Chapter 25: The Lecture Begins!
Chapter 25: The Lecture Begins!
The next morning, when the young wizards woke up and found that Gryffindor's house points had suddenly increased by fifty, putting them in the lead for the House Cup, they all started asking what had happened the previous day.
Thus, it was revealed that Hermione had become the Assistant to the new Ancient Runes professor.
Gryffindor was naturally the proudest, but the other houses couldn't help but have some reservations. How could a second-year student, who had just started the term, become a professor's Assistant?
Was there some kind of inside deal?
Then, a particularly nasty incident occurred on the Quidditch pitch. Draco Malfoy called Hermione a "Mudblood", and Ron, in a fit of rage, cast a curse with his "half-broken" wand, which backfired and hit him instead.
Hermione was very disheartened, but Hagrid comforted her, "He's just jealous, that nasty little boy! Our Hermione can write an essay better than they can even think of!"
However, the tide soon turned. The Ancient Runes professor distributed a lengthy essay as supplementary material to all the young wizards who had chosen the Ancient Runes class, including the seventh-year students.
This essay, of course, was written by Hermione.
Many upper-year students tried to find flaws in it, but at their level, they couldn't even spot a single mistake.
It wasn't that Hermione's Ancient Runes skills had surpassed those of the seventh-year students; she hadn't even started the course yet. Rather, she had almost single-handedly reorganized the development history, research directions, major achievements, and theoretical schools of Ancient Runes, bringing the material up to date through the previous year.
For nearly thirty years, no one had done this work, which meant that all those who studied Ancient Runes were working with outdated information.
This was the true value of Hermione's essay.
Several professors expressed their admiration for the essay in various settings, especially Professor Flitwick, who nearly fainted with excitement in class.
Thus, all the controversy came to an abrupt end. Especially after a Gryffindor student "helpfully" shared Hermione's reference list, the prevailing opinion shifted from "Hermione is a genius" to "The new professor is a madman."
Assigning a second-year student to read twenty thick books in a week and write a seven-page parchment was indeed a bit much.
Many young wizards who had chosen Ancient Runes were now trembling with fear.
Professor Felix Hup felt his reputation was being tarnished.
Even Professor Snape got in on the act, mocking Neville in a recent Potions class, "With your intelligence, I sincerely advise you not to take Ancient Runes in your third year. You'll make the professor think he's teaching a troll."
Felix's Ancient Runes class began to run smoothly.
Fourth-Year Classroom.
"Welcome to the temple of Ancient Runes, this is our first class", Felix said, looking at the Gryffindors and Slytherins below.
Among them were two familiar faces, the Weasley Twins.
"I don't want to spend too much time repeating the importance of this course; I've already covered some of the information in the Open Class."
"If you aspire to reclaim the glory of the Wizards of old, interpreting the ancient magical secrets hidden in obscure texts, you need this class;"
"If you aspire to create mysterious alchemical artifacts, replicating the magical relics of legend and fairy tales, you need this class;"
"If you aspire to uncover the true essence of magic, revealing the unique power and glory of Wizards, you also need this class."
Felix closely watched the expressions of the young wizards, feeling satisfied as he saw them involuntarily become more serious. It seemed his opening speech could be reused.
"But all of this will start from the basics."
On the podium, Felix waved his wand, and a suitcase suddenly opened, releasing dozens of Magical Automatons that flew accurately to the young wizards' desks.
"Awesome!" The twins exchanged a glance and exclaimed in unison.
The other young wizards also excitedly grabbed the Magical Automatons, playing with them in their hands, and many of them pointed their wands, trying to make them move.
"Given that third and fourth years have the least need to worry about exams, our classes will focus primarily on practical work."
There was a chorus of cheers from the students.
Felix waited a moment, allowing the young wizards to fiddle with their Magical Automatons before continuing, "I suspect some of you have already noticed that your Magical Automatons aren't moving."
He gave a mysterious smile, tinged with a bit of mischief, "—in a certain sense, they are half-finished."
The young wizards looked at him in confusion.
"That's right, half-finished. These Magical Automatons are missing some crucial Runic Scripts in their magic nodes—Connection, Conduction, Balance, and Coordination. These are the four practical Ancient Runes you will be covering this semester, totaling 27 scripts."
"Once you master them all, you will receive a fully functional Magical Automaton."
"Of course, you'll also need to learn 482 theoretical Runic Scripts. That's your complete curriculum for this year", Felix added.
One of the twins shouted, "Professor, let's get started!"
Felix glanced at him approvingly. Not bad, he knows how to play along. "Today, I will explain the four Runic Scripts related to Connection. If you can master them, your Magical Automatons will be able to move."
"Move?"
"Basic movements, like punching, kicking, and rolling."
"Professor, can you teach more?"
"Of course... not."
The young wizards were unusually focused in class, each trying to master the four Runic Scripts as quickly as possible. However, by the end of the lesson, only Fred Weasley had partially succeeded—his puppet could continuously swing its right arm, but only the right arm.
"Weasley, ten points."
As the class came to an end, Felix began assigning homework.
"Your homework is to practice the four Runic Scripts we covered today. Your Magical Automatons will stay with you for practice."
"I hope by next class, you will all have mastered these four Runic Scripts."
George raised his hand, "Professor, what if the Magical Automaton breaks?" He was honestly curious about how to disassemble and replicate it.
"Don't worry, I've placed a protective charm on them."
Felix added, seemingly out of kindness, "The protective charm limits your magic to a half-hour duration, so you know, practice diligently."
The young wizards, who were still packing up, looked at the friendly professor with blank expressions.
But for the highly skilled twins, this wasn't a problem. Their focus was elsewhere. Fred asked, "Professor, will you teach new Runic Scripts in the next class?"
He couldn't wait to perfect his Magical Automaton.
"That depends on your overall progress", Felix replied ambiguously. In reality, the next few classes would be theoretical. No way was he letting them run wild.
Do they really think I'll let them slack off? I still have to evaluate their performance.
Felix's strategy was to lure the young wizards in and then take control.
"By the way, I'll be holding an exam before Halloween, covering both theory and practical work. The student with the highest overall score will receive a Magical Automaton I've personally crafted", Felix whispered, "an upgraded version."
"Now, class dismissed!"
...
The same strategy was repeated over the next few days. Soon, the third and fourth-year young wizards were like they had been injected with a shot of adrenaline, developing a passionate interest in Ancient Runes.
After class, each student had their own action figure, waving their wands and practicing on their puppets.
By Friday, Fred Weasley performed a tap dance with his Magical Automaton in front of everyone before Transfiguration class, pushing the enthusiasm to its peak.
However, Professor Mcgonagall was not pleased and deducted two points from Weasley.
(End of Chapter)
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