Chapter 337: Ancient Runes Class
Chapter 337: Ancient Runes Class
Hagrid's second lesson was a success, thanks to his thorough preparation. He knew that the students had become familiar with Nifflers during the maze game, so he brought in a Fluffyball, a harmless creature that feeds on dried snot. Despite its unappetizing diet, its cute appearance was enough to make the girls forget about it.
Padma was delighted to hold the Fluffyball, almost reluctant to let go. Many students were also willing to interact with the Griffin.
The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were already accustomed to following rules, and with the example of Harry and Malfoy's injuries, no one dared to foolishly provoke these towering creatures.
Following Hagrid's instructions, the students bowed, made eye contact, and fed the beasts. Once they gained the creatures' initial trust, they could pet their beaks and backs while Hagrid kept a vigilant eye on them.
The class was surprisingly well-behaved, with all students cooperating. Even if some couldn't resist running away from the Griffin, most earned the creature's approval.
As the lesson approached its midpoint, Hagrid, who had been cautious, finally relaxed his guard and allowed the students to ride the Griffin for a short flight.
Voldemort was among them, flying over the Black Lake. The experience wasn't as enjoyable as it seemed in movies—the bird's feathers were too smooth, making it feel like he might slip off at any moment.
It didn't compare to the exhilaration of flying on his own.
However, for the other students, this experience was extraordinary. Riding a massive beast gave them a sense of conquest or hunting, far more thrilling than flying on a thin broomstick.
Even someone as usually quiet as Ryan was excited, his face flushed as he jumped off the Griffin's back (or neck).
"I want to be friends with Professor Hagrid!"
Privately, Michael said to Voldemort, "I didn't know he had a Griffin! Wow, that's amazing! Voldemort, do you know what Professor Hagrid likes?"
"Um..." Voldemort thought for a moment. "Dangerous and captivating magical creatures?"
"For example..."
"Like a dragon. And if you could get him a Manticore, he'd be willing to become your half-brother."
Michael chuckled, his mind racing.
As they walked through the empty entrance hall, Voldemort slowed down slightly. After Michael went ahead, he turned the Time Turner on his neck.
He had an Ancient Runes class later that morning.
The Ancient Runes classroom was located on the side of Clock Square, in the building closest to the Forbidden Forest. At the end of a long bridge was the classroom for Ancient Runes.
On his way there, Voldemort ran into Hermione, who was also rushing by.
The brown-haired girl had just finished a class and still carried the scent of herbs. Upon seeing Voldemort, she expressed relief.
"Thank Merlin! I thought I'd taken the wrong path! There wasn't a soul on the way!"
Hermione hurriedly explained, "And those stairs kept spinning! Griffiths was chasing me for a chat, and I almost bumped into Peeves! It was awful!"
"If you had left earlier, you could have taken your time finding your way. These troubles wouldn't have bothered you," Voldemort said.
Hermione countered, "I couldn't leave earlier! I just finished Herbology class! If I turn back one hour, the timing becomes tight!"
She spoke hurriedly, her mind racing.
Voldemort asked, puzzled, "So why did you only turn back one hour? You could have turned back twice or more. It's generally safe as long as it's not more than five hours."
Hermione looked at him, even more puzzled. "But if I turn back two hours, what would I do during that extra hour before class?"
"We can't just sit around and wait!"
Voldemort sighed helplessly, "You can always go back to the dormitory to catch up on sleep. Hermione, you should really take a look at how obvious your dark circles are."
Hermione opened her mouth in astonishment, as if she had just realized this was possible.
"No wonder I always felt you were handling things so easily... But when we got the Time Turner, didn't we promise to only use it for studying...?"
"Good rest is also for studying. How can exhausting yourself be helpful for your studies?" Voldemort rebutted.
Hermione fell silent.
When they reached the end of the hallway, they saw a dozen or so classmates who had also chosen this course standing in small groups outside the classroom, studying how to open the door.
Among them was Draco Malfoy, who had also chosen Ancient Runes. Upon seeing Voldemort approach, Malfoy's expression changed slightly, and he unconsciously moved a little further away.
However, the other students showed delighted expressions and shouted, "Voldemort is here!"
"Voldemort must know how to open it!"
They made way, and Voldemort walked to the very front before he understood what was going on.
The door to the Ancient Runes classroom was a huge slate with a rectangular opening in the middle, and within the opening were several copper pillars with bamboo-like joints that could be rotated section by section.
On the copper pillars, ancient runic symbols were engraved in circles, and next to them was a note that read, "Open it."
It was evident that this was the way the Ancient Runes classroom was locked.
Before Voldemort arrived, these students had already been studying for a while. They held the Runic Dictionary and the Magical Pronunciation Guide, searching with such intensity that they felt even their English was becoming unfamiliar.
Many of the ancient runic characters were very similar, and a single character often had several different meanings, so the decryption process was extremely slow.
However, for Voldemort, this was naturally not a problem.
After observing for a moment, he rotated the copper pillars, and the runic symbols formed a sentence—
"I look down, picking up the runes."
This was actually a sentence printed on the title page of their textbook.
The students cheered and rushed into the Ancient Runes classroom.
The spacious classroom had large windows on both sides, providing excellent lighting. Long blue curtains hung down to the floor.
On the walls all around were numerous ancient rune symbols, and on the teacher's desk were some ancient artifacts, jewels, and weapons, and even the bones of some unknown creatures, all of which were also engraved with runes.
But in the classroom, the professor for this class was nowhere to be seen.
The students didn't wait patiently either; instead, they wandered around the classroom, examining the displayed items. Voldemort also took a look around before finding a quiet spot to sit down.
After a while, Hermione sat beside him and whispered,
"Perhaps you're right, sometimes I should give myself some time to rest... But with the Time Turner, it's better not to use it too frequently."
Voldemort raised an eyebrow, "Hermione, are you worried about the dangers of reversing time?"
Hermione shook her head and lowered her voice, "It's not just that... When we turn back time, only our own time continues to flow normally..."
"So frequent use means that for every year others experience, we would experience two years, three years... or even more..."
In what seemed like the same amount of time, their lifespan seemed to be accelerating, and this feeling naturally caused fear.
But Voldemort said, "I know. But if I could become an adult sooner, I think that would be good too."
Hermione was startled by his words.
Just then, the Ancient Runes professor entered the classroom. She appeared silently at the edge of the open classroom, her gaze coldly sweeping over the dozen or so students.
(End of Chapter)
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