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Chapter 26 - The Gaze from a Ghost

After gaining himself a little admirer, Lewis finally dragged his exhausted body back to Ravenclaw Tower.

Even at this late hour, he still had to answer the door knocker's question:

"What can be possessed, but not shared?"

He was already dead tired, but a question like this couldn't stump him.

After a brief moment of thought, he replied,

"Loneliness."

"Reasonable."

The door opened, and Lewis slipped inside without hesitation.

After running around all night—and even encountering a hellhound—nothing sounded better than his soft bed.

Then—

he stopped.

He felt it.

Someone was watching him.

He scanned the surroundings, but found no one.

Not even a ghost.

Still, Lewis trusted his instincts.

Ever since gaining insight into Divination during Astronomy class, he had developed a strange intuition.

It appeared unpredictably, offering gut feelings that were almost always correct.

Like when he sensed Peeves earlier.

This was the power of Divination.

He slowly drew his wand.

The enchanted candles in the Ravenclaw common room burned all night, making everything clearly visible.

The blue curtains by the window swayed gently—nothing behind them.

The star-studded ceiling and carpet were in plain sight.

Bookshelves, chairs, fireplace—

He checked everything.

Nothing.

The night was silent, broken only by the occasional whisper of wind outside.

It should have been peaceful.

But Lewis felt his skin crawl.

Even after searching every corner, the sensation of being watched didn't fade.

Finally, his gaze settled on the white marble bust of Rowena Ravenclaw.

The statue depicted a beautiful witch.

Most students found her stern expression intimidating, but Lewis sensed something else—

a deep seriousness toward knowledge.

And there was something clever about the sculpture.

No matter where you stood, her eyes seemed to follow you.

Like the Mona Lisa.

Lewis circled the statue slowly.

Then he stopped.

He was certain now.

The watcher was here.

"I know you're hiding inside the statue. Come out."

He pointed his wand at the bust.

Silence.

No response.

Lewis frowned.

He hadn't learned any detection spells yet—

but then he remembered—

he wasn't just a wizard.

He was also a psion.

What better tool to detect the unseen than mental power?

As he extended his psychic senses, something clicked.

His understanding deepened instantly.

A new technique took shape in his mind.

His psionic power surged, breaking past its limits.

Lewis immediately activated it.

In that moment, his awareness detached from his body and spread outward.

Nothing could block it.

Everything within range became clear.

As his mental field reached the statue, he felt it—

a spiritual presence.

And another unknown magical force.

"The Grey Lady?"

Lewis reached out through telepathy.

"…It's you? Lewis Green? What kind of magic are you using to speak to me?"

Even as a ghost, the Grey Lady sounded startled.

"It's not magic. It's the power of the mind," Lewis replied.

Then he asked calmly,

"Now that I've found you—would you mind explaining why you were hiding in the statue, watching me?"

"…I'm sorry. I was just… curious about you."

Exposed, the ghost drifted out of the statue.

The Grey Lady—the ghost of Ravenclaw House.

Like her mother, she was tall and beautiful.

But unlike Rowena's composed wisdom, she carried a hint of cold arrogance.

She rarely spoke to anyone outside Ravenclaw, and even among Ravenclaws, only answered occasionally.

"Lewis Green. I know of you. You're the most outstanding Ravenclaw student in years. The professors all praise you."

"But I know… you're even more aptitudeed than they realize."

She hovered close to the statue, as if ready to retreat into it at any moment.

"I've seen you use magic I've never encountered before. More than once. That's why I was watching you."

Lewis understood.

She had mistaken him for someone else.

Decades ago, she had a bad experience.

Ever since, she had been wary of geniuses like him.

"I see. So you've been hiding in the statue, spying on me all this time."

That single sentence made the ghost flush—well, as much as a ghost could. Her face turned a faint grayish shade.

"The spells I use are all self-created," Lewis continued calmly. "Everyone has their secrets. There's no rule saying young wizards can't invent magic."

"But what interests me more… is how you're able to reside inside Rowena Ravenclaw's statue."

The question hit its mark.

Through his psychic perception, Lewis clearly sensed her sudden panic.

"I—I just… admire Lady Ravenclaw. I respect her greatly!"

Her voice faltered, losing its earlier composure.

Lewis cut through it immediately.

"No. Admiration alone isn't enough. A ghost can't inhabit a statue just because of that."

"You're not truly the Grey Lady."

"Your real identity is Helena Ravenclaw—Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter."

"How do you know that?!" she exclaimed.

Of course, because I've read the original story.

But Lewis only smiled faintly.

"I deduced it."

"Deduced?!" she echoed in disbelief.

"I'm familiar with Muggle history," Lewis explained. "Lady Jane Grey was a queen who ruled for only thirteen days in 1554."

"But according to Hogwarts: A History, you appeared in the castle long before that."

"You cannot be the real Grey Lady."

"Considering your resemblance to Rowena Ravenclaw—and your strange connection with the Bloody Baron—I made a reasonable guess."

Hearing this calm and precise analysis from an eleven-year-old, Helena was momentarily dazed.

He reminded her of someone from decades ago.

Just as brilliant.

Just as charismatic.

Just as sharp-tongued.

After a brief pause, she steadied herself.

"…Your reasoning is sound."

"As you said, Rowena Ravenclaw is my mother."

"As her only heir, it's only natural I can reside within her statue."

Her tone was confident.

But Lewis immediately caught the flaw.

Or rather—

the trap he had deliberately set earlier.

Ghosts could not remain inside solid objects for long.

They weren't portraits.

They could pass through walls—but not live inside them.

Even if it was their mother's statue.

Moaning Myrtle was an exception—but only because the pipes gave her space to inhabit.

This statue, however—

was solid.

Which meant—

Helena was lying.

So the real question was—

what was she hiding?

Lewis's psychic sense confirmed it.

The statue wasn't hollow.

There was only one explanation.

The statue had been enchanted.

And that—

sparked his interest.

If Slytherin could leave behind a hidden chamber…

Why couldn't Ravenclaw?

After all—

she designed the entire castle.

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