Chapter 16: Exploring Runic Script
Chapter 16: Exploring Runic Script
Returning to his private professor's lounge, Felix began arranging the room according to his preferences. Items of various sizes flew out of his suitcase, settling into their designated spots.
After everything was in place, he watched a movie for leisure and then climbed into bed, feeling content.
The next morning, Felix rushed to the library, immersing himself in the millennia-old collection at Hogwarts.
On the first day of the school term, there weren't many people around to browse the books. Felix selected an original copy of Ancient Alchemy Exploration from the Restricted Section and eagerly began reading.
Indeed, the Restricted Books lived up to their reputation, opening his eyes to a world of knowledge. He even discovered seven methods for creating a Scrying Mirror.
However, his interest wasn't in the alchemical artifacts described in the book. Given its age, much of the content was outdated. What he valued was the ancient runic circuit hidden within these artifacts.
Ancient Runes didn't appear and disappear suddenly.
In the earliest, unrecorded ages, it was a wild and untamed era of magic. A few gifted individuals struggled to lay the foundation of the magical edifice, seeking the secrets of magic from magical creatures and plants. They accidentally discovered that certain patterns could temporarily store magical energy, producing wondrous magical effects.
These were the earliest Ancient Runes.
Through the tireless efforts of many pioneers, wizards gradually mastered more runic scripts, leading to the development of powerful Ancient Magic and Ancient Alchemy. This marked the rise of human wizards.
Back then, runic scripts symbolized power.
As time progressed, more and more talented individuals were discovered, and the number of wizards grew. They urgently needed a way to record their magical knowledge.
Some wizards gathered and, using runic scripts as a foundation, developed an ancient language that was widely disseminated. By this time, most runic scripts were no longer magical, serving only as a means to record knowledge.
Over the long centuries, new, magical runic scripts were discovered, and the ancient language continued to evolve and diversify across the world.
This led to a plethora of homophones, synonyms, misinterpretations, and non-standard writing, causing endless trouble for future researchers.
Two events profoundly influenced all wizards.
The first was the invention of the wand, which made casting spells more stable and simpler.
The second was the emergence of Simplified Magic, derived from Ancient Magic. Although it might be less powerful, with the aid of wands, it was not much worse. More importantly, Simplified Magic was easier to learn and safer.
Over time, more and more wizards abandoned runic scripts, which gradually became the stuff of legend.
Today, runic scripts are collectively known as Ancient Runes, and many wizards consider them merely an ancient script, useful only for translating old magical manuscripts.
Felix had no interest in ancient history; what he wanted were the "magical" Ancient Runes, or rather, the original runic scripts. The rest were just what?
However, he had learned something, and at least he could now teach his students, right?
These original runic scripts, now either lost or preserved in ancient magical texts, lay forgotten in some dusty corner.
According to Felix's research, runic scripts were best preserved in the field of alchemy, evolving and developing into their own logical system.
From a practical standpoint, runic scripts and alchemy seemed unrelated;
However, historically, an alchemical artifact often represented an ancient runic circuit, or its evolution. The older the artifact, the more likely this was the case.
Felix was after exactly these things!
Currently, he only had a grasp of over two hundred of the original Runic Scripts and a dozen Runic Circuits.
There was still a long way to go.
The day flew by, and Felix made great progress. He discovered at least six entirely new Runic Circuits!
If he could break these Runic Circuits down to their most basic form—spit! back to the original Runic Scripts—he believed his collection could increase by at least a third.
What did it mean to have a thousand years of accumulated knowledge?
This was it.
Felix didn't even eat that day—hey, who has time for food when there's knowledge to be gained? A quick swig of a magic potion, and the problem was solved!
His efficiency improved by seven percentage points!
No one should dare disturb him.
"Professor Hup!" a hushed female voice greeted him.
Felix looked up and saw Hermione standing beside him, holding a thick book. He glanced at the title; it was one of the books he had listed.
And, coincidentally, it was his own work—Exploring Ancient Runes.
Of course, it wasn't a coincidence. Hermione was a very smart young witch, and she was eager to secure the position of Professor's Assistant. However, the book list the professor had given her was extensive!
She might manage to skim through all the books in a week, but to study them in depth? Impossible.
She had to focus on one book and use the others as references.
Just a moment ago, when she spent half an hour picking out all the books on the list, she unexpectedly found one of the young professor's own works! She immediately decided which book would be her focus.
Was there even a choice? Anyone who hesitated on this was a fool!
Felix and Hermione sat at adjacent tables, working silently until the library's closing bell rang.
Hermione yawned without a care for her appearance.
"Good night, Professor."
She hurried off with her book, quickly disappearing from sight.
Felix gently stretched his stiff neck. Only then did he realize he was starving!
He rushed to the circulation desk to check out the books and then sauntered to the kitchen. Using "please", "thank you", and "I beg you" as his key phrases, he managed to get three pies, a block of cheese, and a jug of Pumpkin Juice from the house-elves.
On his way back, he encountered two Hufflepuff young wizards who were sneaking out for a late-night snack, but he pretended not to see them.
Back in the common room, he quickly finished his meal and fell asleep.
The next day, the same routine;
The following day, the same again;
Before he knew it, it was Thursday morning.
Transfiguration class.
Harry and Ron saw Hermione rushing off as soon as class ended. They exchanged glances and hurried after her.
"Hermione, slow down!" the two panted.
"What have you been up to lately? We hardly ever see you."
Hermione walked quickly, responding rapidly, "Didn't I tell you? You must have forgotten."
Harry was momentarily stumped. He had been busy with Quidditch training. Ron quickly recalled, "You mean, you're preparing to become the new professor's assistant?"
"Exactly! But I'm not the only candidate."
The three reached the Potions class basement. Hermione set her Potions textbook aside and pulled out another book, muttering to herself. The thickness of the book alone made Ron and Harry, two struggling students, feel utterly hopeless.
"Is this your assignment? To read such a thick book?" Ron glanced at the book with a hint of fear.
"Not just one, but twenty!" Hermione flipped through the pages, quickly noting down valuable information. This was already the fourth book she had gone through. Besides Felix's own work, she had only skimmed the others, searching for useful entries.
But the number twenty still made her feel overwhelmed, which contributed to her recent irritability.
(End of Chapter)
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