This trip might just end with him waiting here until the Realm spat him back out. The ink-dark sea was far too ominous to consider a swim— otherwise, he might have tried.
"I regret not bringing a fishing rod." Not that he expected fish in water that looked like liquid shadow, but it would've been more entertaining than playing with sand.
Then—
"Little one, calling my ho a prison is rather rude of you."
The door creaked open and a woman stood in the doorway, her long, silvery hair cascading like a river of moonlight. Her robes, though simple, carried an air of quiet elegance.
She gazed at Ian with a faint trace of amusent, her voice smooth as flowing water.
"You couldn't reach my cabin because I wasn't waiting for you… that's all."
Her beauty was striking.
Yet, it was not beauty alone that set her apart— it was presence.
She stood like a beacon against the bleak world, radiant and unknowable.
"Madam, have you had breakfast?" Ian asked, still seated on the ground. He hesitated for only a mont before raising the two boxes of Chocolate Frogs.
They had originally been gifts for Ariana and Pandero, but considering the situation… well, adapting to circumstances was a valuable skill, wasn't it?
Besides, he 'had' trespassed onto her land.
"A gift?" The woman's lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Now it is." Ian nodded firmly.
"Rash. Clever. Quick to adjust." She chuckled softly, taking the Chocolate Frogs from his hands. "Interesting qualities."
"The Sorting Hat said I have the traits of all four Houses," Ian admitted with a sheepish grin, brushing the dirt off his robes. "Sothing about being the natural heir to Hogwarts itself. Makes a bit… misunderstood."
But the mont he saw her, Ian 'knew' exactly whose domain he had wandered into.
'Rowena Ravenclaw.'
One of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the founder of Ravenclaw House. She lived in the early Middle Ages, and her wisdom and creativity made her one of the greatest witches of her ti.
Ian had passed by the statue of the House founder in the Ravenclaw common room countless tis, so her appearance and deanor were already deeply ingrained in his mind.
If Ian couldn't recognize her, one might suspect that the sculptor responsible for carving the founders' statues had been under the influence of a befuddlent charm.
"If you require a binding agreent, you'd be better off consulting Salazar." As if curious about the modern treat, Rowena Ravenclaw opened one of the Chocolate Frog boxes. The enchanted Chocolate Frog inside hadn't even had the chance to jump before she deftly caught it by its thick neck.
The card inside the box tumbled to the ground.
As if by fate's design.
It was a card depicting Rowena Ravenclaw herself, though the artist's skill left much to be desired, for the portrait on the card paled in comparison to the real person standing before Ian.
"A formal contract isn't necessary, but my uncle is the Head of Slytherin House, so perhaps I should pay my respects to the ancestors. Didn't the Slytherin professor choose to live near you?" Ian was ever adept at drawing connections. He was curious about the current state of the four founders in the Twilight Zone.
"You are my third visitor. Godric and Helga have already moved on, while I remain... I have an apology long overdue."
Rowena Ravenclaw did not answer directly. She gently stroked the Chocolate Frog, which had been motionless, and it suddenly kicked its legs again, as if granted new life.
"Perhaps I can assist you?" Ian leaned in curiously as he watched Rowena place the Chocolate Frog onto the gray-brown soil.
It did not rely hop once upon being unboxed; now, seemingly imbued with sothing more, it brought a flicker of life to the desolate island.
"Ribbit, ribbit~"
The Chocolate Frog even croaked.
"Every request cos with a price. What will you require in exchange for your help, little one?" Rowena Ravenclaw crouched down, tilting her head as she regarded Ian with amusent.
"Of course, there's no need for a price. It would be an honor to assist you. You may not know this, but the Sorting Hat almost placed in another House. In the end, it felt I resembled you just a bit more." Ian sought to build a connection, patting the back of his robes to reveal the Ravenclaw crest.
"I do not share your shalessness." Rowena Ravenclaw maintained a lighthearted deanor, clearly having already noted his House.
So traditions, it seed, had endured the passage of a thousand years.
"Are you waiting for the Grey Lady? She's a kind girl, though a bit hesitant." Ian spoke warmly of Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter.
He had realized whom the founder was waiting for.
'Helena Ravenclaw.'
Among Hogwarts students, she was known as the Grey Lady.
Proud, reserved, and sowhat timid, she was deeply concerned with appearances yet possessed a kind heart. Long ago, she had stolen Rowena's Diadem in a misguided attempt to surpass her mother's wisdom.
The ailing Rowena Ravenclaw had longed to see her one last ti, but Helena's pride and fear had prevented her from fulfilling that wish, leaving an unhealed wound between them.
"I know she chose to remain as a ghost, but I did not expect her to still avoid ." Rowena Ravenclaw's voice carried a touch of sorrow.
Rebellious daughters had been a source of heartbreak for centuries.
In recent tis, Helena had been deceived by Voldemort, who sought the Diadem for his own dark ambitions— proof that Rowena's concerns had been well founded.
"Perhaps she fears facing you. To her, you have always been a formidable mother, and that perception only grows stronger with ti." Ian spoke gently. He could not fathom the weight of a thousand years of waiting, but he understood the complexity of the bond between mother and daughter.
"You know my child well?" Rowena Ravenclaw did not respond to Ian's words of comfort. She lifted her gaze to the sky. "If Hogwarts remains unchanged, and my observations are correct, you must be a young wizard who has only recently begun his studies?"
It was unclear how she observed ti's passage within the Twilight Zone. Ian, too, glanced upward but saw nothing unusual in the sky.
Only a single sun.
"To be honest, I rather enjoy speaking with people. The Grey Lady helped keep an eye on Peeves' antics just yesterday. I had intended to show her your Diadem once I repaired it." Ian spoke plainly.
"The Diadem is damaged? And once you nd it, do you not plan to return it to her?" Rowena Ravenclaw's gaze flickered toward the box Ian had dropped— both the Chocolate Frog and the box containing the Diadem had fallen when he stumbled.
Now, though the box remained unopened, Rowena Ravenclaw needed no confirmation to know that her long-lost heirloom lay within.
"Isn't it enough for her to simply see it? She has… already passed on." Ian blinked, his response drawing a small, knowing smile from Rowena Ravenclaw.
"Do you seek wisdom from it?" Rowena Ravenclaw stepped toward the fallen box.
(To Be Continued…)
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