Chapter 53: A Terrible Son
Ezio needed to calm down. The Mirror of Erised had brought him far too many surprises.
In fact, besides the masked man in black robes, Ezio had also seen another figure in the mirror. And the reason he was certain this person was an ancient wizard, not someone from the present, was because Ezio had recognized him.
Any student from Slytherin House would have been able to recognize who he was.
Salazar Slytherin.
A statue of him stood in the Slytherin common room; there wasn't a single little Slytherin snake who hadn't studied it. The shadow of Slytherin reflected in the Mirror of Erised was not as old as the statue in the common room, but the identical style of dress and highly similar facial features made it impossible to mistake his identity.
A wizard from over a thousand years ago, a founder of Hogwarts…
This was a piece of information that required deep thought from Ezio. But because so much time had passed, trying to start from this angle was no less difficult than spotting a whale on Saturn or finding a geoduck on Mercury.
But if this matter was connected to him, then Giovanni's death didn't seem so surprising after all. Although Slytherin was not a Dark Wizard, it was undeniable that he had studied the Dark Arts, and studied them deeply. The predecessor of the Slytherin common room was the dungeon area of Hogwarts Castle. The Slytherin of that time had kept many test subjects here, and his bad reputation stemmed mainly from his research in this area. In that dark age when wizards and Muggles were enemies, Slytherin, who possessed power beyond that of ordinary wizards, had no fondness for Muggles, which had further influenced his advocacy for pure blood.
Ezio was fairly certain that the place where Giovanni had died must have been some laboratory or similar location established by Slytherin, because there were only two wizards who had been there. On this point, the Mirror of Erised should not have given him a wrong answer.
But the identity of the second wizard was too mysterious. It was impossible to guess who he was based on the small part of his face that was visible. Black hair was not a conspicuous feature, nor were deep gray eyes. If the man had had red hair, Ezio would have immediately known who to ask for information. But unfortunately, that was not the case.
"But I will find you, no matter who you are."
Ezio stood up and shook the snow from his body. Neil, who had been waiting patiently by his side, also soared into the air with a cry, responding with a clear eagle's call.
"Enough time has been wasted. Before Christmas arrives, it's time to make them useful."
Spreading his arms, Ezio leaned forward, falling in a suicidal manner without any protection, not even magic. He landed lightly in a snowdrift, then brushed the snowflakes from his body, pushed open a door, and walked into the castle.
There was only one day left until the Christmas holidays. After lunch, the students would leave in groups. There were no classes today. If he wanted to find people, the common room was the best choice.
After arriving in the common room, Ezio found Rabastan, said a few words to him, and then returned to his own dormitory to wait for Rabastan to gather everyone.
"Not going to take a nap?"
After pushing open the door, Ezio saw Harry sitting on his bed in a daze.
"Maybe I ate too much," Harry said, rubbing his stomach. He had stuffed himself with a breakfast that had nearly made him burst in the dining hall. "But Ezio, are you okay?" he asked with some concern. He had a feeling that there was a lot hidden in the conversation between Ezio and Dumbledore this morning, but he couldn't understand it.
"Not for now. At least until I find out who that person is, I will continue to focus on my studies and make myself stronger."
"Oh, okay," Harry nodded. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out right. "They're going home for the holidays this afternoon." After hesitating for a while, Harry started. "I mean, those people will be going back today too. Will you have some… trouble later on, Ezio?"
"Those untouchables?" Ezio raised an eyebrow slightly. "Probably. After all, some of those hopeless idiots are backed by wizarding families. I don't think they'll be singing my praises when they get home."
"Then if things blow up, won't you be…"
"It doesn't matter. Since I've already done something, I am prepared to bear the consequences. Nothing in the world is perfect."
"But why are you doing all this? It can't just be for Slytherin's sake," Harry said. He considered himself to have some understanding of Ezio. He was the type of person who wouldn't touch anything that didn't benefit him. All his actions were very pragmatic, and he strove for clean, decisive results, never dragging things out.
"Of course, it's for myself," Ezio said, looking at Harry and replying calmly. "Isn't now the time to use them?"
"You may have noticed before that I always seem to be projecting an image of being very outstanding, of having a mission I must complete, that this matter is very important to me, and that no one should stand in my way. This performance has even been a bit exaggerated, hasn't it?"
Harry hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Actually, I've heard others betting on whether you… uh…"
"But that is the result I wanted. First, I displayed my value, my methods, my abilities. I packaged myself as a product, placed myself in the most conspicuous display window, and then attracted attention, even hatred. Whether good or bad, I have gained enough attention."
"I have achieved this goal. After they go back for the Christmas holidays, the name Ezio Firenze will be known by a great many wizards, especially those wizarding families."
"Then what I want will come. Whether it's a well-intentioned investment or a malicious targeting, they cannot get around one key point: what is it that I need? What is it that I truly care about?"
"For an investor, the most valuable and most precious investment in me is to satisfy my needs. Adding flowers to a brocade is not remembered; sending charcoal in a snowstorm is. And for those who want to target me with malice, grasping my weakness, hitting my fatal flaw, is their best revenge."
"In some people's eyes, to be able to get a handle on me, to use what I care about most to control me, and even to drive me to do things for them—that is the most satisfying thing for them."
"They would think: Who is Ezio? He is the most talented person at Hogwarts, a genius who will definitely shine in the future. He influenced his Head of House the moment he arrived at Hogwarts, making Snape's name resound throughout the international wizarding community. This kind of person will definitely do even more dazzling things in the future. If I can control him, the benefits to be gained are definitely worth the effort."
"You know what I'm looking for, don't you, Harry."
"I'm looking for the place where my father died. I'm looking for news of the twelve moons. But with just me alone, I can't find enough clues. This world is too big."
"I need more eyes to help me find, to help me investigate. And as long as they get clues, or even find the target, then I can obtain it. Even if someone uses this to threaten me—since it's a threat, then the difficulty of finding him, capturing him, and interrogating him for all the information is certainly much simpler than me searching for clues myself."
"In that case, haven't I achieved my goal? Compared to me groveling and begging, asking around, them proactively helping me solve the mystery is much more efficient, isn't it?"
"What's more, what I want is not some treasure. The tactic of destroying it so that I can't get it is not feasible. In fact, even destroying it is beneficial to me. Perhaps its destruction will allow me to see in the Mirror of Erised what I couldn't see before, right?"
"We are Slytherin. The process is not important. As long as the result is correct, then everything is good."
"Now I'm going to have a talk with them. They need to take this message back with them for Christmas."
"And then work hard to satisfy me, and offer me everything."
Only after Ezio had pushed open the door and left did Harry gradually come back to his senses. He now finally understood what Ezio was doing all this for. He was using his own value to the greatest extent to achieve his own goals. He also finally understood what kind of price Ezio was willing to pay to accomplish this. He was betting his own life to face the dangers that this matter might lead to.
Even though he might also be a pawn in this game, Harry couldn't feel any disgust.
"You just want to place a bouquet of flowers on your father's grave with your own hands…"
"Shouldn't… shouldn't I also go and visit my mum and dad?" At this thought, Harry suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Although his parents were gone, they were not without a grave. And from the time he had learned of this until today, he had not once gone to his parents' grave to offer them a bouquet of flowers. He clearly had more than Ezio, but he didn't know how to cherish it.
"I'm a terrible son…"
*****
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