The box instantly swallowed the memory, then shuddered.
Moros: "…"
This was a scene he truly had never seen before!
"What exactly are you?" Its voice trembled with fear.
The strength displayed by the one holding it, even within that brief fragment of memory, was in no way inferior to any of the principal gods on Mount Olympus.
"Rhys Lint, a wizard."
The box: "…"
Forget it, forget it. This guy was not someone it could afford to provoke.
"The transaction is complete. The curse on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts has now been removed."
After leaving behind those words, the box fell completely silent.
Not long after Rhys reached an agreement with Moros, Helga regained consciousness.
"The curse has already been resolved."
The moment she woke up, she heard this piece of good news.
"Not bad, well done!" Helga praised Rhys, then shifted her gaze to the box in his hand.
"Moros, would you like to say a few words to my good friend?"
The box: "…"
The box said nothing at all, behaving just like an ordinary box.
Rhys had no intention of hiding anything for Moros. He directly told Helga the full story of the box's origin and its dealings with Voldemort.
Helga looked at the ancient box in Rhys's hand with astonishment, greatly amazed that such a thing had been hidden within Hogwarts Castle.
"Forget about the box for now, let's get out of here first." Rhys glanced around, a faint thought forming in his mind.
He quickly pulled Hufflepuff along and slipped out of this "storage room."
He didn't remember such a room existing when the castle was first built, so it was either a structure added by later wizards, or…
In any case, if it was the latter, then it was best not to think about it too much—ignorance was bliss.
The two of them quickly returned to Helga's office. The curse did indeed seem to be gone, because even without the protection of her domain, Helga didn't encounter any misfortune.
"You should have received the letter I sent you, right?" Rhys found a relatively intact chair among the scorched remains, sat down, and asked about Helga's research on the Resurrection Stone ring.
"I haven't even started studying it." Helga had been extremely busy over the past month, constantly working to fulfill orders—the Ministry of Magic had placed an urgent additional order for a batch of puppets for the Quidditch World Cup. At the same time, she had been worrying about the curse. Where would she have found the time to study the Resurrection Stone ring?
Rhys could understand that. Since he still had some time now, the two of them could study the Resurrection Stone ring together.
"Alright." Helga reached into her robes, then froze on the spot—the ring was gone!
Rhys: ???
...
At the same time, inside the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was slumped in the armchair behind his desk, looking exhausted.
On the desk in front of him lay a black gemstone ring—the very Resurrection Stone ring that Helga had lost.
As it happened, when Helga received the ring that day, she hadn't studied it much and simply put it into her pocket. But under the influence of the curse, the ring slipped out of her pocket, and Helga, busy struggling against her misfortune, didn't notice at all.
Thus, this Deathly Hallow lay quietly amidst the wreckage of the office for quite a long time, until Dumbledore arrived.
Dumbledore had come to check on Professor White. He was genuinely worried about the professor's condition.
After all, such intense effects of misfortune were something he had never seen before. Previous professors at most ended up splashed with potion or knocked over by a wild boar. Professor White was different—he had already been caught in two explosions within fifteen minutes.
Then he discovered that Professor White's office was completely empty, leaving behind only a pile of ruins.
Dumbledore had sharp eyes. He immediately spotted the black gemstone ring among the debris.
Dumbledore had always considered himself a man of few desires. He had believed there was nothing left in the world that could move him. But today, he realized he was wrong.
There truly was something that could stir his heart, even to the point of making him entertain immoral thoughts.
One of the legendary Deathly Hallows—the Resurrection Stone ring.
With this ring, he could see his sister again.
Dumbledore naturally knew who the ring belonged to, yet driven by desire, he still brought it back to his office. He knew he could come up with countless justifications, but in essence, it was no different from theft.
After struggling with his thoughts for a long time, Dumbledore finally put on the ring, closed his eyes, and turned it three times, just as described in the stories.
He felt a gentle breeze brush against his face, and then a deep male voice sounded—
"Salazar, I remember I said not to—eh? Who are you?"
Dumbledore: ????
He opened his eyes in astonishment and saw a burly man with fiery red hair standing before him, his face equally filled with surprise.
"Oh, sorry for the intrusion!" The red-haired man seemed to recall something and stepped aside, revealing a blonde, blue-eyed girl with an ethereal presence.
Dumbledore didn't need even a second to recognize her identity. That was his sister, Ariana Dumbledore.
The red-haired man retreated to a corner of the office, doing his best to reduce his presence while looking around at everything in the room.
When his gaze swept over the tattered hat placed on the shelf, he froze instantly.
'No way…' A storm surged within his heart.
…
The conversation between Albus and Ariana was brief. Most of the time, the two remained in silence, and the presence of the red-haired man made the atmosphere even more awkward.
Fortunately, both Dumbledore and the Ariana understood that the red-haired figure was more like a ghost, so it wasn't too disruptive. Dumbledore focused most of his attention on the apparition formed by his sister, only occasionally glancing toward the red-haired man in the corner.
At last, Ariana's apparition dissipated, and Dumbledore finally turned his attention to dealing with this inexplicable red-haired man.
"You should be the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, right?" Before Dumbledore could speak, the red-haired man took the initiative. "Let me introduce myself—I am Gryffindor, Godric Gryffindor."
Dumbledore's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The moment Godric stated his name, a subtle change occurred within Hogwarts Castle.
Although no one except Dumbledore could see Godric, the Sorting Hat on the shelf straightened up, and the castle itself began to tremble slightly.
However, after a few seconds, the castle returned to normal, as it had not detected the return of the wizard who possessed the highest authority. The Sorting Hat split open slightly, as if wanting to ask something, but ultimately fell silent and returned to its usual state.
"A strong and convincing proof." Dumbledore stared intently at Godric's apparition. Now, he believed the man's identity.
"I am Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts."
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI