Return of Salazar Slytherin

171- Rhys Became A House-Elf?

"Rhys Lynt, how much did the Greengrasses pay you to be her personal house-elf?" A slick, drawling voice sounded.

Just hearing the voice, Daphne knew Malfoy had arrived. Her expression immediately darkened; Malfoy had found out things he shouldn't know.

Worse, judging by his tone, he'd probably bring this up every time he saw Rhys from now on.

What she'd been doing wasn't anything serious, but she definitely didn't want Rhys to find out.

Astoria, on the other hand, had a rather amused look on her face. She stifled a laugh, quickly hiding her reaction so her sister wouldn't notice. She'd been wondering who'd make the perfect scapegoat, and Malfoy had offered himself up; he was so thoughtful!

As Malfoy continued to taunt Rhys, he was actually a little envious.

He envied how Rhys could be so close to Daphne, always around her—it stirred his jealousy.

What if Daphne asked me to give her a massage? The thought flashed through his mind, though he didn't dare dwell on it.

Yet that didn't stop him from mocking Rhys.

When Malfoy spoke, Rhys stopped what he was doing and turned his head, calmly looking at him.

Rhys's gaze made Malfoy uneasy. He wanted to step forward, yank Rhys's filthy hands off Daphne, but memories of their unpleasant encounters in first year made him hesitate.

"Draco—" Daphne started to say something but was cut off by Rhys.

"She didn't pay me."

"What?"

"Daphne didn't pay to hire me as her house-elf. She asked me to give her a back massage, so I gave her one. Massaging helps relax muscles, relieve fatigue, boost blood flow, and even aid in the circulation of magical energy."

Daphne: …

Malfoy: ???

Did Rhys seriously just answer his question?

Could he not tell it was meant as a taunt?

Or was he just pretending to brush it off?

In reality, the fake Rhys couldn't tell at all. Given how quickly this all happened, Rhys and Ravenclaw had done a remarkable job making the duplicate as intelligent as it was, but they hadn't bothered to program it with emotional awareness.

So the duplicate was genuinely answering Malfoy's questions seriously.

"She asked for a massage, and you gave her one? So, if she asked you to kneel down and lick her feet, you'd do that too?"

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, continuing to provoke him. But after saying this, he subtly took a step back in case Rhys lunged at him.

"If Daphne had a reasonable purpose, I would," Rhys replied, his expression entirely serious as he answered Malfoy's question.

The three of them fell silent.

After a moment, Daphne was the first to react. She clenched her fist and shook it in front of Malfoy. "Draco, if you say one more word, I promise your nose will end up broken!"

Honestly, though Daphne was clearly furious, her pleasant voice and adorable expression made her threat seem far less intimidating.

But Malfoy, knowing her well, still obediently turned around to leave.

He knew that Daphne was like an African black-footed cat: charming on the outside but highly skilled at doing damage. It was best to take her words seriously.

Anyway, he'd just tease Rhys again later—keeping his distance, of course.

Just as Malfoy was about to walk away, Daphne suddenly drew her wand and whispered, "Obliviate!"

Malfoy froze, his eyes glazing over as Daphne's Memory Charm took effect.

"Did Rhys teach you that spell?" Astoria asked in surprise. She had no idea her sister could cast a Memory Charm; the revelation left her speechless.

"Heh~" Daphne glanced at her, smiling but giving no answer.

Rhys hadn't taught her the Memory Charm; she'd learned it on her own. Today was the first time she'd ever used it on an actual person.

Astoria: …

"Sister, I think he didn't teach you this—" She had a bad feeling about this.

Daphne responded with another sweet smile—now was a perfect time for just a smile.

"He could end up a complete idiot because of this!" Astoria was genuinely worried. Unlike other curses, the Memory Charm directly tampered with a person's mind, making it incredibly difficult to reverse.

Some wizards skilled in the Memory Charm could even make the altered memories permanently unrecoverable.

Daphne's decision to test a spell she'd just learned on a real person was bold, to say the least.

"So what? He's already an idiot."

Daphne didn't care about the consequences; as far as she was concerned, what happened to Malfoy had nothing to do with her. And if trouble ever came her way, like Lucius Malfoy trying to get her arrested, she could always hide in the Chamber of Secrets.

Rhys had taught her things far more useful than what any professor taught.

After dismissing her sister's worries, Daphne turned to Malfoy, who stood dazed beside her. "Hey, Draco, you're just standing there—do you need something?"

At the sound of his name, Malfoy's vacant eyes gradually regained focus, and he scratched the back of his head. "Uh, I was about to go have breakfast. Daphne, want to come along?"

"Absolutely not. I'm eating in the common room today." Satisfied that Malfoy hadn't turned into a total fool, Daphne motioned for Astoria to sit beside her and join her for breakfast.

"Ugh.." Malfoy, having been brushed off, sensed the atmosphere and left.

Daphne winked at her sister and then picked up a slightly cold sausage from the table, eating it slowly.

Astoria sighed, picked up the Daily Prophet that her sister had set aside, and began reading the day's news.

On the front page was an article about yesterday's "Century Experiment" at the Quidditch pitch. The Daily Prophet's editors were optimistically claiming that "Lycanthropy will soon be history" and also noted Professor Lockhart's "true colors."

Sure enough, with the paper's distribution, Lockhart's reputation would likely crumble. In fact, in an obscure corner of the newspaper, there was a brief announcement of his resignation.

According to him, it was due to "worsening health," which forced him to resign from the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Astoria wasn't particularly surprised by Lockhart's departure; it was actually the second news article that caught her attention: "Dumbledore Sets Dark Wizard Ablaze"

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