Chapter 26: The Raven Living in the Tiara
A silvery glow radiated from the illumination charm. Melvin tilted his head slightly but found no trace of the sapphire tiara he remembered only a collection of dusty ornaments.
Certain that the tiara he recalled was somewhere in this room, Melvin took two steps to make space and continued his search.
The piles of old objects were numerous and chaotic a tangled mess unpleasant to look at. Metal armor and knight statues seemed embedded within the jumble, their surfaces thick with dust, nearly obscuring their original form. The dim light in the room forced him to move close to distinguish the contours of ornaments and determine whether they were tiaras or masks.
Indeed, some armor and statues bore adornments resembling tiaras. It took a careful eye to notice the faint wings of the Ravenclaw eagle.
Melvin paused briefly, then turned toward other heaps of discarded things.
Dumbledore, who had been watching the reflection in the Mirror of Erised with some reluctance, tore his gaze away. Uncertain about Melvin's strange behavior, he followed at a slow pace.
In truth, he was quite fond of the woolen socks he saw in the mirror the color and pattern were beautiful, especially when Ariana wore them.
"It seems you're looking for something. Do you have a specific goal in mind?" asked Dumbledore.
"Just browsing. As you said patience."
Melvin continued his careful search through the clutter, leaving a trail of footprints in the dusty floor. "Headmaster, have you properly catalogued this storeroom? There might be something unexpected here."
"Sometimes I come here when I can't sleep," Dumbledore said, glancing around, "though I prefer going up the tower to admire the moon, or down to the kitchens for a cup of hot chocolate."
"It's truly hard to count how many things have been hidden here by Hogwarts professors and students over the past thousand years."
"..."
Dumbledore nodded slightly, curious but patient enough not to pry further.
After walking for about ten minutes, Melvin stopped before another heap of junk. It looked like any other in the room: old wooden furniture, yellowed books, a cracked spyglass, and a trembling quaffle...
Yet as Dumbledore approached, a strange feeling washed over him.
His intuition sharpened by a century of magical power and wisdom warned him not to come too close.
Melvin stood beneath a dusty suit of armor, staring up at the raised lance and the crown resting atop it. "I've always wondered Ravenclaw's name means 'raven,' so why is her emblem an eagle?"
Dumbledore followed his gaze, his eyes widening slightly.
It was a dusty crown a silver eagle with wings spread wide, a gem set into its breast gleaming faintly blue. The inscription beside it was faded, yet Dumbledore knew the words without needing to read them:
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
The crown rested quietly upon the armor.
Dumbledore's usual calm vanished. He could sense an unusual magical presence. His expression grew solemn. Approaching the crown cautiously, he waved his wand to clear away the dust.
The sapphire revealed its crystalline luster once more, yet its center was dark deep as the abyss of the Black Lake.
Dumbledore studied it intently for a moment, then cast several spells in quick succession:
[Revelio Verum Forma]
[Detect Evil]
"..."
After confirming it bore no curses or toxins, Dumbledore carefully removed the tiara and placed it inside a wooden box inlaid with silver wire. Only then did he begin to consider how to explain it to Melvin.
"I should thank you, Melvin on behalf of Lady Rowena Ravenclaw and all of Hogwarts."
"Let me guess you're resisting the urge to tell me why you're thanking me?"
"That was my first thought…"
Dumbledore's blue eyes gleamed as he made up his mind. "But you were the one who found this tiara, missing for a thousand years. If I hid the truth from you, I wouldn't sleep well tonight."
A smile of relief crossed his face as he winked. "Consider the sleep quality of a man over a hundred years old. To meet the goddess of fortune again, I should at least reveal something… That's what I thought."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"It all began long ago. Let me think…"
Dumbledore chose his words carefully. "The four founders of Hogwarts each achieved unimaginable mastery in their fields. Once the school prospered, they organized their magical understanding into unique relics for future generations the golden cup of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw's diadem, and several of Slytherin's creations, most of which have been lost to time."
"And Gryffindor?"
"…Gryffindor commissioned the Goblin King, Ragnuk I, to forge a sword symbolizing indomitable courage. It remains in Hogwarts to this day, usable only by the truly brave."
"That's not quite right."
Melvin, of course, knew of the sword. "The goblins claim ownership of all items forged by them. With their greed, would they truly let the sword stay here?"
"Gryffindor had the right to wield it for twenty years."
"And after that?"
"After twenty years, the Goblin King sent his followers to reclaim it but they failed."
"You recount history with remarkable accuracy," Melvin remarked, smiling faintly. "Very Gryffindor indeed."
"The four founders each left behind a treasure. What happened afterward?"
"The Sword of Gryffindor remains here. The Diadem of Ravenclaw was long lost. The treasures of the other two founders passed through their descendants' hands. Over the millennia, many things changed, but all was relatively peaceful until fifty years ago."
Dumbledore's eyes deepened as he looked down at the wooden box in his hand. "This story is complicated, Melvin. Don't think me long-winded. Let's begin with Hufflepuff's Cup."
He continued, "The cup was once owned by Hepzibah Smith, the last direct descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. In the winter of 1950, she was found poisoned in her home. The Ministry's Aurors concluded that her elderly house-elf, Hokey, had accidentally mixed poison into her cocoa sugar. The elf was found guilty and sentenced to Azkaban for life."
"At the same time, Hepzibah's relatives discovered two of her prized possessions missing the Hufflepuff Cup and Slytherin's locket. How the locket came into her hands is another story for another day."
"The disappearance of both relics baffled everyone, myself included. So I visited Hokey in prison and retrieved a faint memory from her mind one that led me to an old acquaintance."
"He was a wizard obsessed with the Dark Arts, a fanatic admirer of Slytherin, and a soul utterly corrupted. I have reason to believe he murdered Hepzibah to steal the relics and framed the innocent elf. He obtained both Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. I even suspect Ravenclaw's lost diadem may have fallen into his hands, though I have no proof."
"I've searched for traces of him all these years, but only tonight have I made real progress."
"Melvin, you have earned the gratitude of every teacher and student in Hogwarts."
"..."
The Headmaster's account was detailed and deliberate. From Melvin's understanding, Dumbledore was referring to events shortly after Voldemort's graduation when he worked at Borgin and Burkes and discovered Hepzibah's lineage. Voldemort had poisoned her, blamed her elf, and stolen both relics.
Melvin smiled faintly, pretending ignorance. "I wonder if you've noticed, Headmaster this tiara seems tainted with dark magic."
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I once believed the Dark wizard merely collected these relics as trophies, but it seems he corrupted them with dark enchantments. I'm unsure what exactly he did, but I'll begin my research soon perhaps I can reverse the spell, even find connections between them."
"Would it be convenient if I observed?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Very well."
Melvin wasn't disappointed. Even if he had won the Headmaster's full trust tonight, he wouldn't interfere in anything involving Voldemort or Horcruxes.
After Dumbledore departed, the Room of Requirement fell silent once more.
Melvin stood beneath the knight's armor, its shadow falling across half his shoulder. He gazed at the ring of dust left by the tiara's base, wondering what else lay hidden in this room.
Piles of magical junk towered like mountains. Most had long lost their power; some might still work if repaired, though finding them would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
If the tiara remained there, Fiendfyre would consume it completely within six or seven years.
Melvin's eyes reflected the relics nearby: dull suits of armor, cauldrons stained green with patina, and a cabinet thick with cobwebs.
"That looks like a Vanishing Cabinet," he murmured. A thought crossed his mind if one sought low-grade dark magical artifacts with a creepy aesthetic, wasn't there a place for that in Knockturn Alley?
Established shops with decades of… reputation.
In the Headmaster's office.
A sleepy phoenix perched on a golden stand, half-lidded eyes drooping.
Fawkes glanced at Dumbledore and the tiara, uneasy.
He stretched his claws and slowly climbed up onto the shelves, seeking refuge near the Sorting Hat. The worn hat trembled irritably as Fawkes nestled in, folding his crimson feathers tight, leaving only two dark eyes peeking through.
In the center of the room, the tiara floated midair, suspended by a levitation charm.
Dumbledore examined it using 197 analytical methods alchemy fused with legendary wizardry creating dual layers of protection around both the tiara and his mind. He carefully probed the sapphire.
"..."
The ancient relic still radiated immense magical power. The blue magic wasn't overwhelming, but contact with it brought an odd clarity to his mind a renewed sharpness of thought and resolve.
It felt as though his youthful energy had returned curiosity reborn, intellect rekindled, as if he could again explore the deepest mysteries of magic.
It seemed to confirm the rumor: Ravenclaw's wisdom was within her diadem.
But now, it was no longer just her gift it had been poisoned by Tom Riddle's dark sorcery.
What have you done with these treasures, Tom?
Cautiously, Dumbledore extended his senses deeper into the sapphire.
Suddenly, strange magic flared. A faint hum echoed as the gem glowed with a crystalline blue light.
Dark blue and black radiance rose from the jewel; the air itself grew hazy. Floating lights and shadows twisted like drifting smoke, coalescing into a gray substance a shifting, vaporous form.
After about half a minute, a vague avian silhouette appeared. Its feathers were sleek, its beak curved, and its hollow, red-glowing eyes resembled those of a bird but of no living species.
Dumbledore watched in silence, meeting its illusory gaze.
He remembered Melvin's question moments earlier: Ravenclaw's emblem is an eagle why does the name mean raven?
The bird's beak opened and closed, and a deep, rasping voice filled the office.
"Is this… Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"Who are you?"
"I am Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster."
"..."
"Now my turn. Who or what are you?"
"I am the Raven dwelling within the crown, bearer of Ravenclaw's wisdom."
The gray bird's eyes narrowed, red light flickering as if probing his mind but found only calm emptiness.
"Place the crown upon your head. With a bit of magic, I can grant you extraordinary wisdom."
"I'm over a hundred years old," Dumbledore said mildly. "Long years have dulled my thirst for knowledge."
"..."
The gray shadow fell silent. That faint smile on Dumbledore's lips it was the same as fifty years ago. Patronizing, knowing, infuriating.
"But," Dumbledore said softly, voice deepening, "I have lately been most interested in the realm of the dead. That's what happens when people age they cling to life, and fear death."
"If I could understand death more deeply, perhaps I could let go of that fear. The wise Lady Ravenclaw must have studied this. Do you possess any knowledge of such things?"
The red light in the raven's eyes flared brightly.
"Of course… of course!"
(End of Chapter)