Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [103]

“It’s time for us to go.”

Kathoom extended a wing. “Let’s return to reality.”

Bruce nodded, reaching out to clasp the owl’s wing.

“Kathoom, I suddenly remembered what my happiest memory is.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Bruce wiped his tears and smiled. “It was when you took me away from Gotham!”

To save Gotham, one must first leave Gotham.

To deny the world, one must gain the power that lies beyond it.

“Is that so…” Kathoom murmured. “In that case, why don’t we travel even farther?”

“What?” Bruce asked, puzzled.

“Nothing. Let’s go!”

The hand Bruce and Kathoom were clasping began to glow brightly.

Bruce shielded his eyes from the light as his consciousness left the dream and returned to reality.

—

Cough, cough, cough—

Bruce opened his eyes to find feathers floating everywhere.

A swarm of owls had perched on him, nearly burying him beneath their weight.

Bruce started coughing uncontrollably.

“Shoo! Get off!”

He waved his arms, scattering the owls before finally managing to breathe properly.

“What on earth is going on?”

Standing up, Bruce looked around, baffled by the sheer number of owls that had gathered on him.

Why didn’t they perch on anyone else?

At that moment, Kathoom flew in from the distance, clearly having been busy elsewhere.

“You’re awake!” the owl said. “Now it’s time to get to work!”

Bruce stretched his stiff neck and asked, “What’s the situation now?”

“The whole castle is under the spell,” Kathoom explained. “Unless we deal with Ravenclaw’s heir, they’re not waking up.”

At best, perhaps one or two might wake by chance.

Bruce nodded, grasping the gravity of the situation.

However, fresh from the dream, he was still struggling to collect himself.

“Kathoom, I just realized something.”

The more Bruce thought about it, the more unsettling it seemed. “Wasn’t it my subconscious that… killed my parents in that dream?”

“Hey, don’t think about it like that!”

Kathoom quickly corrected him. “You’re a good kid. Why would your subconscious want to kill your parents?”

“But—” Bruce was still doubtful.

“It’s got nothing to do with you!”

Kathoom came up with a quick excuse. “Just think of it as your body having a second personality. All those things were done by that personality!”

Huh?

Bruce gave Kathoom a blank stare, unable to believe the owl had come up with such a weak explanation.

Forget it.

He decided not to dwell on the matter, chalking it up as just a dream.

Some things were better left unexplored; ignorance was, indeed, bliss.

He turned his attention back to the pressing issue.

“Who could Ravenclaw’s heir be?” he asked. “I’ve thought about it a lot, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Who she is doesn’t matter. Let’s just assume she’s Ravenclaw herself,” Kathoom suggested. “What matters is where she is now.”

Bruce considered this and found it made sense.

It didn’t matter who Ravenclaw’s heir was—he’d confront them all the same.

Kathoom had already sent his owl network scouring every inch of the castle, but Ravenclaw’s location remained elusive.

It seemed this was yet another puzzle she had set for everyone.

Even if someone woke from the dream on their own, they’d still need to deduce the chamber’s location to face her directly.

But where could Ravenclaw’s chamber be?

Bruce racked his brain but couldn’t recall any clues about such a place in his memory.

There had never been any mention of it.

“This is where our magical tool comes in handy.”

Kathoom retrieved a thorned crown from his feathers and placed it on his head.

As he did, a flash of insight lit up his mind, revealing the clues to Ravenclaw’s chamber.

“So that’s how it is,” he sighed. “To find Ravenclaw’s chamber, we need to consider two aspects: ‘Ravenclaw’ and ‘chamber.’”

“Are you just stating the obvious?” Bruce retorted.

“Of course not!”

Kathoom had no time for an argument; he was in the zone.

“First, we need to understand Ravenclaw herself.”

“Bruce, you know that besides being a powerful witch and alchemist, Ravenclaw was also an exceptional architect.”

Bruce nodded. He did know that.

It wasn’t a secret—nearly every text about Ravenclaw mentioned how she had designed the ever-changing layout of the castle.

The moving staircases between Hogwarts’ floors were her masterpiece.

“With that in mind, adding a hidden personal touch to Hogwarts during its construction would’ve been child’s play for her,” Kathoom continued.

“Unlike Slytherin, who had to repurpose plumbing for his chamber and make its entrance a girl’s bathroom.”

Huh?

Bruce raised an eyebrow, sensing that Kathoom had just casually dropped a significant revelation.

“Now let’s examine the concept of a ‘chamber.’”

Kathoom went on, “What is a chamber? It’s a secret room designed for private activities, often sealed and hidden.”

“Bruce, you’ve been here nearly two years. Surely you’ve heard of a room in Hogwarts that is both concealed and capable of transforming into anything someone desires?”

“A room so secretive most people can’t even find the entrance?”

By this point, if Bruce hadn’t figured it out, it would’ve been impolite.

“The Room of Requirement,” he said calmly. “Ravenclaw’s chamber is the Room of Requirement.”

“What? You’re not even a little surprised?” Kathoom frowned. “I thought my reasoning was pretty solid!”

Bruce sighed.

“Kathoom, your reasoning is fine. But have you considered one thing?”

“What’s that?”

“We don’t know where the Room of Requirement is,” Bruce pointed out.

“Foolish!”

Kathoom snapped, “It’s called the Room of Requirement! Do you really think it needs you to find it?”

In truth, Kathoom already knew the room’s location and how to enter it.

After all, he’d found Ravenclaw’s diadem there before.

But this time, he wanted Bruce to experience the wonders of the magical world firsthand.

Flying over to the wall Bruce had been leaning against, Kathoom approached it with an air of ritual.

He silently recited:

“O Great Room of Requirement, it’s me again, your beloved owl.”

“Now Bruce and I are in trouble and need you to open your doors.”

“If you’re listening, answer my wish!”

Bruce watched Kathoom’s actions closely.

He was sure the wall he’d been leaning against was just an ordinary wall.

There was no way he’d accidentally been standing at the door to the Room of Requirement.

But as he thought that, something miraculous happened.

Silver lines appeared on the wall, outlining the shape of a door.

Moments later, a smooth door materialized before Bruce’s eyes.

The Room of Requirement had appeared!

“How did you do that?” Bruce couldn’t help but ask.

“Belief, Bruce. Belief!”

Kathoom tapped his head with a wing—assuming owls had temples.

“That’s the beauty of magic, filled with endless possibilities. If you believe, you will receive!”

Kathoom’s faith in the Room of Requirement was unwavering.

He’d read the original stories, after all.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the room had even created a secret passage to the Hog’s Head Inn, bringing Harry back into Hogwarts.

If it could connect to a pub outside the castle, opening a door inside was nothing.

Now the Room of Requirement lay behind the door. All they had to do was open it and face Ravenclaw’s heir.

“Are you ready?” Kathoom asked. “You won’t be surprised no matter who you see, right?”

“Of course not. I’ve already figured it out.”

Bruce suddenly spoke up, “Ravenclaw’s heir is Ravenna Royal.”

Oh?

Kathoom turned his head 180 degrees. “You broke the spell?”

“What spell?” Bruce asked.

“Never mind, don’t worry about it.”

Kathoom shook his head—a peculiar sight, given his head was turned backward.

“How did you figure it out?”

“Logic, Kathoom. Logic!”

Bruce mimicked Kathoom’s earlier gesture, tapping his temples with his fingers.

Finally, he’d gotten a small victory in their banter.

He explained, “The power of the dream didn’t originate from the diary, but from the Room of Requirement.”

“That means anyone could’ve accessed the diary through the room.”

Kathoom nodded thoughtfully. “But why are you sure it’s Ravenna?”

“Because Voldemort told us,” Bruce replied. “Remember when he mentioned how Professor Gale had tricked him?”

Kathoom recalled it now. Voldemort had once spoken of a first-year student who deceived him.

They’d all assumed it was Professor Gale in disguise.

But it seemed there had been a real girl.

Though technically, she’d been a vessel for someone far older.

Still, it was mostly conjecture, right?

Kathoom wanted to press Bruce for more evidence, but Bruce had gone quiet, a sly smile playing on his lips.

He seemed to be saying, You always hold back on me, owl. Now it’s my turn.

Truthfully, Bruce had another reason for suspecting Ravenna.

On the night Gryffindor and Lockhart were attacked, Bruce had encountered her.

A young witch wandering alone late at night was already suspicious.

What’s more, she’d been heading from the direction of Lockhart’s attack toward Gryffindor’s location.

Though his logic wasn’t airtight, it was enough for Bruce.

It gave him reason to act.

“Since you’ve figured it out, let’s go in.”

Kathoom said, “Once we open this door, there’s no turning back.”

“Let’s go!” Bruce nodded.

Kathoom pushed the door open with his head.

—

Bruce found himself in a long, dimly lit room.

A faint breeze whispered through the enclosed space.

In the center of the room stood a figure, back turned to them.

Whoever it was, it wasn’t Ravenna Royal.

It was a grown man.

At his feet lay a small figure in black robes—Ravenna.

If Ravenna was on the ground, then who was this?

There was no need to guess.

The familiar silhouette, the impeccable attire, and the faint trace of cologne wafting to Bruce’s nose left no doubt.

Gilderoy Lockhart.