Helena's Vigilance

Li Wei had never snuck out at night, neither during his student days nor after arriving at Hogwarts.

During his time as a student, the campus environment was still quite wild, with frequent physical altercations among students. Furthermore, the school's punishments for nighttime excursions were extremely strict.

Wizards caught by Filch were often hung up for an entire night and whipped by him.

Li Wei had absolutely no desire to experience such a thing.

Therefore, he had never surveyed the castle where he had lived for seven years from such a perspective.

With his mindset completely changed, everything he saw in his eyes also transformed.

This change wasn't necessarily for the better, but it did make Li Wei feel a difference.

The once surging and steady magic power within his body, at this moment, temporarily lost the precision Li Wei sought. It grew calmer, more relaxed, docile, and abundant, like a tranquil lake, rising and falling gently with his breath.

Li Wei stood in the center of the third-floor corridor, quietly closing his eyes in the darkness.

Immediately, he felt it.

The sound of the wind blowing through the grass outside the castle, accompanied by the intermittent calls of owls, and the dust falling in the moonlight. The magic power flowed through the castle, quietly moving amidst this descent.

And as he began to consciously perceive and search for these flows, his soul seemed to suddenly break free from some kind of rut, and his mind became much clearer.

He even had an illusion.

At this moment, he only needed to wave his hand gently to immediately mobilize the natural magic power and use it for himself.

Not guiding it with the magic power within his body, but directly controlling it. This change alone was enough to allow him to advance further in Transfiguration. Once he mastered this power, no one would be able to transfigure any object around him unless their magical attainments were even higher than his.

Thus, the goal was clear: when he could fully achieve this, it would signify that his control over magic would reach a new level.

Even if that were all, tonight would have been worthwhile.

It was at this very moment that Li Wei sensed two "unfamiliar magic powers" invading the area, disrupting the harmonious environment.

He turned his head but saw nothing. In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a flash of a faint blue skirt.

Was it a ghost?

Speaking of which, during his student days, there always seemed to be a ghost secretly observing him.

If it were in the past, Li Wei would have completely ignored it—he wouldn't care about things that didn't affect him.

What could a ghost's scrutiny do? It wouldn't affect him in the slightest.

But now... he had the urge to explore.

This thought arose naturally in his mind, not out of interest or annoyance, but as a natural emotion. Li Wei noticed the change in his attitude towards life, lowering his eyes. Currently, he couldn't quite distinguish this subtle feeling.

"Is it the Grey Lady? If you have something you wish to tell me, please give me an opportunity."

Li Wei's voice echoed in the empty castle.

There was no response.

"You don't want to see me?"

Not understanding what the ghost was thinking, Li Wei shifted his gaze, glanced again at the banister to the right of the second-floor staircase, and continued upward.

Two minutes later, Li Wei's figure completely disappeared.

Helena Ravenclaw's figure reappeared from the corner, about to persistently follow him again.

But just then, two childlike figures suddenly appeared in her sight.

"Hey, please wait."

Helena slowly turned around, her face showing no shame or fear at being discovered, her expression as cold as frost.

Harry, unable to spare a thought for her beauty, said softly:

"Are you also following Professor Li Wei? Our goals are the same, would you like to chat with us?"

"You are... the boy who lived."

Helena frowned slightly, her gaze falling upon the invisible cloaks the two were wearing.

"Deathly Hallows."

She murmured softly after looking down, then quickly flew in front of them.

"Follow me."

Her words were devoid of emotion but carried an imperious tone of command.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and, cloaked, obediently followed.

Helena led them left and right, gradually arriving at a hidden passage.

"Speak, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"You're following Professor Li Wei, what are you trying to do?"

"And what are you two doing following him?"

Facing Helena's tactic of answering a question with a question, Harry was oblivious and simply replied honestly:

"We suspect he's connected to the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

He told Helena the entire secret of the Chamber of Secrets exactly as it was, and the calm expression on her face gradually turned serious.

"Your guess is very likely true."

"What!"

Harry and Ron were surprised to hear an affirmation from a ghost, looking at her in astonishment!

"I've been watching him since Li Wei was a student, long before you knew how terrifying he is."

"When he was a student? But I heard others say the Professor was very unremarkable during his student days?"

"Unremarkable? Heh, that's probably exactly what he wanted to appear."

A mocking expression appeared on Helena's face, looking quite sharp—in her life, two things made her feel immense regret.

One was that during her life, she couldn't see her mother's last moments with her own eyes—all thanks to that damned Bloody Baron!

The other was after her death. She was deceived by Tom Riddle and lost the heirloom her mother left her—the Diadem of Ravenclaw.

Either of these events weighed heavily on Helena.

Therefore, when she discovered another terrifying individual had appeared in Slytherin, she became extremely vigilant!

This had nothing to do with this unlucky fellow, but rather her struggle with her past self.

Last time, she was deceived by someone with ulterior motives.

This time, she would expose the lies of the second person with ulterior motives.

And that person was Li Wei, who had always been unremarkable in his school life.

"I've never seen a Little Wizard like this, not even in the past."

"What did he do?"

Seeing Helena stop halfway, Ron couldn't help but urge her on.

Helena glared at him for interrupting, then continued:

"He wakes up at five every morning, goes for a fifteen-minute run, does some physical exercises I can't understand, and then goes to eat and attend classes.

After class, he somehow knew about the Room of Requirement and would spend the entire day studying or practicing magic there, not interacting with anyone until close to lights out.

Except for classes and meals, he spent all his time studying magic, but I almost never saw him fight with other Little Wizards.

He was like this for seven full years, never changing."

Helena paused here, waiting for their reaction.

"It sounds normal, what's the problem?"

Harry couldn't help but ask—he was actually interested in the Room of Requirement Helena mentioned, but it wasn't the right time to ask.

"Of course there's a problem, Harry!"

Ron exclaimed.

"Can you imagine a life like that? You wake up at five every day and participate in Quidditch training, then go to class, then after eating, you go study magic, like this every day, with not a single day of rest. If I had to live like that, I'd rather die!"

"This silly, silly boy is right!"

Helena nodded, affirming Ron's statement, ignoring his protest.

"I've met countless people in my life, but never has there been a Little Wizard like him! What kind of willpower and ambition does it take to reach his level? His words and actions are not like a child's at all! I even suspect that a very old wizard's soul might be inhabiting his body."