The Mysterious Ancestral Portrait: Jon's Connection to Helga Hufflepuff

"Of course... not great."

Helga playfully tapped Jon's head: "It's a secret, you know? The meaning of a secret is that it shouldn't be shared."

"But you mentioned that you asked Dumbledore to investigate the condition of your descendants. Dumbledore should be aware of your existence, right?"

The matter regarding her descendants was revealed by Helga herself, and indeed, there was a witch named Hepzibah Smith in the original story. She was associated with Horcruxes, so Jon still remembered a description of her.

"She was a very, very fat old lady, wearing an exquisite ginger-colored wig, and her flamboyant pink robes spread around her, making her look like a melting ice cream cake."

This pure-blood witch, who died at the hands of Voldemort in 1946, claimed to be a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff during her lifetime. She was killed by Tom Riddle, who was searching for Horcruxes, because she possessed Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Salazar Slytherin's locket. This memory came from Hepzibah's house-elf, Hokey.

Now it seemed that this witch did not lie about her lineage because it had been confirmed by Helga Hufflepuff herself.

Hepzibah's wealth was probably due to inheriting a large ancestral fortune. However, this old witch did not live particularly well in her later years. She lost her husband and had no children, only various rare antiques and endless wealth.

But to be more accurate, if Jon's guess was correct, he was the descendant of this witch.

Calculating the timeline, the witch died in 1946, killed by Voldemort; otherwise, she would have lived for some more time. Jon also knew that his grandfather's father, the first mute member of the Smith family, was sent to live with distant relatives after he turned 11. That was the ancestral estate Jon had inherited.

This ancestor was born in 1898, a time when witches tended to have children early, which matched up.

She was a woman who gave birth to a mute child, lost her husband, and ended up as a pitiful but wealthy old lady.

Jon didn't have much inclination to pity this witch who was supposedly his great-grandmother. His previous conjecture was denied by Helga. She said Dumbledore did not know the secret of the portrait, so Jon was the only one who knew.

"But I think you must have brought me here for a reason because... as you guessed, I was not aware that I carried your bloodline. So, you must have other intentions, right? If there's something I can do to help, I will do my best."

"Well, you are indeed a clever boy. If it weren't for... I would even suspect you are a descendant of Ravenclaw."

Jon speculated that his ancestor might have wanted to reveal a bit of privacy about Lady Ravenclaw, perhaps something related to her daughter who betrayed her mother. However, Jon wouldn't ask these questions. It was enough to have guessed it. Asking too much would be annoying.

"I don't have anything for you to do. I just wanted to warn you about something. When you entered the common room, I sensed a peculiar aura around you. It was like a curse, but I couldn't detect it because 'it' is too mysterious."

Helga's expression gradually became solemn. In fact, she had even more serious suspicions, but she didn't want to voice them because the child in front of her was still too young and might not understand certain things.

Her troubled emotions made Jon nervous. He quickly ate a delicious biscuit to ease his tension.

"Well... I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I sensed this aura on Salazar and even on Dumbledore when he first enrolled. You should be familiar with both of these individuals, right?"

Helga saw Jon nod, so she continued: "Every accomplished wizard...

2 / 2

"They all once possessed this aura, but without exception, their endings were not great. You, however, are an exception. I have never seen two individuals simultaneously possessing this aura. Perhaps you can help Dumbledore as well. He's also a pitiful man." Helga spoke mysteriously. She didn't know that Jon had already grasped Dumbledore's fate, as she was just a remnant soul incapable of making precise prophecies or changing anything. Over the past thousand years, she had wandered within the portraits at Hogwarts, and no one had entered this painted world to speak with her. Her portrait was imbued with powerful magic, and her descendants also revered her reputation. Besides occasionally asking the current headmaster to check on her descendants, she rarely initiated conversations. Jon was an exception; as a bloodline descendant, his consciousness could enter the painted world.

"Alright, I promise, if it's within my ability," Jon pondered and agreed. This matter might not be troublesome for him.

"But can I come here to see you in the future?" To be honest, Helga's expertise in food magic was unparalleled. At least, the biscuits here were the tastiest Jon had ever eaten in his memory.

"Magic has its limits," Helga patted her descendant's shoulder. "Your recent visit has already burdened the magical space too much. You may not be able to come in for a short time. However, I can teach you the strengthening magic for the painted space. Of course, not right now."

This answer was within Jon's expectations, but he still asked, "Can I take one of your portraits from Hogwarts? I have an ancestral estate. Perhaps, in that way, we can freely converse in the future."

Having a legendary witch teaching him magic, Jon felt that his future days might be smooth sailing.

"Oh, that's a bit difficult. My magic is applied to all my portraits at Hogwarts, you know. Hogwarts does not tolerate theft, and all the castle's possessions belong to Slytherin... Oh, I think I do know a portrait that you can take with you."

Jon's mood fluctuated like a rollercoaster, and then he heard Helga say, "Ravenclaw left behind a magical house at the school, a house with powerful transfiguration and spatial magic. One of my portraits is in her personal study. Originally, all four of us were hung in that room, but due to certain events, only my portrait remains with traces of magic. You can take that portrait. I'll tell you the method to enter that house later... But how can you bring such a large portrait out?"

Jon mysteriously smiled, "Well, I might actually have a way."