Seeing that Seraphina had reasoned it out herself, the three people present all breathed a sigh of relief.
If she had continued to insist, things would have become troublesome.
Rowena had even prepared herself to use the Imperius Curse to control her directly.
Nothing could be allowed to happen to the Headmistress of Ilvermorny during the tournament. Once the competition ended, Rowena could simply control her and send her back to Ilvermorny.
As for what happened afterwards, Seraphina was already so old. Would it not be perfectly normal for her to pass away soon after such an exhausting journey?
Fortunately, she had come to her senses on her own, saving Rowena the trouble of acting.
However, Seraphina's personality was rather problematic. Although she had already concluded that Slytherin's wand was cursed and would bring only misfortune if it remained at Ilvermorny after being unearthed, she was still unwilling to voluntarily relinquish the school's ownership of it.
She had given away a treasured heirloom left by a previous headmistress. How could she answer to the distinguished figures of past generations? How would others view her as a headmistress who had "surrendered the school's rights and disgraced Ilvermorny"?
As the most empathetic and understanding person present, Helga immediately realised what was troubling Seraphina and began to mediate.
"I remember that an Ilvermorny student gained the snake wand's recognition?"
"That is correct. His name is Jack. It is quite remarkable. Although he comes from a Muggle family, he is a Parselmouth."
Helga nodded thoughtfully.
"Since the wand has recognised him, shouldn't it now belong to Jack?"
"Er..." Seraphina fell into thought.
Before today, this question could not even have been considered a question.
You wanted to take the school's treasure for yourself? What pleasant fantasy was that? Once the tournament ended, you would obediently hand it over!
But Seraphina now began to view the matter differently.
Since Jack had gained the snake wand's recognition, he was technically its master. Ilvermorny was a prestigious school with a long history and would never seize something belonging to one of its students.
Once she thought of it that way, everything suddenly became clear.
Seraphina said solemnly, "Indeed, Ilvermorny can no longer claim to 'possess the snake wand.' However, Jack is still my student..."
"We understand. But if the snake wand abandons him, there is nothing anyone can do."
Seraphina remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"Let the children resolve this matter themselves. We adults should not interfere."
Through everyone's combined efforts, they finally reached a consensus.
The moment Seraphina yielded, Dumbledore, Helga, and Rowena all breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away the nonexistent sweat from their foreheads.
Rhys watched his friends' vigorous performance without expression.
He understood everything.
Considering that Helga and Rowena had lowered themselves to negotiate with an old fool, Rhys was unwilling to ruin the favourable outcome his old friends had worked so hard to achieve and make all their efforts go to waste.
In other words, out of respect for his old friends, Rhys decided to let Ilvermorny off this time.
So he remained silent.
Helga secretly glanced at Salazar. Seeing that he did not seem to object, a burst of joy flashed through her heart.
It was settled. They had finally put this matter behind them!
"I'll arrange a match between the two of you later to decide who owns Slytherin's wand," Dumbledore said with a warm smile as he looked at Rhys. "Consider it a small diversion during the break between stages."
Rhys nodded, while Seraphina remained silent. Both sides reluctantly accepted the solution reached through mediation.
Neither side was particularly satisfied with the proposal, which meant it was instead the fairest and most impartial outcome.
"Albus, I have other matters to attend to. I'll take my leave." Seraphina quickly left the classroom.
Dumbledore followed behind her and took two steps towards the door, only to notice that Professor White and Professor Aries had not followed.
He could not help looking back and saw the two professors already standing beside Rhys, apparently preparing to exchange a few private words.
The three of them happened to be standing before one of the classroom windows. The rising sun had climbed over the distant mountains, casting its light upon the ancient castle of Hogwarts.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the three figures.
Professor White, standing in the centre of the window, seemed to be draped in a robe of gold. Professor Aries stood beside her with only half her body exposed before the window, causing the sunlight to divide her into regions of brightness and shadow.
Rhys Lint, standing on the far right, had most of his body concealed within the shadow cast by the window frame, with only a few scattered rays illuminating his robes.
Dumbledore's gaze drew their attention.
As though by mutual understanding, all three raised their heads and followed his line of sight towards him at the doorway.
An inscrutable smile appeared on all three of their faces at the same time.
Dumbledore's vision blurred for a moment, and the scene before him seemed to distort.
The boy opposite him appeared to grow older, while the elderly person seemed to become young again. The one in the middle did not change in age, but her facial features seemed to shift slightly.
Yet when he narrowed his eyes and looked carefully, everything that had just happened seemed to have been nothing more than an illusion caused by the dazzling sunlight.
The two professors and the young student were still standing exactly where he had first seen them, smiling at him.
For one fleeting moment, Dumbledore felt as though he had witnessed an era with his own eyes.
He had already grown old, while they remained young.
The carriage of the age split apart the river of time and raced past him, allowing him only a glimpse of that era's silhouette before vanishing in an instant.
After two seconds, Dumbledore finally returned their smiles and pushed open the door, leaving the classroom.
"I'll be going first. Goodbye," he murmured in a voice only he could hear.
After taking only a few steps, Dumbledore suddenly paused as a flash of understanding arose in his heart.
'Rhys Chasla Lint... Ha! What a distinctly House-like name.'
A relieved smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. He no longer hesitated and strode out of the corridor.
Watching Dumbledore's back gradually disappear into the distance, Rowena said softly, "It seems he understood something."
"He is the Headmaster of Hogwarts. There's nothing wrong with him knowing a little more," Helga replied lazily with her eyes closed, basking in the morning sunlight.
"He's an intelligent man." Rhys stretched his somewhat stiff joints. "Intelligent people understand boundaries better than anyone."
"Only intelligent people can allow us to live peaceful lives!" Rowena sighed.
"Wasn't all our hard work when we were young precisely for this comfort?" Helga said with a smile.
At that, the three exchanged knowing glances, then each tried their best to suppress the smiles on their faces.
Some people... Ha!
They were probably destined never to enjoy such a peaceful and comfortable life.
The comparison only made the three of them feel even more relaxed and content.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI