Chapter 113: Private Tutoring
Chapter 113: Private Tutoring
Later that day, Felix and Snape mentioned their conversation with Dumbledore, after which the professor silently departed.
Perhaps he didn’t have much hope… Felix watched his retreating figure, pondering silently.
Time fast-forwarded to Saturday, and Felix finally had a good stretch of free time.
He took out the Memory Charm notes he had copied from Lockhart's office and began to study them carefully. It was evident that Lockhart had placed great importance on these notes, filled with personal annotations, some of which were still fresh, no more than two weeks old.
'Lockhart hasn't been completely idle over the past few months.'
Felix speculated that Lockhart had never taken teaching seriously, content to just get through the year. After a year, he would have sold plenty of books, made some progress in memory magic, and, most importantly, written a book like Cursed Professor or A Year at Hogwarts.
This wouldn’t be difficult for Lockhart. He could even revise and reuse old, discarded stories.
At the very least, from the interview transcripts copied by the Golden Trio, Felix had seen a significant amount of content about the crooked-mouthed wizard dealing with dark magic curses, though this part wasn’t included in Wandering with Werewolves.
If Lockhart intended to link this content to the curses at Hogwarts and present himself as a master of curse-breaking, it would be entirely reasonable.
Felix ignored Lockhart's personal annotations and focused on the original text—though calling it "original" wasn’t entirely accurate, as the entire document was copied by Lockhart. This was the most regrettable part for Felix.
However, from the style of the writing, he still felt a sense of familiarity.
'Who could Lockhart have inherited this knowledge from? A master of memory magic, perhaps?'
Felix thought about the thousands of magic books in the Mind Chamber and felt a headache coming on. Finding this person based on a similar style would be a massive undertaking…
In the evening, Felix let out a sigh of relief and put down the notes.
He had gained a lot.
Besides Lockhart's signature memory charm (Ancient Magic version), he had also picked up a few miscellaneous tips and tricks related to memory magic.
By combining insights from Lockhart, the diary, Snape, and his own experiences, Felix believed that with some effort, he might be able to develop a new Level 6 spell.
Would it be Occlumency or a memory charm? The choice was truly difficult for Felix.
"Moreover, with two versions of the forgetfulness charm, I have a chance to trace the simplification process of modern magic back to its roots and restore it to Ancient Magic."
Like the incomplete Ancient Magic that Professor Flitwick had given him, which could very well be the precursor to the Reducing Charm and Enlarging Charm.
This would be another long-term project, but for Felix, it was a highly rewarding endeavor.
Felix continued to think, feeling that his greatest gain from returning to Hogwarts, besides the growing collection of practical Ancient Runes, was this very experience.
He even found several interesting ideas in the notes that could help resolve some of the confusion he had from the diary.
"Lockhart is truly a treasure trove of knowledge, a pity he’s headed to Azkaban."
...
A little later, his young assistant arrived on time.
Felix put away the Memory Charm notes and pulled out a stack of parchment about two feet thick from a corner.
These were the assignments submitted by the young wizards in the Dueling Class.
"Alright… let’s divide the work. I’ll provide the evaluations, and you’ll record them", Felix said, noting that his assistant had performed weakly in her practice duels with Harry.
But she was the most determined among the young wizards who had learned the Disarming Charm using his "decomposition method."
Private tutoring was essential.
"This one…" Felix picked up the first sheet of parchment, glanced at the data in the table, and said, "Tsk!" He didn’t elaborate, just handed it to Hermione.
"Professor, what should I write?" the young witch asked, holding a Quill.
"Put a question mark, and make it big."
Hermione: "???"
"The data is fabricated", Professor Hep said succinctly.
"Professor Hep, how did you figure that out?"
"His data is excellent, but I’ve observed him in Duelling Class. He hasn’t even mastered the Disarming Charm, and his basic wand posture is all wrong... He might have copied a top student’s data."
Hermione nodded and wrote a large question mark on the Parchment.
"Next one, let me see..." Felix circled a few lines of data. "His problem is a weak foundation. I suggest he review specific chapters in the Spell textbook, as detailed in the materials. Hermione Granger, could you mark the specific entries for me?"
"Sure." She wrote down, "Focus on the fifth point mentioned in the key study materials" — she had memorized the Disarming Charm study materials thoroughly.
Hermione finished writing the notes on the Parchment and looked at the data Felix had circled. She immediately understood.
This student, El Buzz, had most of his issues in the 'Operational Standards' category, while other categories like 'Essential Theory,' 'Casting Mindset,' and 'Magic Understanding' were barely touched.
Time passed, and Hermione continued to write down various suggestions based on Professor Hep’s instructions. Professor Hep also marked important data to help her understand.
As she saw more and more problems, her understanding of the Disarming Charm became clearer.
Many of Felix’s suggestions, when compared to the key data Professor Hep had marked, made perfect sense to her.
This is an operational standards issue, this is a mindset issue... these points were also reflected in the self-evaluations.
Felix also gave various tips, such as for the Casting Mindset, he suggested, "Imagine a tall, aggressive person waving a broom at you, and use your willpower to make the broom fly out of their hand."
She wrote down Professor Hep’s explanation: "The mindset for casting the Disarming Charm is one of self-preservation. You must be resolute in making the enemy lose their ability to harm you."
Hermione couldn’t help but ask, "Professor, do we have to maintain this thought while casting the spell?"
"Once you’re proficient, it won’t be necessary. Some elite Aurors can even cast the Disarming Charm in their sleep. But when you’re still learning, the correct mindset will speed up your progress."
Hermione nodded.
After grading half of the papers, Hermione yawned without any concern for her image.
"Let’s continue tomorrow night. I suggest you spend more time practicing the Disarming Charm during the day; you might be surprised by the results", Felix said to his assistant.
The next evening —
"Really, I’ve improved!" Hermione exclaimed to Felix.
She hadn’t waited until the next day but had practiced on her own the previous night.
It was a strange feeling; the moment she waved her wand, she could sense where she was lacking.
The suggestions and tips she had written down kept appearing in her mind.
During the day, she spent a lot of time practicing, and her progress was visible to the naked eye.
Felix smiled. "We’ll finish grading today, and by then, I think your understanding of the Disarming Charm will be outstanding."
...
The following week passed quickly. The Answer Parchment, which was initially used only by fifth and seventh-year students, began to appear in other grades’ Ancient Runes classes.
Young wizards started discussing this new teaching aid more often.
One day in the Great Hall, Professor Mcgonagall asked Felix about the Answer Parchment. Felix happily answered her questions.
Professor Mcgonagall remained in deep thought.
(End of Chapter)
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