Slytherins were somewhat more reserved in their approach to each other. They were unlikely to quickly engage in animated discussion. The usual approach was a polite smile, an introduction, and a handshake.
Life in Slytherin was a calculated exercise in social positioning. Slytherins routinely judged each other by their surnames and the firmness of their handshakes. In the future, they would rank each other by comparing their magical prowess, estimating their usefulness, much as in his past life.
Draco exchanged pleasantries, reacquainting himself with his former Slytherin classmates. However, once no one was observing him, Draco's smile faded. His thoughts gradually shifted to something else: sitting beside him was Slytherin's resident ghost, the Bloody Baron.
To most of his classmates at Hogwarts, the Bloody Baron was a terrifying specter, with hollow eyes, a gaunt face, and silver bloodstains on his robes. But to Draco, it was a perfect opportunity for communication.
"Greetings, Baron," Draco chose his words carefully. The Bloody Baron stared at him with dull eyes and ignored him.
Marcus Flint, a fifth-year student sitting across from him, was amused by Draco's tentative expression. He shrugged and decided to advise the confused young master of the Malfoy family: "Give it up. He is always like this. Most of the time he is not quite lucid. Even when he is, I have never seen him acknowledge any students."
"Baron, how many consecutive years has Slytherin won the House Cup?" Draco smiled faintly at Flint and did not abandon his attempt to converse with the Bloody Baron.
To the Slytherins' surprise, the Baron turned his haggard face toward Draco, his hollow eyes seemed to blink, and he croaked, "Six consecutive championships."
Flint raised an eyebrow at Draco.
Slytherin had always respected the capable, a respect not based on age but on various abilities.
Malfoy, a first-year, had actually made the Bloody Baron speak immediately. This was an unusual accomplishment and impressed Flint.
For Draco, gaining Flint's attention early was a pleasant surprise. Flint had always been arrogant and dismissive of others. Earning the respect of a Slytherin Quidditch captain was not as simple as purchasing it with gold or donating a few broomsticks.
Draco knew when to stop and did not continue chatting with the Baron. He began to concentrate on a piece of steaming steak that had just been served.
As for the Baron, Draco planned to proceed slowly.
The Bloody Baron was not a ghost who spoke easily to anyone, and this single sentence was enough to impress everyone.
Gaining the Baron's trust was a lengthy process. Having been reborn, Draco possessed patience in abundance. Only by gradually earning the Baron's trust could he obtain the information he sought.
What he wanted was information about the Diadem of Ravenclaw.
In the month since his rebirth, Draco had pondered this extensively, and made certain assumptions based on numerous fragments of information and memories. Was the diadem that Potter had seized in the Room of Requirement the Diadem of Ravenclaw that had been missing for many years?
If this assumption was correct, then this mysterious diadem became something that both the Dark Lord and Potter cared about deeply.
The importance of this diadem was too significant for him to ignore.
Draco knew where it was, but was in no hurry to retrieve it.
Before understanding the situation, a Malfoy would not act rashly or recklessly, placing himself in unnecessary danger. This was also the principle that Slytherins believed in.
The diadem was strange and might contain powerful and dangerous Dark magic, so it must not be touched carelessly. Furthermore, it had remained peacefully in the Room of Requirement until his seventh year, so Draco was not concerned about it disappearing elsewhere.
In order to determine whether his hypothesis was correct and what the purpose of this diadem was, he had to find the right person, extract the right information, and obtain more knowledge.
The Diadem of Ravenclaw had been lost for ages. He pondered for some time and decided to begin with the ghosts, which had to include the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady.
If anyone in the world knew anything about the long-lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, it was none other than Helena, daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Judging from the timeline, Helena might still have been alive when the diadem disappeared.
Draco knew that the Grey Lady's real name was Helena Ravenclaw, but she simply did not like being called that.
The easiest method was to ask the Grey Lady about the diadem directly. However, the Grey Lady was extremely shy and hid when she saw people. If he could not offer something that would impress her, he would have no opportunity to communicate with her.
Draco thought he could only take an indirect approach and first break through the Baron's defenses, as he had some connection with the Grey Lady. Although the Baron was quiet, he was not timid, so there was still hope for successful dialogue.
Draco had learned about the troubled history between the Baron and the Grey Lady by chance.
The Baron loved to drift through the Astronomy Tower. Draco remembered that he had passed the Baron in the Astronomy Tower on that terrible night when Dumbledore was murdered.
At that time, the Baron had looked haggard, muttering a name in anguish: "Helena..."
The three tallest towers at Hogwarts were Ravenclaw Tower, the Astronomy Tower, and Gryffindor Tower. The common feature of these three towers was their expansive view.
If a Hogwarts student had ever been to the Astronomy Tower, they would probably notice that the building visible from there was Ravenclaw Tower.
Ravenclaw Tower happened to be the favorite place for the ghostly Grey Lady to frequent.
During these years at Hogwarts, few people mentioned the cause of death of the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady, and why they had become the ghosts of Hogwarts.
However, Draco knew that only those wizards who had not relinquished their obsession would become Hogwarts ghosts. Over the centuries, only a handful of wizards had chosen to exist in the world as ghosts, because doing so would not bring them true contentment, but would instead lead to tremendous suffering.
It was more like a form of imprisonment than a form of existence. As Draco followed the well-fed students back to the Slytherin common room beneath the lake, he continued to ponder. They must have a story.
What exactly had occurred between them?
These two reticent ghosts were each more withdrawn than the other and neither of them liked to speak, which meant the students of Hogwarts only had a vague understanding of their stories. No one had ever comprehended them in detail, thoroughly and specifically.
But Draco could make some deductions. For a long time, the Bloody Baron had gazed at the Grey Lady, Helena Ravenclaw, from the Astronomy Tower with anguish. It was either profound hatred or profound love.
Or perhaps, both?
Was the blood on the Baron's robes his own or someone else's?
There was total silence at the bottom of the Black Lake, and the famous Giant Squid drifted into deep sleep.
Lying on the four-poster bed in the Slytherin dormitory, with the sound of gentle waves lapping against the window, Draco gazed at the silver lamps hanging from the ceiling and made all manner of drowsy speculations about the relationship between the Bloody Baron, Helena Ravenclaw and the Diadem of Ravenclaw, until he fell into a deep sleep.