socalfunplaces Chapter 213 The Ravenclaw Crown
Chapter 213 The Ravenclaw Crown
Chapter 213 The Ravenclaw Crown
Hogwarts, after the final exams, was filled with an atmosphere of relief and restlessness. Students walked briskly through the castle corridors, discussing holiday plans, exchanging addresses, and a longing for freedom permeated the air. However, for Cullen, the real "exams" had only just begun.
Inside the Eagle's Nest, the lights were blazing. Unlike the other students, Karen was conducting his final checks. On his workbench, his meticulously prepared "tools" were neatly arranged: a pair of specially made dragonskin gloves, the edges engraved with fine insulating runes; a three-meter-long, extendable pair of fire tongs; a heavy, specially made lead box lined with lead plates and etched with intricate sealing runes, inspired by the lead boxes Nikolai provided; and a black dragonskin pouch imbued with powerful spatial expansion and seamless stretching spells.
All of this preparation has a clear and dangerous objective: the Ravenclaw Horcrux in the Room of Requirement.
Karen was well aware of the Horcrux's seductive power. He was confident in the strength of his will, but he was not blindly so. To risk his life to come into contact with a dark artifact created by a Dark Lord, imbued with the wisdom of Ravenclaw? That wasn't courage, it was foolishness. His plan was simple, direct, and physical: pinpoint the location, retrieve it from a distance, implement multiple layers of containment, and completely isolate it. Throughout the entire process, he would never allow the diadem to come within a meter of his body, much less "see" it, "hear" it, or even "think" about it.
In the dead of night, the castle fell asleep. Karen changed into dark, casual clothes for ease of movement and packed the prepared tools one by one into the spatial bag, leaving only the fire tongs and lead box at the bag's opening for easy access. He took a deep breath and checked the status of the "Resonance Compass" one last time. It lay quietly in another isolated box, without any abnormal fluctuations. This was good; after all, although he knew the crown was in the Room of Requirement, its exact location was difficult to find. This made things much easier.
He slipped out of the eagle's nest like a silent shadow, casting an illusion spell on himself to skillfully avoid Filch and Lady Lorris's possible patrol routes. The ancient stone walls of the castle cast long shadows in the moonlight, each step treading on the edge of silence. He reached the eighth floor, opposite the tapestry of the troll beating Barnabas.
"I need a place to hide something, a place to hide something," Karen repeated to himself, focusing his mind on the concept of a "hiding place." He paced back and forth in front of the smooth stone wall three times.
The stone wall rippled and melted silently, revealing a smooth, ancient doorway.
Karen didn't push the door open immediately. He took a few steps back, took out a pair of pliers from his pocket, and carefully unfolded them fully; their three-meter length seemed somewhat conspicuous in the hallway. He gripped the handles tightly, held his breath, and gently pried open the door to the Room of Requirement with the tips of the pliers.
Inside the door was a vast labyrinth, piled high with items hidden or forgotten over the centuries. Perhaps it would actively collect things lost or hidden within the castle; dust swirled in the moonlight streaming through the high windows. Karen didn't venture deeper; he stood at the entrance, his sharp gaze scanning the area near the entrance. He knew the approximate location of the crown—on a wizard's bust.
However, the items here were too numerous and varied. Fortunately, Karen was prepared. He took out his compass and walked step by step towards the center of the room. After Karen had taken about five steps, the compass suddenly vibrated! The runes in the core area pointing to a corner of the room erupted with a pale golden light that was far stronger and clearer than when sensing soul fragments! The chirping sound of the base plate also increased several decibels. This reaction confirmed his guess: the evil soul power contained in the Horcrux was more easily detected by this device based on soul fluctuations than simple fragments!
With a direction set, the target was quickly locked on. The dusty, sapphire-encrusted crown sat casually atop the dusty, pockmarked bust of a sorcerer, exuding an eerie sense of incongruity. Even from nearly ten meters away, Karen's "Eye of Truth," though not consciously activated to observe the flow of magic, sensed an extremely faint, thread-like chill attempting to penetrate the air and irritate his senses. He immediately focused his attention, concentrating entirely on the fire tongs and lead box in his hands, deliberately blocking any focus on the crown itself.
Karen adjusted her breathing, tensing her arm muscles. She opened the lead box, pushed it beside the Horcrux, and then slowly extended the three-meter-long fire tongs towards the bust. The tips of the tongs gleamed coldly in the moonlight, slowly and steadily approaching the crown. The distance shortened—five meters—three meters…one meter…
The tweezers finally touched the cold metal edge of the crown. The instant they made contact, Karen felt an extremely slight vibration from the tweezers handle, as if countless tiny, malicious whispers were trying to travel along the metal, but were instantly suppressed by the anti-confusion runes embedded in the tweezers and Karen's powerful willpower. His gaze remained unwavering; with a tightening of his wrist, the tweezers closed firmly, gripping the center of the crown tightly.
Without hesitation, he swiftly and smoothly retracted his arm. The crown, which had been clamped, was released from the bust and hung in mid-air. Karen could feel the resistance from the fire tongs increasing; the cold, seductive sensation became viscous, attempting to penetrate his defenses. However, Karen had taken too many precautions, so it had little effect.
The fire tongs, carrying the crown, were moved by Karen as carefully as if she were holding extremely dangerous radioactive material, toward the open lead box. The sapphire on the crown seemed to gleam with an extremely subtle, eerie light in the moonlight, but Karen's gaze remained fixed on the inside of the lead box, never meeting the crown's eyes.
Finally! The crown was completely inside the lead box. Karen immediately released the fire tongs, the tips of the tweezers swiftly withdrawing. He then used his wand to slam the lid of the lead box shut from a distance!
"Click!" A crisp sound of a mechanism locking rang out. The sealing runes on the surface of the lead box were instantly activated, revealing a layer of visible...
A silvery energy membrane covered the entire surface of the box, then quickly receded, leaving only the runes themselves emitting a faint but steady glow. The chilling, seductive aura that had tried to seep out vanished instantly, as if its source had been severed. Only the heavy weight of the lead box and the radiance of the runes testified to what was sealed within.
Karen exhaled a long, silent breath, successfully completing the final "exam" of the semester in just a few dozen seconds.
After confirming with his True Sight that no additional dark magic power was escaping, he quickly placed the lead box into his spatial bag and tied the opening tightly. This completely isolated the lead box, along with the sealed crown inside, from the outside world.
Mission accomplished. Clean and efficient, without any surprises. Karen put away his long tweezers, taking one last look at the endless pile of clutter deep within the Room of Requirement. He knew there were probably some good things here, like the Vanishing Cabinet from the original story, but those could wait. For now, dealing with this Horcrux was the priority. Then, he decisively stepped out the door. The stone wall behind him silently returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
Back at the Eagle's Nest, Karen didn't rest. He immediately took out the two-way mirror and infused it with magic.
The mirror surface rippled, and Nico's gentle yet slightly questioning face appeared first, followed by Castor's figure beside him. He seemed more stable than during the last communication, and his eyes were as sharp as ever.
"Karen? Contacting you so late, is there new progress with the tracker, or—" Nico keenly noticed Karen's somewhat excited expression.
Without any pleasantries, Cullen cut straight to the point, her voice carrying a deliberately suppressed excitement and exhaustion: "Mr. Nico, Mr. Castor. I've made significant progress. Using that rudimentary resonance compass I was researching, I've located and successfully retrieved a Horcrux inside Hogwarts!"
The two people on the other side of the mirror were startled simultaneously. Nicole's silver eyebrows rose, and Castor's gray eyes narrowed instantly, sharp as a hawk's.
"A Horcrux? Are you sure?" Castor's voice was deep and serious. "Inside Hogwarts? What is it?"
“I’m sure, Master.” Karen nodded firmly. “Based on the resonance compass’s reaction, the feeling when I obtained it, and its location and shape, I suspect it might be Ravenclaw’s lost tiara. However, I’m not sure yet, since it’s been missing for so long. But its appearance does match the records—it’s very dim. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that Voldemort made a fake of it himself.”
"Ravenclaw's tiara?!" Nico's voice was filled with regret. "If your guess is correct, then this is simply—a waste of a precious treasure! A desecration of magical history!"
Castor's reaction was much colder and more pragmatic: "You got it? Where is it now? What are the security measures? Horcruxes are extremely seductive, you—"
"Don't worry, Master," Karen replied immediately, her tone calm. "I maintained a safe distance of at least three meters throughout, using specially made three-meter pliers to grasp it. There was no contact whatsoever, and I never looked directly at the object. Once I had it, I immediately sealed it in a lead box containing the sealing rune array provided by you and Master Nico. The lead box was then reinforced with a derivative of 'Hermes' Touch.' Finally, the lead box was placed in a spatial bag, creating a double barrier."
It's currently on an insulated tray in the alchemy workshop. I assure you, I will never attempt to touch or study it again until it reaches your and Master Nico's laboratory.” He gave a detailed and clear report on the protective measures.
Upon hearing this, both Nico and Castor wore expressions of shock and admiration. Karen's meticulousness and caution far exceeded their expectations.
"Well done, Cullen!" Nico breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with satisfaction and a hint of lingering fear. "Your caution and planning were superb! This was much faster and more direct than we anticipated. If this truly is the Ravenclaw crown, it is an immeasurable discovery, albeit in such a heartbreaking way."
Castor nodded slowly, a hint of approval flashing in his gray eyes: "The plan was very thorough and well executed."
It's especially important that you didn't recklessly try to study it. Your approach of not taking unnecessary risks is extremely prudent, especially before determining the strength of the soul within the Horcrux.
"So, what's next?" Karen asked. "I plan to take it to the 'Quiet Abode' for research during the holidays, and instead of having it handed over through Dumbledore as before. Now that we have it, how do we transfer it safely?"
Castor answered almost without hesitation, "Leave it to me. When are you leaving school?"
"The Hogwarts Express departs the day after tomorrow morning," Cullen replied.
“Alright.” Castor said decisively. “You don’t need to meet your family at King’s Cross Station. I’ll wait for you outside the station. After picking you up, we’ll go directly to France using the door key that Nico arranged. After we’ve finished studying the tiara, I’ll take you back to your home in Plymouth.”
Karen considered for a moment. This plan eliminated the risks of exchanging Horcruxes at the station and also avoided involving her family. Castor picking her up personally ensured the highest level of safety. "I agree, Master. I'll write to my parents later to let them know I'll be staying with Master Nico for a few days before returning home."
"Very good." Castor nodded. "Stay vigilant and don't go near that bag for the next couple of days. See you the day after tomorrow."
"See you the day after tomorrow, teacher, Master Nico." Karen ended the communication.
Setting down the two-way mirror, Karen gazed at the unassuming cloth bag on the workbench, inside which lay sealed the remnants of evil and history powerful enough to shake the entire magical world. He felt no joy of victory, only a heavy sense of responsibility and a sliver of anticipation for the unknown research ahead. He immediately picked up a pen and wrote to his parents, casually informing them of the change in his travel plans, before throwing himself into the final preparations before leaving school. Under the lights of the Eagle's Nest, the young alchemist's figure stood calm and resolute.