Helena loved seeing Rey flustered. Moreover, she was incredibly curious about him.
The first time she took care of an unconscious Rey, she heard him muttering in his sleep. He said things like "wife," "children," and other modern Chinese terms.
She couldn't understand those sleep-talked words. At thirteen years old, it would have been truly bizarre if she could understand modern vocabulary from Rey's past life.
This was the root of her curiosity.
Clever Helena considered herself more mature than most people. She prided herself on it.
However, to her surprise, after brief contact with the awakened Rey, she found that Rey, who was two years younger, was even more mature than she was.
This was unexpected and baffling. An eleven-year-old child acting like a twenty-something adult. In a way, Helena felt Rey was even more mature than that middle-aged uncle, Godric Gryffindor.
A child two years her junior being more mature than her? Helena couldn't accept that.
So, whenever she saw Rey looking embarrassed or awkward, she felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
Like just now—seeing him hit with her Body-Bind and Leg-Locker curses, looking helpless and a bit annoyed, made Helena very happy.
Applying negative spells was ostensibly to test the existence of the ghost dragon, but in reality, it was mostly Helena venting her dissatisfaction.
Dissatisfaction that Rey was more mature than her. Dissatisfaction that he always looked at her like she was a child. Dissatisfaction... dissatisfaction that he now had a cute little dragon capable of dispelling negative magic.
There were many reasons for her dissatisfaction. Helena pursed her lips, realizing a fact she had to admit: in front of Rey, she, who prided herself on maturity, actually became somewhat childish.
---
The cave here was massive and remarkably dry, even this exposed section.
Such a huge cavern felt like a tunnel leading to the center of the earth. It reminded Rey of the path beneath the icy mountain leading to Death's palace.
Of course, the scale of the two couldn't be compared.
"Lumos."
Humans have an innate fear of the dark. Facing the deep, dark cave, Helena cast the Wand-Lighting Charm.
However, just as the tip of her wand lit up, Rey grabbed it, covering the light with his hand. The cave, illuminated for a split second, plunged back into darkness.
"What are you doing?"
In a cave like this, walking without light was virtually impossible. Rey stopping her magic baffled her completely.
"We just came in. Our eyes haven't adjusted yet. Wait a bit, and we should be able to see clearly even without Lumos," Rey explained.
"And then?"
Helena asked immediately, sounding a bit confrontational. She thought to herself, Even if our eyes adjust, wouldn't moving be easier with light?
Her questioning look made Rey realize that the usually clever Helena hadn't caught his meaning this time.
Helplessly, Rey continued, "We are in a dragon's lair. If we light up a beacon, aren't we just announcing to the dragon that there are thieves in the house?"
"We are thieves. Do thieves carry bright lights when they steal?"
His patient explanation hit Helena like a revelation. At the same time, she was surprised at herself. She felt like she had become stupider. She hadn't expected to need Rey to remind her of such simple logic.
Sudden realization of her own foolishness made Helena's face flush hot with embarrassment.
Rey was also surprised. The Helena in front of him seemed different from her usual self.
---
The atmosphere grew inexplicably awkward, and neither of them spoke.
After waiting for a while until their eyes adjusted, Rey finally proposed, "Let's go!"
"Mhm." Helena replied softly, walking close beside Rey. Realizing she wasn't on her A-game today, she decided to speak less to avoid further embarrassment.
The cave had airflow. Walking through it, they could feel a breeze.
Most of the cave was naturally formed, but traces of human modification were visible. The stone steps on the ground were a good example.
About twenty meters in, the cave split in two directions.
The left path sloped slightly upward, while the right path sloped gently downward.
Rey decided to go down to the right. Going down might lead to the location of the Chamber of Secrets from the Harry Potter movies. Rey guessed that was where the dragon might be.
Sure enough, after heading down to the right for a while, they saw light coming from around a corner ahead.
It wasn't moonlight; at this depth within the rock face, moonlight couldn't penetrate. And judging by the quality of the light, Rey felt it looked like the glow emitted by gemstones or jade.
Rey paused and exchanged a glance with Helena.
Then, Helena took out the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over both of them.
Although they had guesses about the light around the corner, they needed to see it to be sure.
If it was treasure, the dragon was likely there too. Caution was paramount.
The Invisibility Cloak was large enough to cover two people easily.
Rey and Helena pressed close together, walking slowly toward the corner. During this process, Helena glanced at Rey two or three times, a smile appearing on her face.
Because Rey was shorter than her, she felt happy.
A girl's thoughts sometimes defy logic.
Rey shook his head helplessly again. Helena really wasn't as mature as he thought; sometimes, she was just a little girl.
---
Walking slowly, the two finally reached the corner.
And then... and then they were stunned by the sight before them.
Treasure. Real treasure. Countless treasures.
This place was undoubtedly the Chamber of Secrets from the movies. Its immense size needs no further description.
Yet, this vast space was filled with treasure.
The floor was completely invisible, leading Rey to wonder just how deep the pile of treasure was.
Gold coins were the most abundant, followed by gemstones of every color, with transparent diamonds mixed in.
Crafted gold items were tossed carelessly onto the piles of coins like trash. Goblets, plates, solid gold stools—everything imaginable was there, dazzling the eyes.
"Wow..."
Helena gasped in awe. She had stepped out from under the Invisibility Cloak and run into the treasure pile.
Picking up a pearl here, a gemstone there, looking left and right, she wore a silly, adorable smile on her face.
Such an immense amount of treasure had thoroughly awakened her inner child. Even Rey, an adult in mind, was stunned by the dazzling hoard, taking a moment to recover from the shock.
"This... this... how much is this worth?"
Rey stammered with excitement. He thought to himself, No wonder so many legendary warriors went to slay dragons. The real motivation for dragon slaying was mostly for this treasure.
Also, the fact that future Hogwarts students didn't pay tuition was likely thanks to this hoard. How many years could this much gold and gems last?
If used solely for the school, it wouldn't run out even in a thousand years.
"What are you standing there for? Come look at this. Does this necklace look good?"
Helena stood atop a pile of gold coins, holding a very thick gold chain.
The pendant on the thick chain looked like an Olympic medal. Clearly, this "necklace" Helena held was meant for a champion, having little to do with feminine beauty.
Rey shook his head, folded the cloak, and joined the selection process.
Hunting for favorites in a sea of gold and silver felt incredibly good. Even the little flying dragon beside them was ecstatic, flying into the air one moment and diving under the gold coins the next, having the time of its life.
Among the myriad treasures, a solid gold stool caught Rey's attention. Hanging off the side of this stool was a diamond necklace.
Tiny, cylindrical white diamonds were strung together to form a unique, slender chain. The magical world was truly unimaginable; even such small diamonds could be threaded on silk.
The pendant hanging from the white diamond chain was a blue diamond the size of an adult's thumb.
The blue diamond was oval, teardrop-shaped—wider at the bottom, tapering at the top—unforgettable at first sight. It was hard to believe such exquisite craftsmanship existed in this era.
Rey took the necklace down and held it up, showing it to Helena. How about this one?
It was beautiful!
Just looking at Helena's transfixed gaze, Rey knew she absolutely loved it.
Helena curtsied elegantly to Rey, and Rey, acting the gentleman, fastened the necklace around her neck.
Then, atop this mountain of treasure, the two looked at each other and smiled.
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