Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard-Chapter 559 - 557: The Miraculous Diadem

The next day was the Easter holiday, and Kael woke up early and left the common room.

First, with the help of the Fat Friar, he found Helena in the castle tower, and then he rushed to Hogsmeade Station before nine o’clock.

Perhaps it was due to the Triwizard Tournament, this year’s Easter holiday saw hardly anyone returning home; Kael was the only one in the prefect’s compartment.

But that was fine; he didn’t need to find another place.

As the train doors closed and it was about to depart, Kael took out the Portkey that Dumbledore gave him yesterday and whispered.

"Nicolas Flamel..."

The whistle that had just sounded in his ear abruptly stopped. When Kael opened his eyes again, he found himself standing at the entrance of a familiar estate, facing an imposing gate and two lifelike Fire Dragon statues.

Curious, Kael approached. He remembered Nicolas mentioning that these two statues were among his most satisfying works of the recent centuries.

However, Kael didn’t find anything magical about these statues; they seemed just like the stone statues in the castle, except that these had many complex Magic Text Talismans intricately carved on them.

"Welcome, sir!"

A sharp voice rang in his ears.

The House-elf Tata was standing there, bowing to Kael.

"Master asked Tata to fetch you, sir."

"Thank you, Tata," Kael replied.

Even though he was invited by Nicolas, he felt more at ease with a House-elf showing him around.

"It is Tata’s honor," said the House-elf.

Then he led Kael into the estate, through the front yard and entrance hall, down a long corridor, stopping at an inconspicuous door.

Tata knocked on the door proactively.

Soon, the door opened.

Kael saw Nicolas Flamel, but it wasn’t him in person; he saw Nicolas through a mirror.

The mirror reflected Nicolas’s image, similar to those portraits in the Headmaster’s Office.

"So glad to see you, Kael." Nicolas Flamel in the mirror turned around and said, "The creation of the Philosopher’s Stone has reached a critical stage, and I can’t leave.

Luckily, I made this earlier."

As he spoke, Nicolas in the mirror suddenly stepped out of it, passing through the table to stand in front of Kael.

"Another application of the Pensieve," he explained, "What you see now is just a memory."

Of course, even without his explanation, Kael could tell the Nicolas before him was not real.

Besides passing through the table, the real Nicolas couldn’t move so swiftly.

While they spoke, Tata had quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"You received the letter I wrote you, didn’t you?" Nicolas asked.

Kael nodded.

"Then... come over here."

Nicolas led Kael to a shelf. At the center of the shelf was a compartment holding a purple velvet cushion, upon which lay an exquisite diadem.

Ravenclaw’s Diadem.

The previous rust had vanished, revealing its true appearance.

The entire diadem was silver, shaped like an open-winged raven, and at the very center... forming the body of the raven, was a complete sapphire.

The restored diadem appeared quite ordinary; Kael couldn’t feel a trace of magic in it, as if it was merely a finely crafted piece of jewelry.

"The most perfect alchemical craft, with virtually no loss of magic," Nicolas marveled, "It took me nearly three hundred years to achieve this.

"I believe you might have guessed the name of the woman I mentioned in my letter."

"I thought of a name," Kael said, "but I’m not sure... it’s too incredible."

"Actually, I feel the same," Nicolas replied, "I always thought nothing could surprise me anymore, until a few days ago, when I suddenly heard the voice from the diadem... I almost fell off my chair.

"But I think your reaction might be better than mine... after all, you’ve met her once before."

"So, it is Rowena Ravenclaw?" Kael asked.

"Who else could it be?" Nicolas smiled, "It’s not like the diadem would have Albus’s voice in it."

"That would be quite frightening," Kael laughed as well.

To this day, Dumbledore still didn’t know that the diadem had been found. Neither Kael nor Nicolas had mentioned a word about it.

After all, strictly speaking, the diadem is school property. What if he insists on taking it back? On that point, the two of them were remarkably in sync.

"Alright, Lady Ravenclaw seems to want a private chat with you, so I won’t disturb you... just put the diadem on your head."

Afterward, Nicolas disappeared, leaving only a faint glimmer on the mirror by the wall.

Kael looked at the diadem before him and carefully lifted it from the cushion.

The diadem wasn’t heavy; it weighed about the same as a normal book. Kael took a deep breath and placed it on his head.

The world before him suddenly became brighter.

Kael felt an unprecedented clarity of mind, and some problems that had troubled him for a long time were suddenly resolved.

He now understood why his "Periculum" was far inferior to Dumbledore’s own casting; he had always thought it was an issue of magic power, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

He didn’t need magic power to maintain the shape and stability of the flames, as that would be too wasteful. He should’ve transformed the magic power into guiding Magic Texts from the start.

That way, he would only need to guide the charm, just like flying a kite—so long as he held the string, the kite wouldn’t lose control.

It all made sense now... no wonder Dumbledore had repeatedly advised him to look at that booklet more often.

Kael instinctively turned to the mirror by the wall.

To his eyes, the Magic Texts carved onto the mirror’s frame suddenly came to life, bouncing and arranging themselves before him.

Like a Quidditch match.

Some texts formed the Chasers, some formed the Seeker, along with the Golden Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludgers.

Each played its part, together forming a brilliant match.

And their roles in the game were now crystal clear.

"Truly remarkable..." Kael murmured.

"That’s because you already understood this knowledge."

A cold, unfamiliar yet familiar woman’s voice sounded in his ear.

"The diadem cannot bestow what one inherently lacks. Someone completely ignorant of Magic Texts, even wearing the diadem, could never comprehend the mirror’s function."

Then, the animated scenes before his eyes vanished.

A deep sense of loss washed over Kael. He didn’t want this magical state to disappear; he wanted it to last forever.

In a daze, it seemed a breeze blew past—a dewy morning breeze, cool and refreshing, briefly clearing Kael’s mind.

"No!"

Kael gasped, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

He finally understood what Nicolas had meant earlier; this seemingly omniscient feeling was indeed addictive.

Even after only experiencing it for a few seconds, he was already so engrossed. If it lasted any longer, he would surely go mad from the overwhelming contrast upon removing the diadem.

Realizing this, Kael instinctively reached up, intending to take the diadem off his head.

But it was as if the thing had grown into him; he couldn’t pull it off at all.