Helena Ravenclaw

"SSS... My ssscompanions, have you underssstood the might of your sssovereign, the Basilisk? SSS..." Riddle hissed as the serpents swirled beside him.

The Hogwarts castle was lit up with eerie enchantment for the festivities- it was still early for the Halloween feast. While some students roamed around in costumes, the other, boring ones like Riddle wore their house robes. Riddle was sitting on a dark staircase that led to one of the east towers, where no one passed by.

Unfortunately for him, the serpents didn't provide him with a valid answer. He stood up, dusted off his robes, slowly descended the stairs, and aimlessly wandered the partially crowded hallways.

"Get away from me!" a woman's cry caught Riddle's attention, causing him to divert his gaze toward an empty classroom.

"Huh? I'm just passing by, Helena. Not everything revolves around you," Riddle peered into the classroom and witnessed the Bloody Baron's retort to the enraged Helena Ravenclaw.

"How dare you!" Helena flared her ghostly nostrils, her silvery tears dripping down her misty, beautiful face.

The Bloody Baron sighed, "None of us would've died if you had just complied with me."

Riddle observed their conversation closely, wondering if it could be of benefit to him somehow.

"That doesn't justify your heinous act!" Helena scowled at him and drifted away from bloody Baron, moving toward where Riddle stood, having eavesdropped.

"I regretted it so much that I killed myself!" the Bloody Baron scowled before turning away and vanishing through the walls.

"Greetings, Lady Ravenclaw," Riddle initiated a conversation as Helena Ravenclaw passed by, unaware of his presence.

"Who are you?" she replied curtly, uninterested in Riddle's attempts at conversation.

"Umm, someone who wants to rant?" Riddle tried.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, I don't have any friends, so I thought maybe you'd listen," Riddle explained.

"What?" she responded.

"Yes," Riddle affirmed.

"I don't have time for that," she turned her back to him, but Riddle was determined to get something out of her.

"Maybe you could, at least, help me with my studies?" Riddle approached her cautiously.

Helena pondered for a moment. As a Ravenclaw ghost and the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw herself, she found it hard to deny assistance to a Hogwarts student in need of knowledge.

"Tell me... what is it?" she composed herself.

"I've been reading quite a lot of history books related to Hogwarts... Not to mention the greatest wizards and witches who founded Hogwarts for noble causes and their personal achievements," Riddle observed her briefly, gauging her reaction.

"I've read about all these things, the details, and also about the Hogwarts secrets... and about the Chamber of Secrets," Riddle continued.

"What do you want to know about it?" Helena inquired, her eyes sized up Riddle curiously.

"It's just that I'm curious about the Chamber of Secrets, but it seems that no one knows more about it than what's mentioned in the books... even though it's concealed within the castle walls. How can it remain so hidden?" Riddle feigned a genuinely curious expression as if pondering the mystery for the sake of a curious mind.

"It's named the Chamber of Secrets for a reason," Helena responded with a half-smile.

"It's understandable that current wizards and witches might not have detailed knowledge about it, but you lived through the time when it was built... you must know something," Riddle carefully chose his words, avoiding raising any suspicions.

"Ha, clever boy!" she exclaimed, looking down at Riddle with pride, and Riddle responded with a smile. "It's true that I lived during that time, but I possess only vague details about it. Not nearly as much as my mother did."

"Anything will help!" Riddle exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"I only know that it's located beneath the lake on Hogwarts grounds," Helena shared.

"That's quite vague," Riddle commented.

"I told you," Helena shrugged.

However, Riddle was content with this fragment of information. It was enough for him to start piecing things together. 'So, it's related to the lake...'