Karl gently waved his wand, and the wildly burning Fiendfyre vanished.
He looked at the shattered diadem, then turned to gaze at the ghost that had been hidden in the sea of fire.
Her long hair reached her waist, her robes touched the ground, and her exquisite face no longer held its former arrogance; instead, it was filled with nostalgia, guilt, regret, and relief.
Karl waited for a while before speaking, giving her enough time to reminisce.
"Madam Helena Ravenclaw, I have fulfilled my promise; now it's your turn."
Nina had recently become friends with Helena and introduced Karl to her.
However, Helena was willing to chat about other topics, but whenever the conversation turned to the past events of Hogwarts, she would become silent.
So yesterday, Karl told her that he had found ravenclaw's diadem, but unfortunately, the diadem had been defiled, occupied by an evil and sinful soul.
Helena, in shock, confessed her past foolish betrayal and how Lord Voldemort had deceived her, pleading with Karl to reclaim or destroy the diadem.
Karl then took the opportunity to make a deal with her, hoping Helena could tell him some of Hogwarts's past secrets.
"Mr. Orolyn, thank you."
"No need to be so polite, Helena. I think after this, we should be friends."
"Of course, if you, like Nina, don't mind being friends with a useless ghost."
Witnessing the diadem's destruction made Helena's emotions unstable, as it held special significance for her.
"Karl, I thought you would consider Lord Voldemort's words," Helena's face flashed with disgust at the mention of the name, "after all, it was a treasure that could bestow wisdom, and I was once one of the many who coveted the diadem."
Karl shook his head regretfully, "Actually, I also wanted the diadem, but there was no way to have both."
"Compared to the wisdom bestowed by the diadem, eliminating Lord Voldemort's soul is more appealing."
"That guy is still too dangerous. Even if he loses his powerful strength, his ability to manipulate people's hearts remains."
Thinking of how Lord Voldemort's sweet words had once misled her, Helena sighed deeply.
"Karl, what do you want to know? I will tell you everything I know."
Great! This is what I've been waiting for!
"Helena, does Hogwarts Castle have a magic Core?"
"Hmm, it should have, and this was the consensus of everyone back then."
At this point, Helena looked a bit embarrassed, "But I was young then and only knew how to play, so I wasn't clear about where the Castle's magic Core was."
Karl: ...
Alright, it's not a complete loss; at least the target's existence has been confirmed.
"Madam Rowena recorded in her manuscript that a Wizard who called himself Merlin participated in the construction of Hogwarts Castle. Do you know this person?"
"I do. He looked young, handsome, and very graceful, but Mother, Uncle Godric, and Aunt Helga were all very wary of him and didn't allow me to get close to him."
Karl suppressed the urge to complain, "Besides his appearance, is there any other information?"
"Let me think… Oh, right! He seems to have met Uncle Salazar during his travels in Greece!"
Karl: (⊙o⊙)
Huh? Greece again?
...
Early the next morning, Karl woke up from his sleep and stretched on the bed.
"Chirp~"
Fire Treasure hopped on Karl's chest, happily greeting him.
"Merry Christmas!"
"Yi ya!"
Fire Treasure flew over and rubbed Karl's cheek, then pointed its small hand towards the foot of his bed.
A large pile of packages was stacked there—his Christmas gifts.
"Wow, let's open the gifts together. I hope George and Fred didn't play any pranks."
Karl rolled out of bed and began to inspect the packages.
As expected, the gifts from the Young Wizards were as uncreative as his own.
The candies he unwrapped made Karl's teeth ache; he estimated they would last until next Christmas.
Cedric seemed to be retaliating against Karl's 'killing with words' by sending him a "Flying Skills Handbook."
Like the "Flying Stunt Compendium" sent by Cho, although nominally a gift, it felt full of mockery.
The Weasley Brothers' gift was even more outrageous. What on earth was this big bag of Dungbombs? For fertilizing the greenhouse?
Professor McGonagall and Nina were the most thoughtful; their gifts were much more normal.
Professor McGonagall gave Karl her Transfigurationstudy notes, along with several pairs of shoes that would match his new school uniform.
Nina, on the other hand, prepared several magic Quick-Notes Quills for Karl, so he could easily write stories, which would definitely meet Judy's requirements.
Moreover, Nina's magical creature companions also joined in the fun, providing him with valuable tail feathers, scales, and hair, as well as a miniature bow and arrow set.
Hmm, it felt a bit strange.
The last gift was from Headmaster Dumbledore, and after seeing it, Karl felt a chill down his spine.
It was a handbook personally written by the Principal, containing his learning insights on the Stopping Charm and the General Counter-Spell.
"What's going on? Has my secret learning of the Fiendfyre Curse in the Restricted Section been exposed?"
Karl scratched his head, feeling that this was not a coincidence, but Dumbledore hinting… No, this was a clear indication.
"Forget it! Whatever! I've already learned it anyway, and it seems Old Dumbledore doesn't intend to pursue it."
Karl left the dormitory; the usually lively common room had only one Young Witch in it.
She had a heart-shaped face, dark, sparkling eyes, and striking multi-colored hair.
"Hi! Tonks, Merry Christmas!"
"Hi! Karl! You too."
"Your hair color is great today!"
"Of course! I specifically prepared it for Christmas!"
"Why haven't I seen you lately? I thought you graduated early."
Tonks's expression brightened at the remark, "I participated in a Ministry of Magic-sponsored project."
"What project?"
"It was an experience program for various Ministry of Magic professions. I was assigned to Alastor Moody's Auror office. Do you know this Auror?"
"By reputation."
Karl, of course, knew this famous and highly decorated legendary figure, as the Death Eaters he had captured could fill half of Azkaban's cells.
"Haha! Mr. Moody is really cool! I want to become an Auror after I graduate too!"
Tonks was full of fighting spirit now; she probably couldn't imagine needing three years of training before being able to start work.
"So you're not going home for the holidays, just for the N.E.W.T. exams?"
The N.E.W.T. exams are the ultimate Wizard exams, the academic certification for Hogwarts graduates.
For Tonks to become an Auror, she needed to achieve 'Outstanding' or 'Exceeds Expectations' in five subjects in the exams.
"No way! My grades are quite good; why would I need holiday tutoring?"
Tonks glared at Karl, her expression suddenly a bit sad.
"This is my last Christmas at Hogwarts, so I wanted to stay at school."
Karl nodded, then handed her a handful of candies, "Eat something sweet to feel better."
Tonks chuckled, "Thank you for your comfort. I want to give you some heartfelt advice."
"What?"
"Did you receive any Dungbombs as gifts? Remember, absolutely do not use them to fertilize the plants in the greenhouse."
Karl: (▔,▔)
No way… What kind of decent person would do that?
Tonks smiled brightly, her teeth sparkling white.
"I tried it last year, and then I was confined to the kitchen."
Good, good, good!
Hogwarts really doesn't keep idlers!