"So Hogwarts is actually open to the public during the summer holidays?" Aries clicked her tongue in amazement as she looked at the magnificent castle before her.
"It isn't." Rhys's reply startled her. If the school wasn't open during the holidays, then why could he enter?
She quickly realized that the boy before her was no ordinary student. There was something far deeper behind him.
Aries could not help but shiver.
Someone like Rhys was like a seemingly clear, shallow pond, only for one to dive in and discover it was unfathomably deep, an unsettling realization.
"Just who are you?" she could not help but ask.
Rhys stopped walking and turned to look at her.
"Many people have asked that question before you, and my answer has always been the same. I am Rhys Lint, an ordinary Hogwarts student."
Aries: …
His answer made her feel as if her intelligence had been insulted, yet given her position, she had no way to force the truth out of him.
"Follow me. I'm taking you to meet a good friend of mine." Rhys had no interest in continuing the conversation and gestured for her to keep up.
"Your friend is a professor at Hogwarts?" Driven by fear, Aries kept talking, trying to gather more information.
"You could say that." Rhys sensed the fear in her heart and stopped once more.
"If you're really afraid, I can show some mercy and kill you right here," Rhys said very seriously.
Once she was sent into the dungeon, Aries's fate would be as uncertain as a cat placed in a box. She might get along very well with Rowena, or she might be used by her for all kinds of strange experiments. Of course, the most likely outcome was that she would get along well with Rowena, and then be used for experiments.
In a sense, Rowena and he were of the same kind.
Among the four founders of Hogwarts, Godric and Helga were the kind of "heroes" and "knights" found in traditional literature. The definitions of him and Rowena were far more complicated.
Aries: ?!
She was startled by Rhys and immediately shook her head desperately.
She had risked everything to escape from Voldemort precisely because she feared death. How could she possibly accept Rhys's "kindness"?
"Alright, I was joking. Don't take it to heart," Rhys said, soothing her.
"Mhm." Aries nodded, then asked another question. What kind of person was the old friend he mentioned?
Rhys naturally could not speak his true thoughts. After recalling for a moment, he gave an official description of Rowena Ravenclaw: "She's beautiful but somewhat strict. She believes that the most intelligent minds have the brightest futures. She likes students who are wise, fair, shrewd, knowledgeable, clever, farsighted, highly curious, and fond of research."
Aries: …
She felt that aside from being rather curious, none of those qualities applied to her. What she was most proud of was her bloodline. Her family had produced several generations of Constellation Mages, and the title of Aries was almost inseparable from them.
After that, Aries and Rhys chatted idly as they walked, until he eventually brought her to the castle's dungeon.
"Eh? This place…" Aries hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Rhys could tell that she was lying, but he did not care much. It would be fine to leave everything to Rowena.
However, after a few seconds, Aries revealed the truth on her own: the Polaris of the Secret Society had been searching for a place like this.
"What does he want a place like this for?" Rhys frowned.
"That, I really don't know."
This was the last exchange between the two, because not long after, Rhys saw Rowena's ghost.
"Long time no see. You look better than before," Rhys said. He was not flattering her. The impurities within her spiritual body had indeed faded to the point of being almost invisible. Clearly, during her time staying in the dungeon, she had found a new way to purify herself.
"Not that much better. Just a bit of trickery," Rowena said frankly to her old friend, making it clear that she had "put on makeup."
"And this is…?" The moment Rowena saw her old friend, she noticed Aries as well, and also sensed the precaution Rhys had left on her. After a brief greeting, she naturally needed to ask about her identity.
That was also why she did not call Rhys by his real name at once.
"A Constellation Mage of the Secret Society. Aries."
Rowena raised an eyebrow. Previously, Salazar had already sent her one Mage from the Secret Society. She had not expected another one to be delivered now.
"Thank you for your kindness." However, Rowena did not have particularly high expectations. At most, a Mage could only help relieve her boredom.
"She can use a domain," Rhys reminded Rowena, letting her know that Aries was not an ordinary Mage like the last one.
"Oh?" That immediately piqued Rowena's interest.
"What is her domain?" she asked eagerly.
"Not entirely sure what it is exactly. I only know it's related to air."
Upon learning that Aries's domain was of the air type, Rowena's eyes lit up at once.
"Thank you. This is the best gift you've ever given me," Rowena said sincerely, from the bottom of her heart.
Aries: "…"
Their conversation made her feel a chill down her spine. It was like a butcher and a customer discussing the origin and rearing of a pig at a stall, praising the freshness and tenderness of the meat, or like people bargaining over pets in a market.
What was most terrifying was that she herself was the subject of their discussion. Aries felt a deep sense of dread. She did not know whether, in the eyes of the ghostly witch before her, she was an ingredient or merely a pet to pass the time.
She liked neither option, because she wanted to be a person.
If Rhys knew what she was thinking, he would certainly laugh. After merging with the divine remains provided by the Secret Society, the identity of being "human" had already left her.
During the rest of their conversation, Rowena gave Rhys the feeling that she was somewhat absent-minded. She seemed eager to end the exchange quickly, yet was forced to maintain it out of courtesy.
Perceptive as he was, Rhys did not say much and went along with her, bringing the unwelcome conversation to an early close.
Once Rhys left, Rowena immediately moved to Aries's side, looking at her with a yearning gaze that made Aries uneasy.
"I see in your eyes a desire to live, a desire for freedom. That's good," Rowena said. "As long as you agree to one small condition, I can grant you freedom. Even if that man comes, he won't be able to take it away."
Aries was tempted.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI