Slytherin Ghost

Travers continued to rant as he walked, shouting that he would teach that Mudblood a lesson. Rosier, beside him, could only echo his words, though he inwardly felt great scorn.

After returning to the castle, both of them, as expected, caught colds. Without even entering the Common Room, they were dragged to the school infirmary by Professor Slughorn, who happened to pass by.

Meanwhile, the Quidditch match on the Quidditch field was still not over. The score had reached 290 to 410. If Slytherin could catch the Golden Snitch, with the additional 150 points, they could overtake their opponents. However, the players on both sides were so exhausted they could barely breathe. Neither side was willing to agree to end the match through negotiation. The Slytherin Seeker was so tired he had actually sat down on the Quidditch field grass.

The spectators in the stands couldn't bear it any longer. About eighty to ninety percent had already left, and those who remained were mostly those who enjoyed a good spectacle.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch returned to the center of the field to suggest ending the match, but Slytherin still disagreed. Even though both teams' players were now moving like grounded chickens, Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch could only exchange a helpless glance and continue watching the protracted game.

But none of this mattered to Anduin. He was full and content, reading the latest issue of "Centuries of Charms" in his room. He only occasionally thought about the Quidditch match that day, wondering if it was over.

"So, the Slytherin Seeker, who turned into a grounded chicken, caught the Golden Snitch by sheer luck, and Slytherin actually won?" Anduin heard Vivian recount the ending of the previous night's Quidditch match at breakfast the next day.

"Yeah, you have no idea. That match went on until deep night. All the players were actually too tired to fly anymore. Then, the Golden Snitch just flew right next to Viren Higgs, and that guy caught the Snitch without any effort." Vivian animatedly described the legendary match to Anduin. Of course, it was the duration of the match that was legendary. Vivian hadn't seen the final moments, though. She had run off as soon as it got dark. She only found out this morning in the Common Room.

Anduin went out for his morning exercise every day, long before dawn. When he left, let alone the Common Room, hardly anyone was seen in the entire Hogwarts.

Just then, cheers erupted from Slytherin. It turned out that Viren Higgs, the hero of yesterday's match, had arrived at the Great Hall.

Anduin also observed the Quidditch Seeker. Viren Higgs was a Third year student with short black hair and a rather sturdy build. Higgs was very polite, returning the greetings of everyone who greeted him. Seeing Anduin looking at him, he smiled and nodded in approval. Anduin, in turn, smiled and nodded back.

It seemed not everyone in Slytherin was detestable, Anduin thought. Having spent a long time in Slytherin, he had gained a deeper understanding of the House. Slytherin's qualities included ambition, shrewdness, cunning, leadership, and self-preservation.

Anduin had read in a history book describing the Founders of Slytherin that Salazar Slytherin particularly valued intelligence, resourcefulness, strong will, and "a certain disregard for the rules."

In a sense, Anduin quite fit Slytherin's standards, so he no longer harbored much resentment about potentially being sorted into that House. Of course, this excluded the detestable Pure-blood supremacists in the House.

Time passed quickly. Finally, before Christmas, Anduin had reached the 'Apprentice' stage for most of the basic spells for the entire year. This excluded spells that were difficult to practice alone or those with difficult entry levels, such as the Shield Charm, Patronus Charm, Apparition, Disillusionment Charm, Legilimency, and Occlumency. Anduin had tried casting the Shield Charm and Disillusionment Charm, but the results were not very good. He was certain he hadn't misspoken the incantations, but he just couldn't meet the casting standards.

"Hoo... I'll postpone the next phase until after Christmas. Rosier hasn't made any moves recently. It's just a spare piece I set up out of idleness anyway. I'll leave it to fate," Anduin thought, finalizing his future plans. He then prepared to go out and relax with Hagrid.

He arrived at the Common Room. Many people were there now. Seeing Anduin emerge, Sumpter Travers glared at him with hatred. After being taught a lesson last time, he had spent a whole week in the school infirmary. At the same time, he discovered his money pouch was missing, which made him even more furious.

Unfortunately, he was destined not to cause trouble for Anduin today because Head of House Slughorn was also present, recording the list of students staying for Christmas. Anduin, having made plans with Sirius, was not planning to stay. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Head of House, he left the Common Room without looking back.

By the time Anduin reached Clock Square, he noticed that fine snowflakes had begun to fall from the sky, and the ground was covered with a thin white carpet.

"It's snowing," Anduin's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly at the sight.

"Yes, it's snowing," a faint female voice came from beside him.

Anduin turned and saw a girl. She looked familiar. Recalling, he realized she was the girl who had sat with him on the same boat when he first entered Hogwarts. She had apparently been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Are you Orianna?" Anduin recalled her name after a slight pause.

"How rare, the Slytherin Ghost still remembers my name," Orianna chuckled, her breath misting in the air as she joked with Anduin.

"Slytherin Ghost? You mean me? The Slytherin Ghost is the Bloody Baron. Did you get something wrong?" Anduin asked curiously, hearing Orianna address him with such a strange title.

"That's a nickname the First Year Students gave you. Although not every House has classes together, we always see each other around. But many students haven't seen you for one or two months, and many doubt your existence. So, some people spread rumors that you're not human, but a ghost, hence the nickname 'Slytherin Ghost.' Isn't it interesting?" Orianna explained with a giggle.

I'm not human? This was the second time someone had described him like this. At this moment, Anduin realized that he had been keeping a low profile for a very long time, so long that some people even doubted his existence.