When Rey reached the top of the tower, he saw Helena.
Wearing a long dress, she stood by the railing, overlooking Hogwarts.
Rey walked forward alone, taking a few steps toward Helena, who was now a ghost. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Shouldn't you be in class right now, Agnes?"
Helena heard footsteps and assumed it was Agnes.
She had few friends, and only Agnes knew that she often came here to look out over Hogwarts.
With a graceful turn, her beautiful figure pivoted. The fitted long dress perfectly accentuated her silhouette.
She was beautiful, appearing only twenty-two or twenty-three years old—much younger than her portrayal in the movies.
Rey watched her turn. When Helena saw Rey standing in front of her, she froze on the spot.
Neither spoke. They just stared at each other.
For Rey, he had only been apart from Helena for a day. Before coming here, he had felt a surge of anger.
He wanted to question her: Where was our vow to never be separated? That foolish woman had sacrificed herself to let him escape alone.
However, seeing her transparent, ghostly form, all his anger dissolved into deep self-reproach.
If I had been strong enough, none of this would have happened.
---
"You're much shorter than I remember."
After a long silence, Helena spoke her first sentence. And her opening line was to tease Rey about his height.
"Ah, yes. Much shorter. But you haven't changed a bit."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Seeing Helena pretending to be calm, Rey felt an intense ache in his heart.
"I worked very hard for this. Even if I couldn't achieve true immortality, I managed to keep my looks forever," Helena said with a hint of pride. For a woman to maintain her appearance eternally was indeed a rare feat in the magical world.
"Do you remember our promise?" Rey took a deep breath and asked. Sure enough, despite seeing her, the lingering frustration remained in his heart.
"I remember," Helena nodded.
"What was it?" Rey pressed.
"I will live for a thousand years, and then... have lots of children with you," Helena answered shyly.
She knew why Rey was questioning her; she understood his personality. She had made him promise they would always be together, but in the final moment, she was the one who gave up first.
If I hadn't insisted on sending him back alone, perhaps we could have truly stayed together. Right after Rey left, the wizards of Hogwarts had arrived to save the day.
For over a thousand years, Helena had often thought about that "what if."
But "what if" is ultimately just "what if." Its existence proves that reality wasn't as beautiful as imagined.
His anger was justified. If their positions were reversed, Helena might have ignored Rey for a very long time.
We said we'd live and die together, but in the end...
---
As his frustration rose, Rey couldn't help but adopt a questioning tone.
The promise Rey wanted to ask about was "inseparable in life and death." He hadn't asked about her last-minute promise to bear his children.
But this foolish woman had misunderstood, shyly blurting out her final vow to him instead.
Her words instantly deflated Rey's anger. The atmosphere suddenly shifted, becoming ambiguous and slightly awkward.
Helena and Rey's conversation flowed naturally, like a couple making up after a fight.
However, this exchange completely shocked Agnes, who was standing just outside the tower pavilion.
When Helena mentioned having children with Rey, Agnes felt like she'd been struck by lightning. She stood there, mouth agape, her eyes darting back and forth between Rey and Helena.
No matter how hard her little brain worked, she couldn't understand the relationship between these two people who were separated by over a thousand years and seemingly had no intersection.
"You two..."
Agnes stared at Rey and Helena, unable to stop herself from speaking up.
But once the words left her mouth, she didn't know where to begin asking.
---
The missing Rey MacFusty had returned to Hogwarts.
The news spread through the castle like wildfire.
In the morning, the hottest topic among the students was speculation about Rey's disappearance and return.
The first class of the morning was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Cabor Doric.
For over three months, he had been discreetly searching Hogwarts for another target.
He hoped to find someone whose blood could replace Rey's, but ultimately, he was disappointed.
The potion from the last drop of blood would keep him "alive" for ten days. If he couldn't find a substitute blood source by then, he would have to find an excuse to leave Hogwarts.
For a vampire hiding under the noses of a school full of wizards, the pressure was immense, no matter how well he concealed himself.
BANG!
With a loud crash, Cabor Doric waved his wand, blasting open the classroom door.
He did this every time to remind the students not to offend him.
Today, the classroom was noisier than usual, and it took longer for the students to quiet down. This puzzled him slightly.
Cabor Doric hated sunlight, especially in the morning. In his opinion, Defense Against the Dark Arts should be studied in a dim, gloomy environment.
"Hey, Penelope, did you really run into Rey MacFusty today?"
"I heard his disappearance had something to do with Professor Doric..."
---
"Besai, do you need me to cast a Silencing Charm on you?"
Cabor Doric had sharp ears; students whispering rarely escaped his notice. Even if he couldn't hear the exact words, he could definitely pinpoint who was speaking.
Anyone daring to whisper in his class would face severe punishment. The Silencing Charm was one of his favorite tools.
The child named Besai jumped in fright and immediately sat up straight.
However, Doric had no intention of letting him off. Tapping his wand rhythmically against his left palm like a teaching pointer, he walked up to the young wizard. "Tell me what you were muttering about. If it's interesting enough, I might spare you this once."
Drinking the potion made from Rey's blood not only gave him ten days of vitality but also allowed him to perform simple, lightweight magic.
He often used these simple spells to punish disobedient students, using them as cover for his vampire nature.
Terrified, Besai looked up at Doric and squeaked in a voice like a mosquito, "I heard... the missing Rey MacFusty came back..."
Before Besai could finish, Cabor Doric's expression changed.
His aura turned icy cold, causing Besai and Penelope, who sat nearby, to shiver involuntarily. Then they heard Doric's chilling voice: "What did you say?"
Perhaps his intensity was too overwhelming; Besai was too scared to speak.
"What did you just say? Repeat it!"
Doric glared, barking the order. He didn't realize that his voice carried a hint of urgency and was loud enough to be a shout.
"Professor, Rey MacFusty is back. Penelope ran into him in the common room this morning."
Besai stammered, terrified, but managed to get the sentence out.
---
"Rey MacFusty is back." Cabor Doric's heart clenched.
"I didn't expect him to return after being missing for so long."
"If he confirms that I was the one who attacked him that night, I'm in danger." After the initial shock, this serious problem was the first thing that crossed Doric's mind.
There were many ways to prove he was a vampire, but the simplest and most direct was using the Pensieve in Headmaster Dumbledore's office.
By dumping the memory into the basin, anyone could view it clearly as if they were there. If that happened, no amount of arguing would save him.
"No, I can't let that happen. I absolutely cannot be exposed. I still need to get more of his blood."
His expression shifting rapidly, Doric strode quickly toward the classroom door. At the same time, he shouted his instructions: "Self-study for today's class. The exam will be tomorrow."