Luna Lovegood

Luna had known Michael for over a year. During all this time, the boy had delivered many groundbreaking revelations and revealed various ancient secrets, making Luna's every day unique and exciting. That's why Luna was already quite used to Michael's antics, simply enjoying them as they came, without really being surprised by them.

The sight of the Ravenclaw diadem on Michael's head, however, was quite... unexpected, to put it mildly.

The most famous of Rowena Ravenclaw's relics was, of course, known to Luna. After all, she grew up hearing various stories and theories about it from her parents, who were both quite fascinated by the mysterious disappearance of the diadem.

Luna still fondly recalled better times, when she would sit with her parents in their living room, basking by the fireplace And drinking cocoa, wondering alongside her parents where the diadem was hidden. Various theories were spun about its location, from the wildness of the African steppes to the winters of the Russian tundras, perhaps even the dark side of the moon, if her father's theories about the school's founders being descendants of moon people were to be believed.

But she would never have guessed that the diadem would still be in Hogwarts Castle, in her best friend's possession no less.

Luna's surprise was so great that she actually had trouble processing it. Fortunately, Michael was quite understanding of her state, as he readily gave her some time to compose herself, deciding to read his necromancy book in the meantime.

"Where... Where did you even find it, Michael?" Luna finally asked after a few moments, making Michael close the book and look at her, the diadem still on his head. She still couldn't believe he had it. How had he managed to find the diadem when hundreds of wizards and witches before him had been unable to do so? "The location of the diadem was supposed to be one of the greatest mysteries of wizarding Britain."

"Well, it wasn't easy to get it, I'll tell you that. It was hidden deep in the bowels of an ancient beast that had lived in this castle for generations. I almost got eaten in the process of getting it." he said. Michael replied seriously, his face hardening at the memory. Though the memory must have been painful, Luna sighed in relief after hearing that. It would have been a real travesty if Michael had found it somewhere mundane, as it would have gone against every principle of proper adventure. Powerful relics had to be fought for, not casually acquired.

"I see. Then it was indeed a worthy place to keep the diadem for all these centuries." stated Luna, nodding her head approvingly. While she would have liked to discover the diadem herself, it was comforting that its real location turned out to be even more exciting than in her theories. She then noticed, however, that Michael winced, causing her to look at him questioningly.

"... I mean, the diadem returned to Hogwarts only a few decades ago. Before that..." Michael replied uncertainly, an uneasy smile on his face. Suspecting what was about to happen next, Luna held her breath, bracing herself for his next words. "...It was hidden in some random hollow tree in Albania."

"I-I see. Ravenclaw's diadem was in a n-normal tree." Luna said shakily, wobbling slightly. "T-that's perfectly fine... Is, is it getting darker?"

"T-the story about his return to Hogwarts is amazing though!" Michael exclaimed hastily, clearly alarmed by Luna's reaction. Seeing a flicker of hope in Luna's eyes, he began telling the story. "Once upon a time, a young hero, Tom Riddle, befriended a lonely ghost named Helena Ravenclaw, or, as you may know her, the Gray Lady."

"...You have my attention." Luna said, instantly perking up. If the Gray Lady really was Helena Ravenclaw, then everything she knew about her suddenly made sense. Since Helena was a direct descendant of the moon people, she was unable to speak, instead using telepathy to communicate! That's why she only talked to Ravenclaw students! Being sorted into Rowena's house attuned them to lunar telepathy!

...She didn't know who that Tom Riddle was or how he befriended Helena, though. He must have been amazing, however, if even Michael considered him a hero.

"Moved by a lonely ghost's plea to bring back her mother's beloved relic, Tom promised Helena to find the diadem in the forests of Albania and return it to Hogwarts. His journey was long and full of danger, with countless dark wizards and monsters appearing in his path, but he eventually reached his destination and found the Ravenclaw diadem. His mission completed, he was ready to return to Helena." Michael continued, his voice full of passion. Luna listened intently, wanting to know more. After all, it sounded like an amazing adventure she would like to experience herself. "Unfortunately, Tom had many powerful enemies. Enemies who could attack him at any time, potentially destroying the diadem he had sworn to recover."

"Therefore, having no other choice, he removed part of his soul, pouring it into the diadem. This act of pure love made the diadem almost invincible and impervious to most attacks. With the safety of the diadem assured, Tom was able to return to Hogwarts, fighting monsters and humans alike on every step of the way. Fearing that it might once again be stolen from the school, he hid the diadem in the bowels of a great beast, ensuring that it would never be found by the unworthy. He then returned to Helena, and his mission finally came to an end. It cost him a part of his soul, but when he saw the pure smile on Helena's face, the first one since her tragic death, he knew it had been worth it. Although he soon embarked on another great adventure, a part of his soul still acts as the silent guardian of the diadem, keeping a lonely vigil and protecting it from within."

When Michael finished his story, Luna was unable to say anything, too moved by the story and Tom's sacrifice. Unaware of her thoughts, Michael continued, his tone somber.

" I've been...trying to contact the Guardian, hoping that I would be able to relieve him of his heavy duty and allow him to be free again. Unfortunately, I've been unable to reach him so far, despite my many attempts. That's why I wanted to ask you..." Michael began, undoubtedly intending to ask her for advice, but Luna interrupted him, already knowing her next course of action. While she would be glad to help Michael free the spirit, there was something she had to do first. After all, she couldn't just let the great hero suffer alone.

Slowly, she approached Michael and reached for the diadem, gently removing it from his head. He didn't resist Michael, allowing her to do so without complaint, clearly trusting her. Seeing that, Luna smiled gently and put the diadem on her head.

'Do not lose hope, Tom Riddle. I will save you.' she thought. While she didn't know how to save the Guardian yet, she could at least bring him hope.

Tom Riddle (Diadem)

Tom was a broken man.

He... didn't know how much time had passed since HE found him. He didn't even know if it even mattered. Since that cursed moment, every second of his life had been hell.

Unable to resist or escape, Tom was subjected to unimaginable horrors, spending each day in terrible agony. Time and again, his mind would be torn apart by the sinister torrents of HIS will, unable to do anything but suffer under the sadistic gaze of HIM.

When it came to HIM, there was no mercy or pity, only pure sadistic intent to hurt Tom in every unimaginable way. Tom was crushed again and again, trapped in an endless circle of agony.

Tom initially resisted, of course. In his hubris, he tried to find any weakness, any gap in HIS armor that he could exploit. He foolishly expected to find a way out, to escape the hell he himself had created. It took him several attempts to realize that there was no escape, no hope.

And HE made Tom pay dearly for each of those foolish attempts. He didn't remember when, but at some point his will, supposedly so hard and unbreakable, simply... broke. At first Tom tried to bargain, promising HIM to reveal all of his secrets and knowledge if only the pain would stop.

It didn't stop.

After that, Tom started begging, his pride forgotten and disregarded for the chance of salvation. Despite Tom's sacrifice, however, he was only met with cold indifference, followed by another bout of agony.

His life became a vicious circle of agony and fear, because in the rare moments when he was not tortured for his sins, he trembled with fear, knowing that the pain would soon return. And it always did.

The current day was mostly the same, although the agony phase was for some reason shorter than usual. Was this another part of HIS plan? To suddenly change the ratio of agony and dread, keeping Tom from adapting?

He began to ponder a possible reason, but then... something changed.

He felt... HOPE.

Tom felt another soul, so different from HIS, connecting to his mind through the diadem. For a moment, Tom saw a vision of a blonde-haired girl, but he was unable to focus on her identity any further, as he was soon flooded by a powerful wave of positive emotions and feelings he had long forgotten, trapped in an eternal hell.

Tom couldn't help but lose himself in the unexpected sensation, every second being a bliss after experiencing the horrors of HIS mind. It was simply exhilarating to be so free, so safe.

Various images of magical beasts flashed through his mind, filling him with indescribable joy. He didn't know why, but the sight of a herd of mooncalves dancing under the full moon made him smile, and the beauty of the scene touched a string in his heart that he didn't even know he had. He felt like he gained something, even if he didn't know what it was.

Then, when he had almost reached the peak of bliss, he heard the girl's thoughts, quiet and calm like a slow river, yet strong and loud like an avalanche.

DO NOT LOSE HOPE, TOM RIDDLE. I WILL SAVE YOU

Hearing that, something inside Tom broke. Even though he was supposed to be unable to cry, being only a fragment of Tom's soul, he felt tears of relief running down his cheeks, hope filling his entire soul.

His rational part insisted that there was no reason to believe the girl. After all, it was possible that she was just a part of HIS plan to torment him further by giving him a false hope, only to take it away.

And yet... he had to believe her. No, he wanted to believe her.

SHE would save him.

The fuck did I just write?