Chapter 36: Dance with a Ghost
The sensation had been growing for weeks now.
A presence. Gentle, watchful, hovering just at the edges of Nero's awareness. Not menacing, nor intrusive, but unmistakable.
At first, he thought it was paranoia.
His Occlumency training had made him more aware of the shifts in his surroundings, more attuned to magic and its traces.
But as the days passed, he became certain.
He was being observed.
By her.
The Grey Lady, Helena Ravenclaw. His ancestor.
She had always been an elusive figure within the castle.
A silent sentinel of Ravenclaw Tower, seldom engaging with students beyond a soft whisper of guidance or the occasional cryptic remark.
Many found her distant, cold even. But Nero had never felt that. Since the first time he saw her, there had been something else beneath her exterior, something warm, something wistful.