Even if it couldn't compete with the horrible monster and the strength of Salazar Slytherin in his youth, the sudden increase in power still boosted Evan's confidence.
He was immersed in joy and in a happy mood, just like Harry when he won the Quidditch Cup.
Now was not the horrific barbaric era of wars; black wizards and dangerous magical creatures no longer roamed the earth like they did a thousand years ago. Wizards no longer needed powerful magic and combat skills.
With the progress of civilization, the overall strength of the magic world was gradually weakening.
It wasn't just Black Magic and the complex process of casting spells such as the Patronus Charm and highly demanding White Magic like most would expect, even the most common duelling spells were not mastered by many people.
Perhaps it's unbelievable, but many employees of the Ministry of Magic couldn't even use the Shield Charm.
They only knew the common spells related to their work and everyday life.
It was undeniable that with the change of the times, these convenient curses had indeed made great progress, and after continuous experimentation and modification, they had reached a perfect state. With them, Wizards could accomplish almost anything they wanted to do.
The negative effect that came with this was that the ancient, esoteric, and unpopular magic was being gradually forgotten.
Wizards' need for their own magic was getting lower and lower. Besides boiling potions, they no longer needed sophisticated casting materials to assist them. Most wizards even thought that casting a spell was as simple as reading a spell and waving a wand.
Under such circumstances, Evan's magic level was now enough to rank among the first-class wizards.
Considering his age, he had an even more promising future.
As long as he did not barge up against Dumbledore, Voldemort or a monster hiding in a cave, in theory, he now had nothing to fear.
After trying to use several spells that he couldn't cast in the past, Evan, in ecstasy, thought so too, but he soon found himself wrong. He was still afraid of one person, Hermione!
Lying in the hospital bed, and looking at Hermione's frosty face, Evan had a headache, especially when he saw her stubborn little face and the tears in her eyes, he didn't know what to do.
As usual, Hermione first said a few words to Evan with a straight face.
He did not dare to refute. While Hermione was not paying attention, he made a funny face to Harry and Ron, hoping to get away with it.
But he apparently misjudged the seriousness of the situation. Hermione started crying, which was completely beyond Evan's understanding.
"YOU PROMISED ME BEFORE THAT YOU WOULD INFORM ME IF YOU VENTURED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE." Hermione rubbed her tears and choked. "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS WHEN I HEARD YOU WENT ALONE TO ARAGOG'S LAIR TO SAVE MALFOY?"
"I'm sorry, Hermione, the circumstances were…" Evan explained with difficulty.
"Sirius has just told me that there were powerful dark forces, very evil, besides the flocks of Acromantulas!" Hermione sobbed. "That monster is not something that a young wizard of your age can face…"
"I'm fine, Hermione, I came out safely. Not only was I unhurt, but I also got a lot of gains." Evan comforted her, and turned to Harry and Ron for help.
But the two of them stood there foolishly and didn't know what to do.
"Evan, you're such a jerk!" Hermione hit him hard.
Then, as no one reacted, she suddenly leaned on Evan and put her arms around his neck. She collapsed completely and cried bitterly.
"Yes, I am a jerk indeed!" Evan gently said.
There was a blank space in his head, and he patted the top of her head in embarrassment to comfort her.
It took a long time for Hermione to sniff and stand up blushed and embarrassed. Harry and Ron hurried to pretend they hadn't seen anything.
After venting, she looked much better, at least able to communicate rationally.
Evan was able to tell the three of them about his experiences in Aragog's Lair, and he repeated what he had said to Dumbledore and the other professors.
"Salazar Slytherin's shadow has subdued the monster?!" Harry said doubtfully. "But why did he leave such a thing in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Does it matter? As soon as I heard him start the story, I knew it was that old madman. He must be trying to kill all the students." Ron said in a clear tone, "First the Basilisk, then the eyeball monster, who knows how many more monsters he's hiding in school?!"
"Maybe I should show you these stones that can help solve this secret. We can try to unscramble them." Evan took out a few pieces. "I promised Dumbledore that if there's anything new, I will inform him at once."
"What should we do?" Ron hurriedly asked.
He had been staring at the stones ever since he heard Evan say that there might be a powerful magic spell left behind by Salazar.
Although he did not like Slytherin, he did not reject a possible path to becoming stronger.
"Because the last spell Salazar cast was in Parseltongue," Evan explained. "I suspect that the above text can only be identified by a Parselmouth as well!"
"Parseltongue?!" Harry was stunned.
"I don't know Parseltongue writing." Hermione approached a little and said uncertainly, "but at least, I've never seen such an ancient magic inscription before."
"It's definitely not magic writing. I've checked it before. It's exactly the same as the text on Slytherin's Locket." Evan also took out the Locket.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at the Locket again, with varied facial expressions.
Just when Sirius was still there, they had already tried the Locket one by one, knowing that Evan was getting powerful magic from it.
But no one could get an increase in power besides Evan.
Nevertheless, everyone dared not underestimate this humble Locket.
It was a private item of Salazar Slytherin. It was once selected by Voldemort as a Horcrux. This time, in the underground ruins, it helped Evan defeat the horrible monster.
This Locket was certainly not ordinary. In fact, it might be the most powerful magic item they had ever seen. It was probably a legendary magic item.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at Slytherin's Locket for a while, trying to sense the power from it.
But as before, they still felt nothing.
"What are we waiting for?!"
Ron shifted his gaze and pointed to the stones engraved with words urging. "Harry, give it a try, see if you can understand what is written on it."
"What should I do?" Harry wondered, as he couldn't understand what was written on the stones at all, and the words couldn't be connected.