Return of Salazar Slytherin

70- Effortless

Looking at the new clothes she had just bought and put on, Rowena Ravenclaw frowned deeply.

"This outfit doesn't look as good as I imagined..." she murmured, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She fell into deep thought.

When she used the magic mirror to simulate it earlier, it looked great. So why did it look so awful now that she was actually wearing it?

Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin came over and both agreed that the outfit didn't suit her.

Rowena rubbed her chin with her fingers, contemplating for a moment, and then asked Godric and Salazar to try the mirror.

The two stood in front of the mirror, and mysterious smiles appeared on their faces.

"What are you two thinking?" she asked.

"Hey, this armor looks really cool," Godric replied.

Rowena: "..."

Salazar didn't say anything, but his expression indicated that he saw something similar to what Godric did—pleasing and satisfying scenes.

After seriously pondering the issue, Rowena figured it out: the mirror reflected what they wished to see in their minds, but the images in their brains were automatically beautified. This led to a huge discrepancy between reality and imagination.

Her magic had a flaw; the mirror couldn't achieve the effect she desired.

However, Rowena couldn't help but suspect that these two guys had discovered an additional use for the mirror.

She couldn't believe that just trying on clothes could make them this happy.

After a thorough interrogation, Rowena was astonished to find that the mirror could simulate not only scenes of oneself wearing clothes but also other visions.

For instance, by imagining it, she could see herself surrounded by a pile of magical scrolls in the mirror.

Magic worked in mysterious ways. By a stroke of luck, Rowena had designed a mirror with a more wonderful function than intended.

Following this line of thought, Rowena modified the mirror repeatedly, eventually making it capable of reflecting the deepest desires of one's heart.

She even added a rather formidable anti-theft curse on it.

…

"Hey, Rhys, are you okay?" Daphne and Harry's soft calls and a few pats on Rhys's shoulder broke his reverie.

"I just spaced out for a moment," Rhys quickly regained his composure.

The mirror had stirred up many memories, and he had made a small mistake just now, inadvertently falling for the curse Rowena had left on it. Fortunately, it wasn't a big problem.

He examined the mirror in front of him carefully again: it was very grand, reaching up to the ceiling, surrounded by a luxurious golden frame, and supported by claw-shaped feet at the base.

It was clear that subsequent generations had extensively modified the mirror.

They had added the ornate frame, meaningful inscriptions, and even replaced the mirror surface with an opulent glass one.

But these changes hadn't altered the mirror's essence; it was still Rowena's mirror, just given a makeover.

Only she could add such powerful magic to the mirror—it could directly read the deepest desires of a person's heart! In front of this mirror, everyone was like a child without clothes.

"Did you see your family in the mirror too?" Harry asked from the side, peering into the mirror.

"Really? Let me see!" Daphne moved closer as well.

But all they could see was Rhys standing in front of the mirror, wearing his wizard robes, his expression calm.

"Only the individual can see it..." Harry and Daphne were a bit disappointed. However, once they stood in front of the mirror, their disappointment quickly vanished.

The mirror reflected their deepest desires, mesmerizing them.

Rhys's expression changed, and he immediately pulled the two away from the mirror.

"Hey!"

"Rhys!"

Ignoring their complaints, Rhys gently touched the mirror's surface, deactivating the protective mechanism left by Rowena before stepping aside.

The curse Rowena had left on the mirror was terrifying.

It wasn't a direct, harmful spell but a very subtle mental suggestion. It would gradually deepen the mirror-gazer's obsession with the scene in the mirror, eventually leading them to neglect reality, losing interest in food and drink.

The more one desired the scene in the mirror, the stronger this suggestion would become.

Without external intervention, one's mind would be utterly destroyed, leaving them unable to find any joy in real life.

However, with the dangerous spell deactivated by Rhys, they could now enjoy the "beautiful scenes" in the mirror without developing an unhealthy dependency.

Rhys stepped aside, quietly watching as Harry and the others took turns standing in front of the mirror, indulging themselves. This process was somewhat dull from an observer's perspective, as those standing before the mirror appeared merely infatuated with their reflection.

People tend to find something to occupy themselves with when bored.

Then Rhys made a remarkable discovery: judging by the traces, the mirror had been moved here recently, and someone had added additional spells to it.

A very interesting spell.

Rhys was willing to bet this mirror was Dumbledore's handiwork. He couldn't help but marvel at Dumbledore's ingenious ideas.

If he were alone, he would certainly applaud Dumbledore for the cleverness of this final protective measure.

He quietly joined the queue with Harry and the others, waiting his turn to look into the mirror.

When his turn came, Rhys took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He knew the operation he was about to attempt would be challenging, as it involved trying to deceive the enchantment left by Rowena.

The scene in the mirror shifted rapidly, twisting and changing. After five or six seconds, the image stabilized, revealing Rhys's reflection.

In the mirror, Rhys was standing next to a table laden with various desserts.

Seeing this scene, Rhys smiled contentedly; he had successfully concealed his true desire.

Then, he began to fabricate his inner thoughts based on the characteristics of the newly added enchantment on the mirror.

'I am a pure person.'

'I have no extraneous desires.'

'I want the Philosopher's Stone, but I do not wish to use it.'

The image in the mirror gradually changed.

The table laden with desserts faded away, leaving only Rhys.

At this moment, the magic mirror seemed to lose its power, appearing no different from an ordinary dressing mirror.

Suddenly, the Rhys in the mirror moved.

It was a rather eerie sight, but Rhys felt nothing but joy.

The Rhys in the mirror reached into his pocket, took out a bright red stone, then blinked and put the stone back into his pocket.

At that very moment, Rhys felt a heavy object fall into the inner pocket of his robe.

The pinnacle of alchemical achievement now lay quietly in his pocket.

He gently rubbed his fingers over the stone.

After a moment, the Rhys in the mirror reached into his pocket again and took out the Philosopher's Stone.

Rhys's pocket felt lighter and the Philosopher's Stone was put back in place by him.

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