Chapter 52: Persuasion and Research
Chapter 52: Persuasion and Research
"Prejudice in the heart is a mountain, Harry."
...
When Harry stumbled out of the Ancient Runes Office, his mind was still echoing with Professor Hup's words.
Two hours ago, he had tried to dissuade the professor from his "terrible" idea, but two hours later, he was holding a magic scroll and contemplating how to translate the "evil" language of Parseltongue.
He even believed he was doing a service to the entire magical world.
"Harry, I think Professor Hup's point is valid. A person's talent isn't what matters; it's who they choose to become!" Ron, who had listened to the entire conversation, quoted Professor Hup.
"Besides, Professor Hup's gift is quite generous", Ron added, casting an envious glance at the Magical Automaton in Harry's hand—a puppet with ice-blue hair.
This was the price Professor Hup had paid in the entire transaction—one of the most advanced Magical Automatons from his private collection. According to Professor Hup, this puppet could "easily defeat a seventh-year student."
Harry's memory flashed back to two hours earlier...
"Harry, we often hastily label people and unfamiliar things, but with a bit of understanding, we realize how one-sided this approach can be. For example, Armando Dippet, the Headmaster, accomplished a lot during his tenure, but people only remember the absurd rumors, which have been twisted by those with ulterior motives..."
Professor Hup summoned the book Amando Dippet from his desk. It flipped open to a middle page, revealing its contents to the three of them.
"Headmaster Dippet improved Hogwarts' school rules, abolished most corporal punishment... and also rejected the Dark Lord's job application, protecting Hogwarts students from his influence—this is the general view, but is it really the truth? The author, seeking the truth, sees a completely different logic, a buried and sordid history filled with political dirt..."
Felix calmly remarked, "This book, full of lies and distorted facts, has been on the bestseller list for a long time."
Harry felt a deep aversion towards the woman named Rita Skeeter and a sense of empathy for Headmaster Dippet—they were both misunderstood, though Harry's was because of Parseltongue.
Driven by a shared sense of indignation, he quickly agreed to Professor Hup's proposal. Professor Hup then handed him a dictionary and told him to start translating.
Ron and Hermione watched curiously from the side. After the initial shock, they became intensely interested in the process, as Ron put it, "This is the process of uncovering Parseltongue; we're witnessing history!"
But the process was not easy. Harry opened the dictionary to the first page and struggled to say a single word.
"Professor, I can't do it."
Felix thought for a moment, "Your Parseltongue isn't fluent, perhaps it's due to a lack of direct stimulation." He waved his wand and cast a detection-feedback spell on the magical dictionary.
The effect was that when someone read the book, they would feel as if they were facing a snake's face.
This immediately put Harry in the right state. After skipping the first and second useless words, he emitted a hoarse, sinister voice, startling Ron and Hermione.
"That voice is too evil", Ron shivered, feeling a chill run down his spine.
"This is serious magical research, Ron", Hermione said, still shaken.
"Which word?" Felix asked.
Harry pointed to the third word in the dictionary, "This one, 'away.'"
"How many sounds can you make on this page?"
Harry tried again, his finger moving along the dictionary, allowing the other three to track his progress.
However, from that point on, Harry either struggled to speak or managed to utter normal English words. Ron reminded him more than once, "Harry, you're speaking human language", and "Harry, we can understand you."
By the time they reached the last word on the page, Harry finally said it in Parseltongue, "This word is ‘eat,’" he said excitedly, "I’m familiar with it; I heard it on Halloween."
Felix’s finger rested on his chin, "So, out of the 23 words on this page—more accurately, on both pages—only two can be translated into the serpent language."
"Professor, what does that mean?" Harry asked.
"Ah, animal languages are always less rich and more ambiguous than human languages. For example, the concept of ‘eat’ has a dozen related words in our language, which is quite rare in the languages of other intelligent beings."
Felix thought for a moment, "Let's take a break. I need to modify the dictionary."
The three followed Professor Hup to his workbench, a large "U"-shaped table with a smooth, waxed wooden surface.
From Harry’s perspective, Professor Hup tapped the dictionary with his wand, the tip emitting various colors of light. The professor was sometimes silent, sometimes muttering to himself. After about ten minutes, he finally stopped.
"Professor?" Harry was about to ask what he had done when he opened his mouth in amazement.
The words in the dictionary suddenly "came to life."
Literally. The pale yellow pages rippled as if they were water, and each headword began to wriggle as if they had hands and feet. They then struggled out of the dictionary, appearing in the three-dimensional world.
The dictionary flipped through its pages, and one by one, the "headwords" were flung out, landing on the workbench. The black, hollow lines wobbled and hopped. Within a minute, there were thousands of them.
The sight was incredibly stunning, as two-dimensional objects suddenly entered the real world.
"Professor, am I dreaming?" Harry asked, dazed.
"This is magic", Felix said calmly.
Hermione’s eyes sparkled with intense light. This was magic... She had always believed that magic was something tangible, like spells, potions, or moving portraits. But Professor Hup had shown her that magic could do far more than that.
Magic was the unknown, a realm of endless possibilities.
Felix looked satisfied at the "army of words" before him, which had been temporarily brought to life. He swung his wand, and the suitcase in the corner "popped" open, releasing sheets of parchment.
Felix raised his wand and drew a circle, causing the parchments to link end to end, magically adhering to one another.
Then, Felix tapped the workbench, and the "army of words" on the table merged into the parchment, forming individual letters that arranged themselves in an orderly manner.
When everything was complete, the long parchment, or rather the scroll, rolled itself up into a magic scroll.
"Thud!"
It landed on the workbench.
"Here you go, Harry. I’m glad I know a few obscure spells", Felix said with a smile.
"How do I use it, Professor?"
"It can store your Parseltongue pronunciation—of course, you need to tap the corresponding content with your wand before using it. Also, I’ve removed some unnecessary English words. The dictionary has tens of thousands of words, but many are useless."
So, for the rest of the time, Harry unrolled the scroll and translated each word—this time, the translation process was much faster.
Every few dozen seconds, a hoarse, sinister voice echoed through the office.
Ron and Hermione went from initial discomfort to habituation, and then to numbness, all within less than an hour.
At nine o'clock, Professor Hup escorted the three out, "Harry, you can find a quiet place to practice. If you have any problems, come to me."
Then he turned to Hermione, "We’ll cancel tomorrow’s Runic Script lesson. I have something to attend to."
"I need to meet someone", the professor said.
(End of Chapter)
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