Return of Salazar Slytherin

For the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, today was completely absurd.

As a sacred and pure species, unicorns—whose bodies were full of magical properties—were often coveted by wizards.

The pregnant female unicorn currently immobilized by Helga Hufflepuff was among the more worldly-wise of her kind. She knew some dark wizards lusted after their blood, that the horn on her forehead was highly valuable, and had even heard rumors that their tail hairs could fetch a good price among witches and wizards. But someone wanting her milk? That was a first!

This was just too bizarre!

The unicorn uneasily shifted her body, trying to pull her belly in, visibly unwilling.

Due to the unicorn's lack of cooperation, Helga's efforts kept being frustrated. She raised her hand and gently patted the unicorn's back in a soothing gesture.

"There, there, I just want a little milk—just a bit, I promise I won't take too much!"

Helga's voice was soft and calm, like it carried some magical charm that helped put the unicorn at ease.

The unicorn stared at her with big, luminous eyes, as if trying to determine whether Helga was telling the truth.

Seeing that her words were having an effect, Helga continued to soothe it: "I would never harm you. You're such beautiful creatures—the most magnificent beings in the entire Forbidden Forest!!"

The unicorn blinked: This person… really doesn't seem to have any ill intent?

Unicorns had an extremely keen sense for good and evil. After quietly observing Helga for a while, the unicorn decided to trust her.

"Good baby, sweet darling~" Though the unicorn before her had already given birth to foals, Helga still cooed at it with affectionate words, calling it "baby" and "sweetheart" from left and right, coaxing it into a cheerful mood.

"I really just want to taste a little unicorn milk, I promise I won't take it for free—I'll definitely give you a reward you'll be satisfied with…" Helga continued stroking the unicorn's back as she released the magical bindings on its limbs.

Her sincerity touched the unicorn, and it fully relaxed. Its round belly drooped down, a clear sign that it had agreed to Helga's request.

Seeing the unicorn give in, Helga was overjoyed. She immediately pulled out a clean glass jar from her robes and tapped it lightly with her wand. The jar expanded more than tenfold, becoming a small glass pail.

Crouching by the unicorn's belly, Helga began milking it with practiced, skillful hands.

But Helga wasn't exactly being modest with her definition of "a little." Despite what she'd said, she didn't stop until the jar was completely full.

Lifting the heavy, brimming container in her hand, Helga's face lit up with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

When she turned her head, she saw the unicorn staring at her with pitiful eyes, displeased with how much milk Helga had taken under the pretense of "just a little."

With so much gone, what's left for my baby?

The foal nestled beside its mother even plucked up its courage and let out a few cries at Helga, voicing its own displeasure.

"I told you, I wouldn't shortchange you," Helga said as she pulled a jar of honey from her sleeve and placed it in front of the unicorn.

Then, like performing a magic trick, she began pulling out magical carrots, pumpkins, and all sorts of vegetables from her basket—as a small compensation for the unicorn family.

After setting down the "nutritious offerings," Helga Hufflepuff left the forest clearing. Before leaving, she even waved goodbye to the unicorns.

Feeling confident in her rapport with them, Helga believed she would likely have a steady supply of unicorn milk in the future.

Full of the joy of harvest, she made her way out of the Forbidden Forest. She was already planning how to handle the unicorn milk—some could be used to make cheese, the rest to make yogurt; just boiling it and drinking it plain felt like too much of a waste.

Suddenly, a strange click-clack sound echoed from the surrounding woods.

Helga halted, puzzled. It was a sound she'd never heard before. In the very next second, a massive spider leapt at her from the trees.

It should have been a flawless ambush—the spider had chosen its timing with remarkable precision and attacked decisively.

Its only mistake was picking the wrong target.

With just a slight sidestep, Helga easily dodged the spider's seemingly inescapable strike. A flick of her wand, and the creature was instantly immobilized.

"Oh? Now that's a species I haven't seen before," Helga muttered, stepping closer to examine the Eight-Eyed Giant Spider in front of her.

The spider's appearance was terrifying—enough to send most people screaming in fear. But Helga didn't even flinch. Instead, she calmly reached out and poked its body a few times.

"I've heard that some Muggles cook with spiders. This one's a bit large, yes, but it's still a spider…" Helga looked at the enormous creature thoughtfully.

First, she had to confirm whether the meat was poisonous.

Helga Hufflepuff quickly removed one of the spider's legs.

Seeing the crystal-clear, tender white flesh beneath the shell, she judged that it was most likely non-toxic.

Carrying antidotes with her at all times, Helga decided to try it immediately.

She took out a small silver knife, sliced off a piece from the cross-section, and popped it into her mouth to chew.

After just two bites, her eyes lit up: the texture was excellent—crisp, tender, and sweet, somewhat similar to lobster. More importantly, it was completely non-toxic!

Encouraged by the discovery, Helga swiftly disassembled the entire Eight-Eyed Giant Spider—but was a bit disappointed to find that only the leg meat was clean and suitable for human consumption. The rest, including the venom sacs, weren't very edible.

She discarded all the inedible parts, keeping only a few spider legs before leaving the scene.

On her way back, she even picked some mushrooms, planning to cook a delicious mushroom stew.

Upon returning to Hogwarts Castle, she didn't even stop for lunch.

She immediately got to work storing the freshly harvested ingredients. Once everything was properly preserved, Helga already had several recipes in mind.

The next morning, during breakfast, Rhys received an invitation.

Sitting beside him, Daphne leaned over curiously, wanting to see what the letter said.

"Professor White invited me to her office tonight for food…" Rhys said as he raised a hand and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Eh? That sounds amazing!" Daphne's eyes were filled with envy. "Professor White is a master of food magic—her cooking must be incredible."

Back in the desert, the things Ms. White had cooked for her had left a deep impression on Daphne. That made her extremely jealous of Rhys being invited for a meal.

Rhys didn't respond immediately.

His experience told him that when Helga offered you food, and you hadn't seen the original form of the ingredients, it was best to remain cautious.

Soon, he came up with a pretty good solution. "Daphne, Astoria—would you two like to come to Professor White's dinner too? I think I can bring you along."

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