Chapter 220: New Attempts and the Recruitment List
Chapter 220: New Attempts and the Recruitment List
The third-year Ancient Runes class was finally getting into a smooth rhythm. After studying two rather mystical excerpts from a magical notebook, they were finally about to have their first truly engaging lesson.
Felix stood at the lectern. "Put away your textbooks. Today, we’re going to try something new."
The young wizards perked up at the announcement. "I’ve been looking forward to this day!" Dean Thomas said. "Professor Hep’s classes are always full of new possibilities. I’ve been hearing that all year!"
Felix was used to the excited chatter of the young wizards. He pulled a palm-sized wooden box from his coat pocket, waved it in front of the students, and then placed it on the lectern. "I made this in my spare time, originally to practice my control over practical Ancient Runes. But then I thought, why not put it to good use?"
He took out his wand and tapped the lid of the small wooden box. Golden-red magical patterns emerged from the box, as if waking from a deep slumber.
Felix casually flicked his wand, and the magical patterns began to separate layer by layer—
"Click!"
The box opened.
"What’s inside?"
"I’d like to know too."
The students below were buzzing with excitement.
Felix looked at the students with a sense of satisfaction. As a professor, he could easily distinguish the differences between the two houses. Gryffindor students were more expressive, with most craning their necks to get a good look, eager to discover what was inside the box. In contrast, the students from Slytherin House were much more composed. Their eyes were filled with curiosity, but most of them managed to keep their excitement in check, except for a few who seemed a bit dazed.
It wasn’t a matter of superiority or inferiority, just different characteristics.
Soon, a Runic Symbol jumped out of the box. Hermione recognized it immediately—it was the Bison Power Rune. She couldn’t help but puff out her cheeks. Thanks to Jordan Lee’s big mouth, her reputation had grown even more. The incidents of breaking a chair arm and threatening Draco Malfoy had been widely discussed.
Many young wizards from other houses had come to see her in action, whispering among themselves.
Students like Hermione, who could recognize the Runic Script at first glance, were few. Draco, for instance, only felt a vague familiarity with the rune, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
The next moment, a second Runic Symbol flew out of the box, followed by a third, a fourth...
Hundreds of Runic Symbols of various colors emerged before the box snapped shut. The young wizards stared wide-eyed at the Runic Symbols floating near the lectern, their hearts filled with awe.
They turned their gaze to Professor Hep, who was looking over the cluster of Runic Scripts with satisfaction. Then, he suddenly waved his hand, and the hundreds of Runic Symbols scattered, filling most of the classroom in just a few seconds.
The young wizards looked up at the magical symbols floating in the air, shimmering with various colors. They reminded them of the floating candles at the Great Hall’s evening feasts, but these Runic Scripts were closer, within reach.
Seamus Finnigan couldn’t resist touching a bright red Runic Script with his wand. It immediately showered a burst of orange sparks and floated away, startling Seamus.
Felix cleared his throat and waved his wand in an arc. The Runic Symbols instantly froze in place.
"Next, I’ll teach you a small trick to perceive Magic. Your task for this class is to choose the five Runic Symbols that feel the most familiar to you and record their shapes on parchment."
"Just a friendly reminder, this is related to the practical part of your Final Exam."
The other students looked at him with eager eyes. "What are we waiting for?" Seamus shouted, prompting a low murmur of laughter from the crowd.
Felix explained the technique, "It's actually quite simple. Reach out and touch the symbol, feel the Magic inside it. The more you 'see,' the more it matches with you... You can start now!"
Ron whispered to Harry, "Sounds like something Trelawney would say."
Harry couldn't help but glance at Hermione, who had often criticized Trelawney's notions of the "Third Eye" and "Vision" as unreliable—these were professional terms used in the Divination class to describe whether a young wizard had the talent for divination.
Other similar terms included "Aurora" and "Resonance Sensitivity." Unfortunately, Hermione was categorized as lacking divination talent.
Usually, mentioning this would spark a long rant from her, but this time, Hermione remained silent. She quietly approached Professor Hep and whispered something to him.
Harry's curiosity piqued, and he pulled Ron along to follow.
"—What's the purpose?" he barely caught the tail end of Hermione's question.
"To prepare for the first activity of the Rune Club", Felix explained. "It's also to test a hypothesis—whether wizards have spells they are naturally more suited to, like Potter's Disarming Charm", he nodded at Harry. "We're wondering if the same applies to Ancient Runes."
Hermione understood, "You believe each person has their own most suitable Ancient Rune? We're supposed to find it based on our feelings?"
Felix replied, "It's just a hypothesis, but it's worth a try."
Harry couldn't resist interjecting, "Professor, have the Rune Club results come out? Ron and I..."
Felix glanced at him, "Your essays... barely passed, placing you in the second tier."
"Second tier?" Harry had never heard this term before. He decided to ask Hermione later; she would definitely know. But he understood what "barely passed" meant, and both he and Ron breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way", he heard Professor Hep say, "how's your Duel System Essay coming along?"
"Uh... still working on it", Harry said awkwardly. He had taken extensive notes, but the essay was only a third complete. And his mind was now preoccupied with the first and second tiers.
Back at their seats, Hermione explained the grading system, "Professor divided the results into three tiers. The lowest tier is eliminated outright. According to the professor, they came here just to try their luck, without any preparation."
"So, the second tier is passing, and the first tier is excellent?" Ron guessed, which seemed logical.
"No", Hermione sighed, "the first tier is passing, and the second tier retains the right to audit the classes. Whether you attend and keep up with the club's lessons is entirely up to you."
Ron's mouth dropped open, and he raised his voice, "So, we're just here to make up the numbers?"
"Professor Hep believes—" Hermione also raised her voice, "that a few of you might be able to keep up, but most will fall behind and naturally drop out."
"Currently, only seven people are in the first tier, which is too few. So, the professor plans to select a few more from the second tier."
Harry couldn't help but feel anxious. He thought he would likely fall behind and maybe only last one round.
(End of Chapter)
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