Chapter 402: Choice

Ron’s words made Wizard Sean pause slightly.

Then he smiled and nodded.

“It has little to do with me—it’s because of your effort.”

Wizard Sean said seriously.

“I figured it would be like this...”

Ron mumbled, his voice too low for anyone to hear,

“You’ll never know how much you’ve done, how important you are.”

The young wizards in the corridor dispersed in small groups.

Including Ron.

At this moment, he was walking past the second-floor window, its glass still frosted with ice crystals.

Above him, on the level above, Wizard Sean passed the same spot, but at a different height, beneath a stained-glass window.

Ron’s words had given him some insight.

The magical world’s teaching system has always been vague—a condition that had persisted since the moment he first encountered magic.

Perhaps magic is inherently mysterious and profound, yet still governed by discernible laws.

Headmaster Dumbledore said:

“People fear the unknown more than death.”

This holds true for magic as well.

For wizards who rely solely on “innate intuition,” magic is like plunging into an endless, boundless forest.

They cannot see the path ahead, nor even know where they stand.

Wizard Sean’s notes are like clear, unmistakable markers carved by predecessors, and the standards he set through his panel allow wizards to know exactly which stage they are in.

He had never considered what it meant for young wizards to know their precise level...

Now, Ron’s words stirred deep reflection in him.

It seemed he could still do something to preserve magical knowledge.

That alone was enough to bring him joy.

Lost in thought, Wizard Sean didn’t notice Professor McGonagall walking briskly not far behind him.

Hogwarts was again battered by rain and snow; heavy flakes fell upon the gray, hazy outlines of distant mountains, while icy winds swept against the windows, carrying frost.

Wizard Sean always used his wand to warm his scarf, preventing it from becoming fully soaked.

“Are you dissatisfied with your head?”

Helena said by the window.

“...I’m satisfied.”

Wizard Sean answered honestly.

Helena: “...”

“What story are you going to tell? If you know more about the ninth century than I do, perhaps I’ll listen a little longer.”

Helena asked, slightly exasperated.

“It was... beyond the Veil of Death...”

Wizard Sean said slowly.

These words unsettled Helena; she feared going there, and could never reach it.

It was like describing food to someone starving—had it not been for the wizard named Green, she would have scoffed and left long ago.

“Sorry... but I went there. I met someone unexpected.”

Wizard Sean continued.

“Green, you never lie—”

Helena thought this was a hilarious joke.

But Wizard Sean silently made the empty rune float, and any wizard could sense the dreamlike, wispy mist swirling around it.

“The legendary Soul Relic?!”

Helena admitted she had underestimated the young wizard.

Even though she had already placed him just slightly below “her.”

“Very well. What happened next?”

She grew curious.

“I met Lady Ravenclaw.”

Wizard Sean said.

Helena was stunned into silence for a long moment:

“Green, if wizards could use Soul Relics to see the dead, the world would be in chaos.

But... I believe you.

Tell me—what sweet lies are you going to spin?

Forgive me, but I have nothing left to be tricked out of.”

She tried to sound indifferent, yet her heart was in turmoil.

“She said, it’s all right.”

Wizard Sean offered no sweet words—but those three simple words left Helena frozen in place.

Pearl-like drops fell onto the floor where she stood.

Wizard Sean kept his head down, seeing nothing.

“In the ghost world, if no one remembers them, they gradually lose wisdom and emotion.

I want to say... perhaps someone is waiting for you.”

After a while, once Helena had calmed slightly, Wizard Sean continued.

“Thank you for weaving me such a beautiful dream, Good Luck Black Cat—but I’m afraid I can’t listen any longer.”

Helena had never felt so lost; she instinctively began to drift away.

If she believed the young wizard, the truth would be so cruel it would make ghosts tremble.

“Lady Isolde taught me methods to help ghosts find peace.”

Wizard Sean added.

“Don’t joke, Green.”

Helena couldn’t help shouting.

Fortunately, Wizard Sean had anticipated this and cast a Muffling Charm, preventing nearby wizards from noticing.

As for Wizard Sean talking to a ghost? No one was surprised—he’d been seen speaking to the Basilisk before.

Helena drifted away.

Before leaving, she saw the Book of Ghosts and the Rite of Rest in Wizard Sean’s hands.

She watched as the young wizard swiftly activated the ritual, radiating a peculiar magical force.

She hovered motionless in the corridor.

The wind passed like a transparent river; raindrops fell like icy meteors. The castle felt empty, cramped, as if she were alone.

Her still heart brewed a vast sorrow, yet not a single tear could fall.

“Rhoyna...”

She curled into a corner, as she had long ago when she was vulnerable, whispering her name.

Wizard Sean followed silently, refusing to see or hear anything.

He simply followed, quietly, without a word.

Until Helena grew tired.

She saw the young wizard’s troubled face; she realized she had drifted outside the castle.

—They were walking out into the deepening twilight...

The air carried the warmth of grass, the scent of Black Lake water, and the smoky aroma of burning wood from Hagrid’s hut.

She had never before been so acutely aware that she had once lived.

“How long have you been following me, Green?”

She asked.

“Ten hours and seventeen minutes. So...”

Wizard Sean replied.

“I don’t know.”

She said.

“Mm.”

Wizard Sean answered.

They acted as if nothing had happened, gazing at the distant sunset, red as fire.

“I have to go to class.”

Wizard Sean suddenly spoke.

Helena couldn’t help but smile.

……

When he returned to the castle, Wizard Sean still did not know how much help he could offer.

It was not him who had to face difficult choices.

But soon he could no longer ponder this profound question.

For he encountered Professor McGonagall, whose gaze was slightly unfocused, standing beside the armor along the corridor.

“Child, is there something you wish to tell me?”

She asked.

“Yes, Professor. I experienced something extraordinary beyond the veil… I met Lady Ravenclaw.”

Wizard Sean did not conceal it.