Chapter 195: An Ominous Sign
Chapter 195: An Ominous Sign
After the last promotional event at the Witch and Wizard Card Club, more Hogwarts students have become aware of the game of Witch and Wizard Cards. Several students have even expressed their desire to have cards exclusive to their respective houses and have volunteered to join the club to help Albert design new cards.
This development bodes well for the promotion of Witch and Wizard Cards. Once the game penetrates the other houses, it will undoubtedly lead to a gradual increase in the number of players. Albert is confident that before long, more and more students will grow fond of this card game that is easy to learn, offers varied gameplay, and allows for the creation of diverse strategies.
Currently, the biggest challenge for Witch and Wizard Cards is the number of players. Albert believes that as long as the game gains traction among students, others will inevitably become curious and join in. He is certain that the inherent appeal of the game will win everyone over.
However, the design and manufacturing of the cards remain troublesome. Although Fred, George, and Lee Jordan are doing their best to help, most of the time, Albert still has to handle things on his own.
Speaking of which, there are quite a few matters that require his attention.
There's the design and production of the cards, magical training and homework for various subjects, frequent correspondence with other witches and wizards, the weekly routine of borrowing books from the library, ongoing research on improving the protective bracelet, the stagnant research on ancient runic spellcasting, writing for Today's Transfiguration, academic research for the Curse Club, occasional practice of the Patronus Charm, and scouring the Restricted Section for books related to Occlumency.
Filch is still holding a grudge over the incident from last semester, so he has intensified the castle's night patrols since the start of the new term. Snape occasionally joins these patrols, effectively deterring Albert from venturing into the Restricted Section after dark.
He certainly doesn't want to be the next unlucky student to get caught out of bed at night. By the way, Gryffindor, having lost fifty points, is now at the bottom of the standings.
If one had to pick a recent positive event, it would be Albert's minor breakthrough in ancient runes! Indeed, Professor Bathsheda Babbling is an expert in this field, possessing profound knowledge of ancient runes.
Every Tuesday afternoon, Albert attends Professor Babbling's advanced ancient runes class and stays afterward to discuss ancient runes with her.
Not long ago, they also studied, analyzed, and discussed McDougal's Basic Rune Dictionary and Advanced Rune Studies together, which led to a significant increase in Albert's rune expertise.
Now, his rune experience has surpassed the halfway point of the second level.
Although Professor Babbling is the Hogwarts rune professor, she doesn't actually live in the castle. She only teaches five classes a week, and the advanced rune class has only four students—two Ravenclaws, one Slytherin, one Hufflepuff, and Albert, who comes by from time to time.
Originally, ancient runes was an elective for third-year students, and even fewer students could achieve good grades in their O.W.L.s. Some students who meet the requirements may not be inclined to attend the advanced class, directly leading to the small number of attendees.
Of course, ancient runes isn't the only subject with low enrollment. Muggle Studies doesn't even have an advanced class.
As long as one can obtain a good O.W.L. in Muggle Studies, they can work as a Muggle Liaison at the Ministry of Magic.
As for Divination, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures, the advanced classes for these subjects also suffer from low attendance. Moreover, very few students can actually learn something useful in these classes that they can apply after graduation.
It's quite common for graduates to end up in careers unrelated to their field of study.
After the dismissal bell rang, the group exchanged greetings and departed.
Albert stayed behind, intending to continue his discussion with Professor Babbling.
"How do you feel?" Professor Babbling asked gently. This is the advantage of being an excellent student; their relationship is quite amicable.
"Not bad," Albert replied, flipping through his notes. "The content of the class isn't too difficult. I've already mastered most of it."
"You should be at N.E.W.T. level by now," Professor Babbling remarked softly. Although some people have a natural talent for learning ancient runes, Albert's ability still surprised her.
"It's less challenging than I expected," Albert admitted.
"N.E.W.T. level isn't particularly difficult," Professor Babbling explained. "The real challenge lies in advancing further in this field after graduating from Hogwarts. We've only scratched the surface; those who delve as deeply as Mr. McDougal are few and far between."
Albert nodded in agreement. The fact that he couldn't fully understand Advanced Rune Studies was a testament to that.
Footsteps echoed in the ancient classroom corridor on the sixth floor, and soon, there was a knock on the door.
Isobel entered, her face brightening as she joined them. She, too, was skilled in ancient runes and had a connection to McDougal, which was why Professor Babbling allowed her to participate in this extracurricular discussion.
With a wave of Professor Babbling's wand, their favorite tea, snacks, and biscuits appeared on the table. This wasn't a formal lesson but a pleasant afternoon chat.
Seated comfortably on the sofa and enjoying their afternoon tea after two consecutive classes, even Professor Babbling felt a bit weary.
As they finished their first cup of tea, the conversation began.
"Today, we'll be studying Runic Stone Divination," Professor Babbling announced.
"I recall that Divination is taught in the third year, and I believe it includes instruction on how to use Runic Stones for divination, right?" Albert looked up at Isobel. "Did you take Divination?"
However, Albert could already guess the answer from the expression on her face. Evidently, this Ravenclaw genius shared Professor McGonagall's opinion that taking Divination was a waste of time.
"I don't have that kind of talent," Isobel said as she sipped her tea, glancing at Albert with a faint smile. "Maybe you will."
"Sybil is skilled in this area, and I've specially invited her over." Professor Babbling could tell that the two students weren't particularly interested in Runic Stone Divination, so she spoke up, "Runic Stone Divination is an ancient form of divination in Britain. It's said to be quite accurate, but very few witches and wizards these days know how to interpret the stones properly. Fortunately, Sybil here has done some research in this area."
Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes at this, and after a moment's pause, he said, "I've heard that divination requires a certain talent, and only a select few possess such an ability."
As far as he knew, most students opted to take Divination classes just to slack off, and they didn't really care about getting good grades in their O.W.L.s.
After graduation, the number of witches and wizards who pursued divination as a career was virtually zero. After all, a diviner who couldn't make predictions was no better than a fraud, and no one would welcome such charlatans.
Sybil Trelawney did indeed have the ability to predict the future, but her talent was unpredictable and didn't work like other diviners who used crystal balls to scry. Instead, she directly saw snippets of prophecies.
"Sybil should have that ability," Professor Babbling said, though she wasn't entirely sure. She knew that her friend possessed prophetic abilities, being the great-granddaughter of the famous seer, Cassandra Trelawney. And prophetic abilities often ran in the family.
As the three of them chatted about ancient runes, Runic stones, and rune divination, their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the ancient classroom door. The person they had just been talking about entered the room.
This was Albert's first time encountering Sybil Trelawney up close.
She was a very thin woman, wearing a pair of large glasses, and oddly enough, she had a bunch of chains and beads hanging around her neck, giving her a rather eccentric appearance. Perhaps she didn't want people to see through her too easily.
"Oh, Bathsheda, I hope I'm not late," Trelawney said, poking her head into the classroom, her gaze falling on Albert and Isobel.
"I did mention it to you," Professor Babbling said with a smile, inviting Professor Trelawney into the classroom. The two professors seemed to be on good terms. "We're studying Runic Stone Divination, and I thought you might be able to help us out, seeing as you're an expert in this field."
"Oh, Runic Stone Divination," Trelawney said as she entered and sat down next to Professor Babbling. She pulled a delicate bag out of her pocket. "It's a very ancient art, and these days, very few witches and wizards are truly skilled in this form of divination." As she spoke, she emptied the contents of the bag onto the table. "Nowadays, I only briefly mention it in my Divination classes. I mostly teach my students how to predict the future using tea leaves and crystal balls. It's simpler for most students, as they can refer to books for answers. Of course, for students without the 'inner eye' talent, this is as far as they can go in this subject."
Professor Trelawney's words weren't entirely wrong. Divination did require a certain talent, and without it, one couldn't make predictions and would be seen as nothing more than a fraud, garnering no respect.
Trelawney gently caressed the symbols on the Runic stones and, after taking a sip of the tea that Professor Babbling had poured for her, she continued, "Each Runic stone bears symbols that narrate ancient tales and esoteric secrets... They can also be used to seek answers about one's desires."
Albert took a bite of a biscuit as he quietly listened to Trelawney ramble on. He smiled at Isobel, who seemed a bit fidgety, clearly not buying into Trelawney's spiel.
"Hold the bag of Runic stones in your palm and silently ask your question. Then, you must meditate and clear your mind," Trelawney instructed as she put the stones back into the bag. "Remember to maintain a spiritual state and follow your instincts to sense the guidance of nature's forces. Then, take a stone out of the bag and place it in your palm."
Albert and Isobel exchanged glances, both of them unable to hide the twitching of their lips. Neither of them said a word.
"Why don't we give it a try? Who wants to go first?" Professor Babbling suggested.
"Ladies first!" Albert gestured to Isobel.
"No, you go ahead," Isobel said, as she didn't really believe in such prophecies.
"Alright!" Albert took the bag of Runic stones and silently asked his question, then began to meditate, trying to keep his thoughts as clear as possible.
He reached into the bag and pulled out a stone, placing it in his palm.
"What was your question?" Trelawney asked.
"About my future financial luck," Albert replied without hesitation.
"I think you have a talent for divination," Trelawney said as she moved closer to Albert.
"Thank you," Albert responded politely.
"It's a positive Fehu," Trelawney said, her expression odd as she glanced at the stone in Albert's palm. "Fehu represents wealth and symbolizes material gain. It signifies that your financial luck is good, and it indicates a form of success. As long as you hold onto what's in your hand, you will achieve success and overcome any difficulties along the way."
"My financial luck has indeed been quite good," Albert said, not sure how to respond. He put the stone back into the bag and handed the bag to Isobel.
"I want to know if I'll encounter any troubles in the near future," Isobel said calmly as she took a stone out of the bag.
"It's a reversed Eihwaz," Trelawney said, her gaze fixed on the stone in Isobel's hand. "This is a clear warning, a warning to be very careful... It's not a good omen." (End of Chapter)
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