"Hm?" Cedric felt as if his brain had stopped working altogether.
To summarize his current mood: Don't talk, I'm thinking—don't talk, I'm burning—don't talk, I'm taking exams!
A few short phrases clashed wildly in his mind, even echoing, making it nearly impossible for him to think straight.
Helga simply smiled at him, waiting for him to calm down. She knew this was difficult to accept, but it was the truth. As for why she would tell a child something so shocking—Helga had always been an honest person. She didn't wish to hide such things from her students; she could never imitate Rhys's way of handling matters.
Still, Rhys had his own reasons for doing things that way. After all, Daphne and the others were still young. Once they grew up, he would definitely reveal everything to them.
After a few minutes, Cedric finally came back to his senses. Once his intelligence returned to his head, his first reaction was—How do you prove that you're really Hufflepuff?
It was hard to believe. One of the founders of Hogwarts, a legendary witch whose name had been known across the seven seas a thousand years ago, was now standing right in front of him, wanting to take him as her apprentice. Anyone in his position would question it first.
Helga found herself in the same predicament Rhys had faced—having to prove "I am myself" without any form of identification. She didn't know as many secrets about others as Rhys did, but she had her own unique advantages.
"You already think I'm a wizard who's returned from centuries ago," Helga countered with a question of her own, leaving Cedric speechless.
Yes—Helga Hufflepuff truly had lived centuries ago. If he could already believe that "Professor White" came from hundreds of years in the past, then why couldn't he accept that she was Helga Hufflepuff herself?
Cedric gradually began to believe what Helga said.
And when he thought about it that way, everything before him finally made sense—why Hufflepuff's underground chamber was filled with Professor White's inventions, why she was so familiar with every corner of this place. It was because Professor White was Hufflepuff! Her deep understanding came from being its very creator.
"My god, this is unbelievable… but when you think about it, it actually makes perfect sense," Cedric muttered to himself.
Helga only smiled without saying a word.
She decided that one shocking revelation was enough for today. As for the existence of Salazar and Rowena, she would leave that for them to reveal when they wished.
Once Cedric calmed down and accepted who she was, Helga finally spoke.
"Diggory, I think you already understand why I brought you here. As I said before, you are one who has been acknowledged—you are the heir I have chosen."
Cedric's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
"When we four founded Hogwarts, we each established an heir for a purpose…" Helga began to explain to Diggory what the title of "Heir" truly meant. But midway through her explanation, Cedric suddenly realized something.
"Professor Hufflepuff, if you have an heir, then the other three founders…"
"They have theirs as well," Helga replied, "but that's not today's topic. You'll meet them in the future."
She acknowledged the existence of the other heirs but did not reveal their identities.
Even with just that vague bit of information, Cedric instantly deduced quite a lot. First, the legacies of the four founders had not been broken. Second, the heirs of the other three founders were still alive—otherwise, the professor wouldn't have said he would meet them. Unless, of course, she was making some dark joke implying that he'd meet them after death—but that wasn't the kind of person Professor Hufflepuff was.
His mind began spinning rapidly as he tried to narrow down which wizards could possibly be the heirs of the founders.
Starting with Gryffindor—Cedric didn't even need to think twice. It had to be Albus Dumbledore. Who else could be more fitting to inherit Gryffindor's legacy?
Then came Slytherin. Could the heir be the Dark Lord? But the Dark Lord had already fallen—so how could he possibly meet him in the future? Was Professor Hufflepuff implying she wanted him to "clean house" on Hogwarts' behalf? Setting the Dark Lord aside, the young lady from the Greengrass family in Slytherin also seemed highly suspicious. She was powerful, possessed knowledge of many mysterious spells, and came from an ancient pure-blood family—she fit Slytherin's standards perfectly.
As for Ravenclaw's heir, that was harder to guess. There didn't seem to be any obvious candidate…
Cedric's thoughts began to drift.
"Lastly, when we choose heirs, it's because we hope you can learn something from us—to reach the pinnacle of magic." Helga looked at Cedric with eyes full of expectation. She had high hopes for this student. She wanted him to become the finest among all the heirs.
"The pinnacle of magic?" Cedric caught the key phrase, but he couldn't quite grasp what it truly meant. Was it like the flames described in history books—those capable of burning down half a city?
"That's the reason I brought you here," Helga said, gently clapping her hands. "Here, I can control everything. It allows me to better show you the events that once happened."
In the next instant, Cedric found himself standing by the Black Lake. Cold rain poured from the sky, and in the distance, he could hear thunderous cheers echoing like crashing waves. He immediately recognized the scene—it was the day of the Quidditch match against Gryffindor.
Helga appeared beside him and waved her hand, creating a barrier that shielded him from the falling rain.
"Professor, why are we—" Cedric began to ask, but then abruptly fell silent. His eyes widened as he saw hundreds of Dementors drifting toward them.
He stared intently, unwilling to miss even a single detail. The Dementors were flying toward the Quidditch pitch when suddenly they froze in midair—then the very ground beneath them surged upward, swallowing them whole.
From a safe distance, Helga stood quietly beside Cedric, watching in silence as the events of that night unfolded.
When the once-flat ground became part of the Black Lake, Cedric finally understood what "the pinnacle of magic" truly meant.
He looked toward Professor Hufflepuff, standing beside him, and asked dryly, "Professor, so… the school's defensive magic—?"
Helga glanced at him. "I believe the founders themselves count as part of the school's defense system."
Cedric: …
He quickly changed the subject. "Professor, was that the pinnacle of magic just now? That was incredible—hundreds of Dementors wiped out in an instant—"
"No." Helga interrupted him firmly, her tone serious. She told him that what he had just witnessed was nowhere near the pinnacle of magic. At best, that level of power was merely the aftermath of the battle fought back then.
Cedric: ?!!
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