The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 108, Section 107: Cheating and Returning to the Chapter! Ian's Disappointment

Chapter 108, Section 107: Cheating and Return! Ian's Disappointment

Helena Ravenclaw left after uttering a meaningful remark.

Ian was left alone, staring thoughtfully in the direction she left, until his stomach started protesting for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. He then scratched the back of his head and ran towards the direction of the elf's kitchen.

"Transfiguration is a discipline that points directly to the essence of magic. Perhaps it can not only change things that wizards perceive, but it can also produce unexpected effects when used on ghosts."

"After all, shapeshifting can transform all things in the world, and ghosts are certainly included among these things."

"No one was able to cast magic on ghosts before, but I am different from others because I can step into the dreamlike realm."

"If possible—this is certainly a research direction with profound implications." Ian may have a different view of what happened last night than Helena Ravenclaw, but no one can say for sure what new things such a different view will lead him to explore on the path of Transfiguration.

Of course, Ian loves to study and learn, but his immediate priority is to fill his stomach, as he hasn't eaten anything since last night.

As Ian ran with his long legs, his figure disappeared into the corridor. A moment later, the Gryffindor portrait, which had been playing hide-and-seek with the vicious dog among the various portraits in Hogwarts, was also chased into this area.

"Lend me your sword!" Gryffindor's portrait, of course, did not have the ability to cast spells, but he had great confidence in his own swordsmanship.

He wanted to show Ian's abstract depiction of the vicious dog the might of the Hogwarts Sword Saint. A mere vicious dog, so what if it had rabies implanted in its likeness?

Gryffindor wants to show off their skills.

However, none of the figures in the portraits along the way responded to his request, as the swords on their bodies were considered part of them as well.

Who would lend their little one to someone else?

Moreover, even putting that aside, most of the portraits of people holding swords, upon seeing Gryffindor running towards them with his hounds, would have made a quick getaway much faster than Gryffindor himself.

"What kind of people are these! Where is your courage! Where is your justice and loyalty?" Gryffindors, exhausted from fleeing, only had time to express their contempt for the fleeing portraits.

It wasn't just the other portraits that didn't help him.

Even he himself did not offer any help.

Gryffindor sought help from his older self in the hallway, but the older self only watched with amusement. In desperation, he even called for help from the little wizard outside the picture frame.

only.

"Wow! It's Gryffindor! A completely new version I've never seen before!"

"How could he be chased by a dog?"

"Perhaps this is the design for his portrait? Like that guy on the eighth floor who was beaten up by the troll, the artist is probably showing the undying adventurous spirit of the Gryffindor ancestors."

"That's so philosophical! Wow, your reading comprehension is amazing too."

Gryffindor not only failed to receive help from the young wizards, but their gossiping and chatting also dealt him a psychological blow, shattering his philosophical ideas and his undying spirit of adventure!

"Lowna, save me! Save me! Save me! I'm going to be bitten! I'm really going to be bitten!" The Gryffindor portrait fled all the way into the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw.

The portrait in the background of the library was immediately thrown into chaos. The vicious dog and Gryffindor were chasing each other behind dozens of bookshelves, causing several bookshelves full of books to collapse. Gryffindor was trying to use the bookshelves to suppress the vicious dog, and the vicious dog, just as Ian said, seemed to only see Gryffindor in its eyes.

No amount of books weighing him down could stop him from running towards Gryffindor's heart. To be fair, the portrait of Gryffindor does indeed reflect his own adventurous experience. A two-legged man running for so long without being bitten by a four-legged dog, he is indeed agile, even surpassing Jackie Chan in the furniture store by several levels.

However, even the most skilled adventurer cannot withstand a chase lasting several tens of minutes; a vicious dog can miss its prey countless times.

Gryffindor, worried about their "portrait-like rabies," couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

He's really stubborn.

Even after being chased to this extent, they still refuse to return to their safe house so that Ian can get what he wants.

"Help me! Help me! Rowena! You've owned dogs before! You must know how to stop this dog! I've been ripped off by that bastard from your academy!"

Gryffindor started running around Rowena Ravenclaw, who was smiling at the outside of the frame, and the two of them circled the portrait of the other founder dozens of times.

Finally, seeing the Gryffindor portrait preparing to hug it and leap onto its head to escape the vicious dogs, the Rowena Ravenclaw portrait couldn't hold back any longer.

"Why are you making such a fuss even about portraits?"

Her tone was full of helplessness.

There's also a touch of nostalgia—it's a precious piece of history, which Ian Prince referred to in past conversations as Ravenclaw and her best friend and two silly sidekicks.

Rowena Ravenclaw now agrees with the little guy's statement, and one of the silly portraits really makes Rowena Ravenclaw feel like she is reliving the past.

"It's that little bastard from your academy! He's even worse than you! Just because he wanted to find the room where I was hiding, he drew a rabid dog and chased me down!"

Gryffindor failed to climb onto Ravenclaw's head, but he did manage to climb onto a tall bookshelf.

They kept throwing books at the vicious dogs that were barking incessantly below.

"Do you think that disease could be inflicted on a portrait?" The portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw looked up at Gryffindor, her smile, which had lasted for a thousand years, turning into utter helplessness.

"It's never good if it bites me! I have a feeling, it's an adventurer's intuition!" Gryffindor had already thrown away all the books on the top shelf.

"Help me!"

He sent a distress signal to the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw again, and the vicious dog had already begun climbing the bookshelf.

The brave and fearless Gryffindor could only keep kicking the vicious dog with his own feet.

"Ugh, why did you have to bring up your treasure room with that little guy? You're just asking for trouble." Rowena Ravenclaw blew a breath at the Gryffindor hounds.

next moment.

The abstract dog that Ian drew turned into a puddle of ink, flowing outside the frame and dripping onto the hallway floor, completely losing its magic and power as a magical drawing.

"Phew, thank you, Rowena. You're even good at portraits." The Gryffindor portrait climbed down from the bookshelf, panting as he gave Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait a thumbs up.

"You're lucky I haven't left yet." Rowena Ravenclaw glanced at the corridor outside the picture frame, his gaze fixed on the direction Helena had gone.

"leave?"

Gryffindor approached Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait once more.

But this time, his expression suddenly changed, his eyes widened in astonishment, and his voice was filled with disbelief, "I feel like you're different from us!"

Upon hearing this...

Rowena Ravenclaw took a deep look at the Gryffindor portrait.

"That little guy will never give up until he achieves his goal. Whatever you're hiding to pass on to your descendants, you'd better hand it over as soon as possible, otherwise next time he might draw more than one vicious dog."

Done.

The portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw smiles again at the outside of the frame—something about her has begun to change, she has lost her former liveliness and no longer engages in any activity.

It's like a stiff portrait that has been tainted with very little "spiritual energy".

"This is cheating! It's cheating!"

The Gryffindor portrait stared wide-eyed and gasped in surprise.

"How could my true self not have thought of this! Hiss! Salazar probably came back like this eleven years ago. It turns out that out of the four of them, only Helga and I were honest!"

The Gryffindor portrait clearly realized some incredible secret; it moved in front of the Rowena Ravenclaw portrait, pressing its entire face against the frame.

All I saw was...

Directly opposite the picture frame are one of the few windows in the corridor, offering a wide and unobstructed view of the large lawn and the distant Forbidden Forest. Perhaps, if it doesn't rain at night, this would also be an excellent spot to observe the night sky.

Many highly skilled wizards enjoy observing the night sky.

The movement of the sun, moon, and stars.

It will tell the observer a lot.

For example—? The years and months in the human world.

The elf kitchen at Hogwarts.

Beside the huge wooden dining table, the table was covered with all kinds of different ingredients, from shimmering magic fish to freshly picked vegetables and fruits.

A group of tiny house-elves, dressed in neat aprons, are busy at work. Their pointed ears and eyes sparkle with love and dedication to their jobs. Some elves are waving their magic wands, directing pots and pans suspended in mid-air to automatically perform tedious tasks such as chopping vegetables and stirring.

Each little elf moved with such skill. It was nearing dinnertime, and the kitchen was bustling with activity, the rich aroma of food filling the entire space. The air was thick with an enticing fragrance.

From steaming hot stews to sweet pastries, every dish embodies the little elves' hard work.

"Today is Halloween, so everyone should eat something different. Hogwarts should have some unique Halloween traditions. We can't be as conservative as other schools."

"Unique and surprising meals will bring surprises to the young wizards."

"Yes, that's it. Add a little something extra. Bright red dishes will stimulate your appetite even more. If you don't believe me, I'll compile a 'Little Wizard's Diet Guide' for you when I get back."

Under Ian Prince's meddling, the young wizards' dishes tonight were all more or less laced with jalapenos. The elves didn't realize that this would lead to a massive hemorrhoid screening at Hogwarts. Ian ate at a separate little table, and people who eat hot pot always want to brag a little.

After giving his instructions on the kitchen layout, Ian downed the liquid in his glass in one gulp.

"I still have to drink this stuff!" Ian put down the lemonade with extra lemon juice in his hand, feeling that his headache caused by last night's indulgence had gotten much better.

Anyone who has ever experienced a hangover can understand how uncomfortable it is. Ian even thought that the professor who gave the ghosts the beer must have added a lot of industrial alcohol to it.

Fake imported liquor has always had a special effect on the brain.

"Mr. Prince is truly learned! Rabbi admires Mr. Prince immensely!"

"Even hobbies are worshipped!"

"Siby will prove his admiration with actions; Siby cut another plate of meat for Mr. Prince."

House-elves are really good at providing emotional value.

Ian may have made little progress in his ambition to ascend the throne at Hogwarts, but in the small world of the kitchen, he seems to have already experienced the joy of being a little emperor.

"I've almost finished the hot pot meat. Could you turn this plate of meat into grilled meat and put it in a tortilla? I want to replenish my energy while studying."

D，

Ian's request was naturally not refused by the elves. Amidst praise for his hard work and stable output of emotional value, he took his burrito and left the kitchen, intending to go to the Forbidden Forest.

Christmas is coming.

Ian needs to prepare gifts for his friends and family. Out of courtesy, Grindelwald should also receive the same treatment as Dumbledore and Snape.

He certainly didn't want to attract the attention of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Besides, putting aside the Resurrection Stone and Slytherin's locket, the golden container Grindelwald gave him was still pure gold.

Only by giving gifts can we have reciprocity.

"I'm quite the social butterfly," Ian remarked as he passed the four enormous hourglasses that recorded the academy's grades.

He discovered that Ravenclaw's grades were far ahead of the other houses. The first-year students clearly hadn't brought any honor to the house; it seemed the upperclassmen were truly impressive.

"If it weren't for the Quidditch Cup bonus, we would have won for sure." Ian still had a lot of complaints about Quidditch, perhaps because Ravenclaw didn't perform well in the sport and had little hope of winning. At Hogwarts, the championship in this sport almost exclusively belonged to Slytherin.

Walk through the foyer.

Ian walked toward the castle gates—his plan to buy the Forbidden Forest for free had been abruptly interrupted by a sudden downpour; he had clearly not realized the weather outside while he was in the kitchen.

It's pouring rain now.

Streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, casting dappled shadows through the window before abruptly disappearing.

It's hard to say whether going to the forbidden forest in this weather would result in being struck by lightning.

The young wizards who had been playing and frolicking outside gradually returned. A group of students, big and small, either covered their heads or carried brooms as if fleeing a disaster, and ran into the castle.

Their faces and bodies were covered in rainwater, and some students' robes were even covered in mud, perhaps from falling in Quidditch or playing in the mud with wild boars—it was hard to say.

For the young wizards at Hogwarts, even the most outlandish behavior is perfectly reasonable.

Ian stood at the front door.

He greeted the passing young wizards and saw a figure resembling a giant bat walking towards the castle, its robes billowing high in the downpour.

"Professor Snape."

Young wizards kept greeting the giant bat with fear, and the rain seemed to share their fear of the man, avoiding him before it even touched the unchanging black robe.

"Get to the Great Hall for dinner," Snape said to Ian as he passed by, his expression gloomy, even more so than the overcast sky outside.

This is clearly not directed at Ian.

Because Snape was followed by a timid man. This man kept greeting some of the older wizards, but he didn't seem to dare to look the younger wizards in the eye.

"You weren't like this before you left."

Snape's gloomy face grew even more so when he spoke to this man.

"I—I just encountered a lot of danger and was a bit frightened—I need some time to recover," the man replied to Snape.

He gave Ian a polite smile again.

"What are you still doing here? Let's go eat in the auditorium!"

Snape shoved Ian hard in the back.

"Um."

Ian kept glancing back at the man who had followed Snape back.

The man was dressed in a simple robe without much fancy decoration, and a purple scarf around his neck. His thin figure looked as if he had been malnourished for a long time and was about to collapse.

"Professor Quirrell! Don't go that way! We need to go to the headmaster's office. You cut your vacation short and need to come with me to see Dumbledore first."

The big bat sounded very annoyed.

Ian, who had stopped, heard Snape address the wizard.

He looked back.

The man was not wearing a headscarf.