Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 315 Rice: The Slytherin team has completely abandoned its honor; I now support the Hufflepuff team.

In the days that followed, the black dog visited Hagrid's cabin every day, obtaining food from him and seeking shelter under his eaves when it rained. Eventually, even Toothpick accepted his presence.

After becoming familiar with Hagrid and Tooth, Hagrid gave Tooth a bowl and prepared an extra portion of food for it every day—Hagrid was quite carefree when it came to pets, basically feeding the dog whatever he ate. On rainy days, Hagrid even allowed the black dog to come inside to warm itself by the fire and take shelter from the rain.

After some time, the black dog, fed by Hagrid, grew plump and strong, and its fur became shiny and smooth again.

This black dog was naturally Sirius Black in disguise; he had recovered most of his energy by eating and drinking at Hagrid's place.

While Sirius was recovering, the Hogwarts Quidditch League quietly began. Along with the league came continuous rainy weather. And the closer they got to the first match, the worse the weather became, to the point where the sun wouldn't be seen for an entire day.

As scheduled, Gryffindor and Slytherin were to play the opening match. Gryffindor, determined to win, practiced as planned despite the heavy rain. Slytherin, on the other hand, seemed to have given up entirely, showing no signs of practicing. Even with less than two weeks until the match, their training consisted solely of Quidditch…

This also made Rice a little curious: although Slytherin students who have inherited the will of Slytherin should not have strong flying talent, it would be too shameful to surrender without a fight.

With these mixed feelings, Rice asked Daphne to inquire about the situation, and then he was shocked—

"What? They're not playing Gryffindor next week?!" Rice thought he'd misheard when he heard the news.

"Are they planning to forfeit the match? That would result in an immediate forfeit."

Daphne's expression became extremely complicated: "I heard from Marcus that the team's players all have bad colds and can't play against Gryffindor, so Gryffindor will play Hufflepuff in the opening game—Marcus said it's his strategy, he doesn't want to fight Gryffindor in the rain, which would prevent them from playing to their strengths."

bump!

Rice slammed his fist on the table. He was really angry at these guys for coming up with such a shameless excuse to avoid a fight!

What do you mean they can't have an advantage in the rain? Does the rain only soak the Slytherin players?! He was even thinking that the rain obscured the Seekers' vision, thus narrowing the gap between the two Seekers!

Rice grew angrier the more he thought about it, and couldn't help but slam his hand on the table again, angrily saying, "They've lost all shame! These people don't deserve to win! They've completely tarnished the honor of the competition!"

He raised his head and shouted in a voice that could be heard throughout the entire common room, "I think we should just surrender when we face Gryffindor from now on. We can't win against those cowards who only know how to feign illness!"

With the rain drizzling, many Slytherin students were passing the time in the common room. Rhys's words were heard by almost half the house. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see how the team would respond to Rhys Lint's provocation.

Marcus's avoidance of battle caused considerable controversy, with many within the academy dissatisfied, believing it to be a sign of weakness and cowardice that should not be tolerated.

But Marcus had his own reasons: he felt that this was a wise choice, that he was using his brain to gain an advantage for the team, and what did the others know? Quidditch isn't just about flying around; it's also a battle of wits, and he was winning without fighting.

Upon hearing Rice's words, Malfoy's face darkened. He wanted to stand up and retort, but Marcus grabbed him.

"There's no need to stoop to his level. Let the results speak for themselves—using some trivial means to achieve victory, that's the spirit of Slytherin!"

Marcus spoke softly, but Rice had excellent hearing. When he heard "The Spirit of Slytherin," he was both amused and exasperated.

I can't really say anything, because I do encourage using any means to achieve your goals... but is it really necessary for a Quidditch match? There are only four teams participating! Isn't your goal a bit too down-to-earth?

Rice's goal, which he was willing to achieve at all costs, was for the sake of the entire wizarding world, or at the very least, for the sake of Hogwarts!

Marcus's goal, which he was willing to achieve at all costs, was to win a tournament with a total of four teams.

Rice didn't know how to comment on his behavior. Moreover, the contrast with Gryffindor was too stark, making the entire team look like fools.

He could only turn to Daphne and tell her that if Harry came to her to borrow a fire bolt before the match against the Slytherin team, she should remember to lend it to him.

"Wouldn't that mean..." Daphne thought that if Harry got the Firebolt, the Slytherin team would most likely lose.

"They don't deserve to win," Rice said bluntly.

Gryffindor was in an uproar after learning that their opponents had been temporarily switched to Hufflepuff. But despite their discontent, Cedric of the Hufflepuff team had accepted the change; the schedule was fixed, and they had no choice but to accept the reality.

The news quickly spread throughout Hogwarts, even reaching Helga. As the founder of Hufflepuff House, she decided to go to the stadium that day to watch the game and stand with her house's team.

Of course, the match against Gryffindor was just an appetizer; the main event was the upcoming battle against Slytherin.

She once asked Salazar, in a slightly provocative tone, which team he thought had a better chance of winning in a match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.

Unexpectedly, Salazar revealed that he now supports Hedgehog.

"Slytherin has completely abandoned its honor, and I am now a die-hard Hufflepuff fan," Salazar said.

As for why he chose Hufflepuff, it was his last stand—he couldn't very well be asked to support Gryffindor, could he?

……

On the day of the competition, the weather changed—from overcast and rainy to a storm. When we arrived at the auditorium in the morning, the sound of the storm pounding against the windows deterred everyone from going outside.

Listening to the howling wind and rain outside the window, Malfoy and the rest of the team members smiled smugly: Great, thank goodness they "took leave"!

Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor team, was doing everything he could to encourage his teammates at the House table. Cedric also wanted to do the same, but was stopped by Professor White, who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, before he could enter the Great Hall.

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.

The first update is here; the second update will be a little later.

(End of this chapter)