Chapter 143: All-Encompassing Protection
Chapter 143: All-Encompassing Protection
As Easter drew near, the professors at Hogwarts seemed to have a tacit agreement to assign students a mountain of holiday homework.
Perhaps, the professors, aware of the students' penchant for slacking off, employed this strategy to ensure they properly reviewed their lessons and avoided failing the upcoming final exams.
At Hogwarts, poor performance on finals could indeed result in a student being held back a year, though such occurrences were rare.
"Aren't you going to review your lessons?" Lee Jordan asked, looking up from reciting the twelve uses of dragon blood, his gaze falling on Albert, who seemed preoccupied with his own matters.
"I already reviewed them," Albert replied without looking up, effortlessly reciting the twelve uses of dragon blood that Lee Jordan had just gone over.
"You shouldn't have asked Albert," Fred sighed in response, "that guy could get better grades than you even without reviewing. By the way, why are we reviewing a month in advance?"
"I heard from Percy that Professor Broad will be resigning by mid-May," George said, covering a yawn with his hand as he turned to Albert, "Is that true?"
"Yeah, that's right," Albert nodded, confirming the news.
"I also heard that Professor Broad has already set the final exam questions," George's eyes lit up with excitement, and he quickly asked, "You often visit Professor Broad's office. Have you seen..."
"You're thinking too much," Albert replied, giving George a look that spoke volumes, "For me, whether or not I've seen the exam questions doesn't matter. Why would I risk tarnishing my reputation by doing something so unnecessary?"
"That's true," Fred agreed, his energy flagging as he practiced wand movements. His Transfiguration skills were still lacking, especially when it came to transfiguring across species, which he found particularly challenging. However, he'd heard that it would be one of the mandatory exam topics.
"It's a bummer," Lee Jordan chimed in, tossing his book aside and moving closer to Albert, "We rarely get a break, and now we can't even relax during the holidays? Are you working on your protective bracelets again?"
"Yeah, the last batch of protective bracelets didn't turn out so well, so I'm trying to improve them," Albert replied without any intention to hide what he was doing, "I've learned quite a few new things recently, so it's a good opportunity to put them to use."
"New things?" Fred asked, his curiosity piqued, "What kind of advanced Dark Magic defense spells did you learn from Professor Broad?"
"It's not a spell, per se," Albert clarified, unconcerned by the gathering of his roommates, as he casually swept wood shavings into the fireplace, "It's the application of ancient runes. Aren't you guys doing your homework? Everyone in the common room has gone back to rest, so you won't be disturbed."
"Nah, it's not urgent," George mumbled.
"Don't you have homework to do?" Lee Jordan asked, turning to Albert, "I rarely see you in the library doing homework these days. Angelina even asked about it this afternoon."
"He doesn't need to do it," George interjected irritably, "At least not the Transfiguration homework. Professor McGonagall has exempted Albert from most homework assignments, and I doubt he needs to do any for Dark Magic Defense either."
"Really? Darn, why do I have to do so much homework then?" Fred complained, his frustration evident.
The thought of having to spend their Easter break toiling over mountains of homework was enough to put the trio in a foul mood.
"If you guys published a paper on Transfiguration today, you probably wouldn't have to do any Transfiguration homework," a voice piped up, and they turned to see Sandra, who had just finished her Transfiguration assignment and was stretching lazily.
Complaining aside, the twins knew they had no choice but to do the homework, unless they wanted to be locked up by the professors.
And failing the exams would only make for a worse summer break.
Albert, however, was far from idle.
The rough version 1.1 of the protective bracelet was soon declared a failure, as the ancient runes carved onto it failed to produce any noticeable effect, rendering it no better than version 1.0.
In his "Protective Bracelet Manufacturing Handbook," Albert recorded: "Version 1.1 of the protective bracelet is a complete failure. The intended effects were not achieved, and it is no different from version 1.0."
In truth, Albert had been hoping that a skill related to the creation of protective bracelets would appear on his skill panel, but that hope had been dashed.
Perhaps, these so-called protective bracelets didn't qualify as alchemical items.
That was Albert's conjecture, at least.
In the following days, Albert noticed a definite increase in the speed at which Mack Dowd was writing the manuscripts. However, the content of the third part exceeded Albert's current capabilities, though it did surprise him.
Unlike the previous parts, this section focused on the application of ancient runes in spellcasting.
The Patronus Charm was not the only ancient spell.
It seemed that Mack Dowd was providing explanations for Albert, as this manuscript described a powerful protective spell.
This ancient spell was similar to the Ironskin Spell, creating an invisible barrier that shielded the caster from their opponent. However, unlike the Ironskin Spell, this barrier was not unidirectional but instead enveloped the caster from all angles.
From McGonagall's description, Albert envisioned himself enveloped in an impenetrable shield.
If the Ironskin Spell was considered a spell of moderate difficulty, then "Full Body Bind" was undoubtedly an extremely complex and challenging spell to cast.
Albert had attempted it once under Professor Blod's watchful eye, but failed. In fact, all his attempts at casting ancient runic spells had met with failure, and he had asked Professor Blod for an explanation.
The professor's response was straightforward: "Your magical power is not yet strong enough to support these ancient and powerful spells. Your understanding and application of them are still superficial."
Professor Blod's gaze was sharp, and he immediately identified Albert's issue as a lack of experience. Even with Albert's talent, it was impossible to master these ancient spells instantly. The old magic was far more intricate and challenging to grasp than the modern magic currently in use.
Perhaps, with a dedicated tutor and a few more months of practice, Albert would be able to master this spell.
As the professor of Dark Arts Defense, Professor Blod was undoubtedly an expert in this field. However, he had no intention of personally tutoring Albert.
Both Professor Blod and McGonagall felt that Albert should slow down and focus on absorbing the knowledge of Runes first, before guiding him in the use of ancient spells. Rushing things might not be beneficial for a young man like Albert.
Sometimes, patience was a virtue.
In Professor Blod's opinion, the Ironskin Spell, being relatively easier to master and highly practical, was a more suitable choice for Albert.
"I suggest you continue to explore the potential of this spell instead of fixating on ancient spells," Professor Blod explained. "Wizards have developed numerous variant spells based on the original ones."
"Super Ironskin Spell?" Albert asked tentatively.
"It seems you have done some research on the Ironskin Spell," Professor Blod nodded. "That is indeed an advanced application."
Albert's knowledge didn't come from research, but from movies. In the Battle of Hogwarts, Professor Flitwick, along with several other professors, had cast an almost impenetrable protective barrier—a memorable highlight of the film.
"Do you know why ancient spells like that are not very popular nowadays?" Professor Blod asked abruptly.
"They're slow and take too long to cast?" Albert replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Correct," Professor Blod nodded. "Especially in wizard duels, where agility and flexibility in spellcasting are crucial. That's why spells like the Ironskin Spell and simple counter-curses are favored."
"Could you show me how that ancient protective spell is cast?" Albert asked suddenly.
Professor Blod's eyebrows rose slightly, but he didn't refuse. He raised his wand and waved it around himself.
In that moment, Albert noticed a disturbance in the air as if an invisible barrier had enveloped Professor Blod.
"Can I touch it?" Albert asked.
"Yes."
"Amazing," Albert said as he pushed his hand forward, only to be stopped by an invisible force. "But I thought 'Protego Totalum' was supposed to..."
"...be used to protect a specific area," Professor Blod finished his sentence, understanding Albert's train of thought. "The applications of this spell can far exceed your imagination. Don't rush, my boy. You're still young and have much to learn."
Albert fell silent, realizing that this wasn't the ancient protective spell he had in mind, but it was undoubtedly more suitable for his current abilities.
Professor Blod had easily guessed his thoughts, and it wasn't difficult to do so.
"By the way, here's something for you," Professor Blod said suddenly, pulling out an invitation letter from his pocket and handing it to Albert.
"What's this?" Albert asked, puzzled by the professor's sudden action.
"Obviously, it's an invitation letter," Professor Blod said. "It's a private event, and McGonagall intends to invite a few friends who are experts in ancient runes."
"Why invite me?" Albert asked, confused.
"Because you are now a semi-expert yourself—the youngest one at that. Trust me, many will be delighted to meet you. This circle hasn't had fresh blood in a long time." Professor Blod smiled.
"Me, an expert?" Albert was still bewildered. In his previous life, the term "expert" didn't carry a positive connotation, especially for those who frequently appeared on television.
To quote a popular saying from back then, "Experts don't have the American time to appear on TV and nag at you."
For some reason, Albert felt that this situation was a little unusual. As far as he knew, wizards under the age of majority usually held a low status in the magical world, as they were considered fledglings in need of protection.
A twelve-year-old expert? To Albert, it sounded almost comical, not because he disagreed with Professor Blod, but because his perception of the wizarding world was shaped by such beliefs.
(End of Chapter)
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