The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 123, Section 122: The Legacy of Hogwarts

Chapter 123, Section 122: The Legacy of Hogwarts

It was clearly an underground palace.

The ground here seemed to be covered with countless gold bricks.

They shimmered with dazzling light, and under the illumination of thousands of candles, they seemed to bathe the massive skeleton in the center in a golden glow.

The colossal dragon skeleton, obscuring the sky, lay silently.

The enormous skeleton resembled an ancient and majestic mountain range, each segment so thick that it required several people to encircle it, seemingly capable of supporting the entire sky. Its imposing aura remained undiminished even after death. Countless years had passed since its demise, yet its head, larger than even the largest dragon of today, still stood proudly raised.

His empty eye sockets were like deep black holes, as if they were still gazing at his past glory and splendor.

"Hogwarts actually has dragons!"

The incredibly shocking scene that greeted Ian left him speechless. His first thought was of the school motto, "Sleeping Dragon, Do Not Disturb," which seemed to have a real origin.

Surprisingly, the young wizards were right! Even the professors at Hogwarts probably didn't know this, otherwise they wouldn't have so confidently told the young wizards that there were no dragons at Hogwarts!

"This is more than just a dragon; compared to this, even the Hungarian Tree Peak is nothing more than a chick." Ian couldn't help but exclaim as he slowly moved closer.

His individual size was like an ant compared to the dragon skeleton. It would be difficult for him to even climb onto the dragon skeleton's toes. It's hard to imagine how enormous the dragon must have been when it was alive.

"Perhaps only Ultraman could compare?" This dragon skeleton, each bone was astonishingly thick, as if forged from the hardest metal. They intertwined to form a breathtaking skeleton, still displaying the dragon's ferocity and power even after countless years of death.

"Clang clang~"

Ian pulled out a hammer and struck the dragon bone, producing an extremely hard sound. It was actually quite reasonable for an alchemist to carry around all sorts of strange tools.

"To boil this stuff into a soup, wouldn't we have to use Fiery Blaze directly?" Of course, Ian was also a potions scholar, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to have such a thought.

He was truly shocked by the skeleton in the underground palace. Just one skeleton made him feel a suffocating pressure. Heaven knows how powerful it must have been when it was alive.

Even the giant dragons that look like chicks now have extremely high magic resistance, so one can imagine that the dragon in front of him must have even higher magic resistance. Ian found it hard to imagine how this dragon had been defeated, or perhaps subdued and placed in this dungeon. He doubted whether the wizards' magic could break through the defenses of this terrifying creature.

"The Four Giants are still the Four Giants—where did you find this kind of dragon?" Ian took out his [Bone Crushing and Ashes Box] and placed it next to the dragon's toes.

This alchemical creation with sharp teeth immediately began its work.

however.

"Crack~"

Just as Ian had predicted, the sharp teeth of the [Bone Crushing and Ashes Box] were completely destroyed. Not only did it fail to gnaw on the dragon's toe bones, it didn't even leave a trace.

At least in terms of bone quality, the underground dragon's physical defense is also maxed out, and the damaged and sluggish [Bone Crushing and Ashes Box] seems to have been mercilessly mocked by bones that have been dead for at least a thousand years.

"Perhaps it's the result of magical modification or bio-alchemy?" Ian was still speculating about the dragon's origins when he climbed down from the dragon's toe bone and noticed a line of words lit up on the ground.

Each character was about the size of a palm, which was actually quite eye-catching. However, Ian was clearly distracted by the mountain-like skeleton and didn't see it immediately.

The last dragons will rest here, and the era of the dragons will come to a complete end.

Thanks to his hard work and the systematic help that brought him so much knowledge, Ian recognized the words written in runes and also recognized that the beautiful handwriting was most likely from Lady Ravenclaw.

"The Age of Dragons?"

Ian knew he might have uncovered another secret not recorded in the history of magic, and he could almost feel the atmosphere of that era in Ravenclaw's writings.

Dragons soared through the skies, ruling the land; their every breath shook the mountains and rivers.

Their roars could make everything tremble.

"Hiss, this tastes so pungent!" Ian was somewhat relieved that Madam Ravenclaw had explained that the last dragons had disappeared, otherwise he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, and he would inevitably wonder if there were any hybrids, dragon-slaying schools, Black Kings, Hundred Kings, or any other mixed backgrounds in the world.

"In any case, this kind of ancient secret should predate Merlin's time." Ian stared at the words on the ground, becoming more and more convinced that this was Ravenclaw's writing style.

"I thought this was a nearly new private chamber for Slytherin men—" Ian was somewhat surprised by the ownership of the dungeon. He looked up and around before noticing that there were stone statues about ten meters tall in all four directions of the dungeon. They seemed to be embedded in the walls and almost blended into the surrounding walls.

Each statue has subtle differences in detail, depicting the appearance and figure of the four leaders. The statues are also engraved with exquisite bas-relief patterns, each corresponding to one of the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw.

Each relief is as new as if it were just carved.

The statue representing Gryffindor features a majestic lion in relief, its mane as vibrant as burning flames, and its eyes gleaming with intense light, as if gazing intently at the unknown challenges ahead.

That courageous and fearless spirit seemed to leap out of the relief sculpture.

Corresponding to the Slytherin statue is a serpent. The scales on the serpent's body are delicate and exquisite, shimmering with a cold luster in the dim light. The statue's eyes are like deep green gems, exuding cunning and wisdom, as if it were plotting something in the dark, vividly lifelike.

On the Ravenclaw statue is an eagle with outstretched wings, ready to take flight. The eagle's feathers are clearly defined, as if gently trembling in the wind. Its sharp beak is as sharp as a sword, and its eyes reveal an endless thirst for knowledge and an all-seeing wisdom. The statue's posture is exactly like that of the Ravenclaws Ian had once seen.

The statue representing Hufflepuff is carved with a gentle hog. The hog's image is endearing yet exudes a tenacious spirit. Its claws grip the ground firmly, as if guarding something. Its gentle and steadfast appearance perfectly matches the smiling expression on the statue's face.

"So, this is a secret chamber shared by the four leaders, or a place built for some purpose?" Ian walked up to the stone statue carved with the Ravenclaw symbol. He saw Ravenclaw's notebook again, still located in front of the statue on the ground that looked like it was paved with gold.

【Piertotum Locomotor】

Ian uttered the words that were shining on the ground. His wand trembled as if some kind of lock had been broken, and then it burst into a bright light.

The magic is boiling.

"Oops!"

Ian, who had been clutching his wand, realized something was wrong. He quickly checked his character panel, and sure enough, it was...

A brand new spell appeared on his personal panel.

"Boom!! Boom!!!"

Before Ian could even think of how to explain this to Snape, the dungeon began to shake violently. The incantation, once uttered, was like a horn awakening a sleeping beast. In an instant, the syllables of the incantation rippled through the dungeon, awakening the ancient power slumbering within the walls.

At first, only a slight tremor came from the wall, and fine stone chips fell with the vibration, like a gentle rain of stones. Then, the stone statue representing Hufflepuff, carved with a dog's head, began to emit a deep rumble, as if its massive body was gradually awakening from a thousand-year slumber.

At the junction of the statue's base and the wall, mysterious runes shimmered with a golden luster, the light spreading along the statue's contours like veins imbuing it with life. As the light shifted, the statue slowly lifted its heavy feet, breaking free from the wall!

The statue's movements carried a measured and steady demeanor, like a loyal guardian fulfilling his duty. The bas-relief pot seemed to be infused with vitality; its eyes shone with a gentle yet firm light, and its originally endearing appearance now possessed a more serious and dignified air.

"Boom!"

With each step the more than ten-meter-tall stone statue took, the ground trembled slightly. Only the dragon's skeleton remained unmoved, while Ian felt as if an earthquake had struck, making it difficult for him to stand.

"Is this the founders' trump card for defense?"

Ian felt as if he were back in the first time he watched Ultraman Tiga. He looked up at the giant stone statue that had stood up, and the powerful magical energy emanating from it left him speechless.

In the dark.

He felt a connection between himself and the statue. Of course, this connection did not allow Ian to transform into light and enter the statue, instantly becoming a gigantic ancient giant stained with color.

"Raise your hand?"

Ian tried to give the command, and sure enough, the statue raised its hand as he intended, the golden light flowing on it seemingly able to coalesce into some kind of magical attack.

However, Ian didn't dare to try anything deep underground. If he accidentally caused the underground palace to collapse and was buried there, he, who couldn't Apparate, would really have to go to the Mystic Realm to reunite with his friends.

"If it really is a trump card left behind by the four giants, there should be a way to move them out, right?" Before Ian could figure out a way to move the giant Hufflepuff statues...

"Boom!"

Then there were more violent tremors and noises.

All I saw was...

The serpent statue representing Slytherin also stirred. Its serpent seemed to come alive, its body writhing on the statue, its cold stone eyes flashing an eerie green light. The statue detached itself from the wall.

He leaned forward, like a scheming conspirator who had been lying in wait for the right moment to strike.

As it moved, the snake's body hissed against the ground, as if whispering ancient Slytherin secrets, a sound that sounded particularly eerie in the silent dungeon.

It sends chills down one's spine.

The two stone statues exuded completely different auras, and as soon as they stood up, the area behind them was revealed. There was a stone-built passage behind each of the two statues.

"Um!?"

Ian wasn't the only one stunned.

And there's Snape, who's some unknown distance above.

In the dimly lit office.

Snape noticed that the magic he was casting on Ian's wand was not working, so he immediately frowned and quickly pulled out the Marauder's Map he had captured to check Quirrell's location.

Snape breathed a slight sigh of relief after seeing Quirrell already in his bedroom. He figured that even if Ian was incredibly audacious, he wouldn't stoop so far as to go to the professor's bedroom to pick a fight.

"That slippery lazybones!"

Perhaps thinking that Ian had only used magic to clean the toilet because he couldn't stand it anymore, Snape did not get up.

He muttered a complaint under his breath and then continued with his experiment.

The potion was bubbling and gurgling in the cauldron as he tried to find a substitute for Ian's Infinite Power Potion, bypassing it.

Ian doesn't have decision-making difficulties.

He saw two passageways revealed behind the statue as it stood up. After a moment's hesitation, he crawled behind the Slytherin statue. The long stone passageway was much shabby than the ancient underground palace.

Having already broken his vow, Ian immediately raised his wand, dispelling the darkness in the passage. It was a secret passage that, although not leaking, was more uncomfortable to walk through than a leaky one.

Ian's Lighting Charm illuminated the environment inside the passage. The walls of the pipe were dark and filthy, having not been cleaned for a long time, and the ground was littered with the broken bones of various small animals.

Moss grew on the mold-covered skeleton, and the mold seemed to parasitize the moss, making the whole passage smell terrible. Ian felt his stomach churning.

He quickly cast a head-soaking spell on himself, which prevented him from vomiting up what he had eaten that evening. Exploring along the way, Ian soon arrived at a platform connected by a tunnel.

"Click click click~"

He peeked out from the open stone wall and immediately saw the outline of a colossal creature lying motionless on the platform outside, like a sculpture.

"Indeed, this leads to the true Chamber of Slytherin." The glowing light from Ian's wand shone on the platform, making the huge snakeskin's emerald green color extremely conspicuous.

He was coiled on the ground of the small platform, which was completely hollow. It was clearly the molted skin of the Slytherin basilisk, an extremely precious potion ingredient.

Ian jumped from the stone wall onto the platform and immediately packed all the snakeskins into his money bag without hesitation. Then he looked up at the deeper area ahead.

he knows.

The Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, and the Great Basilisk is there.

"I discovered an even more astonishing secret about Hogwarts today. The basilisk will have to wait until I have time to come back." Ian weighed his options for a moment before disappearing back into the passage behind the stone wall.

One night isn't much time, so he needed to manage his time well. Following the same stench-filled path, Ian quickly returned to the spacious and grand underground palace.

The two stone statues still stood there, connected to Ian.

"Why aren't the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw statues standing up? I'm clearly a Ravenclaw, and I've received the Ravenclaw ladies' approval more than once!"

Ian believed that there was a similar passage behind the other two statues, but no matter how he tried to recite the spell he had just learned, the two statues still showed no intention of standing up.

"Does this mean that aloof women and passionate men are hard to win over?" Ian even manipulated the statues of Hufflepuff and Slytherin to try to pry the statues of the other two founders out of the wall, but after struggling for a while, it was still no use. The statues of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were as if their butts were welded shut.

Perhaps the dragon can lift up these two founders?

That thing is much larger than a stone statue that is more than ten meters tall.

"Skeletal remains have reappeared!"

Ian raised his wand and turned to cast a spell on the massive dragon skeleton in the center of the dungeon. However, this action only confirmed his belief in the magic resistance of prehistoric dragons once again.

"Crunch, crunch~"

The dragon's skeleton only trembled violently; Ian's magic failed to control it.

This is not just a problem with the dragon skeleton's magic resistance, but also a deficiency in Ian's magic power and magical intensity.

"Is this what it feels like to have a mountain of treasure but no resources?"

Ian, unwilling to give up, tried several times to increase his magical output, but the dragon's skeleton only twitched and danced in place for a while.

Based on the information constantly gleaned from the failed spells, Ian felt that even Dumbledore and Grindelwald wouldn't be much better at controlling this bone dragon than he was.

"At least I still have you all."

Ian could only console himself with the two large stone statues. Although riding on the shoulders of the stone statues was not as cool as riding on the head of the bone dragon, these were still statues of the four giants, which had a certain portrait bonus.

In the Quidditch final.

He wanted to ride the Slytherin statue to cheer on his own house, which would surely greatly weaken the Slytherin team's morale and fighting strength.

Well, Ian doesn't really like Quidditch, but he really loves the points from the House Cup, and he's motivated to do anything to prevent other houses from getting those points.

And with such a dazzling entrance, who wouldn't love to be amazed?

"I need to find a way to move you out of here. You should be standing outside the castle to intimidate the villains. Ideally, you should be able to 'out of control' and stomp Quirrell and Voldemort into hamburger patties." Ian looked at the two giant stone statues under his control with some regret. After muttering something, he gave up on continuing to cast the Dancing Charm on the dragon bones.

The gold spread on the ground also attracted him greatly. He directly knocked on a brick, picked it up, weighed it, and then a slightly disappointed expression appeared on his face.

"It's just gilding—"

Ian didn't know if these bricks were for vanity purposes or for the preservation of dragon remains; he only knew that gilded bricks weren't worth damaging the integrity of the ancient ruins.

"Don't ruin my precious bone dragon by prying up a brick." Ian put the gilded brick back in, though he was still thinking about riding the bone dragon.

Just because he can't ride it now doesn't mean he won't be able to in the future. If all else fails, we can turn the bone dragon into an alchemical artifact. Eventually, we'll find a suitable way to make his dream come true!

"I need to check the passageway on this side of Hufflepuff. If I'm not mistaken, it should lead to the Room of Requirement?" Ian made the two statues hug each other.

The connection between them and the stone statue was then severed.

He glanced around the dungeon to make sure there was nothing else overlooked, then plunged into the passage behind the Hufflepuff statue. This passage was much cleaner and tidier than the previous one. Stepping inside, the first thing that caught his eye was the pristine, brand-new walls of the secret passage, which seemed to have been enchanted by some kind of magic.

Not a speck of dust or stain.

The ground beneath my feet was also amazingly clean, flat and smooth, and every step I took felt solid, with no debris or puddles to hinder my progress.

"The Hufflepuff ancestors were definitely more attentive to detail."

Although it was also a secret passage made of stone, and it lacked the opulent splendor of the underground palace, it was far more refined than Slytherin in terms of air quality and the small candles that lit up along the way. Slytherin now gave Ian the impression of being an unkempt, unkempt nerd.

"Softkitty, Warmkitty, Littleballoffur~"

Ian was overjoyed to have found the great treasure.

He even started humming a little tune.

As Ian walked, each step he took echoed with a soft, rhythmic sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet space.

A pea shoot along the way.

More than half an hour later, Ian arrived at the end of the passage. In front of him was an obstacle with a metal frame structure. He gently pushed the obstacle and it was pushed aside.

Just as Ian had predicted, the Hufflepuff's secret passage led to the Hufflepuff's Golden House, the magical room now known as the Room of Requirement.

"Is it this high up?"

The picture frames on the wall were pushed open like windows, and Ian's head peeked out from the secret passage.

However, it was discovered that the hanging picture frame was about three meters above the ground.

"The ladder is flying in!"

Fortunately, there were quite a few tools in the room, which Ian could obtain using a simple Summoning Spell. He climbed down the ladder that had been magically arranged.

"Snap!"

The picture frame closed up immediately after Ian landed, unlike the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets which remained connected. Fortunately, Ian didn't intend to return to the dungeon through the passage behind the picture frame. He needed to seriously study how to move the giant statue and how to control the dragon's skeleton.

Not urgent.

After all, the treasure is right there.

No one else knew about it except Ian.

"The four giants clearly don't know where the others' secret huts are, yet they are all certain that the other party has a secret hut. It seems that it's because of that underground palace that connects the four directions."

Ian looked up at the frame, which had been restored to its original state. He could not see anything unusual about it. Apart from a candle, there was no portrait of the person in the picture hanging on it.

"I still have plenty of time to explore, but I don't know why the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor statues can't move. Is it because I haven't found their secret chamber yet?"

Ian felt his guess was highly probable, after all, he already knew the location of Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and Hufflepuff's Golden House before waking the Hufflepuff and Slytherin statues. There might be some kind of magic on the statues in that dungeon that could detect whether an entrant possessed certain qualifications.

After all, the portrait of Gryffindor in his youth states that one needs to find his secret chamber to gain recognition, and such a standard of judgment may also exist for other founders.

"It's a pity that Madam Ravenclaw didn't tell me about her secret hut last time." Ian put his wand back on his waist with some regret. Although he was still savoring this unique adventure, he had to bring himself back to reality as dawn approached, seeing that the time on the wall was about to break.

"Cleaning the toilets, huh?"

Pulling out his old latrine cleaner outfit again, Ian was debating whether or not to use magic to carry out Snape's punishment, since Snape must already know that he had used a wand.

If your efforts aren't recognized by your superiors, it's better to slack off and do your job half-heartedly. It would be even worse if you had to painstakingly clean toilets by hand and then get accused of violating regulations by Snape.

"Completely cleaned up!"

"Completely cleaned up!"

"Completely cleaned up!"

Ian only briefly analyzed the pros and cons in his mind before deciding to go all the way. He cleaned all the toilets in the castle in a very short time. Manpower with magic was highly efficient; one person could do the work of an entire cleaning company.

"Dual pistols might be better than wands, but wands are the key to unleashing productivity." Ian, having discarded his latrine cleaner's gear, not only completed his task before dawn but also took the time to return to the Room of Requirement for a hot bath. This was a habit, and also to wash away Snape's potion that magic might not be able to remove.

When he returned to the Ravenclaw lounge feeling refreshed, ready to grab his textbooks, have breakfast, and go to class...

Where did you go last night?

The bronze eagle head actually took the initiative to make contact with Ian.

"Is this considered a question about opening the door?"

Ian seized upon the opportunity presented by the bronze eagle's words.

"Of course not."

The voice of the bronze eagle head remained soft and endearing.

"Then I'll wait here for the other junior wizards to come out." Ian knew the Bronze Falcon Head would definitely make things difficult for him.

Therefore, he did not intend to give the Bronze Eagle Head the opportunity to ask him questions.

"I'm just concerned about your mental health."

The bronze eagle tilted its head slightly.

"I'm perfectly healthy, and I even found a treasure last night." Ian knew that although the Bronze Eaglehead was a bit stingy, he wouldn't be like the Fat Lady who liked to spread gossip.

"Is the 'treasure' you're talking about the thing you have on your body?"

The bronze eagle head spoke curiously.

Ian was somewhat taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

He thought about it carefully and realized that he hadn't brought anything out of the underground palace, and he had even changed into a new robe.

Just as Ian, somewhat uncertain, took out his money bag to check it.

"Come here, give me your hand."

The bronze eagle head then spoke again.

"I'm warning you, don't even think about biting me." Ian, somewhat bewildered, placed his hand in front of the bronze eagle head. Despite being on guard, he was still pecked hard by the bronze eagle head.

It's incredibly fast.

"I knew it—"

Ian winced in pain and withdrew his hand. He had originally planned to unleash a torrent of abuse on the spot, but just as he was about to start cursing the eagle, the sound in his throat abruptly stopped.

"This is!?"

Ian was somewhat surprised to find that a green line the size of a billiard ball was gradually appearing on the back of his hand where he had been pecked by the bronze eagle's head.

The pattern is exactly the same as the relief on the faucet leading from the abandoned toilet on the second floor to the underground palace—it is a snake that emits a faint light and bites its own tail.

Ouroboros.

"Am I cursed by Slytherin?"

Ian frowned.

+

The bronze eagle head opened softly again.

"You have been chosen by Slytherin."

It corrected Ian's statement.