Hermione's words truly surprised Alaric.
She had always harbored some hostility towards the presence of Penelope, Cho Chang, and Fleur around Alaric.
After all, unlike the latter three, Hermione was born in the Muggle world, which was far more modern and utilitarian compared to the wizarding world.
Muggle society's values leaned more towards equality due to capitalism, which led to the liberation of female productivity.
This also made Muggle women more independent and less accepting of certain outdated notions.
However, since becoming a Dragon Animagus, the girls had indeed changed a lot.
It seemed that after understanding their potential and future, they were making an effort to adapt to the changes brought about by their power and their long lives.
But before Alaric could say anything to Hermione, she reminded him first.
"Don't forget, we still need to ask Lady Grey about the Ravenclaw diadem."
Hearing this, Alaric glanced curiously at Hermione and then at Luna, indicating that Luna was still there.
—
From left to right are: Slytherin's blood-pure Baron, Hufflepuff's Fat Friar, Gryffindor's nearly headless Nick, and Ravenclaw's Lady Grey.
However, Hermione looked unconcerned.
"What's the worry?" she shrugged. "We have to tell her sooner or later, don't we? After all…"
Alaric could only smile wryly at her words. He felt that his previously towering image in Hermione's eyes had probably been distorted.
Luna, on the other hand, was quite enthusiastic. She raised her hand and said to them:
"Are you searching for treasure? I want to join too."
"This…"
Before Alaric could speak, Hermione immediately agreed.
"Sure, we need the extra help."
Thus, Luna inexplicably became one of the members of Alaric's group against Voldemort.
The first step in finding the Ravenclaw diadem, of course, was to get clues from Lady Grey.
This task didn't really require many people; Alaric could handle it himself.
Although he knew the whereabouts of the diadem, the procedure still had to be followed.
So, on the second evening of the school year, he found Lady Grey in Ravenclaw Tower.
Lady Grey was a young woman with long hair that reached her waist and a beautiful appearance.
However, she was also quite haughty and aloof.
Even with Ravenclaw's young witches, she rarely spoke to them.
In fact, she was Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, and as much a proponent of wisdom as her mother.
Her extreme pursuit of wisdom led to later tragedies.
She had a strong disdain for foolish people and considered most witches and wizards at Hogwarts to be foolish, with only a few exceptions, including the professors.
Fortunately, Alaric was one of those few exceptions.
Alaric was known as a genius at Hogwarts, and Lady Grey admired him for this.
Although she was a ghost bound to Ravenclaw House, she was more willing to help and converse with Alaric.
As a result, Hermione and Cho Chang occasionally joked that Lady Grey had taken a liking to Alaric.
So, to extract information from her, it relied on Alaric's charm.
Not long after returning to Hogwarts, Hermione and Cho Chang had urged Alaric to use his charm to "seduce" Lady Grey into revealing the diadem's location.
So, upon spotting Lady Grey drifting through the corridor of the tower, Alaric immediately went after her.
"Lady Grey—" Alaric called out as he walked quickly.
Lady Grey turned in surprise when she heard Alaric calling her, raising her eyebrows in surprise before drifting toward him.
"Alaric," she said with a hint of a smile, her previously cold demeanor warming slightly.
"Do you need something from me?"
"Yes, I need your help. I need you to tell me about the missing diadem."
Her expression suddenly turned sour, and her gaze toward Alaric was filled with regret and a hint of... disappointment.
"I'm afraid," she said, turning to leave hastily, "I can't help you."
"Wait! This is urgent," Alaric called after her. "If that diadem is at Hogwarts, I need to find it, immediately."
"You're not the first student to covet the diadem," she said with a complex expression.
"Students from generations past have pestered me—"
"This isn't about getting good marks!" Alaric said calmly.
"I don't need it; you know that my brain is already enough, don't you?"
"Yes," Lady Grey's eyes brightened at Alaric's words, but then she became puzzled. "Then why?"
"I've never seen magic that increases wisdom," Alaric said earnestly. "I want to understand how the diadem works."
"Ah... really," Lady Grey sighed deeply, "Intelligence isn't the root of wisdom; curiosity is. I only understood this after I had died for a long time.
You are indeed a true Ravenclaw."
Her gaze toward Alaric became appreciative.
"However, I still—"
But before she could continue to refuse, Alaric spoke up again:
"Of course, there's another reason: it's for Voldemort—to defeat Voldemort—aren't you interested in that?"
She might not blush, but her transparent face seemed less transparent, and her voice was tinged with excitement.
"Of course—I can't believe you—"
"Then help me quickly!"
"Although the diadem grants wisdom," she looked at Alaric with curiosity, "I doubt it will help you defeat that self-proclaimed Dark Lord.
Didn't you just say that your wisdom is sufficient?"
"Of course, of course. I'm not telling you I want to wear it," Alaric said.
"I can't tell you the reason right now, but if you care about Hogwarts, if you want to see Voldemort defeated, you should tell me everything you know about the diadem."
She remained composed, drifting in the air and looking down at Alaric.
After a long while, she spoke softly.
"Although you refuse to reveal your reasons, I believe you. I will tell you everything I know from the beginning."
"Thank you." Alaric was slightly touched. This was indeed a heavy trust.
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