Ravenclaw's Token?!

"Voldemort?!"

The dim wall lamps flickered in the shadowy room.

They cast mottled shadows.

Making the already ominous surroundings feel even more mysterious.

The Plaster Statue's eyes glimmered unnaturally in the darkness.

Like two shining gems.

They seemed especially out of place on this quiet night.

Devero stared at the Plaster Statue, extremely tense.

He cried out in shock.

"Voldemort? Hahaha, it's been a long time since anyone called me that. I thought I was going to drown in this endless sea of knowledge."

The Plaster Statue smiled at Devero.

Its smile looked a little distorted in the dim, yellow light.

As if the passage of time had left its mark on the statue.

But since this Plaster Statue had no arms,

the scene was very... uh... comical?

A half-man-sized Plaster Statue lay on the floor.

It did its best to turn its head toward Devero.

If it weren't midnight,

Devero might have found the scene a little funny.

But now, every muscle in his body was taut!

His wand pointed straight at the talking Plaster Statue.

He was ready to cast a curse at any moment.

He was one hundred percent certain.

The thing controlling the Plaster Statue was Voldemort's Horcrux!

He had just seen on the panel

that Voldemort had mastered the Three Unforgivable Curses to an unparalleled degree!

Even if Voldemort didn't use the Killing Curse,

getting hit by just one of the others

would still be a lot to deal with!

So Devero kept his eyes fixed on the Plaster Statue,

ready to defend himself if it attacked.

"Hahaha, don't be so tense. Look, I'm just a little statue."

As he spoke, the green-eyed Plaster Statue—or rather, Voldemort's Horcrux—

rolled over beside a pile of junk.

It propped itself up against it.

At last, it no longer had to hold its neck up to talk to Devero.

"Haha, I just wanted to ask you a few questions. After all, I've been here far too long."

The young Voldemort even twisted his neck,

like someone who had been asleep for a long time

and had finally woken up.

Devero did his best to remain calm.

He adjusted his breathing,

trying to settle himself with the Zen Meditation Method.

"Oh? The Pure Tranquility Doctrine? I thought that had been lost long ago."

Voldemort watched Devero with interest.

Devero broke out in a cold sweat.

Voldemort was referring to the Zen Meditation Method he was using!

His opponent's store of knowledge really was terrifying.

"What exactly do you want?"

Devero decided he couldn't let the other side take the lead.

He needed to figure out Voldemort's intentions first.

In the original story, there had been no case of a Horcrux coming to life.

All he could do now was adapt as he went.

"Well, I just want to know what's been happening outside. How is my future self... uh... Voldemort doing?"

This younger version of Voldemort seemed very friendly just then.

Having no hands, he didn't look capable of casting magic.

But considering that he had ultimately failed,

and that Harry had killed him with a rebounding curse, the news might drive him mad.

Devero decided to put it gently.

"You failed. The Death Eaters were all captured."

Uh.

That still sounded a little too blunt.

But Voldemort remained remarkably calm.

He showed no sign of being shaken.

"Is that so? Little one, if that's the case, I may have to see for myself!"

As he spoke,

green light blazed from the Plaster Statue's eyes!

"Let me see what happened!"

Devero sensed danger.

He immediately swung his wand!

"Reducto!"

A laser shot toward the Plaster Statue.

Bang!

After a loud crash,

the Plaster Statue shattered.

Dust billowed,

and fragments scattered across the floor.

But all he had smashed was the Plaster Statue!

The Ravenclaw's Diadem rose slowly into the air,

trembling slightly as it hovered.

It seemed almost alive.

"I can't see your thoughts. Are you being protected by someone? What an interesting boy. Never mind, I don't have much power left. But I can make it so only you can enter this place. Come visit sometime and tell me what's happening outside."

As he spoke,

the Diadem floated lightly toward the head of another statue.

In an instant,

a strange green light shot from that statue's eyes too.

It winked at the stunned Devero.

The next moment,

Devero felt a powerful wave of dizziness.

The world around him spun rapidly.

When he regained his footing,

he found himself standing outside the Slytherin Common Room,

holding a slip of paper and a pale blue silk scarf.

Devero unfolded the note.

The handwriting was neat and elegant.

"Hey, little one. If you have time, bring the scarf and come see me again. Tell this old man some stories about the outside world."

Devero quickly lit the note with his wand.

Flames consumed the paper,

leaving behind a wisp of smoke.

He tossed the ashes behind him.

He didn't want to see that Dark Lord again!

But all sorts of doubts continued to plague him.

Didn't Voldemort's entry say Born Heartless?

But their conversation had made Voldemort seem more like a lonely person who longed for someone to listen.

Was there something wrong with the description?

Devero couldn't help wondering

whether it was all an elaborate trap,

designed to lure him into danger.

And why, when he had first seen it,

had it been nothing more than an ordinary Horcrux that could bewitch people?

After he'd indirectly sensed it by using the Zen Meditation Method,

it had become something capable of communicating, something that even felt much like the ghosts at school!

Had his magic accidentally awakened some part of its consciousness?

And why hadn't Voldemort gotten angry or reacted at all when he heard he had failed?

What did "things aren't always as they seem" mean, anyway?

Devero felt as if his head were about to burst from all this confusing information!

He couldn't make heads or tails of it!

Devero made up his mind.

He would tell Dumbledore at once!

The professors could deal with the problem.

Thinking this,

Devero picked up the pale blue silk scarf,

intending to burn it too.

But he didn't expect that the moment he picked it up,

[ Ding! ]

[ Item acquired! ]

Devero froze.

Was this thing really an item recognized by the system?

Until now, only system rewards and wands had been recognized as items!

This plain-looking scarf was actually an item?

Devero lowered his wand

and glanced around to make sure Filch wasn't nearby.

It was almost two in the morning.

He didn't want to get detention.

Then he spoke the password to the stone wall.

When the passage appeared,

Devero returned to the Slytherin Common Room.

The common room was empty.

Only the firewood crackled in the fireplace,

while the sound of waves lapping against the shore kept coming from beyond the windows.

It made Devero feel a little more at ease.

But the chill in the room still made him shiver.

He sat down in a ring-patterned armchair closest to the fireplace.

Only then did Devero begin to examine his latest item.

[Item: Ravenclaw's Token]

...

[Ravenclaw's Token: This is a token belonging exclusively to Ravenclaw. It is given only to special people. Its purpose is unknown. Once the token is given, both parties form an Unbreakable Vow. The recipient cannot betray the giver, in every sense of the word.]