Seeing how decisively Professor Aeris rejected him, Dumbledore understood that he would not be able to obtain any more information from them.
He leaned back in his chair and solemnly promised the two professors that if they ever needed him, he would do everything in his power to help.
Dumbledore's sincere words did not move Rowena.
The two concealed their figures and left the Headmaster's office.
They did not want the impostor to know that they had entered Dumbledore's office.
That would increase the risk of exposing themselves.
Every additional day they remained hidden slightly improved their chances of victory.
The two had come in a hurry and left just as quickly.
Their only purpose had been to clean up the aftermath for Salazar so that when he returned, he would not find himself in too disadvantageous a position.
Just imagine it. If Salazar returned only to discover that Hogwarts had already finished holding a memorial service for Rhys Lint, what kind of scene would that be?
Although Rowena very much wanted to see what expression Salazar would make, she was also afraid of genuinely angering him, so she still handled the matter with considerable care.
Before long, the young wizards learned that Hogwarts contestant Rhys Lint had withdrawn from the tournament due to injury and had been admitted to St Mungo's.
This caused only a brief round of discussion before the matter quickly died down.
Hogwarts currently held an overwhelming advantage and did not lack Rhys's points. Although it was somewhat unfortunate that he had been forced to withdraw because of injury, the overall impact was limited.
Aside from a handful of people, no one continued paying much attention to it.
When Loki heard the news, he merely sneered inwardly and assumed Dumbledore was trying to save the reputation of Hogwarts as the safest place by concealing the boy's death.
After all, the tournament was still ongoing. News this negative absolutely could not be allowed to spread.
'If he knew the one who died wasn't an ordinary student, but one of Hogwarts' Founders, the expression on his face would be priceless.'
Just thinking about it delighted Loki immensely.
...
Splash, splash.
The sound of flowing water.
A small wooden basin drifted downstream with the river. After spinning once near the edge of the current, it became lodged beneath the shade of a tree at a bend in the river.
The baby inside frowned slightly but was not awakened by the rocking of the basin.
He continued sleeping soundly.
Beside the river stretched an endless forest filled with wild animals.
Animals often wandered down to the river, sometimes to drink, sometimes for the salt and minerals in the mudflats, and sometimes, in the case of predators, simply in search of food.
Before long, the bushes near the wooden basin shook.
A massive brown bear emerged.
It sniffed the air several times and quickly discovered the small cub inside the basin.
Tiny, with not much meat on it.
Compared with a fat fish, it was hardly worth mentioning.
Still, it had the advantage of requiring absolutely no effort to catch.
Just as the brown bear decided to have a small appetiser before its meal, a rustling sound came from the dense forest behind it.
It sounded as though something were dragging itself along the ground.
The bear immediately rose in alarm.
Its nose twitched rapidly, and enormous fear flashed through its tiny eyes.
That monster!
The brown bear instantly forgot about the food right in front of its mouth.
It plunged headfirst into the river and swam desperately toward the opposite bank without even daring to look back.
A few seconds later, the bushes parted again.
A massive green snake slithered out, flicking its tongue.
It had originally come for the plump brown bear, but the small object beside the river now caught its attention.
The giant snake circled the wooden basin twice, then wrapped its body around it.
It raised its head and looked down at the sleeping baby.
Gradually, a gleam of intelligence appeared in its eyes, something strangely mismatched with a reptile.
After thinking for several seconds, it opened its enormous mouth, swallowed the baby, and swiftly disappeared back into the forest.
Despite its massive size, the snake moved through the jungle with extraordinary speed, almost as though it were flying just above the ground.
A few minutes later, it arrived before a huge tree.
It was a towering snakewood tree nearly twenty metres tall.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of snakes were coiled throughout its crown.
It was as though the place possessed an irresistible attraction for serpents.
The giant snake slithered to the base of the tree, twisted its body, and disappeared into a hollow among the roots.
The moment it entered, it spat the baby out onto the moss inside the hollow.
It was almost miraculous.
This enormous serpent, terrifying enough to frighten someone half to death with a single glance, had not harmed the baby at all.
The infant remained sound asleep as though nothing had happened.
After leaving the baby there, the giant snake departed.
More than ten minutes later, it returned to the hollow.
This time, it carried a she-wolf whose belly was swollen with milk.
The terrified wolf was thrown into the hollow and did not dare move at all.
She had been frightened completely senseless by the giant snake.
The baby, however, was awakened by the disturbance.
He rolled over, crawled beneath the she-wolf's belly, and began drinking her milk.
The wolf's milk became his nourishment.
At the same time, thin strands of silvery-white mist seeped from the exposed roots hanging from the ceiling of the hollow.
They drifted down onto the baby and were absorbed through his skin.
The giant snake let out a satisfied hiss and coiled its body.
From then on, the Snake King's private den gained two additional guests.
The baby and his wet nurse.
Day after day passed.
The baby gradually grew into a boy.
By human reckoning, he was already eleven years old.
Compared with an ordinary child, he was strong and healthy from being raised by snakes.
And when he opened his mouth to speak, what emerged was not human language, but hissing sounds.
Unlike normal children, he was far too calm for his age.
He did not like running around.
Every day, he stayed inside the hollow beneath the snakewood tree, absorbing the silvery mist that seeped from its roots.
...
Meanwhile, in the outside world, summer had already arrived, and the final stage of the tournament was about to begin.
The top sixteen contestants in points from the second stage would advance to the third round.
This time, the competition would be held inside Hogwarts' Quidditch stadium.
The schools' rankings had already been settled.
The third round was purely a contest for individual honour.
The contestants would face one another on duelling platforms before countless spectators, determining victory and ranking through direct combat.
The whole of Hogwarts was filled with excitement because of it.
But at this moment, not everyone was focused on the final stage of the tournament.
Professor White, who taught Defence Against the Dark Arts, was one example.
"Rowena, it's time."
Helga once again pushed open the door to Rowena's office and urged her to act.
It was time to enter the alchemical world and bring their old friend back.
It was also finally time to discover whether Salazar's "experiment" had succeeded.
Rowena glanced at her old friend, then nodded.
"Why still no..."
Helga's words stopped halfway through.
She had not expected Rowena to agree this time!
Every previous time Helga had come to ask, Rowena had opposed the idea.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI