The Missing Time

Even in her ghostly, pearly-white state, one could still discern Helena's snow-white skin from her lifetime. However, unlike her mother Ravenclaw, Helena's beauty always carried a hint of aloofness.

"I haven't seen you much lately," Sean, sitting down next to Helena with familiarity.

Floating in the air Helena glanced at the handsome young man beside her and sighed softly, "We were already separated by the world."

Sean smiled slightly, "I met Ms. Ravenclaw."

Helena instinctively replied, "She's been watching over the newcomers from Hogwarts all along..."

She paused suddenly, then looked hesitantly at Sean.

The handsome and understanding boy in front of her was always sincere to everyone, including her, the ghost. So after getting to know him, Helena realized that Sean seemed to have many magical qualities.

Sean didn't keep them in suspense; instead, he took out a Portraits.

The Portraits depicts two women, one tall and one short. The older woman is beautiful yet dignified, while the younger woman is as composed as her mother, though her face radiates more pride and vitality.

Helena stood there stunned for a moment, then sighed.

Did you find this too?

The person who was stunned was now Sean.

In his imagination, Helena might be sad, in pain, or even hysterical, but she would naturally feel regret and resentment.

Then he could take Helena to Ravenclaw's Chamber of Secrets. Sean believed that Rowena Ravenclaw might have left something for her immature but tragically deceased daughter.

Finally, he used his face and mouth, which he was very good at dealing with girls, to untangle Helena's knot in her heart.

Of course, regardless of whether he gets the Ravenclaw's Diadem, Sean is still willing to do something for Helena, who has helped him many times before.

However, these were all just rehearsals in Sean's mind, Helena's use of the word "also" dealt him a heavy blow.

He wasn't the first person to enter the Ravenclaw Chamber of Secrets, and the person who entered before him had also found Helena based on certain clues...

This wasn't the first time Helena had seen this Portraits of her and her mother Ravenclaw...

"Madam, you... you've seen this before?" Sean tried to appear calm.

Helena's usually indifferent face broke into a long-lost smile, "Yes, I have seen it. Sean, you are very clever. You have found the secret left by your mother."

"However, someone had already come to me with this Portraits before— Sean, I am very grateful to you. I know you wanted to untie the knot in my heart, but I have already let go of it, and I have also received my mother's forgiveness. However, I still want to thank you."

Helena's calm words made Sean feel a little awkward. He took a deep breath and finally laughed.

Congratulations, madam.

"Thank you, my friend." Helena could hear the sincerity in Sean's words. She lifted the hem of her transparent skirt and gave a slight nod.

"Um, Helena, forgive my bluntness, but I'd like to know who showed you this painting," Sean asked.

Helena shook her head. "Just as I would keep your secret, I will keep that person's secret as well."

"I'm sorry, I was being presumptuous," Sean apologized.

Helena tilted her head curiously. "Did you just find this?"

Sean hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth, "Yes, I recently discovered the secret left behind by Ms. Ravenclan. I found this among her belongings, and I thought you might need it, so I came to you."

"You're such a considerate person, Sean."

Sean shook his head with a wry smile, "To be honest, I don't think it's right to lie to you—part of it is to help you resolve your inner conflict, and the other part is my own selfish motive: I want to find the Ravenclaw's Diadem."

Helena wasn't angry. She smiled calmly and said, "I can understand. After knowing you for so long, you do have a great passion for these unknown things."

"Um, so, ma'am, can you help me?" Sean said somewhat embarrassedly.

"In fact, I do know where the Ravenclaw's Diadem is," Helena's calm voice made Sean feel uneasy. "It's just that it has probably been taken away by someone now."

Sure enough, that person found Helena first and took the Ravenclaw's Diadem first.

However, there is good news—that person is most likely not Voldemort.

If Voldemort had known he could control Hogwarts Authority, he would never have transferred to Newmontgard.

Sean glanced at Helena, realizing it was unlikely he could get the person's identity out of her, and could only sigh in the end.

"But don't you need this Portraits?" Sean asked finally.

Helena looked puzzled. "Of course—but that person told me that this is something my mother left behind, so I can't keep bringing it out."

Sure enough, that person gained access to the Room of Requirement, just like me...

Sean nodded. "That's true. It can't be left out indefinitely. It needs to be returned when the time comes. However, I can make a copy of this Portraits for you and put it wherever you want."

"Really?" Helena finally became excited.

"Of course, I'm not sure if it can be converted into an animated photograph, but photocopying the image is very simple." Sean nodded seriously.

Helena floated and spun twice in the air with a sense of joy. Her inner knot had been untied, but if she could have such a photo to look at any time, that would be something to celebrate.

After a moment of joy, she tilted her head and said, "However, you shouldn't worry about the Ravenclaw's Diadem."

"Why do you say that?" Now it was Sean's turn to be confused.

"Because the new owner of the Ravenclaw's Diadem has no ill intentions toward you, and even... well, how should I put it... the Ravenclaw's Diadem may still fall on your head."

"Huh?" Sean didn't understand.

Does Helena mean that the person is looking for Ravenclaw's Diadem for himself?

Perhaps sensing his confusion, Helena explained, "If I'm not mistaken, that person does indeed want to do something for you—you're right. However, you'll only understand when that person comes to you."

"What can you do for me?" Sean pondered.

If you want to help me, you at least have to know me. But as far as he knows, none of his friends should be able to find the Ravenclaw's Diadem in advance, and they shouldn't be keeping it from him.

Could it be Grindelwald or Dumbledore? It doesn't seem like it...

As he was pondering this, Sean suddenly felt a jolt.

He and Helena looked up at the same time, then looked at each other in confusion.

Just now, Sean felt an indescribable fluctuation. No, "fluctuation" isn't quite right; it was a feeling that was hard to put into words.

It was as if a person's sixth sense had suddenly detected something strange, and Sean was certain that this fluctuation was not something only he, a wizard, could feel.

"You felt it too?" Sean realized what was happening and looked at Helena in shock.

Ghosts are special beings. Currently, apart from the soul magic developed by Voldemort and the gaze of the Basilisk, Sean does not know anything that can affect ghosts.

Helena had clearly made the same move as herself.

Helena also looked puzzled. "Yes, it's hard to explain... How could I feel it like you..."

"Have you experienced anything like this before?" Sean asked.

"No..." Helena suddenly paused, "This... I think I heard my mother mention this..."

What is it?

Helena floated up and looked into the distance, her eyes filled with confusion and worry. "She said that time will be kind to some people..."

Does time favor some people? Sean frowned.

"Has Ms. Ravenclaw explained what that sentence means?" he asked.

Helena shook her head. "No, I only remember that my mother made that remark when she was studying a spell. She just said that there was a strange fluctuation that would spread throughout the world, and everyone could feel it. Time would favor some people... but this might mean some kind of change and division."

Some kind of change or division? Sean took a deep breath; he had a bad feeling about it.

Back at the castle, just as Helena had said, everyone felt that strange sensation; however, even the professors couldn't explain what it was.

In the corridor, the students were gathered in a noisy crowd, and Fred declared confidently, "I bet that's the heartbeat of the God of Wizards!"

"No, no, it feels more like a heavy breath!"

"It feels like a pair of eyes in the sky have opened."

No one had experienced it before, and no one had ever heard of it. The students were all expressing their opinions and describing their feelings.

However, no one could accurately describe that feeling, yet everyone knew that they all felt the same way.

If Sean hadn't felt nothing was wrong with himself, he might have even thought something was amiss with the Sin within him.

In the corner, Hermione was flipping through the book rapidly, muttering to herself as she did so, "There's no record of anything! There's no description of anything! I only found information about some past anomalies, but none of it matches up."

"Perhaps only the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic would have records, or someone like Professor Dumbledore would know what happened." Percy appeared out of nowhere, holding a large pile of strange rhombus-shaped crystals.

"Remember to come back and tell me the answer after you join the Ministry of Magic," Sean joked, knowing that Percy had already begun preparing to join the Ministry of Magic.

Percy puffed out his chest. "If possible—however, I'm an interviewing clerk, so these secrets are probably only known to those Unspeakables."

"My God, you actually said 'maybe'? You're really going to find out this kind of secret for Sean? Please, you wouldn't even cover up your brother's whereabouts yesterday." George, who was leaning against the wall, said sarcastically.

Percy glared at him. "Don't break school rules under my nose! Besides, Sean knows what's important, doesn't he?

"But I'm your own brother! I even saved your life!"

"So I didn't tell Filch about you throwing Dungbomb in the hallway, but I told Professor McGonagall."

"Is there a difference?!"

Sean chuckled, stopping the two brothers from arguing. He glanced at the rhombus-shaped crystal in their hands and casually asked, "What's this?"

Percy had always been very kind to Sean, and he explained, "Oh, you don't need them now, since they're all co-taught now. Back then, I had several courses with conflicting schedules, so I could only use these Recording Crystal record the professors' lectures and then study them on my own in the evenings. Now that we don't need them anymore, Professor McGonagall told me to send these things to the storage room."

Recording Crystal? Sean nodded in realization; he knew about them too. However, Recording Crystal preserved very poor sound quality, but for studying, they were sufficient for clear listening.

"Hey—" Sean suddenly remembered something, "Percy, you guys used this for tutoring back then?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Percy asked.

"I mean, uh, isn't there anything else that would allow you to take two classes at the same time?" Sean asked.

Percy looked at him suspiciously. "How could there be such a thing? I can't be in two places at once."

Percy didn't use Time-Turner to attend class...

Sean and Percy were already quite familiar with each other, and the other party was clearly not lying to him. Moreover, judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to have ever heard of the Time-Turner.

This is a bit strange... Could it be that the Time-Turner is malfunctioning because of the change in the world line?

Sean now especially misses Barty Jr. Crouch., who has disappeared without a trace, and he can no longer get the information he wants from the Ministry of Magic.

Well, putting aside that guy's abnormal thought process and cruel personality, such an absolutely loyal subordinate is indeed an excellent spy.

However, this was just a thought. Sean now seriously suspected that Barty Jr. had been controlled by someone, which made him dare not contact the other party rashly.

The strange fluctuations that everyone felt in the afternoon did not seem to have caused any strange accidents. At least when they returned to the Common Room after dinner, the sky was still overcast and the campfire was still burning.

As night deepened, Sean lay back in bed, reviewed his recent plans in his mind, and then fell peacefully asleep.

"Hmm..." On the bed, Sean yawned and opened his eyes.

His biological clock is fairly regular, so he usually wakes up first to wake his roommate.

Sean stretched and looked out the window; it was still dark outside.

"I guess it'll be another rainy day today..." Sean muttered to himself, then habitually glanced at his watch.

It should be around 7:30... However, the numbers on the dial made Sean frown.

3:45.

What happened? Did the watch break when I left it in the Room of Requirement?

Sean was about to adjust the time, but the date in the center of the dial made him pause.

October 28th.

But yesterday was clearly the 26th... Today should be the 27th...

Is the watch really broken?

Sean sensed something was wrong and woke up Dave, who was more sensitive to time.

"Dave, how long have you been asleep?"

"I slept for about three hours... Hmm, something feels off... I feel like yesterday... no, no, it should be the day that's between yesterday and today, it seems like I didn't get enough time?" Dave wondered.

Sean's eyes widened.

October 27th isn't enough time?!