The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 239, Section 238: Chapter Return and Daily Life

Chapter 239, Section 238: Return and Daily Life

In the simulated memory scene, a biting wind howled past, and winter snowflakes fluttered down, covering the whole world with a layer of pure white velvet.

It gradually covered the forest in the memory simulation scene.

"The gods are in my hands right now? What the hell?" Ian stood in the snow-covered ground, the ground crunching under his feet.

His gaze was fixed on Merlin, his brows furrowed slightly, clearly puzzled by what he had just heard.

"It means exactly what it says." Merlin was also standing in the snowy field from his memory, his gaze fixed on the elder wand that Ian was playing with in his hand.

"The power of the gods is contained within this wand." Merlin's voice echoed in the cold air, his gaze carrying a complex expression.

Upon hearing this, Ian's eyes widened in surprise, his face filled with astonishment. Combining this with the scene he had just witnessed, he instantly understood what Merlin meant.

"So, the reason the raven ate so much was because it ate all the gods in the sky?" It has to be said that this is something that even a child would hear, and its shock value is no less than the previous secret about Merlin.

Merlin sighed helplessly, a hint of reminiscence appearing on his face. "I'm not entirely sure either. When I was just a novice wizard, I was simply exploring the world of magic in my own way. By the time I was finally qualified to delve into the mysteries of the gods, they had vanished without a trace. I only found some remnants left behind by them."

"The mystery of the gods' disappearance is probably unsolvable by anyone in the world. Perhaps, you really did something unknown." Merlin's gaze drifted into the distance.

It's as if we're gazing at that distant past.

Ian seemed to be deep in thought.

His word choice differs slightly from Merlin's, perhaps due to his own sense of self-worth; he doesn't like to refer to the raven and his identity together.

"There must be a reason why Raven did this, right?" Ian had a feeling that there was some amazing secret hidden behind it, but his intuition couldn't help him figure out those unknown reasons.

"I don't know about that."

When Merlin asked Ian, he simply shrugged and said helplessly, "Perhaps you could ask your trusted apprentice Morgan for help? She's been searching for secrets about you."

obviously.

After Ian left that era, Merlin and Morgan had many interactions, so when the archmage mentioned Morgan, his tone was tinged with resentment.

It wasn't the kind of resentment stemming from emotional setbacks.

"Um?"

Upon hearing the name "Morgan," Ian's expression changed drastically, and he quickly waved his hands to correct him, "Teacher, Morgan is my teacher! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Don't let your evil intentions get the better of me!" The little wizard's eyes were very wary. Of course he needed to be wary. This wicked woman had a wicked mind. Who knew if she was spying on the human world at this moment?

"This isn't the raven I know."

Merlin's tone was teasing.

"My name is Ian Prince."

Ian corrected Merlin's address, which made him feel awkward.

Merlin did not refute this.

Just then, the young wizard raised his wand again, remembering the first time he stepped into Diagon Alley last year and bought a wand at Ollivander's Wand Shop.

"I still remember when I bought this wand, Mr. Ollivander said that the core of my wand was a unicorn feather." No little wizard can forget the moment he bought his wand.

False advertising.

He knew Mr. Ollivander was a swindler! And just as Ian was wondering if he could keep the wand and go to Mr. Ollivander to say, "Damn it, give me my money back,"

"You've only heard about it; it's not true. Mr. Ollivander thought he used unicorn feathers, but actually, I just sold him raven feathers as unicorn feathers."

"Confusing perceptions is one of my specialties." Perhaps because Merlin is now a descendant of Ollivander, he had a change of heart and cleared Ollivander's name.

This also rendered the young wizard's idea of ​​getting a refund completely unjustified.

"I don't think you can just confuse reality, can you?" Ian wasn't really concerned about the eight Galleons. He recalled his knowledge of Arthur King and Ririm with a suspicious expression.

"When you can deceive reality, it also means you can modify reality—" Merlin's expression remained unchanged, but he simply raised his hand and showed Ian the ring on his finger.

"It can enhance my strength in this area."

There was nothing to hide.

Merlin spoke frankly about his feelings.

"The power of the Nightmare Bloodline?" Ian asked curiously. He had heard many legends about Merlin, the most famous of which was the story of Merlin being half-Nightmare.

In response to the little wizard's question.

Merlin smiled without saying a word, which could be considered an admission.

"So, my wand really is made from a raven's feather, right?" Ian twirled the wand that was connected to his soul, still finding the fact rather fantastical.

"That's right. I think it's a funny joke, isn't it? The feather of the most cunning creature in the world is being called a unicorn's feather."

Merlin nodded, a hint of smugness in his expression, as if he thought he had a great sense of humor. "You should have realized long ago how adept you are at using dark magic with your wand."

His tone carried a hint of teasing.

Ian was somewhat speechless.

He had certainly wondered why his wand worked so well with dark magic, but he never really considered that it wasn't made of a unicorn feather.

Raven feathers can also represent the balance between life and death.

"Merlin the Skinflint, someone entrusted you with delivering feathers, and you still want to act as a middleman and make a profit? That's despicable." Ian could only change the subject and slightly criticize Merlin.

"Forehead-.-"

Merlin was speechless at Ian's words. He remained silent for a moment before replying in a slightly embarrassed tone, "Well, I had to eat back then too."

What a simple and unpretentious reason.

But to say that Merlin didn't even have money for food, not only would Ian not believe it, but no one would believe it either. A capable wizard has too many ways to make money.

Not to mention a top-tier wizard like Merlin.

"They're all just excuses."

Ian continued to despise Merlin.

Merlin immediately pretended not to see, and with a gentle wave of his wand, the surrounding scenery began to blur, and the scene simulated in his memory gradually dissipated.

"That's all I know about ravens. I've tried tracking them, but I almost got myself killed several times. Perhaps you don't want others to know about your situation."

Merlin sounded fearful, as if he didn't know what he had gone through.

"Hmm." Ian nodded thoughtfully, the cause of Morgan's death flashing through his mind. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

The two returned to their dormitory at Hogwarts.

Ian was still processing the information he had received that day, while Merlin looked out the window at the rising sun, changed his clothes, and headed towards the door.

"I don't want to miss breakfast."

His words surprised the young wizard.

"You're still planning to continue attending school as Ririm?" Ian never expected Merlin to be so fond of eating rice, nor did he expect that Merlin would actually intend to stay at his Hogwarts.

Why not?

Merlin glanced back at Ian, then opened the door and walked out. There were already quite a few students in the corridor who had gotten up, and they had no idea what had just happened.

The students walked out of the dormitory area in small groups, and Merlin, disguised as a blond boy, disappeared into the group of young wizards in the corridor.

He joked and laughed with several familiar students, appearing completely at ease and blending seamlessly into the segment.

"That guy's shameless—well, how could an old monster not be shameless?" Ian shook his head speechlessly as he watched Merlin's departing figure.

He didn't choose to go to breakfast with them, but instead turned around and went back to his dorm room. His roommates William and Michael were chatting, and Ian joined their conversation.

no way.

Ian also fits in well with the segmentation.

"Hey Ian, did you hear? Michael got completely fooled by that little black girl again yesterday!" William said with a smile, his tone slightly teasing.

"Huh? What did I miss?"

Ian immediately forgot everything else and his gossipy heart was ignited. What a long-lost atmosphere! He almost forgot that he had a sycophantic friend.

Faced with William's teasing, Michael's face flushed red. "She wasn't playing a trick on me! She just doesn't want her friends to see her with me and then target me!"

"She's doing this for my own good! She's really thinking of me!" It has to be said that Michael is really a simple-minded big boy; he's practically been charmed by the little black girl.

Little Black Girl is truly skilled in portraying the image of a seemingly innocent but actually manipulative woman.

"I saw her carrying a bottle of aphrodisiacs the day before yesterday," Ian said, revealing his observation, which immediately caught Michael's eye.

He thought it was his sweetheart who wanted to use it on him.

however.

The little wizard's next words ruthlessly shattered Michael's expectations.

"And yesterday, I noticed her love potion was no longer on her; I think she used it." Ian blinked, trying to awaken his roommate's romantic mind with his observation.

only.

He underestimated how terrifying a person with a romantic mindset can be.

Michael's disbelief lasted only a moment before his eyes immediately lit up with unwavering conviction. "She must have been carrying the love potion for her friend."

"As you all know, Rebecca loves helping others, which often makes her vulnerable to being taken advantage of by bad friends. There's a whole bunch of really wicked girls in Slytherin."

Michael offered a forced explanation for his goddess.

......

Ian and William were both speechless, exchanging a glance before shaking their heads. Indeed, you can never wake a sycophant; Michael perfectly illustrated this truth.

"This is youth!" Ian patted Michael on the shoulder with pity and walked straight to the dormitory's washroom. He needed to wash up and change his clothes. Soon, it was time for class. In the Hogwarts Charms classroom, sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, illuminating the dust floating in the air.

The morning classes weren't too difficult, after all, it was Ravenclaw Headmaster's Charms class, and Ian was the Headmaster's favorite, so the class experience was definitely top-notch.

of course.

Ian wasn't paying attention. He kept glancing at the elder wand in his hand, his mind still replaying Merlin's words, pondering what special things the power of the gods might have.

The students didn't find Ian's dawdling behavior wrong, and even Professor Flitwick didn't think so, though he would still occasionally ask Ian questions.

"Ian, could you demonstrate this spell for us?" Professor Flitwick's voice came from the podium. His gaze first pretended to sweep over the students in the classroom before finally landing on Ian.

The classroom fell silent, all the young wizards' eyes fixed on Ian. They all knew that Ian was Ravenclaw's best student, arguably one of the most outstanding wizards in all of Hogwarts. Every time he demonstrated magic, it produced some amazing effect.

So Ian nodded, stood up, and bowed slightly to his headmaster.

"Of course, Professor."

Ian's impeccable manners weren't due to Riddle's influence; his bow had another layer of meaning. Ian immediately raised his hand and began casting a spell without any hesitation or preamble.

fast.

The target was Professor Flitwick, who was a professor.

"what?"

Professor Flitwick had not anticipated this situation at all. He had originally intended to select a student to experience the magic, but Ian's move was so fast that he didn't even have time to react.

Therefore, the dean was caught off guard and struck by magic.

His body shuddered violently, and his face turned deathly pale. Then, he began to gag violently, as if something was about to come up from his throat.

"I vomit—"

Professor Flitwick bent over, covering his mouth with one hand and bracing himself on the podium with the other. His body trembled violently as if he were in great pain.

Then.

A giant slug emerged from his mouth. It was larger than Professor Flitwick's body, its slimy form wriggling on the floor, emitting a nauseating stench. A gasp rippled through the classroom; the young wizards covered their mouths, some even turning away, unable to bear the sight.

"Merlin's beard!"

A Hufflepuff student exclaimed in a low voice, "That's disgusting!"

He said that, but his eyes never left the slug the professor had spat out. He was being hypocritical; he was clearly a Hufflepuff who had gone astray.

"Good! Very good!" Professor Flitwick's face was still pale, but he forced himself to look up at Ian, suppressing his nausea, and managed a weak smile.

"Extremely—extremely brilliant magic, Ian." His voice trembled slightly, but his tone was full of admiration. "Ravenclaw, add twenty points!"

Professor Flitwick's way of awarding points was very decisive. Anyone with common sense could see that the reason he liked to question Ian was because Ian always demonstrated extraordinary magical abilities during the teaching sessions.

There are students like this.

No dean would pass up an opportunity to boost the college's score. Although Professor Flitwick had suffered this time, since he had already been infected, he naturally had to endure the nausea and add the points.

This is the kind of timely loss-cutting that adults should know! The young wizards didn't quite understand yet, so a murmur rippled through the classroom, and the young wizards all wore surprised expressions. They hadn't expected that Professor Flitwick, after suffering such an "attack," would still be so generous in giving Ian extra points.

"Thank you, Professor."

Ian smiled slightly and bowed again. Professor Flitwick waved his hand, gesturing for Ian to sit down. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and then turned to the students in the classroom.

"Classmates, Ian's demonstration was perfect. His magic was quick to cast and highly effective, which is exactly the skill we need to master in duels."

The professor's tone held a hint of emotion as he looked again at Ian, who had returned to his seat. "I believe, Ian, you will definitely become an outstanding dueling master!"

What a wonderful blessing.

This is the true value of the dean's favorite kid.

Even though the dean is still nauseous, his affection for Ian has not diminished.

A round of applause erupted in the classroom. Although some of the young wizards were still shaken by the giant slug, they had to admit that Professor Ian's magic was truly amazing. Paying for his class was definitely worth it! Unwittingly, Ian had gained a few more potential clients for his little classroom.

soon.

It's time for get out of class to end.

Instead of going to the auditorium with his classmates, Ian went to the Room of Requirement alone. He pushed open the door, and a cold, gloomy atmosphere filled the room.

The black-robed skeleton was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, holding the pitiful Dementor in its hands like a cat. The Dementor trembled but dared not even think of escaping.

Ian's gaze fell on the black-robed skeleton. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, as if he were recalling something. Who could have imagined that the once lively and mature goddess, full of vitality, would now be reduced to this—a cold skeleton, unable to fully comprehend even many words?

"Hey, comrade, long time no see."

Ian said softly.

The black-robed skeleton slowly raised its head, its empty eye sockets filled with confusion. It tilted its head slightly, as if trying to understand Ian's words, but ultimately just lowered its head in silence.

He continued to stroke the Dementor beside him—this goddess, she may not have truly died, but she certainly couldn't be considered truly alive either.