"I believe she has the right to be anywhere in the castle without being questioned."
Just as Rhys was about to continue his interrogation, a voice interrupted him.
Rhys looked up to see a tall, lanky young man with bright red hair and a face full of freckles striding toward him. The prefect's badge gleamed on his chest.
The red hair and freckles were as good as a calling card, revealing the youth's identity: Percy Weasley.
"You're right." Rhys, uninterested in arguing with him, stepped aside, watching as Percy quickly approached his sister, his face full of caution.
Rhys knew better than to expose Ginny's secret right then. It wasn't the right time. Besides, he was sure she'd attempt to contact the basilisk again in the future. That would give him another chance to investigate.
Percy placed a protective hand on his sister's shoulder, pulling her behind him as they headed toward the Gryffindor common room upstairs.
"You should pay more attention to your sister, real attention," Rhys suddenly said to Percy, causing both siblings to turn and stare at him.
After giving Percy that subtle warning, Rhys turned his gaze toward Ginny.
"If you ever have any troubles in the future, feel free to come to me for help—I'm known for keeping secrets."
Percy and Ginny were both momentarily stunned, but by the time they recovered, Rhys had already descended the stairs.
Percy frowned. What did Rhys mean by real attention? Wasn't he the one who cared most about his sister? What was that Slytherin boy, Lint, up to?
After silently grumbling about Rhys, Percy patted Ginny on the shoulder.
"If anyone at school dares to bully you, just let me know. Your brother is a prefect, after all!"
Ginny didn't reply; she only nodded quietly.
Percy noticed that his sister seemed a little out of sorts. Looking closer, he saw dark circles under her eyes, and her expression appeared tired.
He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't sleep well last night? You don't look so good."
"N-no, it's nothing," Ginny responded softly, her head lowered.
"You can go to Madam Pomfrey and get some Invigoration Draught. It's free. Your big brother here drank three cups a day during finals, and it worked wonders," Percy offered what he thought was useful advice.
Ginny just nodded again, while Rhys' words echoed in her mind.
If you ever have any troubles, you can come to me for help.
'Could he really help me?'
"So, what kind of person is Rhys?" Ginny couldn't help but ask her brother about him.
"Rhys?" Percy gave her a curious look. "Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
"That guy is... well, a not-so-annoying Slytherin." After thinking for a moment, Percy summed up his thoughts on Rhys.
Rhys was clearly an outlier in Slytherin House. His friend Daphne was the same way. They didn't have the arrogance typical of many pure-blood wizards, but rather a quiet confidence that gave them a sense of ease.
Moreover, they didn't show any disdain for Muggles or Muggle-borns, and they had good grades. These two qualities gave Percy a favorable impression of them.
"That Daphne, who's always by his side, is more of a legend. Compared to her, Rhys is much more ordinary—a pretty average Slytherin," Percy recalled thoughtfully. Over the past year, it was Daphne Greengrass who had really stood out in Slytherin, while Rhys Linth had barely made an impression outside his house.
The most notable thing he'd done was ending up in the hospital after drinking too much potion during finals...
"So that's the kind of person he is..." Ginny blinked, forming a basic impression of Rhys—a low-key Slytherin.
"Honestly, if you get the chance, you should try to get along with Daphne," Percy seriously advised his sister. In his eyes, whatever benefits Rhys could offer her paled in comparison to what Daphne could provide.
Befriending Daphne would be a very advantageous move.
Ginny lowered her eyes, not responding to her brother's words as they walked toward the Gryffindor common room. Little did they know, beneath their feet, a giant serpent was swiftly slithering through the floors, spreading death, destruction, and fear throughout every corner of the castle.
To the spiders and rats of course!
After gaining a basic understanding of the "Heir of Slytherin" incident, Rhys found Daphne and her sister Astoria in the library.
"I made the lunchbox!"
The moment Daphne saw Rhys, she excitedly presented a delicate little box, no larger than the palm of her hand, as if offering a treasure.
The box was made of pine wood, with intricate silver inlays decorating the exterior, and at the top was a coiled silver snake. Despite its small size, it had a surprising weight when held.
Click, click.
Rhys undid the clasps and opened the box, revealing its intricate interior: the already tiny box was divided into five compartments. In the center was a small circular space, and the remaining sections were separated by four partitions.
Each compartment held food—some desserts, fruits, salad, meat, and even a main course.
The lid of the box also had a set of utensils neatly embedded.
Rhys glanced around to make sure Madam Pince wasn't nearby, then used a fork to pick out a meatball from the box.
The single meatball was almost as large as the tiny compartment itself. However, after Rhys forked it out, the meatballs underneath merely shifted slightly but showed no signs of diminishing.
Rhys popped the meatball into his mouth and chewed slowly. Even though it had gone cold, it still had a unique flavor.
"Not bad," Rhys remarked as he examined Daphne's creation, nodding in satisfaction. Although there were still many areas for improvement, and the functionality was somewhat limited, it more than fulfilled the assignment from the booklet.
"Hehe~"
Daphne smiled, clearly pleased with Rhys's praise.
Astoria, watching her sister's finished lunchbox, had a spark of excitement in her eyes: I want to learn this too!
"There's still room for improvement. Want to learn?" Rhys offered, feeling that since Ravenclaw had shared some knowledge with Daphne, it was his turn to provide some useful insight.
"Yes!" Daphne eagerly accepted. She had a hunger for knowledge, much like a Ravenclaw student.
"This is a spell invented by the founders of Hogwarts after they established the school..." Rhys held the lunchbox in his hand and began to explain a story from his previous travels.
——
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