#44 - The Ghost of the Snake House

Travers kept muttering as he walked, vowing to teach that Mudblood a lesson, while Rosier beside him could only echo his sentiments, though inwardly he felt disdain.

Back in the castle, both of them unsurprisingly caught colds. They didn't even make it to the common room before Professor Slughorn, who happened to be passing by, dragged them off to the hospital wing.

Meanwhile, the Quidditch match on the field was still ongoing. The score had reached 290 to 410. If Slytherin could catch the Golden Snitch, the extra 150 points would allow them to overtake their opponents. However, both teams were practically breathless with exhaustion, and neither side was willing to end the game through negotiation. The Slytherin Seeker was so tired that he had simply sat down on the grass of the pitch.

The spectators in the stands couldn't take it anymore. Eighty or ninety percent had already left, with those remaining being the type who enjoyed a spectacle.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch returned to the center of the field to suggest that the game be ended, but Slytherin still refused. Even though both teams' players had become 'walking chickens,' Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch could only exchange helpless glances and continue watching the lengthy match.

But all of this had nothing to do with Anduin. He was currently full and content, reading the latest issue of the 'Century of Charms' journal in his room, only occasionally wondering if the Quidditch match had ended yet.

"So, in the end, the Slytherin Seeker, who had become a 'walking chicken,' caught the Golden Snitch by sheer luck, and Slytherin actually won?" Anduin asked Vivian during breakfast the next morning, listening to her recount the previous night's Quidditch match.

"Yes, you have no idea! The game went on until late at night. All the players were actually too exhausted to fly, but then the Golden Snitch just happened to fly right next to Vane Higgs, and that guy caught it effortlessly." Vivian vividly described the legendary match from the day before to Anduin, of course, it was legendary due to its length. She hadn't seen the final moment, as she had left when it got dark, but she had heard about it that morning in the common room.

Anduin went out for exercise early every morning, and when he left, you wouldn't see many people, not only in the common room, but throughout Hogwarts.

Just then, a cheer erupted from the Slytherin table. It turned out that Vane Higgs, the hero of yesterday's match, had arrived in the Great Hall.

Anduin also glanced at the Quidditch Seeker. Vane Higgs was a third-year student with short black hair and a rather robust build. Higgs was very polite and returned the greetings of everyone who acknowledged him. When he saw Anduin looking at him, he smiled and nodded. Anduin returned the gesture with a smile.

It seemed that not everyone in Slytherin was unpleasant. The longer Anduin stayed in Slytherin, the more he understood the House. The qualities of Slytherin included ambition, cunning, resourcefulness, leadership, self-preservation, and so on.

Anduin had read in a historical book describing the founder of Slytherin that Salazar Slytherin particularly valued intelligence, resourcefulness, strong will, and 'a certain disregard for the rules' when selecting students.

In a sense, Anduin quite met the Slytherin standards, so he no longer held any resentment towards entering the House, except for those annoying pure-blood supremacists, of course.

Time passed quickly. Finally, before Christmas, Anduin had progressed to the 'beginner' stage in all the basic spells for his year level, except for some spells that were difficult to practice alone or difficult to master, such as the 'Shield Charm,' 'Patronus Charm,' 'Apparition,' 'Disillusionment Charm,' 'Occlumency,' 'Legilimency,' etc. Anduin had tried casting the Shield Charm and the Disillusionment Charm, but the effects were not very good. He was sure that he hadn't mispronounced the incantations, but he just couldn't meet the casting standard.

"Phew… I'll postpone the rest of the plan until after Christmas. That guy Rosier hasn't made any moves recently. Anyway, it's just an idle move, so I'll leave it to fate." Anduin decided on his subsequent arrangements and prepared to go out and relax with Hagrid.

Arriving at the common room, he found it crowded. When Sampel Travers saw Anduin come out, he glared at him with resentment. Since being taught a lesson last time, he had spent a whole week in the school's medical wing. At the same time, he realized that his money pouch was gone, which made him even more furious.

But unfortunately for him, he was destined not to be able to cause trouble for Anduin today, because Headmaster Slughorn was also present. The Headmaster was recording the list of students staying at school for Christmas. Since Anduin had made a promise with Sirius, he naturally didn't plan to stay at school. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Headmaster, he left the common room without looking back.

It wasn't until Anduin reached Clock Square that he realized that fine snowflakes were falling from the sky, and the ground seemed to be covered with a thin white carpet.

"It's snowing." Seeing this scene, Anduin couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

"Yes, it's snowing," a faint female voice came leisurely from the side.

Anduin turned his head and saw a girl who looked familiar. After a moment of recollection, he realized that it was the girl who had shared a boat with him when he first entered Hogwarts, who had later been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"You are, Oriana?" After a slight recollection, Anduin remembered her name.

"It's rare that the Slytherin Ghost remembers my name," Oriana chuckled, exhaling mist and joking with Anduin.

"The Slytherin Ghost? Are you referring to me? The Slytherin ghost is the Bloody Baron, are you mistaken?" Anduin asked strangely, hearing Oriana use a strange name to address him.

"That's the nickname that we first-year students gave you. Although not every House has classes together, we can always see each other. But many students haven't seen you for a month or two, and many people doubt whether you even exist as a student. So, someone spread the rumor that you're not actually a person, but a ghost, so they gave you the nickname 'Slytherin Ghost,' isn't it interesting?" Oriana giggled as she explained to Anduin.

I'm not a person? This was the second time Anduin had heard someone describe him like this. Only then did Anduin realize that he had been living a secluded life for a long time, so long that some people even doubted his existence.