Ron and Harry exchanged glances, wanting to speak, but the stench made them cover their mouths and noses hurriedly, their voices muffled.

"So, the snake trail was Helena?" Ron, for once, reacted quickly.

"Should we report this to the Headmaster?" Harry pondered with a frown.

Hoare's eyes shifted as he held up the Philosopher's Stone in his hand. "This is stolen property, it doesn't count. You need to pay again. It must be from you or your master."

Helena was indignant, her mouth opened wide, and her forked tongue almost touched Hoare's cheek.

"Helena says that Hogwarts castle belongs to her master, so everything inside is also her master's," Harry translated in a muffled voice.

"But you need me to find your master, so I set the price, not you. Understand?" Hoare smiled without emotion.

Hearing Hoare's words, Helena looked aggrieved, shrank back, circled a few times, and turned into a small snake the size of a chopstick.

She curled up tightly on her master's pillow, looking pitiful.

"We can tell the Headmaster. Headmaster Dumbledore will surely help Helena find her master," Ron couldn't stand Hoare bullying Helena.

Hearing this, Helena's emerald eyes brightened considerably, and she looked up at Ron.

"Do you think anyone really wants to find someone from a thousand years ago, especially if that person is Salazar Slytherin?" Hoare said casually.

Ron was at a loss for words. He wanted to argue but knew that not everyone welcomed Helena's master.

After all, it was Salazar Slytherin.

Helena roughly understood what the two were saying, and her once-bright eyes dimmed again.

"Henry..." Harry couldn't help but soften. He could hear Helena calling out to her master repeatedly, her voice filled with longing.

Hoare raised an eyebrow, sidestepped the pile of unknown objects on the floor, walked to the bed, and picked up Helena, lifting the pillow she was lying on.

Under the pillow were countless gems, neatly arranged.

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Hoare glanced over and saw there were more than a dozen.

He simply lifted the bedsheet as well.

Below, it was also covered with dazzling gems, so bright that Hoare had to close his eyes, making the whole room extraordinarily bright.

Hoare had guessed there was something hidden below, but he hadn't expected it to be so straightforward!

He loved it!

These gems were large, vibrant, and substantial, and holding them, he could faintly feel the magic within.

These were clearly not ordinary gems meant for jewelry; he just didn't know if they were related to the magic array on the floor.

Hoare weighed them in his hand and tossed Helena towards Ron and Harry, letting them catch her.

Then, amidst Helena's sharp screams, Hoare stuffed the entire bed's worth of gems, over a hundred, into his storage bag.

"Henry, Henry... Helena says she's going to be angry..." Harry covered his ears; Helena's screams were truly lethal.

Hoare contentedly patted his pocket, where his storage bag was. "Don't worry, I'll find your master. Spend a little, achieve a lot."

Helena's screams stopped, replaced by pitiful sobbing.

Hoare took out two gems of the same size, but the smallest in his pocket, and reluctantly handed them to Harry and Ron.

The two looked puzzled.

Hoare said reluctantly, "Hush money."

Ron was delighted and quickly accepted it, thinking to himself: Hoare would be very happy to see this.

Harry shook his head and pushed Hoare's hand back.

"I can't help Helena."

"You can help me translate, that's your reward," Hoare said.

"I refuse."

Harry ultimately refused to accept the gem, and Hoare shrugged. It seemed Harry wasn't fond of gems, so he'd have to find something else.

Hoare thought about it; Harry was indeed wealthy. He remembered Harry had a vault at Gringotts.

A vault was similar to a Muggle world's safe deposit box, not only for storing coins but also for other items.

The Weasley family also had one at Gringotts.

It was an inherited vault, just big enough for one person, on the topmost floor of Gringotts, and the annual insurance fee was only a Bronze-Knut.

However, the Weasley family's habit was to use whatever they had, even though Arthur's father often won prizes, they would quickly use it up.

So, the Weasley family's vault was always pitifully empty.

At this moment, a small, chubby figure flashed in Hoare's mind, Peter Pettigrew.

It was a pity he'd need to find another test subject.

Since Harry didn't like these, Hoare planned to give him a gift he couldn't refuse, a family member.

A family member who loved him.

Before leaving, Hoare wiped away the magic array and took Helena with him. Strangely, Helena preferred sticking to Ron over Hoare, who was from Slytherin.

Ron, whose potion side effects had worn off, had a bitter expression. "If I bring a snake back to Gryffindor, the whole house will assassinate me."

Hoare picked up Helena, letting her coil around his hand, pretending it was a bracelet.

"Helena's situation is a secret. If others find out, she'll be executed," Hoare seriously warned Harry and Ron.

Both nodded repeatedly, each reaching out to touch Helena, promising her they would keep her secret.

Helena shyly tightened her body, squeezing Hoare's wrist until it turned red.

Hoare flicked her hard, and she released her grip in pain.

"You'd better write home and ask if there's any record of an intermarriage with Slytherin in your ancestry," Hoare reminded Ron.

Thinking about it turned Ron's face green.

After Ron's repeated requests, Harry and Hoare agreed not to reveal that Ron was a descendant of Slytherin.

"Otherwise, I'll definitely be transferred to Slytherin," Ron's face turned the color of a cucumber.

Hoare was also curious, planning to investigate why, despite being twins with Ron, Ron's bloodline was acceptable, but his wasn't.

Surely, a Metamorphmagus couldn't change their blood, right?

Of course, Hoare wouldn't doubt if he was adopted or for any other reason.

Because Hoare's appearance was almost identical to Ron's.

According to Helena, when opening the door, you should think about where you want to go.

Hoare took the lead, thinking about the sink in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

With a skeptical mindset, he opened the door.

With a "click," the door opened, revealing a slide, and looking up, he could see the open sink hole.

Harry summoned a broom, and the three flew up, the door closing automatically behind them.

Hoare's mind began to race; the surprises from Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets far exceeded the Philosopher's Stone in his possession. It was a portal to anywhere!

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