Chapter 30: Professor Adorer
Chapter 30: Professor Adorer
After finishing the entire chocolate bar, Hermione finally returned to her normal state. Though she looked quite tired, at least her intelligence was back online.
"Professor, is this the flaw of the Mind Chamber? It feels like I haven't slept for three days, and this exhaustion suddenly hit me all at once", she described her feelings.
"One of the flaws is that it accelerates your energy consumption, and this consumption is cumulative", Felix explained. "You were in the Mind Chamber for seven hours, but the fatigue you felt might be equivalent to fourteen hours or more."
Felix then looked at her thoughtfully. "It seems we need to shorten your time in the Mind Chamber. I think three to five hours, twice a week, would be a more appropriate frequency."
Hearing that the professor wanted to reduce her study time, Hermione instinctively wanted to protest, but her recent experience left her with lingering fear, and she agreed with Felix's arrangement.
Her attention quickly shifted to the magic they had just used. She asked curiously, "Professor, how did you come up with this magic? It's simply incredible! I think the Ministry of Magic should award you a Merlin Medal!"
Felix shook his head and said softly, "This magic is still far from perfect. I originally thought it would give me a few extra hours, or even dozens, but in practice, I encountered far too many problems."
"The essence of this memory magic is to speed up your thinking. Currently, it's about—" He glanced at the clock, "three times faster."
Hermione also turned to look at the clock, her expression complex. "I was in the Mind Chamber for seven hours, but only two hours passed outside. This is simply a miracle!"
If others learned this magic, they would have so much more time to study!
But few people could likely endure the side effects of the magic.
And it also required Professor Hup's assistance...
It seems I am the lucky one, Hermione thought happily.
Felix continued his explanation. "The Mind Chamber is not the real world. Essentially, everything in it is formed by your perception. Did you notice its flaw?" Felix asked.
Hermione thought for a moment. "It reflects our perception of the outside world, which means we can't get accurate feedback! But wait, I was able to practice Runic Script inside."
The young witch's reasoning was that the Mind Chamber's existence is based on a Wizard's perception of the outside world. Therefore, it cannot "create" something the Wizard doesn't understand, such as brewing potions, practicing magic, or mastering Runic Script.
But this contradicted her experience.
Felix watched with interest as the young witch strained her brain, thinking hard—Professor Mcgonagall's evaluation of Hermione Granger was very apt.
"That child is extremely eager for knowledge. She always grasps the material in the books faster than others. Of course, her talent may not match yours, but I think you are an exception..."
He was indeed an exception, given his special advantage in practicing spells. His perception of this young witch had also evolved, from a familiar stranger to a recommended assistant candidate, and now to a hardworking scholar.
As one of the three main protagonists in the original story, her potential was rare.
What about the other two? Felix wondered.
The clock ticked away.
"Is it because of your presence, Professor?" Hermione's eyes lit up.
Felix gave her an approving look and revealed the answer. "The magic user is me, so the Mind Chamber is built based on my perception, at least mostly. This means—"
"It means your understanding of Ancient Runes surpasses mine, so I can practice Ancient Runes within your perception!"
Hermione suddenly understood. "Your understanding of Ancient Runes far exceeds mine, so I can practice Ancient Runes within your perception."
In simple terms, Felix was the creator of the Mind Chamber, and Hermione was his guest.
Hermione followed this line of thought. "So, the effect of this magic on Professor—"
Felix shrugged. "It's still somewhat useful. It contains all the books I've read before, allowing me to quickly review my knowledge. Or, when I want to think undisturbed, it's very convenient."
In fact, Felix initially developed it as a combat spell, aiming to gain superhuman dynamic vision and reaction speed.
Combined with his sixth-level Displacement and Stupefy, it was almost too smooth.
He had this idea in his fifth year, but he didn't have any leads until he graduated.
Desperate, he had to carry a vial of potion with him at all times, using it to boost his reaction speed.
It wasn't until he delved into extensive research on the brain and mind in the Muggle world that he made some progress, though unfortunately, this progress was primarily applied to teaching.
The road ahead was long and arduous.
Putting these thoughts aside, Felix advised her, "The Mind Chamber is different from the real world. You must practice constantly over the next week to turn this virtual experience into reality."
Hermione's current state was like that of someone who had just played a VR game and learned how to cook. If she started learning to cook in the real world, it would be like having a tenfold experience boost, but if she didn't put in any extra effort, this somewhat "virtual" experience would quickly fade.
Not today, she was too exhausted.
"Professor..." Hermione bit her lip, hesitating as if she had something to say.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." Hermione quickly replied.
On her way here, she had seen Malfoy leaving Professor Hup's office. Could it be that Malfoy also received the professor's help and was training in the Mind Chamber? She wanted to ask the professor but couldn't find a good excuse.
Maybe Ron would know?
Ever since the "Snotlout" incident, Ron had been particularly interested in Malfoy, especially in his misfortunes.
After resting for about fifteen minutes, Hermione still looked a bit pale, but it wasn't a big problem. A good night's sleep would fix it.
...
That evening, in the common room.
Hermione asked Ron about this, and to her surprise, he did know.
Ron grinned widely, clearly delighted. "He's been put in detention by Professor Hup. It's been three days now... Apparently, Professor Hup thinks he's not showing respect to his classmates, so he's been punished to copy books by hand."
"Copy books?" Harry asked curiously, thrilled at the misfortune of their old rival and eager to know more details.
"Exactly, by hand. I overheard him complaining to Crabbe and Goyle about it. The books are huge, at least three inches thick when stacked. He'll probably spend a month on this."
"What books?"
"I only caught a glimpse, but they seemed to be about Muggles." Ron furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. "Oh, right! I remember now. Malfoy mentioned that Professor Hup's books don't sell well and are only used to punish students."
"Are they 'How Muggles Think' and 'The Struggle of Muggles'?" Hermione blurted out the titles.
Ron scratched his head. "It sounds right... But how did you know?"
Hermione didn't answer but ran back to her dormitory. A moment later, she returned with two books.
They were indeed hefty tomes... Harry thought. He glanced at the spines, which matched the titles Hermione had mentioned.
Ron's mouth dropped open. "Hermione, don't tell me you read these for fun."
"Do you have a problem with that?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing assertively.
Harry took one of the books and flipped it open to a random page. The dense text made his eyes swim. "Hermione, do you really need to read these? I mean, we've been living in Muggle families since we were kids."
Hermione looked delighted. "Viewing the Muggle world from a wizard's perspective is quite interesting. And Professor Hup's books are excellent. He approaches issues from angles I've never considered."
She added with a hint of resentment, "It's a real shame for Malfoy. If it weren't for Professor Hup, he'd never get to read such outstanding books!"
Hermione lavished praise on Felix, and the two boys exchanged a glance, silently wondering if Hermione's admiration was shifting from Lockhart to Professor Hup.
(End of Chapter)
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