Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 399, Section 397: The Halo of Time (Thanks to Silver Alliance for Rainy Night in the Deep Winter)

Soft white light bathed the forest, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Beside them was a moss-covered tree stump, while scattered along the winding path were twinkling fluorescent lights.

There are so many streams that cats and leopards can hear the babbling of the water.

"Is this your problem?"

Ravenclaw remained silent for a long time, then his voice, which had seemed to be veiled by a layer of mist, became much clearer.

“The Grey Lady, that’s what we call the ghost of Ravenclaw House, Helena Ravenclaw,”

The leopard spoke very quickly; its time was limited.

"Ms. Ravenclaw, she allows me to call her that, she... was afraid of death and wandered around Hogwarts, I imagine it wasn't a good thing."

"So, you've come up with so many unnecessary and absurd ideas... My heir, how should I address you?"

Ravenclaw, however, remained silent about Helena and instead asked about Sheen.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s important, Ms. Ravenclaw.”

The leopard's voice was filled with confusion, and it looked slightly nervous as it watched the rising mist around it.

A few seconds passed, but it felt like centuries.

The cat and leopard's whiskers trembled dozens of times.

"Helena..."

Ravenclaw seemed helpless. Her blinking frequency slowed significantly, and her light blue eyes no longer tracked the leopard's raised whiskers, like a still lake that could no longer reflect the trajectory of a bird.

"Come closer, my heir. What kind of story would you like to hear?"

The cat-leopard was puzzled. It tentatively took a few steps forward, but was pushed directly to Ravenclaw's feet by a force.

Ravenclaw slowly sat down on the large rock, and the books on the rock fell onto the cat-leopard's head.

"...What are you worried about?"

The cat and leopard with their paws on their heads opened their mouths.

"Druids, those familiar with oak trees, revere that death is not the end of the soul, but the first step toward heaven."

But for those lost souls, those fearful souls, death is merely eternal torment.

Ravenclaw gently removed the old book from the leopard's head and lightly stroked the leopard's silvery-black fur.

"What if there was a kind of magic that could send ghosts away?"

The cat-leopard couldn't help but shake its fur; it understood.

Ghosts are immortal. This has been a consensus in the magical world for a long time, so much so that the wise Ravenclaw does not want it to know this cruel truth—two people who love each other will never meet again.

"Perhaps there will be..."

Ravenclaw seemed to remember something and opened the old book that had just fallen to the ground.

She spoke halfway through her sentence, then her voice suddenly vanished into thin air. Her gaze remained fixed on the pages of the book, as if her hearing and comprehension needed to traverse a long journey before reaching her brain.

In those few seconds, only the occasional flutter of her eyelashes in the light proved that time had not completely stopped.

"The Book of Ghosts," it was written clearly on the pages.

"My heir, you sent Sel?"

She asked, her voice trembling for the first time.

"Ah."

The cat-leopard responded, thinking of many more things. It watched as the fog was about to engulf it, and many images of Lady Grey flashed through its mind.

Opportunities are always fleeting, it thought.

Don't worry.

Ravenclaw suddenly smiled, and her smile was radiant.

The cat-leopard suddenly looked up, and a thick line extended from the mist on its body. It shuddered and pulled the cat-leopard back to the boundary.

"Surprised, darling?"

Ravenclaw's fingertips have very straight lines.

How can a person develop such deep love for someone they've never met?

The cat and leopard didn't understand.

"So, next time you come to the border area, will you have a direction?"

Ravenclaw said.

The cat-leopard nodded in a human-like manner.

With the ball of yarn, no matter how far or indistinct the distance, Sheen can reach it by following love.

"Come on my shoulders, my heir."

Ravenclaw added, a serene smile playing on her lips, her gaze fixed on the cat-leopard that looked so large it couldn't possibly curl up on the wizard's shoulder.

Isn't it amazing? In this forest, he was like an unexpected gust of wind.

"So, where does the story begin..." Ravenclaw's voice sounded like a distant murmur. The cat Lizi, perched on her shoulder, didn't speak, but listened silently, then watched as snow suddenly began to fall in the forest.

“Long ago, in my youth, I created three treasures: a breathing castle, a crown that seemed to possess wisdom, and a small, warm miracle—my daughter, Helena.”

I devoted much of my time to the cold stone walls and ancient parchment. The castle's staircases grew ever more intricate, and the crown's brilliance ever more dazzling…

As you know, aside from the truly wise... desire always easily triumphs over the wizard.

Ravenclaw paused for a moment, as if recalling something.

"You forgave her a long time ago, didn't you?"

"The black cat asked in a low voice."

Why would I harbor resentment?

Ravenclaw chuckled softly.

"In the world of ghosts, if no one cares about them, they will gradually lose their intelligence and emotions."

However, Ms. Helena Ravenclaw was unaware of this.

I want to say...you have been for her for over a decade.

The black cat said its voice was also very soft.

"You're too young, child. You don't yet know that memories always erase the bad and exaggerate the good."

It is precisely because of this mystery that the White Wizards are able to bear the burdens of the past.

Ravenclaw explained slowly.

"I will come again."

The black cat looked at the rising mist once again and said.

He has already received the answer.

Ravenclaw stopped and watched as the snow fell on its fur, like a sprinkle of icing sugar.

"You don't ask for anything of yourself?"

Ravenclaw said.

“I have received more than enough at Hogwarts.”

The black cat's ears twitched.

"Happiness makes you so easily satisfied... why do you seek it out?"

Ravenclaw asked again.

This question stumped the black cat; it was still pondering as wisps of mist swirled around it.

“Ms. Ravenclaw…”

This was a special title given to him by Helena Ravenclaw.

"It once helped me avoid being late for class when the spiral staircase was blocked."

"The black cat said."

This reason completely amused Ravenclaw.

Her eyes narrowed into curved lines.

"Ms. Ravenclaw and I are friends."

Black Cat added.

Ravenclaw looked at the black cat.

Everything about him seemed so innocent, except for his eyes, which were as green as a forest, deep and resolute.

"May I ask one more question?"

"It's black cat," the black cat suddenly said.

He had always been curious about how ghosts could stay in the border area for so long.

“I would refuse anyone else, but you, my dear, you can ask as many questions as you like.”

I won't refuse you.

Ravenclaw readily agreed.

How do ghosts survive for centuries at the border?

"The black cat asked."

But once again the world turned white, and the fog churned completely. It was quickly pulled out of the boundary and could no longer be heard.

Ravenclaw was the only one left in the forest.

The snow on the tips of her hair melted, and she murmured to herself:
"Ten centuries... But when I think of you, Helena, the world recedes in a bright halo."

Some things I thought were eternal, including time itself, proved incredibly fragile.

(End of this chapter)