Harry Potter: A Certain Ancient Rune Professor of Hogwarts (TL)

Chapter 411

The Yule Ball had a bigger impact than, what everyone expected; As even Felix was affected by the ripples.

While he was eating his breakfast in the great hall, he noticed a fiery gaze and looked up to find that it was from Uagadou’s champion, the witch named Nona Leibert. She stared at him with great interest, but when Felix gently fed Niffler a piece of strawberry cake, that fiery gaze faded away from him.

The hallways were filled with chattering girls who loitered in groups, and whenever a decent boy passed by, they would hold their breath and look at that boy with anticipation.

Of course, they may have gotten one thing wrong; that is so many people shouldn’t have gathered together. While being with their peers would increase their courage, they would also correspondingly lower their counterpart’s courage. Felix had seen more than once that the eager male wizard had lost his battle intent in front of a group of girls.

‘Anyway, It was quite entertaining though.’ He thought to himself.

In the Magic Rune Club, Felix sat lazily on the couch as the members of the club sat around him in twos and threes.

“Today is the last activity of this term, the next time we will only be able to get together after Christmas. The exact date is still not set yet, so keep an eye on your Ring of Ouroboros… Back to the point, for today there’s going to be nothing new from me, so continue to deepen your control over your magic as per the progress from the last activity.”

Felix waved his arm, and from the corner of the room, a metal cage flew out covered with dark-coloured cloth sheet, from which an annoying buzzing sound was heard.

All the students pursed their lips and looked at the cage with complicated eyes, they are aware of what is inside.

“Oh yeah, the usual drill – if you get stung, the potion is on the table.” Felix said as seven or eight bright blue bottles of potion flew out of his ring and landed on the small round table in the center of the room.

The club members skilfully pulled out and wore their thick leather gloves, then one by one, they lined up in front of the cage, and resignedly plunged their hands inside, accompanied by a tooth-aching “chatter” sound, as Draco Malfoy grabbed a half-inch-long blue insect from the cage.

“I hate Billywig.” He whispered. While still wearing gloves, he flicked it a few times with his other hand, and the Billywig insects’ lustrous lavender shade body kept wriggling, as a thin needle at its bottom kept stabbing his gloves.

“Maybe I should remove your needle, so you don’t sting me.” Draco whispered in a threatening tone, “Perhaps it would be good to throw it in someone’s collar.”

Harry immediately looked back at him warily, and Draco let out a silent snicker.

After a while, everyone received a Billywig insect, and Harry stared at the one in his hand, always feeling it was more active than the rest, then he saw Ron quietly casting a “Full Body-Bind Curse” on his one.

Can you do that? Harry’s eyes widened and then tried to copy Ron’s method. But the next second, the spell was undone, “I’m watching you, Weasley.” The professor’s voice reached their ears slowly.

Many of the students who had made preparations in advance showed regretful expressions as Fred and George put their small tweezer away.

Hermione snorted, displeased with their opportunistic behaviour, then she sat down next to Ginny and Luna – Luna is in her third year – she submitted her application in the first month of the school year and passed the test with flying colours.

After her, the number of club members increased one after another by five.

Hermione whispered to Ginny and Luna as she demonstrated, her fingertips swirling with light blue magic, which surrounded the Billywig insect in multiple layers, like a glowing blue cocoon, binding it within a very small area.

“Look, first wrap it with your magic, then take off your gloves, it’s easier with two hands … Ginny, I need your help.”

Ginny helped her to take off her gloves, and then Hermione’s two hands traced in the air constantly.

The Billywig has wings on both sides of its head which flapped very fast, but at the moment it was just a futile attempt, as it got trapped in the same space under Hermione’s magic.

“Just like this, and then expand your range a little, but first be sure that you can be able to control them.”

Hermione said to Ginny and Luna, from her opposite seat the Greengrass sisters were staring at her with wide eyes, the two sisters were in the identical posture – with the gloved hand clutching the Billywig insect, their eyes blazed as their mouths puffed up a bit.

Meanwhile, Harry fiddled with his insects appropriately. Unlike Hermione, who excelled in terms of Magic manipulation, and according to the professor, she had reached the second stage where she could control the Billywig insects at will within a one-foot radius. While he, together with most of the people in the club, had to lock it firmly with their magic, because at the slightest negligence, it would quickly fly away.

What would follow next would be a nightmare … Harry did not want to recall the last assembly, in fact, he fared better than the rest, but when you are surrounded by sources of danger, it is not up to you whether you want to be stung or not.

From what he observed after that, the club members from Gryffindor House seemed to have lost interest in the “Fizzing Whizzbees” because it reminded them of their own painful experiences of being stung.

Harry carefully, without any distraction, manipulated his magic, he felt good today, so he gradually slackened his control, allowing the web of magic around the Billywig insect to expand, the insect fluttered its wings, so he got startled, and hastily shrank the magic, as the insect’s legs immediately straightened.

Still alive, this is his conclusion after repeated confirmation. Harry looked around sheepishly and only got satisfied when he noticed Malfoy’s Billywig wing became wrinkled, and at Professor Hap’s reminder, Malfoy had to cast a healing spell on it.

The rest of the day went by so quickly that even Malfoy and Ron’s screams of pain didn’t distract him that much.

At the end of the assembly, Harry managed to widen the range where he could control the Billywig insect, he watched it flap its wings, but it could not fly beyond half a foot radius, even though it was a little short he still nodded with satisfaction.

Others in the class also made their own progress.

Harry discovered Professor’s hidden trick. He noticed that Professor Hap would always explain the benefits of doing something before asking them to do it. For example, in the last few assemblies, everyone was moved by the beautiful picture that Professor painted for this training like “Wandless Spell Casting, Controlling Spells at Will, Learning Spells quickly with ease.”

Especially when they saw Professor Hap sitting on the couch and being able to control any fast-flying Billywig in the whole room, they were convinced of the authenticity of his words.

After the assembly ended, the young wizards walked out.

Hermione stayed behind to help him tidy up the remaining boxes and vials they had left behind, “Oh, it looks a bit miserable…” she said about a Billywig insect that had lost its wings.

“It’s the most appropriate teaching prop I could find, Miss Granger. Besides, they are potion materials that I borrowed… I heard that you guys still operating that ‘Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare’ organization?”

Hermione nodded. She hesitated for a moment and then said with some confusion, “I don’t know if I should continue this, as the house-elves doesn’t exactly seem like they need my help, plus Harry and Ron have no interest in this either …”

Felix looked like he understood her.

“I know you’re not used to seeing how wizards treat their house-elves and think they’re being mistreated, so I had suggested you look into it first, and it seems to be working well – in the past you could only see the injustice done to them as a whole in a universal sense, and projecting that sentiment into every single elf alive, so It’s only natural that you would run into obstacles everywhere.

There’s a saying – You Will Never Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself, Miss Granger, you have to first realize that you’re dealing with a race, a community, where the needs of each individual in the community will tend to differ from each other.

You first have to identify who is holding you back.”

Hermione rolled her eyes.

“You mean … pureblood?”

Felix laughed gently, “I didn’t say a thing, Miss Granger. I read your report, it was very detailed and even mentioned the Pukwudgie of Ilvermorny … You know yourself that the house-elves at Hogwarts are leading a good life, and those tragic encounters you saw often come from a certain privileged group of people, and with your current influence, with all due respect, there is really only so much you can do.”

“But-” Hermione slowly considered it, then her thoughts gradually became clear, “I know how to do it, I’m going to–”

“No, don’t say it out loud, it won’t be effective if you do so. Keep it in the back of your mind and always remind yourself of it so that you can have the motivation to move forward.” Felix said as he winked at her.

“Oh, Professor …”

Hermione smiled like a child. It felt like she had solved a long troubling problem that had been bothering her for a long time, and her whole body lightened up. Then she also felt more motivated.

“Have you unlocked the clue to the second task yet?”

“Not yet,” Hermione shook her head, “in fact, I have designed a plan to decipher the clue from the golden egg, but I got worried that I will break it, so we are going to wait a little longer.”

Felix nodded slightly.

“By the way, Professor, are you going to attend the ball?” Hermione asked.

“Probably will show up, and grab a bite to eat or something.” Felix said uncertainly while guiding the cage to the corner: “I’m not very good at dancing.”

“They say there’s a new song by the Weird Sisters at the ball! Don’t you want to try it?”

“I know, I’ve heard it in advance, would you like an album?”

“Uh … no need.” Hermione said with disappointment.

…

“W.W.N?” Harry asked puzzled.

“It’s Wizard Radio, you should have heard of Wireless, right?” Seamus gave Harry an uncertain look, and when he nodded, Seamus continued, “That’s it, similar to Muggle radio, but if you listen to it for a while, you’ll find that the songs on it are always nostalgic …”

“It’s difficult to find new songs.” He said with a definitive tone. The others stared at him while he laughed and explained, ” That’s what my mom said.”

“Yeah, after years, the Weird Sisters are finally releasing a new song … I bet my Mom is going to be overjoyed.” Ron said with certainty.

The last week of the school term got busier by the day.

The young wizards placed almost all of their enthusiasm on the upcoming Yule Ball. Because of that students became very distracted, so Felix simply stopped taking classes. The ancient rune class had progressed far beyond the other subjects, especially the fifth and seventh years, who were already started to review.

He brought his small projector to the Ancient Rune classroom and played films for the students.

“Professor Hap, I’ve heard a few things from other grades … We don’t want to see dinosaurs or a film about a young boy who is all alone at home catching a stupid thief – is there any romance film?” Lavender Brown asked boldly.

“Romance?” Felix repeated. Noticing that all the girls had worked up their courage to meet his gaze, at that time Seamus wanted to say he’d rather like to see what a muggle-imagined dragon looked like, but Parvati looked at him very evilly that he was compelled to shut up.

“Well,” Felix agreed, as he sorted through his ring, “there ought to be one that will satisfy your demand, probably …”

The thick curtain in the classroom was drawn close, the light became dim, and with the creaking and rolling sound of the machine, the film began.

This is an animated film, which begins with a beautiful natural landscape, with lush green grass and red roses, waterfalls, and streams, wherein in the depths of the dense forest, an exquisite castle stood out. The students who saw this film for the first time chattered and discussed –

“A dynamic comic film? I like the new series from L.C.A. Has anyone seen it?”

“I think it’s a Muggle film, Professor mentioned it before.”

“Huh? H-how did they manage to make the picture move? Has anyone taken Professor Burbage’s class?”

“Oh forget it, I don’t want to talk about disgusting flies and peas … Honestly, I think her research went astray, and I definitely won’t pick this class up as an elective for the next year.”

As the film narration began, they gradually quieted down and were drawn into the fascinating story.

“Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of France, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle-”

“Hey, a prince… Ohh!” A witch cried out.

“Shut up, Lavender.”

“- Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind. But then, one winter’s night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.

But the prince was unmoved …

…

So the witch transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there, and the rose she had offered was also an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year.

If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

…

As the years passed, the prince fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?”

The students watched in awe, what a powerful witch she is, to possess such terrible magical power.

But they had realized that this was not something that really happened, it was just something imagined and thought up by muggles who could not do magic, it is inevitable that there will be some common sense mistakes …

As the story progressed, they were completely captivated by the plot of the film, and even the boys who were indignantly complained about wanting to see dinosaurs previously, couldn’t help but worry about the characters in the film.

“That guy named ‘Gaston’ is awful!”

“This would be a perfect moment if a dark wizard passed by-”

“What’s going on in your head?”

“Belle is so sweet …”

The film ended with a magnificent ball, and the students could not get enough of it. Felix smiled at them and said, “Well, this class is running a few minutes late, so you better hurry up and get to the great hall for your meal.”

The students walked out and excitedly discussed the plot in the hallway.

The boys focused more on whether the magic in the story could be realized, “I don’t think after turning people into teacups, they can still talk and move. It doesn’t make sense!” Ron said.

“Hey, man, maybe the Professors can do it?” Seamus argued.

“It’s just a film.” Dean said, as he grew up in a Muggle family, he understands the best that the film was only trying to say some moral.

“No, it’s against the Transfiguration ru-les,” Ron reddened, as he half-stammered, finding himself struggling to remember the corresponding knowledge points, so he looked at the side, “What do you think, Hermione?”

“I’m in the middle of something!” Hermione said as she walked with the girls in a group towards the great hall instead of with Harry and the gang, to quickly discuss something.

“What’s gotten into her?” Ron asked uncertainly.

Harry shrugged, “Maybe she really liked the film.”

“You don’t also think the magic in the film is possible, do you?” Ron asked him.

Harry thought about the Nose-Biting Teacup sold in the Zonko’s Joke Shop, and the golem he had once seen practicing drama in Classroom Seven, which made him a bit uncertain, but he nodded against his will to accommodate Ron’s mood.

In the evening, they returned from the library to the common room – much earlier than usual, but it could not be helped – as they wanted to celebrate their completion of the first book on alchemy, Ron and Harry played a thrilling game of wizard’s chess, in which Ron cornered Harry with two formidable pawns, and Harry’s white king already removed his crown from his head and held it in his hand, ready to throw at any moment.

“Your chess skills have regressed.” Ron said.

Harry didn’t respond. He stared intently at the board, hoping for a miracle. It turned out that a miracle did happen because Ron’s pieces were too loud when they battered Harry’s bishop, so both of them got kicked out by Mrs. Pince, the librarian.

…

They opened the door to the common room to find that even the fat lady had undergone some changes as Christmas approached, as she got a new outfit for herself, “Want to dance, Brave Champions?” She asked drunkenly, holding a box of wine and a heart chocolate box.

” I could recommend you a dance partner,” Ron muttered, and whispered as they entered the common room, “His name is Barnabas, and he’s a ballet teacher you can find him on the seventh floor, goodnight.”

————

Note:

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