With the scrolling of the mouse wheel, Slytherin's message in the secret room appeared in front of Ryan's eyes. Unlike the magical knowledge Ryan had imagined would be left for future generations, Slytherin only introduced his own thoughts and the reasons for leaving Hogwarts at the beginning.
Judging from his self-reported words, Slytherin was not the dark wizard Ryan had previously believed him to be. He explicitly stated that his principle in dealing with others was to do no harm while acting freely as he pleased. A powerful wizard like Slytherin had no reason to lie, so this principle was likely genuine.
So why did later generations consider Slytherin a dark wizard? Ryan continued scrolling with this doubt in his mind.
As expected, the latter section described why Slytherin left Hogwarts. From the very beginning, he and the other three founders had irreconcilable differences regarding the school's teaching direction.
When Hogwarts was established, Europe was in the Dark Ages, dominated by war and strife. The magical world was full of dark wizards, as the environment of the weak encouraged the use of black magic, which could rapidly increase one's strength. In response, the four founders aimed to pass on their accumulated magical knowledge to the next generation, hoping to slowly reverse the dominance of dark wizards and restore order. After all, if dark wizards remained dominant, long-term warfare would eventually lead to the destruction of the magical world.
In this context, Slytherin proposed recruiting only pure-blood wizards. His reasoning was that Muggle-born wizards, influenced by their non-magical relatives who lacked self-protection abilities, might act in ways that endangered Hogwarts. Furthermore, at that time, Muggle-born wizard apprentices often couldn't read or write, making magical education—heavily reliant on knowledge—more difficult for them. Additionally, wizards from non-magical backgrounds, lacking sufficient resources, were more prone to turning to dark magic as a means of acquiring power.
From a purely pragmatic perspective, Slytherin argued that resources should be concentrated on young wizards from reliable magical families. This approach, he believed, would maximize efficiency, allowing limited resources to cultivate as many excellent wizards as possible. The underdeveloped productivity of that era made acquiring resources significantly more challenging than in modern times. Many herbs that can now be cultivated, for instance, could only be gathered from dangerous magical forests back then.
However, the other three founders opposed Slytherin's view. While they acknowledged that his approach optimized resource use, they argued that it lacked compassion and fairness.
This was the first significant disagreement among the four founders. In the end, Slytherin conceded, choosing not to interfere with the other founders' decisions while implementing his ideas exclusively within his own house.
But then, a critical event widened the rift. Early Hogwarts lacked the powerful magical protections it has today. Because the school had amassed substantial resources, it attracted the attention of dark wizards.
One day, Hogwarts was attacked by dark wizards. Tragically, some of Slytherin's students were killed in the attack. Enraged, Slytherin personally slaughtered the dark wizards.
His actions did not provoke opposition from the other founders. Gryffindor, a proponent of justice, merely insisted on holding a trial for them. After all, it was a dark era, and even the kindest witches and wizards had to fight off dark wizards, werewolves, and vampires.
However, following this event, Slytherin began teaching his students dark magic. He believed that if they were to truly defeat dark wizards, they needed to understand their methods.
This was the root of later generations' perception of Slytherin as a dark wizard: he had taught dark magic at Hogwarts, and those who studied under him passed down the belief that he was deeply knowledgeable in the subject. Over the centuries, this narrative became widespread, solidifying his reputation as a dark wizard.
Naturally, Slytherin's approach was met with resistance from the other founders. Their vision for Hogwarts was to create an institution unlike any before—a place dedicated to teaching magic that could stand against the forces of darkness.
They worried that young, inexperienced students could be easily led astray by exposure to dark magic. Slytherin, however, maintained that every student was a soldier in the battle against dark wizards. He believed they needed to recognize the enemy's tactics from the outset, ensuring they possessed the strength to reshape the magical world after graduation.
The ongoing disputes over this issue led Slytherin to make a difficult choice. He feared that his continued presence at the school might ultimately divide it. Out of love for Hogwarts, he chose to leave and spend the remainder of his life hunting dark wizards, eliminating threats to the school's future.
Contrary to legend, Slytherin fully communicated with the other founders before leaving. To ensure his safety and avoid alerting dark wizards, they merely claimed that he had fled after an argument.
In the wake of his departure, Slytherin's reputation was further tarnished. His relentless hunting of dark wizards led to rumors that he was an even greater dark wizard than those he fought. Over time, these stories cemented his legacy as a villain.
Before leaving, Slytherin created the Chamber of Secrets as his final gift to the school. He believed that, over time, the magical world would evolve, and his descendants would carry out his vision for the benefit of all wizardkind.
As for the basilisk, it was merely a temporary guardian. At the time, the dark wizard Haierbo had just developed the basilisk species. The one in Hogwarts was a trophy Slytherin had claimed after defeating a dark wizard. His intention was for the basilisk to serve as one of the school's protective measures, safeguarding Hogwarts during its most vulnerable early years. He never expected it to live for a thousand years.
After reading this account, Ryan couldn't help but sigh. A millennium had transformed a great wizard—who had dedicated his life to the school and his ideals—into an infamous dark wizard through mere word of mouth. The students in the house that bore his name, as well as his descendants, had come to idolize dark magic and take pride in being associated with darkness.
If Slytherin, whose ultimate goal had been the eradication of dark wizards, were to witness this, he would likely be so enraged that he would rise from the underworld just to set his so-called disciples straight.
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