Chapter 31: Felix's Journey of the Heart
Chapter 31: Felix's Journey of the Heart
Felix watched as the young witch left. Standing by the window, he could vaguely see through the darkness a pair of young wizards holding hands and enjoying a leisurely weekend.
"Peaceful times..." he mused over the word, only now realizing the impact of the war after returning to Hogwarts.
When the Dark Lord was wreaking havoc, Felix was still in a Muggle orphanage, leading the older kids in beating up the little thugs from the neighboring school. He was having a blast. By the time he enrolled at Hogwarts, the Dark Lord had been dead for nearly a year.
Back then, the wizarding world was in chaos—Death Eaters were scrambling to clear their names, power-hungry individuals were vying for control, victims were demanding compensation, and those who refused to accept defeat were plotting their counterattacks from the shadows. Of course, none of this affected him directly. What did affect him were the young wizards at Hogwarts.
At that time, the Pureblood Families were doing everything they could to distance themselves from the Dark Lord. Prejudice? Absolutely not, wizards and Muggles were one big happy family. But what happened behind closed doors and how they educated their children could be a different story.
He entered Hogwarts under these circumstances, and then—
Shh! Be quiet, look what we’ve found, a Muggle-born Slytherin! Come on, let’s bully him!
This was the typical thought process of most Slytherin students back then.
After the feast, Felix prepared to use his charm to make friends with his roommates. One Slytherin looked at him with disgust and said, "Get lost, filthy Mudblood!"
Felix didn’t understand the term at the time, and he instinctively cast a Petrifying Spell at the other boy. Both of them were taken aback.
Fortunately, only one of his roommates was that stubborn. The other two were shockingly unprincipled, answering ten questions for every one asked. By the time he lay in bed that night, he had a pretty good idea of what his future would be like.
He realized that this conflict was just the beginning, not the end.
As he predicted, things developed accordingly, but luckily, it didn’t take him long to win over the other first-year students. More than once, they publicly said that Felix was a good person, not only talented but also helpful.
While he couldn’t yet stand up to the older students, the professors and school rules provided a buffer. After all, fights between students of the same year were considered minor conflicts, but if an older student attacked a younger one, they risked expulsion.
Once he displayed his formidable magical talent, few dared to cause trouble.
Slytherin wasn’t short on clever people.
But the danger didn’t just come from within the school. Felix couldn’t remember how many death threats he received during his time at Hogwarts, but he clearly remembered the first one, which came during his first-year Christmas feast.
It was an anonymous Howler. He later guessed it was from the parent of a first-year he had beaten up.
Despite the threats, he stayed cautious and managed to avoid serious trouble. His method was to take down a second-year Slytherin—though he couldn’t be blamed, as they had started it. He merely took advantage of the situation.
However, the death threats escalated, and at the beginning of his second year, a batch of red Howlers flew toward him in the Great Hall. The entire hall was filled with screams like, "You filthy Mudblood, get out of Slytherin!" or "I will erase the shame of Slytherin with my own hands if I ever see you again!"
The young wizards eating their meals were terrified, and Headmaster Dumbledore was particularly serious as he personally examined the remains of the Howlers. But it was difficult to trace the source; the owls were rented, and the voices were disguised.
To be honest, he was in a tough spot. He wanted to focus on his magical studies, but things never went as planned.
Felix had to continue his friendship-building strategy, making more friends and fewer enemies. This meant enduring misunderstandings—those who didn’t know the full story thought he was seeking revenge.
Before long, he targeted a third-year Slytherin who particularly disliked him. Under the guise of seeking guidance, he sent the boy to the hospital wing for three weeks.
Afterward, he visited the injured student frequently, expressing deep regret for his "mistake." After all, it was an accident!
Professor, I am truly heartbroken. You want to deduct points? Go ahead, I can handle it...
Felix suddenly realized that if you wanted to get under Slytherin's skin, it was incredibly easy. All you had to do was insult his family in a deserted place, calling them trash.
This baiting tactic never failed.
After a few times, even the most stubborn third-year Slytherins were won over—his roommate being the most obstinate of them all. But even such a hard-headed individual was eventually swayed after sleeping on the floor for seven days, and he happily accepted Felix's friendship.
By third year, he had finally won over the last stubborn seventh-year Slytherin. The sense of accomplishment was like leveling up in a game, reaching the maximum level and feeling incredibly satisfied.
But he still dared not leave the school, and he still had to deal with death threats every year.
So, he spent an entire year working tirelessly to master two sixth-level spells, even though his magical theory was only at the fourth level at the time!
Fortunately, it was all worth it. With the sixth-level spells "Stupefy" and "Armor Shield", he managed to neutralize seven fools who tried to attack him during the summer of his fourth year. They were still in Azkaban to this day!
The family duel at the start of fifth year was no big deal to him. The formal duel never even took place—Shafik was taken away the next day.
After that, he lived a comfortable life until graduation.
After graduating, Felix didn't choose to work at the Ministry of Magic or Gringotts. He had no interest in those places.
Prospects? High salary?
Yeah, he could finally say with confidence, "I have no interest in money."
He wanted to stay at Hogwarts, but unfortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore rejected his application.
"You're young. Travel and see the world, or work for a couple of years to gain experience."
Felix chose to travel, checking off different countries' magical customs like a to-do list. He was particularly interested in the black markets of different countries, where he could find ancient magical manuscripts and Alchemy Artifacts, which he desperately needed.
He also met some interesting (black) Wizards along the way. Everyone kept their faces hidden, so they judged each other by their skills rather than appearances.
When he encountered black market rivalries, he would happily test his newly conceived spells on them. It's worth noting that he had never taken a life himself, but he had created quite a few idiots—hoping their loved ones would take them back for treatment.
His "Mind Chamber" gradually took shape during this time.
After his travels, Felix applied for a teaching position at Hogwarts again, but was politely turned down. However, Dumbledore, noticing his lack of interest in the Ministry, suggested he spend some time in the Muggle world.
Felix accepted the advice. On one hand, he thought this might be Dumbledore's way of "testing" him, given his less-than-professorial behavior during his school years. On the other hand, he wanted to build a path for himself, shaping an identity as a scholar—so even if the professor route didn't work out, he could still engage with other renowned Wizards.
He was confident in his ability to research Muggles. If it weren't for the shock it would cause in the magical world, he could have written ten books on Muggle studies in a year. But he decided to be patient, making his actions more plausible.
During these two years, his correspondence with Dumbledore increased dramatically. Felix continuously sent him research manuscripts, and they exchanged letters on various Muggle issues.
This gave him hope of returning to Hogwarts.
Although his third job application failed again... reflecting on this journey, he still felt miserable. But from their correspondence, he noticed a subtle shift in Dumbledore's attitude.
Next came the books. His books didn't receive much attention from the general public, but they were highly regarded by experts.
The name Felix Hep was now associated with the title "Muggle Studies Expert."
Thanks to this, in his third year after graduation, he established pen pal relationships with many famous Wizards, which proved to be very beneficial.
Some small countries' Ministries of Magic even invited him to head their Muggle affairs departments, but he politely declined.
Exactly three years after graduation, he finally received an interview invitation from Hogwarts.
Everything began from here...
Felix stood by the window, watching the sun set, a sliver of light lingering on the horizon.
(End of Chapter)
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