Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 94 Rice fainted from poisoning? (Happy New Year!)

After running for a while and rushing into the castle, the initial excitement gradually subsided, and they calmed down. Harry decided that they should definitely go find Professor Dumbledore first, rather than rashly rushing into the fourth-floor corridor.

But here's the problem: where is Dumbledore's office? The group stood at the corner of the second-floor corridor, lost in confusion.

Daphne didn't know where the principal's office was either; they had never seen students being taken there.

Just then, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out: "You three, move aside! Instead of wasting time standing here, you should go back and study for your final exams!"

Professor McGonagall appeared with a serious expression, her steps hurried, a stretcher floating behind her. When she saw Harry, Ron, and the others, she frowned immediately, giving Daphne an extra glance, as if scolding her for hanging out with Harry and Ron again.

It's rare to see Slytherins who hang out with Gryffindor all the time.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore." A surge of courage welled up within Harry, and he looked into Professor McGonagall's eyes as he stated his request.

Professor McGonagall was taken aback by his idea. She paused for a moment, then told Harry that Dumbledore had received an urgent letter from the Ministry of Magic and was no longer at Hogwarts.

"He's gone?" Harry asked anxiously, "At this time?"

He felt like the sky was falling.

Professor McGonagall was clearly displeased with Harry's words: "Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard—"

"Rice?!?!" A gasp interrupted Professor McGonagall's words.

As Professor McGonagall and Harry were talking, the stretcher slowly floated over, allowing Daphne to see the face of the person lying on it, and she couldn't help but scream.

It's no wonder she was so surprised, because the person lying on it was Rice! This truly shocked Daphne.

At this moment, Rice's eyes were closed, his face was ashen, and if it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would be no different from a corpse.

"He was found in an underground classroom. Judging from the potion residue scattered around him, Mr. Lint was trying to make potions to enhance his memory and luck in order to get good grades in the final exams. However, the difficulty of making these two potions exceeded his expectations..." Professor McGonagall glanced at Rice lying on the stretcher and sighed, "I'm afraid Mr. Lint will miss his final exams."

Daphne: ?

An absurd feeling filled her mind; she couldn't comprehend what was happening before her eyes.

How could Rice possibly collapse from mixing the wrong potions? But the facts were there, as real as the marble floor beneath her feet.

Seeing Daphne completely stunned, Professor McGonagall felt a pang of sympathy and gently patted Daphne's shoulder twice.

"You often study with him, right? You should try to guide him more in the future and not put too much pressure on him. Now, please step aside, I need to take Mr. Lint to the school hospital." After saying that, she ignored Harry and led the stretcher towards the infirmary.

As the stretcher rounded the corner of the stairs, a small crystal bottle slipped from the pocket of Rice's robe and fell to the ground. Everyone present was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and apart from Daphne instinctively picking it up, no one else noticed it.

Professor Dumbledore left, Rice fell ill, and Professor McGonagall couldn't be bothered to listen to their explanations. The three of them had lost their pillar of support, and the three young wizards were all at a loss.

"We...we..." Harry stood there blankly, like a program that had crashed.

He had never felt such despair: Snape was breaking through the guardian barrier of the Philosopher's Stone; once he obtained it, Voldemort would return, and Hogwarts would cease to exist. What would he do then? Go back to the Dursleys?

"The Philosopher's Stone is going to be stolen, and we don't even have a ticket to go in and stop him," Ha said in a desperate tone.

"There is a way to get through Cerberus," Daphne's voice abruptly interrupted Harry's complaints.

Harry looked up at Daphne, who was examining a crystal bottle in her hand.

"The bottle contains a very potent sleeping potion, strong enough to put Cerberus into a deep sleep. I think with it, getting in there shouldn't be any problem."

"How do you have this kind of potion?" Ron couldn't help but ask.

"That's what Rice did before."

"Why would he make such a magical potion?!"

Daphne glanced at him and refused to answer the question.

Ron was a little annoyed by her attitude, but there was nothing he could do about it.

When Harry heard Daphne say she could handle Fulvi the Cerberus, he felt as if she were radiating divine light.

"Fantastic!" He almost jumped up, his eyes shining. "We're going to the fourth floor right now! We have to stop Snape!"

Daphne: Huh?

Her reason told her that there were many things she could criticize about this move. Although she had just been shouting that she would take Harry and the others to prove Professor Snape's innocence, that was just something she said in the heat of the moment. She felt that directly barging into the forbidden area on the fourth floor was definitely not a good idea.

What if they run into the guy who wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone? Although Daphne felt confident in her fighting skills after the encounter in the Forbidden Forest, she wasn't sure she could win again. The same move is less effective the second time. Besides, Potter still doesn't have any concrete evidence! He suspects someone went in to steal the Philosopher's Stone, but where's the proof? He can't just rely on speculation!

"You guys, have you finished reviewing?" Snape's voice rang out behind the three of them, causing Harry and Ron to gasp in surprise.

The three turned around and saw that Snape was indeed standing behind them.

Daphne smiled: Potter, now Professor Snape can be cleared of suspicion, right? He didn't steal the Philosopher's Stone!

"Professor, Rice—"

"I know," Snape said with a strange smile. "He overestimated his potion-making skills, but I admire his courage and talent to attempt such a difficult potion in his first year. Well, I need to go treat Mr. Lint now; I've just developed a new antidote."

He pushed past the three men and headed towards the school hospital. After taking a couple of steps, he turned back to Daphne and said, "Miss Greengrass, let me give you a piece of advice: you can't win someone over by being overly friendly. Be careful who you befriend."

After uttering those words, he flicked his sleeves and drifted away.

Daphne turned to Harry and said smugly, "I told you, Professor Snape is definitely innocent!"

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.

Here's the update, Happy New Year everyone!

(End of this chapter)