Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 25 The School Song That Made the Founder Despair

After the desserts were removed, Dumbledore stood up again, and the dining room returned to silence.

Professor Dumbledore briefly explained a few points of caution regarding the campus, and emphasized that "anyone who does not wish to suffer an accident or a painful death should not enter the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor."

Some students thought Professor Dumbledore was joking, but judging from the serious expressions of the vast majority of students, they took Dumbledore's words seriously.

While Professor Dumbledore was speaking, Rice carefully observed the professors in the faculty seating area.

In his opinion, the faculty of this Hogwarts class is quite good. Several professors exude strong magical energy, which would have been enough to make them powerful even a thousand years ago.

Professor McGonagall, who led their sorting; a short professor who clearly had some goblin blood; a middle-aged witch who looked very much like a Hufflepuff; and a middle-aged wizard with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. These four were the wizards with the most powerful magic, second only to Dumbledore.

As for Dumbledore, to the naked eye, Rhys could only see a smiling, amiable old man with a white beard. But when he used his magical senses, he felt a stinging sensation as if he were looking directly at the sun.

He was the strongest wizard he had encountered since his resurrection, and even against the Gryffindors of yesteryear, he might not be at a disadvantage—however, considering his age and physical condition, it was almost unnecessary to worry about who would be the winner.

During the banquet, Rice made eye contact with Dumbledore once, and saw a pair of blue, deep, lake-like eyes that seemed to possess some kind of magic, drawing people into their depths.

This contact lasted only a moment before it was interrupted. Professor Dumbledore gently tapped the wine glass in front of him with a golden spoon, as if raising a toast to him.

Of all the professors, apart from Dumbledore, the hook-nosed professor and the professor sitting next to him wearing a purple turban left the deepest impression on Rice.

The professor with the hooked nose exuded a kind of cold and indifferent magic, but upon closer inspection, Rice discovered that his magic could give people the illusion of burning flames.

The professor wearing a large purple headscarf surprised Rice the most. He gave Rice a vague sense of unease, but Rice couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

He decided to find an opportunity to observe him up close in the future.

While Dumbledore was explaining the school's rules, enthusiastic students were introducing the professors to the new students at the long tables of each house.

Because of her noble surname, Daphne received a very warm welcome, and Rice, who sat next to her, also benefited from it and heard a lot of information.

"That's Professor Severus Snape, the Dean of our House. He may seem difficult to get along with, but he's the best to his students. As long as you don't talk back to him to his face and are a little tactful, you won't be punished too severely."

"Don't underestimate Professor Flitwick; it's said he won a dueling tournament in his youth..."

"That's Professor Quirrell. He used to teach Muggle studies at the school, but according to reliable sources, he's going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year!"

"Huh? Why is he teaching this stuff?! Does he not want to stay at Hogwarts anymore?"

"Ahem!" Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the noise from the audience subsided. "Now, before everyone goes to bed, let's sing the school song together!" Dumbledore said loudly.

School song? !

Hogwarts now has a school song!

They originally wanted to compose one, but gave up because they couldn't find a suitable melody. They never expected that their descendants would carry on their wishes.

This is really...fantastic!

Rice became excited and adjusted his posture, sitting upright to listen to the Hogwarts school song.

What Rice didn't notice was that the smiles of the other teachers seemed to freeze after hearing Dumbledore's words.

Dumbledore flicked his wand, and a long, golden ribbon floated out, twisting and coiling like a snake above the high dining table to form lines of text.

"Each of you choose your favorite tune," said Dumbledore. "Ready, sing!"

Rice: Huh?!

Then he was stunned by the Hogwarts school song "sung" by the teachers and students: each person had their own tune, and when they were mixed together, they formed a chilling sound, as if his head was being soaked in a barrel full of live octopuses.

A perfectly good school song was sung by Hogwarts teachers and students as if it were some kind of spiritual curse.

Is this really the Hogwarts school song?! Rice's heart began to waver.

However, seeing Dumbledore conducting with such seriousness and the other students singing along "earnestly," he had to accept the reality that this was the Hogwarts school song.

Rice felt that his knowledge of Dumbledore was still too limited.

As the last note faded, applause filled the auditorium. Rice tried to comfort herself; having a school song was better than nothing. The lyrics were alright, it was just that the singing wasn't very synchronized.

This self-deception finally helped him stabilize his emotions.

Dumbledore also announced that it was time for bed and everyone could return to the common room to rest.

Students from each college staggered to their feet from the tables and, led by their respective prefects, headed toward the college's common room.

A girl with stylish curls and delicate makeup stood up from the end of the Slytherin table and announced in a clear voice, "First-year Slytherin students, please follow me."

After all the new students had gathered behind her, she led them out of the auditorium.

"The academy's common room is hidden in the castle dungeon, and I hope you will remember the way to the common room."

"By Merlin, if I ever encounter a Slytherin student wandering the dungeons searching for the entrance to the common room, I will certainly suggest that Professor Snape expedite your transfer."

The Slytherin freshmen followed their prefect, Gemma Farley, out of the Great Hall, out of the dining hall, and down the marble staircase into the castle's underground space.

The castle's underground space was extremely complex, giving it the feel of a maze, but in Rice's eyes, he knew the way around so well that he could walk it with his eyes closed.

The reason this place was built like this was certainly not because the four founders were bored. In the early days of Hogwarts, it served a military purpose for a time. However, as life gradually stabilized, the military function of the dungeons was gradually abandoned and forgotten.

However, even now, the depths of the castle dungeon remain a forbidden area, a true forbidden area, the kind of forbidden area that is magically isolated to prevent naughty little wizards from entering.

Gemma led the new students to a plain-looking stone wall.

"Pureblood".

As the command was given, the dungeon wall split open from the middle, trembling as it parted to the sides, revealing two large snakes entwined together.

After the stone walls completely separated, the giant snake also untangled its coiled body, forming an archway.

The Slytherin common room was thus revealed to the new students.

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The next update will be in the early morning. I'll try to update it earlier, but I still recommend reading it after you wake up in the morning.

(End of this chapter)