Chương 53: Chapter 53: The Divine Realm and Legend
For several days, the students could talk of nothing but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch's behavior ensured the incident remained fresh in everyone's minds. He often paced around the scene of the crime as though expecting the perpetrator to return. He scrubbed the writing on the wall furiously with "Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover," but it was futile—the words still glowed brightly against the stone wall. When not patrolling the area, Filch lurked in the hallways with bloodshot eyes, leaping out at unsuspecting students and inventing absurd reasons to give them detention, such as "breathing too loudly" or "smiling too much."
"You won't believe it," Malfoy declared loudly in the Great Hall one morning. "Those idiotic Gryffindors actually think Harry is the heir of Slytherin and that he attacked Mrs. Norris. Such blatant ignorance—it's appalling."
"Oh? Do you know something about the Chamber of Secrets?" Lillian asked, her tone curious, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.
"I don't know much," Malfoy said dismissively, "but the Chamber is tied to Salazar Slytherin, the founder of our house. There's no way a Gryffindor could ever be his heir."
"You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the possibility," Lillian replied, shaking her head in mock exasperation. "How do you know what criteria he used to choose his heir? For all we know, Harry could very well be the one."
Malfoy's face turned red, and he began muttering incoherently.
"The heir of the Chamber is unlikely to be Harry," Augustus interjected calmly, offering Malfoy a way out of the conversation. "I happen to know a bit more about this history, and Malfoy is correct—the heir would never be a Gryffindor."
Malfoy nodded gratefully. "Exactly. Harry could never be the heir. The true heir must be someone else, and definitely a pure-blood Slytherin."
"Oh? Are you talking about me?" Loki interrupted, sauntering over to their table. As a pure-blood Slytherin who had been studying under Augustus, Loki often joined the second-years for meals. "With generations of Slytherins in my family tree, I should feel honored, shouldn't I?"
"If we're talking pure bloodlines, everyone here qualifies," Malfoy scoffed, clinking his silverware against his plate sharply. "No need to show off."
"Really?" Loki's amber eyes glinted with disdain, and his lips curled into a smirk. "By historical standards, the Malfoy family doesn't even come close. Without the legacy of a storied past, your family is nothing more than a second-rate name, hardly suited for the grandeur of the Chamber's heir."
"Enough," Augustus said coldly, silencing the exchange. "A person's lineage means little in the grand scheme of things. Consider Dumbledore and Voldemort—neither came from illustrious families, yet their accomplishments surpass anything most noble houses can claim. A true hero rises beyond their origins. You'd do well to abandon your obsession with family names. Only then can you walk further along the path of magic—the pursuit of truth."
The sharpness of Augustus's words silenced the group.
Later that afternoon, the class bell rang, and the group headed to History of Magic.
History of Magic was notoriously dull, taught by Professor Binns, a ghost who seemed entirely unaware of his spectral condition. The only mildly interesting part of his lessons was watching him float through the blackboard at the start of class. Having died long ago, Binns didn't seem to notice his passing; one day, he had simply left his body behind in the staffroom armchair and continued teaching as though nothing had changed.
While most students dreaded this class, Augustus found it fascinating. To him, understanding the evolution of magical civilizations—from their beginnings to their zenith—was invaluable, regardless of the teacher's monotone delivery.
Today, Professor Binns was droning on about the International Wizarding Conference of 1215 when Lillian raised her hand.
"Professor, could you tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?" she asked, her clear voice breaking the monotony.
"Ah," Professor Binns muttered, looking startled. "Well, yes... I suppose I could. But you must understand, it's just a fanciful tale—a ridiculous, sensationalized story..."
Though Augustus already knew the history of the Chamber, he was curious to hear how Binns would recount it.
The class, usually lethargic, was suddenly alert, hanging on the ghost's every word. The unusual intensity of their attention seemed to fluster Binns.
"Well, then," he said slowly, "let me think... The Chamber of Secrets... You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago—exact dates are uncertain—by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle to protect their students from the prying eyes of Muggles, who feared and persecuted magic users at the time.
"For some years, the founders worked in harmony, searching for young people with magical potential and bringing them here to be trained. But as time passed, Slytherin's relationship with the others soured. He believed that Hogwarts should admit only pure-blood students, viewing Muggle-borns as untrustworthy. This led to a fierce argument with Gryffindor, and eventually, Slytherin left the school."
Binns paused, his wrinkled face resembling a shriveled old turtle.
"Historical accounts end there," he continued, "but the legend claims that Slytherin secretly constructed a hidden chamber within the castle. He supposedly sealed it so that only his true heir could open it, releasing a terrible creature to purge the school of those he deemed unworthy of learning magic."
The class fell silent—not the usual sleepy silence, but a tense, uneasy one. Students stared at Binns, hoping for more, but the ghost appeared irked by their rapt attention.
Augustus chuckled softly. The professor's version of events aligned perfectly with what he already knew. Still, the identity of the heir held little importance to him. A legacy, even that of a legendary mage like Salazar Slytherin, was trivial compared to his own ambitions.
In his previous life, Augustus had nearly stepped into the realm of divinity—a state of unparalleled mastery in magic. To him, even Slytherin's resurrection would amount to nothing more than the addition of another powerful mage to history. His ultimate goal in this life remained unchanged: to transcend all limits and reach the unattainable divine realm. Everything else was but fleeting illusions.
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