Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 19 Revisiting an Old haunt

Under the expectant gazes of the two girls, Rice began to try to "clear his name".

He took this matter very seriously. In his view, if he couldn't even persuade two young girls, then he couldn't possibly persuade anyone else, and he would probably have to bear the infamy imposed on him by future generations forever.

This is terrible!

Why do those guys, who are good for nothing except their bloodline, insist on using my name to make a fuss? Can't they find someone else to fleece?

"First, I must explain something to you: the definition of pureblood a thousand years ago is different from the definition of pureblood now." Rice found a starting point and began to explain to Hermione and Daphne the reasons why Slytherin insisted on recruiting pureblood wizards as students.

In his time, a family that had been wizards for three generations could be called a pure-blood family, a far cry from the strict certification requirements of today.

The living environment of wizards was also very different from that of modern times. In the era when Slytherin was active, the boundary between Muggles and wizards was not as clear as it is now, and the conflict was more intense.

Back then, it was entirely possible to kill you simply because you were a wizard.

Worse still, some wizards did not stand on the side of the Muggle, but chose to join the Muggle camp, helping Muggle lords hunt down wizards and becoming deeply involved in Muggle politics.

"Using magic to defeat magic, ha!" Rice let out a strange laugh.

After recounting the situation at the time, Rice looked at Daphne and Hermione: "Now can you understand Slytherin? Only pure-blood wizards are reliable enough; the actions of the other three founders were very risky. In fact, Hogwarts has also experienced internal strife—you won't find that in 'A History of the School'."

"What civil war?" Hermione asked hastily, while Daphne looked skeptical, as she had never heard her father mention a civil war at Hogwarts.

"After Hogwarts was founded, the four founders recruited their favorite students on this land. In order to teach, the founders collected a large number of magic books and stored them in the Hogwarts library. In addition to books, they also stored a lot of raw materials for various potions."

Hogwarts' growing fame eventually attracted the covetous eyes of a local lord. The greedy lord conspired with several young wizards from nearby Muggle families, attempting to launch a coordinated attack on the castle from within.

His plan was that even if he couldn't seize Hogwarts Castle, he would force the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to pay him taxes and provide him with wizards for combat, thus making Hogwarts his vassal.

"And what was the final outcome?" Hermione asked impatiently, while Daphne also perked up her ears, eager to hear what happened next. Regardless of the veracity of Rice's account, the plot itself was captivating enough.

Rice gave them both a strange look. "In the end, of course, the founders won. How could a lord and a few good-for-nothing magic apprentices possibly be a match for the four founders? Besides, if they had lost, there would be no Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the world."

Although they did manage to breach the castle's interior.

However, from then on, there were no lords around Hogwarts, which was a good thing.

"But why would a Muggle lord dare to plot against Hogwarts?" Daphne realized the plot hole in the story and couldn't help but ask.

"He wasn't just an ordinary lord; he was also a very powerful wizard, which is why he dared to set his sights on Hogwarts. As I mentioned before, the boundary between Muggles and the wizarding world wasn't as clear back then, and some powerful wizards would try every means to obtain a title and a fief for themselves."

Although the truth was far more complicated than what Rice told Daphne and Hermione, there was no need to go into too much detail with the two girls; just giving them the general outline would suffice.

"So it seems Slytherin had his reasons for doing this." Daphne gradually began to understand Slytherin.

She came from a pure-blood family, making it easier for her to empathize with Slytherins.

"But how do you know about this?" Hermione was puzzled because Rhys seemed to know as much about this as someone who had experienced it firsthand. This was something that even Daphne, who came from a pure-blood family, didn't know.

"What has happened always leaves a trace. I saw him mention this in a letter from a medieval wizard. At the time, his friend asked him why the stairs at Hogwarts were like this, and he explained the whole story to his friend."

"What stairs?"

"You'll see when you get there."

For the rest of the time, Rice did not leave the box. Malfoy's outburst had also dampened his interest in seeing the legendary savior.

There's plenty of time; they'll meet eventually.

As darkness fell, Hermione left the carriage midway and went to the front of the train to find the driver, where she learned that Hogwarts was almost there.

"We'd better change into robes; we'll be there in thirty minutes at most."

Rice turned his gaze to the window, trying to find the outline of his memory in the rolling mountains.

He failed; even the undulating contours of the mountains were so unfamiliar that he couldn't find a single trace of familiarity.

When he turned around, Hermione and Daphne had already changed into their robes. Rice noticed that Daphne had a silver-green pattern around her cuffs.

"Have you already decided to join Slytherin House?"

Rice was a little curious because he remembered that the sorting process wasn't like this before. Students weren't supposed to know which house they would be sorted into before the opening ceremony.

"Although I don't know the result yet, I think I'll definitely go to Slytherin." Daphne didn't think there was any possibility of being sorted into another house. "My whole family graduated from Slytherin."

Rice nodded. Daphne was indeed a student who met his admission requirements. Even if he had to choose, he would still bring Daphne into Slytherin.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, and the school staff will take it to the school for you."

The driver's voice echoed through the train, and the train seemed to slow down before finally coming to a stop. Students jostled and pushed their way through the narrow aisles toward the doors, eventually arriving at a small, dark platform.

Rice followed the flow of people and arrived at the chilly platform with Hermione and Daphne.

He looked around and finally found a sense of familiarity in the surrounding scenery.

This is Hogsmeade, and Salazar Slytherin has set foot on this land again after a thousand years.

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.

Still seeking investment and continued reading

There will be another update tonight.

(End of this chapter)