Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts.

Chapter 43 A Skill Even Slytherin Couldn't Master

"Quidditch, I never imagined this sport would become so popular." After dealing with the noisy Malfoy for Daphne, Rice felt a sense of the vicissitudes of life.

"Did you know? Quidditch and Slytherin have a deep connection." On a whim, Rice decided to tell the young wizards around him a story about the origins of Quidditch.

In Slytherin House, you'll never lack an audience for stories about Salazar Slytherin. As soon as Rice finished speaking, he noticed several gazes, some overt and some covert, directed at him.

"Without a doubt, Quidditch is the most popular sport today, but did you know that in the 11th century when the Big Four were active, Quidditch was an extremely obscure sport? Pole play, rock catching, aerial collisions... these sports were much more well-known than Quidditch."

More and more people are listening intently.

The sports Rice mentioned were all popular in the Middle Ages but have since disappeared. Their extinction is related to their inherent danger; for example, catching stones was an extremely violent and dangerous game. Each competitor had to tie a cauldron to their head with a leather strap and then use the cauldron on their head to catch stones falling from a height of one hundred feet—stones that were supposedly enchanted!

It's easy to imagine how high the casualty rate is in this kind of game. The game's name, when translated literally, is even "Injured Head"—people with no brain problems wouldn't play this game.

"The birth of Quidditch is inextricably linked to a witch named Gertie Kiddall," Rice began to tell the young wizards the story of what happened back then.

……

"Ha! Godric, I'm flying!" Salazar Slytherin rode his broomstick and circled in the air.

"What kind of flying broom is this! Putting a flying charm on an ordinary broom, you're something else!" Godric Gryffindor didn't hesitate to expose his old friend's true colors: Salazar couldn't control the flying broom at all, so he had no choice but to put a levitation charm on an ordinary broom to make it carry him and float up.

"Just tell me if it flew or not?!" Slytherin was a little embarrassed and angry—for some reason, he just couldn't get along with flying broomsticks and could hardly resonate with them. Although he had flight magic to help him fly, it was still rather shameful.

What wizard can't ride a flying broomstick?

"Alright, alright, want to try hitting the stones together?" Godric asked eagerly.

Slytherin remained silent.

He felt as if a positive feedback loop was unfolding before his eyes: only a mentally unstable person would play the rock-catching game, and after playing it, their mental state would become even worse, leading them to want to play it even more...

Slytherin decided to do his duty as a friend and save Gryffindor's precarious mind, so he improvised a game on the spot. This game was somewhat similar to the game Muggle children often played, Duck Smash, where two people threw balls at each other, and points were deducted for being hit.

"What's so hard about that? Watch the ball!" Godric was in high spirits and conjured a ball, which he then threw at Slytherin's face.

The two were having a great time until Godric's conjured ball accidentally landed in Gertie Kidd's vegetable garden. Gertie confiscated the culprit ball and unleashed several curses upon them.

Realizing they were in the wrong, Rice and Godric slunk away. But their game wasn't over yet; they weren't done playing.

So the next day, they returned. Godric made a new ball, while Rice changed the rules of the game. To avoid a repeat of yesterday's events, he decided to change the scoring method to throwing the ball into the woods at one end of the swamp—this was the prototype of Quaffle and the scoring ring. Later, to increase the game's fun, they also enchanted two rocks, allowing them to fly around in the air and interfere with their throws—this was the precursor to the wandering ball.

Because the swamp was called Quidditch Swamp, Slytherin named the sport Quidditch.

"That's how Quidditch came about!"

After Rice finished telling his story, the young wizards around him began a lively discussion on the topic.

"So it's normal that we're good at Quidditch, after all, it's a game invented by Lord Slytherin, and Slytherin students are born to play it."

"Lord Slytherin and Gryffindor seem to have a good relationship?" "They were good friends at first."

"What's the deal with that golden thief?" "I know that!"

……

"Is this recorded in medieval wizard letters again?" Daphne raised an eyebrow.

Rice looked away, implying that you were incredibly insightful.

After Malfoy was publicly humiliated by Daphne in the Great Hall, the trend of boasting about their flying skills among the freshmen came to a halt, while Rice's story about the origins of Quidditch gradually spread.

In this atmosphere, the first flying lesson for the Slytherin freshmen arrived.

The weather was clear and sunny, and the most anticipated flying lesson was just around the corner. For the Slytherin freshmen, Thursdays were usually wonderful, the only downside being that they had to attend classes with the Gryffindor freshmen.

The flying lesson was taught by a lady named Hooch, who had short gray hair and eagle-like yellow eyes. She was said to have been a professional Quidditch player before retiring and teaching at Hogwarts. Compared to other retired players, teaching at Hogwarts was undoubtedly a very good job, so she took her work very seriously.

"Alright, stop wasting time!" she snapped. "Everyone stand next to a flying broomstick and hurry up."

Rice glanced down at the flying broom at his feet: it was old and worn, and the broomstick was a mess.

A sense of unease crept into Rice's heart. He recalled some unpleasant memories, but he also harbored a sliver of hope: Could the flying broom not working very well back then have been a quality issue with the broom itself? A thousand years have passed; shouldn't the flying broom be more intelligent by now?

Technology is advancing!

"Extend your right hand, place it above the broom handle, and say 'Get up!'" Mrs. Hodge shouted from the front and demonstrated it herself.

"Get up!" the young wizards shouted, mimicking their example.

"Get up," Rice said to the broom at his feet.

The broom lay on the ground, rolled over, and didn't seem to intend to follow Rice's instructions.

puff!

Malfoy, standing next to him, burst out laughing: He'd finally found Rice's weakness! Even Rice has things he's not good at!

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.

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(End of this chapter)