Terence was a lost cause. Unless Helena married someone else, it seemed he would pester her forever, just as he was doing now.
People like him are inherently selfish.
Because they are infatuated, they pursue relentlessly.
But this kind of "pursuit" is really just harassment. Like chewing gum stuck to a shoe, they cling to the person they like, ignoring the other person's disgust, solely to satisfy their own desire to possess.
To satisfy their own cravings, they disregard repeated rejections.
Even if someone like Terence eventually won Helena over, he wouldn't cherish her for long.
Expecting a person who cares only about their own feelings and doesn't know how to respect others to actually cherish you is a massive joke.
Perhaps Helena saw this clearly, which was why she rejected Terence so tirelessly. If he hadn't been Salazar Slytherin's disciple, Helena wouldn't have cared if he was a Sir or a Baron—she would have told him to get lost a long time ago.
"Is this little girl really that mature?"
Rey asked himself, then shook his head. Ignoring Helena's questions, he walked toward his own tent.
"Hey! Did you really meet a Great Dragon? I heard there was a skeletal hand in the Valley of Evil Spirits bigger than a giant's arm. How did you avoid getting caught by it?"
Helena fired off a string of questions.
Hearing the last question, Rey suddenly stopped walking.
"How did you avoid getting caught by the skeletal hand?"
That simple question made Rey realize something didn't add up.
The skeletal arm belonged to Death. To catch him, it had chased him from the underground palace all the way to the ice field above. Yet, after that one earth-shattering grab at the barrier, it had vanished.
It shouldn't have. If it could break through the obstacles of that world to reach the wasteland barrier, why did it just disappear so easily?
Its target was him.
Rey stood rooted to the spot, trying hard to recall every detail of what happened.
Then, he realized there was a slight discrepancy in his memory. specifically, regarding the underground palace—he felt like he had forgotten something incredibly important.
It was just a feeling, vague and elusive. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall it.
"What on earth did I forget?"
Rey looked distressed, unable to solve the puzzle.
---
While Rey puzzled over his missing memory, Gryffindor and the other three founders left Godric's Hollow.
They Apparated directly to the Forbidden Forest, ready to challenge the dragon.
The Forbidden Forest was quiet. The ancient castle sat at the foot of the mountain, still dilapidated. Aside from the towering main keep, the rest of the ruins were overrun with vegetation.
At this time of day, the dragon should be napping in the cavern beneath the castle. The plan was to arrive early, set up defenses, and ensure everything was foolproof.
But was "foolproof" what the adventure-loving, challenge-seeking Godric Gryffindor wanted?
Obviously not. So, the moment they arrived, Godric Apparated again, appearing right outside the castle walls.
He moved incredibly fast, and Apparition took almost no time at all.
Before Salazar and the others could react, Godric had already raised his wand and fired a magical cannon blast into the sky.
BANG!
The explosion echoed throughout the entire mountain range. The sudden noise left Salazar and the others stunned.
The echoes rolled on and on.
It took several seconds for the sound to fade. Birds and beasts across the mountains scattered in terror at the thunderous noise.
"Idiot! You're asking for death!"
Salazar roared and moved to stop Godric, but Rowena held him back.
Because at that moment, the massive black dragon had already leaped out from the pitch-black cavern entrance.
---
Back on the grass in Godric's Hollow, seeing Rey lost in thought, Helena didn't disturb him further.
Rey wandered around the valley, trying to jog his memory of the Valley of Evil Spirits. The chubby dragon followed him closely.
Since returning from the valley, it had stuck to him. Even when Salazar side-along Apparated Rey back, the dragon had latched onto Rey's pant leg.
Looking at the chubby dragon at his feet, Rey wished it could talk and tell him what he had forgotten in that palace.
But whenever Rey stared at it, the transparent little guy just blinked its big eyes and acted cute.
Sigh.
Rey shook his head and walked to the riverbank. Listening to the rushing water, he looked into the distance, dazing out.
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed in the southern sky, followed by a massive mushroom cloud rising into the air.
Moments later, a deafening boom resounded through the heavens, and the ground shook violently.
The dust cloud in the southern sky stretched from right to left, extending all the way toward the sea.
The smoke blotted out the sun, and dark red lightning crackled within the explosive energy mass.
What happened?!
Shocked, Rey stared open-mouthed. He had seen a scene like this before—in the special world beyond the wasteland.
In that holographic war, a giant dragon had spat a magma bomb, carving a massive trench through the earth. The scene before him now was eerily similar.
That location, that direction... it seemed to be the Forbidden Forest he had left earlier. He heard there was a black dragon there. Could it be...?!
While horrified, Rey formed a hypothesis, but it was hard to imagine a real dragon possessing such destructive power.
In Godric's Hollow, it wasn't just Rey; everyone was shaken.
Many people knelt on the ground, looking at the burning southern sky, praying fervently.
---
The massive explosion indeed came from the Forbidden Forest. And it was merely the power of a single shot from the Black Dragon.
However, the geography of the Forbidden Forest had been permanently altered by that single strike.
The mountain was gone. The forests on either side were burning. Where the mountain once stood, there was now a colossal crater.
Inside, it was charred black and bottomless. As the dust settled, groundwater began to surge up from the depths.
The ruined castle still stood. Originally, it was at the foot of the mountain, but now, it sat on the highest point of a cliff.
If Rey were here, he would be astounded.
Because the altered landscape now looked remarkably like the Hogwarts of the future.
The castle stood atop a cliff, and beneath the cliff lay what would become the famous Black Lake.
The Black Lake was just forming, blasted into existence by the dragon's magma bomb. Massive amounts of groundwater were flooding in; within a month, the lake would be full.
At the edge of the crater, the Great Dragon hovered in the air, flapping its massive wings. It stared coldly at Godric Gryffindor, who stood at the edge of the precipice, wearing his wizard's hat.
This tiny human wizard had disturbed its nap just to challenge it.
So, it rushed out.
And then, it showed this insignificant human the true power of a Great Dragon.
---