Rhys strode out of the Potions classroom. His steps were brisk, his destination clear: Rowena's office.
Just before barging inside, however, he abruptly stopped. A thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.
Charging in like this would not solve his current embarrassment, even if he caused a scene in her office and smashed that ridiculous little manor of hers to pieces. He needed to use his head and find himself a way out.
Countless thoughts flashed through Rhys's mind in the span of only a few seconds. Once he had finally made up his mind, he knocked on Rowena's office door.
"Hmm? What are you doing here?"
After the door swung open on its own, Rowena, who was repairing the miniature manor inside her office, looked rather surprised to see Rhys. Salazar rarely came here. He preferred going to Helga's office.
Could it be because of the ball?
Rowena thought she had guessed Salazar's reason for coming.
However, Salazar's next words proved her wrong.
"I need your help, Rowena."
There was not even a chair in the office, so Rhys casually Transfigured a storage cabinet into an armchair and dropped into it.
Then he told Rowena everything about the difficulties he had encountered over the past few days.
Rowena frowned as she listened.
She Transfigured a chair for herself as well, sat opposite Rhys, and began helping him analyse the situation.
This scene was extremely familiar to both of them.
A thousand years ago, they had often been like this. Whenever they encountered a problem they could not solve, the two of them would sit down together, discuss it, and think of a solution.
Once Rowena realised Salazar had come to ask for her help with a problem, she immediately forgot all about the Yule Ball.
"First of all, I don't think you need to worry too much about the experiment you left behind in the alchemical world. As far as I know, any contagious disease tends to become less lethal over time. The reason is simple. If it is too deadly, it cannot spread."
Rhys nodded, then shook his head.
He had already taken that issue into consideration when designing the potion, which was why it had an extremely long incubation period.
After hearing Rhys's explanation, Rowena could not help clicking her tongue.
"What was even the point of this experiment of yours? With such a long interval, by the time you go back inside, its medicinal properties will definitely have changed so much that even you won't recognise them."
Rhys sighed.
Wasn't that all because of the difference in the flow of time?
"Why not simply give every student a few Misfortune-Dispelling Fruits? If you're still worried, pair them with several corresponding potions," Rowena suggested.
She found Salazar's idea of specifically developing an antidote rather amusing.
Even if he successfully countered his own potion and created a specialised cure, would that cure really still work against a plague that had been mutating for more than a century?
It would be better to improve the contestants' resistance, or give them something capable of rapidly purging the toxins after infection.
Rhys fell into thought as he listened.
After a moment, he had to admit that Rowena made sense.
That would make the task much easier.
"As for the transformation magic you mentioned, I think we should call Helga over as well and study it together."
Rowena had understood after only a brief explanation that Salazar's idea was rather ambitious. This was something that required several minds working together.
Bringing Helga into the discussion and adding her knowledge would certainly help.
"All right!"
Rhys naturally had no objection.
If Dumbledore's relationship with them had been as close as the bond between the four founders, and if ancient magic had not been one of his weaknesses, Rhys would have invited Dumbledore as well.
Rowena waved her hand, conjuring a raven that flew out through the window.
Not long afterwards, Helga arrived.
Rowena briefly explained the idea she and Salazar had come up with, then invited Helga to join them inside the manor so they could discuss it in detail.
"Mm!"
After hearing Rowena's description, Helga could not help becoming excited as well. With her experience, she naturally understood how beneficial this kind of magic could be to the wizarding world.
It was magic capable of rapidly increasing a wizard's combat strength.
After entering the manor, Rowena did not lead them towards the garden this time. Instead, she took them into the mansion.
Rowena's mansion had seven floors in total, but to Rhys's surprise, apart from the top floor and the ground-floor hall, the other five floors were completely sealed and inaccessible.
There was not even a staircase leading from the ground floor to the second!
The only way to reach the top floor was through a device resembling a Muggle lift.
Why had Rowena sealed off every floor from the second to the sixth?
A trace of confusion flashed through Rhys's mind before an answer suddenly occurred to him.
"Rowena, is this where you used the Time-Turner?"
The moment he figured it out, Rhys asked directly.
"Yes." This time, Rowena was unusually candid and admitted it outright.
After all, she had not continued researching time magic during these days, so she had a clear conscience and was not afraid of Salazar and the others investigating her closely.
Seeing Rowena admit it, Rhys did not say anything. He merely frowned slightly.
Although he opposed Rowena researching time magic, he also acknowledged that she was the wizard most proficient in this field. Her method of using Time-Turners was also the most correct.
The greatest taboo when using a Time-Turner for time travel was allowing different versions of oneself from separate timelines to meet. Doing so could trigger unpredictable disasters.
Presumably, Rowena had completely sealed the route to the second floor precisely because of this concern.
"Follow me."
Rowena led Rhys and Helga to an oil painting in the hall.
The painting was very simple. It depicted nothing more than a staircase spiralling upwards.
The moment Rhys saw it, he immediately understood.
Rowena did not explain. She simply drew her wand and tapped the surface of the painting.
At once, the staircase inside began extending continuously until it broke through the boundaries of the canvas and stretched out into the real world.
"Come with me."
Rowena gestured for her two old friends to stay close. The three of them stepped onto the staircase and entered the painting.
After climbing several turns of stairs, they emerged from another painting depicting a similar scene and arrived on the second floor of the manor, a place that could not normally be reached.
Unlike the magnificent hall on the first floor, the second floor looked more like the lodging area above the Leaky Cauldron.
After stepping out of the painting, they were faced with a winding corridor, with doors scattered irregularly along both sides.
Whether by design or coincidence, upon leaving any one of the rooms, it was impossible to see the entrances to the others. All that appeared before them was an empty stretch of corridor.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI