Return of Salazar Slytherin

"Rhys, you're joking, right?"

Daphne had always thought she was quite strong, but even at her most confident, she'd never dared to put herself on the same level as the Dark Lord—no, Voldemort. 

"Of course, I'm not joking. Although your talent isn't as good as your little sister's, you'll still learn magic from me for seven years till you graduate. If you can't even deal with Voldemort..."

Rhys gave Daphne a glance and said leisurely, "Then when people ask where you learned magic, make sure you don't mention me. Actually, even if you win, it's better not to bring me up." 

Daphne: "..." 

Hearing Rhys's confidence in her, Daphne felt happy.

But what did he mean by saying her talent wasn't as good as her sister's?

She was clearly leagues ahead of Astoria in magical control! 

"So, by your logic, you could definitely beat the Dark Lo—Voldemort right now?"

Daphne retorted instinctively.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she'd misspoken: her question was too sharp. Comparing someone as young as Rhys to Voldemort was completely unfair. 

Besides, who in the wizarding world would dare claim they could easily defeat Voldemort? Well, maybe that Gilderoy Lockhart, but he didn't count. 

What Daphne didn't realize, however, was that deep in a hidden corner of her heart, a small hope lingered—a hope that Rhys truly could defeat Voldemort. 

After all, from the moment she'd met him until now, Rhys had seemed almost omnipotent. 

Rhys glanced at Daphne: I've already used Voldemort's Horcruxes as medicinal ingredients—what do you think, who's stronger?

Maybe Voldemort at his peak could have walked away unscathed from me, but now?

"Even if... Voldemort really does make a comeback, sister, with Rhys and me by your side, we can definitely defeat him!"

Seeing that her sister might have said the wrong thing, Astoria quickly stepped in to smooth things over, deftly steering the conversation away.

As for why the two sisters had taken to viewing Voldemort as their hypothetical enemy, the moment Rhys decided to use Voldemort's Horcrux to treat Astoria, the Greengrass family had been destined to stand on the opposite side of Voldemort.

Daphne and Astoria's lack of confidence in their own abilities didn't bother Rhys much.

What he cared about was their courage in addressing Voldemort by name.

Seeing them both call him "Voldemort" without hesitation, Rhys felt satisfied.

If his apprentices couldn't even say a defeated dark wizard's name, that would be an embarrassing reflection on him.

"I'll prepare a few supplementary potions, and then you'll be ready for treatment," Rhys said.

Astoria nodded silently. Considering the unique nature of the main ingredient, she couldn't help but feel a heavy mental burden.

Rhys was well aware of the pressure she was under.

Perhaps keeping her in the dark might make the treatment process easier, but Rhys believed that exposing her to the truth would benefit her growth. A greenhouse might produce excellent witches and wizards, but it would never cultivate great ones.

After Astoria's treatment, the used fragment of Riddle would still be recoverable and reusable, which Rhys planned to utilize for treating Ravenclaw.

Let's hope he can absorb enough power from the curse attached to Astoria's soul!

The Ravenclaw case would require a stronger soul.

If the soul strength wasn't sufficient, the connection might collapse outright.

Of course, after these two procedures, the fragment of Riddle in the diary would be completely destroyed. Even with Rhys's skills, it would be impossible to restore Riddle's consciousness. But what did that matter? After all, it was just the price being paid by that deranged dark wizard.

In Rhys's eyes, as long as he could heal his old friend and apprentice, no price was too high.

From then on, Rhys stopped talking and focused on eating the dishes in front of him.

By the time the last plate was emptied, it was time to wash up and go to bed.

...

The next day, Slytherin students had Potions class with the Gryffindors.

In the smoky Potions dungeon, Snape paced between the students' desks, inspecting their progress on brewing a swelling solution antidote.

This antidote, a remedy for swelling solutions, could also be used sparingly in daily life to reduce puffiness and expel dampness.

"You'd better take brewing your potions seriously, because in the next lesson, I'll be teaching you how to prepare swelling solutions."

Snape announced, his voice cold and sharp. "And at that time, I'll pick a 'lucky' little wizard to test it." 

Though Snape mentioned picking someone at random, his gaze never left Harry. 

The Malfoy trio couldn't help but snicker. Other Slytherin students watched with amused expressions, thoroughly enjoying the scene. 

"Testing potions on students..." Daphne muttered, her lips pursed, clearly unimpressed with this teaching approach. 

"It's an excellent teaching method."

Rhys remarked approvingly.

"though it's a pity Snape mixes too much personal grudge into it. Think about it: would you dare use a potion that even the brewer is afraid to test? This is a responsible teaching practice—if he truly chose students randomly." 

"The role of a potioneer during travels and adventures is incredibly important," Rhys added, a hint of nostalgia flickering across his face. 

In the days when he adventured with Godric, he had been responsible for everything, from battle-assisting potions to cough syrups. Whenever he brewed something, he'd always find a way to test it first: he'd personally try the ones he was confident in, and for the uncertain ones, he'd find a muggle—no, not a muggle.. definitely a toad to experiment on!

"Once you finish brewing your potion, would you dare to test it yourself?" Rhys asked Daphne, glancing at her. 

"Of course, no problem!" Daphne replied, brimming with confidence in her abilities. 

"Very good," Rhys said with a satisfied smile. "If you succeed, I'll reward you with a spell—an enchantment to reinforce a house. How does that sound?" 

After teaching Daphne the foundational knowledge, Rhys decided to switch to a reward-based system—he would only teach her the spells not found in books if she performed exceptionally well. 

This approach was also a way to cultivate her interest in learning, preventing her from assuming that sharing knowledge came without any cost. 

Rhys was already being very generous. These spells were either painstakingly collected or personally developed by him and his friends.

Offering them as rewards for simple tasks would have made him a benevolent figure a thousand years ago. 

"Can it be an offensive spell?" Daphne asked. 

"Sure. How about a spell that temporarily animates the land?" 

After a brief negotiation, Rhys and Daphne reached an "agreement." Daphne then began to focus intently on the notes Snape had left on the blackboard. 

"Hey, elderberries only need to have their juice extracted, right? So, technically, there's no need to chop them up with a knife?" she suddenly whispered. 

"Of course," Rhys replied. 

"And since there's a filtering step later, it means that the filter cloth coming into contact with the potion won't be an issue either, right?" A bold glint flashed in Daphne's eyes. 

Seeing Rhys nod in affirmation, she didn't hesitate—she bent down and removed her shoe. 

Rhys: "?"

He watched as Daphne took out a handkerchief and dumped all the elderberries needed for the potion onto it. Then, she wrapped them up tightly in the handkerchief.

After completing this, she picked up her shoe and began pounding the handkerchief forcefully with the heel.

Once the berries inside had been smashed into a pulp, she tossed the handkerchief directly into the cauldron.

Daphne: Hehe~

Rhys: Damn..

Rhys couldn't help but genuinely marvel: Daphne, you truly have a talent for potion-making!

________

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