Return of Salazar Slytherin

"You see, Rowena's selection criteria have always been like this. Even if you weren't her daughter, I still believe you could have become one of her Chamber students." Rhys casually reassured Helena before turning away and stepping out of the sealed chamber. 

Even after the stone wall of the seal closed, Helena remained frozen in place, her mind replaying her uncle's words over and over. 

She stood quietly at the entrance for a while, gradually regaining her composure. But when she finally turned around, she was startled—Rowena was standing not far away, silently watching her. 

"Is what Uncle Salazar said true?" Helena hesitated for a moment before she couldn't help but ask. 

"Of course. If you didn't meet my standards, I wouldn't have allowed you into my private classroom. You know me, if I made an exception just because you're my daughter, that would be far too embarrassing," Rowena said matter-of-factly. 

Helena's ghostly form became more solid again. 

After leaving the seal, Rhys couldn't help but recall a conversation he had with his three old friends back when the school was first founded. It had taken place right after they had each expressed their ideal type of student. 

Just as the Sorting Hat sang during the Sorting Ceremony—brave, bold, and daring students belonged in Gryffindor; Hufflepuff accepted all children with magical talent without discrimination; those with sharp minds and exceptional wisdom went to Ravenclaw. As for Slytherin, the Sorting Hat had never truly understood Salazar Slytherin's real intent... 

But what happened after they were sorted into the school?

The founders, though they claimed to treat all students equally, could not possibly devote the same effort to every single young wizard—doing so would be unfair to those with exceptional talent. 

Thus, they had a special discussion about it. 

"Kids these days have it so much easier than we did when it comes to learning magic." Gryffindor sighed as he looked at the curriculum Rowena had arranged. "They hardly have to pay any price, and world-class wizards are handing them carefully selected spells on a silver platter. hahah! Honestly, even I'm a bit jealous of this treatment." 

"But for wizards, seven years of study is barely enough to crack open the door to the magical world. Even the most gifted ones have only managed to squeeze halfway through it," Salazar remarked. He believed that seven years of education was far from sufficient—it was merely a magical foundation. 

"Salazar, you're wrong," Rowena disagreed. "For many with mediocre talent, simply opening that door is already enough. After all, they will never truly step inside or glimpse the true depths of the magical world." 

Rowena's words made Helga Hufflepuff frown. She admired almost everything about her friend, except for her sometimes cold and ruthless perspective. 

"But we can't just let talented students waste their potential outside of school, can we?" Helga couldn't help but speak up. "Should they have to suffer the same hardships we did?" 

Rowena had intended to respond with, "And why not?" But when she met her old friend's warm brown eyes, she found herself unexpectedly softening. Instead, she offered a compromise. 

"We can select the students who show real promise, allow them to remain at the school after graduation to continue their studies, and have them assist with teaching a few classes in return."

Rowena's proposal was met with unanimous approval from the other three founders. 

Even someone as kind as Helga Hufflepuff understood that there was no need to keep less talented students at school for too long. They could venture out into the world sooner, experiencing its vast and colorful wonders. 

"However, if a student wants to receive my advanced tutelage, their talent must be truly exceptional," Rowena stated firmly. She made it clear that she would significantly raise the bar for selecting students—only the best could study under her. 

"The most obvious proof of talent is, of course, academic performance. Anyone who hasn't taken first place should forget about becoming my advanced student. Besides talent, I also want them to share my love for books—after all, I intend to pass down my personal library to them in the future!" Ravenclaw counted the necessary qualities of her ideal student on her fingers. 

Godric was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't given this matter much thought before. 

If he were to take on an advanced student, what kind of person should they be?

He glanced at Salazar standing beside him and suddenly had a realization—he needed someone as resourceful and cunning as Salazar, someone who could help him manage the overly energetic troublemakers in his house. 

"I seek students who are upright and loyal, resilient and honest, unafraid of hardship—" Helga had high moral expectations for her students. 

Salazar cast her a sideways glance, thinking to himself: Are you selecting students or recruiting knights? If a Muggle-born who fits your criteria appears before you, would you take them as an advanced student? 

As for his own advanced students, they had to be of wizarding heritage and possess exceptional talent.

If they could also be diligent, intelligent, and courageous, that would be even better.

When Salazar announced his selection criteria, Godric immediately scoffed, "Why not just have you train all the students, then? You want everything! No way—you can only choose from your own house!" 

He was genuinely worried that Salazar might lure away the promising students from his own house. 

Salazar chuckled and agreed to Godric's restriction. In his view, the best students would naturally come from his own house anyway. 

And just like that, in a few brief exchanges, the founders of Hogwarts established the school's academic system. 

… 

'Rowena, you truly found a successor who met your expectations. Unfortunately, she has spent her whole life in your shadow.'

Rhys shook his head, feeling a deep sense of regret for Helena and Rowena Ravenclaw. 

After returning from the underground seal to the Slytherin common room, Rhys briefly explained his recent whereabouts to Daphne. 

"You should know that ghost's identity, right?" He sank into an armchair and looked at Daphne, who sat across from him. 

Daphne nodded. 

That was the ghost of Ravenclaw House. Though she always called herself "Grey," well-informed people knew she was actually Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter. 

As for why she had sought out Rhys, Daphne could make a reasonable guess—she must have wanted him to take her to see her mother.

She just couldn't understand why Rhys had refused to take her along. She had already met Lady Ravenclaw before, hadn't she? 

"Oh, right. Here's an address—you can check it out if you're interested in the future. It's a gift from Helena." Rhys passed on Helena's "gesture of goodwill" to Daphne. 

"The 7th floor of the castle…?" Daphne memorized the location, deciding to explore it when she had the time.

_________

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