Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 180 Rice: The way to prove I am who I am is very simple

Seeing that Barrow didn't recognize him, Rice clicked his tongue. However, he didn't blame the poor child, because he was already an old man when he took him in as a student. If Ravenclaw, who had known him for much longer, didn't recognize him, it was perfectly normal for Barrow not to recognize him when he was only ten years old.

However, he was prepared and pulled out a silver cross pendant from his pocket. But unlike the cross pendants of Muggles, Rice's pendant was wrapped with a snake, which looked rather strange and incongruous.

Upon seeing the item in Rice's hand, Blood Man Barrow narrowed his eyes: the uniquely shaped pendant stirred up his memories.

This was a gift he gave to his teacher. Although it wasn't worth much money, the sentiment behind it was profound—the cross itself was something he had obtained from a bishop, so it still had considerable commemorative value.

Since the young wizard opposite him has taken out this pendant, it means that he may be a descendant of the teacher, or that he may have some connection with the teacher. This makes it worthwhile for him to be more patient with this little guy.

"Let's find another place to talk; there are just too many 'people' here," Rice suggested.

Barrow nodded, agreeing with what Rice said. The ghostly gazes around him annoyed him, and he didn't want these guys eavesdropping on his conversation with Rice.

He knew his reputation among ghosts wasn't good, but he didn't care and was too lazy to improve his relationships. In life, Barrow was quite adept at interpersonal relationships, but since becoming a ghost, he'd truly let himself go.

The ghosts present began to whisper among themselves, but given Barrow's reputation, none of them dared to follow him and the little wizard to listen to what they were talking about—not even Peeves, who loved to play pranks.

Yes, the prankster ghost has arrived too, but upon seeing Blood Man Barrow from afar, he immediately hid under the table.

Rice and Barrow left through the back door of the underground classroom, and the two of them found a secluded spot outside the classroom.

After stopping, Rice carefully examined his student.

Compared to when he left school, he was thinner and looked somewhat haggard and disheveled, but his facial features hadn't changed much. It was just that the large patches of blood on his clothes were quite conspicuous.

"The last time I saw you was a thousand years ago," Rice said softly. "I thought that was goodbye forever, but I never imagined that I would have the chance to see you again in this lifetime."

Blood Man Barrow: ? ? ?

"What are you talking about? Why do you have the necklace I gave to my teacher? What is your relationship with Professor Slytherin?"

"I am Slytherin."

Blood Man Barrow: ...

Including the days he spent as a ghost, in nearly a thousand years, Barrow had never found anything so absurd: the young wizard before him was claiming to be his teacher, Salazar Slytherin! Did he even know what he was saying? His teacher had lived a thousand years ago!

but……

Barrow hesitated: after all, even someone like himself could survive until now, so it wouldn't be surprising if someone like his teacher could live from a thousand years ago to the present.

Rice was a little troubled; proving his identity was difficult. However, he did know some secrets about Barrow that others didn't. If he told the child this, the child might feel a little embarrassed, but he would definitely believe his identity.

"Once upon a time, there was a little wizard who wanted to give his favorite witch a unique birthday present. However, the little witch's mother was a very, very powerful wizard, and she lacked almost nothing. So he set his sights on the unicorn herd in the Forbidden Forest—he planned to catch a unicorn cub for the girl. This idea was suggested to him by one of his senior classmates who was a bit slow on the uptake."

Rice only got halfway through his sentence when the Blood Man Barrow's expression changed: his pale, transparent ghostly body suddenly became less transparent, and some flocculent sediment seemed to have formed in his spirit body.

The person before him was recounting his own story from his youth! Back then, he was a naive young man experiencing his first love, meeting a woman two years his senior. She was the daughter of the great Ravenclaw lady, a star student of Ravenclaw, the jewel of Hogwarts. He fell hopelessly in love with her; she was like a candle flame to a moth, irresistibly alluring to him.

As for that experience of capturing a unicorn cub, let's not even mention it! He overestimated his own strength and underestimated the unicorns' abilities—his backside was poked like a sieve by several adult unicorns, and he couldn't sit or lie down for months. If unicorns weren't such peaceful magical creatures, he probably would have been buried in the Forbidden Forest long ago.

He thought that everyone who knew about this matter had already returned to dust, but he never expected that a child would bring it up again after a thousand years.

No, since he knew about this, and he also had the necklace he had given to his teacher... the two clues intersected and ultimately led to one answer: the child in front of him really was his teacher, Salazar Slytherin.

Barrow's expression shifted rapidly, finally settling into a respectful one. He straightened up, bowed deeply to Rice, and said humbly, "Teacher, it's been a long time."

Seeing that Barrow believed him, Rice breathed a sigh of relief: if he still didn't believe him, he would have no choice but to reveal more bombshells.

"Fate is truly wondrous." Rice remarked with deep emotion as he faced his prized student.

A thousand years ago, I never imagined that I and Barrow would be able to communicate a thousand years later.

You've lost weight compared to before.

Upon hearing this, Barrow's expression turned bitter.

"After you left the school..." Barrow's lips trembled a few times, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end all his words condensed into one sentence: A lot happened.

Rice remained silent.

After he had a falling out with the other three founders and left Hogwarts, his students who remained at the school must have gone through a very difficult time.

Rice believed that with Ravenclaw's and others' magnanimity, they would only direct their anger at themselves and certainly not at the students below them, but the animosity and estrangement among ordinary students were not something they could erase.

"The methods I used back then were indeed a bit extreme. Although they were necessary, they did implicate you all." Rice couldn't help but sigh.

Barrow shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly: "The younger students in the house support you. The fault lies with the Gryffindor professors. After the Smith Rebellion, the school really shouldn't have continued to admit Muggle students. These guys are mediocre and have no gratitude whatsoever. They not only failed to live up to the professors' teachings but also wasted Professor Hufflepuff's hard work. You were just trying to nip it in the bud."

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.

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Today's fun picture: Hermione in Egyptian style

(End of this chapter)