"…But after death, your own adventure is over."
Ravenclaw's voice was calm, almost distant.
"All things in this world exist in cycles. Life and soul are no exception."
"When my death became irreversible and consciousness began to fade, I felt my magic draining away at astonishing speed. Aside from the fragment of soul and memory I sealed, the rest withered."
"Those forces may have become part of another wizard's power. They may have traveled elsewhere. But whatever came after had nothing to do with me."
She turned her gaze toward the learning space, curiosity flickering in her deep blue eyes.
"That is what makes you extraordinary, Tom. I cannot comprehend this method. To gather a soul that has dispersed for a thousand years… it is as though a hand reaching across time descended upon the moment of my death and preserved my state."
"Even a god might not achieve such a thing."
Tom could not answer that.
The reason one was called a cheat was precisely because one used cheats. If he could explain the system's mechanisms, he would not be a beneficiary of it. He would be the ancient being handing them out.
Unable to respond, he changed the subject.
"Where did you seal that fragment of soul and memory?"
"In my bedroom."
"There is still a bedroom of yours at Hogwarts?"
"Of course. Where else would I have lived?" Ravenclaw smiled faintly. "It lies not far from the Headmaster's office. I concealed it to prevent disturbance."
A possibility struck Tom.
"The Room of Requirement… was that your bedroom?"
Harry had named it that, though others called it the Come and Go Room. Tom described its location and peculiar nature.
Ravenclaw listened, then nodded slowly.
"That was indeed my chamber."
"The so called Room of Requirement was merely a convenience I devised out of laziness. The chamber would rearrange itself according to my will, producing whatever space or object I required."
Tom hesitated.
"So now…"
"My bedroom has become a rubbish dump?"
Her expression shifted subtly.
She pieced it together quickly. The core enchantments had endured. In her lifetime, she had often misplaced objects, so she designed the room to retrieve items from anywhere within the castle.
Without an owner, however…
"Let us continue calling it the Room of Requirement," she said dryly. "It appears to have turned into a repository. Unclaimed objects throughout the castle are absorbed over time, then reorganized according to the needs of whoever discovers it."
"In that case," Tom grinned, "I will take you to your rubbish heap this afternoon. I mean, your bedroom."
He teased her lightly before collapsing face first onto his desk.
Professor Binns' hypnotic monotone was merciless. Even Tom could not endure it.
...
Outside, on the grass by the Black Lake, Puffskeins were receiving overwhelming affection from the students.
Every face was attentive as Hagrid enthusiastically described their habits. The half giant was secretly delighted. He silently thanked Tom for the advice.
But inspiration struck him.
Just because Tom's method pleased the students did not mean his own plan was flawed.
Today's class proved only that this approach worked.
Tomorrow, he would return to his original idea.
...
When the day's lessons ended, Tom gently appeased Daphne, who wanted him to accompany her to swing from the Whomping Willow. Promising later, he slipped away alone.
Before visiting the Room of Requirement, he had another matter to handle.
He had meant to return the gargoyle yesterday, but achievement points had distracted him. Only now did he remember.
Standing before the Headmaster's office, Tom stared at the pitiful wooden planks blocking the entrance.
Dumbledore's circumstances were… less than dignified.
Fortunately, it had been summer. Few visitors had come to Hogwarts. Otherwise, the embarrassment would have been public.
Tom did not know that Cornelius Fudge had visited once during the holiday, witnessed the disrepair, and promised additional funding for the new term.
A promise only.
WhatsApp had drained the Ministry's remaining liquidity. Fudge had conveniently forgotten his vow. Just as Dumbledore sometimes ignored Tom's messages, now Fudge ignored Dumbledore.
Karma was elegant.
Tom removed the small box containing the gargoyle and released it.
The stone guardian sprang out and was instantly pulled back toward its post like iron to a magnet. The wooden planks shattered under its impact.
"So… I am back," the gargoyle sighed wistfully.
Having seen the world, even a stone heart could grow restless.
Over a single summer, it had guarded Tom in London, Newt Scamander in New York, and Nicolas Flamel in Paris.
How many door guardians could claim to have crossed continents?
Now it was reduced to watching over an aging headmaster.
Tom noticed its melancholy.
"I will take you traveling again next summer. For now, return to work. Look at me. I also came back to school. We all endure."
The gargoyle was formidable. One day, it might serve as Daphne's bodyguard.
"Do not forget your promise," it muttered.
"Is Dumbledore inside? And Fawkes?"
"Dumbledore is absent. Fawkes is sleeping."
"Let me in. I have business with Fawkes."
As he ascended the spiral staircase, Tom remembered something the gargoyle had once said. He reached out mentally to Ravenclaw.
"The gargoyle claims all four founders created it together. Is that true?"
"That unsightly fellow?" Ravenclaw laughed softly. "Yes. We forged it jointly. It was meant to serve as a hidden safeguard for the headmaster."
"It claims Slytherin granted it vitality, Hufflepuff gave it an indestructible body, Gryffindor bestowed immense strength, and you contributed unmatched wisdom."
Ravenclaw fell silent for a moment.
Then she said gravely:
"Tom… I can explain."