Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 435 Seven Schools Enter, Each Displaying Their Unique Skills

Upon learning that delegations from other schools were coming, Hogwarts was in a state of complete excitement.

The students' conversation completely turned to the Global Young Wizards Championship. They began enthusiastically discussing the competition's events, the specific procedures, and even some other magic schools in different regions. More knowledgeable students would share the local customs and culture of those schools with their classmates. Some even went so far as to exchange pen pal information with students from other schools, prying into each other's lives.

"That Krum is actually a Durmstrang player?!"

"Urgent! Is Beauxbatons really full of beautiful women? What? They only speak French. Is it too late for me to start learning French now?"

"I need to learn French..."

"Now that Beauxbatons is coming, will the school cafeteria introduce some new dishes? We can't exactly serve British food to the French students, can we?"

Such discussions were commonplace in every corner of Hogwarts Castle. Of course, not every conversation was so harmonious.

"What kind of world is this?! Someone like Longbottom can represent Hogwarts now!"

"I heard that Professor McGonagall gets really angry about him every weekend when she gives extra lessons."

"Hey, let him go! I've heard that Castelbrücke is an ancient school in South America with a history of over a thousand years. Human sacrifice was extremely common in South America a thousand years ago, and that idiot Longbottom might become their sacrifice!"

"Don't be ridiculous. South Americans have very high requirements for sacrifices. That kind of fool doesn't deserve to be a sacrifice."

The group immediately burst into loud, shrill laughter.

Many Slytherin students were unconvinced: they accepted that the Greengrass sisters and Rhys Lint were qualified to participate, but why did Neville Longbottom from Hufflepuff have the right to do so?

How dare a forgetful coward who doesn't even dare to speak loudly represent Hogwarts?

This topic isn't just circulating in Slytherin; many in Ravenclaw are also confused, and Gryffindor students are expressing concern. Only Hufflepuff students are still unconditionally supporting Neville—he and Cedric Diggory are the only two players from their house participating in the competition; how could they not support him?

Through the selection ceremony, the Sorting Hat chose thirteen candidates to represent Hogwarts in the competition. There were four each from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, three from Slytherin, and only two from Hufflepuff.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the older students who dominated; most of the spots were taken by students in fifth grade and below, which caused quite a bit of concern.

According to the intelligence they received, most of the students from other schools were upperclassmen or even students about to graduate, giving them a significant age advantage. Moreover, all the major magic schools had brought out their most prized possessions for this competition, including some that had been passed down for thousands of years and were similar to the Sorting Hat and the Gryffindor sword!

……

The sea was churning and the waves were surging. A giant petrel, about the size of a Muggle airliner, was speeding through the storm.

On the back of the petrel, fourteen people stood or sat. Under the blessing of magic, the surging waves outside had no effect on them.

The leader had no hair on his head, but judging from his hunched figure and his completely white eyebrows and beard, he was quite old.

This person is Gen Tanki, the current principal of the Japanese magic school "Mahousho," who is said to be 150 years old.

Upon learning that Hogwarts was going to hold its first World Young Wizarding Championship, he immediately selected a group of outstanding students from the school and prepared to take them to the competition, determined to win a good ranking and make the reputation of the Wizarding Institute resound throughout the world.

Behind Yuan Danxi, thirteen students sat in a row. It was clear that the three students in gold robes at the front had the highest status, while the other nine students were slightly lower. However, all twelve of them unconsciously maintained a certain distance from the young man in white robes.

This student in white robes was a former magic school student specially brought out by Principal Yuan Danxi from the prison of the Japanese Ministry of Magic. The white robes he wore represented his sins.

Students at the magic academy wear magical robes that change size and color as the student grows older and their knowledge increases. Initially, the robes are a pale pink; if a student achieves the best grades in all magical subjects, they turn gold. However, if the robe turns white, it signifies that the student has betrayed the Japanese wizarding code, engaged in illegal activities, or violated the International Law on Guardianship. "Albinism" is a terrible disgrace, leading to expulsion from the school and trial by the Japanese Ministry of Magic. But faced with the allure of the "world's best magic academy," albinism seems less unacceptable.

"I've already brought out a dark wizard, surely I can handle those greenhorns from other magic schools?" That was Principal Yuan Danxi's thought.

Just then, the giant petrel suddenly stopped, because there was a person floating in the air in front of it!

Despite the wind and rain, and the towering waves, that person stood there quietly. It was as if he were standing not on the surface of the deep sea, but on some observation deck.

A slight commotion arose among the students on Haiyan's back, but Yuan Danxi simply glanced back at them, and all the students fell silent.

"It's been a long time, my old friend." Yuan Danxi stepped forward and greeted the man in fluent Latin.

"It has been a long time indeed. How about we find a drier place to chat?" The man glanced at the seagull at Yuan Danxi's feet and couldn't help but complain, "Why do you magic institutes like riding these things around so much? Wouldn't it be cooler to tame a fire dragon?"

Yuan Danxi smiled and told him that this was an ancestral system, and he didn't want to change it. Besides, this kind of entrance would be very cool and leave a deep impression on the teachers and students of Hogwarts. Then he turned to his disciples and instructed them, "You go to Hogwarts first. I need to talk to my good friend. I'll catch up with him in a little while."

He then grabbed the man's arm, and after a loud bang, the two disappeared.

The next moment, the two appeared on a sunny island.

Yuan Danxi was about to praise his old friend for his improved teleportation skills when his eyes suddenly narrowed: he saw a stranger wearing sunglasses walking towards them.

"Don't worry, he's a friend of mine in the organization." The man's words put Yuan Danxi at ease.

"What? Since it is—" Yuan Danxi's words suddenly stopped.

The man in sunglasses had taken them off, revealing a pair of pure black eyes. His gaze met Yuan Danxi's, and a faint, transparent line seemed to connect the two of them in the air.

A few seconds later, Yuan Danxi continued, "—If you're my friend, then we're acquaintances."

The three of them had a very pleasant conversation.

After a while, Yuan Danxi returned alone to the back of the seagull at the magic institute.

……

Soon, the day arrived for the students from each school to arrive at Hogwarts.

The Great Hall was transformed overnight, with enormous silk banners hanging on the walls—banners reserved for graduation ceremonies. Each banner represented a house: red with a golden lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver boa constrictor for Slytherin.

Don't underestimate these silk banners; some of the visiting magic schools don't even have a history as long as these banners!

Behind the faculty seating area hung the largest banner, displaying the Hogwarts emblem: a lion, eagle, badger, and snake joined together, encircling a capital letter [H].

Looking at the decorations in the Great Hall and the changes in the castle, Rice was extremely satisfied: Very good, it didn't embarrass Hogwarts!

A joyful, restless atmosphere filled the air; no one paid attention to the lesson, their minds completely absorbed by the magic school they were about to arrive at.

The second period of the morning ended half an hour early. All the students rushed back to their college's lounge, put down their bags, changed into their cloaks, and then went to the foyer.

Each of the four houses of Hogwarts formed a square formation outside the castle hall, led by its headmaster, with thirteen warriors standing alone in front of each formation, forming their own small square.

"Mr. Weasley, straighten your hat! Miss Petit, remove that ridiculous thing from your hair!" Professor McGonagall's tone was stern as she inspected the appearance of each student. The other three deans were no exception, and even the usually amiable Professor Sprout was unusually serious today.

This was the first time in history that all eight schools had met, and no one wanted to lose face.

Not to mention the professors at Hogwarts, even Rice took this matter very seriously.

Daphne and Astoria noticed that Rice seemed to have suddenly become much more handsome today. While he was already considered handsome in the past, he was exceptionally dazzling today: his jet-black, shiny hair was neatly combed, his eyes were bright and piercing, his exposed skin was fair and flawless, as clean as egg white, and when he smiled, he revealed eight white, even teeth. His brand-new, neat wizard robes also exuded a faint fragrance.

"Rice, something's wrong with you," Daphne said with absolute certainty.

"It's the power of magic." Rice turned her head, glanced at the Greengrass sisters, and then asked them if they wanted to do the same.

The two of them naturally wouldn't refuse.

So Rice used "skin-cleansing magic," "robe-cleansing magic," "eye-brightening magic," and "hair-smoothing magic" on the two of them in turn, instantly elevating their appearance and demeanor to a new level.

The surrounding contestants: ?

The students and professors watching from the sidelines: ???

Is it even possible to do that?

Feeling the gazes of the contestants, Rice decided to give the "stars" of Hogwarts a makeover as well.

A few minutes later, the contestants' small formation was completely transformed; everyone's appearance had been beautified. Those who were unattractive became presentable, those who were presentable became more attractive, and those who were already considered attractive looked like they had Veela blood...

Looking at the row of "handsome men and beautiful women," Rice couldn't help but smile: I must say, Rowena's little tricks are really effective!

Rowena, standing in the faculty line not far away, gazed wistfully. She vaguely remembered Salazar once saying these spells were "the most useless spells in the world," but despite the criticism, he was quite adept at using them!

Salazar, you've got it!

The Hogwarts lines were quickly formed. As time passed, the students began to speculate about how each school would make its entrance.

Rice recalled a saying: "When people get together, they can't help but show off." Hogwarts was making preparations, and the other schools were probably preparing dramatic entrance ceremonies too!

Soon, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang entered the stadium.

Beauxbatons descended from the sky with twelve giant winged horses pulling a carriage, while Durmstrang emerged from the bottom of the Black Lake in an antique-style sailing warship.

"Interesting..." Rice's gaze was drawn to Durmstrang's warship. That warship was heavily imbued with magic, somewhat similar to the Knight Bus he had seen before.

Headmaster Karkaroff of Durmstrang and Headmaster Maxime of Beauxbatons led their groups to the Hogwarts square.

Durmstrang's appearance caused a commotion because Viktor Krum was actually in Durmstrang's team!

However, Hogwarts's lineup was equally impressive, and Rice could feel many eyes scanning his face, Cedric's, Daphne's, and Astoria's.

As Dumbledore was catching up with Madam Maxim and Karkaroff, a giant petrel appeared in the sky above Hogwarts. It circled several times, puzzled, until the defensive magic around Hogwarts was dispelled, at which point it finally located the castle and landed safely.

"Mr. Yuan Danxi, welcome to Hogwarts." Dumbledore stepped forward to greet the visitor from the School of Magic, and then led the students of the School of Magic aside.

"There are four more..." Astoria counted the magic schools that had appeared and found that Vagado, Castorbuscher, Kodosdorez, and Iphamoni had not yet arrived.

The way the first three schools made their entrances was quite a shock to her, and now she's looking forward to seeing how the remaining schools will make their entrances.

Dumbledore took a pocket watch from his pocket, glanced at the time, and then looked up.

"The people from Vagado are coming, we need to make some preparations in advance—" He snapped his fingers, and an incense burner appeared in front of each school's formation.

"Everyone needs to be asleep... Fortunately, Vagado has prepared potions for us."

As he spoke, puffs of smoke rose from the incense burner and blew towards the various school formations.

Under the principals' instructions, the students did not dispel the smoke, but instead inhaled it, allowing their consciousness to be overwhelmed by drowsiness.

Soon, everyone fell asleep, including Rice.

Rice had a very strange dream: he dreamt that Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and students from the School of Magic were lined up outside Hogwarts Castle—exactly the same scene he had just seen. What was even more amazing was that Rice was fully aware that he was dreaming.

"Vagadu spices, interesting."

Soon, Rice noticed a towering snow-capped mountain appearing on the horizon.

Rice knew that was where Vargadu was located, Mount Luna.

The teachers and students of Wajadu have arrived.

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)