Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 170 In the future, I will build a magic school!

Rice's gaze deepened, becoming profound, as memories of the past flooded back...

Outside the window, the wind and snow howled, battering the walls and wooden door of the cabin. The dilapidated hut always gave the impression that it would be blown down by the wind at any moment, but under the combined protection of the four young magicians, it would remain safe even in the fiercest typhoon.

"So if we can cast spells to make the cabin indestructible, can't we also use spells to warm it up inside?" Helga asked, looking at her friends who were starting a fire and chopping wood.

"That's magic!" Salazar Slytherin chuckled, fiddling with the firewood in his hands. "Knowing how to fortify a cabin doesn't mean you've mastered the magic of keeping warm. But you can ask Godric; he's an expert at playing with fire."

Helga turned his gaze to Gryffindor, but the young knight shook his head, indicating that he was powerless to help.

In such a blizzard, a small flame conjured with magic wouldn't dispel the chill of the wind and snow, and going all out would be too taxing on the energy and stamina of a young wizard like Gryffindor. A moment of carelessness could set the entire house ablaze. So, the safest course of action was to build a fire with wood to keep warm.

"I didn't expect you to be so skilled in carving?" Helga noticed two exquisite small wooden carvings next to Salazar. She moved closer and took a closer look, only to find that he had just carved a lion and a snake.

The carved animals are lifelike, and next to the finished wood carvings is a pile of wood shavings that can be used to start a fire.

Salazar gave her a strange look, said nothing, picked up another piece of wood, took out his wand, and pointed it at the wood with the tip.

Wood shavings fell from the wood, and soon, a lifelike little badger appeared in Salazar's hands.

"I am a wizard, Helga." Salazar placed the carved badger into Hufflepuff's hands.

Sarakha realized that if they didn't need some sawdust, he could have easily turned the wood into small animal shapes. Of course, ultimately, he was just incredibly bored; the four of them were trapped here by magic and snowstorms, and there was simply nothing else to do.

Helga: ...

Her face flushed red, and she fell silent. Instead, she took the wooden carving Salazar had finished and placed it by the fireplace.

"I'd better burn them for warmth," she muttered to herself, but her gaze fell on Slytherin sitting to the side.

Salazar didn't react much, just sat there and continued to fiddle with the firewood that Gryffindor had chopped. He was considering what to carve for the next animal, or perhaps just a human-shaped statue.

"Hey, am I really going to burn this? Maybe I can start with this little snake—"

Salazar: ?

"Firewood is for burning!" He looked up and glanced at Hufflepuff with a puzzled expression, not understanding what she was doing.

Helga frowned, speechless at Salazar's words. Even though Slytherin had said that, she didn't burn his work as firewood. Instead, she carefully set aside the finished wooden carvings and lit a fire with ordinary firewood.

After the fire was lit, Helga started cooking. Soon, the house was filled with the aroma of stew.

While waiting for the food to cook, Helga spoke up, "Salazar, could you teach me that spell you just used? I can trade one of my food spells for it—a spell to keep meat fresh."

Slytherin was taken aback by her words: How could such an excellent wizard as Helga not know such a simple transfiguration spell?

"I really don't know how." Helga's face turned even redder. "I only know some food magic that my mother left me, and a few not-so-sophisticated earth spells."

Upon hearing Helga's words, the other three people in the cabin sighed in unison: Helga's difficulties were also their difficulties.

Each of the four had weaknesses. Slytherin only knew potion-making and some basic Transfiguration and offensive/defensive spells, while Ravenclaw had very little practical experience and their knowledge of magic other than Transfiguration was basically limited to "seeing" or "hearing" about it. As for Gryffindor, they were even worse; in their own words, they were just knights who could "put flames on their swords and shields."

This is the current state of affairs for wizards. Apart from their family's inherited magic, learning other spells is extremely difficult. The only other way to acquire knowledge, besides exchange, is through killing. Many wizarding families understand this, so spells are passed down orally. Except for extremely confident magical families, almost no wizard in this turbulent era will write down their spells in books.

It is said that some young witches are willing to work like slaves for half-buried old men for years, literally, for a spell or a potion recipe, and other wizards understand this and even think that she is getting a good deal.

Going north or south to seek refuge with the gods is one option, but it's not as good as being a slave to an old man! Because old men and women will eventually let you leave, but gods who are almost immortal can enslave you for a lifetime, and that's true freedom from ever being able to rise again.

Slytherin remained silent for a long time before agreeing to Helga's suggestion. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw rose together, preparing to retreat outside.

"There's no need."

Unexpectedly, Slytherin stopped them and gestured for them to sit down and listen together.

"It's a clumsy trick anyway, there's really no need to avoid it. If you go out and come back in, all the warmth that we've managed to build up in the room will just disappear." Slytherin wrapped his robe tighter around himself, indicating that it was best for them to stop making a fuss.

Gryffindor chuckled awkwardly and returned to their seats, while Ravenclaw stood there, looking thoughtful. Slytherin ignored her and began their lecture.

However, he wasn't as selfless as he appeared. Slytherin had many ulterior motives in mind—Gryffindor was his good brother, and there was nothing they couldn't share. Ravenclaw, on the other hand, was a master of Transfiguration, and she couldn't possibly be unfamiliar with such a rudimentary skill; it wouldn't hurt to let her hear it.

After listening to Slytherin's explanation, Hufflepuff suddenly understood. She picked up a piece of wood and quickly "carved" it into the shape of a badger.

"Amazing!" Slytherin was extremely impressed by someone who could learn something after hearing it only once.

"You're right." Hufflepuff's face turned red again.

"You can do it like this too." Ravenclaw stepped between the two, took out his wand, and tapped the badger in Hufflepuff's hand, and it began to move.

"Actually, the principle is very simple..." She also shared a little trick of transfiguration, which opened Salazar and Helga's eyes.

Gryffindor, standing to the side, was deeply impressed: After this exchange, all four of them had gained something; one person might not be able to learn so many spells even after a year of solo adventure.

"If in the future there were a wizard as skilled in dueling as I am, as knowledgeable in potions as Salazar, as adept at Transfiguration as Ravenclaw, and with Helga's mastery of food magic, that guy could practically rule the world," Gryffindor exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

The Slytherin sitting next to him laughed: "We can take on an apprentice, teach him all the spells we know, and then train him to be the strongest wizard."

This was the funniest joke ever! Gryffindor and Slytherin burst out laughing: This idea was so naive! Why should they teach a stranger the spells they had painstakingly collected? In the wizarding world, it was impossible to do something like this without blood ties!

If we really want to achieve the effect Slytherin described, then this child would probably have to be the child of all four people present.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff both lowered their heads, seemingly deep in thought.

After a while, Hufflepuff suddenly raised his head and told his three friends that he would build a magic school in the future to pass on his food magic.

Gryffindor and Slytherin looked up at the same time, their faces filled with astonishment, not understanding why Helga would make such a choice.

To their even greater surprise, Ravenclaw actually supported Hufflepuff's decision.

"Did you put some mushrooms in your mushroom soup that you shouldn't have?" After a long silence, Slytherin finally uttered these words.

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.

Update delivered!!! I'll try to finish the next chapter before midnight tonight.

I've been working overtime a lot these past few days, which has affected my updates, but thankfully the holiday is coming soon, and I'll catch up on everything!

Funny picture: My Professor Snape looks like he's a good cook.

(End of this chapter)