Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 436 Rice: Wow, Ifamoni school is so annoying!

As the snow-capped mountains gradually became clearer, Rice also saw the magnificent building shrouded in mist on the mountainside—Vagado.

On the African continent, magic schools are as numerous as stars in the night sky, but only Vagado has withstood the test of time, remaining immortal for thousands of years.

The students there excel in astronomy, alchemy, and transfiguration, as well as possess an astonishing ability to cast spells without a wand. As a master of the mysticism of various African tribes, Vagad teaches his students a wide variety of magical gestures and incantations, often enabling them to cast spells without a wand at all.

Rice noticed that the campus of Vargadu had become crowded with people, and a large number of black dots had appeared outside the buildings. Those must be the teachers and students of Vargadu.

By this point, Rice had figured out how Vagado made his entrance: they had arrived at Hogwarts through a dream.

Perhaps at this very moment, all the teachers and students of Vagado on Mount Moon have also fallen asleep, their dreams connected with those of the teachers and students of Hogwarts. As for what to do next, it's simply a matter of arriving at Hogwarts in their dreams, and then "breaking" the dream, allowing the Vagado contestants and their supervising teachers to escape from the dream together.

"What an amazing method." Thinking of this, Rice couldn't help but praise the ancient spells of the African continent.

However, while this teleportation spell is extremely magical, it requires a high degree of cooperation from Hogwarts. If Dumbledore were to sabotage things, the people of Vagabond would have no choice but to obediently fly over, just like Beauxbatons and the Magic Institute.

Just as Rice was studying and analyzing Vagado's dream spell, a commotion came from Mount Moon.

Distracted from his train of thought, Rice looked up and saw a golden shadow rising at the entrance of the Vagado campus. Focusing his magic on his eyes, he saw a gigantic sphinx. Behind the sphinx, a pyramid-shaped building was drawn.

After rising into the air, the Sphinx began to pull the pyramid towards Hogwarts. In just over ten seconds, it had traveled from the distant Moon Hill to the shore of the Black Lake at Hogwarts.

Rice raised an eyebrow, but considering that dreams don't need to be logical, he thought it all made quite sense.

After landing on the shore of Black Lake, the Sphinx opened its mouth and let out a sharp cry.

The sound pierced Rice's ears, giving him goosebumps, and also disrupted his dream, waking everyone from their slumber.

After everyone emerged from the dream, they couldn't help but look towards the shore of the Black Lake, and sure enough, they saw a Sphinx sitting on the ground and a miniature pyramid three stories high behind it.

A stone on the pyramid shrank back, revealing an opening. Just as the Hogwarts students thought someone might crawl out, a lion emerged from within.

Before the young wizards could even scream, the lion transformed into a tall, black wizard whose afro looked exactly like the lion's mane.

Animagus! This word immediately came to mind for many people.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Enduru." Dumbledore stepped forward to greet him as always. "The dream magic is truly eye-opening... This way, Madam Maxim and the others have arrived."

Asmo Enduru, the current headmaster of the Wagard School of Magic at Mount Moon, is an Animagus, just like Professor McGonagall.

Behind him, the students from Wajadu emerged from the pyramid one by one, almost all of them with dark skin, so dark that their facial features were barely visible.

After forming a line behind Nduru, they began to look at Hogwarts Castle, which was not far away.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Professor Enduru's voice was deep and magnetic, giving a reassuring first impression. Rice couldn't help but think of Kingsley, the Auror from the Ministry of Magic whom he had met a few times; the voice of the headmaster of Vargas College of Magic was very similar to his.

"There are still three schools that haven't arrived yet. Luckily, we're not the last ones." Professor Enduru's gaze swept across the formations of the major magic schools and he quickly counted how many schools were still missing.

"Hmm, another school's team has arrived." Dumbledore had just nodded when he sensed something was amiss.

Professor Enduru felt a chill on his neck. He looked up and saw that snowflakes were beginning to fall from the sky.

"Really? We didn't bring any winter clothes." He muttered under his breath, leading his school's group to stand next to the Beauxbatons school's formation.

It was late September, and while the Scottish Highlands were already quite chilly, it was definitely not the kind of weather that would bring snow. But now, the snow was falling heavier and heavier, and the northern sky had become increasingly dark.

"Cordos Dorez," Dumbledore muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The Cordosdorez School of Wizardry is located in the Russian Arctic wilderness. It has maintained a very low profile in the international wizarding world in recent years, and its name is rarely heard, but they did accept the invitation to this year's World Young Wizards Championship.

"Achoo!" Someone in the Hogwarts phalanx sneezed loudly.

Since it was only late September and midday, most Hogwarts students were wearing ordinary wizard robes, not the thick robes specially made for winter.

The students of Beauxbatons fared even worse. Beauxbatons' school uniforms were made of silk and were clearly not protected by any magic that could keep them warm. Everyone was shivering from the sudden change in weather.

Rice narrowed his eyes: The people of Cordosdoriz seem to be a bit naive.

Just as Rice was preparing to use the power of his domain to disperse the snowflakes in the sky, he noticed Rowena raising a hand.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rose from the ground, sweeping away all the snowflakes falling from the sky and carrying them far away.

Dumbledore smiled, clapped his hands, and instantly conjured thousands of roses made of orange-red flames. He waved his hand, and these flame flowers scattered, flying to each student's side to dispel the chill.

The expressions of the other headmasters of magic schools present all turned serious. Dumbledore's move had immediately stunned them.

"Not bad, didn't embarrass Gryffindor." Rhys silently approved of Dumbledore's actions. But if it were him, he'd probably have to turn those snowflakes into hail and pelt them on the heads of the Cordostas Druids to feel any satisfaction.

Under the influence of Reyna's influence, the snowfall was blocked around Black Lake. The snow fell heavier and heavier, almost like a blizzard, making it difficult to see the scenery on the opposite shore of Black Lake.

Just then, a song rang out from the depths of the blizzard. It was a Russian song, with a beautiful melody that also conveyed a sense of passion.

The singing grew louder and louder as it approached. Finally, a carriage broke through the blizzard and appeared before the crowd, accompanied by the song.

The carriage stopped, the door creaked open, and twelve tall boys carrying musical instruments emerged. They stood in two rows facing each other, then continued playing their songs.

Rice: ...

Is this the kind of school that comes with its own background music? This is truly eye-opening.

Then, a young-looking girl stepped out of the carriage. She wore a crown, a magnificent gown, and carried a scepter.

As the girl appeared, the blizzard behind the carriage began to subside, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, shining directly on her and giving her a faint golden glow from head to toe.

The girl led twelve boys slowly toward Dumbledore.

The boys stopped playing once she stood still.

"Ekaterina, Vice Headmistress of Cordostadt School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, on behalf of Headmaster Romanov, extends my warmest greetings to you." The girl bowed to Dumbledore and then began her self-introduction.

"A rather unconventional entrance." Dumbledore smiled slightly. "This way, Miss Catherine."

"Thank you." Ekaterina led the delegation from Cordosdorez to one side of the magic institute's formation amidst a chorus of strange glances.

"Only twelve people came to Cordosdorez." Daphne realized she had discovered a blind spot.

"If you include Ekaterina, then there are thirteen people?" Astoria replied.

"Huh? But isn't she the vice principal of Cordosdoritz?" Daphne's eyes widened immediately.

"As long as she meets the age requirements, she can naturally participate in the competition, even if she is the principal," Astoria continued to explain in a low voice, which surprised Daphne.

A school actually managed to exploit a loophole and send its vice principal to participate? Have they no shame?!

"She looks no older than twenty, so of course she can participate in the competition," Rice said calmly.

So what if the vice principal participates in the competition? In some schools...

Forget it, there's no point in nitpicking over such details.

With Cordosdorez's appearance, only two of the world's eight great magic schools—Castrubusch from Brazil and Ilvamon from the United States—remained absent.

Fortunately, neither school kept everyone waiting long. A few minutes after Cordos Dorez appeared, Dumbledore winked, indicating that Castorbuscher's people had arrived.

Or rather, they were actually the first group of visitors from outside Hogwarts to arrive.

"Thank you, Pomona," Dumbledore said, turning to a kind-looking middle-aged witch.

Professor Sprout stepped out from the group of professors, walked onto the lawn in front of them, and took a seed out of his pocket.

She buried the seeds in the grass.

The next second, a tender seedling broke through the soil and grew rapidly in the wind, soon becoming a plant that looked like a pea sprout and was almost as tall as Hagrid's little cabin.

After growing to maturity, the plant stopped growing and then produced a huge pod.

The people present gradually realized what was about to happen.

The pods, about the size of a small boat, gradually swelled up, and with a "pop," a dozen wizards dressed in bright green robes landed on the lawn.

After the "seeds" were sown, the plants withered instantly, collapsed on the ground, and completely decayed within seconds, becoming one with the lawn.

The leading witch bent down, dug the seed out of the soil, and solemnly put it into her bosom.

After doing all this, she looked at Dumbledore and smiled.

"Professor Albus Dumbledore, it is an honor to meet you. I am Samantha Quiara, Headmaster and Professor of Herbalism at Castorbatch."

Like the other headmasters, the headmaster of Castorbusch exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Dumbledore, the internationally renowned wizard, before leading his school's contingent toward the joint formation of schools.

Only Iphamoni remains.

The students and teachers at Hogwarts have mixed feelings about Ilfamoni. Because Ilfamoni's founder has intricate connections to Hogwarts, the Hogwarts students naturally feel a sense of kinship towards her. However, in recent years, Ilfamoni seems to be constantly trying to challenge Hogwarts, attempting to compete for the title of the world's best magic school (other magic schools: ???), which has led to some dissatisfaction among Hogwarts students towards Ilfamoni's people.

It is somewhat similar to the relationship between the British and Americans before World War II.

One side sees the other as a nouveau riche who has grown from their own background, while the other side thinks the old man should have been rolling in gold coins long ago—times have changed!

It's a conjugate father-son relationship!

Rice thought the same way. In his eyes, Ifamoni was similar to Hogwarts North America. In this tournament, they couldn't afford to lose to this school, but they could be allowed to come in second place.

Just as everyone was beginning to wonder how Ifamoni would make her appearance, Ifamoni answered everyone's questions.

A roar came from the sky, and then everyone stared in disbelief as an airplane broke through the clouds and landed on the shore of the Black Lake at Hogwarts.

The plane looks no different from any other Muggle Airlines plane. If there is any difference, it is that this plane, like Mr. Weasley's Ford sedan, can be made invisible.

Hogwarts has the Hogwarts Express, and Evamony has the Evamony Airplane; it's no wonder it's a magic school that originated from Hogwarts.

As the students of Evamony disembarked from the plane one by one, Hermione spoke rapidly and quietly from a short distance away, introducing the Evamony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Like Hogwarts, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is divided into four houses: Longhorn Serpent, Leopard Cat, Thunderbird, and Pukchi.

Like Hogwarts students, Ilfamoni students undergo a Sorting Ceremony held in full view of everyone upon enrollment. They are first led into the rotunda at the castle entrance, where there are four wooden sculptures representing the four houses.

The new students would stand in a circle against the wall, and one by one be called to the Gordi Knot in the center of the hall's stone floor to be examined by the statues. The four magical statues would consider whether to admit the student to their academy, and if the student was approved, the statue would react accordingly.

"Like Hogwarts, Ilfamony's four houses also have their own admission standards. The Longhorn Serpent House represents the wisdom of wizards and witches, and prefers scholars. The Pukki represent the inner qualities of wizards and witches, and its students are mostly kind-hearted healers. The Thunderbird House represents the soul of wizards and witches, and its students are mostly adventurous people. The Cat and Leopard House—"

Rice immediately recognized the name. Wasn't this just a copy of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor? Then Cat and Leopard House must be Ilvermorny's version of Slytherin!

But who would have thought—

"The Cat and Leopard Academy represents the bodies of wizards and witches, and reveres warriors even more." Hermione's expression was quite strange when she said this, because it was clear that the Cat and Leopard Academy and the Thunderbird Academy had some overlap in their enrollment scope, which made one academy look extremely awkward.

Rice: ? ? ?

Wait, Ilfamoni, what do you mean?! How come you've mastered all three other Hogwarts houses but singled out Slytherin?!

What's going on here?!

Hermione's voice wasn't loud, but the professors standing in front clearly heard it. Rice clearly saw Rowena and Helga sway, as if they had been electrocuted.

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 here~ Hehehe

(End of this chapter)