The article on the Daily Prophet's second page described how Dumbledore had used an "awe-inspiring" spell the previous night to incinerate several dark wizards who had sinister intentions, reducing them to ashes.
The flames reportedly burned for a full quarter of an hour, with numerous witnesses observing Dumbledore's fiery punishment.
Naturally, his methods sparked controversy, though there were many who supported Dumbledore.
After all, those dark wizards had been attempting to infiltrate Hogwarts, and no one could be certain of their true intentions.
As Astoria read the paper, Daphne watched her, contemplating whether to erase her sister's memory—one less person knowing meant one less risk.
But after a moment of thought, she abandoned the idea.
After all, Astoria was her sister, and it wasn't as if Daphne's actions were truly significant secrets. Why bother targeting her sister over it?
Astoria, oblivious to her sister's musings, sat beside her, engrossed in the news and occasionally making remarks with Daphne about the arrogance of those dark wizards.
Then, she suddenly realized something.
"Sister, why did Rhys leave? Was it because of those dark wizards?"
Daphne pursed her lips. The perceptive little brat!
"So what if it was, and so what if it wasn't? His whereabouts don't concern you."
Hearing her sister's response, Astoria puffed up her cheeks.
Daphne's words clearly implied that Rhys's departure was related to the dark wizards who had infiltrated the school, yet she made it clear that this had nothing to do with Astoria.
"But I've studied magic with Rhys too! I have a right to know where he's gone! Maybe I could even help!" Astoria argued defiantly.
Seeing her sister so flustered filled Daphne with delight and a sense of superiority, making her completely forget that she, too, had initially been left in the dark by Rhys. If she hadn't been observant enough to see through the fake Rhys, she would be in the exact same position as Astoria.
With a smile creeping onto her face, Daphne replied, "This isn't something you need to know. I'm the one helping Rhys handle things. I'm the person he trusts most; otherwise, why would he have me controlling his stand-in?"
Astoria's face turned visibly red with frustration.
"Alright, it's getting late. I have class to attend. Rhys, let's go." Feeling thoroughly superior, Daphne rose from her armchair and headed to class with the fake Rhys by her side.
Initially, Daphne had been a bit worried the fake Rhys might give itself away during class, but his capabilities exceeded her expectations.
He could perform simple spells independently, and though complex tasks required her intervention, a full day of classes passed without encountering anything the stand-in deemed "complex."
After finishing dinner, Daphne and the stand-in went to the library together. They had only been seated for a short while when Rhys appeared, dropping into the chair beside Daphne with a long, contented sigh.
Although the three bases Vigo managed were all located in North Africa, they were still very far from each other.
Besides the one in Egypt, one was near the Persian Gulf, and the other was by the Atlantic Ocean, with thousands of kilometers between them.
Rhys also had to remove informants who had been directly reporting to Vigo. The journey was exhausting, even for him.
"You're back? So soon?!" Daphne was surprised and a bit flustered, wondering if her antics from that morning might have been exposed. Astoria wasn't around, and she had erased Malfoy's memory… No, there shouldn't be any issues!
Daphne regained her confidence.
Rhys glanced at her briefly without further reaction and immediately altered the face of his stand-in, who sat across from him, to avoid any risk of others seeing two Rhys's together.
"How did it go?" Daphne eagerly asked, dying to know what Rhys had been up to.
"Destroyed three hideouts and uncovered a bunch of informants, but not much valuable information," Rhys answered honestly.
First, he thought it would be good for the girl to learn some of the Order's secrets — fighting or direct contact could wait, but knowledge was always helpful. Second, he sensed Rowena Ravenclaw's presence nearby and thought he might as well tell Daphne here rather than make a trip to the dungeons later.
"The only valuable thing was this, which is related to one of the Four Founders, Helga Hufflepuff's whereabouts." Rhys took out a small bronze cup.
As soon as Rhys spoke, he sensed Rowena Ravenclaw's eagerness.
Her figure emerged from the bookshelves behind Daphne, her gaze fixed intently on the bronze cup on the table. Daphne, meanwhile, was completely captivated by the curious little cup before her, entirely oblivious to Ravenclaw's appearance.
It was clear that Ravenclaw was deeply concerned about her old friend's whereabouts, and Daphne was also very intrigued by the missing founder.
"Unfortunately, it's a very indirect clue… All I know is that she once visited a certain pharaoh's tomb," Rhys said. The moment he finished, Ravenclaw vanished.
She understood, too, that this level of information was little more than a comfort, making it highly unlikely they could track down Hufflepuff with it.
"So, this cup can really turn water into wine?" Daphne asked, imagining the cup's function and recalling a well-known figure among Muggles with similar powers.
"It could once, but now it's damaged," Rhys replied, demonstrating as clear spring water swirled inside the cup before turning into a sour, dark liquid.
Even in its broken state, the cup fascinated Daphne. She picked it up, examining it closely from every angle.
"By the way, did you know the stand-in has a 'recall' function?" Rhys asked casually, introducing her to one of the stand-in's hidden features as she was engrossed with the cup.
"What—?!" Daphne's smile vanished, and she nearly jumped in surprise.
Following the law of smile conservation, her expression had now transferred onto Rhys's face.
"It seems you really didn't know. Here, let me show you," Rhys said, standing up and placing his hand on the stand-in's shoulder.
"No, no…" Daphne shook her head weakly, but couldn't think of a reason to stop him.
Daphne's reaction practically had "I did something bad" written all over her face, sparking Rhys's curiosity about what exactly she had done to his stand-in.
So he promptly activated the recall function.
"Rhys, bring me breakfast."
"Rhys, feed me breakfast."
"Rhys…"
A string of commands spilled from the stand-in's mouth, leaving Rhys in silence for a long while.
"..."
"What the..."
"Daphne, you're a true Gryffindor at heart!"
Rhys finally exclaimed, genuinely ...impressed?
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