Ghost Lady Helena

After bidding farewell to Nicholas and the Fat Friar, Xiwen drifted toward the library on the castle's fifth floor.

He had long heard that Hogwarts possessed what could be called the largest library of magical books in all of England. Its Restricted Section in particular contained countless precious volumes unavailable on the market, including many one-of-a-kind copies. Xiwen had coveted those forbidden books for a long time, and now he could use his ghostly form to sneak a look.

The moment he entered the library, the sight before him left Xiwen stunned. Rows upon rows of bookshelves stretched into one another, with no end in sight. Dense collections of books filled every shelf, dazzling the eye.

The outer areas of the library held common titles frequently used by students, most of which could be found in the Rosier family library. Skipping over those ordinary books, Xiwen drifted through row after row of shelves toward the depths of the library.

The Restricted Section was blocked off by a rope, seemingly enchanted with some sort of warding magic to prevent unauthorized students from entering.

Naturally, such magic was useless against Xiwen in his ghostly state. He easily passed over the rope and drifted into the Restricted Section with eager anticipation.

"Huh?"

The moment he entered the Restricted Section, Xiwen noticed in surprise that another ghost was already inside, quietly reading a book.

Her smooth black hair fell diagonally over her shoulders, while a fitted silk gown accentuated her beautiful, slender, tall figure. She lowered her head slightly as she read, gently tucking the hair by her temple behind her ear with her left hand, revealing an exquisite, fair profile.

Xiwen could not bear to disturb the tranquil scene. He slowed down and searched the bookshelves on the other side for books that interested him.

From his sensory perspective, he could sense that every book on the shelves ahead contained a powerful magical aura. Combined together, they created an immense and imposing presence.

Among that aura, one book stood out in particular and caught Xiwen's attention. It was a thick volume with a brown cover, radiating an evil and powerful presence.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Xiwen pulled the book out.

—Secrets of the Darkest Art. Several large black words appeared prominently on the cover, their lettering faintly leaking wisps of pitch-black mist.

Dark magic? Xiwen frowned.

In truth, the Rosier family library contained many advanced books on dark magic. Xiwen had once flipped through a few out of curiosity while Sandrine was not paying attention, but he discovered that the magic recorded within could easily affect one's mind. After that, he had kept his distance from it.

Moreover, the core of his wand was a Unicorn horn nerve, something extremely resistant to dark magic. That further dispelled any thought of learning it. There were countless spells in the world, and even a lifetime would not be enough to master a fraction of them. Why risk having his mind corrupted to study dark magic? Xiwen had long since come to terms with that.

Still, the dense magical aura of Secrets of the Darkest Art made him deeply curious. What kind of book could produce such a vast presence?

With the attitude that it would not hurt to broaden his horizons, Xiwen opened the book anyway.

"Screeeech—!!!"

The instant he opened the first page, a black skull suddenly burst from the book and charged into Xiwen's body with a shriek.

Xiwen jumped in fright. A protective barrier flashed into existence around him, and he immediately snapped the book shut.

After closing the book, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Turning around, he discovered that the tall ghost lady was staring at him in surprise.

Xiwen gave the ghost lady an awkward smile and silently placed the book back on the shelf.

"Hello, I'm the new ghost, Strange," he greeted with a dry laugh.

The ghost lady floated over gracefully, frowning as she said, "You do not look like a ghost. I have never seen a ghost able to hold physical books, nor have I ever seen a ghost interested in the books in the library. Do you not know that once you become a ghost, you can no longer acquire new knowledge?"

Only then did Xiwen notice that the book she had been holding had already turned into motes of light and vanished. It did not seem to have been a physical object, and her face still bore an expression called envy.

"Even after becoming a ghost, you still want to read?" he asked softly.

The ghost lady's expression suddenly turned cold. "That has nothing to do with you," she said indifferently.

"Reading is a noble quality. There is nothing to reject about it." Xiwen smiled gently. "Perhaps I can help you."

Perhaps because Xiwen was rather pleasing to look at, the appearance-obsessed ghost lady did not turn around and leave.

She merely glanced at him with amusement. "How do you intend to help a ghost?"

Xiwen stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "I cannot change the fact that ghosts cannot gain knowledge, but being able to touch these books can at least satisfy that craving a little. Better than nothing, right?" he said with a smile.

I'll start with her if I want the ghosts to truly accept me, Xiwen thought silently.

He had to admit that if he wanted to earn trust, he would much rather elegantly display magic that did not belong to this world before a beautiful lady than before those rough ghost men with strange manners...

Then Xiwen waved his hand, and a ripple formed from countless shattered mirror-like fragments swept across the area where they stood.

The ghost lady discovered in shock that, for a fleeting moment, she could actually feel again.

Barefoot, she drifted lightly down toward the ground. Her toes gently touched the floor, then quickly recoiled as though she could not believe it. Her mouth fell open in astonishment. Her toes touched the ground again, and then her entire bare foot settled onto the cold floor.

"What magic is this?" she murmured.

"This is the Mirror Dimension."

Xiwen landed as well and gave a slight bow. "Then, beautiful lady, may I know your name?"

"Helena." The ghost lady smiled at Xiwen.

Helena seemed to have gone too long without touching the ground. She lifted her skirt slightly and took unsteady, clumsy steps.

Xiwen thoughtfully stepped forward and held Helena's left hand, helping her get used to the feeling of walking on the ground.

He turned his head and looked at Helena's exquisite profile, as though experiencing a feeling he had never known during more than twenty years at Kamar-Taj.

"Do you know why I still deceive myself by reading even after becoming a ghost?" Helena suddenly asked.

Xiwen smiled gently. "I would like to hear it."

"My mother was once an exceptionally, exceptionally outstanding witch. Back then, no one failed to admire her wisdom or envy her power. And I was born beneath her halo."

"Was living beneath your mother's halo very stressful?" Xiwen asked.

Helena nodded and continued, "She placed great expectations on me..."

After listening to Helena's account, Xiwen roughly understood the ghost lady's story.

Helena's mother had been a wise, powerful, and great witch. She valued wisdom above all else and likewise hoped Helena could meet her standards. Yet she had clearly failed to consider that not everyone possessed such exceptional talent. Helena had not inherited her mother's extraordinary intelligence and could not meet her lofty demands, disappointing her mother. Unable to bear the blow, Helena ultimately chose to run away from home.

"I will probably never meet my mother's expectations, and reading became an obsession carved deep into my soul," she said softly.

Xiwen sighed deeply. "Would you like to hear my story?"

Helena sat down in an armchair nearby and nodded.

Xiwen said, "I was an orphan from childhood, without parents. Fortunately, I had a teacher who raised me. My teacher was also exceptionally, exceptionally outstanding and powerful, and he had great expectations for me as well. In that regard, I am rather similar to you."

Helena asked curiously, "Then was the pressure on you great too?"

Xiwen shook his head. "No, I was fortunate. I had poor health from childhood, and all my efforts had always been focused on curing my illness. Because of that, I largely overlooked my teacher's expectations..."

He continued speaking to himself, seemingly lost in memories of the past, without noticing that Helena beside him was already on the verge of tears.

"How can you call that fortunate?" Helena's eyes were already wet. "Compared to what you went through, everything I endured seems completely insignificant..."

Xiwen smiled. "Not at all. It can only be said that everyone carries a different burden."