Chapter 180: Special Training Ends
Chapter 180: Special Training Ends
On the morning before the start of the school year, Felix sat leisurely in a private booth at the Leaky Cauldron, sipping his breakfast and flipping through the day's newspaper.
"Tsk, Sirius Black, how has he been on the front page for so many days?"
Felix stared at the man in the photo. His face was gaunt, his black hair tangled, and his skin looked waxy, giving him a vampire-like appearance.
The newspaper did not spare ink in recounting his crimes, including his support of the Dark Lord and the fact that, when cornered, he blew up half a street, killing thirteen people. He was currently on the run.
In bold red letters, phrases like "extremely dangerous" and "most notorious prisoner" appeared repeatedly.
"Escaping from Azkaban, how hard can that be?" Felix took a sip of his coffee and spent a couple of seconds visualizing the scenario.
Step one, take out a backup wand, then, well...
'The premise doesn't hold up. Why would they lock me up in the first place?'
'But at least it explains why Fudge is so worried about Harry.'
At that moment, Harry yawned as he walked down the stairs, Dobby carefully following behind him, his face full of concern, as if worried Harry might trip and tumble down the stairs.
"Harry, Dobby, over here." Felix tilted his head towards them. "Good morning, Professor." Harry sat in the empty seat opposite Felix, and to his surprise, Dobby also sat down next to him.
"Dobby, don't you need to attend to the guests?" Harry asked.
"Mr. Potter, Dobby has resigned from the Leaky Cauldron. This is Dobby's last day here, and the boss has allowed me to do nothing."
"Oh, uh..." Harry was still not fully awake, his mind slow to process the information. After a moment, he said, "But, where are you going?"
"Mr. Heap has offered Dobby a job, and Dobby is happy to help a friend! Dobby feels honored." The house-elf looked at Felix with big, wide eyes.
Harry turned to Felix, who said briefly, "I've hired Dobby to be my representative, to handle some book publishing issues."
"Dobby, congratulations." Harry said sincerely.
Felix finished his breakfast and said, "Harry, I won't assign you any training tasks today. Over the past two days, you've reviewed the Shield Charm, Stunning Spell, and the Tongue-Tying Curse. You've also learned the Binding Spell, which is more useful for you right now, giving you a first-mover advantage."
Harry listened silently, knowing that this special training was coming to an end.
The incantation for the Binding Spell is "Incarcerous", which sends a thick rope from the tip of the wand to bind the target. The spell's advantage is its long casting range, allowing Harry to attack from across a corridor.
He had only learned it the night before and could barely cast it, but the range was about twelve to thirteen meters, surpassing most of the spells he knew.
'Being able to learn this spell is thanks to Ron,' Harry thought. After multiple failures, he remembered how Ron learned the Disarming Charm and asked Professor Hup to cast the Binding Spell on him to better 'feel' its secrets.
Professor Hup was also very interested, "I've been wanting to try this for a long time, but never had the chance." As a result, Harry was repeatedly bound by the thick ropes, which felt like a devil's net, wrapping him into a tight, airless cocoon. He felt like a giant Flobberworm.
Struggling desperately, he finally mastered the spell, though at the cost of being bruised all over, as if he had been thrashed by the Whomping Willow for half an hour.
Speaking of the Whomping Willow, Harry couldn't help but think of Mr. Weasley's car. Last year, when Dobby blocked the platform, he and Ron, to make it back to school on time, drove Mr. Weasley's illegally modified magical car across half of Britain. The car eventually crashed into the Whomping Willow, unable to withstand the strain.
Mr. Weasley was subsequently investigated and felt guilty for a long time.
Now, the 'culprit' not only shared breakfast with him but had also become his friend, which made Harry marvel at the twists of fate.
A loud commotion came from outside the bar as a large group of people suddenly flooded in. Most of them had red hair and carried various suitcases and cages.
"Dad, is Harry here?" a little girl with fiery red hair tugged at her father's arm.
"I've answered this question seven times already, yes, Ginny." Her father replied.
Harry's face lit up with surprise—it was the Weasley family, and standing beside them was a couple dressed entirely in 'Muggle' attire. Harry recognized them as Hermione's parents.
But nothing could draw his attention more than his two best friends. He couldn't wait to share his experiences with them.
"Over here! Ron, Hermione!" Harry waved vigorously, jumping up from his seat and running over to them.
Ron was dressed in exotic, colorful clothing, and Hermione's skin was tanned a deep brown. They both wore bright, cheerful smiles.
Ron punched Harry lightly on the chest and grinned, "Hey, Harry, did you really blow up your aunt?"
"I didn't mean to", Harry said, noticing the peculiar look on Hermione's parents' faces. He instinctively explained, "I lost control, you know, a magical outburst..."
But the more he explained, the worse it seemed to get. He turned to Professor Hup, who was approaching, and silently pleaded for help with his eyes.
Ron also realized he had said the wrong thing and was kicked by Ginny, who was standing behind Percy.
Felix nodded at them and turned to Harry, "A magical outburst is a result of extreme emotions. It's surprising that you managed to stay somewhat calm even in a state of loss of control."
He then turned to Hermione's parents, "Hello, I'm Felix Hep, Professor of Ancient Runes at Hogwarts. I have a decent understanding of the Muggle world."
Mrs. Granger smiled at him, having heard about him from her daughter. Mr. Granger, however, looked surprised, "I've seen you before, much earlier. A peculiar guest, huh? I didn't expect you to be a professor at the school... You're far too young."
Felix brushed off the comment, "Yes, the magical world doesn't care much about age."
Hermione greeted him softly, "Hello, Professor Hup."
Felix nodded at her, "Hello, Hermione Granger." He then turned to Arthur Weasley, "Mr. Weasley, we've corresponded before."
Arthur Weasley patted his forehead, "Right, I asked you some questions about Muggle technology... Ah, Molly, don't give me that look, it was purely for research."
Mrs. Weasley glared at her husband and then warmly addressed Felix, "Professor Hup, thank you for the Christmas gift you sent Ron. Honestly, it was quite expensive... but Ronnie loves his new wand."
"Mom!" Ron said, annoyed, as she always used his nickname in public.
But Mrs. Weasley ignored him, "Ron looks up to you. He chose your class this year, and of course—she glanced at Harry and Hermione, who nodded in unison—these two rascals are also in it. They're quite a handful."
She continued, "We received the news from Dumbledore early on. Arthur and I were stunned, worried, but we didn't dare send a Howler, fearing it might affect Ginny, given the dark magic involved..." She trailed off, "And the Chamber incident, her brothers set a bad example."
"Mom, how does that relate to us!"
"Yes, we didn't cause any trouble this summer."
The twins beside her vehemently protested, but Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and gave them a stern look. "Don't think I don't know what you've been up to..."
Percy stepped forward, chest puffed out, a shiny silver badge pinned to it—the symbol of Head Boy for boys. "Mom, Ginny has me as a role model."
The twins looked sour and muttered to each other.
'Head Boy, huh?'
'How about Big Head Boy?'
They quickly exchanged knowing smiles.
Felix watched the family's interaction with interest. Once they paused, he said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley. I know them quite well..."
Old Tom, the hunched bartender with no teeth, shuffled over. "Looks like you need a large table, guests?"
He snapped his fingers, and three tables in the bar merged into one. Several stools lined up around the table.
"Would you like something to eat?"
"Don't worry about me, Tom", Felix said. "I'm leaving now."
He nodded at everyone, "Excuse me", and called to Dobby, "Let's go. I need to get you some new clothes."
Dobby bid Harry farewell, waving as he followed Felix, bouncing along beside him.
(End of Chapter)
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