Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 536 Rice: Shout out his name with me—Voldemort

Rice's question is very interesting.

The modern magical society's classification of purebloods is actually quite frivolous—it's based on a book called "The Pureblood Register," which was anonymously published in Britain in the 1930s.

The families included in this book are pure-blood families, even though many of the families listed in the directory point out that there were Muggles among their ancestors.

When Rice first learned of this knowledge, he found it utterly absurd.

What is pureblood? Does it mean a family that has never had a Muggle?

That's terrible. Pure-blood families don't exist in the wizarding world. Even the eternally pure Black, Greengrass from Greenfield, or Gaunt, who engaged in what could be considered insane endogamy for the sake of blood purity, all had Muggle blood flowing in their veins from their original founders.

The origins of magic lie in the gifts of the stars, and the ancient Egyptians bravely became the first humans to explore the path of magic. Gods were born from humanity, and the descendants of the gods returned to humanity, sowing the seeds of magic among humankind.

No one can say for sure what the origins of wizards are. The first wizard might have been a descendant of a god, or an extraordinary person born from among the masses. Or perhaps, there was no such thing as a "first wizard."

Descendants of God, servants of God, lucky survivors who came into contact with meteorites from outer space, mutants among humans...

These could all be the origins of witchcraft.

Trying to distinguish wizards from Muggles by blood is as ridiculous as trying to tell a black zebra with white stripes from a white zebra.

When Rice raised the question, the entire Slytherin common room became as quiet as a morgue.

No one could refute Rice's point of view. Everyone knows their own situation; who doesn't have a few Muggle distant relatives?

"So-called lineage is nothing more than a tool to prove one's reliability," Rice revealed a cruel reality.

Salazar Slytherin did not favor pure bloodlines, but rather "reliability".

"Yes, reliable!" Rice's voice echoed in the quiet common room. "Reliable people are the ones who earn the appreciation and affection of Slytherin. Slytherin students should also be role models for students of the other three houses, showing them what a wizard apprentice should be like."

Many people started to think: This sounds pretty good! We Slytherin students are the most trustworthy!

Even just saying these words has an incredibly uplifting feel to it.

"But are you reliable? Or to put it more bluntly, can you be role models for other schools?" Rice's voice ruthlessly shattered the young wizards' illusions.

Although they wouldn't admit it, they knew the answer to the question deep down.

Why would someone be rejected as a "role model"?

"I am reliable, and I can be a role model for other colleges." Just then, a voice rang out.

The person who made the sound was Daphne, who was standing next to Rice.

Rice glanced at her sideways, then nodded slightly.

"That's right, you are indeed very reliable and can be a role model for young students."

At this moment, even though Rice had reservations, he didn't contradict Daphne. Instead, he pointed slightly to Brian Burst and used an example to prove that what Daphne said was true: there were indeed young students who took her as an example.

However, Rice added in his heart: You might be more suited to be a role model for Gryffindor students.

Seeing her sister speak so boldly and receive Rice's approval, Astoria also raised her head, increasing her own presence.

Rice noticed her, gave her a slight smile, and said, "Astoria, you're great too."

"Your current state isn't really your fault." After delivering a harsh blow and pouring cold water on the Slytherins in the common room, Rice changed the subject and said something quite heartwarming, "It's because the environment in which you grew up was problematic. Just as polluted soil cannot grow pure crops, a rotten environment cannot nurture true Slytherins."

Rice's words still revealed his disdain for Slytherin, but the young wizards who had just been thoroughly scolded by him felt a warm glow in their hearts.

This is why it's necessary to give a slap followed by a sweet treat, and the slap must come first, followed by the sweet treat.

But just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Rice suddenly uttered a taboo name.

"It's all Voldemort's fault!"

Everyone who heard this name, except for Daphne and Astoria, shuddered.

Hearing this name out of the blue is something even Slytherin students find hard to accept.

Rice narrowed his eyes.

"I smell the stench of fear. What? A single name has scared you so much you wet your pants?!" Rice continued to "coerce" the Slytherin students present with his gaze.

Still, no one dared to look him in the eye.

The trait of "obeying the strong" seems to be ingrained in their bones, just like their ancestors.

Perhaps Slytherin House a hundred years ago was not like this, but more like a "noble academy". However, a man named Tom appeared out of nowhere and planted the seeds of fear and obedience here, which were passed down through their bloodlines.

The grandfather passed it down to the father, the mother to the daughter, and finally, this cowardly appearance was presented without any concealment to the founder of Slytherin House.

Rice even wished someone would stand up and fight him.

Although he wouldn't go easy on the provocateurs just because he admired them, he would be happier.

"A half-blood wizard, a freak born from a love potion, and you're all this scared? Aren't you all proponents of pure-bloodism? Why are you chickening out now?"

No one spoke. Daphne wanted to say something, but Astoria stopped her.

Although the scene was silent, many people noticed the keywords "mixed race" and "aphrodisiac." They felt like they had stumbled upon some juicy gossip and secretly decided to write home to ask about what happened back then.

If the legendary Dark Lord is a hybrid, that would be incredibly exciting news.

Rice couldn't help but tap the table beside him. "Besides, Voldemort is dead! Dumbledore killed him himself, and his body is rotting now! How come you still don't dare to even say his name?"

"I don't expect you to have the courage to fight Voldemort, but surely you can at least call him by his name?!"

As for the possibility that Voldemort still had Horcrux remnants, Rice didn't tell the children present. Mainly, he was afraid they would get their hands on the few remaining precious materials first.

What ordinary people would avoid at all costs, Rice considers a first-rate rare material with endless uses.

"Please don't blame us." A deep voice rang out. Rice glanced over and saw it was his classmate, Sabini.

"How can we be sure that Vader won't come back? He was defeated by Potter fifteen years ago, but he still came back. Professor Dumbledore did kill him, but can you guarantee he won't return again in a few years? The panic Vader caused back then—"

"That will never happen again," Rice interrupted Sabine, telling him very seriously that Voldemort's era was over.

"If Voldemort returns again, we'll have Miss Daphne kill him. He's no match for Daphne now."

Rice's words left the other students stunned; they could hardly believe their ears.

Daphne fighting the mysterious man? Is it true or not?

"I will win." Seeing Rice's trust in her, Daphne proudly puffed out her chest and declared her victory.

She still remembered the graduation exam Rice had given her: defeat Voldemort after he was resurrected.

As her own strength increased, Daphne increasingly no longer considered this a graduation exam question that was insurmountable.

"Very good, I see courage in your eyes! Come, say it with me—Voldemort!"

Daphne excitedly replied, "Voldemort!"

Next was Astoria, who also effortlessly called out the mysterious man's real name.

Rice walked up to Malfoy, put a hand on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Your turn."

Malfoy's Adam's apple bobbed, a force of fear choking him, preventing him from uttering the name. But Rhys's words acted as another force, constantly washing away and eroding the fear in his heart, coupled with Rhys's gaze and the heavy hand resting on his shoulder…

Finally, Malfoy managed to squeeze out a barely audible sound from deep in his throat.

"Voldemort..."

"I can't hear you!"

"Speak louder!" Daphne chimed in from the side.

"Voldemort." This time the voice was louder, like the meow of a newborn kitten.

"Speak louder! You think you can set a good example for the other students with such a low voice?"

"Voldemort!" Malfoy finally shouted the name out loud.

The moment he uttered that taboo name, he felt as if something inside him had shattered.

In an instant, Malfoy was drenched in sweat. It was as if Rice hadn't just made him shout out a name, but run ten laps around the Black Lake.

Rice nodded in satisfaction and then walked over to the next student.

Watching Rhys's retreating figure, Malfoy lowered his eyes. He wasn't sure if he had overcome his fear of Voldemort to successfully call out his name, or if the fear Rhys instilled in him was greater than the fear of Voldemort, which enabled him to do so.

After a moment's careful consideration, Malfoy realized he couldn't tell. The probability of both being true was higher.

In his mind, Leslie was more terrifying than Voldemort!

Once a few people take the lead, the rest of the work becomes much simpler.

One by one, the young wizards successfully called out Voldemort's name. At first, they hesitated and needed Rice to give them courage. But as more and more people succeeded, the students present grew increasingly courageous.

When it was the turn of the new students, they didn't even need to prepare themselves mentally with deep breaths; they could just blurt out Voldemort's name.

When the last person called out Voldemort's name under Rice's gaze, a happy smile appeared on Rice's face.

Now, Slytherin House is finally starting to look like something.

I must erase, little by little, the mark Tom Riddle left here. If necessary, replace it with my own.

"Very good, you did a great job. I believe Salazar Slytherin would be very happy to see this. Because you have successfully overcome your inner fears! This is what a true Slytherin student should be like! Always remember that we are the most reliable and trustworthy house at Hogwarts!"

"Let me hear his name again—" Rice's eyes gleamed with excitement.

These students can still be saved.

"Voldemort!!!"

A thunderous roar echoed through the Slytherin common room.

Fortunately, the house’s common room is located in the dungeon and is quite soundproof; otherwise, the noise would have been so loud that anyone who heard it would have been too scared to sleep and might have mistaken it for an “event rerun” by Slytherin.

After the sound faded, Rice began to clap, and the others followed suit, clapping for themselves.

"Well done! Now you're starting to transform into real Slytherins," Rice said with a pleasant tone.

"I hope that in the days to come, we Slytherin students can demonstrate our reliability, be true Slytherins, and set an example for Hogwarts students—we must be braver than Gryffindor, smarter than Ravenclaw, and friendlier than Hufflepuff. We will not bully the weak, nor discriminate against other students by blood, and we will treat all students in the school equally."

Okay, that's all I have to say. Everyone, go to sleep now!

Rice waved his hand and announced that everyone could disperse and rest.

Although the students can lie in bed and drift off to sleep, what Rice just said will surely linger in their minds and have a profound impact on them.

Rice didn't expect his words to bring about earth-shattering changes to the students of Slytherin, but it was better than saying nothing and watching the school rot away day by day.

The reason why this was said only now is because Rice felt the timing wasn't right before.

Previously, he had kept a low profile in the academy, so his words naturally lacked weight. But now it's different; his reputation is now enough to support him in making some reforms.

Godric and his friends pushed themselves into the position of student council president, which was a way of helping him make up his mind.

Just as Rice said at the beginning, tonight is the perfect time to give a speech.

"Two more years. In that time, I will definitely be able to give Hogwarts a brand new Slytherin house." Rhys's eyes seemed to burn with fire.

He set a brand new goal.

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.

This is a slight update, presented with both hands. Goodnight~

See you at midnight tomorrow night!

(End of this chapter)