Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 421 Rowena Ravenclaw's New Idea

"So Hogwarts is open to the public during summer vacation?" Aries exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the magnificent castle that was now in front of him.

"Not open." Rice's answer surprised Aries: If the school is not open during the holidays, then how were you able to come in?

She immediately realized that the boy in front of her was no ordinary student; there was more to him than met the eye.

Aries couldn't help but shudder.

The existence of Rice is like a small pond that looks clear at first glance, but when you dive down, you find that the pond is actually bottomless, which is just as unsettling.

"Who exactly are you?" she couldn't help but ask.

Rice stopped and turned to look at her.

"Many people have asked this question before you, and my answer has been basically the same. I am Ras Lint, an ordinary student at Hogwarts."

Aries: ...

Rice's answer made her feel insulted, but given her status, she couldn't force Rice to tell the truth.

"Come with me, I'm going to take you to meet my good friend." Rice was too lazy to talk to Aries anymore, so he gestured for her to follow him.

"Is your friend a professor at Hogwarts?" Driven by fear, Aries kept talking to Rice, trying to get more information.

"You can think of it that way." Rice sensed Aries's inner fear and stopped again.

"If you're really scared, I can take pity on you and kill you right here," Rice said seriously.

Once sent to the dungeon, Aries' fate becomes as unpredictable as the cat Schrödinger put in the box. She might get along well with Rowner, or she might be used by Rowner for strange experiments—of course, the most likely scenario is that she gets along well with Rowner and then is used for his experiments.

In some ways, Rowena was like herself.

Of the four founders of Hogwarts, Godric and Helga are the kind of "heroes" and "knights" in traditional literature, while his and Rowena's definitions are much more complex.

Aries: ?!

She was startled by Rice, and then shook her head frantically.

She had only managed to escape from Voldemort because she was afraid of dying, so how could she possibly accept Rice's "kindness"?

"Okay, I was just kidding, don't take it to heart," Rice reassured Aries.

"Mmm." Aries nodded, then asked Rice another question: What kind of person was this old friend he was talking about?

Rice certainly couldn't tell the truth, so he recalled and described Ravenclaw in an official summary: "She is beautiful but somewhat stern, and believes that the most intelligent people are the most promising. She likes students who are wise, fair, shrewd, learned, intelligent, visionary, very curious, and enjoy delving into things."

Aries: ...

She felt that apart from being quite curious, she was completely unrelated to anything else. What she was most proud of was her lineage; her family had produced several generations of Astrology practitioners, and the title of Aries was practically synonymous with them.

Aries and Rice chatted idly for a while, and eventually Aries was led to the castle's dungeon.

"Huh? Here..." Aries hesitated, wanting to say something but then stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Rice could tell that Aries was lying, but he didn't care much and just left the matter to Rowena to handle.

However, a few seconds later, Aries revealed the truth himself: the North Star of the secret society was looking for such a place.

"Why would he choose a place like this?" Rice frowned.

"I really don't know."

This was their last conversation, because not long after, Rice saw Rowena's ghost.

"Long time no see, you look even better than before." Rice wasn't flattering Rowena; the impurities within her spirit had truly faded to almost invisible. Clearly, during her time in the dungeon, she had found a new way to purify herself.

"It's not much better, just a little trick." Rowena was unusually candid with her old friend, clearly telling Rice that she had "put on makeup."

"And who is this...?" The moment Rowena saw her old friend, she noticed Aries' presence and also discovered the trick her old friend had left on her. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she was determined to find out who she was.

This is also why she didn't call out Rice's real name immediately.

"Aries, a monastic of the Secret Order."

Rowena raised an eyebrow: Salazar had sent her a cult member before, and now he's sent her another one.

"Thank you for your kindness." However, Rowena didn't have high expectations for it, because a monk could only amuse her at best.

"She's a domain expert," Rice reminded Rowena, telling her that Aries wasn't some ordinary monk like before.

"Oh?" Now Rowena's interest was piqued.

"What is her field?" Rowena asked impatiently.

"I'm not entirely sure what it is, I only know it's related to air."

Upon learning that Aries' domain is the air element, Rowena's eyes lit up immediately.

"Thank you, this is the best gift you've ever given me," Rowena said sincerely.

Aries: ...

The conversation between the two men sent chills down her spine. It was like a butcher and a customer discussing the origin and raising methods of a pig at their stall, boasting about how tender and succulent the pork was; it was also somewhat like the conversations when buying and selling pets at a pet market.

The most terrifying thing was that she was the very person the two were discussing, which sent chills down Aries' spine. She didn't know whether, in the eyes of the ghostly witch before her, she was either food or a pet for amusement.

She didn't like either of them because she wanted to be a human being.

If Rice knew what she was thinking, she would definitely laugh for a while. After merging with the divine remains provided by the secret order, the identity of "human" left her.

Throughout the rest of the conversation, Rowena gave Rice the impression that she was distracted. She seemed to want to end the conversation quickly, but was forced to maintain the facade due to etiquette.

The understanding Rice didn't say much, and went along with Rowena's wishes to end this unwelcome conversation as soon as possible.

After Rice left, Rowena immediately went around to Aries' side and looked at her with longing eyes, which made Aries feel a little scared.

"I see a longing for life in your eyes, a longing for freedom, and that's good," Rowena said. "If you agree to one small condition, I can give you your freedom—a freedom that even that guy can't take away."

Aries is smitten.

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, goodnight everyone.

(End of this chapter)