“Where is this place? Who am I?” A handsome boy with skin so pale it appeared almost transparent pressed a hand to his forehead, his face contorted in pain. Memories surged into his mind like a tide, then quickly receded, leaving only a few basic frameworks and impressions, just enough to reach the limits of the boy's tender brain.
“I am Slytherin, Salazar Slytherin.” The boy finally remembered his name—he was the greatest wizard in the world and one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
A thousand years ago, as his life was nearing its end, Salazar Slytherin stumbled upon a mysterious stone. Inspired by serpents, he concocted a potion using the powdered stone. After drinking the potion, he fell into an eternal slumber akin to a snake’s hibernation.
According to plan, during his sleep, he would shed his skin every hundred years like a snake. With each shedding, his body would transform into a younger state, and he would not awaken until his physical form resembled that of a ten-year-old boy.
His bold experiment succeeded.
After awakening, Slytherin fell into confusion after a brief moment of joy: he did not know what he should do. According to the plan before his slumber, he only needed to wait for this body to gradually mature into adulthood to regain all his memories and restore his peak power. But should he find something to occupy himself during this time?
What if he went back to see?
An idea surfaced in his mind, quickly growing like wild grass within him, becoming uncontrollable. He wanted to return to Hogwarts to see what had become of the school that he and his friends had founded.
Coincidentally, the state of his body perfectly met the admission criteria, allowing him to return to Hogwarts as a student.
However, since he was going to visit incognito as a student, he could no longer use the name Salazar Slytherin; he needed a new name.
After a brief thought, Slytherin extended a finger and traced in the air. The name “Salazar Slytherin” appeared, then the letters rearranged themselves, forming a brand-new name.
“Lais Chasala Lint.”
Slytherin found this new name quite pleasing.
From today onward, he would be called Lais.
After settling on a name, Lais began to tidy up the items in the stony chamber and magically transformed a piece of white linen into a robe that he draped over himself.
Minutes later, Lais saw the sun again.
After a thousand years without seeing daylight, Lais could not help but close his eyes, enjoying the warm sunlight. The entrance of the stone chamber slowly closed behind him, ultimately disappearing, burying everything that belonged to Slytherin deep underground.
A gentle breeze brushed against his hair, carrying distant voices.
“What a lovely place…”
What were they saying? Lais frowned.
A thousand years of time had transformed the language spoken by the people living on this land beyond recognition; Lais could not understand this strange language at all.
Fortunately, he was an excellent wizard, and solving the problem before him was not difficult.
After casting a spell to understand the language, Lais finally comprehended those strange words and intonations—Muggles nearby were discussing camping matters.
Lais squinted; although he had little good impression of Muggles, a bit of interaction to learn about the changes in the world wouldn’t hurt. After all, a thousand years had passed, and even a prophet could not predict what the world would be like a thousand years later.
He walked briskly toward the voices.
Compared to the stone chamber, Lais now had a small brown pouch at his waist, which occasionally made sounds disproportionate to its size as he walked. This pouch contained the living expenses that Salazar Slytherin had prepared for his future self before his long slumber; it was all of Lais's wealth.
...
“I’m going to gather some firewood.” As soon as they arrived at the campsite, Hermione Granger volunteered for the task.
“Go ahead,” Mr. Granger replied absentmindedly, continuing to struggle with the camping tent in his hands.
“Don’t go too far, be careful, and remember to come back for tea,” Mrs. Granger reminded her a couple of times while packing. However, before she could finish, the little girl had already disappeared from Mrs. Granger's sight.
After receiving her mother's permission, the girl dashed into the woods and then encountered Lais, who came over at the sound.
To Hermione, Lais was a strange person; he wore clothes that seemed only fit for a television show, and his skin was disturbingly pale, as if he hadn't seen the sun in a long time.
But despite his odd appearance, Lais still looked like a boy of about ten years old, so Hermione didn’t feel overly cautious and instead initiated a conversation with him: “Are you here to camp too?”
“…”
“I came with my mom and dad. Where are you from? Your clothes are quite retro; is that traditional attire from your place?”
“…”
“Are you lost?”
“…”
“By the way, we don’t know each other’s names yet. I’m Hermione, Hermione Jane Granger. What’s your name?”
“Lais Chasala Lint.”
After asking a few simple questions, although Lais did not respond to most, Hermione deduced that Lais was likely a child who had gotten separated from his parents.
Out of a simple sense of justice, Hermione decided to take him to her parents to help Lais find his family.
Lais did not refuse and followed the talkative brown-haired girl back to the campsite.
Mr. Granger had already set up the tent, and Mrs. Granger was boiling water over the campfire—they had brought charcoal and solid alcohol blocks, so there was really no need to gather firewood.
“Back already? How did you come back so soon—” Mrs. Granger hadn’t finished when she saw Lais following Hermione. Without needing her daughter to explain, she guessed what had happened.
She walked up to Lais, bent down, and showed a warm smile. After believing she could gain the boy’s trust, she began to ask Lais questions.
“Where is your mom?”
“She’s dead.”
Lais spoke the truth.
Mrs. Granger: …
Hermione: ?
“Then, what about your dad?” In her panic, Mrs. Granger, realizing she had misspoken, hurriedly changed the subject.
“He’s dead too.”
Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger, Hermione: ?!
After facing repeated failures, Mrs. Granger truly didn’t know what to say; her smile froze on her face. Finally, she managed to say, “Let’s have some tea first.”