After leaving Professor Westeros's office, Hermione took a deep breath.
Harry's recommendation was indeed correct—Professor Westeros was even more approachable than she had imagined.
As a student with a strong thirst for knowledge, she often needed to consult professors on various questions. Most professors were very willing to answer her questions.
As for Snape, honestly, she was somewhat afraid of him. In Potions class, Snape always found all sorts of random reasons to deduct points from Harry.
If she were the one being picked on by Snape... Oh, goodness, that would be terrifying.
Hermione couldn't help but shudder.
In the office, Adrian leaned back in his armchair, his gaze absent-mindedly falling on the landscape painting on the opposite wall.
'Wit-Sharpening Potion... wisdom...'
Sometimes, just a small trigger was needed for memories buried deep in the brain to suddenly resurface.
Like an old book whose pages were suddenly flipped open by a gust of wind, those blurred texts became clear again.
When Hermione asked him if the Wit-Sharpening Potion could make a person smarter, something more important surfaced in Adrian's mind.
'Ravenclaw's diadem!'
Unlike the false wisdom brought by the Wit-Sharpening Potion, the legendary diadem personally enchanted by Rowena Ravenclaw was said to truly enhance the wisdom of its wearer.
However now, Ravenclaw's diadem should have been turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort, hidden in... the Room of Requirement.
'Yes, the Room of Requirement.'
As the memories gradually clarified, Adrian finally confirmed the location of Ravenclaw's diadem. This realization excited Adrian immensely.
'Why hadn't I thought of Ravenclaw's diadem before?'
In fact, during his student years, Adrian frequently went to the Room of Requirement; it was very private, and he could do almost anything there without being discovered by others.
But despite entering the Room of Requirement countless times, he never thought about the existence of Ravenclaw's diadem inside.
Ravenclaw's diadem, an artifact that could increase the wearer's wisdom—who could resist such temptation?
At ten o'clock that night, Adrian left his office and headed toward the eighth floor of the castle. Moonlight shone through the high windows, casting dappled shadows on the spiral staircases.
The Room of Requirement was located on the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, opposite a tapestry.
That tapestry was called "Barnabas the Barmy Being Clubbed by Trolls."
It depicted a classic tale in the wizarding world: a man named Barnabas who foolishly attempted to teach trolls ballet and was beaten savagely for it.
When Adrian reached this tapestry, he couldn't help but be drawn to it.
He smiled briefly, then calmed himself and began to focus.
Next to the tapestry, Adrian closed his eyes and paced back and forth, silently thinking: "I need a place to hide something."
After repeating this three times, a smooth door appeared on the wall opposite the tapestry.
Seeing the door, Adrian sighed in relief—it was still the same as before.
Upon entering the Room of Requirement, the scene behind the door made him pause slightly.
It was a vast storage room, filled with all sorts of items, like a giant maze. Broken furniture, rusted armor, old robes, mountains of books...
Over the years, countless students and professors had hidden things here.
Adrian even spotted a pot with a dead Mandrake in it, shriveled up, with soil debris scattered around.
So, the question arose: Adrian didn't remember the exact location of the diadem.
As for the Summoning Charm, Adrian tried it, but as he expected, it didn't work on Ravenclaw's diadem. It seemed he would have to search slowly.
Finding what one wanted among this vast collection wasn't easy.
Finally, Adrian found something similar on top of a cabinet. It was a bust of a male wizard with an ancient crown on its head.
The crown was shaped like an eagle and had a large blue-green gemstone embedded in it, though it was covered with a thick layer of dust, making it appear somewhat dull and lackluster.
Adrian's heart suddenly raced—he was almost certain this was Ravenclaw's diadem.
To be safe, he called the Wisdom Tree.
"Eldra."
[Name: A Contaminated Magical Item]
[Status: Soul Contamination]
[Warning: Do Not Touch Directly]
After receiving this information from the Wisdom Tree, Adrian quickly pulled out the dragon hide gloves he always carried in his pocket.
Dragon hide gloves could block most magic.
After putting on the gloves, Adrian transformed a nearby small box into a ladder, placed it next to the cabinet with the diadem, and climbed up.
Seeing the diadem growing closer, Adrian became increasingly excited. He carefully reached out to touch the crown.
Perhaps due to his own psychological suggestion, despite the protection of the gloves, he could still vaguely feel a cold chill seeping from the diadem.
Fortunately, nothing unfortunate happened, and Adrian successfully removed the diadem from the bust.
After doing all this, Adrian placed the diadem in a small box he had prepared in advance. It was a box made of lightning-struck wood, which was said to have dark magic repelling properties. Though he wasn't sure if that was true.
The inside of the box was carved with protective spells, capable of temporarily isolating some dark magic influences.
Gently closing the lid, hearing a "click" as the box automatically locked tight, Adrian finally felt at ease.
In any case, one had to be extremely cautious with anything left behind by Voldemort. Getting entangled with Voldemort was no joking matter.
Picking up the box, Adrian checked his pocket watch—he had been inside for nearly an hour. Most of that time had been spent searching for the diadem.
Adrian lifted the box, quickly looked around to ensure he hadn't left any traces, then turned and walked toward the door of the Room of Requirement.
However, just as he stepped out of the Room of Requirement, a familiar figure made him freeze in place.
Albus Dumbledore was standing with his back to him, in front of the tapestry, hands behind his back, his silver-white beard glistening in the moonlight, seemingly engrossed in admiring the "Barnabas the Barmy Being Clubbed by Trolls" tapestry.
Adrian's heart suddenly raced, and he unconsciously gripped the box in his hand more tightly.
He hadn't expected to encounter Dumbledore here, especially at this time.
"Good evening," Dumbledore heard the sound of Adrian closing the door and turned around. When he saw Adrian, he paused slightly, "Ah, it's you, Professor Westeros. I thought it might be some student out past curfew."
Adrian tried to maintain a casual demeanor, smiled at Dumbledore, and said easily, "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. I had some things I forgot in that room—items from my student days, some old books and notes."
As he spoke, Adrian raised the box in his hand slightly. But Dumbledore didn't seem much concerned, he just nodded with a smile.
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