Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 388 Rice's Gift and the Arrival of Graduation Season

Rice and Neville walked into Helga's office side by side.

Helga, who was sitting behind her desk making doll parts, looked up and couldn't help but show a hint of surprise when she saw that the two people who came in were the two of them.

It's not surprising that Salazar is here, but it is quite surprising that Neville Longbottom is here.

After Neville explained, Helga finally understood that the child had come to return the wooden box he used to test students' talents.

Helga wasn't as enthusiastic about the wooden box as she had been when she first invented it, because she had developed it to find an apprentice. Now that she had found an apprentice, the box wasn't as useful anymore.

She can lend the wooden box to either Salazar or Rowena if they need it.

"Thank you." After thanking Neville, Helga prepared to put the box away.

Watching Neville obediently place the wooden box on Helga's table and prepare to turn and leave, Rice sighed inwardly: This kid is just too honest.

Fine, since you're willing to help me, how could I, Salazar, remain indifferent?

"Professor White, what's that box for?" Rice asked in an innocent tone, as if he were just an ordinary student who knew nothing about the purpose of a wooden box.

Helga: ?

No, Salazar, be normal! This guy's behavior is really annoying her.

Helga, feeling a chill run down her spine, explained the purpose of the wooden box to Rice.

Neville, standing next to Rice, looked puzzled: Hadn't he explained the purpose of the box to Rice at the office door just now? Why was he asking Professor White again?

"I see!" Rice showed an "aha!" expression, then asked earnestly, "Professor White, may I give it a try?"

"Of course." Helga's expression was very complicated. She still didn't understand what Salazar was up to, so she simply handed over the wooden box.

Rice held the box, and then with two loud bangs, the little beads inside started scattering wildly.

Clearly, his "first" attempt failed.

Helga: ? ? ?

Salazar Slytherin, a dignified figure, couldn't even pass her talent quiz? What a joke! It's as absurd as a long-distance running champion failing a physical fitness test.

Why did he choose to play me?

Helga's gaze swept over Neville, and he immediately had a guess in his mind.

Nawi was even more astonished than Helga: Rice was just able to put the ball back in place, wasn't he? How come he doesn't understand or know anything as soon as he enters the office? He even wondered if he had lost a piece of his memory.

"Huh?" Rice's face showed an extremely realistic look of surprise. He turned around and stuffed the wooden box into Neville's hands, letting him try it too.

Neville didn't react in time, instinctively took the wooden box and then smoothly placed the four beads into the corresponding holes.

Helga: !!!

The surprise came so suddenly that she felt a little unreal: two students with top-notch talent had actually emerged from her academy? Was it real?

"Child, were you too nervous that day and didn't perform well?" Helga asked happily.

She remembered that the child had indeed seemed a bit shy that day, so it was perfectly normal for him to underperform.

Helga was secretly delighted: Could it be that my Hufflepuff is also having a stroke of good luck, with this generation of students producing a great number of talented individuals?

This is not impossible. After all, Hufflepuff has suffered for hundreds of years. It's about time that things turned around for them.

Konawei's next words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh no, I practiced after I got the box, and I gradually got the hang of it." Neville honestly told the whole truth, even making himself sound a little more pathetic.

Rice, standing to the side, couldn't help but rub his forehead: This kid is too honest. If he had been more subtle, Helga might have actually taken him in as a disciple. Even if you don't want to lie, you should at least tell the truth. What's with this overwhelming feeling of "the early bird catches the worm"?

Neville certainly missed a very valuable opportunity.

Upon learning that Neville had practiced tirelessly to successfully put the bead back in its place, Helga couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment due to the discrepancy.

However, this slight disappointment was quickly replaced by a deep admiration for the round-faced boy in front of him.

Helga Hufflepuff doesn't judge people solely by their talent.

She also greatly admired students like Neville who compensated for a lack of natural talent with hard work. Such students might never even reach the threshold of their field, but so what?

The magical world is built by thousands of wizards like these. Geniuses are certainly valuable, but such a foundation is also indispensable.

Yes, Rice's guess was correct. Helga was indeed too busy to take Wei as a disciple and personally instruct him, but she wouldn't remain silent.

"Diligence is a fine tradition of Hufflepuff, Neville Longbottom, you have earned ten points for the College by upholding College virtues."

Rice, listening from the side, really wanted to complain: "Adhering to academic virtues earns extra points? That's a really lax reason..."

Should Gryffindor students earn some extra points for daring to leave the school during curfew?

Helga's main goal was definitely not to boost Hufflepuff's score; her main purpose was yet to come.

She took the wooden box, fiddled with it for a while, and then handed it to Neville.

Neville looked down and found that the wooden box no longer contained only four small holes and four small balls, but also many wooden partitions that could move on their own, with small holes appearing from time to time along the path.

"Here you go, consider it my Christmas present. I've modified it a little, give it a try, it's much more difficult this time!" Helga's tone was as if she had made another educational toy for a student, but in reality, she was using the wooden box to subtly train Neville's ability to control magic.

"Thank you, Professor." Neville, unaware of Professor White's deeper meaning, simply offered a polite thank you.

"Oh, and this too." Helga took a notebook out of her desk drawer and handed it to Neville.

"These are some reflections I wrote down while reading modern magic books. Although they're not very systematic, they're still divided by subject, so they might be helpful to you." Helga didn't take the initiative to teach Neville about magic flow because she thought Neville was probably not someone who could grasp magic flow with just a few words of guidance.

She chose to give him a notebook. How much he could learn from it depended on Neville's own efforts. This notebook was truly fertile soil; every bit of cultivation would yield a corresponding harvest.

"Thank you, Professor!" Neville's voice was more sincere this time. He was so excited that he didn't know what to do, and in the end, he actually bowed to Professor White.

"You're welcome." Helga's expression was complicated.

In her opinion, her choice to let Neville roam freely was somewhat unfair to him, but she had no other choice; the current approach was the most suitable for Neville.

Is it really beneficial for this shy, round-faced boy to have him by his side and give him one-on-one lessons every day? Helga doesn't think so.

"Ask more questions if you have any. It's not good to hide in a corner and rack your brains by yourself." Helga didn't forget to encourage him before he left, and told him that he could come back to her after he finished playing the wooden box game, and she would design more complicated levels.

It wasn't until he left Professor White's office that Neville belatedly realized why Rice had suddenly acted strangely.

"Thank you, Rice." He thanked Rice earnestly.

"It's nothing, you helped me first." Rice waved his hand casually, seemingly not taking such a small matter to heart at all.

However, he had made up his mind that if Neville really helped him revive the compass plant, he would give him an absolutely precious gift in return.

Neville's story was just a small episode in his otherwise peaceful life, which went on as usual.

In the days that followed, Rice's daily routine consisted of making parts for Helga and tutoring Daphne and Astoria. Whenever he had free time, he would read the Encyclopedia Britannica that Hermione had given him.

Peaceful life passed quickly, and Christmas was already a distant memory. As spring arrived and flowers bloomed, a group of people at Hogwarts began to quiet down—not the couples, but the graduating students nearing graduation.

Of course, those who have girlfriends and are also recent graduates might be even more restless.

In the quiet classroom, Percy put the quill back into the ink bottle, then carefully folded a piece of paper neatly and put it into an envelope.

A pretty girl with long curly hair sat at the table opposite him, kicking her feet listlessly.

"Have you finished writing your job application?" Seeing Percy put down his pen, she looked surprised and delighted. Like a light and agile bird, she jumped off the desk and ran behind Percy, pressing her upper body directly against him.

Feeling the fragrance and soft touch emanating from the girl, Percy swallowed the thought of "not finished writing yet."

You can write your cover letter at another time!

"Watch out for the ink bottle, Penelope... You're almost done writing," Percy mumbled in reply.

"Are you going to the Ministry of Magic after you graduate?" Penelope asked Percy, holding him close.

"Of course," Percy replied without hesitation. "I've already spoken with several high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic, and they seem quite interested in me. However, I still need to get a few more points in the NEWT exams first—"

Percy suddenly shut up because his tongue was doing something else.

After a long while, the classroom was filled with voices again.

"Then I wish you the best of luck in your interview," Penelope said with a grin.

Percy straightened his slightly disheveled collar and hair, indicating that everything was fine.

Hogwarts graduates begin submitting resumes and contacting companies or organizations they are interested in during the second semester of their seventh year. If they get along well, they will schedule an initial interview at a location in Hogsmeade.

During this period, if everything goes smoothly, both parties will reach an agreement that the employee can start working directly with the certificate after the NEWT exam, saving time on job hunting—if the exam is failed, then that will be discussed separately.

Percy is currently in contact with the Ministry of Magic.

He had aspired to a political career since childhood, so Percy never considered submitting his resume to organizations including Gringotts. He had only one goal: to get a job at the Ministry of Magic, preferably in a powerful department like the Department of Law Enforcement.

Because of his surname, he actually received quite a few replies.

Although the Weasleys were poor, they were a true pure-blood family. His father, Arthur Weasley, had a good reputation in the Ministry of Magic, so he would generally get a response to any job application he submitted.

In other words, just because of the Weasley name, the bigwig who received the job application had to at least send a rejection letter.

After saying this, Percy stared intently at Penelope and told her he would be waiting for her at the Ministry of Magic.

Their gazes were almost viscous.

"Who knows, I might become your secretary someday—Mr. Weasley, here's today's schedule~" Penelope said in a serious tone.

Percy's ears turned red.

"Hey, I just got a new potion, should I...?"

"It won't be like last time, one of those glowing potions, will it?" Penelope chuckled as if she had remembered something funny.

Percy's face turned completely red.

"Of course, of course not!"

"Well... okay, will we be disturbed here?"

"Don't worry, I'm prepared."

"Ugh—"

"..."

……

Just before the next Hogsmeade Open Day, a triumphant Percy received a reply that thrilled him.

The letter was sent to Henry Greengrass, the current Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, who is rumored to be the mastermind behind the downfall of former Minister Cornelius Fudge and former Director of the Department of Magical Cooperation Barty Crouch, and is the de facto second-in-command of the Ministry of Magic.

The Department of International Magical Cooperation, which he heads, is the largest department outside of the Department of Law Enforcement. Recently, it has been making a lot of big moves and seems poised to surpass the Department of Law Enforcement to become the top department in the Ministry of Magic.

In the letter, he expressed great interest in Percy and wanted to arrange a meeting with him.

The International Department of Magical Cooperation was an excellent starting point for his career, and Henry Greengrass was a superior worth following. How could Percy not be excited?

On the day of Hogsmeade's open house, Percy left the school early and arrived at the agreed-upon location half an hour ahead of time. He then waited for Henry Greengrass with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

"Hello." Upon seeing Mr. Henry, Percy immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully.

"Please have a seat." Henry gestured for Percy to sit down and then instructed the waiter to bring them each a cup of tea.

"I received your application, and I do have a position here that would be perfect for you." Henry didn't mince words and got straight to the point, telling Percy about the position he could offer.

"I need you to join the Muggle government."

Henry's words exploded in Percy's ears like a thunderclap, leaving him stunned in his seat.

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.

Ahem, here's the update!

(End of this chapter)