The castle was asleep, bathed in the soft blue glow of the enchanted torches. In a silent corridor, Roy Valvas moved unseen, a small case in his hand that pulsed faintly with arcane light. He stopped before the ancient Ravenclaw Tower — and the bronze eagle knocker shimmered to life.
"What weighs more — the soul or the stone?"Roy smiled slightly. "They balance each other, when forged with purpose."
The door opened without another word.
The Secret Laboratory
Beyond the dormitory lay a sealed archway — unseen to most, but visible to Roy and a handful of ancient portraits.He whispered an incantation, and the stone rippled like water, revealing a hidden chamber: the Ravenclaw Alchemy Sanctum, a place lost to history.
The room glowed faintly with floating runes and softly humming crystals. On the central table lay a half-finished body, graceful and lifelike — a sculpted vessel made of enchanted silver and phoenix crystal, wrapped in runic cloth.
At the far end of the chamber stood Rowena Ravenclaw's spectral form, ethereal yet warm, her silver hair flowing like mist.
"Good evening, Roy," she greeted softly. "You work too hard again."
He smiled, placing the case beside her. "I could say the same for you, Rowena. You've been adjusting the stabilizing runes while I was gone."
She blushed faintly, her ghostly form flickering. "I couldn't simply wait idly. After all, it's… my body you're building."
Roy's Progress
Roy opened the case, revealing philosopher's dust, a shimmering residue that glowed crimson and gold."Nicolas sent this," he said. "He refined the base material using Elixir fragments. It should stabilize your soul when transferred."
Rowena's eyes widened. "So, Master Flamel agreed to help?"Roy nodded. "He and Perenelle have been guiding me remotely. They said it's the first true fusion of soul alchemy and the Ope-Ope technique."
He looked down at his hands — faint traces of rune marks pulsed beneath his skin, a reminder of the heavy toll of such magic.
Rowena floated closer. "You've risked much already. I don't wish for you to lose your light because of me."
Roy met her gaze. "You're not just a spirit in a portrait, Rowena. You're a living mind, trapped without form. You deserve more than to fade into memory."
A Moment Between Them
The glow of the crystals bathed them in soft light. Rowena hovered near the table, tracing a translucent finger along the curve of the vessel's face — her future face.
"It's strange," she whispered. "To look at something that will become you. Yet… to know that it's your hands that shaped it gives me peace."
Roy adjusted a rune on the body's chest. "It still needs a soul anchor. I'm creating a crystalline heart that can house your consciousness temporarily, before full integration."
Rowena turned toward him, her voice barely a whisper. "Roy… why are you doing all this for me?"
He hesitated — just for a heartbeat — then replied softly, "Because you once gave Hogwarts its mind. And you gave me guidance when I was lost. I'm simply returning what you gave me — hope."
Her spectral eyes shimmered with emotion."If only you knew," she murmured, "how much you've given me already."
Flamel's Message
At that moment, a crystal communicator on the table flickered, revealing Nicolas Flamel's smiling face."Ah, there you are, mon petit génie," Nicolas greeted warmly. "I've refined the Philosopher's Essence — it's ready for soul containment testing. But remember, the transfer must be under a lunar alignment, or her essence could destabilize."
Perenelle appeared beside him, smiling motherly. "And do eat, Roy. You look thin."
Roy chuckled. "Yes, Grandma Perenelle."
Rowena tilted her head, smiling softly. "They treat you as their own."
"They are my family," Roy said simply, "just as Hogwarts is."
The Confession Almost Spoken
After the communication faded, silence fell again — but it was warm, filled with quiet trust. Rowena stepped closer, her ethereal form flickering in and out of focus.
"Roy…" she began, her tone tender yet uncertain. "If — when — I gain this new body, there is something I wish to tell you. Something I've felt since the day your magic first called to me."
Roy looked up, surprised by the tremor in her voice. "Rowena?"
She smiled softly, reaching to touch his cheek — her hand passed through, but he still felt the chill and warmth intertwined.
"Not yet," she whispered. "When I walk again in the living world… I'll tell you then."
Roy's expression softened — part understanding, part unspoken affection."Then I'll make sure that day comes soon."
Closing Scene
As he left the chamber, the enchanted body on the table pulsed with faint blue light — a sign that the soul matrix was responding to Rowena's essence nearby.
From behind him, her voice echoed gently:
"Good night, my young creator."
And as he closed the door, he murmured:
"Good night… my Raven."