Chapter 115: The Grey Lady

"What is this Rowena?" Salazar Slytherin asked as he entered in the classroom where Rowena Ravenclaw was sitting and was doing something inside, which looked like a big book.

Rowena Ravenclaw looked up and smiled.

"A secret possession for my fellow Ravenclaws." She replied.

"Secret?" Salazar Slytherin laughed. "Then you should not work with it in a common classroom."

"Right." Rowena Ravenclaw also laughed. "I have enchanted this blank book. Everytime any of my students will achieve something, it will appear on this pages its own."

"That is beautiful idea Rowena. But I prefer my students do such things that others will never forget their names." Salazar Slytherin replied proudly.

"Of course. I also feel that but this book is a personal thing for me."

"I understand." Salazar Slytherin smiled. "So where are you planning to leave this?"

"In my Ravenclaw tower." Rowena Ravenclaw replied.

Chris woke up in her bed.

"It's already fifteen past eight." Ginny said urgently. "You need to get up Chris."

"Yeah.. Yeah.. I'm awake. No need to shake me so violently." Chris said sitting up.

"The second task starts in an hour. We need to have breakfasts before that. C'mon." Ginny stood up from Chris's bed. She was almost ready.

"Why're so over-excited?" Chris asked rubbing her eyes.

"Why're you so boring?" Ginny said, while fixing her hair.

"Fine. Got the point." Chris replied as she jumped out of her bed.

"Think Harry will win today?" Ginny asked.

"No idea." Chris said, while stretching. "I've high expectations from Cedric actually. Let's see."

Twenty minutes later, Chris, Ginny and Colin made their way to the Great Hall. Luna was already sitting with Padma on the Gryffindor table. For few days, Padma Patil was sitting with her sister Parvati Patil on the Gryffindor table.

"Hey." Ginny said sitting with them.

"Good morning." Luna said smiling brightly. "Why're you looking so sad Colin?"

"Er... me?... no." Colin concentrated on the food.

"What's wrong Colin?" Chris asked as she realized Colin was actually looking upset, which she didn't notice till now.

"Oh it's nothing. Really." Colin said without looking at them.

"Really?" Ginny said nudging him on the ribs. "Spill it Creevey."

"Ouu." Colin jerked away from Ginny and massaged his ribs. "It hurts Ginny."

"So just tell us what's wrong?" Ginny asked smiling.

"Alright. I'm worried about today's task." Colin whispered. "I can't go under water. Can I? How am I supposed to get pictures?"

"Oh." Ginny looked slightly worried.

"Relax." Chris said, biting a toast. "You can take pictures before they go into the water and after they come out from water. That's it. No one is going to know what's happening in the lake. So it's cool."

But Colin still looked worried so Ginny started to console him. Chris and Luna concentrated on their breakfast.

"I was looking into our Ravenclaw common room books if there is something which can help Harry." Luna said after sometime. "But there was nothing except the bubble charm. I even read the entire Ravenclaws Pride."

"Ravenclaws Pride? What's that?" Chris asked.

"It's a kind of big enchanted book. Ravenclaws say it's bewitched by Rowena Ravenclaw herself. Everytime any Ravenclaw do something heroic or smart or achieve something big it appears on that book." Luna explained.

"What?" Chris almost chocked.

"Chris are you ok?" Luna asked massaging Chris's back and offered her some water.

'There is some connection. It can't be coincidence.' Chris thought. 'I've to see it. Now is the perfect time. Everyone will be at the lake. Ravenclaw common room will be deserted.'

"Thanks Luna." Chris said, "So it's in your common room?"

"Yes. It always stays there." Luna replied.

"Guys, I'll see you later." Chris said getting up.

"What...? Aren't you coming to the lake?" Ginny's asked, looking startled.

"After sometime. See you." Chris replied and ran out of the Great Hall.

She ran straight to the Ravenclaw tower. She was deciding what to tell if someone was still in the Ravenclaw common room. As she reached the big eagle door, she knocked on it and the misty female voice came.

"Who is your worst enemy?" The voice asked.

"My fears." Chris replied.

"Right." The voice said and the door opened.

Chris entered the Ravenclaw common room. Luckily the room was deserted. Chris looked around, the room was very different from the Gryffindor common room. It was a wide, airy room with mountain views, bookcases and a domed ceiling painted with stars. There was a also big statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. The same Rowena Ravenclaw from her dream. Chris went to look in the bookcases, she imagined the the book from her dream and whispered "Accio," but nothing happened. She started look for it. But there was no sign of that book. Chris was disappointed. Why didn't she bring Luna with her for help? Why she have to do all things on her own? Luna could've helped her. Her thoughts were getting desperate. She was about to give up and was planning to come back with Luna later when she noticed that book. The book was in the statute Rowena Ravenclaw's hand. She hurried and tried to reach for that book but it wasn't moving at all. It felt like a part of the statute. Chris even tried magic but nothing helped.

"What's wrong?" Chris said with a frustrated tone.

"You are not a Ravenclaw. That is wrong." Said a voice behind her.

Chris turned sharply to see a beautiful pale ghost, with her waist-length hair and floor-length cloak, but she also looked haughty and proud.

"You're the Gray Lady. The Ravenclaw tower ghost." Chris exclaimed.

"That is right and who are You?" The Gray Lady asked.

"Christina Norton." Chris replied earnestly. "What do you mean by, me not being a Ravenclaw is the problem?"

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"Because you are not, are you?" She asked and Chris shook her head, she gave a cold smile, "Only a Ravenclaw can summon the book down."

"Oh!" Chris said glancing at the book. "But I really need that book. I just want to check something."

"Then go and come back when the Ravenclaws will be here. Don't sneak around if your intentions are not wrong." She said with a taunting note in her voice.

"My intentions are not wrong." Chris replied firmly. "But I think it's a good idea. I'll come back with Luna as you aren't going to help me."

"I can't." The Grey Lady snapped. "It's my mother's magic, I can't intercept."

"Your Mother?" Chris looked surprised.

"Yes. When I live my name was Helena Ravenclaw." She answered.

Chris remembered she had heard that name in one of her dreams. In that dream Rowena Ravenclaw was particularly worried about her daughter Helena's whereabouts.

"But you left the castle long ago." Chris said thinking.

"How did you...?" Helena Ravenclaw looked more shocked. "Who are YOU?"

"I just told you who am I." Chris replied.

"No you are lying." She said angrily. "Or else how did you know something like that?"

"Oh I heard that in my dre...." Chris stopped as Helena looked furious.

"Dreams? You heard about me in your dreams?"

"Yes. Kind of. I saw many things like that in my dreams. I'm trying to figure them out. I want to know what they actually mean." Chris sighed. "That's why I'm looking for that book."

"Do you have something unsual item? From my mother?" Helena asked looking curious.

"Your mother? No. How could she..." but then it hit her. She does have something like that. "I think I've."

"Then touch her statue with it. It'll be enough." Helena said, looking angry but Chris could feel a disappointment and pain in her voice.

Chris decided not to ask anything as she wasn't looking very friendly at that moment, Chris pulled out the key box from her pendant(locket box). Helena was giving side glances towards the box. Chris opened it and pulled out the Eagle curved golden key. Helena watched it wide eyed. Chris cautiously touched the statute with it. The book fell on the ground from Rowena Ravenclaw's hand. Chris put back the key and put the box back on her pendant. As she picked up the heavy book, she noticed Helena's gaze was still fixed on her. Chris turned to her with a questioning look.

"How did you find it?" She asked quietly. "The key."

"It just appeared in front of me." Chris replied casually. Because she didn't expect the answer can make Helena mad.

"Just appeared? What do you mean by that?" She asked furiously. "You didn't do anything to earn it?"

"Ummm...." Chris thought for a moment then replied. "Intentionally? No."

Helena gave various expressions: anger, disappointment, hurt, shock, confusion. When she didn't say anything else, Chris decided to sit on a table, and check the book. She opened the book carefully. It was old but the magic was still glowing in it.

-- WIT BEYOND MEASURE IS MAN'S GREATEST TREASURE--

ROWENA RAVENCLAW

Was written on the first page. On the second page there was the names of the first Ravenclaws(Chris guessed that by their names) and their works. Same on the second page. Chris skipped lots of pages and read Perpetua Fancourt's name, she was the inventor of lunascope. She realized she came too far. So she started to flip previous pages.

There was Laverne de Montmorency: the inventor of love potions; Ignatia Wildsmith: the inventor of Floo powder.... many more famous people. Chris felt weird as most of the inventors and famous people were from Ravenclaw. Finally a interesting name caught Chris's eyes, Helena Ravenclaw. Chris gave a quick glance towards Helena and saw she was keenly watching what Chris is up to. Chris read the achievements written down under Helena's name quickly. It was nothing special, it was like other Ravenclaw Prefects: intelligent, witty and smart student. That's it. Chris found it a little unbelievable because of the proud look on her face when she glided in. Chris was about to turn the page when she noticed the next name after Helena, Malgino. It was written at the bottom of the page and there was just two words written down under his name: Intelligent student.

"What the hell? That's it?" Chris couldn't believe her eyes. So brave student, everyone's favorite, creator of God's know what kind of dangerous things and there was nothing? Chris hurriedly changed the pages. Looked into many other pages to find anything about him but there was just nothing. Nothing at all. Seeing Chris's desperate look, Helena glided beside her.

"What are you looking for?" She asked. Her voice was a little different than before.

"Nothing. I found nothing." Chris sighed closing the book. "It's all for not."

"Who were you looking for?" She asked again.

"Malgino. He was a student in...." Chris said looking at Helena and her eyes widened, she looked more shocked than before and something occurred to Chris. "He was in your year. Do you know him?"

"No." Helena replied flatly. "He was one year younger than me."

"So you do know him." Chris said.

"I said no. I don't know him." Helena replied and started to glide away.

"Helena! Please wait!" Chris said getting up.

Helena stopped, but didn't turn around to face Chris.

"No one calls me Helena other than few ghosts in Hogwarts." She said coldly.

"Sorry." Chris muttered. "But please I really want to know. Please tell me if you know... Why on earth this Malgino is so important? Why he was so special to the founders? Why I keep seeing him in my dreams?"

"You saw him in your dreams?" Helena turned around and faced her. "You mean the dreams related to me and my mother?"

"Yes. Kind of. I've seen him with the other founders too."

There was complete silence for sometime. Chris guessed it was almost five minutes before Helena spoke in a low quiet voice, "I don't know all things about him. I really didn't bother to know. Because like everyone else she also used me to get on my mother's favorite side. I thought for the first time, he was a genuine friend of mine. Who could've thought a poor farmer's boy, who lived on the outskirts of the forest, can be this cunning and can pretend to be this much innocent?"

Helena glided to Rowena Ravenclaw's statue.

"She thought he is the best student. She felt proud and lucky to get a student like him. She even fought with Madame Hufflepuff for him." Helena chuckled which sounded like a mock laugh. "Even being the master of the mind reading arts, she couldn't read what the boy was. He was a monster, who only wanted more power, wanted to be immortal, wanted to achieve the 'magic soul' of Hogwarts."

"Magic Soul?" Chris repeated.

"...but as expected, he failed miserably. A curse like that... huh... it was impossible to survive." Helena continued, ignoring Chris's question. "After I came back to Hogwarts I didn't hear much about him. Few hundred years later people started to think he was also a myth like the secret chamber of Slytherin. Soon no one bothered to know about him. So ideas, so techniques, so much hard work... all for nothing."

Helena laughed coldly.

Chris understood there was more to the story, Malgino had hurt Helena more than anyone else, but she wasn't going to tell her about that. Chris have seen Godric Gryffindor's face when he realized Malgino's betrayal but Helena's expression was different. Even in her ghostly pale face, it was clear. He betrayed Helena more than he betrayed the founders.

"Thanks Hel... sorry.... thanks for helping me." Chris said finally breaking the silence. "I'll never forgot your help. Thank you."

"Welcome." She replied flatly.

"Er.. I should go it's already..." Chris checked her watch and got a shock. "Twenty-five past Ten! I need to run."

Chris looked at the heavy book thinking how she'll restore that in Rowena Ravenclaw's hand.

"It'll return to its place on its own. You can leave." Helena replied looking at Chris.

"Oh thanks again." Chris gave a smile to Helena. "Sorry I've to go. Bye."

As she sprinted towards the door Helena spoke again, "I hope to see you again, Christina."

And she glided out the room.