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Chapter 273: An Unexpected Incident While Practicing the Patronus Charm
Chapter 273: An Unexpected Incident While Practicing the Patronus Charm
The argument with Draco Malfoy temporarily distracted Harry from his panic, but Professor Hup seemed to be deliberately making things difficult for them, calmly saying, "Time isn't always abundant, children. You need to make the most of it."
The crowd spread out even more, and everyone paired up haphazardly, like headless flies.
"Which Runic Symbol do you know?"
"Light, fire, and cutting—what about you—"
"I only know Light and Animal."
Time was short, so they only mentioned the main meanings of the Runic Symbols, the core ideas. Fortunately, everyone was on the same page. By the time Harry completed his first exchange, he still didn't know the name or house of the person he was paired with.
He found it wasn't as difficult as he thought, so for the next three exchanges, he deliberately sought out people who were alone and unfamiliar. This time, he remembered to politely ask for their names, but the houses were left unmentioned by mutual consent.
When Harry shared his thoughts with Ron midway, Ron stared at him, "You don't think everyone knows who you are, Harry?"
Harry smacked his forehead; he hadn't considered that at all. He saw Hermione appear, looking pleased, and grabbed her, "How many have you exchanged?"
"Fifteen", Hermione said happily, "The secret is to find older girls. They are friendly, and there's less overlap in knowledge—wait!"
Hermione's eyes lit up, and she confidently approached Daphne Greengrass, whispering something to her. Her face was radiant, and Harry watched for a while before realizing the two had moved to a corner.
"Are they friends?" Harry asked, knowing the girl was a Slytherin.
"Friends through conflict", Ron said, "Magical Automaton battles or something. At least, that's what Hermione says."
Felix watched quietly, mentally noting the students who could be grouped together. While he wanted to break down the barriers between the four houses and promote interaction, he wasn't interested in pairing people who were completely unsuitable.
Fortunately, apart from a few exceptions, most students weren't as resistant as he had imagined. They just needed a good excuse. This made his upcoming arrangements seem less abrupt.
As the last student completed their exchange, most of the students had already started trying to use the Ouroboros Ring to collect Runic Symbols. Felix clapped his hands to get their attention.
Without a word, the seating arrangement changed. What was once clearly divided now became more intermingled.
"Let's talk about how to perceive the structure of objects.
You should have encountered this in other classes, especially in Transfiguration. Perceiving Runic Symbols follows a similar approach. There are some tricks to it. You need to let your Magic gently touch it, not forcefully inject it, or you'll blow it up—
Imagine raindrops falling into a puddle, creating ripples."
Felix's fingertip tapped the air, and the air seemed to take shape, slightly indented. A faint blue Magic then spread out.
"Mobilize your Magic, as subtly and continuously as possible. I want to remind you, this isn't a spell—"
"Bang!"
A student blew up a Runic Symbol, like an orange-red firework.
"Eddie Carmichael, listen to me", Felix said, pulling them into the Mind Room, "Practice here for a while first, otherwise, the Runic Symbols you just exchanged will vanish faster than a Niffler."
After the assembly, Felix asked Neville, "Can you keep up with the pace?"
Neville scratched his head, "It's a bit difficult, but it's much easier than I expected. I managed to retain four Runic Symbols."
Once they emerged from the Mind Room, Felix allowed them to start analyzing the Runic Symbols. The classroom then resembled a fireworks show, though most students found the knack after failing seven or eight times, applying the skills they had honed in the Mind Room to the real world.
Neville was a first-timer, having no prior experience in this area. He hadn't even mastered a single practical rune.
"You did well. I noticed you signed up for the Dueling Competition?"
Neville's face turned red, and he said softly, "I wanted to give it a try—"
"Good, go for it and prepare well. I remember Potter and the others have a Dueling Study Group. It might be helpful for you", Felix suggested.
Neville looked up and told him, "I'm already a regular member. My Stunning Spell is pretty good."
"A regular member?" Felix asked, puzzled.
"Uh... Harry and the others don't prohibit others from joining. Many students have come a couple of times for fun, and they also invite some older students."
"Regular attendees get a Bronze Knut. When it heats up, it means there's an activity." Neville pulled a coin from his pocket, and Felix glanced at it, chuckling. It was the Heating Knut he had made earlier.
The only difference was that the lion head had been engraved on it.
As the Rune Club's lessons became more advanced, some students fell behind and chose to drop out. This was inevitable, as Felix had only truly considered seven students qualified when selecting members, and he had to relax the criteria.
These students who dropped out hadn't been prepared to invest a lot of time and effort. Once the novelty wore off, they left. Before they went, they returned the Bronze Knuts used to notify them of meeting times.
For Felix, these Bronze Knuts were just transitional items. He hadn't even added the most basic protective magic when making them. Now, they had been replaced by Ouroboros Rings.
He casually placed the Heating Knuts in the discard pile, planning to deal with them later. It seemed his Assistant had discovered them and studied them privately...
Gryffindor Common Room.
Harry told Ron and Hermione about his visit to Professor Lupin's office yesterday and the unexpected turn of events while practicing the Patronus Charm.
Hermione exclaimed, "You saw Voldemort—You saw the Dark Lord?" The others in the common room looked over, and she quickly covered her mouth. "How is that possible? Didn't you say you were afraid of Dementors?"
"I thought so too", Harry said, still shaken. "Professor Lupin found a Boggart in the staff lounge. He said there were ways to trick a Boggart, but I refused."
"I really thought my greatest fear was Dementors, but the Boggart turned into Voldemort on the back of Quirrell's head and then into a Basilisk..."
Ron said, bewildered, "It must have been confused. How can someone have two greatest fears?"
Harry explained, "Professor Lupin said it's possible, but usually, it's the same type of fear. For example, if you fear spiders, the Boggart might shift between different spider forms. My case is rare. Professor Lupin guessed that the Boggart couldn't find something that would drive me to madness, so it just kept alternating—" He grinned.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I think it might be the influence of the Dementor Doll... How many times did you play with it?"
Ron emphasized, "It wasn't play, Hermione. We were trying to get used to facing Dementors. See, Harry isn't as afraid anymore."
Hermione huffed and asked Harry, "But how are you going to practice the Patronus Charm?"
"Professor Lupin temporarily tricked the Boggart into thinking my greatest fear was still Dementors. But he asked me to bring the Dementor Doll to the next session for him to see..."
Harry shrugged. "Professor said he's never heard of anything like it."
(End of Chapter)
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