After awarding Cassandra points, Professor Flitwick seemed ready to carry on with the lesson. However, the sudden disappearance of his podium had clearly unsettled him. He could only offer a wry smile. "Professor Tom, the target you chose for your spell was certainly..."
Tom merely shrugged, then with a flick of the Elder Wand towards the floor in front of Professor Flitwick, conjured a small sapling. Almost instantly, it grew into a sturdy wooden podium.
"... " Flitwick nodded his thanks and resumed teaching, leaving the students to their own practice.
The rest of the class progressed well, especially the Ravenclaws, who seemed to grasp the spell more quickly. Hermione Granger, ever the eager student, mastered the Vanishing Charm far ahead of Harry and Malfoy. They bemoaned not asking Tom for help sooner, as they'd hoped to be the ones showing off, but alas, Hermione's speed left them in the dust.
As the bell rang and students began to pack up, Tom detained Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy and the others. "Meet me at the Astronomy Tower tonight." He then turned his gaze towards Hermione, "Oh, and be sure to bring Luna."
With that, he swept out of the classroom, leaving Harry and his friends exchanging puzzled glances.
...
That evening, the group ascended the winding stairs to the Astronomy Tower. Tom and Cassandra were already there, gazing out at the inky sky.
"Professor Tom," Hermione began, her voice filled with curiosity as she looked out at the sprawling night sky from the Astronomy Tower, "Why did you bring us here?"
Tom didn't immediately answer. Instead, he posed a question of his own. "Have you ever heard of… the four founders of Hogwarts?"
"Of course, Professor!" Hermione, ever the eager student, raised her hand enthusiastically. "Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and… Salazar Slytherin! Am I correct, Professor?"
"Yes, two points to Ravenclaw." Tom nodded slightly, then continued. "After the goblin, Lanrock, blew up parts of Hogwarts, some of the founders' belongings were destroyed… such as Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets."
"The Chamber of Secrets?" Harry and Ron exchanged glances. They had heard tales of the Chamber of Secrets during their second year, but had never actually seen it.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Malfoy grinned. "Sir, could the Chamber of Secrets… be here?" He immediately began searching the Astronomy Tower, climbing over boxes and peering behind equipment as he feverishly searched for something. "Did the founder of our house leave anything behind? Perhaps a magical artifact I could use to clobber someone over the head?"
"…" Harry stared at Malfoy, dumbfounded. "That's impossible, isn't it? And… Sir, didn't you just say those places were destroyed?"
Tom, his gaze fixed on an ancient brass telescope, replied, "I repaired… or rather, recreated them."
Recreated the remains of the four founders... As expected of Tom Riddle/Voldemort, Harry and the others instantly believed him.
"And this place, as Harry suggested, isn't the Chamber of Secrets left by Slytherin." Tom shifted his focus to Hermione and Luna. "This place is related to Ravenclaw." In his eyes, these two Ravenclaw girls were the most likely to unravel the enigma, or, rather, the puzzle left behind by Rowena Ravenclaw.
"So… you might try searching." Tom smiled mysteriously. "Perhaps you'll discover something Ravenclaw left behind!"
"Brilliant!" Eager as ever, Malfoy excitedly joined the search, even rummaging through a nearby trash can. "Haha! The Ravenclaw legacy should be inherited by the young master Malfoy, who possesses unparalleled wisdom!"
"Idiot!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Professor Tom said he rebuilt this place, so any item here would have been left by him, not Ravenclaw, right?"
Malfoy paused, momentarily deflated. "That's true… but that's even better!"
"…" Giving one last withering look, Hermione walked towards a table laden with astronomical instruments. Harry, meanwhile, began fiddling with the telescopes, hoping to find a hidden clue; after all, telescopes were essential equipment in the Astronomy Tower.
"Cassandra, aren't you going to look?" Luna asked, surprised to see Cassandra standing silently beside Tom.
Cassandra glanced at her, and said quietly, "No need. This 'legacy' is something Tom left for you... Besides, I have Tom Riddle's legacy. I don't need Ravenclaw's."
To be honest, when she'd first arrived, she thought that maybe she and Tom could gaze at the stars together. Unfortunately, Tom seemed more interested in watching the others fumble around, seeking the so-called "Ravenclaw legacy." With an inward sigh, Cassandra pulled out Tom's Potions notes and began to study. If she encountered anything she didn't understand, Tom was nearby to answer her questions. After all, her goal was to get perfect scores on all her O.W.L. exams!
"This is…" While rummaging through the table, Hermione discovered a yellowed star chart hidden in a secret compartment. Next to the star chart were inscribed the words:
"When the 'Guide' and the 'Guardian' form a straight line, touch the 'Scale of Time', and the truth will reveal itself."
"…" Hermione, without looking up, called out, "Hey! Come and look at this!"
"What?!" Malfoy, who had just finished searching the third trash can, looked incredulous. "You found it already? Impossible! You're even faster than me?!"
"Malfoy, stop yelling. Let's see what it says first." Harry said, hurrying over to the table.
A yellowed star chart lay flat on the wooden surface. Besides the cryptic line of text, it was covered with detailed images of the constellations.
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