"Hmph… this talent is only so-so. Barely comparable to my worst disciple!" Slytherin snorted coldly.
Wade Reynolds looked speechless. This tsundere temperament really was inherited, wasn't it?
"What was that sound?" Tom asked warily. "Did someone just speak?"
"No, just a mosquito buzzing," Wade replied casually.
Slytherin, inside the pocket, was so furious he nearly died a second time.
But he could not curse out loud, because when leaving the wizard tower, Slytherin himself had said that he did not want anyone to know of his existence and only wished to hide in the shadows and observe quietly.
After all, if others found out about him, it would be far too troublesome and… far too embarrassing.
One of the four great founders, reduced to being a ghost.
That was something Slytherin truly found hard to accept.
Tom, meanwhile, fell silent. In this freezing, snow-covered weather… and you're telling me there are mosquitoes?
Still, Tom was already used to it. He knew that if Wade did not want to explain, asking further would be pointless.
Rather than meddling in Wade's affairs, it was better to continue honing his own strength.
"I can tell you're in a good mood. Have you finished sorting out the basilisk materials?" Tom asked.
"Oh yeah! All taken care of," Wade Reynolds said cheerfully. "Can we go inside to talk? It's too cold out here… actually, I have some good news to tell you today."
Tom turned and opened the door, and Wade followed him in.
With a fireplace inside, the room was indeed much warmer than outside.
Wade immediately noticed the flames burning in the hearth.
"Not bad, Tom. You've already mastered Fiendfyre?"
"It's alright… it's simpler than the Patronus Charm," Tom said, lifting his chin.
Although he tried to appear calm and unbothered, the corners of his mouth kept rising, impossible to suppress.
This was Fiendfyre, after all. Learning it at this age would make anyone proud, and Tom was no exception.
Inside the pocket, Slytherin fell silent once more. At this age, he could already master Fiendfyre?
Clearly, Tom's talent was scarcely inferior to his own when he was young.
Wait… Slytherin suddenly sensed something was wrong. The Patronus Charm?
This boy had learned the Patronus Charm!?
This…
However, Slytherin soon recalled some of the things Wade Reynolds had previously said about Tom.
At the time, Wade had even emphasized how Tom had gradually grown from a troubled youth who revered Dark Magic into a qualified candidate for a White Dark Lord.
At that moment, a surge of anger rose in Slytherin's heart.
Such an excellent seedling! What a waste not to study Dark Magic! Damn you, Wade Reynolds! You're misleading my descendant!
Tom looked at Wade, suddenly seeming hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
Wade understood immediately. He patted Tom on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. The basilisk was left behind by your ancestor, after all. How could your share be missing?"
"That's good, then." A smile appeared on Tom's face. "Ehm.. But I don't need materials or Galleons or anything like that. If you gain any magic or finished potions from the basilisk, just share some with me."
"Of course." Wade agreed readily.
When Slytherin first heard Tom asking Wade for benefits, he was actually extremely irritated.
That was a basilisk he had personally raised, yet this brat had taken it to sell, and without even asking for a cut! Utterly disgraceful!
However, upon hearing Tom ask for magic and potions instead, Slytherin finally felt a bit of consolation.
Being clearly aware of what he currently lacked and what he needed proved that this child was not a reckless brute with strength but no brains.
Clearly, he had a very clear plan for his future development as well, and that was a good thing.
"To be honest, I really am studying the basilisk's eyes. If I can restore the curse of a basilisk's gaze…" A hint of pleasure flashed across Wade Reynolds's face.
Hearing this, a chill ran through Tom's heart.
"…then maybe the three Unforgivable Curses will have to become four…"
"But I damaged the eyes when I struck them, so I might only be able to restore a fairly decent petrification spell," Wade said, waving his hand dismissively.
"That's fine too… the effect should definitely be better than an ordinary Petrification Charm, right?" Tom sat back down in his chair.
"Of course. After all, this is a petrification curse derived from a lethal curse. It's nothing like an ordinary Petrification Charm," Wade said as he pulled over a chair of his own, placed it in front of the fireplace, and sat down. "But that's not what I came to talk about today."
"Then what's the good news?" Tom asked.
Wade took out a glass insulated container from his pocket.
Inside the container, Nagini was coiled tightly.
In such cold weather, conditions were very unfriendly for snakes.
Wade opened the lid, and Nagini slowly slithered out.
"Is it about Nagini's curse?" Tom asked.
"Yes… thinking back on it, I really was too obsessed with perfection back then. In fact… we've long had a way to turn her back into a human," Wade Reynolds said.
"What?" Tom straightened in his chair. "You're saying you have a way to turn her back into a person?"
"Not a perfect method. It can't completely cure her curse, but if it succeeds, it can indeed allow her to temporarily leave her snake form."
Wade then explained to Tom the conclusion he had previously worked out together with Slytherin.
After listening, Tom nodded thoughtfully.
"As long as there's a way, that's enough. And… it's true… sometimes pursuing perfection too much isn't a good thing. Take my previous Shield Charm, for example. At the right moment, an incomplete Shield Charm can even provide better defense than a complete one."
At this point, Slytherin was already somewhat numb. This descendant of his satisfied him greatly, whether in magical talent or in comprehension.
It was just a pity… that he was not pure-blood…
Yet even so, this was enough to make the values Slytherin had upheld for so long waver for the first time…
"So when are you going to treat Nagini?" Tom asked.
Wade extended his hand, letting Nagini coil up onto his wrist.
He gently stroked Nagini's cold, scaly body and said softly, "Within the next few days… I want her to spend this winter as a human. Snakes that don't want to hibernate don't have an easy time getting through winter."
Hearing this, Tom also felt a sense of anticipation.
"But will there be any danger?" Tom asked again. "I mean, if it fails…"
"Hiss, hiss…" Nagini flicked her tongue and said a few words.
"Alright… since you've said so." Tom nodded. "Then should we call Professor Dumbledore over?"
"No need. He won't be able to help much in this area," Wade shook his head.
Dumbledore did not practice nightmare magic, so there was little advice he could offer in this regard.
Moreover, Wade did not want to expose nightmare magic lightly.
In fact, before coming, Wade had already left a message for his senior. When it came to matters of the soul, she was a true expert and would certainly be able to provide some useful advice.
That night, Wade stayed at Riddle Manor.
Slytherin also unusually did not speak, remaining quietly in the pocket as if pondering something extremely important.
Early the next morning, Wade discovered a pristine white letter by his bedside.
The handwriting on the letter was familiar. It was a reply from his senior.
Wade immediately opened it and began to read.
[…
Your method is not entirely unworkable, but it carries very serious drawbacks.
You must understand that the beast soul is actually a split-off fragment. Strictly speaking, it is also a part of Nagini's soul. If it is forcibly severed, it will cause her soul to lose its integrity.
You should know what happens when a soul loses its completeness.
Once her life eventually comes to an end, that incomplete soul of hers will be forever trapped in a state of limbo, unable to move forward or backward.
A soul that can neither enter the world of the dead nor return to the human world as a ghost…
_________
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