Return of Salazar Slytherin

"She gave me a booklet!" Upon seeing Rhys, Daphne didn't even wait for him to ask and blurted out everything she had received from Ravenclaw in a rush.

But she hadn't received much—just a mini crystal ball and a very thin booklet. Even a Muggle radio manual was thicker than this booklet.

"Did she tell you to keep it to yourself?" Rhys asked as he took the items Daphne handed over.

Daphne's cheeks turned slightly red. "How... how did you know?"

'Because I heard it.'

"I guessed," Rhys replied. He took a glance at the crystal ball in his hand and immediately understood Ravenclaw's intentions. It was indeed a clever trick—to use the crystal ball as a medium to carry magic outside, triggering the spell she left behind. As for what would happen next, that was anyone's guess.

'So this was what Ravenclaw wanted me to introduce her to Daphne? If I had known she wanted me to do this, then I... definitely still wouldn't have agreed. At the very least, I would have made her reveal her true intentions.'

Rhys knew that, at her core, Ravenclaw probably didn't want to do anything harmful to Hogwarts. But just because someone's intentions aren't bad, does that mean their actions will be harmless? Not necessarily.

A few unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind. Rhys remembered the "little experiments" Ravenclaw had conducted behind their backs. When Ravenclaw did something, it was either silent or resulted in a huge mess.

The most serious incident had even required the three of them to clean up her mess together.

'So, should he take the crystal ball or not?'

Rhys hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to take it with them. After all, it was just a bit of magic being brought out this time, and the entire "experiment" was under his supervision. There was no way it could spiral out of control.

After figuring out what to do with the crystal ball, it was time to deal with the booklet.

Under Daphne's expectant gaze, Rhys opened the booklet and found that there wasn't a single word inside.

Daphne looked puzzled. "So, did she just give me a diary?" she asked blankly.

"If you're asking that kind of question, you'll never get into Ravenclaw," Rhys said, pulling out his wand and gently tapping the first page of the booklet with it.

Next, it seemed as if an invisible hand was writing on the booklet. On the smooth surface of the first page, beautiful cursive Latin letters began to appear: "The wind has brought my goodwill, but please do not place this book in a swamp."

Rhys froze. At the same moment the text appeared, he felt as if someone had hit him over the head with a blunt object—a familiar mental spell, unmistakably the work of that woman Ravenclaw!

Rhys recognized the familiar style in this. Rowena had thought of everything.

She knew that even though she had told Daphne to look at the booklet alone, Daphne would still hand it over to Rhys. So, Ravenclaw had left a simple little trap in the booklet to serve as a warning to Rhys.

"Keep it; it's something good. You can take your time studying it at home," Rhys said, handing the booklet and crystal ball back to Daphne.

"But there's nothing in this booklet," Daphne said, her small eyes filled with big confusion.

"That's just her style. She won't give you something for nothing. With her, everything requires an 'exchange of value.' Of course, you also need a sufficient 'threshold' to access it," Rhys explained to Daphne.

Unlike the other three founders, Ravenclaw was a bit quirky.

Before teaching anything to a student, she would first test them to see if they had enough "wisdom." Those who failed the test were not deemed worthy of learning from her—though, of course, you could impress her in other ways to earn another chance.

This blank, wordless booklet was Ravenclaw's test for Daphne, to see if she could figure out how to use it.

With the booklet in hand, Daphne imitated Rhys's actions, tapping the booklet with her wand just as he had done. Then, a sentence appeared on the booklet:

"Those who imitate others can never walk their own path."

Daphne: "…"

"Sorry, I just closed off one of the ways to unlock it," Rhys said, spreading his hands to show that he really couldn't help anymore. If he continued to assist, the booklet might just turn into a "brick."

"Take your time figuring it out. We've got plenty of time," Rhys reassured Daphne with a few words before leading her back to the surface.

As soon as Rhys and Daphne, carrying Ravenclaw's crystal ball, returned to the surface, they headed straight for the library—Rhys needed to keep an eye on Daphne while she released Ravenclaw's magic, making sure not to miss any steps in case that woman tried to pull something again.

The final exams had ended, and apart from Hermione, the library was empty.

"At this time of year, shouldn't you be taking a break?" Rhys was surprised when he saw Hermione there. "What's going on? Why are you still here?"

"This is my idea of relaxing," Hermione responded contentedly, patting the book next to her.

Dumbledore's praise at the end-of-year feast had caused her some trouble—because of her performance, Gryffindor and Slytherin had lost their near win of the House Cup. The Gryffindor students weren't too bothered, as they hadn't won the Cup for several years anyway, and with the added pleasure of seeing Slytherin lose, they had let it go.

However, many Slytherin students were quite upset, and it wasn't uncommon for them to make snide remarks when they ran into Hermione. If the holidays weren't just around the corner and most students weren't already thinking about their vacation plans, Hermione might have faced even more trouble.

To avoid all the commotion, Hermione had simply taken refuge in the library with her books, which, for her, was the ultimate form of enjoyment.

Rhys had to respect that.

After a brief chat with Hermione, Rhys and Daphne moved to a corner of the library. This time, Daphne didn't clumsily break the crystal ball; Rhys had already taught her the key to activating it.

Daphne lightly brushed her magic over the crystal ball, and the magic of Ravenclaw trapped inside was released, sinking into the walls of the library.

Then...

Nothing happened.

Rhys lingered in the library for a while longer, but still, nothing happened.

He couldn't help but frown: he could sense the presence of the magic within the library, but he couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

'Damn it!'

Rhys's expression changed—he had fallen into Ravenclaw's trap after all!

She had calculated that he would undoubtedly keep a close eye on the magic's movements and the subsequent effects; that was exactly what she wanted. He had become her unpaid labor, having to monitor the progress of her "experiment."

Given his distrust of Ravenclaw, Rhys couldn't just release the magic and walk away. This was Ravenclaw's open scheme.

____________

Read 12 Chapters ahead of SH at my Patreon♥