Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 255 I am Slytherin, Salazar Slytherin

Having made his decision, Mr. Henry walked straight out of his study without any hesitation. His daughters instinctively stood up from their seats, but the study door slammed shut behind them.

Henry didn't want his daughters involved in the conversation. As an adult, he knew very well that knowing too much wasn't a good thing.

Arriving outside Rice's bedroom, Mr. Henry knocked on the door very politely, as if he were not in his own home.

"Come in." The door opened automatically, and Rice was sitting at the bedroom desk reading a book—a Muggle-published book about Egyptian customs and culture.

Reading Muggle books in the ancestral home of a pure-blood family would be considered utterly outrageous in some families, such as the Blacks or Malfoys, but the Greengrass family was more progressive and didn't care much about it.

Their family even maintains a very weak connection with the non-magical world through Squibs within the family!

Rice wasn't surprised to see Henry Greengrass: it would have been surprising if he hadn't come to talk to him!

Putting yourself in his shoes, no one would feel completely at ease about something like this. But judging from his expression, he seems quite agitated?

Although Rice was staying in a "bedroom", the Greengrass family did not arrange for him to have a small room with only a bed and a wardrobe. Instead, he was given a large room with a bathroom and a total area of ​​nearly 50 square meters. The bedroom even had a place for guests to receive guests.

Henry, the head of the household, was the "guest" Rice was meeting today. He sat down in the armchair closest to the desk, wanting to say something, but the words caught in his throat.

This made the atmosphere in the room a little strange, but fortunately Rice didn't rush him. She just sat quietly in her seat and waited for him to speak.

After thinking carefully for a while, Mr. Henry's first words were, "Thank you, Mr. Lint."

Rice's gaze fell on his slightly reddened eyes, realizing that Daphne must have told him about healing Astoria.

She's only saying this now? Rice was a little surprised.

"Don't mention it, she's someone blessed with good fortune. I feel a great sense of accomplishment for curing her."

Mr. Henry interlaced his fingers and pursed his lips: Rice's words revealed that he didn't care about other people's gratitude, but was simply immersed in the sense of accomplishment of overcoming the problem.

This kind of spirit is extraordinary. Even those renowned pharmacists and potion masters don't have this kind of aura. So who exactly is he?

"The Greengrass family will always remember your contributions, and you will always be my friend," Mr. Henry said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. I just couldn't bear to see such a talented person die young, so I did what I could." Rice smiled helplessly. He didn't treat Astoria for the sake of this so-called friendship, but let Henry think what he wants.

Mr. Henry clearly saw Rice's expression, which made him somewhat uneasy: it was obvious that Rice really didn't take what he had implied or promised to heart.

You see, even if Rice said he wanted to be Minister of Magic, Henry would do everything he could to get him into that position. That’s the weight of the “Greengrass family friendship”.

He mustered his courage and asked the question that concerned him most: "Alright then, please forgive my intrusion... May I ask who you are?"

"Me?" Rice looked up at Mr. Henry. "My name is Rice Lint now."

Henry's heart skipped a beat.

"You understand, I mean your true identity—I'm a normal adult, and everything you're doing is too illogical."

After listening to Mr. Henry's words, Rice understood what he meant. This was perfectly normal; although he had hidden himself well at school, he had revealed far too much to the Greengrass family.

The ingredients for potions, ancient spells, potion-making skills... these things are really mismatched with the age he appears to be, not to mention his flawed background.

"Alright then, I am Slytherin, Salazar Slytherin." Rice, no longer willing to play games with Henry, simply stated his identity.

Henry: ...

His brain briefly stopped thinking.

This statement was so absurd that it was as ridiculous as saying, "I am Caesar, give me fifty gold coins to help me restore Rome." So absurdly, that thought resurfaced in his mind—

Is he lying to me?

This is the normal reaction a person would have. If a child of ten years old sat in front of you and said that he was an ancient person from a thousand years ago, what would you think?

But he was a child with unparalleled medical skills, capable of curing incurable diseases that other masters were helpless against.

After reaching the point of utter absurdity, a sense of rationality actually arises.

"Uh—" Mr. Henry felt that his language center's organizational ability was being challenged, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Don't ask me for proof; I really can't prove that I am who I am," Rice said with a smile.

That's a fact. Unlike Helena, Barrow, and Rowena, Henry Greengrass was born a thousand years later. Even if Rice told him some "funny stories about Adrian's youth," he might not know them, and might even get angry and think Rice was insulting him.

Mr. Henry fell silent.

He was thinking.

After analyzing it for a while, he slowly came to terms with the news. But his reason was still resisting, so much so that he subconsciously asked, "But how—how did you survive until now?"

"Many mediocre dark wizards can survive by relying on Horcruxes, so why can't someone like me go a little further on the path to immortality?" Rice's tone became excited when talking about immortality.

He briefly explained to Henry the means by which he achieved immortality.

If Mr. Henry had only believed 50% of what Rice said earlier, after hearing Rice's explanation, he felt it was 70% credible. His gaze couldn't help but fall on the books piled up beside Rice and on his desk.

"Indeed, sleeping for too long has made us a bit out of touch with the world. We need to read more books—it's so much easier for wizards to find books these days. Back then, it was hard for us to imagine that there would be a bookstore selling magic books in some alley," Rice remarked.

Mr. Henry felt he had already believed it.

If the person before them was indeed a Slytherin, then all the mysteries would be solved—and there would be a reason for Rice's goodwill, as the Greengrass family did indeed have a close relationship with Slytherin.

Although a thousand years have passed, Lord Slytherin has been in a state of slumber during this time, so the bond between them has not faded with the passage of time. They have truly benefited from the legacy left by their ancestor Adrian.

This all makes sense.

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. The next update will still be tonight.

(End of this chapter)