The Marvelous Crown

The next day was Easter holiday, Kyle got up early and left the common room.

With the help of the Fat Friar, he first found Helena Ravenclaw in the castle tower, and then arrived at Hogsmeade Station before nine o'clock.

Perhaps because of the Triwizard Tournament, almost no one went home for the Easter holiday this year; Kyle was the only one in the entire Prefect's Box.

But this is good, at least we don't have to look elsewhere.

As the train doors closed and it was about to depart, Kyle took out the Portkey Dumbledore had given him the day before and whispered something to himself.

"Nicolas Flamel..."

The sound of the ship's horn that had just started to ring in his ears stopped abruptly. When Kyle opened his eyes again, he found himself at the entrance of a familiar manor. Before him stood the magnificent manor gate and two lifelike Dragon statues.

Kyle walked over curiously, remembering Nicolas saying that these two statues were among his most satisfying works in recent centuries.

However, Kyle couldn't see anything special about the two statues. They seemed just like the stone statues in the castle, except that the statues in front of him had many more complex Ancient Runes symbols on them.

"Welcome, sir!"

A sharp sound came from beside my ear.

The House-elf Tata was standing there, bowing to Kyle.

"The master sent Tata to pick up the gentleman."

"Thank you for your help, Tata," Kyle said.

Although I received Nicolas's invitation, I still feel more at ease having House-elf guide me here.

"It's Tata's honor," said the House-elf.

He then led Kyle into the manor, through the front yard and Entrance Hall, down a long corridor, and stopped at the door of a very inconspicuous room.

Tata took the initiative and knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly.

Kyle also saw Nicolas Flamel, but not in person; he saw him through a mirror.

Nicolas's reflection in the mirror looked somewhat like the portraits in the Headmaster's Office.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Kyle." Nicolas Flamel in the mirror turned around and said, "The forging of the Philosopher's Stone has reached its most crucial stage, and I cannot leave."

"Luckily, I made this before."

As they were talking, Nicolas suddenly popped out of the mirror, his entire body passing through the table and appearing in front of Kyle.

"Another application of the Pensieve," he explained, "What you are seeing now is just a memory."

Of course, even without his explanation, Kyle could tell that the Nicolas in front of him was fake.

Even if Nicole were to walk through a table, the real Nicolas couldn't walk that fast.

While the two were talking, Tata had already quietly left the room and closed the door behind her.

"You've received the letter I wrote to you, haven't you?" Nicolas said.

Kyle nodded.

"Then... come here."

Nicolas led Kyle forward to a shelf in front of which, on the middle shelf, was a purple velvet cushion upon which rested an exquisite Ravenclaw's Diadem.

Ravenclaw's Diadem.

The previous rust has disappeared, revealing its original appearance.

The entire piece is silver, resembling a raven with outstretched wings, with the very center—the raven's body—being a single, solid sapphire.

The restored Ravenclaw's Diadem looked unremarkable; Kyle couldn't sense any magic in it whatsoever, as if it were just a finely crafted ornament.

"The most perfect alchemical technique has almost no loss of magic power," Nicolas exclaimed. "It took me almost three hundred years to achieve this."

"I think you've probably already guessed who the lady I was talking about in the letter is."

"I've thought of a name," Kyle said, "But I'm not sure...it's too incredible."

"In fact, I feel the same way," Nicolas said. "I always thought nothing could surprise me anymore, until a few days ago when I suddenly heard the Ravenclaw's Diadem's voice... I almost fell off my chair."

"However, I think you performed better than me... after all, you've already met her once."

"So, it really is Rowena Ravenclaw?" Kyle asked.

"Who else could it be but her?" Nicolas said with a laugh. "There can't possibly be Albus's voice in Ravenclaw's Diadem."

"That's really scary," Kyle laughed.

Dumbledore is still unaware that the Ravenclaw's Diadem has been found, and neither Kyle nor Nicolas has revealed a word about it.

After all, the Ravenclaw's Diadem is technically school property. What if he insists on taking it back? On this point, the two are surprisingly in sync.

"Alright, it seems the Grey Lady wants to speak with you alone, so I won't disturb you any longer... Just put the Ravenclaw's Diadem on your head."

Then Nicolas disappeared, leaving only a faint glimmer on the mirror against the wall.

Kyle looked at the Ravenclaw's Diadem in front of him and carefully removed it from the cushion.

The Ravenclaw's Diadem wasn't heavy, about the size of a normal book. Kyle took a long breath and placed it on his head.

The world before my eyes seemed to suddenly become bright.

Kyle felt clear-headed like never before, and some problems that had troubled him for a long time were instantly solved.

He knew why his "Firestorm" was so much weaker than Dumbledore's own. He had always thought it was a matter of magic, but it didn't seem to be the case.

He doesn't need to use magic to maintain the shape and stability of the flames; that would be a waste. He should have converted his magic into guiding Ancient Runes from the start.

In this way, he only needs to use the guiding spell, just like flying a kite. As long as the string is in his hand, the kite will not go out of control.

I see... No wonder Dumbledore had reminded him several times to take another look at that booklet.

Kyle instinctively turned his head and looked at the mirror on the wall.

In his eyes, the Ancient Runes engraved on the picture frame suddenly came to life; they bounced and lined up in front of Kyle.

It's like a Quidditch Match.

Some Ancient Runes formed Chaser, some formed Ancient Runes, and there were also Golden Snitch Seeker, Quaffle, and Bludger.

Each of them performed its own function, and together they created a wonderful competition.

Their role in the competition is also obvious.

"Incredible..." Kyle murmured to himself.

That's because you already knew this knowledge.

A clear, cool female voice, both unfamiliar and familiar, rang in my ears.

"Ravenclaw's Diadem cannot bestow upon people what they do not already possess. Even if someone who understands no Ancient Runes runes were to wear Ravenclaw's Diadem, they would never comprehend the function of this mirror."

Then, the flickering images disappeared.

A sudden surge of intense disappointment welled up in Kyle's heart; he didn't want this magical state to disappear, but rather to last forever.

In a daze, it seemed as if a breeze blew by, a cool breeze carrying morning dew, which briefly brought Kyle back to his senses.

"Wrong!"

Kyle was panting heavily, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

He finally understood what Nicolas had meant earlier; this feeling of being omniscient and omnipotent was indeed irresistible.

He became so engrossed after only a few seconds of experiencing it; if it continued for too long, he would surely go insane from the immense shock of losing his Ravenclaw's Diadem.

Thinking of this, Kyle instinctively reached out to remove the Ravenclaw's Diadem from his head.

But this thing is like it's grown on his head; he can't budge it at all.