Chapter 295: The Thing You Worried About Happens in April
Chapter 295: The Thing You Worried About Happens in April
"This is a talent."
On Saturday morning, Felix watched Eddie Carmichael demonstrate the Runic Script he had just mastered.
Eddie held a small flame in his hand, showing it to the others, then dramatically closed his palm. Amid the gasps of the crowd, he slowly opened his hand, revealing a flickering orange Runic Script symbol.
"See, this is the Flame Runic Script. Want to learn?" he said mysteriously to his companions. "Just for two sickles."
...
Felix walked out of the Great Hall, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared from somewhere. "Professor, we have our appointment—" Harry panted.
Felix looked at them. "I was planning to notify you later with a Patronus. Alright, follow me."
He led the three of them up to the eighth floor of the castle, standing opposite a tapestry. Harry first glanced at the amusing scene of a "Troll Chasing a Ballet Teacher" before joining the professor in front of the blank wall.
"There are many hidden rooms in the castle, some of which are so magical that they are not affected by the Anti-Apparition spell. The Chamber of Secrets is one, and this is another", Felix explained.
"Throughout Hogwarts' history, many have stumbled upon it unintentionally—when they needed it the most. However, they couldn't find their way back in afterward, so it was named the Room of Requirement."
The three of them repeated the name to themselves.
"But actually, it has always been here, or rather, this is one of its fixed entrances." At this point, Felix seemed a bit lost in thought. The Room of Requirement was embedded in Hogwarts' magical defense system and had always relied on the castle's magic to function.
According to his knowledge, the door to the Room of Requirement could appear anywhere in the castle. If he could harness this power, could he bypass the Anti-Apparition spell's restrictions?
He pushed the thought aside and continued, "The method to make the entrance appear is simple. Focus on the space you need and walk past this spot three times. A door will appear on the wall, like this..."
He stopped because a silver-white door had indeed appeared on the wall. When the door opened, a tipsy woman walked out—it was Sybill Trelawney.
Felix couldn't help but marvel at his luck. This seemed to be the second time they had met in front of the Room of Requirement. The first time, Trelawney had come out of her office to hide a bottle of alcohol, and he had casually asked her about the Room of Requirement. The second time—right now—they had run into each other face-to-face.
"Felix... Hep?" Trelawney's eyes were hazy, and she stared at him for a long time before recognizing him. "You, uh... burp~"
Felix took two steps back. "Professor Trelawney, you're drunk. It's morning."
"What does it matter? Anyway—I don't have any classes!" She staggered a couple of steps and her gaze fell on Hermione. "Child, I see you again. I foresaw it, uh, you will leave, forever..."
Hermione's face hardened. "You should have mentioned my name directly, Professor Trelawney."
Felix blinked. He knew about this; his assistant had recently dropped the Divination class on her own initiative. He guessed it was because her performance in the class was not impressive, even falling short of those who made up stories.
Before that, Trelawney had casually mentioned a vague 'prophecy' in class: "Around Easter, one of us will leave us forever..."
It was hard to say whether there was any connection between the two.
Trelawney seemed to sober up a bit. She pulled her scarf higher, the shiny beads jingling. "The Third Eye can be a burden. I don't want to seem different, you know..." She slowly walked away.
"Oh, right." Trelawney turned back. "Dear, the thing you're worried about will happen in April."
Harry and Ron looked at her with a mix of belief and doubt. Ron took a deep breath and whispered, "Who is she talking about?"
Hermione said sharply, "There are four of us. Once someone has a minor accident in April, we'll know who she's talking about."
Felix spoke lightly, "I have a Merlin Medal award ceremony at the beginning of April. I wonder if Sybill was referring to that... To be honest, I'm not particularly worried."
They entered the Room of Requirement, which turned into a spacious classroom. The room was empty, with a ceiling fifty feet high and a floor so clean it was spotless, painted in different colors like a grid of colored squares.
Each square was labeled with numbers from one to ten, repeating continuously.
"Professor, what should I do?" Harry asked, suddenly nervous as the moment approached. He held his wand and struck a silly pose, much to Hermione and Ron's relief that they didn't have to try it today.
"Use what you learned from the Nameless Book", Felix said. "I've taught you everything you need to know. Also, your essay was excellent."
"Really?" Harry felt a bit embarrassed, but he did feel a wave of relaxation and joy. He wasn't sure if the professor was just being kind, but he decided to go with the feeling.
“Although Apparition becomes more difficult over longer distances, we don’t need to worry about a few feet,” Felix said. “So, pick a number you’re interested in, Harry.”
“Um, I choose...” He glanced uncertainly at the grid in front of him. “How about the number seven?”
“Great,” Felix encouraged. “You can close your eyes and listen to my guidance: Imagine yourself in warm sunlight... You hear birds singing and smell the fragrance of flowers. You are very relaxed now. Maintain this state and visualize the seventh grid. Try to picture it as clearly as possible. What does it look like? Now, start channeling your magic. A strong desire suddenly surges in your mind, wanting to occupy the space in front of you. You can’t wait any longer... Now!”
“Bang!”
The air crackled with a sharp sound, like a firework exploding. Ron and Hermione were startled to see Harry disappear and then reappear at the edge of the red grid marked with the number seven.
Harry lost his balance and stumbled forward, catching himself just in time to avoid falling flat on his face. He panted excitedly, looking down at his feet. “I, I did it—”
“Very good,” Felix said. “Now, let’s try it again. This time, no guidance. You do it on your own.”
Harry’s confidence soared. He focused on the original position—the white grid marked with the number one. Target, determination, composure...
He closed his eyes, feeling weightless. Did he succeed? He didn’t hear a sound, so he opened his eyes and found himself still in the same spot.
“Try again, Harry. The feeling is important.”
The third attempt also failed, and he grew a bit anxious. Fourth, fifth—
“Bang!”
Hermione let out a scream. Harry opened his eyes and found himself in the number one grid, but there was a problem—his right leg was still twenty feet away.
He expected to panic, to faint from fear, but he didn’t. Partly because Professor Hup was there, and partly because he had experienced Partial Apparition many times in the Nameless Book.
“Partial Apparition is a common occurrence,” Felix said calmly, walking over to Harry. He waved his wand, and a purple mist cleared, leaving Harry panting and sweating on the ground.
“Do you want to rest, or continue?” Felix asked.
“Continue,” Harry grinned. “Professor, I’m starting to get the hang of this Special Training.”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Still Partial Apparition, this time it’s your ear. Can you hear me? Yes, we’ll keep going.”
“Bang!”
“Puff!”
“Good, you’re getting more proficient. Notice how the sound when casting is getting quieter? We’re on the right path!”
Ron and Hermione were as quiet as quails. Hermione whispered, “Is this the Special Training Harry mentioned? It’s just...”
“Like self-torture, isn’t it?” Ron described his feelings. “But it’s effective. Besides, you have to overcome the mental discomfort. Oh, another Partial Apparition, this time it’s your arm...”
After half an hour, Felix stopped Harry from continuing his Apparition practice. Looking at the empty room, he said clearly, “I need a table and four chairs.”
The Room of Requirement complied, and a small brown table and four armchairs appeared in front of him.
Felix winked at them. “I’m demonstrating this for you. You might find it useful in the future. Actually, you can just think about what you need.” He waved his hand, and a few small plates of pastries and chocolates, along with a large jug of fresh orange juice, flew out from the ring on his left hand.
Harry walked over, his legs feeling like they were made of cotton. He collapsed into an armchair, completely drained.
Felix conjured a straw, making a glass of orange juice float in front of Harry. Harry lowered his head, bit the straw, and started drinking.
“Professor, if I want to practice Apparition, do I have to do it this way?” Hermione asked timidly.
“You and Harry are different,” Felix said. “He’s more intuitive, while you are more analytical. So for you, it’s better to practice while thinking, analyzing the successes and failures of each attempt.”
“Hermione is the smartest witch I know,” Harry said, lifting his head. Ron nodded in agreement.
“This isn’t about being smart, Harry,” Felix said gently. “Everyone has different strengths. Some people are more intuitive when learning magic, like you. You can consider it a talent.”
Ron mused, “I think I’m also more intuitive, no, more experiential. I learn a lot of magic through personal experience, like the Binding Spell, Stunning Spell, and Disarming Charm...”
Felix gave Ron a strange look. He had heard Hermione mention that Ron had developed an “Experiential Learning Method,” where he used his body to experience the effects of spells, which greatly accelerated his learning.
The most extreme example was when he was learning the Binding Spell. He had Harry tie him up twenty times in a row, and by the end of the dueling practice, he successfully cast a magic rope as thick as a finger.
Many people had tried to replicate Ron’s method, but no one succeeded.
Felix suspected that either Ron had a genuine talent for “growing through pain,” or his potential was simply greater than what he normally showed, and his subconscious had found this extreme method as a way to tap into it.
(End of Chapter)
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