Listening to Barrow's words, Rhys sighed again.
Looking down from his vantage point, Barrow observed Rhys's every change in expression before speaking. "Teacher, you've changed."
"Oh?" Rhys raised an eyebrow. "Has your vision drastically worsened after becoming a ghost? Look at what you're saying. I've turned into a child, so of course, I've changed."
"It's not your appearance," Barrow shook his head. "It's your personality—your personality has changed significantly."
Rhys thought for a moment. "Rowena said the same thing. She claimed it was because my body became younger."
"Rowena?" Hearing that name, Barrow had a bold thought.
"Mm, the very Rowena you're thinking of."
Barrow's eyes widened. "Professor Ravenclaw is still alive?!"
"She's dead, but like you, she chose to become a ghost."
The Bloody Baron was even more surprised. If Professor Ravenclaw had become a ghost, why had he never seen her in a thousand years?
Could it be she hadn't been at Hogwarts all this time?
Rhys explained his confusion. He told Barrow that Rowena had chosen to seal herself within the dungeons, using her specially prepared body and her ghostly presence together to suppress the dark creatures lurking there.
Barrow became even more remorseful.
If not for his recklessness, Professor Ravenclaw wouldn't have had to endure so much hardship. Though the school's talent pool had dwindled in her later years, with his and Helena's efforts, they could have supported the school until the new generation matured.
"Since we're on this topic, tell me what happened—what happened between you and Helena," Rhys steered the conversation to the heart of the matter.
He was deeply curious about what had occurred that day to drive these two outstanding students to kill each other.
Barrow's spectral form turned even paler, whiter than a typical ghost. His hands trembled violently with emotion.
Rhys heard the clinking of chains.
The Bloody Baron raised his left hand and slid the bloodstained robe partially off his shoulder. Rhys saw the source of the sound: a pitch-black chain pierced through Barrow's right shoulder blade and ribs, welded into the wrist of his right hand.
Every movement of Barrow's right arm, every breath he took, brought with it excruciating pain—if ghosts could feel pain.
Considering the person who had affixed the chain had the skill to drill holes and lock chains into a ghostly body, they likely also ensured Barrow could feel the agony.
"Teacher, this is my sin, my eternal sin…" Barrow's tone suddenly grew shrill. "I sought out the Blacksmith and begged him to bind this chain to me, to subject me to endless torment... as penance, yes, repentance! B.. because.."
"Because.."
"Because I killed her! This is my crime, my curse!" Barrow's emotions were wildly unstable, milky white tears streaming from his eyes. "I loved her so much, yet I committed an unforgivable crime…"
Compared to the emotional Barrow, Rhys remained exceptionally calm, standing still and coldly observing as Barrow vented his feelings. After a long while, Barrow's emotions gradually stabilized.
"Haah.. haah.. Thank you, Teacher. It does feel better to talk about it," Barrow said with a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted.
Rhys: Don't thank me just yet.
"I hope you can describe what happened that day in as much detail as possible," Rhys requested, his tone firm.
It was an unreasonably demanding request.
For the Bloody Baron, that day was the most painful and darkest in his life. Now, someone was forcing him to recall the details of that traumatic event—it was undeniably cruel.
If it had been anyone else, Barrow would have ignored them entirely and likely threatened the audacious individual. But the person before him was his teacher, the one who had opened the door to the magical world for him.
Even as a ghost, he could not refuse Rhys's request.
Barrow's lips moved, but no words came out. He was astonished to find that he could not remember the details of that day at all.
In the end, his expression turned bewildered. "Teacher, I can't recall clearly. I only remember getting a lead that Helena and her companion were hiding in a forest in Albania. I found her there, and then... we had a conflict. Helena just... she just died. She died."
Barrow's emotions grew unstable again, his soul visibly trembling.
Rhys also noticed that while Barrow was recalling the events of that day, a faint layer of black mist emerged within his spectral form.
It took a long while for Barrow to calm down once more. When he finally did, the black mist within him disappeared without a trace.
Rhys narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"I used the knife that killed Helena to take my own life. After becoming a ghost, I sought out the Smith and had these shackles forged for myself. It's what I deserve. As for the specific details of that day, I truly cannot remember. Teacher, if you insist on knowing, you can ask Helena herself—she's also at Hogwarts."
"She's here too?!" Rhys exclaimed, surprised.
"Yes, she became the ghost of Ravenclaw House," Barrow replied wearily. "Haven't you seen her?"
"My life here is rather monotonous—mainly my designated classroom, the library, and the common room, with occasional visits to other classrooms," Rhys explained.
"That explains it. Helena prefers to linger near the Ravenclaw Tower."
After providing Helena's location, Barrow fell silent.
"Alright, I'll go find her," Rhys said.
"I won't go," Barrow replied bitterly. Even after all this time, he still couldn't face Helena.
Rhys paused for a moment before offering a gentle persuasion. "Come with me. It's been nearly a thousand years. You have to find a way to face her eventually. How much longer will you keep running away? Another thousand years?"
Barrow fell silent again.
His teacher was right. He had been avoiding Helena for almost a millennium. Maybe it was time to try facing her.
And at least now, his teacher would be there to support him, right?
"There's something else," Rhys said softly, "You might not be the one who killed Helena. I need to meet her to be sure." He added this almost casually, but it left Barrow utterly stunned.
"Not the killer? Me?" For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Barrow was bewildered. If not him, then who could have killed Helena?
"When you were recalling the events of that day, your state became unusual. I suspect someone tampered with your memories. It's a very advanced form of magic, so powerful that even as a ghost, you can't recall the truth."
Barrow: "!!!"
"So, are you now willing to come with me to find Helena and figure out what really happened that day?" Rhys asked again.
_________
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