No one knew how much time had passed.
Between the two of them, the first to come back to himself was not Draco, who had come here with a purpose, but Bloody Baron, who usually spent more time dazed than lucid.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought this was the information Draco had wanted.
Just as Draco was still lost in thought, the hoarse voice sounded by his ear again.
"What... do you want to know?" His eyes were usually empty, but at this moment, there was a trace of clarity in Bloody Baron's gaze, along with a hint of inquiry.
Or perhaps it was curiosity, something he had almost forgotten long ago.
As for that.
Although Draco could not notice such a subtle change, he could still tell from his words that the other party seemed to be giving him a chance to ask a question.
Whether that was because they were both from Slytherin, or because of Draco's family background, he did not know.
In any case.
With no time to think too much about it, Draco stated the purpose of his visit directly.
After a brief moment of thought, Draco decided to use the Grey Lady as today's starting point.
"I want to know what happened back then."
"Back then?"
"Back then, between you and Grey... No, between you and Helena Ravenclaw. What exactly happened?"
"......"
For a single instant.
The moment the Grey Lady's true name was spoken, Draco saw Bloody Baron's translucent body seem to waver, as if it might vanish beyond his control.
It was as though he wanted to flee from the question.
Not only that, Draco also saw anger and regret on his face.
Although Bloody Baron quickly suppressed that momentary loss of composure, and the answer remained a mystery for now, his reaction alone was enough to prove that something had indeed happened between Bloody Baron and Helena Ravenclaw.
...
Silence fell once more.
Draco did not urge him or prompt him.
Because the fact that Bloody Baron had not disappeared meant that he did not intend to refuse the question. At the very least, the conversation could continue.
No one knew how long passed before Draco finally heard those words from Bloody Baron's mouth.
"Helena..."
It was only a name.
Yet somehow, Draco could hear complex feelings and emotions within it.
After a pause, Draco organized his thoughts and said, "Not long ago, I met the Ravenclaw Madam who stays in the Astronomy Tower. It was from her that I learned about you, Sir."
"I see... Then she..."
Draco was not sure whether it was his imagination.
He seemed to see a trace of tension on Bloody Baron's terrifying face, along with hesitation, as if he wanted to know something.
Unfortunately, the result was not as pleasant as Bloody Baron might have hoped.
Draco knew exactly what the situation had been like at the time.
And Draco, whose emotional intelligence was not low and who understood just how complicated the relationship between the two of them was, answered the expectation in Bloody Baron's eyes with silence.
"....."
"Is that so... It was all my fault. Not forgiving me is only right..."
"...."
The air was shrouded in sorrow.
Feeling that things were becoming rather bad, Draco quickly interrupted the other party's memories and self-reproach. "It is said, Sir, that you went after Madam Ravenclaw to retrieve Ravenclaw's Diadem."
"Yes... that's right. If not for that, I would never have... That damned... despicable... repulsive... half-blood wizard..."
"Baron?"
Bloody Baron seemed to have remembered something, and his emotions suddenly began to surge.
His translucent figure started flickering in and out, as though he might vanish from Draco's sight in the next second because of the anger in his heart.
Clearly, Bloody Baron must know something. He also knew the true culprit who had orchestrated all of this from behind the scenes.
And although the things Bloody Baron said were somewhat fragmented, Draco was still able to pick out the key points and the information he wanted from those broken words.
As expected.
It was just like the information he had investigated. There was not much difference from the truth of the matter.
...
According to the information he had.
Back then, Bloody Baron had indeed caught up with Helena Ravenclaw, who had stolen Ravenclaw's Diadem for unknown reasons.
But because Helena Ravenclaw refused to go back with him, Bloody Baron took her life in a fit of rage. Then, after he came back to his senses, overcome with remorse, he turned the weapon on himself.
And so, the two of them died together in the forest not far from Hogwarts.
That was part of the truth.
Draco stroked his chin in thought, as if he had caught hold of a clue. "I see. If they hadn't become ghosts, it really would have been the perfect crime."
Kill the accomplice.
Then kill the witness to silence them.
That would have formed a perfect crime and a closed loop of death.
But what the true culprit who created this tragedy had not expected was that something went wrong with this final act of silencing them.
Because of the obsessions they had carried in life, and because of remorse toward the person they had loved.
Helena Ravenclaw and Bloody Baron remained in this world as ghosts.
Even after becoming ghosts, they no longer cared much about the truth, but the clues still remained.
Unfortunately, this was the magical world.
And that was something the mastermind behind the scenes had failed to anticipate.
As for the true culprit who had done all this and pushed everything forward from the shadows.
Draco tugged at his robes. "So Ravenclaw's Diadem really is the Dark Lord's Horcrux."
Only now.
Only now did Draco truly confirm all of it.
At the same time, he could not help admiring the Dark Lord's audacity.
After all, the two people he had plotted against back then were no ordinary figures. One was a descendant of the renowned Ravenclaw, and the other was a noble wizard with the title of Baron.
And just then.
"I didn't... make it in time..."
"Hm?"
"I didn't have time... to take it out... The Diadem... is still in Hogwarts..."
Watching Bloody Baron slowly fade from view before his eyes.
Draco froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth gradually lifted.
Is that so.
One of Voldemort's Horcruxes was still hidden somewhere in Hogwarts.