate breakfast in a daze, then sat in the rocking chair and rocked for an hour, trying to rock out Voldemort's logic for hiding things.

By near noon, she still had not rocked her way to clarity, and finally decided to finish all her homework today.

Ultimately, the answers came down to only three: Voldemort carried it with him, entrusted it to one of Voldemort's trusted followers, like the diary, which Potter said Mr. Malfoy had planted, or placed it at Hogwarts. The most dangerous place was the safest place.

But over all these years, no Hogwarts student had ever found the diadem, which meant the hiding place was sufficiently concealed.

Around 3 in the afternoon, Praeris finished all her holiday homework and began tidying the piles and rolls of assignments and books.

THWACK!

From the parchment scroll of her Potions homework, a long strip of wrapping paper with something inside slipped out.

Praeris shook it. The wrapping paper made no sound at all, there was no empty space inside. Praeris squeezed it. Very hard, very solid.

Praeris immediately drew her wand and placed it within easy reach, ready for any eventuality.

Everything prepared, Praeris unwrapped it.

When she opened the wrapping paper, Praeris froze completely. The entire strip of wrapping paper was packed with Galleons, crammed full.

Praeris instantly realized what this was. She quickly flipped to the inside of the wrapping paper. On the paper, in flowing script, was written:

To Miss Prince,

May you have a happy Christmas.

The Half-Blood Prince

Ha! Praeris nearly laughed aloud.

What a plain and unoriginal gift!

You didn't change a single letter!

Praeris raised her wand, ignited the wrapping paper, and watched it disappear into the flames.

The professor would give her a next Christmas gift, a next next Christmas gift, a next next next Christmas gift.

She would also receive a next Christmas card, a next next Christmas card, a next next next Christmas card.

For a moment's attachment, leaving behind a piece of wrapping paper that could expose a secret, that would be the most foolish thing.

She had already remembered it.

She stored this year's card in her memory palace, and stored the emotion of the moment she received the gift in the emotional pocket watch Draco had given her.

The flames burned the physical wrapping paper, but it was never truly destroyed.

Praeris hummed a tune and walked lightly out of the dormitory.

She was going to find the place where the mysterious man hid things.

The first two hiding possibilities were ones Praeris could not interfere with. Only the last possibility was one she had a chance to affect.

Praeris resolved to try, within Hogwarts, to hide something using the mysterious man's logic.

A two-pronged plan. If she still had not found Ravenclaw's diadem by the end of the holidays, that would mean the diadem was never hidden at Hogwarts at all. At that point, she would hand the clues to Dumbledore and let Dumbledore search.

A hiding place... where no one could ever find it...

It would have to be a place ordinary students could not reach, and a place professors and the caretaker could not reach either.

It would not be in any student dormitory, Voldemort could not enter other house dormitories, nor would it be in the Slytherin dormitory. She knew that place far too well.

It would not be in any classroom or office, or a professor might discover it.

Even less would it be in any washroom, including the Prefects' Bathroom and Myrtle's washroom, which was also the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and the Chamber itself.

Voldemort would not be stupid enough to put all his eggs in one basket.

Nor would it be in the Great Hall or the Owlery. First, it did not suit Voldemort's character. Second, there was the risk of being cleaned out by house-elves.

Praeris finally deduced two sufficiently concealed places: the tunnel behind the statue of the One-Eyed Witch, and the place where the DA trained, the Room of Requirement.

The former she eventually ruled out as well.

Potter had traveled back and forth between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade many times. If the diadem were in that pitch-black tunnel, it would have been impossible not to discover it.

Even so, for thoroughness, Praeris still went and crawled through the tunnel once.

"Dissendium!"

To retrieve the Invisibility Cloak and rescue Buckbeak, Hermione had once demonstrated in front of her how to enter the tunnel behind the One-Eyed Witch.

She spent an hour conducting a carpet search of the tunnel. Other than getting covered in dust, she found nothing.

Only one target remained, the Room of Requirement.

Hermione had once said: We walk back and forth 3 times across from the web of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls, silently concentrating on the room we need.

What would Voldemort think?

Inspiration flashed in Praeris's mind. I need a place to hide things, a place no one else can find?

No, too many qualifiers.

Praeris adjusted the wording.

I need a place to hide things.

I need a place to hide things.

I need a place to hide things.

Before Praeris, a door appeared.

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!

The moment Praeris pushed open the door, she was violently choked by the dust inside.

Waving away the dust, the room revealed its true appearance: a junk room piled high with heaps of miscellaneous objects.

Desks missing legs, filthy carpets, broken cabinets, unfinished homework — Potions homework at that, empty bottles, Quidditch bats, dust-covered textbooks...

➤ Next: The Diadem