— — — — — —
A legendary wizard is still just a human. That was one of the most important lessons Ravenclaw passed on to Tom.
Even if their understanding of magic had reached unimaginable heights, their lives were still bound by the same limits. A spear through the heart would kill them. Starve them long enough and they would die. Cut off their head and they would die.
Unless wizards could wipe out every Muggle who opposed them, an open conflict would only drag both worlds into a swamp of endless war.
And in the face of overwhelming tides, even an SSS legend had to yield.
"Sounds kind of sad, honestly." Tom stepped up the staircase and walked along the terrace on the second floor. "So traces left on the soul can't be removed?"
"At least I don't know how, nor have I bothered to study it." Ravenclaw replied lazily. "I was just an ordinary witch. I didn't concern myself with the fate of the wizarding world. As long as humanity doesn't go extinct, wizards won't either. Why should I worry about more than that?"
Tom twitched the corner of his mouth.
An ordinary witch? That was shamelessly humble.
He then wondered whether the phoenix bloodline could erase the marks left behind by killing. If it could, then he would have no reason to hold back.
"Luna!"
While he was thinking, a small figure bounced into view. Tom called her over.
"Can you tell me more about what you were saying earlier, Luna?"
Even Luna, whose thoughts usually wandered in their own strange orbit, blinked in confusion. "What did I say?"
Tom thought for a second. "Tell me again about that creature you saw in Switzerland. I didn't quite catch it on the train."
The moment magical creatures were mentioned, Luna's already wide eyes brightened even more. She began describing every detail of that journey.
Tom listened patiently. When she finished, he reached out and ruffled her hair, then let her go. Only then did he ask Ravenclaw, "Did you notice her speech patterns are a bit like yours?"
"Hm… a little." Ravenclaw nodded. "She's like me. Someone who lives entirely in her own world, unconcerned with how others see her. I like that child. If she wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw, that hat must have malfunctioned."
Tom gave her a thumbs-up. "Pretty spot-on. People used to call her Loony, but lately no one says it to her face. They give me a bit of respect now."
"More like they give respect to the wand in your hand."
Ravenclaw's insight did not lose to her wisdom. She easily grasped the truth.
She had spent last night talking with Ariana and now had a basic picture of Tom's history and the way he handled matters. He was like Slytherin, yet not as gloomy; he didn't bottle resentment until the moment of death to strike back.
He was also like Gryffindor, bold and quick to let his wand do the talking. Yet unlike Gryffindor, he had no mercy for his enemies.
His personality was a blend of both. Such people usually died long before gaining real strength. But Tom clearly had the power to survive being who he was.
After finishing his walk around the second floor, it was time for lunch. Tom returned to the hall, ate two pieces of bread and three sausages, then went to class with Daphne.
Ravenclaw didn't know Daphne personally, but the Greengrass family had existed since Hogwarts' earliest days. Back then, the Greengrass line had not yet been cursed. Once Tom explained the situation, Ravenclaw frowned—she was clearly disgusted by such a cruel curse.
There was strong confidence in her tone. "Let me examine the child carefully another day. If it's magic, then there must be a way to break it."
I already have a lead.
Tom thought silently.
He hadn't spent those credits for nothing. Combined with his magic perception, he had recently noticed something in Astoria's body—like a parasite rooted deep in the bloodline itself.
But for safety, and since he lacked a spare curse sample to test on, he wasn't rushing. Astoria's safety mattered too much to risk impatience.
"Hmm? Is that… Cuthbert? He became a ghost?"
When the professor arrived, Ravenclaw was genuinely surprised to see someone she actually knew.
Cuthbert Binns—once personally invited by Slytherin to teach History of Magic. His extensive scholarship and astonishing memory had impressed Ravenclaw greatly. She used to discuss historical questions with him frequently.
Tom flipped open the heavy history textbook to the page on the 1673 Wizarding Accord. In his mind, he explained: "Professor Binns has always been the Magical History teacher. One day he just… died in the staff lounge during a nap. But he didn't realize it and came back to teach class as a ghost."
Tom, though he usually slept through History of Magic, still respected Binns.
The defining reason a wizard becomes a ghost is attachment—something in the world they can't let go of.
And what Binns couldn't leave behind was teaching his students. If the day came when Hogwarts no longer needed him, that would also be the day he finally moved on.
Every headmaster understood this. So even someone as infuriating as Phineas Black had never tried to replace him.
Ravenclaw sighed softly after hearing it.
The school she had helped build with her companions… had become a sanctuary for many hearts.
After her emotions settled, Tom asked the question that had been on his mind. "Lady Ravenclaw, what is the world after death like? The current headmaster, Dumbledore, once said that death is but the next great adventure. But Andros said that after death, he felt nothing."
"That is a very perceptive statement." Ravenclaw first praised Dumbledore's view. Then she spoke slowly, "The journey toward death is indeed a grand adventure. But once you cross that threshold… your adventure is over. Everything in this world moves in cycles, and souls are no exception."
"When my consciousness was fading, I could feel my magic draining away. Aside from the fragment of soul and memory I sealed away, everything else was dissolving. Maybe that power became the source of some other wizard's strength. Maybe it drifted to another world entirely. Whatever happened afterward has nothing to do with me."
She paused, then looked directly into Tom's study space.
"This is what makes your talent remarkable, Tom. I can't understand how you did it. You gathered the scattered remnants of a soul that had been gone for a thousand years. It felt like some vast hand reached back across time and froze me in the exact state I was in when I died."
Tom couldn't answer her. A cheat is a cheat because you don't get to know how it works. If he actually understood the system, then he wouldn't be the one using cheats—he'd be the old man handing them out.
So he switched the topic. "Where did you store the sealed memory and the soul fragment?"
"In my bedroom," Ravenclaw said.
"Hogwarts still has your bedroom?"
"Of course. Where did you think I slept while I lived here? It's close to the Headmaster's office. I didn't like being disturbed, so I hid it."
Tom blinked. "Wait. Is the Room of Requirement your bedroom?"
The name had come from Harry much later. Others who found the place called it the Come-and-Go Room. Tom explained its location and the way it changed based on need, and Ravenclaw quickly confirmed it.
The so-called Room of Requirement was just a convenience she created out of laziness. The room would arrange objects or space depending on her needs.
But now…
"So my bedroom became a dump?"
Ravenclaw went quiet. Then… a very subtle expression formed.
The core spell hadn't changed. She had always been forgetful, so she designed the room so anything she misplaced would just appear there when she needed it.
But without an owner, her bedroom… well, "Room of Requirement" sounded better, yes.
It had become a storage dump. Unclaimed items in the castle eventually got absorbed into it, then reorganized based on whoever happened to discover it.
"I'll take you to your bedroom later."
Tom teased her lightly, then put his head down and instantly fell asleep. Professor Binns' voice was simply too strong a sleep-inducing weapon.
---
Outside, on the lawn, the students were crowding around the Snidgets, listening intently as Hagrid enthusiastically explained their habits. The half-giant glowed with pride, grateful for Tom's suggestion. But as he talked, a thought occurred to him.
Sure, this proved Tom's idea worked with students. But that didn't mean his original plan wouldn't have worked too.
He couldn't test it today, though. Tomorrow, he'd try things his way.
---
When classes ended, Tom soothed Daphne—who wanted him to go play swinging on the Whomping Willow—and headed to the seventh floor.
Before visiting the Room of Requirement, he had something else to do first.
He'd promised yesterday to return the Gargoyle, but after hitting his Achievement milestone he had completely forgotten. Only today did he remember.
Standing in front of the Headmaster's office, he stared at the two sad little planks of living wood blocking the entrance. His mouth twitched.
Dumbledore… was really going through it.
Good thing it was summer and no one important came to Hogwarts. At least the embarrassment wasn't public.
Tom had no idea that Fudge had visited during summer, seen this pathetic state, and promised extra funding.
But after personally bleeding the Ministry dry, Fudge pretended the funding plan didn't exist.
Just like Dumbledore pretending he didn't see Tom's messages.
Call it karma.
Tom opened the small case and released the stone gargoyle.
The moment it appeared, the creature practically magnetized itself to the doorway, smashing the two wooden planks to splinters.
"Back again already?" the gargoyle said, sighing dramatically.
Once it had tasted the world outside, even a stone heart could grow restless. In just one summer it had guarded doors in London, New York, and Paris.
How many door guardians could claim to have toured three major wizarding centers?
And now it was stuck here guarding an old man.
Tom saw the disappointment and patted it verbally. "I'll take you out again next summer. For now, just be good and work. Look at me, I'm back here studying like everyone else. We all have to suffer together."
The gargoyle perked up a little. Tom planned to bring it with him later. Good.
"Remember you said that," it muttered.
Tom asked, "Is Dumbledore or Fawkes inside?"
"Dumbledore's gone. Fawkes is sleeping."
"Let me in, then. I need to talk to Fawkes."
Walking up the spiral staircase, Tom remembered something the gargoyle had told him before and spoke to Ravenclaw again.
"The gargoyle by the main gate… did the four of you actually create it together?"
"You mean that ugly thing?" Ravenclaw laughed. "Yes, we made it together. It was meant to be a trump card for the Headmaster."
"It said Slytherin gave it life. Hufflepuff gave it an unbreakable body. Gryffindor gave it strength. And you gave it unparalleled intelligence."
Ravenclaw fell silent for a few moments, then spoke seriously.
"Tom… let me explain."
.
.
.