The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 190 The Secret of the Ravenclaw Crown

Three years later, Ino once again stepped into the House of Requirement.

This time, however, the House of Requirement is no longer a frozen wasteland, but rather a chaotic maze.

The huge room was filled with all sorts of items: old books, broken wands, damaged joke props, and even some strange things that were hard to look at.

His gaze swept around.

It seems that no one has been here for a long time. A thin layer of dust has settled on all the items, making them look very old, but this also adds just the right amount of mystery and the feeling of age.

Ino carried an oil lamp in one hand and gripped his wand tightly in the other, moving through the messy room.

To his surprise, the place was unusually spacious. He walked for more than ten minutes, but he couldn't find anything, and he hadn't even reached the edge of the room.

"That's really frustrating... we'll have to resort to the old-fashioned method."

Ino murmured to himself, looking around. He had no choice but to take out a six-sided die from his pocket, resorting to divination when in doubt.

As for the universal spell that instantly reveals one's true form, that wasn't even on his radar. Voldemort wasn't a troll; how could he not have a backup plan? If he could find someone with just any revealing charm, then being the Dark Lord would be far too frivolous.

Despite his thoughts, he still used himself as the origin and drew eight squares on the ground with a marking spell, using the most primitive method to divine the correct direction one by one.

Half an hour later.

Finally, among a pile of messy potion bottles, they found the strange statue with a crown on its head.

Similarly, Ino also saw the legendary magical artifact—Ravenclaw's crown.

This is an exquisite semi-circular crown, uniquely shaped with a sharp and elegant top that seems to point straight to the sky. A diamond-shaped sapphire is set on the surface of the crown, emitting a deep light under the reflection of an oil lamp, as dazzling as the starry sky.

Of course, beautiful things always seem to be accompanied by danger.

Under the glow of an old oil lamp, a wisp of black smoke hung a foot above the crown, and even from a distance, one could sense its tangible malice.

It's hard to imagine what would happen if a reckless person were to actually wear the crown.

"This is a bit tricky..." Three feet away, Ino frowned, looking at the crown with some difficulty.

Horcruxes aren't curses, so Fiddle can rule that out first. Next is the Flame of Hope, which will definitely work; after all, there's nothing that's too dark to be solved with a fire.

However, burning it could also destroy the crown, which would be a losing proposition.

Of course, there is an even safer method: to hand it over directly to Dumbledore.

Just as he was hesitating, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and a human face vaguely appeared in the black mist above the crown.

"Dear Senior Tom, you really shouldn't have shown up! But thank you for reminding me!"

Ino chuckled and raised his wand. The 13-inch elder wand gently lifted the crown, and then he vanished from the spot.

……

shelter.

"Ah!" A piercing wail suddenly rang out.

In just a moment, as if by illusion, the surroundings returned to silence.

At the same time, Ino looked again at the crown lifted by the wand. Under the light of the old oil lamp, the black mist that had been as thick as ink was no longer there.

He reached out and gently picked up the crown. Although it seemed to be made of metal, it was surprisingly light, as if woven from leaves. He also saw the inscription that Lady Ravenclaw had left at the base of the crown: "Superior wisdom is mankind's greatest treasure."

This time, without any hesitation, he placed the crown directly on his head.

The moment the crown touched my head, a wonderful sensation spread throughout my body. It was cool and comfortable, like a glass of chilled lemonade on a hot summer day.

Although it was strange, he had a feeling of déjà vu.

"Felix Felicis..."

Ino sighed and casually took the crown.

There is no doubt that a crown cannot increase wisdom. But it can give the wearer a sense of enlightenment when contemplating problems.

Just like when he was wearing the crown and pondering where the sense of familiarity came from, Felix Felicis came to mind.

Everything was such a coincidence, yet it was also perfectly logical.

Of course, the effects of the crown are not as strong as those of Folic Acid, but the essence remains the same.

That's why, the moment he realized the answer, he decisively took it off. Although he was in a magical world, many things came at a price, just like how one couldn't drink Felix Felicis continuously for six months.

The powerful effects of a crown inevitably come at a price; good steel must be used where it's needed most.

……

After removing the crown, Ino picked up the oil lamp again and began to observe closely.

A powerful alchemical artifact with powerful magical effects must also conceal its own secrets.

Carrying an oil lamp, after a thorough examination, he also discovered twelve strange symbols on the sapphire set in the center of the crown.

Undoubtedly, these symbols all resemble ancient runes, but the difference lies in the inscriptions on the crown, which are far more complex than those in the basilisk's pupils. The twelve symbols are linked end to end, forming a perfect circle like an ouroboros.

Unlike Voldemort's Dark Mark, when Ino saw these symbols, he had a feeling that it was a real Ouroboros ring.

The ouroboros ring is an important emblem in alchemy.

Although many people interpret the Ouroboros as a "self-devourer," in alchemy, the true meaning of the Ouroboros is "self-reference" and "infinite loop."

These two points perfectly illustrate Ravenclaw's ideas. Self-reference represents the ultimate in thinking, and infinite loops represent boundless wisdom.

"Fied! Take me back to my dorm!" Ino called out to the air.

……

A blue streak of light suddenly flashed by.

When she opened her eyes again, Ino was already on her bed in the dormitory.

As time goes by, Fied's intelligence is gradually increasing. At least now it can recognize many places and rarely delivers the wrong things anymore.

If it were from the beginning, he really wouldn't have dared to let Fede lead him around recklessly; who knows whose bed they would end up in.

After a brief delay, Ino sat up in bed.

He immediately went to the desk, took out the dark red ink made from the blood of the basilisk from the drawer, and began to copy the symbols in the crown by the candlelight of the oil lamp.

Even if he didn't understand it, it was always good to copy it down, and besides, he had a clear plan for this knowledge.

In the continent of Arad, Norton, the guild leader of the Alchemists' Guild in Hendon Mar, would be an excellent candidate. Using Ravenclaw's wisdom to acquire the disintegrator he desires is a fair exchange, and the other party would likely not refuse.

After all, no one can refuse the magic of time reversal, or rather, true immortality, and Ino is no exception.

If you live long enough, there's probably nothing that can't be solved.

(End of this chapter)