Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine.
Epiphany
The day Rowena Ravenclaw couldn't remember who had invented Cheering Charms was the day she realised she'd lost everything.
Slowly, all of her extensive knowledge had slipped away. Her memory, once so sharp, was now full of holes. She could no longer teach even the first years their lessons; simple spells evaded her.
Salazar had left. Helga, her closest and only friend, was dead, and Rowena hadn't spoken to Godric since her funeral.
Her diadem had been stolen by the wretch whose name she'd sworn never to speak again.
So why didn't she care about the diadem anymore? Why can't she rid the name Helena from her brain?
She found the answer at last, the one piece of knowledge she'd never discovered before -
Rowena loved her daughter.
She sent the Baron to fetch Helena that same day, with only summons and no message, because she needed to be the one to say the words.
She never got the chance, in the end, but the realization that she loved anyone at all was enough to let Rowena Ravenclaw die happy.
A/N: This was written as a response to the "homework" set by Bad Mum at the Hogwarts Online forum. An exactly 200-word drabble had to be written using one of three prompts. I chose "diadem". This will be a companion to another (longer) oneshot about Helena that I hope to finish this week.