Return of Salazar Slytherin

After Neville left, a house-elf who had been waiting nearby stepped forward.

He bowed so deeply that his nose almost touched the kitchen floor, then respectfully asked, "Honorable sir, is there anything I can assist you with?"

Behind him, hundreds of house-elves were busy around the long tables, cleaning the dishes and leftovers from the Great Hall.

"I missed the Halloween feast and was hoping to grab something to eat. Just a little something will do," Rhys explained.

"Oh! That's such a pity! Would you mind waiting for a moment?"

Upon hearing Rhys's reply that he didn't mind, the house-elf bowed again before turning and rushing off. Several other elves paused their tasks at the tables and joined him in the preparation area, busily working together.

A veal shank was brought out, expertly sliced into portions, coated in flour, and pan-seared over low heat. Once the meat browned, they poured in whiskey to flambé. Simultaneously, they prepared sauces, side dishes, and stews to accompany the meal.

Of course, the enthusiastic house-elves didn't stop at just one dish. They also prepared lamb tongue and a pork loin. While Rhys waited, they served him a plate of dessert and a jug of pumpkin juice to stave off his hunger.

Rhys initially intended to tell them to stop, not to go overboard, as he was in a hurry. But seeing their skilled cooking techniques and smelling the enticing aroma of the ingredients, he changed his mind.

Perhaps Daphne hadn't eaten her fill either. He might as well bring her something extra!

After a while, the house-elves returned, carrying a large three-tiered food box.

"Osso buco, lamb tongue with mushroom sauce and oyster mushrooms, and pork loin with Cumberland sauce. Happy Halloween, sir!"

"Good work." Rhys nodded and the elves were on the verge of collapsing due to happiness.

...

Rhys carried the heavy food box out of the kitchen, feeling a brief flicker of envy for the young wizards of Hufflepuff. Modern young wizards had it so much better when it came to food compared to what they had in the past.

A thousand years ago, although the Founders occasionally dined on rare and exotic animals, rarity didn't always equate to deliciousness. The medieval nobles' fondness for peacock meat was a prime example. More significantly, the lack of spices and outdated farming techniques meant that the overall quality of food lagged far behind modern standards.

As Rhys passed through the Great Hall, he suddenly heard a voice.

~~"Hungry, so hungry… I need to eat, now! Kill, kill—"~~

Rhys abruptly stopped in his tracks, startled by the cold, murderous voice. He stood still for a moment, ensuring no one else was nearby, then immediately hissed in Parseltongue, ~~"Oi Basilisk, what are you doing?"~~

The icy voice instantly vanished, as though someone had strangled it mid-sentence.

After a few seconds, the basilisk's voice filtered through the wall. ~~"Hungry. Looking for food. Rats—small, fast, not enough."~~

Rhys glanced at the bags of food he'd brought from the kitchen, feeling he wasn't in much of a position to chastise the basilisk.

~~"Fine, just be careful. Don't let anyone see you, and definitely don't harm anyone,"~~ Rhys instructed after a moment of thought. ~~"I'll head to the Forbidden Forest later to find you something to eat."~~

~~"Yes, master!"~~

The basilisk's heightened activity was, at least partially, Rhys's responsibility.

The basilisk was usually in a state of dormancy, consuming very little energy and staying quietly in the Chamber of Secrets. However, over the past two years, Rhys had awakened it more frequently than usual, even causing it to suffer significant injuries at one point.

On top of that, he had failed to provide it with timely sustenance.

This combination of factors led to the rare occurrence of the basilisk feeling hunger, prompting it to leave the Chamber in search of food.

It had nearly wiped out all the easily caught rats in the castle. The few remaining rodents had, through the process of natural selection, become significantly more cunning and harder to catch, plunging the basilisk into a vicious cycle.

Fortunately, the basilisk had finally communicated its plight to Rhys, who resolved the food crisis.

As the basilisk, now satisfied, prepared to return to the Chamber of Secrets, and Rhys readied himself to head back to the dormitory, another voice echoed faintly in their ears from a distance.

~~[I, heir of Slytherin, beseech the Serpent King to heed my command.]~~

The basilisk: "?"

Rhys: "?"

Rhys immediately recalled the previous attempt by that Weasley girl to awaken and control the basilisk. She was at it again, still unwilling to give up, trying to command his basilisk.

"You little girl, I was so occupied with the underground seal and reviving Ravenclaw that I almost forgot about you."

" Hmm.. " Considering the general tendencies of the Weasley family, Rhys suspected she was likely under the influence of something sinister. It could be the work of a secret cultist, an encounter with some malevolent spirit or dark creature, or possibly one of the countless dark wizards who seemed to spring up endlessly like mushrooms after the rain.

"And now that the Secret Society is also quiet, I should look into her."

Regardless of the source, since this threat had emerged within the bounds of Hogwarts, Rhys knew he couldn't turn a blind eye.

Resolving to address the issue swiftly and decisively, he decided to tackle whatever was affecting Ginny head-on.

~~"You, go and engage that one in conversation, then lead it to the Chamber,"~~ Rhys ordered the basilisk directly.

He needed the basilisk to help him handle some thorny problems—like calming down the mastermind controlling Ginny's mind and bringing them straight to him. The basilisk was like bait on a fishing hook, though admittedly an oversized one.

The basilisk, which had intended to return to the Chamber for a long nap, reluctantly slithered toward the source of the voice.

Meanwhile, Tom Riddle found himself in utter confusion.

Throughout the summer, he had been "chatting" with Ginny, gradually taking control of her soul.

Once he could manipulate her body, he wasted no time performing the incantation to summon the Serpent King. However, something baffling happened—unlike decades ago, the basilisk now refused to obey his commands.

Riddle was completely at a loss.

Before he could figure out the reason, his plans had been interrupted by two individuals, forcing him into hiding.

To make matters worse, after that encounter, young Ginny seemed to develop a hint of curiosity and even a sliver of trust toward a boy named Rhys.

Fortunately, Riddle's silver tongue prevailed. He persuaded Ginny, like a sweet-talking bird, to abandon the idea of confiding in Rhys. Instead, he redirected her focus toward him, becoming even more devoted.

Thanks to Ginny's tireless efforts, Riddle's strength had been rapidly restored. He could now take full control of Ginny's body and even manifest his physical form near the diary.

As Riddle's power returned, so did his confidence.

On Halloween night, taking advantage of the end of the feast, he once again seized control of Ginny's body. This time, he intended to summon the Serpent King anew. If the summon failed, he would go directly to the Chamber and confront the basilisk in person, demanding an explanation for its defiance of Salazar Slytherin's pact.

But tonight, fortune seemed to favor him—the Serpent King had actively responded to his call!

Though its tone was icy and laced with resentment, a response was better than the cold indifference he had faced before, right?!

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