My partner at Hogwarts is Tom

Under the boundless starry sky, Ravenclaw's ethereal yet warm arms gently encircled Helena's milky-white spirit body.

The moonlight flowing from her fingertips was like the gentlest comb, caressing her daughter's translucent, misty long hair again and again.

Although it was impossible to actually touch, the tenderness and affection in those actions were conveyed more genuinely than any physical contact.

Helena nestled in her mother's arms, the coldness and loneliness accumulated over a thousand years seemingly melting away in this moonlit embrace.

She buried her face in her mother's shoulder and whispered something, her voice as soft as a whisper, choked with sobs, and also with the tenderness of finally being relieved of a heavy burden.

Ravenclaw listened intently, nodding occasionally, his gaze falling on the crown that had been restored to its original state, which floated beside him, and responded softly.

Helena followed her mother's gaze and saw the crown she had stolen and which she had longed for for a thousand years. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

There was shame, relief, and a sense of peace after being repaired by her mother and the dust settling down.

She looked up and said something to Ravenclaw.

Her expression even carried a hint of girlish coquettishness.

It was as if he was complaining about why his mother made the crown so covetous, and as if he was looking for a distant excuse for his own naivety and impulsiveness back then.

Upon hearing this, Ravenclaw's lips curved into a very faint yet incredibly vivid smile.

She shook her head, tapped her daughter's forehead—the bright moonlight rippled across it—and answered softly.

The words seemed to both state the original intention of the crown to carry knowledge and enlightenment, and gently tell the daughter that what matters is never the crown itself, but the people and hearts it connects to.

As Helena listened, tears streamed down her face again. She hugged her mother even tighter, burying her head in the moonlight-filled embrace, as if trying to make up for the separation of a thousand years in this moment.

They embraced quietly, creating a serene picture that transcends life, death, and time against the backdrop of the vast starry sky.

As the stars shift and time seems to lose its measure, the night sky becomes a blur.

It may have been just a moment, or it may have been a long time.

Until Tom, nestled in Victor's arms, sniffled and let out a soft, contented purr.

Viktor keenly noticed that the moonlight and magic surrounding Ravenclaw were becoming softer and thinner than before.

Her embrace of her daughter remained unchanged, but the edges of her figure began to gradually transform into tiny silver specks of light, like stardust brushed by a gentle breeze, silently drifting and merging into the surrounding starry sky.

Her gaze remained tenderly fixed on Helena, her eyes seeming to convey final words of advice and eternal blessings, until even the last clear outline of her face vanished into light.

When Helena finally stirred slightly from the warmth and tranquility that had been ingrained for millennia, wanting to get closer to her mother, her embracing arms... gently passed through the moonlight that should have been solid.

Helena shuddered and looked up.

Before her, only specks of silvery dust, like fireflies, drifted slowly before her, eventually disappearing completely into the boundless starry sky.

But the mother's figure had vanished without a trace.

Only her milky-white ghostly form remained, now seemingly more solid and lighter than before.

The heavy melancholy and gloom that had haunted her for a thousand years was washed away, much of it dissipating, just like the moonlight that her mother had taken away.

Although there was still a hint of loss in her eyes, there was more of a sense of relief and tranquility.

Even deep within their eyes, a spark of vibrant and gentle light, belonging to the living, rekindled.

She stared blankly at the spot where her mother had disappeared, and after a moment, she seemed to truly understand what had happened.

She raised her hand and gently wiped her eyes—there still seemed to be the cool touch of tears.

Then, she turned to the crown that was silently suspended.

The crown seemed to sense her intention and floated lightly into her hand.

Helena looked down at it, her fingertips brushing against the cool metal and the lustrous sapphire, and the last trace of obsession in her eyes melted away.

Without further hesitation, she lifted the crown and turned to Dumbledore, who had been waiting quietly.

"Headmaster Dumbledore,"

Her voice was much clearer, no longer hollow and ethereal, but carrying a sense of relief and composure.

"Thank you for letting me...see my mother again."

She then looked at Victor and the cat in his arms whose eyes were still red, and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Professor Victor, and you, Tom. Your presence made all of this possible."

She presented the crown to Dumbledore: "Mother's creations should return to the castle, to be kept by the Headmaster, or to choose a more suitable home. As for the 'Mother' from before..."

She paused, looked up at the strange starry sky, and explained calmly.

"That was not the return of my mother's complete soul. It was merely a projection of a memory and thought she left behind at the heart of the House of Requirement—the place where we are now—before she left."

"It carries a portion of her wisdom, emotions, and her contract to protect the castle. It will only be activated and manifest when specific conditions are triggered, such as... when the crown that was taken from me was touched at Hogwarts, or when I return here."

"This memory has served as both a solace and a farewell."

Helena's voice was soft, yet powerful.

"It also gave me... the courage to keep going. I am no longer a ghost trapped in the past."

As soon as she finished speaking, as if in response to her state of mind and the end of her words, the surrounding environment began to change.

The boundless starry sky is like a faded painting, with stars dimming and disappearing one after another.

The chilling darkness beneath their feet receded like the tide.

The familiar, slightly dusty air rushed in again, and the outlines of the clutter, the textures of the walls, the curvature of the ceiling... were quickly constructed and became clear, like fast-forwarded images.

In the blink of an eye, they were standing inside the House of Requirement once again.

The surrounding area was still filled with piles of discarded items, and everything seemed to be exactly the same as before.

Only the restored crown, and the faint yet pure moonlight and ancient magical aura remaining in the air, proved that the encounter that spanned a thousand years was not a dream.

Helena did not stay inside the house.

As if summoned by some invisible force, her milky-white figure floated straight toward the door of the House of Requirement and passed through it.

Victor and Dumbledore exchanged a glance and immediately followed.

Outside the door, the corridor was not empty.

Just now, the Ravenclaw memory projection was activated, drawing upon the vast and ancient magic of Hogwarts.

The vast and unique magical fluctuations, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, startled all the professors who had a deep connection with the castle.

Professor Minerva McGonagall was dressed in a neat robe, her hair was perfectly styled, and her face was serious.

Professor Snape's black robes billowed, his face was more somber than usual, and his eyes held a mixture of wariness and inquiry.

Professor Flitwick stood on a pile of books, tiptoeing, full of curiosity.

Professor Sprout still carried the smell of greenhouse soil, and his chubby face was full of worry.

Even Mrs. Pince gripped the feather duster tightly, her expression one of surprise and uncertainty…

They gathered in the hallway outside the House of Requirement, their eyes all fixed on Dumbledore, Victor, and Lady Grey, who had just emerged, floating ahead of them with a noticeably different demeanor than usual.

No one asked a question, but the doubt, shock, and concern in those eyes spoke louder than words.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly at the crowd, signaling them to remain calm, while his gaze followed Helena.

Helena seemed oblivious to the people behind her. She floated straight up to a higher point in the castle, passing through corridors and spiral staircases, finally arriving at the highest observation deck in Hogwarts.

It was dusk.

The sky was ablaze with a magnificent sunset, a blend of gold, red, and crimson, painting the entire western sky like the final chapter of an epic.

The castle's spires cast long shadows in the sunset, and all the daytime clamor seemed to settle into the magnificence and tranquility of the moment.

Helena floated to the edge of the observatory, facing the boundless, burning western sky.

The milky white figure was bathed in the glow of the sunset, its edges seemingly coated with a warm golden-red.

That lifeless melancholy completely dissipated, replaced by a lightness and vibrancy akin to rebirth, as if all shackles had been removed and the soul had regained its freedom.

The professors, Victor, and Dumbledore also climbed up to the observatory and stood quietly not far away, without disturbing her.

Just then, a milky white figure slowly emerged from the smooth stone floor of the observatory.

He wore an ancient robe stained with dark dirt, a heavy, rusted metal yoke around his neck, and his face bore the marks of eternal regret and pain—he was Barrow the Blood, the ghost of Slytherin.

Barrow arrived silently, his empty, pained eyes immediately locking onto Helena at the edge of the observatory.

When he saw Helena's current state, his eternally pained expression seemed to freeze for a moment.

Helena seemed to sense something and turned around. Seeing Barrow, she didn't show fear, disgust, or indifference as she usually did.

Instead, she gave him a clear and bright smile.

That smile was so bright, as if it had dispelled a thousand years of gloom and illuminated the unfathomable darkness in Barrow's eyes.

"Barrow," Helena's voice was clear and calm, with an unprecedented tenderness, "I have never truly resented you."

Barrow's ghostly body trembled violently, and the shackles emitted a muffled groan.

"I resent it," Helena continued, her eyes clear and bright.

"It was my own cowardice and folly. I stole the crown and went far away, because of vanity and because I was afraid of disappointing my mother... In the end, I couldn't even see her one last time. This regret has trapped me, and it has trapped you too."

She drifted a little closer, still maintaining a distance, but her posture conveyed complete reconciliation and acceptance.

"Your sin stems from your obsession with me and your loss of control; and my 'punishment' stems from my own unforgiveness. For a thousand years, Barrow, we should both be free."

Barrow, the blood-soaked man, listened intently, as if something was cracking and melting in his empty eyes.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Only large, milky-white droplets of light, like real teardrops, rolled down from his eyes, dripped onto the stone slab of the observatory, and quietly disappeared.

Helena gave him one last smile, a smile that contained complete forgiveness and farewell.

Then, she turned to the crowd on the observatory, her gaze sweeping over Dumbledore, Victor, and each of the professors, and gently waved.

"Thank you, guardians of Hogwarts. Goodbye."

As the words fell, the setting sun burst forth with its last and most glorious rays.

Helena's figure suddenly burst forth with a soft, silvery-white light, which shone brightly against the backdrop of the sunset, growing stronger and stronger until it enveloped her entirely.

The next moment, the ball of light, like a ray of clear light merging into the setting sun, flew lightly and resolutely towards the blazing, fiery sky, its form gradually fading until it completely blended into the magnificent golden-red sky.

Just as Helena's light completely merged into the sunset.

The heavy, rusted shackles on Blood Man Barrow's body, which symbolized his thousand years of sins and bondage, made a soft "click".

Immediately afterwards, countless fine cracks appeared on the shackles, which quickly spread to the entire structure.

Then, like a piece of rotten wood weathered for a thousand years, it silently crumbled and shattered, turning into countless dark points of light that dissipated in the warm evening breeze.

Barrow's figure, freed from the burden of shackles, seemed to become lighter as well.

The eternal regret and pain on his face peeled away like a mask, leaving behind a blank expression that gradually revealed relief and peace.

He looked down at his free hands, then looked up at the western horizon where Helena had disappeared, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Finally, he turned around and faced the crowd on the observatory.

On that usually terrifying face, there was an extremely slight, yet incredibly genuine, relieved nod.

He also raised his hand and waved.

Immediately, just like the second ray of light, the ghostly body of the Blood Man Barrow also transformed into a milky-white stream of light, flying towards the setting sun and merging into that warm and glorious light, never to be seen again.

Silence reigned on the observatory.

Only the soft rustling of the evening breeze through the tower and the gradually calming yet still magnificent afterglow on the horizon.

The professors gazed at the western sky, their initial shock gradually fading.

Instead, there is a profound understanding, a touch of sadness, and ultimately, a silent blessing.

There is no sadness, only the solemnity and relief of witnessing the dissolution of obsessions and the soul finally finding peace under the warmest light.

Professor McGonagall sighed softly and adjusted her glasses.

Professor Snape's tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly, and his gaze returned from the dazzling sky to its usual unfathomable state.

Professor Flitwick wiped his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Oh, Merlin..."

Professor Sprout gave a warm, slightly melancholic smile.

Victor silently hugged Tom tightly in his arms, and Tom calmed down, quietly leaning against Victor's chest. His watery eyes reflected the sunset glow on the horizon, and the tip of his tail swayed gently, as if he were also saying goodbye.

Dumbledore stood at the very front, his silver beard and hair swaying gently in the evening breeze.

He held the Ravenclaw tiara in his hand, its gems shimmering with a warm, tranquil glow in the twilight.

He gazed at the western horizon where the light had disappeared, and after a long while, he spoke softly.

May they find true peace or a new journey beyond the light.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on Viktor, whose deep blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped glasses were as unfathomable as the sea.

"Today, Hogwarts witnesses the end of a legend, and the release of two souls as the sun sets. The ancient magic of the castle will remember it all. Now,"

His voice regained its usual composure. "Let's go back. Night is falling, and we have classes tomorrow."

The professors nodded in agreement, took one last look at the magnificent sky painted with the colors of the sunset, and then quietly turned and walked down the observatory along the way they had come.

The sound of footsteps echoed softly on the stone steps, gradually fading into the distance.

Tom yawned in Victor's arms and nuzzled his arm, as if to say: People are hungry, it's time to eat.

In the western sky, the last rays of sunlight were slowly sinking below the horizon.

Hogwarts Castle stood quietly in the twilight.

Its silhouette gradually blends into the deep blue night sky, still mysterious, still full of magic, guarding new secrets, and welcoming another night when the stars rise.