Chapter 733: Extra - Valen
Chapter 733: Extra - Valen
The Personal Wand Academy is nestled in the northeastern corner of the floating island. Apart from the usual teaching facilities and buildings, the campus is notable for a group of statues dedicated to the first individuals who received personal wands and changed their destinies. The most eye-catching statue is of a Niffler holding a wand, named Valen.
Mention Valen, and it is likely the most famous Niffler in the academy, perhaps even among magical creatures. At the academy's founding, Valen starred in a series of 'instructional videos,' teaching thousands of Wizards with low sensitivity to magic about the functions and applications of personal wands.
"I've seen Valen a few times", Winnie Valentine said in class, "It used a personal wand to do things I had never even imagined, greatly expanding the use and value of personal wands."
"Numerous global research projects have been inspired by or centered around it, the most influential being the 'Magic Reactivation Theory.' This theory explores whether dormant magic can be reactivated through training and practice, making it as potent as a regular Wizard's. There are rumors that Valen has already transcended the limitations of its personal wand, though this remains unverified..."
"What if it's true?" a student asked.
"It would mean it might be the smartest Niffler in history, surpassing the twelve thousand low-magic Wizards who participated in the research... Now, if you don’t mind, let’s continue the lesson. By the way, Valen knows more words than all of you. It wrote an article for the Daily Prophet, though it was rejected. The article was later published in The Quibbler, you might have heard of it, 'Diary of Martian Life.'"
Behind the academy, a bamboo grove houses a nest of Nifflers, Valen's siblings from the same litter. Every week, scientists in white lab coats visit, trading shiny, golden objects for ten to twenty minutes of research time. Unfortunately, these Nifflers haven’t shown any exceptional intelligence—except for their skill at Exploding Snap or some other card game.
Today, two uninvited guests arrived at the school.
"Albus, I have a secret to share with you", Scorpius said. The two boys walked through the damp soil, the crisp chirping of birds echoing through the bamboo grove.
"I’m waiting to hear it", Albus said.
"Dad has been uneasy lately—" "Oh", Albus looked down, his toe scuffing the ground. "I think it’s because of my dad, he raided Malfoy Manor..." "That’s not it", Scorpius said. "It’s a guy with the surname 'Nott.' Dad heard he was investigated and his home searched by the Ministry of Magic, and he’s been on edge ever since... I found this in Dad’s office."
He pulled out a small golden timer, and Albus stared at the intricate hourglass embedded in its center.
"What is it?"
"A Time-Turner", Scorpius said, taking a deep breath. "It can travel through time. However, the former Minister of Magic suspended all research, and the files of a department I can’t name were sealed. I read about this in Dad’s notebook. I think if we can find and defeat the person who cursed Mom, her illness will be cured."
"But we’re only—" Albus counted his fingers, "five years old."
"I know", Scorpius said, dejectedly. "We can make a promise. When we’re capable—say, in ten years—we can use this to travel back in time, find the person who cursed the Greengrass family, and defeat them."
"It’s a deal", Albus said.
They hooked their pinkies together, both grinning foolishly. Then they heard a rustling sound and the chatter of what sounded like magical creatures, not humans.
Albus and Scorpius exchanged a glance and cautiously moved toward the sound. Pushing through the tall shrubs, they found themselves in a depression. They stared in amazement. They had stumbled upon a Niffler nest, where a dozen Nifflers were playing in a clearing covered with bamboo leaves. Some were smaller, with pink and gray fur, and in the center was a small table (or what looked like a table), where three Nifflers were playing cards. One of them had a large pile of shiny metal flakes next to it.
"It’s Wizard’s cards", Albus said, staring at the holographic projections on the table.
"The game is a recent trend, a two-on-one Dark Lord battle", Scorpius explained.
The two boys lay on the ground, watching with fascination. At five years old, their minds were simple. "The Dark Lord’s cards are so good!" "Which one?" "The one with the smoothest fur, like velvet." Albus said, but then he felt something was off. The light above seemed to brighten.
They looked up to see a young Niffler, just waking up, pushing aside the leaves. It yawned halfway and then locked eyes with them—more accurately, with the glowing timer in Scorpius’s hand.
"Uh-oh", Scorpius said.
"What do we do?" Albus asked.
"Run!"
At the same moment, the young Niffler let out a cry. The other Nifflers stopped playing, their heads turning in unison. Even those burrowing in the ground poked their heads out—had they heard correctly? The treasure had come to them? All the Nifflers—except Valen—eyes gleaming, they were poor, especially when Valen visited.
Valen turned its head unhappily. It was about to win again—this must have been the one hundred and fortieth time, or something like that. Winning against its two younger brothers and ransacking them was such a delightful feeling. After robbing them, it would organize a treasure hunt, letting them win occasionally. The two boys were so naive; they didn’t hold grudges or remember the beatings.
In its line of sight, two children, shorter than the bushes, stumbled up the hill, one of them holding something that sparkled.
Is that really a treasure? Valen tilted its head, thinking it looked familiar.
Albus and Scorpius ran for a while, panting heavily. But the subtle rustling of branches and bamboo leaves behind them didn’t disappear; it only got closer. Albus caught a glimpse of a black shadow overtaking them out of the corner of his eye.
"What do we do?"
"Quick, climb a tree!"
They didn’t have time to think if this was a good idea, but neither of them wanted to run down the hill anymore. They chose a holly tree, about a foot thick and covered in knots, and started climbing, tugging each other up. By the time Albus, with Scorpius’s help, reached the nearest branch, he was too tired to speak.
Scorpius nudged Albus, and they both looked down.
A dozen Nifflers, covered in black fur, were staring up at them intently. Then, one particularly noticeable Niffler pushed its way through the crowd, swaggering to the base of the tree and looking up at Albus and Scorpius.
This particular Niffler was, of course, Valen. It stared at the Time Turner in Scorpius’s hand, its flat mouth wide open.
"They want the Time Turner!" Scorpius shouted.
"Don’t worry", Albus said, "I have the Trace on me. Dad will come looking for us. Theoretically, we just need to stay in the tree until night—"
"I’m not as optimistic as you", Scorpius said. "For example, I’m not sure if Nifflers can climb trees."
Albus was stumped by this question. He had never considered it before. He hesitated, saying, "They probably can’t—” but the next second, he saw a brownish-red baby Niffler wobbling up the tree, and his face turned to one of horror.
Valen slapped the Niffler and handed it a piece of candy. Then, it made a thinking face, and after a moment, it pulled out a Communicator Mirror. A few Nifflers curiously gathered around, staring at the glowing mirror with wide eyes. Valen, squinting, held a small stick, ready to strike at any moment.
The Communicator Mirror connected, and Valen chattered away, hanging up with a satisfied smile. After finishing, Valen stared at the two boys in the tree, looking a bit bored. It pulled out a jar of candy, and Albus and Scorpius swallowed hard.
...
"Here." Scorpius said, agilely snatching a candy from the air and giving it to Albus.
"No, you should eat it", Albus said, his eyes fixed on the Nifflers below. One of them was throwing candies into the air, seemingly at random. He didn’t notice the man who suddenly appeared nearby until he spoke, making both boys jump.
"You can come down now. It’s for everyone’s good", Felix said.
Albus almost fell out of the tree, and Scorpius choked on the candy, turning red. Felix pointed his hand, and his expression softened. Albus patted Scorpius’s back and asked, "Who are you?"
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Felix Hep." Felix said, gesturing toward the holly tree. "A common problem with famous people; I subconsciously assume everyone knows me."
Albus and Scorpius had heard of this name but hadn’t made the connection. They were too preoccupied with the tree, which began to bend to one side, causing them to tilt. The rough bark became smooth like a slide, and they slid down uncontrollably. As they approached the ground, hundreds of branches grew wildly, intertwining to form a bench. Felix sat on one side and bent down to speak to Valen.
"Oh... really... okay."
After their brief exchange, they both looked at the somewhat anxious Albus and Scorpius. Albus gathered his courage and asked, "Hello? Are you really Hep—um, Professor? Sir? Headmaster?"
"Call me Sir or Professor, Albus", Felix said calmly.
"You know me?" Albus asked, surprised.
"Yes", Felix said, suddenly a bit embarrassed. "But you might not remember. I got married two years ago, and last year I was cleaning up the ocean trenches... but anyway, I’m not unfamiliar with you." He looked at Scorpius. "I gave Draco and Astoria a wand when they got married."
Scorpius’s eyes widened.
"The wand made of yew with a Basilisk nerve core!"
"Exactly. I initially wanted unicorn hair, but Mr. Ollivander said it wouldn’t work, so I thought of the Basilisk materials I had collected... I failed a few times, but you can guess why. Anyway, can I see the little time device in your hand? It seems better than the one the Notte family hid... it’s likely one of the last two lost ones."
Scorpius cautiously hid his hands behind his back, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Are you taking it away? No, I can’t give it to you—"
"Alright, you can keep it for now", Felix said thoughtfully. "Under normal circumstances, I should have known three days ago, through my wife... But who knows, maybe I missed it. I wasn’t paying much attention, as I was distracted by something else..." He paused. "Draco once asked for my help, but I wasn’t confident at the time. Now it’s time to resolve this."
Albus and Scorpius looked at him in confusion.
Felix blew into his palm, and countless tiny runes scattered like petals, forming a mirror in the air. But the mirror only had a frame, with an empty surface. Felix then rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a thumb-sized glass vial. He gently shook it, and Albus and Scorpius saw a few wisps of golden mist inside.
"It’s been a bit of a drain lately, and it took a lot to save up this much."
Felix muttered to himself, unscrewed the cap, and used his pinky to pick out a wisp of golden mist, which he flicked toward the floating mirror frame. The golden mist seemed to come to life, quickly filling the empty space. Then, tiny runes began to light up from the outer edge, moving inward layer by layer. A few seconds later, the golden surface became smooth and even.
"Let me think... Astoria... No, it should be the Greengrass family", Felix said seriously.
The image in the mirror flickered constantly, with figures and spaces changing rapidly, making it difficult to focus, like trying to read a dense dictionary through a dirty, fingerprint-covered pair of glasses.
Felix took a moment to explain to the two boys: "I won’t travel through time; the cost is too high, and I don’t want to interfere with the timeline. But there are many things I can do. For example, the curse on the Greengrass family. There’s no need to go back in time; we just need to bring what happened in the past to the present... I couldn’t do this a few years ago; the energy alone was a headache. There it is."
Albus, Scorpius, and Valen looked at the mirror. The image stabilized, becoming slightly clearer. It showed a thin, pale man with a rat-like mustache, muttering incantations. Blood trickled from his nose, forming strange, writhing black symbols in the air. The scene was terrifying, but Felix watched with great interest, nodding continuously.
"So, it’s like that. Similar to the dark magic curses taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. It’s not targeted at a specific person but at the Greengrass family. As long as the family’s bloodline continues, the curse will persist, releasing its accumulated power every few decades. Knowing the principle makes it much easier to deal with."
"Much easier?" Scorpius asked blankly.
"For example, we could design a spell to make the curse think the Greengrass family has naturally died out... Of course, that’s just an example. In reality, I have a better method." The mirror shattered, and Felix carefully collected the now fainter golden mist back into the glass vial. He then got busy.
Valen watched for a while, then pulled out various snacks from its pocket and distributed them to the surrounding Nifflers and the two boys. Albus and Scorpius realized they were starving and happily dug in. "What’s that?" Scorpius asked, pointing at a jar. He thought he saw antennae wriggling.
"Don’t touch it, it’s a pile of cockroaches", Albus said with experience. Scorpius looked at him strangely, and Albus reluctantly added, "If you have a brother who likes pranks."
"Unlikely", Scorpius said wistfully, then brightened, "But maybe I’ll have a little brother or sister."
"It’s done", Felix said, grabbing a piece of lava cake from Valen and stuffing it into his mouth. "Don’t be shy, Valen has a lifetime discount card to Honeydukes. Even I don’t have one." Valen grumbled, "You got it in my name, didn’t you?"
"The curse... is gone? Mom is okay?" Scorpius asked, wide-eyed. He tried moving his arm, hoping to feel a sense of lightness, but nothing happened.
Felix nodded and then shook his head.
"The curse is indeed gone, but Astoria’s body still needs some time to recover. Hopefully, she’ll be well enough to attend the World Cup. Alright, you’ve been out too long; it’s time to go back." He waved his hand, and Albus and Scorpius disappeared from sight.
Felix lay on the holly bench, fiddling with the glass vial containing the golden time energy. His breathing slowed, and his body gradually became transparent. It was as if he were separated by something. Valen picked up a small stone and threw it at him.
Felix rolled his eyes.
"Hermione has you completely under her thumb. You could have asked for candy; it would have been easier on me..."
Valen immediately rummaged through its pocket, pulled out a brown wig, and put it on. It leaned forward, exuding a certain aura. It crossed its arms and smirked (if it could) to itself: "Hmph, despair, Dark Lord. Our alliance was formed over a decade ago, during moonlit strolls around the castle, a friendship that nothing can break, nothing can..."
Valen turned its head, sniffing the air.
"Deep-sea fish, some species may never have been discovered. I wonder what they taste like."
"Swallow." Valen swallowed, feeling the unbreakable friendship being challenged, followed by a chorus of swallows from a group of Nifflers who looked at it expectantly...
(End of Chapter)
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