A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

So, during the half hour Harry and Ron spent in the ward, they watched Hermione repeat the same action hundreds of times, occasionally stopping to make notes on a form.

……

Felix closed the office door and came out, dressed neatly.

He still felt somewhat sentimental along the way.

After he revealed that he had successfully obtained the research materials and once again rejected the diary's allure, Tom in the diary finally became withdrawn, completely cutting off his communication with the outside world.

No matter how Felix tried, the other side seemed determined to let him do as he pleased. Even when he placed a cluster of gleaming white flames in front of the diary, he received no response.

“Tom, I don’t believe you’d give up on yourself.” Felix’s mind raced with various thoughts; he even thought he was waiting for an opportunity.

So he became even more careful and sealed the diary away, even carving warning runes on the box.

Before going out, he placed his wallet (the Binding Vine version) at the door to prevent any unreliable little wizard from barging in and taking the diary away.

"Perhaps it's time to find an opportunity for you to make your final farewell, Tom."

In the castle corridor, Felix encounters Peeves playing a prank.

Pipi was holding a tin bucket filled with mud, and he was currently applying thick layers of mud to his armor.

“Petty, have you seen Ms. Grey?” Felix asked him.

Pee-Pee looked at him, seemingly surprised, then let out a giggle. "Oh, Professor, I didn't see her... I don't care about that upturned-nosed woman."

“I think someone will know, that disgusting stalker~” he said, gesturing wildly as he floated in mid-air.

“Be polite, Peeves,” Felix said calmly. “Or, would you like to try my magic again?”

“No, Felix Heap! You can’t…” Pee-Pee’s face showed a look of fear as he hurriedly passed through the wall and left.

"Bang!"

Pipi Ghost slammed the tin bucket in his hand to the ground with a loud bang, splashing mud everywhere.

Felix waved his wand, and an invisible barrier kept the soup and broth three feet away.

"Hmph, Peeves, it's you again! I'll definitely ask Headmaster Dumbledore to kick you out of the castle..." A panting, flushed man rushed down the corridor, waving his fists and hysterically venting his anger.

He is Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts Castle.

“Oh, ah… Professor Hyp, have you seen Peeves?” Filch, furious, didn’t see his expected nemesis, but instead saw Felix dressed neatly.

“Hello, Filch, Peeves just left.” Felix waved his wand, and the mud on the ground and armor disappeared. “By the way, did you see Lady Grey today?”

“Is it that Ravenclaw ghost?” Filch sniffed. “Let me think… I think I saw one… a tall ghost, the kind that doesn’t really talk to people? I saw one in the yard, but I’m not sure if it’s her.”

"Thank you, Filch."

Felix came to the courtyard and glanced around. At the end of the courtyard railing, he saw a slender ghost floating in mid-air.

She noticed Felix watching her, raised her eyebrows in surprise, then turned and gracefully disappeared through the wall.

"Wait, Ms. Grey!"

Felix jumped over the railing and chased after him into a secluded corridor.

She finally stopped, hovering a few inches off the ground. She was beautiful, with waist-length hair and a long silver robe trailing on the ground. But at the same time, she held her head high, appearing arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

He had encountered this ghost several times during his school days, but had never spoken to her. Had he not accidentally overheard a private conversation between the Blood Man Barrow and her, he would never have realized that this Ravenclaw ghost, with her extremely low profile, actually had such a significant background.

“Ms. Grey, I am Felix Heap.”

She nodded without saying a word. Her eyes held no warmth.

"I'd like to learn about the early days of the school, specifically the story of the four founders. There are too many unclear or ambiguous parts in the existing records."

“I’m afraid,” she said, turning to leave, “I can’t help you.”

“Wait, madam—” Felix called out as she drifted further and further away, “I know you are Rowena Ravenclaw’s daughter.”

She stopped and turned to look at him. "You know about my background? You came here specifically for me?"

Yes, I—

"Ha, yet another one!" She hovered in mid-air, her lips twisted into a cold laugh.

“Another one?” Felix pressed, but he quickly realized that he probably wasn’t the first person to ask her about Hogwarts secrets.

“Another ambitious guy!” she said sharply. “I run into him every ten years or so, trying every means to find out about me and gain my trust…”

“You mean Voldemort?” Felix asked.

She suddenly stopped speaking, a look of surprise on her face. Then, feeling offended, she floated up two or three feet, looking down at him.

“Yes, I guessed it, the Ravenclaw crown. Voldemort has always coveted the relics of the Four Great Leaders, but I don't care about those things. I'm more interested in—”

Felix was interrupted, and the ghost stammered angrily, "The Ravenclaw crown can bring wisdom, you have no idea how powerful it is! Countless people dream of it!"

"—The story of Gryffindor and Slytherin." Felix finished speaking at the same time.

Their words intertwined, echoing faintly in the empty corridor—"I don't understand its power!" "Gryffindor~" "The history of Slytherin~"

Ms. Gray paused, "You want to know this?"

"of course."

“Ah, this,” she floated in mid-air, seemingly at a loss, “Gryffindor… Slytherin… what do you want to know?”

Finally, she asked somewhat awkwardly.

Chapter 80 A Thousand Years of Past Events

“Many,” Felix said. “I’ve read many books that mention the four founders, but they are either unclear, contradictory, or only leave fragments that are completely useless.”

He gave an example: "Take Salazar Slytherin, for instance. Many people feared him, dreaded him, and called him a dark wizard... but what is the truth?"

"The truth?" Ms. Gray retorted. "What kind of truth do you want?"

“Of course, it’s the truth as you see it,” Felix said, looking at her.

The ghost seemed lost in memories. After a long pause, she commented with a touch of solemnity, "Salazar Slytherin was an exceptionally talented wizard, and he and his wife were very much in love..."

Felix: "???"

This was clearly not what he wanted to know, but it was a good start nonetheless, so he continued along the lines of her conversation, “There is indeed very little information about his wife, however, many people have mentioned that Slytherin was ugly and looked like a monkey.”

The woman gave him a slightly haughty look. “That’s a side effect of his research into magic. Slytherin was originally extremely handsome, but as he delved deeper into those… terrible areas, he became more and more intimidating.”

Felix suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!" He felt a sense of joy, as if he had solved an ancient mystery.

Ms. Gray continued to recall: "He was always surrounded by snakes, always wore a black or dark green robe, and had an ever-present smell of blood. His eyes had also become, become very terrifying."

Felix speculated that Slytherin might have received bloodlines from some magical creature.

"—His personality became increasingly extreme, and his disagreements with others grew larger and larger... He had more than one argument, which even his best friend Gryffindor couldn't stand. But I must clarify that there was no fight between them; he simply left quietly, taking everything with him on a peaceful morning."

“He also left behind a secret room,” Felix reminded her.

"Perhaps, but I've heard that Slytherin is not afraid to teach all sorts of cruel dark magic, but the other three strongly oppose it. So there are rumors that he secretly takes his favorite students and teaches them these terrifying things in secret places."

So, the Chamber of Secrets was originally used for teaching? Felix thought, another mystery solved. However, according to his speculation, as the conflict intensified, Slytherin may have moved some of their particularly bloody research into the Chamber of Secrets as well.

In fact, Felix had secretly returned to the Chamber of Secrets and used Harry's Parseltongue speaking scroll to carefully examine the area, but found nothing except the pit where the Basilisk usually hibernated.

Lady Grey concluded, "But at least during his time at Hogwarts, he kept his original promise, protecting the entire school and its students with his life against all kinds of attacks. Unlike in recent centuries, Slytherin has completely changed..."

"What kind of attack are you referring to?" Felix caught the key point.

She swung back and forth lightly, seemingly disdainful of Felix's ignorance, yet with a hint of triumphant excitement, and asked in return, "You don't actually think Hogwarts was built peacefully and without incident, do you?"

Felix didn't react much; he simply made a "continue" gesture.

Ms. Gray said, "By today's standards, the vast majority of wizards at that time were dark wizards. They practiced an apprenticeship system, with one master mentoring three to five juniors. These people would travel from village to village, find promising newcomers, train them, and have them serve as their servants."

"The establishment of Hogwarts, especially after the four founders spread the magic of the Pen of Acceptance and the Book of Admission to the British Isles, dealt a fatal blow to these wizards—they lost their source of servants forever and utterly."

“The Pen of Acceptance, the Book of Admission…” Felix murmured these two words; he had heard rumors about these two magical artifacts.

It is said that the name of every junior wizard who enrolls can be found in the Book of Admission.

When a child first displays magical talent, the Pen of Acceptance attempts to record his name; but the Book of Admission has a stricter standard—only when these children have fully demonstrated evidence that they possess magic will their names be included in the Book of Admission.

The sensitivity of the Pen of Acceptance, combined with the rigor of the Book of Admission, has enabled them to select qualified students for Hogwarts without ever making a mistake in thousands of years.

“The establishment of a new order is inevitably accompanied by the counterattack of the old forces,” Felix remarked. He now understood almost exactly where Tom’s vicious comments about Gryffindor in the diary came from.

The story from a thousand years ago continues—

“Some wizards recognized the efforts of the four founders and sent their children to Hogwarts; but others—those particularly radical dark wizards—lurked in the shadows, repeatedly attacking Hogwarts professors and students when they were out or on holiday, leaving their bodies in front of Hogwarts Castle.” She shuddered.

"This naturally provoked a counterattack from Hogwarts, with Gryffindor being the most vehement. He took up his sword and wand and defeated one dark wizard after another who were extremely famous at the time. He even publicly declared that he was willing to accept any challenge, whether in the Muggle way or the wizard way."

Felix listened with rapt attention, for how could the records on paper possibly depict that magnificent period of history?

"What about the other three?"

"They were doing the same thing, except that Gryffindor was the most famous. After a few years, some students graduated and spread the fame of Hogwarts around the world, and not many people dared to provoke them."

Ms. Gray finished telling the whole story with pride and reminiscence.

Felix also benefited greatly, and he sincerely expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Ms. Helena Ravenclaw."

"No! Call me! This! Name!" the ghost in front of him suddenly said excitedly. Her transparent face seemed to become less transparent. Before he could speak, she rushed through the wall and disappeared.

Felix: "..."

Just then, a deep, hoarse voice suddenly appeared and said, "Don't mention that name, it's a taboo for her."

Felix turned around and saw a withered, pale ghost in front of him, wearing an ancient wizard's robe stained with silver blood and bound by a pair of huge shackles.

"Long time no see, Barrow."

Chapter 81 Return from Holiday

Barrow the Blood is a ghost of Slytherin, but even the young wizards of the house keep their distance from him.

His appearance is truly terrifying; he's the one Pikachu fears most.

“Long time no see, Barrow,” Felix greeted.

Blood Man Barrow floated motionless in place, staring blankly with his eyes fixed on the direction where Ms. Gray had left.