Helga Hufflepuff's definition of a dark wizard was slightly different from that of modern wizards.
In her eyes, dark wizards were those who relentlessly pursued more powerful magic, choosing to walk a darker path and resorting to any means necessary to increase their own strength.
These individuals might have had different reasons for becoming dark wizards, but their endings were almost always the same: they grew increasingly indifferent to life and, through repeated dangerous experiments, gradually twisted their own souls.
Back then, Helga and her two other friends had stopped Salazar from delving deeper into dark magic precisely because they had noticed the signs of this "transformation" starting in their old friend.
But modern dark wizards—were they really corrupting their souls because they pursued power? To Helga, it felt more like they were deliberately chasing the idea of being "evil" just for the sake of being evil.
In her view, today's dark wizards gave off the same vibe as children playing pretend.
In this respect, Dumbledore and Helga actually shared some common ground, as Dumbledore had dealt with both the old-school and modern generations of dark wizards over the past century.
The dark wizards of the past: "I will protect the dignity of wizards from Muggles! Make the wizarding world great again! For this, I will unite the entire magical community."
The dark wizards of today: "Purge Hogwarts of every last drop of impure blood! Take magic back from those who stole magical heritage! And for that, all of you must obey me completely and unconditionally—underline that."
The difference in vision… was simply staggering.
After her sudden realization, Helga Hufflepuff wanted to say something—but in the end, she didn't know where to begin.
All her countless thoughts condensed into nothing more than a long sigh. For the first time, she clearly understood that the past was truly gone. The entire culture of the wizarding world had fundamentally changed, and it was no longer something she or Salazar—these relics of a bygone era—could ever reverse.
If even dark wizards have turned into this… what more can you expect?
And so, in the end, she admitted to herself: "Yes, curses like the Unforgivable Curses, which twist the soul, are indeed things we should avoid using too much."
The moment Professor White said this, the professors all breathed a collective sigh of relief—finally, this discussion could be put to rest!
Dumbledore smiled. "Indeed. We can certainly introduce these kinds of dark magic to the students—I believe that's very necessary. But the idea of letting the children practice dark magic… that needs to be discussed more carefully."
Helga understood that this was the absolute limit of what modern wizards could accept regarding dark magic, so she didn't press further. She agreed to Dumbledore's suggestion.
As she thought about it, she figured she could at least bring out some of the spells her old friend Salazar Slytherin had invented and demonstrate them in class—to broaden the students' horizons.
But when she shared this idea with her colleagues, she immediately noticed that everyone's expressions changed the moment the name Slytherin was mentioned.
"Isn't that… a bit too extreme?" Professor McGonagall asked, her tone filled with uncertainty and concern. "Those are spells left behind by Slytherin, after all…"
What surprised her even more was: Professor White actually knows magic preserved from the Founders' era?
Just how many centuries old was she really? "A few hundred years" could mean three hundred—or it could mean nine hundred!
Seeing her colleagues' reactions, Helga was momentarily stunned as well. Is Salazar's reputation really that terrible in this era?
"Minerva, you shouldn't say that. Not every spell Mr. Slytherin invented is dark magic. That Restoration to Human Form Charm we use—that's one of his spells, isn't it? Thanks to him, we now have a real chance of completely solving the werewolf problem in this century."
Professor Flitwick, who had been quietly listening at the side, finally spoke up, offering a rare word of fairness on behalf of Slytherin.
"True," Professor McGonagall admitted, realizing what he said made a lot of sense.
Listening to their conversation, Helga nodded repeatedly—until suddenly, something felt off. "Wait a moment… The Restoration to Human Form Charm… who invented that again?"
"Uh, it was invented by Slytherin, of course. Just a few years ago, Mr. Jamison Henry Greengrass from the Greengrass family discovered a manuscript written by Salazar Slytherin. It contains the complete incantation and casting method for the Restoration to Human Form Charm." Upon hearing Professor White's question, Flitwick was briefly taken aback but quickly launched into explaining one of the most sensational discoveries in the magical world in recent years.
"As long as we continue promoting the Restoration to Human Form Charm, werewolves will become a thing of the past. What Mr. Slytherin accomplished—it's truly remarkable!" Flitwick's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
His admiration was genuine—for both Salazar Slytherin, who had invented the spell, and Jamison Henry Greengrass, who had selflessly made the contents of the manuscript public.
"Ah… truly magnificent," Helga Hufflepuff gritted out through clenched teeth.
"A magnificent character indeed," Professor McGonagall added her own praise.
Seeing how everyone was full of admiration for the inventor of the Human Restoration, the light in Helga's eyes grew even brighter.
At that moment, Rhys, sitting at the Slytherin table, suddenly shivered.
"What's wrong? You looked like you just trembled for a second."
"It's nothing. Probably just a muscle twitch."
The storm stirred up by the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson gradually faded into nothing, and soon, the long-awaited dinner at Professor Smith White's office arrived.
When evening came, Rhys, Daphne, and Astoria didn't head to the Great Hall for dinner but instead went straight to Professor White's office.
When Rhys pushed the door open, he found that the office had been decorated by Helga in a very cozy manner. The overall tone was a warm, light yellow, evoking the kind of happiness one felt when curling up under a blanket at home.
A lively fire burned in the fireplace, with a large pot hanging above it. From the pot came an incredibly rich and appetizing aroma.
It seemed Helga had borrowed quite a few things from the Hufflepuff common room—the furniture in her office was entirely in classic Hufflepuff style.
When she saw the guests Rhys had brought with him, Helga welcomed them warmly as expected and quickly set out extra plates and cutlery for them.
"Just a moment, dinner will be ready soon. Would you like something to drink first? Just say it out loud." Helga placed four golden goblets on the table. This time, since it was a genuine dinner invitation, she didn't bother with any sleight of hand.
The three of them each tried it and discovered that the cups really did respond to their requests, producing the drinks they asked for.
Not long after, Helga brought out the dishes she had prepared, along with a basket of freshly baked bread.
The first dish looked like a cheese crumble mixed with vegetables. The second was some kind of pan-seared white meat. The third was a creamy mushroom soup.
Though there were only three dishes, each was vibrant in color, rich in aroma, and looked absolutely delicious—enough to make Daphne and Astoria's mouths water.
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