Salazar's Trials

With a wave of Slytherin's hand, the hidden chamber rearranged itself.

Bookshelves slid against the walls. The floor sank, rose, and reshaped into a circular testing ground. Several stone platforms emerged from below, each covered in runes that lit one after another.

"The first test is knowledge," Slytherin said. "Ancient Runes."

A parchment appeared in front of Edmund, followed by a quill and ink. Edmund glanced at the questions and relaxed.

For a modern second-year, this would have been absurd. Ancient Runes was not even part of the ordinary first-year curriculum. For Edmund, who had been devouring advanced texts for more than a year and had Nicolas Flamel's influence behind him, it was merely inconvenient.

Slytherin watched him sit down.

"Ravenclaw," the remnant said, voice edged with distaste.

"Yes."

"At least you are not Gryffindor."

Edmund dipped the quill in ink. "I will take that as encouragement." He finished the test in fifteen minutes.

Slytherin read the parchment. His expression changed from suspicion to mild approval, though he tried not to show it.

"Pass."

The parchment vanished.

"The second test is practical craft. Potions, alchemy, and applied magical structure."

A stone table rose between them. Then nothing happened. Slytherin waited. The table remained empty. Edmund waited as well. After several silent seconds, the remnant's face grew stiff.

"The materials have decayed."

"All of them?"

"It has been a thousand years."

"That sounds like a planning issue."

Slytherin's eyes sharpened.

Edmund wisely did not smile too much. He opened his suitcase and removed several items from his own collection: pendants, bracelets, rings, and a pair of earrings. All had been modified with alchemical methods and rune arrays, some for protection, some for storage, some for small utility effects.

Slytherin took one pendant and examined it. The annoyance in his expression slowly faded.

"You made this?"

"I designed the array and completed the inscription. The base material was prepared with modern tools."

"Explain the structure."

Edmund did.

He explained the core rune group, the stabilizing loop, the way the metal held magic, and the reason he had chosen a weaker but safer activation pattern. Slytherin asked questions. Edmund answered. The exchange grew faster, sharper, and more technical until it felt less like a test and more like two researchers arguing over design philosophy.

At last, Slytherin set the pendant down.

"Pass."

Edmund put the items away.

"The third test," Slytherin said, "is combat."

The stone floor trembled.

An armored warrior rose from the center of the arena, empty inside but filled with magic. It carried a sword in one hand and a wand in the other. Its helm turned toward Edmund.

"This construct is durable," Slytherin said. "Use your full strength. If it breaks, it breaks."

"Are you sure?"

"Begin."

The armored warrior moved first.

A red spell flashed from its wand. Edmund stepped aside, letting it pass his shoulder, then raised his own wand.

"Stupefy."

The Stunning Spell erupted like a crimson pillar.

The armored warrior had no time to block. The spell struck its chest, tore through the layered enchantments, and shattered the construct from breastplate to spine. Metal fragments scattered across the arena. The helm bounced once and rolled to Slytherin's feet.

Silence fell. Slytherin looked at the wreckage. Then he looked at Edmund. Then he looked back at the wreckage.

"You destroyed it."

"You said it was durable."

"It was durable."

"You also said to use my full strength."

Slytherin's mouth tightened. Edmund decided not to mention that he had used roughly half.

For a long moment, the remnant looked like a man mourning a favorite possession. Finally, he waved his hand. The broken armor dissolved into dust and light.

"Pass."

His tone made the word sound like an accusation. Edmund lowered his wand politely.

"Thank you."

"Do not thank me. You are insufferable."

"That has been said before."

Slytherin stared at him, then gave a short, reluctant laugh.

"Perhaps you are my heir after all."

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