A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 286: Professor Harp's Reward

When Felix returned to Classroom Seven, the dueling competition had already concluded, and only a few top-ranked students, Percy, and Penelope remained.

Percy reported what had happened since his departure. It had been less than half an hour since he left, but the developments were enough to furrow his brow in concern.

Around ten minutes after he left, Lupin was the first to depart. Then, just five minutes later, Snape abruptly left as well. Apart from a few students lingering around for the excitement and to pass the weekend, only Professor Flitwick, a constant fixture in dueling classes, remained.

"As per the plan, after the seventh-year matches ended, there were supposed to be awards and inter-grade challenges, but you weren't present..." Percy said awkwardly. "Professor Flitwick allowed the other students to leave."

Felix nodded, intrigued by whether Snape had figured something out. He decided to follow Lupin. Could they be getting into a fight at this point?

He raised his wand, and from its tip emerged a slender, graceful silver swallow. Several young wizards' eyes turned towards it, staring at the professor's Patronus. Ever since its awe-inspiring display on the Quidditch pitch, the young wizards had been talking about it incessantly.

A few clever young wizards had even peddled information about Patronuses and Patronus charms, successfully earning a bit of profit. From what Harry knew, the Weasley twins and their friend Lee Jordan had dabbled in such business.

The Patronus swallow circled around the group and transformed into a streak of silver light that disappeared. Well, if they did get into a fight, he could at least try to mediate or help Dumbledore clean up the mess. The headmaster was bound to have a headache, wasn't he?

Felix thought mischievously, a subtle smile tugging at his lips. He refocused his attention and looked at the top-ranking students, speaking cheerfully, "Now comes the part you're all interested in—the selection of your prizes: Galleons or a magical text creation."

With each wave of his wand, a prize materialized before him.

Golden Galleons, advanced magical puppets, scrying mirrors, memory discs, Serpent Ring of Obedience, an unnamed book, shimmering silverware, protective amulets... There were more than twenty options.

"Professor, what's this?" A golden-haired girl with adorable dimples pointed to a small snake the size of a palm. She instantly fell in love with it—it resembled her family crest.

"A means of transportation. You stand on it like this..." Felix tossed the little snake out. With a soft "pop" sound, a fifteen-foot-long snake appeared seven or eight steps away from them.

The snake was entirely black, its head raised, its wide wings on either side of its head flaring open like a hood, its emerald eyes resembling two embedded green gemstones.

It lowered its head, and towards the back of its head was a inconspicuous flat area where one or two people could stand. Felix smiled, saying, "No need to worry about falling off. I based its stability on the Firebolt design."

Harry couldn't help asking, "Professor, did you also participate in dismantling and investigating the Firebolt?" He had only recently retrieved his Firebolt from Professor McGonagall, but the Firebolt had performed excellently, helping him easily defeat the Ravenclaw team.

"Credit goes to Flitwick and Professor McGonagall. I just happened to see it and studied it casually," Felix replied.

By this time, the little girl had excitedly jumped onto the large snake. She exclaimed, "What do I do? How do I do this? I want this!"

"You can give it a try, but once you choose, you can't change your mind," Felix reminded her. This girl seemed to be from a prominent family, and he wasn't worried about the family itself, but their children could be quite troublesome.

He was grateful that he was teaching students no younger than third years.

"I want this one!" the girl yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Astoria, where's your manners?" another girl, Daphne Greengrass, scolded sternly.

The girl pouted, "Oh..."

Felix chuckled softly, "Is it a Greengrass?"

"Professor, she's my sister, just starting her first year. Her name is Astoria Greengrass," Daphne said.

"Ah," Felix nodded, not saying more. He tapped his wand on the snake's head, and it hissed. Only Harry understood the meaning of the hiss—it wasn't meaningless, it was the snake language for "bind this lively girl." He suddenly wanted to laugh.

The next moment, the large snake twisted its body and suddenly shot out, "Wow!" Astoria exclaimed. The area under her feet was stable, and the slight sway of the snake's head and body movements didn't affect her.

Everyone watched as Astoria stood on the snake's body, smoothly gliding over hills and rocky terrain, shouting and cheering in excitement, her long golden curls swaying.

Daphne attempted to salvage her sister's image, "Astoria has always been physically weak since childhood. Our family wouldn't allow her to engage in sports. But she's always loved Quidditch. Today, she's, uh, excited..."

After a minute, the snake returned to its original spot, and Astoria hopped off, rushing into Daphne's embrace. "Sister, I love it!"

"Professor, are there similar things? I don't want a snake. How about something in the shape of a lion?" Percy asked, the top-ranked seventh-year student.

Others' eyes were also shining with excitement. Harry had already begun to imagine himself riding a majestic lion, parading around the school.

The only Hufflepuff, Cedric, was feeling a bit perplexed. Of course, he also wanted his House's emblem, a badger. But it wasn't quite suitable as a mount.

How about switching to an eagle?

Felix smiled and said, "Don't rush into a decision. Let me introduce them first so that you won't be in the dark about other rewards after making your choices."

"Golden Galleons, I don't need to explain much. The quantity is one hundred."

"Advanced magical puppets that can understand certain commands, like fetching things, holding conversations, reminding you of unfinished tasks. They lack human intelligence but can give vague responses. Inside, they store textbooks from different seventh-year subjects. The advantage is that you won't need to flip through books while doing your homework."

Excitedly, Percy asked, "Professor, can I store new books in it?" He felt this would be immensely helpful.

"Of course, it has that function, but it takes time. For one book, it'd take about two or three hours," Felix explained. He retrieved a book from his ring and tossed it to the magical puppet.

The puppet independently opened the book, starting from the first page. Using the term "read" wouldn't be accurate—it was more like recording. Its hand brushed every corner of the pages, then turned to the second page.

"Professor, how many books can it store?"

"Uh... You've stumped me there. I don't know its limit," Felix spread his hands, "You can try."

Percy chose that without hesitation.

"I'll continue introducing: Scrying mirrors, you all should know about them; Memory discs that can replay a memory; Serpent Ring of Obedience. Currently, it only has the function to store magical symbols. However, if you choose it, you'll automatically become a member of the Runes Club."

Ginny and another Slytherin student chose the Serpent Ring. Ginny was a second-year, originally ineligible for the club, but now she advanced half a year and didn't need to take the test. She had heard from Hermione that the selection process would only get tougher.

After weighing her options, she reluctantly gave up the idea of a flaming lion mount.

Another sixth-year Slytherin student was also excited. His parents had encouraged him to establish a good relationship with Felix, but unfortunately, he hadn't had a chance over the past year.

Cedric and a fourth-year Ravenclaw boy chose the Memory disc.

Now, only Harry was left without a choice. For him, the previous prizes were all good, but none could make him wholeheartedly commit. Hermione would undoubtedly love the advanced magical puppet for storing book knowledge, and Ron would undoubtedly choose the lion mount without hesitation. However, he still wasn't entirely convinced.

Felix continued to introduce the items, all of which he had crafted as side projects during his studies of rune magic. To him, the process of turning inspiration into tangible creations was the important part. Once the items were made, they held little use for him, as he had no personal need for them.

"Shimmering silverware that can blow bubbles, well, just kidding. I got the idea from Headmaster Dumbledore. It can be used to train magic. The color of the bubbles changes with the type of magic infused. Comes with simple instructions..."

"Talisman that can resist seven or eight conventional curses and less advanced dark magic..."

...

"Professor, what's this book?" Harry pointed to the unnamed book. It looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere. After thinking for a while, he realized that during his second-year Christmas break, he and Ron, along with the twins, had seen Professor Harp looking at something similar by the Black Lake while they were having a snowball fight.

The only difference was that the book back then had a title—it seemed to be a collection of jokes. But what they had in common was their pearl-white, ghost-like transparency.

Could this be a book for ghosts?

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," Felix said cheerfully, "It's an experiment, although it's far from the finished product I have in mind. In fact, you could say I've only taken the first step, but it's still quite magical."

"It's primarily made from memories, mixed with some other materials like Nightstrider's tail hair," Felix touched the unnamed book, and it automatically opened. Harry and the others leaned closer, revealing a blank silvery screen inside, with silver and blue lights dancing between pages like fleeting lightning.

"What's in it?" Harry held his breath and asked.

"Currently, nothing. However, if you choose it, you can ask me to infuse a memory, any memory related to a magic spell," Felix made a gesture, "From first to fifth-year spells, it can substitute for me, teaching you how to master the magic."

Harry's heart raced. His first thought was Disarming Charm, followed by Patronus Charm. He had spent a month with Professor Lupin learning, but his Patronus still hadn't fully taken shape; he only knew it was a big one.

But he didn't want to choose this way, because he was confident in mastering the spell. More importantly, he cherished the time spent with Professor Lupin.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Professor, I'll choose the Animagus transformation—"

"Oh, that's not possible," he heard Professor Harp say to him, "You won't be introduced to this spell until at least sixth year. I can't violate the rule..."

Harry felt disappointed, but then he saw Professor Harp wink at him. He seemed to understand something. "I'll choose this book, then. As for the spell, I'll think about it when I get back, is that alright, Professor?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course, you can." Felix smiled. He intended to add a few more words, but suddenly froze in place, scenes rapidly flickering through his pupils. Harry caught one of them—

Snape and Professor Lupin pointing their wands at each other!

"Professor?!" Harry shouted. Was this real?

But Felix didn't respond to him. "Percy Weasley, take them away." He moved to the side, his eyes shimmering with silvery light. Utilizing the Patronus's perspective, he whispered, "Severus, Professor Lupin, stop it..."

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