The Grey Lady's Tale

Did you, like me, figure what the Horcrux was as soon as you saw Xenophilius's headdress? Did you enjoy finally learning who the Bloody Baron was, and the reason Vapor-Voldy went to Albania? Share your thoughts here, please!

This may have already been discussed, but the Search Engine isn't working on my PC!

Jo wouldn't have mentioned it, if it hadn't been important.
With the Bloody Baron, they got that wrong in the movies, he'll have to have a change of costume.
'The Grey Lady', who would have thought?

I didn't realize what the Horcrux was at first, I was only half awake at 10 in the morning without any sleep. I did like how she told us who the Bloody Baron was, that was some nice foreshadowing in SS (when Harry or Ron or someone asked why the Bloody Baron was covered in blood) lol.

I thought it was very interesting the bloody barons take and the grey lady's. I have always been interested to know why the bloody baron had blood on him. :D I didn't really think about the didem when we heard xeno talking about it. I didn't think much of it really, although i had had been reading since about half one in the morning.......:p

Yeah, I just loved it all. I had read some theories about how Albania could have been an important place as Voldemort was rumoured to have been there, but this was so different to anything I had heard before and I loved the surprise :D

I did like how she told us who the Bloody Baron was, that was some nice foreshadowing in SS (when Harry or Ron or someone asked why the Bloody Baron was covered in blood) lol.

Yes, it was great. It really proves that Jo had planned this seven book series quite well before she had even begun to write Philosopher's Stone. Go Jo! :tu:

I personally thought that it was great to hear the Grey Lady's tale, because before that we didn't know much about ghosts, and we only knew a slight part of Nearly Headless Nick's past, it was good to hear the tale of another ghost

Yes, i love the little things that Jo puts in, foreshadowing, in previous books. One of the big reasons i love re-reading them :D

I liked the story of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron, but, the Grey Lady said something about him wearing chains or something. I don't remember and descriptions of him wearing chains, just being bloody. Was she speaking metaphorically... or what?

not really. but i figured the horcrux in harry from the 6th book

All the house ghosts have been mentioned somehow previously (Nearly Headless Nick, The Bloody Baron, The Fat Friar) except for the ghost of Ravenclaw. That's a loose end that nobody ever put too much thought or regard into, but yeah, that's finished now too. And she's not just mentioned, she plays (played) a major part in Voldemort finding something of Ravenclaw's to make into a Horcrux. Oh, and she also wrapped up why the Bloody Baron is covered in blood.

All the house ghosts have been mentioned somehow previously (Nearly Headless Nick, The Bloody Baron, The Fat Friar) except for the ghost of Ravenclaw. That's a loose end that nobody ever put too much thought or regard into, but yeah, that's finished now too. And she's not just mentioned, she plays (played) a major part in Voldemort finding something of Ravenclaw's to make into a Horcrux. Oh, and she also wrapped up why the Bloody Baron is covered in blood.
She does actually appear in PS, when Harry and Ron are trying to find the Mirror of Erised, although her name isn't mentioned.

Yes, i love the little things that Jo puts in, foreshadowing, in previous books. One of the big reasons i love re-reading them :D

I liked the story of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron, but, the Grey Lady said something about him wearing chains or something. I don't remember and descriptions of him wearing chains, just being bloody. Was she speaking metaphorically... or what?

From what I remember, he's usually described as wearing chains. In HBP, Nick tells Harry that the Baron is groaning and clanking up some tower.

I also did figure that much when they were at the Lovegood house.

As for the the Grey Lady's tale.... that was like a soap opera during sweeps. My goodness. I love Jo's ability to have little subplots. And the story certainly did speak for Tom's persuasive nature. No one else but her, and Tom Riddle knew where the diadem was. I hate Volemort but he sure does have skills.

Yes, i love the little things that Jo puts in, foreshadowing, in previous books. One of the big reasons i love re-reading them :D

I liked the story of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron, but, the Grey Lady said something about him wearing chains or something. I don't remember and descriptions of him wearing chains, just being bloody. Was she speaking metaphorically... or what?

i also didn't remember that. i'll have to reread SS now!:lol:

I thought it might be a horcrux when Harry put it on the wig during HBP, but that made me miss the vanishing cabinet! Can't catch all her wonderful clues, I guess.

she was very remorseful about what she had done, but if i was in her place i would have done the same thing. while it'd be nice to have a famous parent, it wouldn't be niice to always be overshadowed. its not the baron's fault; he chose to kill her.

Poor Baron: is it just me or did anyone else think that Lady Helena was a bit of a b*tch?
She was a bit of a b*itch and the Baron was a bit of a crazy stalker.

i guess it was difficult for her to establish her own identity given her mother's being famous. she was rather haughty but i believe she was embarrassed and ashamed of her behavior. as for the baron, well, killing her was extreme to say the least! the sad part was her mother never really knew what happened to her before she died. i enjoyed this tidbit of hogwarts history!

I didn't catch the meaning in the headress at Lunas house. I did wonder why it was in there, though.
This turn in the plot caught me off guard, but obviously I liked it. It was nice to learn about the ghosts.

When I saw the headdress, It didn't really come to mind that it would be a horcrux, though it probably should have, I guess I was just wrapped up in the story. I really liked that we got to hear backstory on some of the ghosts though, it was unexpected...also how it links to Voldemort fleeing to Albania.

i didnt realize that the diadem was the horcrux until the chapter "shell cottage" when luna says how her father tried recreating it but added a few things of his own - then right at the beginning of the chapter titled "the lost diadem" when someone asks neville where they are going and he says the RoR it suddenly came to me - that the tiara that harry used in book 6 was the horcrux

She does actually appear in PS, when Harry and Ron are trying to find the Mirror of Erised, although her name isn't mentioned.

Am i mistaken or she was in the film also?

Anyway... she is mentioned only in Philosopher's Stone? I don't remember. :P

Am i mistaken or she was in the film also?

Anyway... she is mentioned only in Philosopher's Stone? I don't remember. :P

she is mentioned, but not by name. it only says, "the ghost of a tall witch"-SS chapter 12

She was a bit of a b*itch and the Baron was a bit of a crazy stalker.

OK these two totally just me crack up!!! LOL:lol:

I had no idea that the headdress was the horcrux, it didnt even cross my mind (dumb!)
I loved the greay lady's tale, its fascinating to think just how much detail JKR has put into these books, I mean shes know all along why the Blooby Baron was 'bloody' and shes kept it a secret. Its amazing when you think of all the little details.

i thought it was interesting that no one ever asked JK a question about the Bloody Baron. I whonder what she would've said...

It's interesting that Rowena Ravenclaw was not wise enough in the area of human relations to anticipate her daughter's feelings and behavior. An exceptionally wise and thoughtful parent would surely find a way to maintain a warm bond with a less than brilliant child? Perhaps by rewarding and emphasizing the child's other good qualities? I get the feeling that the mother and daughter were never close.

It's kind of a pattern in the series about the brilliant parent neglecting the only child, isn't it -- also Luna and her father, Barty Sr. and Jr.

I never got the impression that Xeno neglected Luna. I think he was a little wonky and raised her differently but he obviously loved her very much and she talked about spending alot of time with her father. I don't think she was neglected at all.
But I do agree that it didn't seem the Ravenclaw mother and daughter were close at all and Rowena definetely wasn't very preceptive when it came to her daughter's feelings.

I was actually kind of happy that I finally knew why Voldemort went to Albania. It didn't really click when I first read about the headress, but eventually I got it.

It's interesting that Rowena Ravenclaw was not wise enough in the area of human relations to anticipate her daughter's feelings and behavior. An exceptionally wise and thoughtful parent would surely find a way to maintain a warm bond with a less than brilliant child? Perhaps by rewarding and emphasizing the child's other good qualities? I get the feeling that the mother and daughter were never close.

It's kind of a pattern in the series about the brilliant parent neglecting the only child, isn't it -- also Luna and her father, Barty Sr. and Jr.

I don't blame Barty Sr. for neglecting his son.. he was evil! I'd do that if my kid was a Death Eater!

*happy sigh* Ah, JK Rowling. The hints you place, infinitely far back....to be forgotten...and later rekindled...ah, joy. It's beautiful.

I love the way that she places things like the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady ages and ages back in the book and then they just pop up later and you're like "OH!" every time. I love that feeling when I'm reading the books, like - "so that's why..." "oh, now it makes sense...." " I was wondering about that..."

JKR is amazing. :love::love::love:

I always wondered why The Bloody Baron was bloody, and it good to finally find out why. I thought it was interesting, and I didn't catch on to what the horcrux was.

The whole thing was a complete shock to me...I had not seen it coming at ALL! It was a brilliant plot twist and it answered a lot of old questions for me. I loved it.

it also makes sense why both of them are ghosts...maybe she's too ashamed to find her mother in the afterlife and maybe he wanted to stay where she was, or maybe it was his guilt. i wonder how they interact nowadays...

it also makes sense why both of them are ghosts...maybe she's too ashamed to find her mother in the afterlife and maybe he wanted to stay where she was, or maybe it was his guilt. i wonder how they interact nowadays...Oh that makes it even sadder! Imagine the poor baron being in the same castle as her for 1,000 years but not able to be near her... I never thought I would say "poor baron".

After Half-Blood Prince I pretty much guessed that the tiara in the Room of Requirement was a Horcrux. In her interview for ITV (might have been C4) after its release she said that The Grey Lady was the ghost of Ravenclaw. And I'm pretty sure somewhere in that book Harry runs by "the ghost of a young woman with long hair" or something like that.

I loved the story and the way it was told. I felt a lot of Deathly Hallows was about moving on the plot and this was a nice wee story. Those Slytherin men really don't have much luck with love.

The Baron and Grey Lady were like Snape and Lily; Baron/Snape= Obsessive, even stalking. Grey Lady/Lily= To stubborn...

that's quite interesting and unexpected, knowing at the end such important passages concerning charachters or things you little noticed before.. and for the Grey Lady, her story quite impressed me. Her name fits so much.. Grey, living her life in the shade of her mother's, trying subtly to get what she had so much longing for.


The Baron and Grey Lady were like Snape and Lily; Baron/Snape= Obsessive, even stalking. Grey Lady/Lily= To stubborn...

i don't think there's much of this parallelism. the baron was, in fact, obsessive; Snape was, truly, in love. there's all the difference in the world for me.

I always wondered why The Bloody Baron was bloody, and it good to finally find out why.

I thought that the Baron was "bloody" because had killed Nick.

i don't blame BartySr. for neglectin his son.. he was evil! i'd do that if my kid was a death eater!

I think JKR implied it was the other way around...Barty, Sr., neglected his son for his career, which helped to turn the son against him and everything he stood for.

I personally thought that it was great to hear the Grey Lady's tale, because before that we didn't know much about ghosts, and we only knew a slight part of Nearly Headless Nick's past, it was good to hear the tale of another ghostYes, I thought the same thing. Actually I never thought I'd feel a bit sad for the BB.

i knew it was a diadem ever since DD said there should be something form all founders except Gryffindor. i enjoyed learning about the BB and Voldy

Oh that makes it even sadder! Imagine the poor baron being in the same castle as her for 1,000 years but not able to be near her... I never thought I would say "poor baron".

After Half-Blood Prince I pretty much guessed that the tiara in the Room of Requirement was a Horcrux. In her interview for ITV (might have been C4) after its release she said that The Grey Lady was the ghost of Ravenclaw. And I'm pretty sure somewhere in that book Harry runs by "the ghost of a young woman with long hair" or something like that.

I loved the story and the way it was told. I felt a lot of Deathly Hallows was about moving on the plot and this was a nice wee story. Those Slytherin men really don't have much luck with love.

that's very interesting. i've never read that interview... can you give me the URL?

according to JKR's website: Rowena Ravenclaw was "the most brilliant witch of her time," who, according to legend, died of a broken heart (cause unknown) (JKR).

i guess now we know why...

:(

I thought that the Baron was "bloody" because had killed Nick.

Weirdly enough, I actually had a dream like that. When I woke up, I had to think about it for awhile before I remembered what the book actually said.


I don't think I thought about the diadem being a horcrux when Mr. Lovegood mentioned it. I think I realized that it was the other horcrux at about the same time Harry did. But I think I did realize before he did that it was the tiara he'd seen in the Room of Requirement in book 6, because that always stuck in my mind for some reason.

Interestingly enough, I've known about the Grey Lady--the fact that she existed, that is--for awhile. I don't remember how I found out she was the Ravenclaw ghost, but I think I first heard of her because she was listed in the credits for the first movie. It was nice to hear about her background, though. I always find backstory really interesting.

I guessed before hand that the tiara in the Room of Requirement (or Room of Hidden Things) was a Horcrux. I was fairly certain that one of the things listed had to be a Horcrux, given the number of and variety of objects, and the fact that the Locket was mentioned in a list of random things they found at No. 12. The tiara seemed like the most likely candidate in the Room. However, I must admit that for some reason I did not notice when they mentioned the Diadem at Chez Lovegood. I have a tendency to get caught up in Harry's prejudices, at least the first time I read them.

I loved the tale, and I think I remembered the tiara in the RoR before Harry did, but I don't like that Horcrux - it was too easy, Voldemort wouldn't have just put it in the RoR amongst loads of rubbish, at random, without putting any protective spells on it. :no:

I loved the tale, and I think I remembered the tiara in the RoR before Harry did, but I don't like that Horcrux - it was too easy, Voldemort wouldn't have just put it in the RoR amongst loads of rubbish, at random, without putting any protective spells on it. :no:


Well he wouldn't need to protect it...If someone found it, they wouldn't be able to break it normally, and if they realized it's significance (Not that it was a horcrux, but that it was Ravenclaws lost diadem) then they wouldn't even want it to be damaged since it was a relic of one of the original founders.

In one of the most curtical chapters of Deathly Hallows, Harry discovers the whereabouts of one of the final Horcuxes. The person who revels this info to Harry is none other than the mysterious Ravenclaw ghost, the Grey Lady. But can we trust her? We readers haven't been given any info on the Grey Lady in six books and she is only mentioned in book 1 in passing (when harry goes to see the Mirror of Erised). what part of her story is true? I trust her, but the info seems odd itself. Did she really tell Voldemort or has he listening when she was talking to another student? what's your input?

But can we trust her?
I think so. She really had no reason to lie or mislead Harry. She made it clear that she cared about the war and wanted it to end.

what part of her story is true? I
I believe her whole story was true.


Did she really tell Voldemort or has he listening when she was talking to another student?
I believe she did. She said so herself and as we see from her encounter with Harry it seems she had a sort of soft side for flattery and good-looking men. I can absolutely see Riddle putting the charm on her and her caving in and telling him about the diadem.

Riddle really could put the charm on anyone but Dumbledore when he was at Hogwarts. i.e- Slughorn, Grey Lady, and I believe Dumbledore said that Riddle had a respect for all teachers.

A classic tale of love and regret. The ghosts were some of Hogwart's best characters. The Grey Lady, Baron, and Nick all had a violent end; what about the Fat Friar? Eating Binge?

I remember JKR saying in an interview that the Grey Lady never loved anyone, because no one was ever good enough for her.

I personally find the grey lady a bit uncompassionate. Imagine your mother being on her death bed wanting to see you for the last time, despite the fact that you stole from her, and you refuse her request? How cold.

I remember JKR saying in an interview that the Grey Lady never loved anyone, because no one was ever good enough for her.

I personally find the grey lady a bit uncompassionate. Imagine your mother being on her death bed wanting to see you for the last time, despite the fact that you stole from her, and you refuse her request? How cold.

What interview was that in? I don't remember that being said.

Those Slytherin men really don't have much luck with love.

I thought I was the only one who noticed this. Did anyone else realize that slytherins always seem to be involved in some sort of unrequited love?

Snape-loved lily and showed some obssisive traits shown in his love
Merope(most likely a slytherin)-loved a handsome muggle from afar and attempted to control him
Eileen(definetely a slytherin, how could snape have known about that house if she wasnt?)- loved a muggle, the marriage obviously didnt turn out well
Bloody Baron- was obssessively in love with someone who repelled his advances, until he finally snapped.
Bellatrix- love the dark lord, someone who cared abosolutely nothing about her in that way


What is up with people in slytherin loving people that obviously dont love them? Is it somehow a part of their personality trait? Very interesting topic indeed.

What interview was that in? I don't remember that being said.


I dont know which interview I read it in, but I remember it clearly because I just read it a few days back.

When I find it Ill post it.

And once you think about it, it makes sense. Why in the world was a beautiful woman camping in the forest all by herself, with no one else coming to look for her except the bloody baron? This doesnt sound like a woman who had a signifigant other.

Here's a tangent discussion point about the Grey Lady that I haven't seen discussed yet: who's her father? Her last name is Ravenclaw, as is her mother's. The age in which they lived was not one in which women kept their last names upon getting married, nor is is one in which women typically had children out of wedlock. Does that mean that Rowena was married to a Mr. Ravenclaw who then gave his surname to their daughter? Or is her name Ravenclaw because Rowena did, in fact, have the child outside of marriage and therefore gave Helena her own surname? Or a third possibility, that Rowena Ravenclaw married Joe Unremarkable-Guy, and they had a daughter, but because the father was unremarkable while the mother was one of the greatest witches of the age, they decided to give Helena the more glorious surname instead of following typical practice of patrilinear surnames? What do you think?

[QUOTE=truthheart;4793735]I thought I was the only one who noticed this. Did anyone else realize that slytherins always seem to be involved in some sort of unrequited love?

Merope(most likely a slytherin)-loved a handsome muggle from afar and attempted to control him


I'm pretty sure Merope didn't go to Hogwarts, or did Morfin for that matter.

I'm pretty sure Merope didn't go to Hogwarts, or did Morfin for that matter.

You cant be positive. There wouldnt be much stopping them, especially not money since Hogwarts funds students who cannot afford supplies. We are told this in HBP. And where would Merope have learned to make a love potion from? Marvolvo? LOL.

i absolutley loved her story...

I was pretty sure that the diadem was the Horcrux before the book, because I thought it was a good theory, and then Xeno's headdress and the goblin made red herring at the Weasley wedding made me even more sure of it. I was pretty sure it was the tiara in the RoR too, after hearing the theory before the book release. It was hilarious though, having the Goblin Made tiara (which would have fit, since it's goblin made like Gryffindor's sword) passed right in front of our noses in Shell cottage, saying, "LOOK AT ME! I'M A RED HERRING!" :lol:.

Anyway, the Grey Lady's story was really awesome. I loved learning more about the ghosts. If you had asked me before the book who I thought the Grey Lady might have been, I never in a million years would have said Ravenclaw's daughter! I guess that was the point. ;)

Here's a tangent discussion point about the Grey Lady that I haven't seen discussed yet: who's her father? Her last name is Ravenclaw, as is her mother's. The age in which they lived was not one in which women kept their last names upon getting married, nor is is one in which women typically had children out of wedlock. Does that mean that Rowena was married to a Mr. Ravenclaw who then gave his surname to their daughter? Or is her name Ravenclaw because Rowena did, in fact, have the child outside of marriage and therefore gave Helena her own surname? Or a third possibility, that Rowena Ravenclaw married Joe Unremarkable-Guy, and they had a daughter, but because the father was unremarkable while the mother was one of the greatest witches of the age, they decided to give Helena the more glorious surname instead of following typical practice of patrilinear surnames? What do you think?

I've thought about this. I'm thinking that Rowena's maiden name was Ravenclaw. I think, even though it would have out of the norm to have kept Maiden names after marriage, that because she was already a Founder of a school that she either went ahead and chose to stay Ravenclaw, or that perhaps everybody else was so used to calling her Ravenclaw that it just stuck even after marriage. Now talking about Helena's lastname, perhaps her "offical" name was that of her fathers, but publically she was known as Ravenclaw so people would know who she is. Perhaps Rowena was stuck up enough to have wanted that, or had other reasons. Or, perhaps her Father died whilst Rowena was pregnant (or right after birth) and so, having been known as Ravenclaw so long she went ahead and stayed with that and named her daughter thus, because her father was no more. Or because naming her daughter after her father would have hurt her too much. I doubt Helena was illegitimate...But then again I have nothing to say why I feel that way.
Well. That got me nowhere fast. xD