145- Heir of Slytherin!

145- Heir of Slytherin!

Rita Skeeter's article was like a drop of water splashing into a boiling pan of oil, instantly igniting the British wizarding world.

Countless letters flew like snowflakes to both The Daily Prophet editorial office and the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.

Some supported Lockhart, while others denounced him as a fraud. A significant portion of these letters were Howlers.

Madam Pomfrey, the matron of the hospital wing, eventually banned Lockhart from receiving mail and asked Professor McGonagall to create a soundproof box.

Any letters addressed to Lockhart were directly placed in the box to prevent them from disturbing other patients.

Gradually, the voices within the wizarding community became unified: whether they supported Lockhart or opposed him, they all demanded that he go to the Ministry of Magic before the next full moon.

There, in front of Ministry officials, he should perform his Human Restoration Spell on a werewolf.

Wouldn't that settle the matter once and for all?

Seeing the growing public outcry, Mr. Jamison Henry also stepped forward, adding fuel to the fire. He announced that the Ministry should prepare an extra werewolf because he had successfully contacted a reliable potion maker and had concocted the new Wolfsbane Potion. He, too, was now ready to perform the Human Restoration Spell.

He proposed that he and Mr. Lockhart cast the spell together, allowing experts to compare the differences between the two versions.

This was a win-win for both the Ministry and ordinary wizards. Surely, Mr. Lockhart couldn't refuse, right?

With this, the matter spread beyond the local wizarding community, and even wizards from other countries heard about this miraculous Human Restoration Spell and the two wizards—Henry and Lockhart—each insisting on their own version of the truth.

Seeing the flood of letters headed towards the Ministry of Magic, Minister Fudge made a swift decision, announcing that the Ministry would provide two werewolves for Henry and Lockhart on the night of the next full moon, allowing both of them to demonstrate their skills.

Lockhart was well and truly cornered.

Lying in his hospital bed, he began to panic. But in his desperation, he had a sudden stroke of genius, or so he thought: after all, he was still hospitalized, and wasn't it perfectly natural for his condition to worsen? If his health deteriorated, how could he possibly go to the Ministry?

After coming up with this plan, Lockhart felt so pleased with himself that he could have kissed himself.

What a brilliant idea!

And she had the right to say it! Half of her confidence came from her family name, while the other half stemmed from the earth-shattering event she had pulled off at the end of last term.

After dropping that statement, Daphne and her sister left the common room.

Once they were gone, Slytherin Quidditch captain Marcus clapped a still furious Malfoy on the shoulder, saying that the next time they faced Gryffindor, he should give them a good thrashing to reclaim what he lost today.

"By then, Daphne will definitely change her opinion of you," Marcus assured him.

Malfoy nodded with a grim expression, deciding that he'd teach Gryffindor a lesson and restore his reputation with a brilliant victory.

All the outside drama had little to do with Rhys.

After the interview with Rita Skeeter, his goal of getting Lockhart removed from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position was essentially achieved.

With nothing else to distract him, Rhys returned to the Chamber of Secrets to focus on his various projects, one of which involved researching potions to cure little Astoria's illness.

Rhys waved his wand, disposing of the ruined potion in the cauldron with a sigh. The difficulty of this task was immense, even for him—it was a real challenge.

Deciding to take a step back, Rhys resolved to stabilize Astoria's symptoms first, preventing her condition from worsening any further.

Just then, a faint, indistinct voice echoed from above in the Chamber of Secrets:

"Come, awaken, heed my command..."

"...as the heir of Slytherin!"

Rhys: ???

What was going on?

Who was summoning his Basilisk?

________

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