Hufflepuff quietly explained why she had hidden herself and listened to the argument earlier.
Slytherin merely waved dismissively.
"Do I look particularly foolish to you?" he asked flatly.
Then, after a pause, he laughed bitterly.
"Actually… even I think I'm quite foolish."
Hufflepuff's expression softened with concern.
Truthfully, she had understood the situation long ago.
Unlike Gryffindor—and unlike Ravenclaw, who remained astonishingly oblivious—Hufflepuff had realised years earlier that Salazar Slytherin was deeply in love with Rowena Ravenclaw.
She simply never exposed it.
Meanwhile, perhaps because he had already reached emotional exhaustion, Slytherin slowly began opening his heart to her.
He spoke quietly about his past.
About his childhood.
About his family.
He had been born into one of the wealthiest and most powerful pure-blood families in magical Britain. From birth, he possessed talent, intelligence, status, and unlimited resources.
A perfect heir.
A perfect future.
Then, when he was around twelve years old, he met Rowena Ravenclaw.
At the time, Ravenclaw was merely the orphaned daughter of a fallen magical family. Her parents had reportedly died after becoming entangled in conflict involving the non-magical world.
The two met inside a library.
And from the very first moment he saw her—
Salazar Slytherin fell completely in love.
The more he learned about her, the deeper he fell.
Her brilliance.
Her pride.
Her beauty.
Her calm rationality.
Her stubborn strength.
Everything about her captivated him.
But Slytherin always knew one painful truth.
Rowena never loved him that way.
To her, he was only a friend.
Nothing more.
So he buried his feelings forever.
Never confessed.
Never crossed the line.
He convinced himself that simply remaining beside her was enough.
One day, perhaps after she grew tired or lonely, she would eventually turn around and discover he had always been there waiting for her.
And because of that love, when Ravenclaw first proposed founding a magical school together, Slytherin joined her immediately without hesitation.
Despite his family's furious opposition.
Despite the impossible risks ahead.
He abandoned everything for her.
He even ran away from home and secretly stole a large portion of his family's wealth to help fund Hogwarts itself.
And even now—
Salazar Slytherin still didn't regret it.
Logan listened nearby with growing emotional damage.
This was no longer ordinary devotion.
This was legendary-level simp behaviour.
Honestly, it was almost impressive.
Even Logan, someone completely uninterested in romance, could clearly see how deeply Slytherin loved Ravenclaw.
Yes, the man hated Muggles.
Yes, he strongly believed in pure-blood supremacy.
But when faced with the woman he loved?
The answer already seemed obvious.
The real issue was never purely about admitting Muggle-born students.
The deeper wound came from Ravenclaw herself.
From the way she treated him.
The people who are loved fear nothing.
The people who cannot obtain love remain restless forever.
Perhaps that was the true tragedy here.
After hearing everything, Hufflepuff sighed softly.
Love was irrational.
Trying to explain it logically was meaningless.
After comforting Slytherin briefly, she finally asked the important question carefully.
"So what will you do now?"
Slytherin looked upward at the cloudy sky.
For a long moment, he remained silent.
Then he rubbed his tired eyes with one hand and exhaled quietly.
"What else can I do?"
His voice sounded strangely calm now.
"Hogwarts is all our dream. More importantly…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It's her dream."
Slytherin closed his eyes briefly.
"Setting emotions aside, I know Rowena didn't make this decision carelessly. She genuinely believes this path will benefit Hogwarts' future."
Then his expression became resolute.
"So I'll put aside my prejudice for now and watch what happens."
He looked toward the distant castle proudly rising against the horizon.
"Perhaps she's right."
"Hogwarts may truly become something greater because of this."
Logan nearly stopped functioning.
No.
Wait.
Something was wrong.
According to history, wasn't this supposed to be the point where Slytherin snapped dramatically, denounced everyone, shouted something emotionally devastating, and stormed out of Hogwarts forever?
Wasn't he supposed to become furious over admitting Muggle-born students?
Then secretly build the Chamber of Secrets before disappearing into legend?
Why was reality completely different?
At this point, Logan finally understood.
The true story behind Slytherin's departure clearly wasn't what history recorded.
There was far more hidden beneath the surface.
And apparently…
The memory fragment was finally approaching its real purpose.
.....
The world accelerated once more.
Scenes flashed rapidly.
Hogwarts construction progressed.
Students began arriving.
Teachers appeared.
Years passed in moments.
Slytherin remained at Hogwarts exactly as promised.
Though admittedly, his face looked permanently sour now.
Most people assumed he remained angry over the school's changing admission policies.
Some even privately placed bets on how long it would take before Slytherin finally rebelled and abandoned Hogwarts altogether.
Even Ravenclaw herself seemed worried he might eventually leave.
She had attempted discussing it privately with him once.
Unfortunately, the moment she brought it up, Slytherin somehow became even more upset.
Still, he stayed.
Which only made Logan more curious.
If admitting Muggle-born students wasn't the real reason Slytherin eventually abandoned Hogwarts…
Then what was?
The answer arrived sooner than expected.
As the memories continued fast-forwarding, one particular moment suddenly froze into clarity.
Slytherin happened to witness Gryffindor and Ravenclaw discussing magical theory together in a corridor.
Nothing inappropriate happened.
Nothing romantic.
Just academic conversation.
Unfortunately…
Slytherin's emotional filter immediately transformed the scene into:
Deep emotional connection.
Mutual understanding.
Perfect romantic compatibility.
The legendary founder suffered instant psychological devastation.
Honestly, Logan wanted to grab the man by the shoulders and scream at him to seek therapy.
Soon afterward, Slytherin quietly created a hidden chamber deep within Hogwarts using an ancient form of magic.
The room responded directly to human desire itself.
A place capable of becoming whatever someone needed most.
The Room of Requirement.
Logan's eyes widened instantly.
So that was the truth.
For centuries, people debated who created the Room of Requirement. Many believed Ravenclaw herself designed it due to her legendary intelligence.
Yet the true creator was Salazar Slytherin.
And judging by the timing…
Logan could already guess the reason.
Night eventually fell.
Then, unexpectedly, Slytherin invited Gryffindor to the Room of Requirement personally.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of impending emotional catastrophe, Gryffindor followed happily behind him.
Judging by the stupidly excited grin on his face…
Godric Gryffindor appeared to believe their relationship was finally progressing to "the next stage."
.....
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