222- It's Christmas again

"So, you've definitely understood everything written in there, right?" Rhys changed the subject. 

Of course, Daphne hadn't understood it at all. 

Helga's notes were written in Latin, and since they were intended for Salazar, the content was rather obscure—not intentionally so, but because both of them had such a high starting point. What was common knowledge to them was practically indecipherable to young wizards in later generations. 

Seeing the pure and clueless confusion in Daphne's eyes, Rhys immediately understood. If she had actually understood everything in the text, she wouldn't have come back to him with questions so soon. 

"Ah…" He sighed, grabbing a roll of parchment and a quill from the table before quickly translating Helga's notes while adding annotations. 

He wrote swiftly, and within just over ten minutes, he had produced a new study material that was three times longer than Helga's original manuscript. 

"Here, you can read this version first." Rhys handed his work to Daphne, which now included many of his own insights and reflections. 

"Amazing!" Watching Rhys' quill dance across the parchment as he effortlessly created a simplified "textbook," Daphne couldn't help but want to applaud him. 

"My family's elders compiled a simplified version of the material long ago. I just memorized it," Rhys lied casually. 

He had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before the Greengrass sisters figured out his true identity, but he wasn't too concerned. 

After all, when the children grew older, he planned to tell them the truth anyway.

He just wasn't telling them now because, first, children had loose lips and might spread the news across the entire school by the next day. And second, he didn't want the two girls to develop an arrogant attitude.

He didn't want to end up raising some Dark Lord who would one day say, "When I was twelve, I had already started killing people. My master told me, 'Child, it's fine. Kill whoever you want because you are Slytherin's apprentice.'"

Ugh.. That would be utterly humiliating.

Slytherin House had already produced a Voldemort, which was embarrassing enough. At least that could be blamed on the fact that he had been "dead" for nearly a thousand years, and his ideals hadn't been properly passed down. But if another Dark Lord rose under his watch while he was still alive, he wouldn't even have the face to answer if Godric and the others ever asked him about it.

Daphne was currently in a state of "Rhys, whatever you say is right." She was too lazy to argue with him anymore.

If a person had only one mystery surrounding them, others would be eager to uncover it. But if someone was wrapped in countless layers of mystery, people would eventually lose interest in digging any deeper.

With Rhys' rewritten study material in hand, Daphne left—she had a lot of work to do.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, Christmas had arrived in the blink of an eye after Halloween.

Snow blanketed the castle, the Forbidden Forest, and the Black Lake, turning everything the same shade of white. Students huddled in their common rooms, unwilling to step outside unless absolutely necessary. Any student who entered or exited without promptly shutting the door was met with countless death glares.

Rhys delivered the package that Ravenclaw had entrusted him to give to Hermione, but after that, he stayed out of Rowena's lessons. Hermione, however, lived up to Ravenclaw's expectations—working alone, she successfully replicated a variety of potions according to the provided formulas.

The 'Founders' Letters' arrived soon after. Rhys handed the three precious letters to Gemma, and as agreed, she revealed the location where the dust had been discovered. However, at the same time, she earnestly requested that Rhys take her along when he explored the site to avoid any unforeseen dangers.

Naturally, Rhys wouldn't refuse his senior's goodwill and readily agreed to her request.

Before the Christmas break, the Dueling Club held its usual session, this time themed around Impediment Jinxes. However, the students were far more excited about the dueling matches than the spell lessons. Unsurprisingly, Daphne once again held the record for the most consecutive victories.

Since Gemma Farley went first and paved the way, Daphne had a complete free-for-all. With her flawless combination of offensive and defensive magic, she utterly overwhelmed her opponents, leaving the Hogwarts students with no room to fight back.

Even the seventh-years were helpless against her.

In the end, the dueling event might not have been able to continue smoothly if Daphne hadn't voluntarily forfeited.

Her reason for stepping down was quite simple—when she reached her thirteenth consecutive win, she caught sight of the faint smile on Rhys' face in the crowd.

At that moment, a phantom ache spread through her abdomen, and whatever smug satisfaction she had felt instantly vanished.

Right… What's the point of bullying these 'primitives'?

If Rhys were to step up, he'd wipe the floor with everyone in seconds.

The same went for her.

With that thought, she forfeited and walked off the stage.

Her decision left quite a few seventh-years feeling regretful. It was somewhat counterintuitive, but these soon-to-graduate students genuinely wanted a chance to duel Daphne. It was exciting, fresh, and, most importantly, a rare opportunity for improvement.

As the dueling competition came to an end, Professor Flitwick announced that the champion's prize would be distributed during Christmas—combined with the rewards from the previous tournament.

This piqued the curiosity of many students, who eagerly speculated about what the mysterious prize could be. No matter how much they pried, Professor Flitwick remained tight-lipped, refusing to give away even the slightest hint.

With the conclusion of the Dueling Club's gathering, the Christmas holidays officially began. The castle quickly emptied out—after all, most students preferred to return home and celebrate with their families.

Daphne and Astoria were no exception, though they were also quite eager to spend the holiday with Rhys.

So, in the weeks leading up to the break, the sisters frequently dropped hints around Rhys, subtly probing him about his Christmas plans while enthusiastically advertising the festivities at Greengrass Manor.

Like:

"There are thousands of Christmas trees in the manor!"

"All the presents on the trees can be opened! Each one holds a beautifully crafted gift!"

"A grand feast awaits—tables filled with delicacies, and fine wines flowing like water! Father even invited chefs from over ten different countries this year!"

"To host this year's celebration, Father practically emptied out an entire vault!"

While the Greengrass family had always hosted lavish Christmas banquets for their extended relatives and allies, this year's festivities were on an entirely different scale.

The reason was simple—Mr. Henry Jamison Greengrass had earned immense prestige by contributing the Slytherin Manuscript, making this the perfect occasion for an extravagant celebration.

For the sake of the family, Mr. Henry had no choice. This was the burden of pure-blood aristocrats: even though they knew such lavish affairs would consume an enormous amount of wealth, they were obligated to uphold their dignity and status.

Of course, successfully hosting such a grand event came with great benefits. The Greengrass family would continue to maintain its exceptional reputation, and Mr. Henry himself would accumulate astonishing political capital—enough to influence the selection of the next Minister of Magic.

After Daphne and Astoria's relentless promotion of the event, even Rhys couldn't help but be a little tempted—after all, he also loved a lively celebration!

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