Helena Ravenclaw

**Helena Marie Ravenclaw-Nightingale** (c. late 10th century – early 11th century) also known as the **Grey Lady**, was a witch and the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Ravenclaw house.

At some point after starting her education, Helena stole her mother's diadem and ran away to Albania. Her mother became fatally ill and hoping to see her daughter one last time, sent the Bloody Baron, a man who harboured an unrequited love for Helena, to find her. In a fit of rage, the Baron murdered her when she refused to return with him, before he committed suicide out of regret for what he had done.

Helena and the Baron eventually returned as ghosts to Hogwarts Castle, where she became and continues to be the Ghost of Ravenclaw House.

Ten years before her death, Helena had given birth to twin children: Nala and Celina Ravenclaw, who were left in the care of her wife, Aurelia Nightingale.

### Biography

Helena was born into the wizarding Ravenclaw family, to Rowena Ravenclaw, no earlier than 982 somewhere in the British Isles.

At the age of eleven, Helena became part of one of the first generations of students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland, which, at that time, was still being run by its original Founders. She was Sorted into Ravenclaw House and was educated in the magical arts by her mother during her time there.

Around this time, Helena met the Baron of Slytherin House. He fell in love with her, though she always rejected his advances. She eventually met a woman named Aurelia Nightingale, who she eventually married and had twin daughters, Nala and Celina.

### Death

Envious of her mother's cleverness and importance, Helena, still during her school years, stole her diadem from jealousy and ran away, leaving Scotland forever and believing the item could help her become wise enough to surpass her mother. Ashamed of her daughter's betrayal, Rowena never admitted her daughter's treachery, hiding the fact that the diadem was no longer in her possession. Having fallen fatally ill and on her deathbed, Rowena desperately asked the Baron, who was deeply in love with Helena, to find her daughter and bring her back to her so that she could see her one last time. Helena tried to hide from him, but the Baron managed to track her down to a forest in Albania. When she heard the Baron blundering through the forest toward her, she hid the diadem inside a hollow tree.

Helena refused to come with the Baron and rejected his affections again, though she never revealed that she was already married. Furious at her refusal and envious of her freedom, he stabbed her in a fit of rage with a knife. After seeing what he had done, remorseful of his action, he stabbed himself to death.

### Post-mortem

Helena, now known as the "Grey Lady", returned from the dead as a ghost along with the Baron. They both returned to Hogwarts Castle, where they became the house ghosts of their former Houses, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. The Baron has been remorseful of his actions ever since, and carries heavy chains as a sign of penance. Nobody else seems to know why both of them died nor why the Baron is covered in blood, not even the other Hogwarts ghosts.

According to Ravenclaw Prefect Robert Hilliard, while the most of the school sees the Grey Lady as a timid ghost, she maintains a good relationship with members of her own House and is particularly useful if they were lost, or had mislaid something.

### 1940s

During the last few years of Adalbert Gaunt's education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he became interested in the subject of Horcruxes. Planning to create some in an effort to become immortal, Gaunt favoured objects worthy of the honour. He had apparently heard of Ravenclaw's Diadem and questioned the Grey Lady about it. Unaware of Gaunt's true intentions, the Grey Lady found him flattering and understanding, revealing the secret about the magical item. Adalbert then travelled to Albania in order to turn the diadem into a horcrux. The Grey Lady seemed to regret revealing her secret to him after his atrocities in the First and Second Wizarding Wars.

### 1980s

When searching for information on Olivia Green, a previous student in Ravenclaw, Yasuko Rivera sought her out, accompanied by several Ravenclaws (Tulip Karasu, Andre Egwu, and Talbott Winger). Tulip mentioned she once wept when Tulip talked about playing a trick on her own mother.

### 1991-1992 school year

Later in the year, Nearly Headless Nick told the Grey Lady how Harry Potter was made Seeker for Slytherin.

On 26 December, Harry Potter took Ronald Weasley with him to the storeroom containing the Mirror of Erised. On their way and under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, they passed the Grey Lady.

On 4 June, 1992, the Grey Lady seemed to have attended an advanced-students' Transfiguration class, and sat taking notes on one of the desks after the class was dismissed while Professor McGonagall wrote some notes of her own on her desk.