Chapter 590: Individual Challenges and Rewards
Chapter 590: Individual Challenges and Rewards
"I don't recall sending out any invitations. The Rune Club's activities have been on hold because—" Felix looked at them. Luna nodded and said, "We were involved in the trial." "Yes, that's the reason", he said.
"I saw the photos in the newspaper—Professor Dumbledore, Madam Bones, and you." Luna said with enthusiasm, "Dad mentioned in the _Quibbler_ that you three are the most powerful people in the wizarding world."
"I saw that article too, it was quite interesting", Felix said with a stern face. "Especially the part about us teaming up to take on the wizarding world."
He turned to look at the others—they avoided each other's eyes, hesitant to speak.
"Alright, everyone, come and sit down." He conjured a few soft chairs with magic. At his desk, Fred and George Weasley stopped and ran out of the spell's reach, standing on the edge of the desk, eagerly waving their arms to attract attention. "Hey, someone—help us get down!"
"I'll do it!" Ron called out, seemingly afraid someone else would take the opportunity. After saying that, he looked at Felix, "Um—can I?"
Before Felix could fully nod, Ron rushed to the desk, bent down, and looked at his two older brothers with a smug tone. "Look what I found, wingless Flower Fairies? I've never seen such big Flower Fairies..."
"Come on, you little brats." He grinned and extended his hand.
Fred and George Weasley instinctively took a step back; they were at a disadvantage right now. But they weren't about to give in. Fred tilted his head and studied Ron's face closely, "From this angle, your face looks like a disaster zone, all bumpy—"
"Those are freckles! You two have them too!" Ron said irritably, grabbing his two brothers and shaking them, "I haven't even settled the score with you two for that Punching Telescope—"
He gave them a warning look and led them to the office sofa, dropping them onto the cushions, then sat down. Fred and George Weasley screamed and scrambled away from Ron's slowly descending body. They climbed up and down the sofa, finally leaning against the armrests, patting their chests in relief.
"Close one, almost got murdered by my own brother—"
"Using his rear end, no less. Honestly, I'd die with regrets."
Harry glanced at the two, who seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"So—" Felix watched the sibling interaction with interest, while the others tried to suppress their laughter. Then he sat on a single sofa and asked, "What brought you all together? Potter?"
"Um, Professor, Colin saw—saw—" Harry stumbled, staring at Felix's pocket and then at the twins still playfully fighting on the desk, unsure how to describe it.
Was he supposed to say that Colin Creevey saw Professor Felix bouncing up the stairs while pushing Fred's head back into his pocket? That would be too bizarre.
"I get what you mean, you three are here for the same reason?" Felix looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who nodded in unison. Felix then turned to the others, who began to speak up.
"I have some questions about my studies", Cedric said, pulling out a notebook, "I tried to mimic the Runic Script booklet and write something similar, but there are some blurry areas."
"Cho came with me", he pointed to Cho Chang, who was sitting quietly beside him.
Felix nodded approvingly, then shifted his gaze slightly.
"I don't have anything specific, just passing by to check in", Draco said slowly.
"I actually have something to discuss with you, some course-related issues", Felix said vaguely, "stay behind afterward."
Draco hesitated and nodded.
Next were the Greengrass sisters. Daphne hesitated, but her sister boldly pointed at Draco, "We followed him. He's been acting secretive lately, always going off on his own, and we don't know what he's up to."
Draco glared at her fiercely.
This caught Harry's attention. He stared at Draco, trying to read something from his face. He thought about the recent rumors of the Malfoy patriarch turning against the Death Eaters and guessed that Draco, caught in the midst of these rumors, must be under a lot of pressure.
That left Neville, Luna, and Ginny. Felix turned to Neville.
“I, uh,” Neville stammered, his mouth opening and closing as if he was embarrassed by the crowd around him. Felix thought Neville was about to bring up a sensitive topic, so he tentatively suggested, “We can talk privately—”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Neville said, “I wanted to ask—” He paused, “about Potions knowledge.”
“Potions?” Felix asked, surprised.
Even the others looked at Neville with curiosity, which made Neville’s face turn even redder. He swallowed hard and continued, “The school sent out booklets about various careers during the holidays. I saw the Auror pamphlet, which requires applicants to have at least five N.E.W.Ts certificates, with no grade below ‘Exceeds Expectations’—”
Harry and Ron inhaled sharply. They had always aspired to become Aurors, but they had only planned to discuss it with Professor Mcgonagall at the start of the term, to hear her advice.
“—and a series of rigorous personality and intelligence tests prepared by the Auror Office.”
When Neville finished speaking, Harry and Ron’s faces turned pale, almost matching Draco’s.
“Oh, I see,” Felix said with a smile. “You’re worried about the Potions requirement for becoming an Auror, and you’re not sure how to meet it…” Neville nodded.
“No wonder many students who want to become Aurors get stuck on Potions. After all, Professor Snape’s advanced class only accepts students who achieved ‘Outstanding’ in their O.W.Ls exams.” Felix sighed.
“Potions certificate?” Harry asked, bewildered.
“And an ‘Outstanding’ grade?” Ron exclaimed in despair.
Both of them were now ashen-faced. To them, getting an ‘Outstanding’ in Potions seemed like a pipe dream.
Harry felt his heart and his dream of becoming an Auror shatter into icy shards.
“To be an excellent Auror, you need to know how to brew antidotes, at the very least,” Felix explained, addressing their concerns. “Of course, the reality is much more complex.”
He thought for a moment and then said to Neville, “If it’s just about improving your grades and getting a high score,” he looked uncertainly at Neville, who nodded eagerly. Felix smiled, “There are ways to do that. We can discuss it later.”
“Professor?” Harry asked urgently, “Can we stay and listen?”
“Yeah, Professor, we’re in the same boat as Neville,” Ron chimed in, “We just need to get good grades.”
“Professor Snape won’t be happy,” Felix shook his head. He seemed to have an idea and looked quite pleased. “But he has no reason to reject a clever approach. Unless he wants to admit his own shortcomings…” Felix’s last words were barely audible.
Felix’s gaze shifted between Luna and Ginny, finally settling on Ginny. But he was wrong. Ginny nudged Luna, who was staring intently at Fred and George Weasley. “Oh,” Luna snapped out of her trance, “I have something to tell you.” She said earnestly.
“About what?” Felix asked.
“Have you read The Tales of Beedle the Bard?” Luna asked, her eyes suddenly bright, unlike her usual dreamy demeanor. “There’s a story about the three brothers, which mentions Death and his three—”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged wary glances.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Felix interrupted, and Luna blinked, looking puzzled, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she looked at him expectantly, which made Felix feel quite troubled.
Troubles seemed to come in clusters. He hadn’t expected Luna to bring up this story. How did she know?
“The Elder Wand’s legend is false, and I think I’ve proven that,” Felix said briefly. The cost had been dozens of lives and a public battle with Voldemort, which had silenced all the hidden ambitions.
Of course, it didn’t disappear immediately. During those months, Felix would often take out the Marauder’s Map and search for suspicious figures, earning bounties on their heads.
“I’m talking about something else,” Luna said softly, “The Resurrection Stone.”
Felix frowned.
“Miss Lovegood—”
“I performed divination with Firenze,” Luna said quickly, looking at Felix. “He said the results showed that what I desire is very close—so close that it’s almost within reach.”
Felix fell silent for a moment. What thing? The Resurrection Stone? Did she mean the Resurrection Stone was at the school?
It couldn't be in one of her roommates' backpacks, could it?
Moreover, he suspected that Firenze's meaning of "nearly missed" might differ from Luna's understanding...
"Alright", he said, "you two have certainly brought me a lot of surprises." He stood up and looked around. "We have a lot of questions to address, one at a time. It just so happens that I need your help with something. Luna, come over here first."
He and Luna walked to the other side of the office and began to talk in hushed tones.
The conversation surprised him. It was the first time he had heard of the Deathly Hallows. In this legend, the three artifacts mentioned in the fairy tale, created by Death, were combined and considered as a whole. Moreover, they held special significance—possessing all three would make one the master of Death.
Felix only knew that the Elder Wand was real and currently in Dumbledore's possession.
"Have you ever considered that this might just be a proverbial legend? Even if they do exist, they might just be three powerful magical items that were later connected by later generations through forced interpretations?"
But Luna provided concrete evidence.
"The Elder Wand", she drew a vertical line on his hand. "The Resurrection Stone", she added a circle below the line. "The Cloak of Invisibility", she finally drew a triangle around the line and circle, forming a complete and intricate symbol.
Felix stared at his hand. If he wasn't mistaken, this seemed to be someone else's mark?
Much like his ouroboros, which once symbolized him.
"Grindelwald?" he asked softly.
"You know him too?" Luna asked curiously. "Daddy says this symbol is often misunderstood, but the truth is that it doesn't belong to him. Grindelwald only borrowed it. The true creators were the Peverell brothers."
"The Peverell... three brothers? Three brothers?"
"Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus", Luna said with certainty, though Felix suspected she was merely repeating what her father had told her. "The symbol is still on Ignotus's tombstone in Godric's Hollow. Daddy took me to see it. It's the Peverell family crest."
Felix lowered his head, seemingly talking to himself.
"So, anyone who knows this symbol should also know its true meaning?"
On the other side, the group sitting on the sofa couldn't help but glance frequently at the professor and Luna. They talked for a long time, but they were too far to hear, possibly due to a spell. "Professor is really kind", Chang said, clearly viewing this as a responsible professor guiding a girl full of fantasies.
"Who is Firenze, though?" she asked.
"A Centaur", Harry said.
"So, she didn't just imagine him?" Chang said, clearly intrigued. She looked at the distant Luna thoughtfully. "We're two years apart, but I've heard about her nickname—Loony. You know?"
"She's not crazy", Ginny said coldly, "just a bit—"
"Eccentric", Ron added, nodding. Ginny glared at him.
"Oh", Chang said apologetically, "you're friends?"
Just then, Luna bounced back, her fluffy hair bouncing up and down. "How did it go?" Ginny asked, hoping her friend would give up on unrealistic fantasies, like bringing the dead back to life. That was just too far-fetched.
"Professor agreed to keep an eye out for it, and if he finds it, he'll lend it to me", she said happily.
"Diggory—" Felix called from the other side. Cedric stood up and walked over with his notes. Felix quickly flipped through them, mentally reviewing the content, and said, "It's already quite impressive. There are many details I hadn't considered, and it's clear you put a lot of effort into it."
Cedric smiled shyly.
"You should also submit it to the 'New Interpretations of Runic Script' journal, right?"
Cedric nodded.
"It's already on its way."
"I'll keep these notes for now. I need to review them carefully, and then we can discuss further..."
Next, Felix beckoned Draco over, who came reluctantly.
"Tell me, what's on your mind." Felix asked, glancing toward the sofa where the Greengrass sisters were looking over. "Your classmates have noticed you haven't been yourself lately. I told you before, if you're struggling with something, you can come to me."
"They meddle too much", Draco said with a sigh. "Especially the younger one, complaining that I ruined her Ghosts food."
Felix casually asked a few questions about what happened. Apparently, Astoria had somehow managed to get her hands on some Ghosts food. The stuff was actually quite rare and difficult to preserve, only available in Classroom Seven. He had given some to Valen—
He turned to look at Valen. Alright, he had a pretty good idea where Astoria got the Ghosts food from.
The rest of the story was that Astoria had shown it off, and Draco had accidentally knocked it over. "I was distracted by the match I had just lost and didn't notice her suddenly jumping out", Draco defended himself.
"Then what's been going on recently?"
A flush spread across Draco's face. Felix, well-versed in such matters, said, "I promise I won't tell anyone." Draco then pulled out a intricately designed and ornate crest from his pocket.
When Felix saw the 'M' on it, he had a pretty good idea what it was.
"The Malfoy family crest?"
Draco nodded. "It was in the letter my mother sent me." Felix understood; he had helped deliver the letter.
"So they've passed the buck to you?" Felix asked with a smile. "What did you get out of it?"
"A little bit", Draco said hesitantly, carefully gauging Felix's reaction. "Professor, do you plan to break the Secrecy Act after the war?"
Felix scratched his head. "You're all giving me quite a few surprises today—who told you that?" That was just a rumor; he had even mocked Grindelwald for it.
"Is it not true?" Draco looked disappointed. Seeing the professor raise an eyebrow, he quickly added, "I just guessed. Professor, I'm sure you've heard of my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?"
"Indeed."
"He passed away when I was young. I've been thinking about his words recently. He said", Draco swallowed, "everyone has a place, but the difference is that a strong person's place is not just a position, but a mission."
"Is that so?" Felix's tone was ambiguous.
"I thought that if you have such plans, I could contribute", Draco stammered. "You once told me that my wand is suited for healing magic, and with the career counseling after school... I've been researching this area."
Felix had one thought: Lucius could retire soon.
It turned out that Draco wasn't aiming to become a Healer but had his sights set on the Muggle-Wizard Joint Hospital. Although his ideas were still rough, they were enough to surprise Felix.
"Your ideas are quite forward-thinking, and I can't give you a definitive answer. The future is uncertain, but you can certainly work towards this goal. You need to become an excellent Healer first, and there's a lot you need to learn."
Draco returned to his seat on the sofa, and Neville, Harry, and Ron approached. Hermione thought for a moment and followed them.
The three boys looked at him with eager eyes, hungry for the "ways to get high marks." Hermione, on the other hand, strongly disapproved of such tricks but came over to gather information.
'I'm just gathering intelligence,' Hermione told herself.
Felix didn't waste words, letting them wait a moment while he went to his bedroom and returned with a set of Potions class notes.
He affectionately stroked the cover. "They've been a great help to me."
"Are these your Potions class notes from when you were a student?" Harry guessed.
"Well, let's put it this way: you don't think I could afford new textbooks when I was a student, do you?" Felix said. "The school's scholarship fund was quite limited back then. I had to be frugal, only buying second-hand books and old robes. But there's a saying, 'Think one step ahead, and you'll do better.'"
"Soon after the start of the term, I discovered that the school had a storage cabinet for old textbooks. I spent some time selecting the best ones—some were almost brand new, with only one name on them."
Harry looked down at the set of notes in the professor's hands. They were tattered and worn, the corners torn, as if they had suffered terrible abuse.
"... except for the Potions class notes. This set is carefully selected. You'll find that its value lies not in its appearance."
(End of Chapter)
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