Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 422 Rowena: From this day forward, I am no longer a caged eagle!

"Of course, but may I ask what this 'small condition' is?" Upon hearing Rowena's words, Aries was secretly delighted: she hadn't expected the ghost in front of her to be so easy to talk to!

Instead of answering her question directly, Rowena silently summoned her own corpse.

As the elegantly dressed, desiccated corpse slowly approached, Aries felt a chill of panic rise from the depths of her heart. She also noticed a detail: the female corpse's face looked at least six parts similar to the ghost before her.

"This...it can't be..."

"You guessed right, these are indeed my remains." Rowena confirmed Aries's guess, then asked her another question: "Do you know who I am?"

"Rice only said you were his good friend," Aries confessed truthfully.

"I may tell you, I am Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Hogwarts."

Upon hearing that name, Aries couldn't help but shudder.

Although she was part of the secretive and little-known Order of the Secret Order, she had heard of the formidable reputation of the four great wizards of Hogwarts. They were legendary wizards who brought an era to a close and ushered in a new one.

The fact that characters from mythology appeared before her was a huge shock to her.

Then Aries suddenly remembered something: Rice addressed the Ravenclaw lady in front of him as "old friend," so who exactly was he? How many people in the world could claim to be Rowena Ravenclaw's old friend?

Aries has a vague feeling that they may have touched upon some forbidden knowledge.

"You're incredibly smart at certain times, with a very keen intuition," Ravenclaw praised from the side.

Aries: ?

"You've also noticed that Rice's identity is a bit off?" Rowena asked with a smile.

A sense of panic welled up in Aries' heart, and she waved her hands repeatedly. She knew very well that it was better not to know many secrets.

"That guy's acting is terrible. Anyone who's known him long enough wouldn't believe his story. It's just that everyone's smart enough not to tear off his disguise, because nobody knows what's hidden beneath that facade—so it seems he's achieved his goal, and no one has yet uncovered his true identity."

Rice didn't care whether others realized the truth about his identity as "Rice Lint"; he only cared whether his true identity had been exposed.

Aries responded with an awkward smile to what Ms. Ravenclaw had said, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.

Seeing Aries's behavior, Rowena sighed.

"You are entitled to know these secrets, because you have come this far."

Aries: !!!

A sudden, urgent alarm bell rang in her mind, and her intuition began to frantically warn her.

"What exactly is your field? You should tell me by now." At the moment when Aries was at his most alert, Rowena changed the subject.

"It's air. I have a certain degree of control over air." Aries honestly revealed his domain.

"Good, very good!" Rowena beamed with joy and praised her repeatedly.

After a short while, the joy in her heart gradually subsided. She told Aries that her domain was "Air," which was quite similar to Aries' domain.

Aries nodded, not understanding what was going on.

"This is crucial... previous experiments likely failed because there were no similar fields."

"What experiment?"

"It's nothing, just some details." Rowena glossed over some past events and then began to ramble on about her past.

"This is the deepest part of Hogwarts, and also the secret place of Hogwarts. Hundreds of years ago, I voluntarily became a ghost to protect this secret place, and I remain so to this day. In order to prevent things from developing beyond my control after my death, I placed an extremely strict 'seal' on myself, so that I and my corpse can only wander in the dungeons."

After hearing Ravenclaw's account, even though they had different stances, Aries felt a sense of respect for her.

"Now I have regained my senses, but the restrictions from back then still remain. This place is still my cage, and I have always been a caged eagle."

"And what about your friends?"

Rowena raised an eyebrow. "My old friends have already made the biggest concession by not interfering. I don't blame them, because if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't want Rowena Ravenclaw to come out of the dungeon either. She's a dangerous woman, and some of her ideas can sometimes cause big trouble."

Aries: ...

"Alright, enough of this rambling, it's time to get down to business." Rowena's expression turned serious, and she said earnestly to Aries, "I need you to completely open your heart to me and accept my soul."

Aries: ? ? ?

"No, I don't think I understood. You mean...?"

"I will inhabit your body with my soul. Once we become one, you will gain immense power. Voldemort and Polaris will be no match for you. If all else fails, I can even take care of them for you."

"But..." Aries was dumbfounded; she knew all too well what this meant.

After accepting Ravenclaw's soul, she will gradually lose control of her body—she doesn't believe she can gain the upper hand in front of this being. In the end, the roles will be reversed, and she will become Rowena Ravenclaw's puppet.

"Don't worry, I won't interfere too much with your freedom. You just need to do a few trivial things for me. Even if you can't do them, it's okay, because I'll take care of it for you." Rowena's voice rang in Aries' ears, stirring her heartstrings.

Things couldn't get any worse, could they? The Secret Society had abandoned him, Voldemort was eyeing him covetously, and he had offended Rhys Lint, who had given him to Ravenclaw. This meant he was now completely under Ravenclaw's control, and the fact that she was willing to consult with him was already a sign of her understanding; she could have simply taken matters into her own hands.

This is where Aries' ignorance lies.

In this particular matter, Ravenclaw truly cannot use force. Forcibly merging would only cause Aries' soul to vanish or be severely damaged. In the eyes of the forbidden magic, the one trying to break free of the seal would still be Rowena, and she would still not be granted permission to enter or leave.

Aries must willingly merge with Rowena for this to happen.

Feeling he had no way out, Aries agreed to Rowena's proposal and completely opened his soul to her.

A spark of joy shone in Rowena's eyes: from this day forward, he was no longer an eagle trapped in a cage!

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~

(End of this chapter)