While Helga Hufflepuff was showing Dumbledore her memory in the Headmaster's office, Rhys also received a letter from her.
He skimmed the beginning and quickly lost interest—what was the point of paying attention to a prophecy about the Dark Lord Voldemort?
He had originally assumed that such a notorious Dark Wizard must be extraordinary, but after actually confronting him, Rhys had been thoroughly disappointed. The man's strength didn't seem to match his reputation at all.
So, he could no longer hold Rhys's interest.
Besides, judging from the content of the prophecy, it was simply the Order of the Secret Society planning to use Voldemort as a pawn against Hogwarts. When the time came, they would deal with it as it came—if the enemy advanced, they'd block; if the water rose, they'd build a dam.
Folding the letter, he tucked it into his robe and turned his gaze toward Daphne, who was seated nearby studying the Infinite Swelling Curse.
The Infinite Swelling Curse was the Dark spell Helga had demonstrated last class using a rat—it was derived from the Infinite Poison Mist Curse Rhys had invented, though it was a weakened version.
In Rhys's opinion, Helga's spell was laughably weak and easy to counter: all one had to do was cast a Petrification Curse on the afflicted person and wait calmly for the effect to wear off.
Aside from using Petrification on oneself, taking a specially brewed potion could also dispel the curse. In fact, even the higher-tier Infinite Poison Mist Curse could be resolved this way. However, the potion recipe to counter it had likely been lost.
"Aren't you nervous? Next class, Professor White is going to have students receive her curse," Daphne asked, noticing Rhys had been idly lounging for quite a while.
"Not nervous," Rhys shook his head. "And you don't need to be either—because she's definitely going to use me as the test subject."
Daphne: ???
"Why?" She didn't understand why Rhys was so certain—after all, since he deliberately kept a low profile, her reputation was actually a bit greater than his.
If the professor needed a student as a test subject, logically speaking, she should be the one chosen, right?
Rhys's certainty, of course, stemmed from his trust in an old friend. It was just like how, when Snape announced in Potions class that a student would be testing a potion next time, it was practically a guarantee that either Harry or Ron would be the one picked.
Please.
He didn't believe for a second that Helga Hufflepuff could resist the temptation of casting a Dark curse on him.
If she could, he'd change his last name to Gryffindor on the spot.
Besides, using Dark magic on a student was definitely a taboo act—using him as a demonstration was clearly the safest option.
"No reason. Believe it or not, we can bet on it," Rhys said, patting his stomach. When he glanced at the clock and saw that it was time for afternoon tea, he was immediately tempted to head down to the kitchens for some dessert.
The moment she heard "bet," Daphne's eyes lit up.
She figured: there were so many people in class, the odds of Rhys being picked were tiny. Even if you considered reputation, she was more likely to be chosen.
So wasn't this a guaranteed win for her?
Besides, Rhys was the one who rescued Professor White from the ruins—there had to be some bond between them, right?
No way he'd be picked to get hexed!
"What's the wager?" she asked eagerly.
Rhys: ???
Someone actually walked up and volunteered to take the bait?
Rhys rolled his eyes and said, "How about this—if I get picked, you'll be responsible for doing my homework from now on without whining. If I don't get picked, you won't have to help me with it anymore."
Daphne's eyes immediately lit up.
Although this wager sounded ridiculous—like Rhys was just mooching off her labor—it was actually tied to a previous agreement: Rhys tutored Daphne, and in exchange, she helped him with certain subjects' homework.
Now, if she won the bet, it'd be a massive win—she'd still get Rhys's tutoring without having to do his homework.
"Alright, deal!" Daphne agreed at once. Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck her, she quickly added, "But you have to promise not to go to Professor White and volunteer yourself as the test subject."
Rhys gave her a look and assured her he definitely wouldn't ask Professor White to curse him on purpose.
"You haven't already arranged it with her beforehand, have you?"
"Of course not." Rhys rolled his eyes. This girl was getting smarter…
Too bad—you're still too naive!
He didn't need to arrange anything in advance. Everything came down to the trust between him and "Professor White."
"I promise you, I won't use any tricks to increase my chances of being picked as the test subject."
With Rhys's assurance, Daphne finally relaxed and began looking forward to the next day's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
The next day, Daphne excitedly dragged Rhys to the classroom and chose a discreet corner seat.
Rhys silently prepared himself.
Professor White, as usual, arrived early.
"Alright, hand in your homework first." She began collecting the students' assignments as she stood by the classroom door, reviewing them while collecting.
By the time the class bell rang, Helga had already finished grading all the homework.
With a flick of her wand, the assignments flew back to their respective owners—but Rhys and Daphne's essays were held back.
"Mr. Lint, did you write this essay yourself?" Helga held up the parchment bearing Rhys's name and called him out.
Daphne: ?!
She was sure she had changed the handwriting—how was it still exposed?!
"Yes, I wrote it," Rhys said calmly, without the slightest hint of shame.
Helga Hufflepuff: =_= stares~
Rhys: completely unfazed.
Honestly, even if it were a Gryffindor who turned this in today, I'd still claim I wrote it—students writing essays and teachers signing their names is pretty standard procedure, isn't it?
Helga suddenly realized that she really had no way of dealing with this shameless old man Salazar.
She was confident that even if she questioned him on the essay's contents, he'd be able to answer fluently—after all, it was his own magic invention.
Her gaze shifted to Daphne, whose face had gone pale. Helga silently cursed Salazar for bullying a little girl into writing his homework at his age. How shameless!
But that was fine—she had another method to deal with this old snake.
"Very well then, Mr. Lint, please come up to the podium. As I mentioned last class, I would be selecting one student to attempt to resist my curse. Congratulations, you've been chosen."
Daphne's breath hitched, and she nearly fainted on the spot.
It was over. Completely over! Her workload was about to double!
Rhys glanced at Helga.
Helga, aren't you overdoing it? You actually dare use a curse I invented against me?!
Under the watchful eyes of the class, he walked calmly up to the podium.
_______
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