For eight long days, Harry, Jason, and Cassia toiled through every shadowed corridor and hidden vault beneath Slytherin Castle. Each discovery peeled back another layer of Salazar's legacy — and of history itself.
They began with the twelve hidden rooms Harry had identified through his Observe skill. Three of them turned out to be ancient passageways, cleverly concealed behind walls that only yielded to Parseltongue. One spiraled up from the first floor all the way to the fourth — a secret shortcut between levels. The other two wound outward, leading beyond the castle walls; one was half-collapsed under centuries of stone, but Jason and Cassia used magic to repair it, restoring a direct escape route that extended into the forest's edge.
Deeper still, they uncovered the Serpent's Laboratory — a massive underground chamber serving as a combined alchemy and potion laboratory. The air still carried faint traces of sulfur and crushed herbs. Rows of alembics, cauldrons, and crystal vials lined the tables, preserved through the enchantments that once hummed across the room. Jason had to physically restrain himself from touching everything at once, his eyes gleaming with wonder.
"All of the ingredients have gone bad," he murmured.
Next came the Armory — a vault of weapons resting in eerie silence. Blades, spears, and halberds forged from mithril, steel, and unknown dark alloys gleamed under the flicker of torchlight. Some weapons were etched with serpentine runes that glowed faintly when Harry approached, reacting to the Slytherin magic that clung to him.
The ordinary iron weapons, rusted and shattered, lay useless — relics of a bygone war. But the enchanted ones? They were pristine, almost humming with energy.
Further exploration revealed destroyed quarters and personal rooms, fragments of furniture buried under centuries of dust. There was even a secret prison, the iron bars warped by time and old curses, and an artifact chamber whose protective wards had long since faded. Most artifacts within were damaged beyond repair — but the discovery itself confirmed that Slytherin had not merely been a founder, but also a collector of dangerous relics.
The twelfth room, however, left them breathless: the Treasure Room. Mountains of gold bars shimmered in the lamplight, alongside heaps of precious jewels, enchanted goblets, and coins stamped with runes long forgotten. The sight was enough to leave even the goblin-trained cursebreakers speechless.
Harry stood silently, gazing across the golden expanse. A faint smile curved his lips as a notification flickered before his eyes:
[Quest Completed: Secrets of the Serpent – Hidden Chambers Unlocked]
Rewards:
+500 EXP
Reputation with Cursebreakers (Friendly → Trusted)
Passive Skill: Treasure Sense (Basic)
Item Drop Rate: +10%
Harry dismissed the glowing text with a wave of his hand, looking once more at the glittering treasures of Slytherin. "We did it," he said softly. "After a thousand years, Salazar's secrets finally have a guardian again."
Jason bowed slightly. "And a worthy one at that, my lord."
Maybe it was because Jason and Cassia did most of the heavy lifting that Harry didn't get much experience from the quest, but he didn't mind. The treasure room and Slytherin's collection of ancient books were reward enough.
Harry paid Cassia and Jason far more than their agreed amount. He even gifted each of them two books from Salazar Slytherin's library — written in normal script, not Parseltongue — which made them beyond happy. Both cursebreakers wanted to know the real name of the mysterious Lord Blackfyre, now also Lord Slytherin, even if the title had no political weight anymore.
Harry thought for a moment before answering, "Loki Wolfmoon. You'll find me at the Zeus Hotel in Knockturn Alley if you ever need me — though I won't always be there."
They nodded, memorizing the name, unaware that the boy behind the mask had just uncovered one of the greatest secrets of wizarding history.
Harry tried to read through most of the books from Salazar Slytherin's personal collection, but most of them refused to open properly.
When he tried to Observe or read them, faint messages appeared before his eyes:
[Intelligence requirement not met]
Required: 75 INT | Current: 56 INT
Harry sighed. The books from Slytherin's study weren't meant for an ordinary wizard. They demanded intellect far beyond his current capacity. So, he carefully stored them back on their shelves, deciding he would return when his knowledge and power had grown.
For now, he focused on what he could handle — his standard studies. The spellwork up to fifth year alone felt like a vast ocean, filled with charms, transfigurations, hexes, and potions. There were thousands of spells to memorize, theories to master, and alchemical formulas to test.
His days soon fell into a rhythm.
Half his time was spent at Zeus Hotel, managing affairs quietly under his alias Loki Wolfmoon. The other half, he lived in the shadowed grandeur of Slytherin Castle, practicing alone in the vast, echoing chambers.
But before any true peace could settle, Harry had unfinished business.
Inside his Personal Dimension, dozens of goblin corpses still remained — the ones who had attacked him months ago. He could no longer keep them there. So, under the night sky, Harry buried them all behind the old courtyard of Slytherin Castle. With his own hands, he dug the graves and covered them with earth, sealing each one with silent magic.
It wasn't mercy — it was closure.
When it was done, he stood before the rows of earth and whispered,
"Let this place be your final rest."
After that, Harry began searching for a blacksmith — someone skilled enough to handle enchanted metals. He had an entire collection of goblin-forged weapons and armors, and he wanted them reforged under his own designs. At the same time, he intended to learn the craft himself.
[New Quest: Forge of the Serpent]
Objective: Learn the basics of Magical Smithing
Optional: Reforge at least one Goblin-made weapon
Reward: Skill [Metalworking] – Basic | +500 EXP
Harry smiled faintly at the notification.
It was time to learn how to make his own weapons — weapons worthy of a Blackfyre and a Slytherin.
Harry knew he couldn't manage a massive castle all by himself. A place as big as Slytherin Castle needed caretakers, cooks, and hands to maintain its vast halls and grounds.
So, he decided to buy ten house-elves from Knockturn Alley — elves who were being bred and sold.
Just like he did with the Zeus Hotel, Harry bought them, freed them, and offered proper wages and holidays. He also built them small stone cottages at the edge of the castle grounds, near the forest line. Each cottage was magically expanded from the inside, complete with kitchens, warm fireplaces, and soft beds.
He gave them new clothes — proper uniforms bearing a silver serpent emblem on the sleeve — and told them they could decorate their homes however they wished. The elves were overwhelmed, some crying openly, because house-elf families were almost always separated when sold. But Harry had bought an entire set — parents, children, and grandparents together.
They bowed to him again and again, swearing loyalty not as servents, but as family.
[System Notification]
New Faction Created: The Serpent Servants
Loyalty: 100 (Devoted)
Workforce Efficiency: +85% Castle Maintenance
Passive Effect: +10% Resource Gathering Efficiency
From that day, the once silent castle began to feel alive again. Fires burned in the hearths, windows gleamed with fresh polish, and laughter of house-elves echoed faintly through the ancient corridors of Salazar Slytherin's castle.
Sam, as always, had connections in every corner of Knockturn Alley.
When Harry mentioned wanting to learn metalworking and reforging, Sam immediately said he knew someone — someone who could even handle goblin-forged steel.
The man he introduced was old, broad-shouldered, and had burns on both arms from a lifetime at the forge. His name was Garrick Pike, a squib who had no magic in his veins but wielded hammers and runes like they were spells. He could carve enchantment runes by hand and forge blades that could hold magic without breaking.
Sam told Garrick that Harry was his nephew — a boy who wanted to learn a trade. Garrick didn't ask questions; Knockturn Alley was full of people who preferred not to know too much.
"A Potter, a Malfoy, or a prince, I don't care," Garrick said, handing Harry a hammer.
"If you can swing this and not drop it, you can stay."
Harry smiled and nodded.
Every day after that, Harry visited the forge. He worked without disguise — not as Lord Blackfyre or Loki Wolfmoon, but just Harry Potter. He wore soot-stained clothes, tied his hair back, and spent hours learning the language of flame and steel.
Garrick taught him about runic balance — how every magical metal had to be "anchored" with an energy pattern before it could absorb enchantment. He showed Harry how to heat mithril evenly, how to use powdered moonstone to strengthen edge alignment, and how goblin steel could be reforged with a rune of Obedience to bend its allegiance to a new master.
Harry knew full well that in the modern world, such weapons were relics. The muggles had guns, bombs, and machines that could level mountains. But for him, this wasn't about war — it was about mastery.
Magic and metal had their own kind of dialogue, and he wanted to learn every word of it.
As days passed, the forge became a place of peace. Garrick sometimes joked that Harry worked like he was trying to burn his worries away. And maybe, in a sense, he was.
"A forge is an honest place," Garrick said one evening, as sparks lit the dim workshop.
"Metal doesn't lie. It either breaks or it doesn't. A man learns a lot about himself when he hammers steel."
Harry nodded silently, his eyes fixed on the glowing blade he was shaping. The faint runes of obedience flickered along its edge — his first successful reforging of goblin steel.
[Quest Completed: Forge of the Serpent]
You have learned the basics of reforging magical metal.
Reforged one Goblin-made weapon
Reward:
+500 EXP
Skill Unlocked: Metalworking – Lv. 1]
Bonus: +3 Strength | +1 Endurance
Bonus Trait: "Runic Sensitivity" (You can feel minor enchantments through touch.)
And as the system window faded, Harry realized that even among ancient legacies and dark dungeons, it was moments like these — quiet, steady progress — that made him feel truly powerful.
Everything was going smoothly for Harry.
He spent his mornings at the forge, hammering steel under Garrick's sharp eye, and his evenings running errands at Zeus Hotel, where most guests now recognized him simply as "that polite boy with green eyes." When exhaustion hit, he would retreat — sometimes to his small house in Knockturn Alley, sometimes to the quiet grandeur of Slytherin Castle, where he was secretly constructing a new forge of his own.
He wanted a private place to work on goblin-forged metal without drawing unwanted attention. The fewer questions asked about where he got such weapons, the better.
His days were busy, full, and almost peaceful — split between brewing Wolfsbane potions, studying from the Standard Books of Spells, and experimenting with runes. For once, Harry's life felt… steady.
That was, until chaos came flying — quite literally — through the Zeus Hotel fireplace.
With a loud crash, two figures tumbled out of the green flames and rolled onto the polished floor, coughing from soot. Harry blinked in disbelief as the dust settled — revealing two identical boys with flaming red hair and identical mischievous grins.
They scrambled to their feet, brushing soot off their sleeves.
"Blimey—" one said, looking around the elegant hotel lobby.
"This doesn't look like the Leaky Cauldron…" the other finished.
The hotel guests turned to stare, and Harry instinctively opened his Observe ability.
[Observe - Lv. 10]
Name: Fred Weasley (Age: 10)
Affiliation: The Burrow – Wizarding Family
Personality: Mischievous / Inventive / Loyal
Status: Lost, mildly panicked, pretending otherwise.
[Observe – Lv. 10]
Name: George Weasley (Age: 10)
Affiliation: The Burrow – Wizarding Family
Personality: Mischievous / Empathetic / Bold
Status: Lost, but enjoying the adventure.
Harry's jaw almost dropped.
Weasleys.
They looked around in awe, noticing the chandeliers, the marble floors, and the Veela receptionists staring at them with raised eyebrows. Then both boys looked at Harry — the only other child in the room.
"Uh… hello?" Fred said.
"Any chance you could tell us where we are?" George added.
Harry's lips curved into a faint, amused smile under his hood.
"You're at the Zeus Hotel," he said evenly. "Welcome to Knockturn Alley."
Both boys froze.
"Knockturn Alley?!" they shouted in unison.
A small notification blinked before Harry's eyes:
[Random Encounter Triggered]
Event: "Twin Trouble – The Weasley Infiltration"
Objective: Assist or Interrogate the Stray Twins.
Reward: ??? | Hidden Relationship Unlock
Harry couldn't help but grin.
Of all the things he expected that day, Fred and George Weasley crashing into his secret hotel was definitely not one of them.