Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 121 Rice: It's over, we've fallen for her trap!

"She gave me a booklet!" Upon seeing Rice, Daphne didn't even need Rice to ask before she poured out everything she had received from Ravenclaw.

However, she didn't get much; just a mini crystal ball and a very thin booklet, thicker than even the instruction manual for a Muggle radio.

"Did she say that only you can see it?" Rice asked Daphne as she took the things Daphne handed her.

Daphne's face flushed slightly: "How...how did you know?"

Because I heard it.

"I guessed." Rice glanced at the crystal ball in his hand and understood Ravenclaw's intention—it was indeed a clever method, using the crystal ball as a medium to carry magic out and trigger the spell she left behind. As for what would happen, that remained to be seen.

Is this what Ravenclaw wanted me to do? If I had known she wanted me to do this, I definitely wouldn't have agreed. At the very least, I would have asked her what her true intentions were.

Rice knew that Ravenclaw, by nature, certainly didn't want to do anything detrimental to Hogwarts. But does a good heart guarantee harmless actions? Not necessarily.

Several unpleasant memories surfaced in Rhys's mind, and she recalled the "little experiments" Ravenclaw had secretly conducted behind their backs. Ravenclaw's silence meant she had made a huge blunder.

The worst time was when all three of them had to clean up her mess.

Should they bring the crystal ball or not? Rice hesitated for a few seconds, then decided to put it on her: after all, this time they were only taking a little magic with them, and the woman's entire "experiment" was under their supervision, so it definitely wouldn't get out of control.

After figuring out how to deal with the crystal ball, it's time to tackle this booklet.

Under Daphne's expectant gaze, Rice opened the booklet and found that it was completely blank.

Daphne: ?

"So she gave me a notebook?" she asked, bewildered.

"If you can ask a question like that, you'll never get into Ravenclaw." Rhys took out his wand and gently touched the title page of the booklet with it.

Next, as if an invisible hand were writing on the booklet, beautiful Latin cursive appeared on the smooth surface of the title page: "The wind brings my goodwill, but please do not place this book in the swamp."

Rice froze, because at the very moment those words appeared, it felt like he'd been hit on the head with a club—a familiar mental spell, the work of that Ravenclaw woman!

Rice sensed a familiar style in it; Rowena had anticipated everything.

She knew that even though she had told Daphne that she was the only one who could see the book, Daphne would still give it to Rhys, so Ravenclaw left a simple little trap in the book to warn Rhys.

"Keep it, it's a good thing. Study it at home." Rice returned the booklet and crystal ball to Daphne.

"But there's nothing in this booklet." Daphne's small eyes were filled with great confusion.

"That's just her style. She won't give you anything for no reason. Everything with her requires a 'price' in exchange. Of course, you also need to meet certain 'barriers'," Rice explained to Daphne.

Unlike the other three founders, Ravenclaw is somewhat eccentric. Before teaching her students, she would give them a test to see if they had enough "wisdom." Those who failed the test were not worthy of learning from her—of course, you could also impress her in other ways and get her to give you another chance.

This blank booklet was a test set by Ravenclaw for Daphne, to see if she could figure out how to use it.

Upon receiving the booklet, Daphne followed Rice's example, poking the booklet with her wand, and a sentence appeared on the page:

Those who imitate others will never forge their own path.

Daphne: ...

"Sorry, I've blocked one way to unlock it." Rice shrugged, indicating that he really couldn't help anymore. If he continued to help, the booklet would become a "brick."

"Take your time to figure it out," Rice said, comforting Daphne before leading her back to the ground.

The moment they returned to the ground, Rice and Daphne, who was carrying the Ravenclaw crystal ball, headed to the library together—he wanted to keep an eye on Daphne as she unleashed Ravenclaw's magic, not missing a single step, lest that girl cause any more trouble.

The final exams were over, and the library was empty except for Hermione.

"At a time like this, aren't you going out to relax?" Even Rice was a little surprised when she saw Hermione: What's going on? Why is she still here?

"This is relaxation," Hermione replied, patting the book beside her with a contented air.

Dumbledore's praise of her at the graduation ceremony caused her considerable distress—because of her performance, Gryffindor and Slytherin lost the House Cup they had almost won. The Gryffindor students were actually quite alright, since they hadn't won it for several years anyway, and with Slytherin's antics to keep them entertained, they were naturally unperturbed.

Many Slytherin students were quite defensive, and quite a few made sarcastic remarks to Hermione. If it weren't for the upcoming holidays and everyone's focus on having fun, Hermione might have run into even bigger trouble.

To escape the disturbances, Hermione simply went to the library to read. For her, this was a truly luxurious experience.

Rice was filled with awe.

After chatting with Hermione for a bit, he and Daphne went to a corner of the library. This time, Daphne didn't foolishly smash the crystal ball; Rhys had already taught her the secret to opening it.

Daphne used her magic to wipe the crystal ball, releasing Ravenclaw's magic, which was trapped inside, and it seeped into the library walls.

then……

Nothing happened.

Rice lingered in the library for a while longer, but nothing happened. He couldn't help but frown: he could sense the presence of this magic in the library, but he couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

Oh no! Rice's expression changed; he had finally fallen for Ravenclaw's trap!

She had already calculated that she would definitely keep a close eye on the movement of magic and its subsequent effects. That was exactly what she wanted. She had become her free labor, helping her keep an eye on the "experiment's" progress.

Because of their distrust of Ravenclaw, Rice couldn't possibly just release the magic and leave; this was Ravenclaw's calculated move.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The second update is here, and the next update will be at midnight tonight.

(End of this chapter)