Chapter 636: After Halloween
Chapter 636: After Halloween
The office door opened.
"Hello", Felix said, his face expressionless, as he glared at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry and Ron shrank back a step. "Out so late... wandering around the professor's office door at night... what do you need?"
Behind them, Ginny rolled her eyes, her gaze darting between them, while Luna seemed lost in her own thoughts.
The word "wandering" hung in the air, unspoken questions lingering.
Hermione hid her fierce expression and held up Valen, speaking in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, Professor, we came to return Valen to you... Do you know where we found her? She ran so far."
Felix blinked and muttered, "I was puzzled myself. She vanished while I was just getting a drink... thank you."
He reached out to take Valen, but Hermione pulled her hand back, leaving him empty-handed. She held Valen, both of them staring at him with wide eyes, as if they couldn't believe he could so easily brush off the situation. Valen wriggled in Hermione's arms, chattering angrily, looking deeply disappointed.
"What is Valen saying?" Hermione asked, though she knew the answer.
"Thank you for bringing her back", Felix replied calmly, glancing at the indignant Niffler.
Hermione puffed out her cheeks. Only the professor himself could be so infuriating. She relaxed a bit, handed Valen to Felix, and said, "Um... Professor? I've been gathering some questions about Ancient Runes. Could I come and ask you tomorrow?"
"Don't come too early. I want to sleep in", Felix said dryly. Hermione pretended to be obedient and stepped back, silent. Felix turned his gaze to the others.
Harry and Ron quickly shook their heads. They had been dragged along by Hermione, and while they had questions, it was clearly not the right time to ask. The sky was already tinged with a gray-green dawn, and the wind and howls from the Forbidden Forest made them long to return to their warm, comfortable beds. They had training early the next morning.
Ginny also waved her hand, indicating she had no questions. Luna calmly asked, "Professor, do Horned Snorakes really exist?"
Felix hesitated, then said, "I can't give you a definitive answer, but it's possible they exist in some corner of the world." Luna's wide eyes opened in surprise. "I thought so too! That's why I chose Care of Magical Creatures!"
"That's great. But be prepared; not all searches end well."
"Like the Resurrection Stone?" Luna asked.
"Yes", Felix said slowly, "but not exactly the same. I promised to keep an eye out for it, remember?"
Luna beamed.
"Oh, yes! I remember. Perhaps Firenze is right. When the time is right, it will appear on its own, just like the things I lost", she said. Ginny frowned. "Those weren't things you lost; someone deliberately hid them to tease you."
"You're right", Luna said calmly, "Good night, or rather, good morning. I need to organize the letters from my father and me. He sends me two letters every week this year, and I can't memorize them all, so I have to store them." She floated away.
Ron stared at her retreating figure.
"What letters?"
Once they were all gone, Felix closed the door and turned to see Valen jump onto the sofa, holding a quill and writing in the air. In a moment, she had written two lines and showed no signs of stopping, seemingly preparing a long complaint.
Felix glanced at the first word, which was "liar", and walked over, smiling, to pick up the Niffler. "Oh, what are you writing? It's late, time for bed, bed."
Valen looked at the complaint letter slipping away from her, her eyes filled with despair. "Bang!" The bedroom door closed, and the magical lamp went out. Only a few crooked lines of writing glowed in the darkness, proof that the night had not been peaceful.
The castle turned into a winter wonderland, with snow falling for two days, covering the grounds in a thick layer that reached up to the knees.
Felix, wrapped in a blanket, lounged on the sofa. A letter from Carlotta Pinkstone lay on the small table. The seventy-four-year-old activist addressed him as "my dear, unseen comrade", clearly hoping to recruit Felix to her cause. She had done her homework, mentioning his contributions to the magical world and expressing an "urgent desire to meet."
She also warned Felix to be cautious, saying she was "currently not in a convenient position" because the Ministry of Magic had sent two people to watch her. "One is clumsy and overly enthusiastic, the other cold and condescending, with a noble air of arrogance."
Felix thought for less than a minute before picking up a quill and writing a short note to Tonks, inquiring about her well-being.
An owl returned with a reply in less than half an hour.
Felix studied the map for a while and found the names of the two watchers at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. To his surprise, he also saw Collins Flory, though he couldn't imagine her as "cold and condescending."
There was a knock at the door.
Felix squinted at it, and the door opened on its own. Hermione bounced in, her reason for coming the next day being to ask about the Book of Runic Script. But Felix knew she was waiting to ask about their accidental visit to the 1940s Hogwarts.
"Please sit, Hermione Granger."
Felix stood up, wrapped himself in a blanket, and went to the bedroom to change clothes. When he returned, he brought two mugs of hot cocoa. "Thank you", Hermione said, pointing to the letter on the table. "They were in Hogsmeade last weekend. Oh, I'm sorry, I accidentally saw it when I moved the table."
"Hogsmeade? Who are you talking about?"
"Tonks, Collins, and Carlotta Pinkstone", Hermione said, sipping her hot cocoa and smiling contentedly. "Ron saw them in Hogsmeade village last weekend."
Felix nodded, not wanting to delve into the topic further.
"Professor", Hermione took a deep breath, "if you don't plan to contact her, it's best to be straightforward with her."
"Not now", Felix muttered.
After a moment's thought, he continued, "Can you help me write a reply? Just say—well, I can't oppose the Ministry of Magic, rules are important—yes, that's what I'll tell her." Hermione quickly wrote a message and handed it to him. Felix smiled, "Very good."
As the owl flew out the window, Hermione said, "She won't give up easily."
Felix shrugged. "That's a problem for the future. Now, Hermione Granger, let's continue discussing the Book of Runic Script. There are only two copies in the world, so there's not much data to draw conclusions from. Do you think it has been helpful to you?"
Felix wanted to understand the impact of the Book of Runic Script on 'ordinary' people—those who are not Runic Script masters.
"I can't say for sure", Hermione said thoughtfully, "I've been busy filling in my understanding of Runic Script this past month. The feedback you mentioned is rare, but I do feel my control over Ancient Runes has improved... though I'm not sure if it's just my imagination. Other students have made significant progress as well."
"How many Ancient Magics have you mastered?"
"Counting the two we learned in class, five in total", Hermione held up one hand.
Felix fell into deep thought.
"It might not show immediate results. In the future, when you're reviewing the Book of Runic Script—assuming you will, if you suddenly have an inspiration, don't suppress it. Let your rational mind take a break and trust your intuition. You might find unexpected benefits."
"Yes, Professor."
Around noon, Valen emerged, wrapped in a small blanket, looking like a furry cloak. It walked over, let out a weak meow as a greeting, and climbed onto the sofa. Hermione scratched Valen's chin.
"Harry and the others are training?" Felix asked, as they were now discussing topics unrelated to Runic Script.
"Oh, yes", Hermione laughed, unable to stop, "They're training very hard—Harry, Ron, and Ginny. The original Quidditch commentator, Lee Jordan, graduated this year, and Luna has been chosen to replace him—she's the only candidate... Harry is terrified."
Felix blinked and smiled. Everyone knew Luna was a unique girl, and no one could predict her commentary style. Given her familiarity with half the Gryffindor team, Harry and the others would be the most affected.
"Professor? Madam Bones has given me some materials on the living conditions of humanoid races. I've noticed—"
...
The Halloween eve party passed without much incident. It was similar to previous years, except for a student leading a ten-foot-tall fire dragon into the Great Hall, which frightened many young wizards. Once everyone calmed down, they discovered the student had sneaked into the Transfiguration classroom and stolen Professor Mcgonagall's private supply of Transformation Smoke.
The atmosphere was lively. Despite the fire dragon's rough details, it fit well with the festive mood and earned a round of applause. However, the effect was so convincing that even Professor Mcgonagall was alarmed, and the student was never seen at the banquet again.
"The Weasley twins have successors", Ron said with a sense of satisfaction.
"Who knows which house the student is from", Hermione said, surprised, "I hope it's not Gryffindor."
"Unlikely", Harry whispered, "I overheard some students in the common room discussing the 'Defenders of the Rules' club's traditions. Someone mentioned the fire dragon—"
"What's that?"
"The fire dragon?"
"No, the 'traditions.'"
"The traditions!" Ron chimed in excitedly, "No one knows if it's true, but they say Fred and George Weasley left an invisible rule before they graduated, requiring each member to contribute to the perfection of the rules, so—"
"By doing that?" Hermione's eyes widened.
"Exactly, at least next Halloween, no one will bring a fire dragon to show off."
After Halloween, several snowfalls covered the grounds with several feet of snow. Students preferred to take longer routes rather than pass through the garden, which had uneven terrain and often caused shorter students to stumble and bury themselves.
The Halloween decorations hadn’t completely disappeared yet. Occasionally, a stray bat or a pumpkin with a small candle could still be seen floating down the corridors, and both professors and students found it amusing. No one bothered to remove them, allowing the candlelight inside the pumpkins to grow increasingly eerie.
"Bad luck, we're paired with Malfoy again in this class", Ron said, staring at a candle emitting a sickly green light. They had just left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and he couldn’t wait to start complaining.
Harry gave him a sympathetic look.
As the course content deepened, Professor Bashir was no longer satisfied with minor skirmishes and began having students duel in pairs. However, the rules were a bit unconventional: one dueler had to close their eyes. The specific dueler who would take on this unenviable task was decided by a draw. And Ron always drew the short straw.
Few students managed to emerge unscathed by the end of class. Many spontaneously sought advice from Harry and his friends on the Human Shield Charm.
This spell could defend against regular hexes and didn’t require constant maintenance, nor did it interfere with normal spellcasting, making it widely popular. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all proficient with the Human Shield Charm, and Neville, Seamus, Dean, and other members of the front-line lookout could barely grasp it as well. So, theoretically, they were quite safe in class. But there were always exceptions, and Draco Malfoy was one of them.
After he spent considerable effort mastering the Throwing Spell, Ron’s days became miserable. While the Human Shield Charm could defend against small projectiles (as per Professor Bashir’s evaluation, which is why he allowed its use), it offered no protection against physical impact and had no cushioning effect. When Ron lost control and the spell was canceled, he was hit with a series of spells like the Horn-Growing Hex, the Tickling Charm, and the Gibbering Hex. Of course, Draco Malfoy didn’t have it easy either, as Ron’s counterattacks were just as sharp.
But Draco had somehow mastered a fairly decent Healing Spell and always carried various potions, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of Ron’s retaliation. This left Ron seething with frustration.
"If I could fight without holding back..." At lunch, Ron described his plan while waving his arms emphatically, leaving an unspoken pause. The sausage on his fork flew off and hit the Ravenclaw table.
"Are you planning to treat him as an enemy?" Hermione’s eyebrows knit tightly as she asked.
Ron opened his mouth, stammering, "No way! I, uh, I was just joking." When Hermione got up and left, he whispered to Harry, "I really want to, though. I know a lot of spells, but unfortunately..."
They followed Hermione to the staff lounge next to the Great Hall.
Several students were already there: Neville, Susan Bones, Blaise Zabini, Padma Patil, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and a dozen or so familiar faces Harry couldn’t name. They waited in the crowd for a moment, and then Draco Malfoy walked in, his face darkening when he saw Harry and the others by the door.
Four professors were seated in the staff lounge—technically five, but Professor Binns, the ghost, was automatically ignored. They were Professor Mcgonagall, Professor Hup, Professor Snape, and Professor Bashir.
Felix cleared his throat.
A large wooden chest was placed in front of the students, containing thick scrolls of parchment.
"Animagus transformation materials, as promised by Sirius—Professor Black. I hope you haven’t forgotten his name. You have four days to review this content, and then every Saturday morning for the next two months—"
"Professor!"
"Professor."
Harry and Draco Malfoy’s voices echoed simultaneously in the staff lounge. They glanced at each other, then quickly looked away.
"Is there a problem?"
"There’s a Quidditch match this Saturday morning", Harry said, seeing that Malfoy was silent.
"Alright, then it will be changed to Sunday morning at ten o’clock—meet here, and Professor Mcgonagall and I will explain the techniques for practicing Animagus transformation. We will begin the actual transformation around the Christmas holidays, so you will need to stay at school during the break." Felix’s voice lacked confidence, as he had considered transforming students into creatures to experience it firsthand during his preparation. Professor Mcgonagall, who was watching closely, had severely criticized him.
Despite the less-than-pleasant process, the outcome was positive. Someone had offered to help share the workload, and Felix had no complaints.
The students’ eyes sparkled with excitement. This was Animagus transformation! Only eight people (including Rita Skeeter) were known to have mastered it in this century, and if they could learn it, it would certainly be a significant achievement.
However, when they bent down to pick up the three-inch-thick materials from the wooden chest, their faces paled, and their bodies began to tremble involuntarily. Professor Mcgonagall, who had been expressionless, nodded in satisfaction. Nearly two-thirds of the content was strongly recommended by her.
Felix had not objected to any of it.
(End of Chapter)
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