Audrey felt the world spin around her. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a grand hall.
The layout of this hall was identical to the Hogwarts Great Hall. In the center was a platform, upon which sat a miniature model of Hogwarts itself.
A projection of Salazar Slytherin appeared beside the model—so lifelike it could almost pass for a real person.
"You arrived quite quickly this time, child," Slytherin said. "My vault has stood for nearly a thousand years, and you are the first to enter it."
Slytherin beckoned, and Audrey walked over to him.
"Examine this castle carefully!" Slytherin instructed. "What do you notice?"
"Huh?"
Audrey's eyes scanned the miniature Hogwarts. The kitchens, Hufflepuff's area, the greenhouses, and various departmental areas—all were connected to her by nearly imperceptible silver lines.
"You see?" Slytherin said. "You have already inherited Helga's legacy, which automatically grants you one-quarter ownership of the castle. If you now acquire my legacy, you will control half of Hogwarts!"
Audrey's eyes lit up. That old man—why didn't he mention such an important detail sooner?
If you had said this at the start of last school year, I would have come to find you immediately!
"So… how do I obtain your legacy?"
Slytherin pointed to a life-sized statue of himself on one side of the hall and smiled faintly.
"Speak to that statue: 'Grant me knowledge, Slytherin, the greatest of Hogwarts' four founders!'"
Audrey froze.
So… she really had to say that utterly over-the-top, cringe-worthy line?
But… that was a quarter of Hogwarts!
"G-Give me… knowledge, Slytherin," Audrey said, her expression sour, "the greatest… of Hogwarts' four founders!"
The statue emitted a bright light, enveloping Audrey. Countless streams of knowledge poured into her mind.
The explosive, piercing pain she had felt when receiving Hufflepuff's legacy returned, and unsurprisingly, Audrey fainted.
When she woke again, Slytherin was gone. The hall was empty except for the miniature Hogwarts model.
More than half of the castle's areas were now linked to Audrey via silver lines.
Through the inheritance, she had learned how to control the castle.
Yes—she was now effectively an admin of Hogwarts. Even in areas she already inherited, her authority exceeded that of the headmaster!
"Hm, Snape is in his office… huh, listening to Lilies of the Night again. What about Professor Sprout? So late and still fertilizing… wow, that smells!"
Audrey played like a child with a new toy, utterly delighted.
"Wait… this vault… it has a second level!"
Her eyes lit up.
Following the castle's feedback, she walked to where Slytherin's statue had once stood. The statue was gone, as if fully absorbed into her consciousness.
She reached out and felt an unparalleled connection to the castle itself. With a wave of her hand, she controlled it like pulling puppet strings.
Stone bricks rolled aside, revealing a descending staircase.
Fifteen or sixteen steps later, Audrey entered a treasure vault.
A literal treasure vault.
Slytherin's legacy had revealed its history to her:
In 1066, the Duke of Normandy conquered England and confiscated the lands and wealth of rebellious Anglo-Saxon nobles. During the chaos, Salazar Slytherin secretly retrieved all of that wealth for Hogwarts.
This was the foresight of a true strategist—preparing for unforeseen events.
He had never imagined that, over the next thousand years, not a single descendant would enter this vault… until now.
Ancient gold coins, antiques, ritual objects—an entire room brimming with treasures!
Was Audrey happy?
She should have been.
But instead, her heart churned with regret.
If she had found Slytherin's chamber at the start of last school year, she could have gained far greater returns while acquiring Ukrainian assets!
That would have been nearly a tenfold increase in value!
Her insides twisted in regret.
Audrey plopped onto the pile of coins, staring blankly, as if she had just lost a fortune.
No…
Was "a fortune" really enough?
Her exaggerated expressions from her past life could no longer convey her feelings.
She lay there, wondering if she could "reload a save."
After ten minutes of daze, she finally fell asleep.
…
The next morning, in the Hospital Wing,
Iseline Windsor lay quietly in bed, her face flushed, her expression serene.
At this moment, she was Sleeping Beauty incarnate.
Madam Pomfrey anxiously asked, "Astrey, are you sure you can break the curse?"
Audrey nodded. "Don't worry. Trust me."
Slytherin's legacy encompassed vast knowledge of dark magic, soul magic, magical sciences (including magical creature genetics, potion theory, magical architecture, alchemy, and more), and ancient curses beyond ordinary imagination.
"No, no, no!" Madam Pomfrey shook her head violently. "If Dumbledore weren't here, I wouldn't allow you to attempt this! It's far too dangerous!"
Madam Pomfrey wasn't wrong. No one could have imagined that a girl who knew nothing about curses yesterday had become the most proficient curse master of this era.
She could even weave curses into weather charms, so that anyone touched by the rain or mist would unknowingly be affected.
Her magic—especially the Killing Curse—could be guided by curses to automatically hit targets, even triggering chain effects. One curse could wipe out an entire city; it sounded insane, but it wasn't impossible.
In other words, never let Audrey's curses touch you—your life could literally be in her hands. A Killing Curse from a thousand miles away could end your life in an instant. Are you scared yet?
Acquiring Slytherin's legacy this time was an epic-level boost for her.
Minutes later, Dumbledore and the four house heads arrived.
Snape entered, visibly impatient.
"Now is class time! Miss Astrey, if you fail, I will detain you for the rest of the term for disrupting teaching order!"
He added, "Overnight in the Potions classroom, no dormitory breaks!"
Professor Flitwick said, "Severus, don't be like that. We have no idea about the curse on Miss Windsor. Audrey seems confident she has a solution—trust her."
Audrey glanced at Madam Pomfrey.
Poor baby! She had nothing to do with the hospital staff being called here!
Dumbledore gave her a slight nod. "Audrey, begin. If anything goes wrong, I will call it off."
Audrey took a deep breath, extended her hands, and two circular magic arrays appeared in her palms. They rapidly expanded, flying toward Iseline.
Mysterious runes freely combined in the air, forming a semicircular shield around Sleeping Beauty.
Audrey stepped forward, placing her palms on the shield, and closed her eyes.
A moment later, her expression twisted oddly.
Am I really going to break this curse?
The shameless ancestor!