Unveiling Secrets

Jon felt that Helga was too modest.

His ancestor from a thousand years ago - because he didn't know how many generations had passed, Jon didn't know how to address Helga - Helga possessed magical insights that transcended time.

Despite advancements in magic within the wizarding world, Helga's perspectives were always unique. After explaining the preliminary casting of the Disillusionment Charm to Jon, he gave up the immediate idea of mastering the magic. Compared to the creation of an invisibility cloak, this rudimentary concealment spell, the Disillusionment Charm, was not practical in their time. The environment back then was quite harsh, and if they had relied solely on such a rudimentary spell, they would have likely been burned at the stake.

After comparing some current spells with the ones from their time, Helga spoke to Jon in this manner. She took some modern spellbooks from Jon - the magic of the painted world allowed the text from the books to be reproduced and condensed within the painted world - with the intention of modifying the casting methods of these spells for Jon before commencing his magical training. Jon had no complaints about this. Having a legendary wizard customize spells specifically for him was something he had never even dreamed of, something that was serendipitous and hard to come by. At least his meditation technique received Helga's praise.

Since he couldn't start his magical training for the time being, Jon decided to explore the study left behind by Lady Ravenclaw. There were no noteworthy books on the shelves; they were mostly outdated spellbooks and guides on magical item creation. In these aspects, the current magical world had already made progress and achieved higher accomplishments. Jon felt that Lady Ravenclaw's legacy wouldn't be that simple; the items she used in her daily life should be quite extraordinary.

After surveying the entire room, Jon shifted his gaze to Lady Ravenclaw's desk. He sat directly in Lady Ravenclaw's chair and began opening the drawers on both sides of the desk one by one.

"Hmm? It's locked?"

Not finding anything in the previous three drawers, Jon suddenly became more alert. Whatever was locked away by Lady Ravenclaw surely wouldn't be ordinary. He pondered for a moment and pointed his wand at the keyhole, whispering, "Alohomora."

No response. The spell failed.

Jon didn't think there was anything wrong with his spell. He had practiced it many times at home, and it was one of the spells he had mastered the best.

"You can't do it like that. Although 'Alohomora' is a clever spell, it doesn't work for opening locks enchanted by Rowena." Helga, on the wall, returned to the surface from the painted world at some point. "She was the most advanced master of enchantments I've ever known."

Jon waved his wand and poked his own head with its tip. "But I only know this one unlocking spell, and as you just said, using brute force to break it open could likely result in a magical backlash."

"Of course, Rowena's magic is too dangerous for you now. Even the backlash from an unlocking spell would seriously injure you. But why are you so determined to open this drawer?"

"I just want to know what's inside," Jon replied, knocking on the locked drawer. This was a scene that hadn't appeared in the original story, so it was impossible not to be curious. "Whatever is locked away by Lady Ravenclaw must be something extraordinary, maybe even her true inheritance."

"Rowena's inheritance... It wouldn't be appropriate for you to take it, would it? I imagine Rowena's heir is still in the castle and might not agree with your actions."

"Helena has become a ghost, and besides, she probably doesn't even know..."

Jon stopped halfway through his sentence because he had let slip. It was the first time he had slipped up in his 11 years of being reborn. Fortunately, the one who heard it was not someone else but his own ancestor. He looked up at the portrait, and the Helga within it seemed lost in thought, completely unaware of any anomaly.

Huh? How could she not detect any mistake or slip of the tongue?

He was about to discreetly skip over this matter when he heard Helga continue speaking, "Did you all find out about Helena becoming a ghost? I knew it. That boy, Tom, was unreliable from the beginning. He tricked Helena into revealing the location of the diadem with his sweet words and his claim as a descendant of the founders, but in the end, nobody could find her."

...

It wouldn't be appropriate to talk about such matters in front of a child like myself. Moreover, it seems that the old lady doesn't even know that Tom Riddle has become the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Jon looked at Helga, who was lost in her own world, and remained silent. Although the Helga in the portrait appeared young, her essence was that of an old lady due to the legendary magic. And being completely engrossed in thought was a common trait among legendary wizards.

However, Helga's words also reminded Jon that he had fallen into a mental trap. What was the essence of opening the locked drawer by using the unlocking spell? Essentially, it was still a locked drawer. And if it was locked, naturally, there must be a key. How did Tom Riddle hide the diadem of Ravenclaw when he first obtained it? The answer was that he found the Room of Requirement, the very place where Jon currently was. This place was the Room of Requirement!

Jon knocked his own head, realizing that ever since he received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, his thinking had been overwhelmed by the arrival of the magical world. Sometimes, even the simplest things became difficult to comprehend. He put away his wand and extended one hand, whispering softly, "I need the key to open this drawer."

After a moment, silence ensued. The key didn't appear out of thin air or drop from somewhere, which left him puzzled. "Could it be that there's no key?" Jon tugged at the drawer handle and felt the lock catching on the latch. There must be a key. The only possibility was that Lady Ravenclaw took the key with her as part of her burial belongings.

Well, he still had other ways to solve this, but he couldn't do it at the moment. "If I can't open it, then I won't force it. I have a feeling that there's probably nothing significant inside; it might just be some books collected by Rowena," Helga said softly. "She always enjoyed researching peculiar magic."

"Alright, I'll leave it for now." Jon thought of some lock-picking methods, but since he didn't have a locksmith and didn't know how to make a key himself, he could only keep this matter in mind.

"I've been out for quite a long time. As more students gather in the castle later, I'm afraid I won't be able to avoid being seen. So, for now, I have to leave." He addressed the portrait of Helga, "I'll leave your portrait here for safekeeping. During the holidays, I'll bring you back to my home."