Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 49 No one shall tarnish the glory of the wizard.

"Smell around, darling, they might be hiding somewhere."

It was Filch speaking to his cat, Mrs. Lorris. Harry and Ron were terrified, but before they could react, Rice darted to their side and tapped them on the head with his wand.

Harry felt as if an egg had been smashed on his head, and he couldn't help but shudder.

"Shh!" Rice whispered, "I've cast an illusion spell on both of you. Keep quiet!"

As he spoke, he suppressed his emotions and led the two of them to stand in a corner of the prize display room.

Harry looked down at his hands and found that they had become transparent.

It is an extremely mysterious experience; you are standing right here, but you can't see your own body.

"They're somewhere around here, probably hiding," Filch's mutterings grew clearer. Soon, a light came on in the doorway, and Filch walked in with his cat.

Harry's heart began to race, but Rhys's Disillusionment Charm worked perfectly. Filch's gaze passed over him several times, but he didn't notice Rhys's presence at all.

Filch meticulously examined every possible hiding place in the prize display room, but to his disappointment, it was completely empty, without a single ghost in sight.

Unlike those with dulled senses, Mrs. Lorris noticed something amiss. She lingered near the corner where Rice and the other two were hiding, looking somewhat confused.

Harry's heart was in his throat. If Mrs. Lorris continued to act this way, Filch would be attracted to her sooner or later. Even with the Disillusionment Charm, they could still be captured if they accidentally touched Filch.

Just as Harry was sweating profusely, Rice made his move: he stretched out his wand and turned a medal in the corner into a large rat.

The mouse darted out from the corner with a whoosh, startling Filch.

"Damn rat, you deserve to die! Hey, darling, wait a minute!" As soon as Filch saw the true face of the dark figure, Mrs. Lorris rushed out after it.

Filch, a cat lover, followed her out without hesitation, ceasing his search of the prize display room. In truth, with his years of experience patrolling at night, he had already realized that the small room was empty; his insistence on searching was merely a way to reassure himself.

Harry and Ron breathed a sigh of relief after Filch and Mrs. Lorris's voices faded into the distance. Just then, Rice's voice rang out beside them.

"A duel was arranged, then they stood each other up and even leaked the information to the castle caretaker—that's exactly what the Malfoy family would do!" Rice's voice turned icy. "The Weasleys and Potters all came as promised, but only the Malfoy bastards broke their sacred agreement. They're truly an impure family from the very beginning."

Someone actually dared to treat a duel like a game? At that moment, Rice was filled with shock and anger. Draco Malfoy's efforts had only reinforced his preconceived notions about the Malfoy family.

"I'm truly sorry to have shown you such a disgraceful side. But Malfoy is, after all, a Slytherin, so I'll give him a chance to correct his mistakes," Rhys said very seriously to Ron and Harry. "So, could you wait here for a moment? I'll go and fetch him; the duel tonight must take place."

Harry and Ron hesitated: Malfoy had already revealed this place to Filch, and although he had left, who could guarantee he wouldn't come back? This place was no longer safe.

Rice saw the concerns in their hearts and couldn't help but sigh.

"Then you two go back first. I'll try my best to persuade Draco Malfoy to fulfill our agreed duel. By the way, your Disillusionment Charm will last for another fifteen minutes. You can take advantage of it while it's still active and go straight back to the common room. No one will notice." After saying these two sentences, Rice hurriedly left the prize room and returned to the Slytherin common room.

Rice's anger was ignited when he returned to his dormitory—he saw Malfoy lying comfortably asleep on his bed.

If he were still the head of Slytherin, he would definitely expel such a person from the house. Slytherin students can be shrewd, cunning, and have rights and desires, but they cannot be unscrupulous, despicable, or shameless.

In Rice's view, Malfoy's behavior had crossed the line for wizards.

Luring his opponent out under the guise of a duel, then reporting him along with his dueling assistant?! Draco Malfoy truly shattered Rice's understanding. Medieval wizards, even dark wizards, demons, heretics, and cunning goblins, would honestly duel with their opponents.

He walked to Malfoy's bedside, waved his wand twice to isolate this space from the outside world, and then yanked the covers off Malfoy and pulled him off the bed.

"Who?!" Malfoy woke up instantly and saw Rice's face.

"Ah! Rice, it's you!" Seeing Rice appear unharmed in the dormitory, Malfoy immediately knew things had gone awry. While cursing Filch's incompetence in his heart, he forced an ugly smile: "Thanks for your hard work. I'll settle the remaining fifty Galleons for your trouble—"

"No need, you don't need to give it to me." Rice interrupted him directly, putting one hand on Malfoy's shoulder, which made Malfoy shudder.

"Wizard duels are extremely sacred matters. Now that you have initiated the duel, you must complete it. Now, immediately, go and write to Potter and Weasley to reschedule the duel."

Malfoy avoided Rice's icy gaze, not daring to meet his eyes, but as time passed, he gradually realized: Rice and I are both first-year Slytherin students, why should I be afraid of him?

Once he understood this, Malfoy's courage instantly grew, and he confidently stated that he had never made any duel with Harry.

"A duel? You saw me challenge him to a duel? Do you have any witnesses? Don't make things up if you don't have any evidence." Malfoy's voice returned to its usual rambling, glib manner.

Rice was quite impressed. Some people were really good at lying through their teeth. However, he seemed to have overlooked one problem: this was the magical world. Rice could find five or six ways to make people tell the truth.

He initially intended to extract Malfoy's memories from his mind, but then changed his mind.

"You are not worthy to be a student of Hogwarts," Rhys said softly, taking out his wand. Two orbs of light emerged from the tip of his wand one after the other and flew into Malfoy's body.

"Reflect on your actions carefully. You can only become a wizard after I deem you capable." With that somewhat strange remark, Rhys left Malfoy's bedside.

(End of this chapter)