Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 373 Dumbledore: What shall I call you now?

"You haven't even considered Dumbledore, have you?!" Rhys was stunned: Helga, don't you have any idea what kind of trouble you've caused? If Dumbledore can't even realize this, then Rhys suggests he quit his job and go home to be a grandpa.

Because it's as obvious as a wife making train bento boxes with her husband all night – Dumbledore is just old, not dead!

Rice would bet that Helga might not even be able to teleport back successfully. Even if she could, the moment she pushed open the office door, she would definitely see Dumbledore sitting in his office chair waiting for her.

Helga took a deep breath: she had left in a hurry and had been busy beating people since she arrived, so she hadn't really considered Dumbledore's perspective.

Now that Salazar has pointed it out, she's realized that it will be difficult to keep it a secret any longer.

An ancient witch, skilled in food magic, claiming to be from Hufflepuff House and possessing supreme authority over Hogwarts Castle—it's hard not to suspect she is Helga Hufflepuff herself!

"You can deny it to the death, saying you're just Hufflepuff's most prized student or something, but in my opinion, that's meaningless and will only cause trouble for proving your identity in the future," Rice calmly analyzed the pros and cons for Helga.

In his view, having their identities revealed was not a big deal; if they hadn't wanted to be too high-profile, they would have announced it to the public long ago.

Besides, revealing one's identity to Dumbledore isn't a big deal. He's a wizard at the pinnacle of the modern magical world; what needs to be kept secret from the general public isn't necessary for him. It's a privilege that comes with his power and prestige.

Helga felt a surge of displeasure watching Salazar stand there talking so eloquently, his words conveying an attitude of "just give up."

With a forced smile, she asked Rice if she should also tell Dumbledore, while "confessing," that the founder of Slytherin House had returned and was now lingering in the house, exploiting poor, ignorant girls.

"That's unnecessary. Rhys Lint has stayed in his dormitory all night and hasn't gone out. He's a good student who follows the school rules—he has to get up early tomorrow to make doll parts for Professor White!" Rhys emphasized "doll parts" to make Helga think carefully about what she should say to Dumbledore, what she could say, and what she couldn't say.

He didn't really want a Gryffindor headmaster to know his true identity. It wasn't that Dumbledore wasn't worthy of knowing, but rather that he felt that centuries of "cultivation" had instilled in Gryffindors a flawed perception of Slytherin, leading them to view him with prejudice. He feared that such a bias would prevent him from enjoying his carefree life in the future.

Upon hearing about doll accessories, Helga was speechless. She nodded silently, indicating that she wouldn't "give Salazar away."

"It's not a big problem," Les said, blinking at Hufflepuff. "Dumbledore is an interesting man. If you don't want to, he won't expose you. At most, he'll play a few riddles with you."

"That's good, but Dumbledore really should know something now." Hufflepuff finally accepted reality and prepared to return to Hogwarts.

Watching her use magic to control Cedric as he floated around her, Rice became curious.

"I can take care of Cedric for you, so Dumbledore won't notice him."

Helga waved her hand, believing that Dumbledore would notice sooner or later, especially after her identity was exposed. It was better to just tell Dumbledore openly that she had chosen Cedric.

Helga believed Dumbledore wouldn't object, because it would be of immense benefit to Cedric.

The magic circle on the ground flashed, and a circular portal appeared in front of Helga. She tried to enter, but the portal flickered and then closed.

The restrictions at Hogwarts have been reinstated.

Helga gave a wry smile and fixed the teleportation point at the entrance of Hogwarts School.

This time she succeeded.

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Helga discovered that Dumbledore wasn't waiting for her at the school gate. So she took Cedric directly into the school.

After settling Cedric into the Hufflepuff common room, Helga left him a note and then strode toward her office.

Pushing open the office door, Dumbledore was indeed sitting behind her desk, scrutinizing her with his lake-blue eyes.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore." Having already prepared herself mentally, Hulk greeted Dumbledore casually, as if this were not his office at night, but the Great Hall at dinnertime.

"Good evening." Dumbledore's tone remained calm, and it was impossible to discern his mood from his voice.

"What a magical night, wasn't it?"

That's right.

"Please forgive me for breaking into a lady's office so late at night, but I'm a little curious, why aren't you in your office or the faculty dormitory?"

Hufflepuff walked to the office, placed his hands on the edge of the desk, and asked with a smile, "Would you believe me if I said I went to the restroom to deal with a minor, troublesome problem?"

"Why not?" Dumbledore laughed. "As people get older, they tend to need to go to the toilet at night."

Helga shook her head; she was amused by Dumbledore.

"I didn't actually go to the toilet. It's just that my pet badger was being bullied by two rats in the wild, and as its owner, I had to do something for it."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, a glint in his eyes: "Hogwarts also had its share of rats, a few little mice. But the people at the school were very understanding of this old man; they took care of them as soon as they slipped in. By the time I got there, only dead rats were left!"

Helga immediately remembered Salazar and the stories he had told.

"Perhaps I encountered a snake; snakes always like to eat mice," she replied.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. He removed the half-moon spectacles from his crooked nose and began wiping the lenses with his sleeve.

"I suddenly remembered a question that you seem to have never answered before: you said you are an ancient wizard who returned to Hogwarts, but which period of ancient wizard are you? The definition of ancient is very broad."

Helga lifted her hands from the edge of the table. Instead of answering the question immediately, she slowly walked to the office window, pointed to the Black Lake outside, and said, "The ancient Black Lake. It looked just like this when my friends and I arrived here, and it hasn't changed at all over the years."

Then her gaze swept over the body of water that she and Salazar had created by burying the Dementors, and she paused, quickly adding: "Most of the area remains unchanged."

Upon hearing Professor White's words, Dumbledore's breath caught in his throat for a moment before returning to normal. He even laughed when Professor White spoke of the newly formed body of water.

Helga glanced at him, thinking to herself: How dare you laugh? However, the topic tonight wasn't about criticizing Dumbledore, so she put the subject aside for now, planning to bring it up later.

"Time magic is truly amazing. Do you think your friends from the same era might also return using time magic?"

This was a difficult question to answer, because one of her old friends had made it clear that he didn't want Dumbledore to know of his existence, so Helga decisively avoided the question.

"In my opinion, whether they come back or not is a secondary issue. The most important thing is whether their spirit can be passed down. Hogwarts has changed a lot, not only in the decoration of the castle, but also in its inner spirit. I find it hard to say whether it's good or bad—I personally think it's more bad. For example, if Gryffindor were still here, Dementors wouldn't dare to step into the school gates, wouldn't you say?"

Dumbledore was completely embarrassed. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but the witch's words were really sharp.

"I'm sorry." Dumbledore quickened his pace as he wiped his lenses. He wanted to say something more, but the words stuck in his throat.

In the end, he could only sigh and tell "Professor White" that no matter what, he, as the principal, had to take responsibility for this matter; he had failed to fulfill his responsibility to protect the school's students.

"Perhaps I'm getting old," Dumbledore sighed. "I am truly grateful to whoever dealt with the Dementors that day—if it were a magical institution, I would probably thank the founders of the school!"

Helga changed the subject, telling Dumbledore that he was now the headmaster and the professors would respect his decision, but also asking him to face the responsibilities that came with becoming headmaster.

"Eh?" Dumbledore seemed to remember something and asked another question: "You lived closer to the era of the Four Great Leaders than I did, so were there any Headmasters or similar figures in schools back then?"

"As far as I know, the four founders jointly managed the school and did not elect a headmaster. However, after the remaining three left Hogwarts for various reasons, Rowena Ravenclaw effectively served as headmaster for a period of time."

Dumbledore was as happy as a child whose curiosity had been satisfied. He stood up from his office chair, indicating that it was getting late and he shouldn't stay any longer—if he stayed any longer, rumors would start to circulate at the school.

Helga was immediately amused by Dumbledore.

Before leaving the office, Dumbledore turned to the side, his tall stature giving him a commanding presence. He appeared serious and focused.

"I have one last question: how should I address you from now on?"

Hufflepuff blinked and replied in a puzzled tone, "You must be too sleepy. Just call me White!"

"Is that so? Looks like I'm really sleepy. But I'm sure I won't call you by the wrong name during the day; I'm not that old yet."

Dumbledore nodded, turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Watching Dumbledore leave the office, Helga crossed her arms and leaned back in her armchair: Just as Salazar said, Dumbledore really does like to play riddles.

They didn't say anything, but it's like they said everything.

The next morning, the sun rose as usual, as if nothing had happened the night before.

Rice brought the sleepy Greengrass sisters to Helga's office, and Helga noticed that Daphne's skin seemed to have become even whiter.

She narrowed her eyes slightly; her intuition told her that the little girl in front of her seemed to have changed a little.

After explaining the key points of making the new parts and assigning today's tasks, Helga pulled Rice to a corner of the office, ostensibly to "do more professional and technical work."

After a while, seeing the two sisters concentrating on making parts, Helga took the initiative to ask a question.

"Daphne seems a little different than before?"

Rice replied without looking up, "She's touched the threshold of the field."

His tone was as casual as if he were remarking on Daphne's good exam results, but Helga was shocked: How come Salazar's student is also...?!

"It is used—"

"I used my own methods." Rice stopped Helga from taking credit for herself, indicating that Daphne's success had nothing to do with her.

It doesn't have much to do with him as a teacher.

'But following Helga's method doesn't seem like such a bad thing.' Rice thought to himself. If he followed Helga's guidance, Daphne might get on the right track.

Why bother with magma domains? Isn't your own water domain better? Water nurtures all things, yet it can also destroy them; it is the most powerful force in the world.

Unfortunately, his disciple went astray, but fortunately, this wrong path wasn't too bad.

"What field is she in?" Helga's curiosity was immediately piqued. She subconsciously felt that the old viper's disciple should inherit the teacher's field like her students, or at the very least, a subfield under that field, right?

Rice: ...

He began to carefully manipulate the parts in his hands, as if he hadn't heard his old friend's question at all.

Helga: ?

o(=ω=)o!

Upon seeing her old friend pretending to be dead, she suddenly realized something, and her expression changed.

"Old viper, what are you avoiding?"

Rice: (=ω=)

Seeing Salazar's reaction, Helga immediately understood, and an uncontrollable smile appeared on her lips.

After taking two deep breaths, she asked in a slightly trembling voice, as she tried to suppress her laughter, "Hey, has that child awakened a fire-attribute domain?"

Rice: "Ugh, you're so annoying! Can't you just focus on your work? The client trusted you so much and gave you a deposit, and this is the kind of work attitude you're going to use to make their dolls?"

puff.

Helga couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Daphne and Astoria looked up in confusion, staring at Professor White with bewilderment.

"You two do your thing, I just remembered something happy," Helga said to the two girls, her face beaming.

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 provided.

The same goes for tomorrow's update; it'll either be in the early morning or tomorrow night.

(End of this chapter)