The next morning, Adam woke up before sunrise. For a few moments, he simply lay in bed beneath the warm blankets of Gryffindor Tower, listening to the soft breathing of his dormmates. Ron was snoring lightly. Neville had somehow wrapped himself completely in his blanket during the night. Harry slept peacefully near the window.
Normally, Adam would have opened his eyes and immediately started planning his next adventure.
Not today.
The memory of Dumbledore's blue eyes lingered in his mind.
"You hide nothing. And yet, I feel you are hiding everything."
Adam sighed and sat up. The castle was still dark. Perfect. Quietly dressing himself, he slipped out of the dormitory for his morning workout before anyone else woke. Today, he decided not to wait for Hermione either, since she often missed morning workouts after reading late into the night.
The following days settled into a comfortable rhythm. For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, Adam stopped chasing mysteries. No more investigating forbidden corridors. No more hunting for clues about secrets hidden in this castle.
No more guiding Harry, Ron, and Hermione toward every strange thing they discovered. Instead, he simply enjoyed being a student.
At breakfast, he listened as Ron complained about essays. Harry laughed when Seamus accidentally turned his porridge blue.
Hermione spent nearly ten minutes explaining why a footnote in their History of Magic textbook was technically inaccurate.
Adam found himself smiling more often than speaking.
It was nice.
Perhaps too nice.
'Wasn't this what he always wished to experience?'
Classes continued as usual. Professor McGonagall's lessons remained demanding yet interesting. Professor Snape remained intimidating, though Adam found his classes fascinating in their own way.
Professor Flitwick continued rewarding Adam whenever he demonstrated a spell particularly well. But Adam also deliberately stopped raising his hand for every question. The first time he did it, Hermione looked at him as if he had grown a second head, "You knew that answer."
Adam shrugged, "So did you."
Hermione shook her head, "That's not the point."
Adam just smiled, "It seems like exactly the point."
Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Adam immediately buried his face in his textbook to avoid further questioning. Some battles weren't always meant to be fought, sometimes you got to avoid them as well.
Not all of his time was spent relaxing. Every evening after dinner, Adam disappeared. Officially for his friends, he was studying.
Technically, that wasn't even a lie.
The Room of Requirement had become his sanctuary. The room no longer resembled the neat and clean training space he had first seen.
Now it looked like a slightly battered training room, with parts of practise dummies broken apart everywhere. Some dummies had burnt marks, some seemed to have soaked in water. Ruined practise dummies piled up in one corner.
Some targets even floated lazily near the ceiling.
In another corner, a comfortable reading chair sat beside a crackling fireplace where the borrowed library books were stacked in a pile.
Adam spent hours there. Some nights he practiced charms until his magic reserves were nearly empty. Other nights he sat reading books from the library, copying notes and building his understanding of magical theory. If Dumbledore was watching him, then Adam intended to become stronger in ways nobody could easily notice. Knowledge attracted far less attention than dramatic adventures.
Besides that, the Hogwarts library had also become his second home, especially when he couldn't shake Hermione off in the evening. He would just go to the library with her and spend hours in silence. No matter how chatty Hermione was, once she had a book in front of her, she was lost to the world.
Madam Pince still frightened him. The woman seemed capable of detecting damaged books from three floors away.
But Adam had to admit that this library contained something more valuable than any secret chamber.
Information.
Adam buried himself in subjects most first-years ignored.
Magical contracts.
Ancient curses.
Protective enchantments.
Wand theory.
Tracking magic.
Hogwarts history.
Anything that might help solve his own situation.
The curse on his wand.
The strange Name Magic and the Homonculous Charm, possibly and hopefully linked to the Marauder's Map.
The Ravenclaw's trial.
None of the books provided clear answers. But every day, his understanding grew a little deeper.
As for Hermione, she focused almost entirely on academics, and Adam had to admit that he could not match her determination or her hunger to learn.
One afternoon, while studying near a tall window overlooking the grounds, Adam looked up from a book on magical signatures.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were outside near the lake. They were laughing about something. Even from this distance, Adam could see Ron gesturing wildly while Hermione rolled her eyes.
For a moment, he considered returning to his research...
Instead, he closed the book.
The answer could wait.
His friends could not. After all, that was what he had long wished for in his previous life. To be able to enjoy this magical world.
A few minutes later, he was sitting beside them beneath the autumn sun, laughing with them.
No mysteries.
No conspiracies.
No secret plots.
Just four friends enjoying a rare free afternoon.
And surprisingly... Adam found that he didn't dislike it at all.
That evening, after returning to the Room of Requirement, Adam opened his status window. His eyes scanned the familiar information.
Level 10.
Special Ability Slot: Empty.
SP: 152,167.
The numbers were impressive. But this time, they didn't excite him. Power was no longer something he wanted for its own sake.
He wanted freedom.
Freedom to protect the people he cared about.
Freedom to sit beside the Black Lake without fear.
Freedom to live the peaceful life he had dreamed about for two lifetimes.
Adam slowly closed the status window. Then he raised his wand, "Again."
A practice dummy appeared at the far end of the room. The quiet chamber filled with magical light.
Outside, Hogwarts slept peacefully. Inside, Adam continued growing stronger.
One Spell At A Time.
One fine morning, The Great Hall was almost empty when Adam reached it.
It was still early morning, and the sun had only just begun to fill the hall with soft light through the enchanted ceiling. The tables were nearly bare, and only a few house-elves moved around quietly in the background.
Adam liked mornings like this.
No noise. No crowd. No one asking him anything.
He sat down at the Gryffindor table with a plate of toast and a cup of tea, then opened a book while waiting for breakfast to fully settle in. A few seconds later, he noticed someone passing by.
A ghost.
Long dark hair, pale face, and the grey robes he had seen many times before.
The Grey Lady.
Adam looked up at once. He had seen enough of Hogwarts by now to know that ghosts were usually ignored by most students, but he had also learned that the ghosts were not as simple as they looked.
As Helena passed near his table, he spoke before she could move away, "Good morning, Lady Ravenclaw."
The ghost stopped. She turned her head toward him and looked at him for a moment. Then she gave a small nod, "Good morning, Mr. Taylor."
Adam expected her to keep walking after that.
But she did not.
Instead, she stood there for a moment, looking at him in silence.
Adam blinked. That was unexpected. Most ghosts either floated away or kept talking until the student got bored. Helena just stood there calmly, like she had the time to spare.
She studied him for a second and then said, "It has been a while since a student called me that."
Adam raised an eyebrow, "Called you what?"
"Lady Ravenclaw," she replied.
Adam gave a small smile, "Well, that is your name."
Helena looked at him a little differently then, almost like she found that amusing, "Most students call me the Grey Lady," she said. "Some do not even know my real name."
Adam shrugged slightly, "I do."
"You are a first-year," Helena said, still looking at him.
Adam nodded, "Yes."
That seemed to amuse her a little more, "And yet you know who I am."
Adam could tell she found that unusual. He did not think she was mocking him. Just surprised. He scratched the back of his head, "I spend a lot of time in the library."
Helena gave him a faint look, "I have heard that."
Adam paused, "You have?"
"The ghosts talk," she said calmly. "And students who spend too much time reading also tend to become noticeable."
Adam let out a short breath that was almost a laugh.
That was fair.
Helena stayed where she was for a moment longer, and Adam knew this was his chance. He had been thinking about this for days, and now that she was actually standing in front of him, he did not want to waste it.
Adam closed the book in front of him, "I wanted to ask you something."
Helena did not move, "Go on."
Adam looked at her properly now, "I've been reading about Rowena Ravenclaw."
That got her attention, though only slightly. Her expression did not change much, but he could feel it. She was listening now.
Adam continued, "I found some things about a trial she left behind."
Helena said nothing.
"A trial with a hidden book," Adam added.
Still nothing.
Adam took a breath and said it directly, "A blood magic book."
This time, Helena's eyes narrowed a little.
Not in anger.
More in interest.
Adam could tell she had not expected that.
"A first-year looking for blood magic," she said after a moment. "That is not something I hear every day."
Adam nodded, "I know."
Helena looked at him for a long moment before speaking again, "Why?"
Adam had expected that question. He looked down at the table for a second, then back at her, "Because I need it."
Helena remained quiet.
Adam continued, speaking more clearly now, "There are some things ordinary magic cannot solve. I don't know how to say it better than that."
He paused, "I'm not looking for power. I'm looking for a way to deal with something important."
Helena watched him carefully.
Adam did not look away, "The book might help me," he said. "So I need to find it."
The Great Hall stayed silent around them.
After a few seconds, Helena spoke again, "Which trial?"
Adam frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"
Helena tilted her head a little, "There are more than one trial in this castle, Mr. Taylor."
Adam blinked, "More than one?"
Helena gave the faintest shrug, "My mother left behind many things. Trials, lessons, hidden places, tests, and even ancient knowledge. Some were meant to be found. Some were not. Some are old enough that even I no longer remember all of them."
Adam stared at her for a second. That was not what he had expected. He had thought there would be only one trial. One hidden path. One answer.
But if Helena was right, then there could be more than one. And chances of her being wrong were approximately...
Absolutely...
Zero...!
Especially when it came to her own mother.
Helena studied his face and seemed to notice his surprise, "You did not know that."
Adam shook his head, "No, I didn't."
For the first time, Helena looked properly amused. That small reaction was enough to make Adam realize he had not annoyed her. If anything, she seemed a little interested now.
She looked at him and asked, "So which one are you searching for?"
Adam thought about it for a second before answering, "The one that has the blood magic book, that is all that I know for now."
Helena was quiet again.
Adam went on, "I don't know the exact name of the trial yet. I just know it is connected to that book."
Helena nodded slowly, like she was weighing his words. Then she asked, "And why do you think it matters so much?"
Adam hesitated for only a moment.
Some things were private.
Others could not be spoken of at all because of the Unbreakable Oath.
So he kept it simple.
"Because it might help me save someone and protect them."
Helena looked at him carefully.
Adam added, "And because of that, if there is knowledge in this castle that can help me, then I want to find it."
Helena was quiet for a long moment after that. Then, to Adam's surprise, she gave a small nod, "That is a better answer than greed for power."
Adam let out a breath he had not realized he was holding.
Helena glanced once toward the empty tables, then back at him, "You are a strange boy, Mr. Taylor."
Adam gave a small shrug, "I've been told that before."
For the first time, Helena looked properly amused.
Not much.
Just enough.
Then her expression returned to normal, "My mother left behind a trial, a peculiar one."
Adam straightened a little, "A trial?"
"Yes."
Adam hesitated for a second, "Is it the one with the book?"
Helena gave him a quiet look, "No."
Adam blinked. That was not what he had expected.
Helena continued, "The one you are looking for is not this one."
Adam frowned, "Then which one is it?"
"You are asking the wrong question."
Adam looked at her, confused.
Helena's expression remained calm, "This trial will tell me if you are ready for a more dangerous one."
Adam stared at her for a moment. So there really was something more.
The trial existed for blood magic related book, and it was a dangerous one at that.
But this was not the one he needed.
It was a test before the real test.
Adam leaned forward slightly, "Ready for what?"
Helena did not answer right away. Instead, she looked across the Great Hall as if remembering something old.
Then she said, "My mother did not leave her knowledge carelessly. She made sure that anyone searching for it would have to prove themselves first."
Adam nodded slowly.
That sounded exactly like Rowena Ravenclaw.
Helena looked back at him, "There are many who want knowledge. Very few are willing to earn it."
Adam understood what she meant. He asked, "So this trial is a test?"
"Yes."
"What kind of test?"
Helena gave a small shrug, "That depends on the person who enters it."
Adam blinked, "You mean it changes?"
"It can, also why the peculiar one."
Adam paused, "And you know where it is?"
Helena's eyes flicked toward him, "I know where one of them is."
One of them.
Adam caught that immediately, So there really were more than one. He was quiet for a second, thinking it over. Then he asked, "And if I pass this one, you'll tell me about the other?"
Helena's mouth curved slightly, "Possibly."
Adam narrowed his eyes a little, "Possibly?"
Helena remained calm.
"If you are ready for the first, then perhaps you are ready to hear of the second. Choice is yours, Mr. Taylor."
Adam understood that answer well enough. Nothing would be handed to him easily. He looked at her and said, "Then I want to try it."
Helena studied him again. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she nodded once, "Very well."
Adam felt a small rush of relief.
Helena remained quiet for a moment, then said, "You will meet me next week. Saturday. Midnight. At the Astronomy Tower."
Adam blinked, "Next week?"
"Yes."
He nodded quickly, "Alright."
Helena looked at him carefully, "Until then, read more. You will need it."
Adam frowned a little, "Read what exactly?"
"Everything you can," she said. "Hogwarts history. Magic theory. The old books you usually ignore. Anything that might help you understand what you'll see. Because not even mother knows what one might see there, you could face the easiest trial or the most dangerous."
Adam stayed silent.
Helena went on, her voice calm but serious now, "And be ready. Whatever waits for you there, will not be gentle."
That made Adam look up at once, "Should I be worried?"
Helena gave the faintest hint of a smile, "Yes."
Then her expression became serious again, "But you asked for this."
Adam nodded slowly. He didn't expect her to say yes to this question directly but he understood that much.
Helena turned away, then paused for a second before adding, "Do not be late, Mr. Taylor."
And with that, she drifted away from the table and disappeared through the wall, leaving Adam sitting alone in the quiet Great Hall with a very full plate and a much fuller mind.
'Everything went well...', Adam thought to himself, 'Everything went just too smoothly. Why would Helena tell me everything I want to know about? I must ask why she's helping me next time.'