The chill of the dungeons seeped into Aarav's bones, but he didn't mind. This was Slytherin territory, and for now, his new identity granted him access to places others couldn't enter.
Especially one.
The door to the House of Serpents' Archives was hidden behind a shifting section of wall behind the fireplace, only accessible to students with Gaunt blood or—thanks to the Gold Finger system—a forged magical signature that fooled most enchantments.
"Descendant of Slytherin... confirmed."
The stone slid aside.
Inside, the chamber was ancient—walls lined with thick tomes, scrolls wrapped in silk, and dusty relics humming with dark power. Cobwebs glistened in torchlight, and a massive stone statue of Salazar Slytherin loomed at the far end.
Aarav stepped in, eyes scanning everything. He could feel the system feeding him prompts.
▶ Secret Zone Entered: Slytherin's Personal Archive
▶ Danger: Medium – Trapped Artifacts & Cursed Texts
▶ Bonuses Active: Gaunt Identity [Limited Access Granted]
▶ Skill Opportunity: Dark Arts, Parseltongue, Lost Rituals
▶ Hidden Item Detected: Beneath 3rd Shelf, Right Wing
He knelt near the indicated shelf, pulling out a heavy tome.
"Sanguis Hereditas: The Rituals of Bloodline Ascension"
The pages shimmered with enchantment.
He opened it carefully. The script rearranged itself into readable English—an effect of the system's Language Decipher perk.
"Bloodline mimicry, soul-binding masks, artificial heritage weaving…"
"These are ways to deepen my disguise... or even become more."
Suddenly—
Skill Tree Fragment Unlocked: Blood Alchemy (Rare)
Sub-Skill: Heritage Forging [LVL 1]
Aarav grinned.
"If I master this, no one—not even Dumbledore—will suspect I'm not truly a Gaunt."
Hours passed.
By the time he emerged, his robes were covered in dust, his fingers sore from channeling rudimentary spellcraft, and his screen updated with several notifications.
▶ Skills Gained:
> Spell: "Obscuro" [Level 1] – Blinds target temporarily
> Spell: "Muffliato" [Level 1] – Creates sound-dampening field
> Skill: "Ritual Reading" [Level 2]
> Blood Alchemy: +15 EXP
▶ Passive Unlocked: Eidetic Memory (Magical Texts Only)
▶ Inventory Update:
> Gaunt Ring (Replica) – Deceptive heirloom. Enhances deception among purebloods.
▶ Side Quest Started: The Forgotten Chamber
> Legend says another chamber, older than the Chamber of Secrets, lies hidden beneath the dungeons.
The next morning, Aarav sat at the long green-clad Slytherin table in the Great Hall. Whispers were still swirling, but something had shifted.
Confidence had replaced suspicion.
"Alaric," a voice said beside him. A tall, lean boy with smooth blond hair sat down. His icy eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Lucius Malfoy."
Aarav kept his expression still. "Good morning."
"You handled your Sorting well. And that archive you accessed?" He smiled thinly. "Impressive. Most students don't even know it exists."
Aarav gave a short nod. "Family privilege."
Lucius tapped his wand lightly against his goblet. "There's a war coming, Gaunt. Our kind will shape it. I'm sure you'll want to be... aligned correctly."
The unspoken message was clear.
Join the Death Eaters. Or stay in the dark.
Aarav met his gaze. "I believe in strength," he said calmly. "But I don't follow blindly."
Lucius gave a slow, calculating smile. "Very Slytherin of you."
He stood and left.
System pinged:
▶ Dialogue Choice: Neutral Response
▶ Impact: Malfoy Suspicion -2 | Respect +4
▶ Hidden Trait Detected: Natural Charisma [Level 1]
Later that evening, Aarav found himself pulled into another mystery.
A slip of paper appeared on his desk during study hour, written in looping emerald ink:
"If you are who you claim to be, meet me in the Astronomy Tower at midnight. Bring your wand. And no lies."
— S.
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
Snape.
The game had begun.
And Aarav intended to play it better than anyone.