"You never once considered Dumbledore?!" Rhys was stunned. Helga, do you have no idea how much of a commotion you caused?
If Dumbledore couldn't notice that, Rhys would suggest he resign early and go home to babysit his grandkids.
Because it was as obvious as eating a train bento with someone else right next to your spouse all night. Dumbledore might be old, but he wasn't dead!
Rhys would bet on it: Helga didn't even need to worry about whether she could successfully return by teleportation. Even if she did, the moment she pushed open the door to her office, she would absolutely see Dumbledore sitting in her chair, waiting for her.
Helga took a deep breath. She had left in a hurry, and once she arrived, she had been too busy beating people up to think about Dumbledore at all.
Only now, after Salazar pointed it out, did she realize that it would be very difficult to keep this hidden.
A witch from antiquity, skilled in food-based magic, claiming to belong to Hufflepuff, and holding the highest level of authority over Hogwarts Castle.
It was hard not to suspect that she was Helga Hufflepuff herself!
"You could stubbornly deny it and say you're just Hufflepuff's most outstanding student or something like that, but in my opinion, that has no meaning at all, and it'll only cause trouble when you eventually have to prove your identity anyway," Rhys said calmly as he laid out the pros and cons for Helga.
In his view, having their identities exposed was no big deal. If they hadn't personally wanted to keep a low profile, they would have announced it to the world long ago.
Besides, revealing the truth to Dumbledore wasn't a serious issue either. He stood at the pinnacle of the modern magical world. Matters that needed to remain secret from the general public didn't necessarily need to be kept from him. That was a privilege earned through strength and prestige.
Watching Salazar stand there, talking fluently, with every word practically saying just admit it already, Helga felt an intense wave of irritation rise in her chest.
She gave Rhys a smile that wasn't quite a smile and asked whether, when she "turned herself in," she should also casually tell Dumbledore that the founder of Slytherin House had returned as well and was currently squatting in the school, exploiting two poor, ignorant young girls.
"That really won't be necessary. Student Rhys Lint stayed in his dormitory all night and did not go out. He is a good boy who follows school rules—and he has to get up early tomorrow to make automaton components for Professor White!"
Rhys deliberately stressed the words "automaton components," prompting Helga to think carefully about what she should say to Dumbledore, what she could say, and what she absolutely could not say.
He had no interest in letting a Headmaster who came from Gryffindor learn his true identity.
It wasn't that Dumbledore wasn't worthy of knowing, but that after centuries of "conditioning," Gryffindors tended to have a seriously skewed perception of Slytherin and would look at him through colored lenses.
If that happened, his carefree days would be over.
The moment automaton components were mentioned, Helga found herself completely at a loss for words. She silently nodded, indicating that she would not "turn Salazar in."
"It's not a big problem," Rhys said as he winked at Hufflepuff. "Dumbledore is an interesting person. If you don't want to say it, he won't expose you. At most, he'll exchange a few riddles with you."
"That's good then. Still, Dumbledore does deserve to know some things," Hufflepuff ultimately accepted reality and prepared to return to Hogwarts.
Watching her use magic to keep Cedric floating at her side, Rhys grew curious.
"I can help you look after Cedric. That way Dumbledore won't notice him."
Helga waved a hand, feeling that Dumbledore would notice sooner or later, especially once her identity was exposed. In that case, she might as well tell him openly that she had chosen Cedric.
Helga believed Dumbledore would not object, because this would be an enormous benefit for Cedric.
The magic array on the ground flashed with light, and a circular portal appeared before Helga. She tried to step into it, only to find that the portal flickered once before closing.
Hogwarts' protections had been reactivated.
Helga let out a wry smile and adjusted the destination, fixing it at the main gates of Hogwarts.
This time, it worked.
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Helga realized that Dumbledore was not waiting for her at the gates, so she led Cedric straight into the school.
After settling Cedric in the Hufflepuff common room, Helga left him a note and then strode toward her office.
When she pushed open the office door, Dumbledore was indeed sitting behind her desk, studying her with those lake-blue eyes.
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore." Fully prepared for this moment, Helga greeted him calmly, as if this were not her office late at night, but the Great Hall at mealtime.
"Good evening." Dumbledore's tone remained as gentle as ever, with no hint of emotion to be discerned from it.
"A remarkable night, isn't it?"
"It is indeed."
"Please forgive my intrusion into a lady's office so late at night, but I find myself a little curious as to why you were not in your office or the faculty quarters."
Hufflepuff walked to the front of the desk, braced both hands against its edge, and asked with a smile, "If I said I went to the lavatory to deal with a rather troublesome little issue, would you believe me?"
"Why not?" Dumbledore smiled as well. "When one grows old, one does tend to make frequent trips to the lavatory at night."
Helga shook her head, genuinely amused by Dumbledore this time.
"I didn't actually go to the lavatory. It's just that the badger I raised was bullied by two mice out in the wild, and as its owner, I had to go and do something about it."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, a glint flashing through his eyes. "Hogwarts has had a mouse problem as well—just a few little rodents. Fortunately, the people here were quite considerate of my old bones and dealt with them the moment they scurried in. By the time I arrived, all that was left were dead mice."
Helga immediately thought of the story Salazar had told her earlier.
"Perhaps it ran into a snake. Snakes always like to eat mice," she replied.
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. He removed the half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose and began polishing the lenses with his sleeve.
"Something suddenly occurs to me. You seem never to have answered this question—when you said you were an ancient witch who returned to Hogwarts, which era do you mean exactly? After all, the term 'ancient' can be remarkably broad."
Helga withdrew her hands from the edge of the desk. She did not answer at once, instead strolling slowly to the window of her office and pointing toward the Black Lake outside.
"The ancient Black Lake. It was already like this when my friends and I arrived here. All these years later, it has remained unchanged."
Then her gaze swept across the stretch of water formed after she and Rhys buried the Dementors, and her voice faltered slightly before she hastily added, "Most of it, at least, hasn't changed."
When he heard Professor White's words, Dumbledore's breathing stalled for a brief instant before returning to normal. When she mentioned the newly formed section of the lake, he even laughed along with her.
Helga shot him a look, thinking to herself, You've got the nerve to laugh? But since tonight's topic was not about criticizing Dumbledore, she set the matter aside for now, planning to bring it up with him another day.
"Time magic truly is a marvelous thing. Do you think the friends who once lived in the same era as you might also return through time magic?"
This was a difficult question to answer—after all, one of her old friends had already made it very clear that he did not wish for Dumbledore to know of his existence. And so Helga decisively avoided the question.
"In my view, whether they return or not is secondary. What truly matters is whether their spirit can be passed on. Hogwarts has changed a great deal—not just in its decorations, but in its inner spirit as well. It's hard for me to say whether that's good or bad, though personally, I feel there's more bad than good. For instance, if Gryffindor were still here, Dementors wouldn't have dared step through the school gates. Don't you think so?"
Dumbledore grew distinctly awkward. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, but the woman's words were undeniably sharp.
"I am very sorry," Dumbledore said. The pace at which he polished his glasses quickened noticeably. He wanted to say more, but the words seemed to catch in his throat.
In the end, he could only sigh and tell Professor White that no matter what, as Headmaster, he bore responsibility for the matter. He had failed to fulfill his duty to protect the students of the school.
"Perhaps I really am getting old," Dumbledore mused. "I sincerely thank whoever dealt with the Dementors that day—if it was some sort of magical mechanism, then I suppose I ought to thank the founders of Hogwarts themselves."
Helga smoothly changed the subject. She told Dumbledore that now that he was Headmaster, the professors of the school would respect his decisions, but he must also face squarely the responsibilities that came with the position.
"Oh?" Dumbledore suddenly seemed to recall something and posed another question. "You lived closer to the era of the Four Founders than I ever could—was there a Headmaster position at the school back then?"
"To my knowledge, the four founders jointly managed the school and did not appoint a single Headmaster. However, after the other three left Hogwarts for various reasons, Rowena Ravenclaw did, in practice, serve as Headmistress for a period of time."
Dumbledore looked as pleased as a child whose curiosity had just been satisfied. He rose from his chair, remarking that it was already quite late and that he should not linger any longer—stay any longer, and rumors might start circulating within the school.
Helga was directly amused by Dumbledore's words.
Before leaving the office, Dumbledore turned slightly. His tall figure gave him a faintly imposing presence, and his expression became serious and earnest.
"I have one last question. How should I address you in the future?"
Helga blinked and replied with a puzzled tone, "You must be too tired. Just call me White."
"Is that so? Then I truly must be exhausted. Still, I won't get it wrong during the day. I'm not that old yet."
Dumbledore nodded, turned around, and left the office, closing the door behind him.
Watching Dumbledore depart, Helga crossed her hands and leaned back against the armchair. Just as Salazar had said, Dumbledore truly loved speaking in riddles.
They had said nothing just now, yet it felt as though everything had been said.
The next morning, the sun rose as usual, as if nothing at all had happened the night before.
Rhys brought the sleepy-eyed Greengrass sisters to Helga's office, and Helga noticed that Daphne's skin seemed even fairer than before.
She narrowed her eyes slightly. Her intuition told her that something about the girl in front of her had changed.
After explaining the key points of crafting the new components and assigning the day's tasks, Helga pulled Rhys into a corner of the office, calling it, for form's sake, "doing more professional, higher-level work."
After a while, seeing that the two sisters were fully focused on making components, Helga spoke up.
"That Daphne seems a little different from before, doesn't she?"
Rhys replied without even lifting his head, "She's touched the threshold of a domain."
He said it as casually as if he were commenting that Daphne had done well on an exam, but Helga was struck dumb with shock. Even Salazar's student had…?!
"She used—"
"She used my own method," Rhys cut Helga off before she could take any credit, indicating that Daphne reaching this point had nothing to do with her.
It also didn't have much to do with him as her teacher.
Still, following Helga's approach doesn't seem like a bad thing, Rhys mused inwardly. If he had guided Daphne the way Helga did, perhaps she would have taken the proper path.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI