บท 120: Chapter 120: Slytherin's Test
Tom and Hermione returned to the small hill outside Hogwarts once again. This time, looking at the headband and the cross necklace in their hands, they felt a completely different sensation.
Hermione carefully put them away.
"Tom, what we just experienced..."
"It might be the true history, but in the real timeline, Ben and Elaine probably couldn't fulfill each other's requests... That's why we saw those images just now," Tom speculated, offering the closest thing to the truth.
Hermione gazed at the night sky, feeling a bit melancholic.
"It's getting cold; let's go back." She suggested and took the lead back into the tunnel.
Upon returning to the chamber, they realized they had entered the curfew not long ago, so they had to stay in the chamber.
"Hermione, come here!" Tom called Hermione to the platform mechanism, and together they stood on it, bringing her to the small room left by Slytherin.
"This might be the treasure left by Salazar Slytherin. I'll go in to explore first—do not touch this door; I'm afraid there might be traps, and if you get caught, it would be troublesome."
Hearing about traps, Hermione frowned, "Shouldn't we find Professor Dumbledore then..."
"No need," Tom shook his head. Ultimately, it was the greed in his heart. What benefits could Dumbledore bring if he got involved? Adding fifty points to Ravenclaw?
His confidence in exploring alone came from the trump card of the Phoenix and his analysis of the chamber.
What was the chamber for? Initially, it was for teaching, but its purpose changed over time. However, it was still left by Slytherin to his heir. In other words, this place was more like a starter pack left by predecessors for successors. Why would there be traps? More likely, it was a test.
The basilisk was deadly, but to see the basilisk, you needed to speak Parseltongue. However, if you could speak Parseltongue, according to Slytherin's will, the basilisk would obey your commands and not harm you. This basilisk seemed more like a "pet" left by Slytherin for his descendants.
It even felt like a five-star magical pet, just a click away.
Tom now looked at the door and felt that the level of danger wasn't very high. Imagine a Slytherin heir coming to the chamber and touching this door, only to die.
Wasn't that ridiculous? Why would Slytherin set traps to kill his own heir? Tom predicted that the punishment from this door would, at most, trap you or exile you. If that was the case, there was nothing to be afraid of.
"I'll go in first to explore. If I don't come out by tomorrow, then you can go find Professor Dumbledore." After analyzing his judgment of the door with Hermione, Tom was ready to enter and explore the space behind the door.
But before entering, he used Parseltongue to say, "Junior pays respects to Salazar Slytherin, the greatest of the Four Founders." After that, he extended his hand and touched the silver door.
The moment he touched the door, he felt that the door's texture was not like metal but more like some kind of liquid. Then, a suction force came from inside the door, pulling Tom inside.
Once inside, Tom was startled because there was a person sitting in front of him!
The distance between the two was no more than three meters, and Tom could see every strand of the person's hair clearly.
After carefully observing the person's appearance, Tom was even more shocked: he looked exactly like the Slytherin stone statue outside!
Could it be that Slytherin was still alive? Tom's mind flashed with such thoughts. But didn't they say Slytherin left Hogwarts after a conflict with Gryffindor? Could he have secretly returned?
Tom had no time to continue thinking. He quickly saluted and bowed to Slytherin.
Slytherin, who was sitting, opened his eyes. Despite being an old man with an ugly appearance, he exuded a powerful pressure, making Tom break out in a cold sweat.
"Is someone here to take the test again? Come up." Slytherin's voice sounded, more like a snake talking. There was a hissing sound after every word, as if a snake was exhaling.
Slytherin's tone was calm, without any emotional fluctuations. Tom found it a bit strange, sensing something odd. In fact, Tom even had a feeling that the thing in front of him might not be the real Slytherin.
After realizing this, Tom took the opportunity to survey the surroundings: the structure behind the door was very simple. Rather than a room, it was more like a stairwell with only a small platform and a staircase hidden in the golden mist.
"Slytherin" sat on the platform, making his intentions clear: he wanted Tom to go up the stairs.
Just as Tom stepped on the stairs, he heard Slytherin's voice behind him, "Let me see your talent."
As Tom's foot landed on the first step of the stairs, the scene before him changed instantly. Tom found himself in a spacious room with three tables.
Approaching the first table, Tom discovered small jars, a cauldron, and a recipe. Next to the table was a basic potion-making method. Tom swiftly brewed the potion.
Moving to the next table, he found a simple spell. Tom effortlessly cast the spell.
On the third table, there were tools for carving runes and an hourglass. As Tom picked up the carving knife, the hourglass started counting down. This room's challenge was a timed rune carving.
After completing the carving, the stairs reappeared before him, and he found himself on the first step. Tom realized he couldn't recall the specific challenges from the first room, only vaguely remembering the general categories.
"Potions, spells, and runes..." Tom understood Slytherin's approach. Slytherin intended to test his heir's talents in these three aspects. The potion's recipe, the key points of the spell, and the patterns of the runes were unfamiliar, requiring participants to learn and apply them during the trial. It didn't test knowledge but rather talent and intuition.
Fortunately, the first level was straightforward.
Tom went on to pass through three levels. However, in the fourth level, he exceeded the time limit while carving runes. Consequently, the table representing alchemy vanished in the fifth room.
Tom felt a bit regretful—he was confident he could have carved that rune, but time wasn't on his side.
In the seventh room, Tom faced issues in potion-making, leaving only the table representing spells in the eighth room. However, the spell on the table began to take on a darker, more sinister tone. Tom thought his trial might be concluding, but due to the focus on dark magic, he continued on.
Eventually, he reached the end of the stairs.
At the top, another Slytherin sat, his expression more vivid.
Seeing Tom approach, he revealed an ugly smile.
"Finally, someone has passed my test and come before the great Slytherin. As a reward, I permit you to sit before me."
A Slytherin-style cushion appeared in front of Tom, and after bowing to Slytherin, he took a seat.
"You must have many questions. Ask away," Slytherin said, sensing Tom's confusion.
"It might be a bit forward, but I must ask—how have you survived until now? A Horcrux?"
Slytherin seemed insulted, "A Horcrux? You underestimate me. I disdain such methods for immortality. Of course, if you want to learn, I can teach you."
"You're probably not from Slytherin House?" Slytherin detected Tom's distrust.
"I'm from Ravenclaw." Tom was relieved that he hadn't chosen Gryffindor; otherwise, he might have been expelled outright.
"That makes sense. Students from the other two houses couldn't have passed my earlier trials. But judging by your performance, it's a shame you didn't enter Slytherin. I won't deceive you; this form is indeed not a Horcrux."
"Then what are you..."
"Just a puppet imbued with Slytherin's memories. The other three likely left similar things—though Gryffindor's brute probably didn't." Slytherin didn't delve further into this topic. "Come, now that you've passed the trial, you can choose an inheritance."
"Has anyone passed this trial before me?" Tom didn't rush to choose an inheritance but asked an apparently unrelated question.
"No, someone came very close before, but he still gained sufficient benefits."
"I understand. Great Slytherin, I wish to gain knowledge from you."
"That tone really suits Ravenclaw." Slytherin teased and a small table appeared before Tom, with three parchment scrolls and a silver snake figurine. "These three parchment scrolls contain valuable knowledge of mysteries that I've collected. Choose one freely."
"As for this snake, take it to another room, affix it to the door, and you'll learn a spell."
Slytherin pushed the small table toward Tom and fell silent.
Tom examined the scrolls, trying to discern any differences among them but failed. They all looked ordinary, slightly yellowed scrolls. Kept intact in the chamber for a thousand years, their remarkable condition was their most extraordinary aspect.
In the end, Tom chose the middle scroll.
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