Audrey felt a moment of vertigo, and when she opened her eyes, she was in a large hall. The layout of the hall was identical to the Hogwarts Great Hall, with a central table that held a miniature model of Hogwarts.
A projection of Salazar Slytherin appeared on one side of the table, so lifelike it seemed like a living person.
"You arrived quickly this time, child," Slytherin said. "This secret vault was completed almost a thousand years ago, and you are the first person to enter."
Slytherin beckoned, and Audrey walked over to him.
"Look closely at the castle!" Slytherin instructed. "What do you observe?"
"Huh?"
In Audrey's vision, fine, almost invisible silver threads connected the Kitchens, the Hufflepuff common room, the Greenhouses, and the Departmental areas of the miniature Hogwarts model to her body.
"You've noticed?" Slytherin said. "You have already received Helga's inheritance, automatically granting you a quarter of the castle's ownership. Now, if you receive my inheritance, you will possess half of Hogwarts!"
Audrey's eyes lit up. You old man, why didn't you tell me such vital information earlier? If you had, I would have come looking for you the moment school started last term!
"So, how do I receive your inheritance?"
Salazar Slytherin pointed to a life-sized statue of himself on one side of the hall, then smiled slightly. "Say to that statue, 'Grant me knowledge, Slytherin, greatest of the four Founders of Hogwarts'!"
Audrey: …
So, she had no choice but to say this line, which was even more outrageously dramatic than the password in the Chamber of Secrets?
But… that was a quarter of Hogwarts!
"G-grant me knowledge, Slytherin (Audrey's expression was extremely sour), greatest of the four Founders of Hogwarts!"
The statue emitted a blinding light that enveloped Audrey. Countless streams of knowledge poured into her mind. The intense, searing pain she experienced when receiving the Hufflepuff inheritance returned, and Audrey, predictably, passed out.
When she woke up again, Slytherin was gone, and only the Hogwarts model remained in the hall. More than half of the castle area now had silver threads connecting to Audrey.
Through the inheritance, she learned how to utilize the castle. Yes, she was now a privileged user, and her authority over the areas she had inherited far exceeded that of the Headmaster!
"Hmm, Snape is in his office, tch, listening to 'Nocturnal Lilies' again. What is Professor Sprout doing? Still composting so late? Wow—that smells strong!" Audrey played enthusiastically, like a child with a new toy.
"Wait a moment, this secret vault… there's a second level!" Audrey's eyes widened!
Based on the information relayed by the castle, she walked to where Slytherin's statue had been. There was nothing there now; the statue seemed to have dissolved into knowledge that merged entirely into her mind.
She reached out, feeling her connection to the castle perfectly clear. She waved her hand, as if tugging the strings of a puppet, controlling everything.
The stone floor tiles rolled away to the sides, revealing a descending staircase. The staircase was short, only fifteen or sixteen steps.
At the bottom, Audrey entered a treasury. A literal treasury.
Slytherin's inheritance informed her of the vault's origin. In 1066, when the Duke of Normandy conquered England, he confiscated the lands and wealth of the rebellious Anglo-Saxon nobles. The times were chaotic, and Salazar Slytherin stole all that confiscated treasure back to Hogwarts. This was the foresight of a strategist, preparing for the worst. He just never expected that for the next thousand years, none of his descendants would be able to enter this secret vault!
Chapter 112: Belated Fortune
Yet, the treasury had finally waited for its master. Ancient gold coins, antiques, ceremonial artifacts… a room full of treasures!
Was Audrey happy?
She should have been, but instead, a wave of regret washed over her. If she had found Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets right at the beginning of last term, it would have meant she could have gained even greater returns when acquiring the Ukrainian assets! That was an asset appreciation rate of nearly one to ten!
She was utterly mortified!
Audrey plopped down onto the pile of gold coins, her eyes vacant, as if she had lost a hundred million Galleons. No… Was a hundred million a lot? The exaggerated expression used in her previous life to describe a state of mind no longer even applied!
She lay down, wondering, Could I load an earlier save file?
Dazed for ten minutes, she fell asleep.
…
…
The next morning, the Hospital Wing.
Isaline Windsor lay still on the bed, her complexion rosy, her expression peaceful. At this moment, she was Sleeping Beauty.
Madam Pomfrey asked worriedly, "Astley, are you sure you can lift the curse?"
Audrey nodded. "No problem, trust me."
Slytherin's inheritance included a vast amount of Dark Arts, Soul Magic, Magical Science (including Magical Creature Genetics, Potion Principles, Magical Architecture, Alchemy, etc.), and Ancient Curses beyond ordinary comprehension.
"No, no, no," Madam Pomfrey shook her head vigorously, making her whole body wobble. "If Dumbledore is not present, I cannot allow you to proceed rashly! That is far too unsafe!"
Poppy Pomfrey's skepticism was not unwarranted. No one would have guessed that the young girl who knew nothing about curses just one day ago was now the most proficient Curse Master of this era. She could even weave curses into weather spells, allowing anyone who touched the rain or mist to be unknowingly afflicted. Moreover, her spells, particularly the Killing Curse, could be guided by curses to automatically hit the target and even cause a chain reaction—a single Killing Curse killing a city of people seemed absurd, but it was not impossible for her to achieve.
This meant that one should absolutely never be touched by Audrey's curses; otherwise, their life would be in her hands! A Killing Curse shot from a thousand miles away to take your life—are you scared now?
Receiving Slytherin's inheritance was an epic boost for her!
A few minutes later, Dumbledore and the four Heads of House arrived together.
Snape entered and immediately spoke with extreme impatience: "It is currently class time! If Miss Astley fails, I will give you detention until the end of the term for disrupting the academic schedule!" He added, "The kind where you spend the night in the Potions classroom and are not allowed back to the dormitory!"
Professor Flitwick countered, "Severus, don't be like that. We have no leads on the curse on Miss Windsor. Audrey is so confident in calling us here, so she must have a solution."
Audrey glanced at Madam Pomfrey. My heart is wronged! The one who called you all here was this irritable medical expert, what does it have to do with me?
Dumbledore nodded slightly at Audrey. "Audrey, begin. If anything goes wrong, I will call a halt."
Audrey took a deep breath and extended her hands. Two circular runes formed in her palms, quickly expanding and flying toward Isaline. Esoteric symbols spontaneously combined in the air, forming a semi-circular shield that enveloped the Sleeping Beauty.
Audrey walked closer, placed her palms on the shield, and closed her eyes. The next moment, her expression began to grow strange.
She started to hesitate. Did she really want to break this curse?
That shameless ancestor!
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