Chapter 642: Transition Between Reality and Illusion
Chapter 642: Transition Between Reality and Illusion
The final Ancient Runes class before the Christmas break was turned into a free period. Students flipped open their copies of Practical Runes for Beginners and chatted enthusiastically.
Colin Creevey pulled out a list and confidently announced the Animagus forms of students in the “Animagus Class.” He read out the names on the list, glancing at Professor Hup after each one, hoping for a reaction.
However, Felix was busy playing cards with a few students and didn’t notice Colin’s wandering gaze.
Valen sat in Felix’s lap, watching the same hand of cards, eagerly offering suggestions. “Are you sure you want to play this one?” Felix asked, looking down. Valen nodded firmly, stretching out his fingers. Yes, that was right.
“Expelliarmus,” Felix said.
Opposite him, Newman Bark grinned and revealed a card he had hidden for three turns. “Human-form armoring charm. I used Stealth Casting, so the defense was successful.” He proudly laid out all his cards.
“Incarcerous—Professor, you’re restrained and can’t counterattack—Thunder Blast! I’ll add a Blindness Hex, hehe, another control move… And check this out, Blazing Flame.”
Felix watched sourly as the little figure representing him exploded in anger. Valen covered his eyes.
Newman Bark and another student high-fived in celebration.
On the other side, Creevey was nearing the end of his list. “... Draco Malfoy—White Peacock; Eva—Fox; Harry Potter—Lion, just to add, I’m not at all surprised. Harry pulled out Gryffindor’s Sword in his second year…” he said with enthusiasm.
“Fake news,” Ginny whispered to Luna a few tables away. “Harry said he feels more connected to the Stag.” Luna was using physical runes to build a trophy, carefully piecing it together. She slowly looked up. “Patronus?”
“An interesting topic, isn’t it?” Ginny said, flicking her hair. “Unfortunately, there are very few samples. Animagi and Patronus Charms are extremely rare, and there are hardly any people in history who have mastered both…”
“Many people in the club can produce a Patronus,” Luna said vaguely.
“We are special,” Ginny quickly replied. “There haven’t been many Dementor attacks outside in the past few centuries, until third year—” She became angry. “All because of that woman, Umbridge! They say the Dark Lord destroyed her mind, which is quite satisfying!”
Luna paused, her expression thoughtful.
“My father says the Dark Lord has an unusual relationship with Dementors. He might have disguised himself as one in his youth and learned a few tricks, you know, the Dementor’s Kiss…”
Ginny was taken aback, then giggled. “Oh—”
After a while, she straightened up, her face tight with seriousness. “You make a good point, Luna. I never noticed before—how similar the Dark Lord’s robes are to a Dementor’s cloak, even the figure... Maybe he misses those carefree days.”
“His nose and hair can also be evidence,” Luna said earnestly. “If you pay attention.”
Ginny laughed so hard she fell onto the table, her shoulders shaking. Luna looked at her curiously, puzzled and confused, but she patted Ginny’s shoulder and then continued building her rune trophy.
After class, the students filed out, and many who were going home for the holidays said their goodbyes to Felix.
“See you next year, Professor Hup!”
“See you next year.”
Once the room was empty, Felix sighed with relief. He had played cards all morning, and because his and Valen’s strategies were completely different, they lost more often than they won. He decided to let Valen have his own spot in the afternoon so they could team up against the other students.
“Chirp?”
Valen climbed onto the seat Luna had been sitting in, curiously examining the rune trophy she had left behind. It was precarious, but the shape hinted at the Fire Cup.
Felix picked up the rune trophy, an idea forming in his mind. Luna’s essay had the right general idea, and it was somewhat similar to his concept of a rune creature, but it would be difficult for her to realize it, given the vast amount of knowledge required.
But that wouldn’t stop Luna from receiving a talking trophy as a Christmas gift.
Half an hour later, a shimmering trophy appeared in front of Felix. Its body was made of Ancient Runes and blank memory fragments, capable of flexibly transitioning between reality and illusion. It could be stored in an ouroboros ring.
He stared at the trophy, cleared his throat, and asked, “What does Felix Hep like as a Christmas gift?”
“Magic books, unique insights, and a painting,” the trophy replied.
“And what does he not want?”
“A pumpkin mask, a flying ship earring, and a cloak covered in glowing sequins.”
“Perfect,” Felix said, satisfied. He decided to deliver it as soon as possible. Valen, who had been listening for a while, finally understood who had sent those strange gifts.
They walked down the stairs, and the Great Hall looked magnificent. Twelve Christmas trees, adorned with silver frost and tiny ice pillars, sparkled, and if you listened closely, you could hear a faint melody. The trees were connected by garlands of mistletoe and holly, and Flower Fairies danced gracefully, their transparent wings sprinkling silver light.
The ceiling took on a magical transformation, with enchanted snowflakes gently falling, slipping down the necks of the students, sending a cool tingle through their bodies.
The Great Hall was as chaotic and lively as ever. However, Felix noticed some students looking uneasy; they were the animagus trainees. Neville sighed deeply as he stared at the beef pie, spare ribs, and vegetable soup on the table, eventually picking up a piece of dry bread and nibbling on it. His pained expression reminded one of Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost who was almost decapitated.
A few seats away, Harry also found it hard to eat. Ron glared at the food in front of him, then with great effort, looked away as if he had a personal vendetta against it. Hermione carefully sipped her porridge, chewing slowly and deliberately.
"Hermione, you have to try this, it's delicious!" Lavender Brown gloated, savoring her cream apple pie. Throughout lunch, she kept tempting Hermione with food, and every time Hermione sternly refused, Lavender and Parvati would giggle and hug each other.
"I really want to turn her into a toad!" Hermione said angrily after Lavender left.
"No, you can't", Harry said weakly, his stomach growling. "The last few people who did that lost a hundred points and were given detention for the entire Christmas break. Professor Mcgonagall nearly had a fit."
"Yeah, and they say Snape was practically humming with glee", Ron added gloomily. "We're definitely out of the running for the House Cup this year."
All the animagus students had underestimated the difficulty of keeping a leaf in their mouths—not for a few hours or even a few days, but for a whole month. Last weekend, when Felix and Professor Mcgonagall checked, they found that almost all the students had failed.
Their excuses were as varied as they were creative. Some said the leaf had slipped down while they were drinking soup, others that it had been crushed while biting into a rib, and still others that it had flown out when they spoke loudly. Some even claimed that they had ground the leaves to dust in their sleep, and the leaves had disappeared by morning. A few students who managed to produce leaves were found to have cheated, having plucked them from the Christmas tree in the Great Hall just before the inspection.
Felix was amazed. Professor Mcgonagall, however, accepted these excuses calmly, giving him a look that seemed to say, "Surprised, aren't you?"
"If there's no other way", Ron said through gritted teeth as he stood up, "we'll have to try Sirius' method." He was referring to using the Stunning Spell and the Petrification Charm, or even the Glueing Hex.
Neville looked at him with a frown. "Alright", he said softly.
They both snored heavily, and the morning after the previous day, both Ron and Neville found their leaves missing. Ron found the innocent leaf on his pillow, while Neville could only see some green remnants in his teeth.
Harry's situation was slightly better. He didn't snore much, so when he woke up, the leaf was still in his mouth, though it was broken in half with a clean cut. He was still investigating the cause.
Among them, only Hermione refused to reveal any information about her leaf, but Harry thought that, given her recent reluctance to raise her hand in class, the situation must be serious.
As they left the Great Hall, Ron plucked a branch from the Christmas tree. "We'll need it sooner or later", he said pessimistically. Hermione didn't object.
In the afternoon, Felix appeared in the Herbology Greenhouse.
Professor Sprout was still disheveled, her wispy gray hair askew under a patched hat, and her clothes covered in dirt—a stark contrast to the neatly organized Greenhouse.
"Felix!" she greeted warmly. "Minerva told me you need 23 Mandrake leaves, right?"
"Um, yes—correct", Felix replied. "Actually, there's something else." But Professor Sprout was already waddling to the back of the Greenhouse, brandishing a large pair of shears.
"Let's find some fresh leaves", she said cheerfully. "Minerva asks for some every few years... but never as many as this year. Here we are, and these Mandrakes need pruning; they've been growing for almost four years."
Felix followed her to a separate area.
Seven or eight fully grown Mandrakes stood lush and green, about the size of small shrubs, planted in large pots that looked like Hagrid's enchanted pumpkins. Felix could hear the intermittent snoring. "Shh, they're sleeping. Waking them can be dangerous", Professor Sprout whispered, moving slowly as she opened the shears and circled two leaves with the gleaming blades.
"Snip."
The leaves fell smoothly. Felix waved his hand, and the two Mandrake leaves spiraled into his palm. Professor Sprout moved to another spot and repeated the process. "You can't take too many from the same plant, or they'll get upset", she explained.
They quickly gathered the required leaves, and Professor Sprout handed Felix a bag to put them in. When they were done, Felix stepped closer, extending his hand and turning to Professor Sprout. "Can I touch them?"
"Oh", Professor Sprout hesitated. "Their cries are lethal now; it's best not to wake them—"
"Of course, of course", Felix murmured.
He rotated his wrist, and the massive jar slowly floated up, stopping in front of him. He could only see the upper half, with the rest buried in the soil. Felix examined it carefully, his eyes flashing with the pattern of the Book of Runic Script, and the Mind Cottage Magic slowly spread around him.
With a gentle flick of his fingers, the black jar gradually turned lighter, flickering a few times until only some rough lines remained, as if Valen was drawing a three-dimensional picture in the air with a quill.
Professor Sprout stood by, watching curiously. She had never seen a similar spell before.
However, the outside world already acknowledged Felix Hep's magical prowess as nearly equal to Dumbledore's, which was why she didn't stop him.
In front of them, a clump of solid brown soil was bound by an invisible force. Felix flicked his fingers again, and the tangible and intangible began to transform marvelously under his magic. Layers of brown soil seemed to be erased by an eraser, leaving behind faint, pencil-like marks. The soil no longer obstructed their view, revealing the Mandrake inside.
Felix didn't know who first suggested that the Mandrake looked like a baby, but he thought they resembled little old men, extremely ugly, with unknown spots on their bodies. They were unaffected, their eyes closed, bodies curled up, and tiny fists clenched against their chests.
"I've never seen a sleeping Mandrake before; it's truly beautiful", Professor Sprout said with a fascinated expression.
Felix gained a new understanding of her aesthetic. He reached out, passing through the rough lines that resembled a sketch, and directly touched the Mandrake plant, feeling the anthropomorphic face.
His magic seeped in bit by bit.
On the other side, Professor Sprout also extended her hand, gently caressing the Mandrake's root-like skin, muttering to herself.
Felix closed his eyes, striving to sense his magic. Gradually, he became aware of it, his magic spreading in tiny points and attaching to some magical lines, which were the unique wood grain patterns inside the Mandrake.
In the early days of magical deserts, these magical lines were considered the origin of Ancient Runes. He caught some familiar shapes.
He opened his eyes, and Professor Sprout was looking at him.
Felix clenched his fist and abruptly pulled back his arms, dragging out a blue grid composed entirely of magic. The magic resembled the messy shape of molten iron poured into an ant nest, but to Felix, it exuded a unique beauty.
His expression mirrored Professor Sprout's earlier fascination.
The magic grid slowly expanded. He dispersed most of the irrelevant magic, retaining only a small cluster shaped like a crescent moon. Under his precise control, the magic underwent subtle changes, transforming from its rough form into something like a cluster of translucent crystals. Soon, one of the crystal branches detached, turning into a shimmering Ancient Rune.
Sprout's eyes widened. Thanks to Felix's relentless promotion over the past four years, most professors were no longer unfamiliar with the basics of Ancient Runes. At the moment, the word that came to mind was "Ancient Magic", the Ancient Magic behind the Mandrake's lethal cry.
More and more Runic Script symbols gradually formed, detaching from the main body and falling into Felix's other hand like weary birds, gradually piecing together a shape similar to the crescent moon, just like the previous magic lines.
But even Professor Sprout knew that these two were fundamentally different. She grew increasingly tense.
When the magic in mid-air was reduced to a third, it suddenly disintegrated, dispersing into a mist of magic. Professor Sprout, who had been watching, secretly let out a sigh of relief, unaware that a bead of cold sweat had formed on her forehead.
"It seems it's not working", Felix said with a smile.
"You want to convert the Mandrake's innate ability into magic?" Professor Sprout asked.
"I've been researching sound magic recently", Felix said slowly. "During the summer, I found some materials in the Ilvermorny school library. The progress has been slow lately, so I thought I'd look for inspiration elsewhere."
"Speaking of Ilvermorny, Felix, do you want to see the Serpentwood branch you brought back? It's growing quite well."
"Sure..."
They walked to another greenhouse, passing Professor Babbling's retreating figure. "Ceri is preparing to publish her research", Professor Sprout explained. "She seems to be planning to release a dozen essays at once... I advised her to compile them into a book instead."
"I know about that", Felix nodded. "Severus is also organizing related materials; they might have discussed it."
The Serpentwood branch was growing well, now as thick as a wrist and about three to four feet tall. Felix paused for a moment before taking his leave. He strolled through the snow, reflecting on what had happened in the greenhouse. Professor Sprout seemed scared, which wasn't surprising; he himself found the research terrifying.
Converting the Mandrake's cry into true Ancient Magic was a genuine sound of death, capable of destroying cities and nations in an instant. Felix hoped he would never have the chance to unleash its full power, a secret he alone knew.
Ancient Magic—no, the combination of Ancient Runes and Memory Magic had gradually revealed unparalleled power and potential, like what he did with the Mandrake's pot, where reality and illusion were at his command.
If he added soul magic and time magic in the future, what level would he reach? He looked up at the sky, where the clouds seemed to form the face of Nicolas Flamel.
"Old man, I think I’m starting to feel the limitations you mentioned."
Felix shook his head and smiled. "Let's focus on the easier things—for instance, we’ve got a plan to tackle Remus’s furry little problem."
(End of Chapter)
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