《Harry Potter: A Certain Hogwarts Professor Of Magic》


 Chapter 1 - 1 Felix Hap

    London, July 1992.


    Inside a building in the heart of the West End business district, well-trained white-collar workers are working non-stop, with discussion and keyboard crackling noisily. And in a small, casual meeting room, a serious conversation is taking place.


    "Felix, have you really made up your mind? You''ve been with us for less than a year, but I swear, your talents have been recognised by everyone in the company, and if you stay here, trust me, you''ll achieve great things!" A typically middle-aged British man said, with a typical business suit and neatly groomed, slightly curly hair.


    A young man around twenty years old, with a handsome appearance and particularly attractive pale blue eyes, seated opposite him. At the moment, Felix smiled, "Chief, I''ve made up my mind."


    The middle-aged man''s eyes fixed on Felix for a moment, and seeing that he did not waver in his thoughts, he sighed helplessly, "Alright, you win."


    With a gentle smile, Felix stood up, picked up the suit that he had hung on his chair, and shook his hand with the middle-aged man who also stood up. The middle-aged man came forward, opened his arms, and gave him a tight hug, muttering in a small voice, "Every man for himself, no? I think we''ve lost a potential recruit."


    Felix blinked his light blue eyes, "you''ll find someone better eventually."


    Half an hour later, Felix gathered his things and walked out of the building. As he neared the door, he watched the crowds of people on the street with anticipation.


    ...


    Holding a small suitcase, Felix made his way through the street, occasionally halting to avoid traffic passing by, while he gazed at the brand and style of the car with interest.


    "Antique cars, huh~"


    His pace is light, and the relatively long walk doesn''t tire him out, but rather makes him giddy.


    After walking for almost an hour, he finally arrived back at his temporary home, or rather, house, in this city.


    As the streets became more familiar, Felix saw more than one familiar face, "Good afternoon! Mrs. Murphy."


    "Good afternoon! Mr. Hap."


    After responding to some familiar faces, Felix finally arrived in front of his house.


    Taking his keys out, he opened the door.


    Steps in and closed the door.


    "Yah-hoo!" Felix gave a loud happy cry, as he closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, and in that very moment, the mundane house seemed to come to life all of a sudden.


    The suitcase broke free from his hands and floated towards the cupboard, its doors opened by itself and on the upper shelf a dozen clothes hovered, its hems slightly lifted so that the suitcase could fit comfortably inside.


    The suit and white shirt on Felix''s body automatically slipped off, the tie jumped out of his neck with a wiggle and hung on the horizontal bar of the wardrobe, laid alongside three other exquisite ties of different colours.


    The belt around his waist loosened by itself and, as he stepped forward, the blazer separated smoothly and, with a flick of Felix''s hand, a blue silk pyjama set flew out in a flash and fit over him, with a snugly fitted buckle.


    Felix snapped his fingers lightly and light music played. His eyes remained slightly closed, but his hands waved like a composer, and there began a tinkling sound in the kitchen, and halfway through, a cup of aromatic, steaming coffee floated in front of him.


    He swirled the cup and took a sip accompanied by the music, smiling with the utmost satisfaction.


    ...


    Felix Hap was an adult wizard in addition to being a recently departed Freelancer.


    He graduated from Hogwarts - the best and only wizarding school in Britain.


    Ten years have passed since Felix received his letter of enrolment bearing fancy coats of arms at the orphanage, ten years that have not only allowed him to successfully graduate from Hogwarts but have also transformed him from a young boy into a mature 21-year-old adult.


    "How fast time flies, I''ve already graduated for three years." Felix sat on the sofa, slightly emotional.


    Then he muttered slightly in a low voice, "It''s also been 21 years since I crossed over."


    That''s right, apart from being a working freelancer and a hidden wizard, Felix also had his deepest hidden secret, and that was being a crossover.


    God knows how surprised and excited he was, who had planned the course of his life, when he received an offer from Hogwarts!


    This is a world of Harry Potter!


    A magical adventure of three lads!


    But alas, they were nowhere near being the same generation.


    When he entered Hogwarts, he foolishly asked for information about Harry Potter, only to realize that he was a whole nine years older than him. That is to say, the type of person whom he could not even meet from the time he enrolled to the time he graduates.


    Felix, who was no fan of Harry Potter, had to admit that he had only a half knowledge about the plot.


    A bit of knowledge, a bit of information.


    After all, he couldn''t predict the future, would have known he was going to cross over to the real world of magic, and he would have memorised every word of the book in advance!


    The only thing that really gave him an idea of the plot was the short videos that sprang up later, as in a specific popular clip.


    And with this, he was able to vaguely string together a plotline.


    But trying to remember all the details? That''s pure fantasy.


    The good thing was that what he truly was interested in is magic, the world of magic that is alive and can be touched and felt. And he got all that.


    .......


    Late evening.


    Felix sat at his desk, quietly flipping through a book about magic, the clock ticking away, making his mood somewhat restless, lacking his usual calm.


    He was waiting for a letter.


    A letter of vital importance!


    The hours ticked by, and finally - there came a click-click-click-click from outside the window, and an owl stood silently outside, tapping on the window.


    "At last!" Felix''s heart raced as he pulled out his wand and waved it gently, opening the window and allowing the owl to fly in.


    The owl circled twice above his head, dropped an envelope, landed herself on the desk, and pecked her feathers gently.


    Felix quickly picked the envelope up. On the back of the envelope, there was a wax seal, a coat of arms, with a large "H" surrounded by an eagle, a lion, a badger, and a snake.


    He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, which read


    ----------


    Dear Mr Felix Hap.


    We are pleased to inform you that your application for a job (Muggle Studies) has been accepted, and the interview will take place on 21 July at 10am, please be prepared in advance.


    Also: please enter the school via floo network (location: Hogwarts Vice-Principal''s office), if you prefer any other means, please let us know in advance.


    Vice-Principal (female) Minerva McGonagall


    ----------


    Felix couldn''t help but pump his fist and gulp down the cup of tea floating on his desk!

 Chapter 2 - 2 The First Half Of My Life

    He has been waiting for this day for three years.


    Three years, a really long time.


    Felix leaned back on his chair, his mind relaxed, with the fragrance of tea, as his memory went back ten years ago.


    At that time, he was just a naive 11-year-old kid with aspirations and dreams. He was like an ordinary migrant worker who had just entered the city with big expectations and hope.


    Felix admits he''s very ambitious, as anyone who has a mature mind and knows part of the plot in advance certainly wants to make a living out of it. So it was only logical that he was sorted into Slytherin House.


    But this house, where ambition, blood, and pride are the keywords, was not entirely friendly to him. At the time it was less than a year since the fall of the Death Eaters, the remnants of their ''pureblood'' philosophy still held out and Slytherin, the home of the Purebloods, was a source of unrest.


    The fact that a Muggle orphan was sorted into Slytherin at this time (although one of his parents may have been a wizard, which was not impossible given the context) was a shock to them - in fact, cases like Felix''s were not uncommon, but rather rare.


    If Felix had been just a simple kid or even a normal cross-over guy, his seven years of school life would probably have been accompanied by " campus violence", "bullying", "indifference" These are the things that will probably affect him throughout his life.


    But alas, Felix is not just any guy, but a man (boy?) with a golden finger. -- he could, through repeated practice, allow himself to force the power of certain spells he practised advancing beyond his own current theoretical grasp on magic.


    Of course, not an unlimited advancement.


    For example, if his magic theory level is level 1, then he can make that specific magic spell level up to level 2, or even level 3, the higher the level is, the more difficult it becomes, through repeated, extensive, super-intensive practice.


    Although his golden fingers weren''t incredibly powerful, they helped him get through the initial years of embarrassment. Looking back over his first three years in school, it could be considered a masterpiece in the world of face-Slapping.


    Prior to enrolling here, because of his curiosity about magic and certain paranoid delusions of insecurity that belonged exclusively to adults, he spent most of his time mastering two spells, " Petrification" and "Armour Protection", in addition to trying some simple spells. The two spells he mostly practised, "Petrification" and "Armour Protection".


    One for attack and one for defense, in line with his neutral mentality while playing games in his previous life.


    Comparatively speaking, Petrify is easier, and after thousands of boring spell-casting sessions, Felix has forcibly pushed it to level 2, while Armour Protection just barely reaches level 1 for casting.


    This is a miracle for a person whose theoretical level is almost 0! The magic community should have honoured him with a Merlin badge.


    And with a level 2 Petrify, Felix fucked over the entire Slytherin first year during his first week as a student, and knocked out a second-year boy who had released a vicious curse against him and left them hanging in the washroom in the cold overnight.


    This act had a huge impact, or at least gave a headache to Snape, who had just become the youngest ever Head of Slytherin House.


    Snape had to deal with external pressure from other Slytherin House families while dealing with the extremely complex internal conflicts within the House. To be fair, this put Professor Snape''s management skills to the test as a newcomer.


    Snape''s headache was further increased, when Felix flipped the entire second-year class at the end of the first year term, leaving many empty seats at the College Cup evening of that year.


    As a logical consequence, Felix stayed behind during the school holidays for forced labour for the entire period - and that was exactly what he wanted.


    Otherwise, he wondered if some parents would find him and put some vicious curses on him!


    In those circumstances, this was not an empty delusion.


    And in the second year, Felix, under Snape''s oppression, restrained quite a bit and instead of sending Slytherin students into the infirmary on a large scale, he sent them one by one.


    By the end of his third year, Felix became the most powerful student in Slytherin practically, the uncrowned king. The effect of this was remarkable; no one in the whole house had the courage to treat him disrespectfully. Of course, a few people still spout off and threaten to give him a good time outside the school, wherever he hides.


    Yes, Felix stayed the whole three years at the school, at most he went to Diagon Alley to buy textbooks, and never a single visit to any other place.


    Pathetic school life ...


    Of course, there always exists a twist in most stories, and the twist that belongs to Felix is during his fourth year.


    In the fourth year holiday, Felix finally walked out of school and took down seven adult wizards who tried to attack him, and sent them to Azkaban on that holiday.


    This was kind of big news at the time, but even bigger news came later. At Felix''s fifth year entrance night supper, a Pureblood family duel had been proposed against Shafiq, which belonged to one of the 28 Sacred Pureblood families.


    Felix can still recall the look on the ever Stoic Professor Snape''s face as his mouth wide opened and Dumbledore''s eyes glazed with amusement!


    Caught up in memories, Felix gave a childish smile.


    The so-called pureblood family duel is a very old form of dueling in which the members of the families are pitted against each other until one side is completely down or dead!


    Even in the most chaotic and disorderly times, such duels were extremely rare. But it has to be admitted that this type of duel existed and was not abolished.


    When Felix stood before the only Shafiq in the Slytherin House and shamed the Shafiqs (one of the necessary steps in a family duel) in front of the crowd, slowly with the ancient dueling etiquette, the sixth year Shafiq fell straight to his knees, with his body wobbling.


    Even when Headmaster Dumbledore advised him after the party, he did not withdraw his idea about dueling, and he still remembers what he said to Dumbledore at the time, "Headmaster, Shafiq attacked me twice in the summer holidays! Four of them in total! The first time one person, the second time it was three. Do you know what spell they used on me?"


    Dumbledore''s hair ran white, his eyes were deep with wisdom, but he did not speak.


    And Felix said calmly, "It was the one of the Unforgivable Curse, and the other two did use it, apart from the Soul Snatcher Curse. Of course, it didn''t work that all, they just failed. I find it difficult to believe that someone would still attempt such a thing after four years of the fall of the Death Eaters."


    Dumbledore said a little wearily, "The Shafiqs aren''t Death Eaters - at least not all of them, they''re just a family that holds to the philosophy of pureblood ... quite stubbornly."


    "But it doesn''t make much difference to me, does it? They sent out four guys over the holiday, and as far as I know, the Shafiqs aren''t prosperous, four ... of their family counting the old, underage ones, ten more?"


    ...


    The Shafiqs simply can''t afford to play, Felix''s fighting prowess has been recognised over the summer, and after the four Shafiqs have been sent to Azkaban, there are less than four left to fight!


    They could only use their influence to resort to off-board tactics, but it had little effect, as family glory was most important when it came to pure-blood families.


    This unfinished duel caused an uproar throughout the British Magic community, and after a little over half a year of various twists and turns, it ended with the permanent withdrawal of the Shafiq family from the British Magic community, and the Pureblood family duel, which had existed for almost a thousand years, was officially abolished by law under the influence of some people.


    This event, known as the August 7th showdown, was as potent as the fall of Voldemort for some diehard families!


    During the fifth year break, Felix paid visits to a handful of pureblood families and, in summary, achieved a friendly meeting and reached an amicable consensus on certain issues.


    Felix was relieved that the Purebloods were reasonable too!


    During his last two years at Hogwarts, Felix was harmless and explored the mysteries of magic. The rest of his time at Hogwarts was a comfortable one, and the little Slytherin were very well-behaved, until he requested to remain at the school to teach, which Dumbledore refused on the grounds that he was too young.


    To sum up, he had had a pretty good seven years of school life.


    Of course, Professor Snape didn''t necessarily think so, and according to the latest Hogwarts gossip, a certain professor''s bad character had something to do with a nasty student he had taught in his early years!

 Chapter 3 - 3 Interview

    July 21, 10 am.


    Felix, in a formal dress, stands in front of the fireplace, as he sprinkles a handful of Floo powder and said "Hogwarts Vice-Principal''s Office".


    Professor McGonagall had a stern look on her face as she sorted through the school''s files in the Vice-Principal''s office.


    The Professor of Transfiguration, who is known for her stern face, is in a good mood at this moment. Gryffindor House had won the long-awaited College Cup in the previous academic year, which kept the happy mood of the Head of Gryffindor House alive.


    "Puff!"


    A pale green flame flashed from the fireplace and a handsome, refined young man walked out of it.


    Felix looked around him and saw that nothing has changed, it''s been a long time!. He smiled gently at McGonagall, "Hello Professor McGonagall, it''s been a long time."


    Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, which meant that her mood was rapidly changing for the worse, or to the work mode, "Long time no see, Felix."


    Professor McGonagall also taught him once, being one of his professors. She had mixed feelings about this great student, certainly not the kind of mixed feelings Professor Snape has.


    Before their long-awaited College Cup, Gryffindor lost seven times in a row, and that history had much to do with Felix.


    Apart from the first three years, when Felix had to fight back because of the poor learning environment, he had been exposed to, and therefore lost a lot of points, after that he finally seemed to realize that he himself in fact a Slytherin student and should be fighting for the honour of the house. Following years in which he managed to mingle with the young serpents forcibly.


    The next few years can be described as, "Glory to Slytherin".


    ...


    Felix stepped forward and glanced at his pocket watch, "I hope I didn''t miss the interview."


    Professor McGonagall, whose flashback was interrupted, stood up and led him to the Headmaster''s office, "Chocolate frog." She recited the password and escorted Felix in. Before she left, she remarked, "Your books are very good, you seem to have spent the last three years very well."


    "Thank you, Professor McGonagall." He froze for a moment, smiled, and then walked up the steps.


    All three years after graduation hadn''t been for anything. Especially after his first unsuccessful job application, he pondered over it, suspecting that he had been too raw as a student, and followed Headmaster Dumbledore''s advice to "travel more and see more."


    He spent a year travelling around the Wizarding World and the remaining two years working, um, studying Muggles.


    The results are remarkable, Three books in three years, two on muggle studies and one on ancient magical texts.


    He also amassed a considerable fortune.


    After walking up the lengthy staircase, Felix entered the Headmaster''s office, which was filled with books, artefacts, and portraits of successive Hogwarts Headmasters on the wall.


    On the side of the Headmaster''s desk, a phoenix rests with its eyes closed.


    Dumbledore was studying something and the office was quiet.


    "Good morning, Headmaster Dumbledore." Felix greeted out loud. With his words, the room came to life.


    The portraits of the headmaster opened their eyes and looked at Felix, pointing and whispering.


    One of the portraits exaggerated, "Ha! The best Slytherin is here!"


    The man in that portrait, with his goatee and slender eyebrows and wearing the robes of Slytherin, is Phineas Black, voted as the least popular Headmaster of Hogwarts by the students, also from Slytherin.


    Felix gave a very graceful bow.


    At this point, Headmaster Dumbledore finally looked up, his appearance very different from the norm, with a silvery-white beard that trailed down to his chest, unkempt robes, and with a pair of crescent-shaped eyes.


    But his eyes were very bright, his blue pupils gleaming with light.


    Felix was lost in thought, time had not left many traces on this rector, and yet it seemed to have left too many.


    "Ah, ah! It''s Felix," Dumbledore rose to his feet and came striding forward, his movements measured, "I''ve been waiting for your arrival."


    Felix shook the Headmaster''s hand with a certain amount of formality, after all, he had come to the door to ask for a job and had been turned down three times so far.


    The two sat down in their seats, Dumbledore gazing at him through the thin glass while waving his wand, "What can I get you? Pumpkin juice? Tea?" Then with a wink, "I also have some fresh butterbeer here."


    "A cup of tea, please."


    Dumbledore waved his wand and a cup of steaming tea floated to him, Felix took a sip. A bitter taste washed over him, it was an antique tea. The headmaster seemed to not drink much tea in general.


    "Sibyl gave me this tea. I can''t taste it personally, but she said it came from the far east."


    Liar!


    Felix swore, at least one of you two is a liar.


    After a cup of tea, the conversation got down to business.


    "Felix, you''ve done an excellent job over the last year. I''ve been reading your books and I have to say, you''ve been very innovative and have a very in-depth ... view of muggle research, which has given this old man a lot of ideas."


    Felix smiled, "Thanks to your advice, the world of muggles is a wonderful one, especially in the last few decades, they have developed very quickly. As for the writings ... perhaps it is because I have raised as a muggle myself and have a deep understanding of them more."


    Dumbledore shook his head, "Birth doesn''t take away your efforts, there are many people in the wizarding world who are muggle-born, but they are not exactly experts in muggle studies, at best they have a better knowledge of some common sense, but that is far from knowing them."


    Of course, because I was a pure Muggle in my past life.


    Dumbledore waved his wand and out of his desk flew a book entitled The History of the Muggle Wars: From a Million Years Ago, one of Felix''s books. The book was entitled The History of the Muggle Wars: Speaking of the Muggles raise through the Ages, written by Felix, and it dawned to him that Dumbledore had just been reading his book.


    "It''s very inspiring to me, I''ve read it more than once, especially when you look at the history of technology - that''s a term, isn''t it? The history of technology, how the Muggles have gone from being a beast to what they are now, over millions of years. A marvel, I must say."


    "You also pointed out the rapid leaps in technology that the Muggles have made at intervals, with shorter and shorter intervals, and even predicted that the next leap was not far away - very enlightening!" Dumbledore was full of praise for this book.


    Felix said modestly, " This idea wasn''t pioneered by me, in fact, many sociologists from the Muggle world, oh, that is, scholars of Muggles who study about Muggles, have given me a lot of help with their writings."


    Dumbledore said calmly, "Many Muggles are equally intelligent, but few in the wizarding world acknowledge that."


    "I agree with you on that, Professor Dumbledore."


    Dumbledore then blinked, seemingly skipping over the subject, and said amusingly, "So you must have read a lot of Muggle books? Frankly, a lot of my Christmas presents are books, and they seem to think that I prefer them. In fact, I''ve read most of them, and I prefer a pair of wool socks over them."


    "Of course, if it''s a book from the muggle world, I don''t think I''d turn it down."


    A clear hint ...


    At least he knows what to get as Christmas presents ...


    "Yes, although they don''t have magic, some of them are willing to spend more than a decade to complete a book that is devoted to a certain problem, or a theory." Felix softly said, "It''s very difficult. And for that reason, it''s very precious."


    Dumbledore was somewhat relieved, "It seems you have really gained a lot in these past few years." Then a question came out of nowhere, "So why do you still insist on teaching at Hogwarts?"

 Chapter 4 - 4 Felixs Theory

    Felix seemed to be slightly puzzled and asked, " What do you mean? I don''t get it, Headmaster?"


    Dumbledore placed his hands in front of him with a questioning gaze, "I mean, you have a great future ahead of you, but you keep on insisting on returning to Hogwarts! I want to know why."


    The Headmaster''s implication was clear, you''ve already made a name for yourself, and in the three years since you graduated, you''ve written three books, each of them quite brilliant. The two Muggle Studies books didn''t sell much - at least compared to the other professor he was interviewing with, who was also an author it''s low, but the two books didn''t sell much better.


    But there is no denying that the influence of these two books is so widespread that one, The History of the Muggle Wars: From a Million Years Ago, and the other one, How Muggles Think, has become the guiding books for most of the world''s magical departments dealing with Muggles issues.


    At least Dumbledore had discussed some contents of the books with his friends, both the head of the Division for the Prohibition of Muggle Abuse and a member of the Wizengamot, who were equally enthusiastic about the two books.


    Felix thought for a moment and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I am very attached to Hogwarts, it is my home, and it makes me feel close to it! Besides, I''d love to teach students, it''s a very fulfilling thing to do ..."


    Dumbledore interrupted, his azure eyes so full of brilliance that it was impossible to tell that this was the gaze of a hundred-year-old man. "We both know that''s not true, I want to know what you really think, it''s important, it''s about whether you''ll get the teaching job or not."


    Felix was slightly embarrassed. He subconsciously used the mind closure technique and then stopped.


    This is not a wise decision. Mind Closure wasn''t foolproof, especially when you were at a lower level, let alone against one of the greatest sorcerers of the century.


    It''s a good thing he''d planned ahead and made some small preparations for this in advance.


    For example, a few drops of elixir.


    After a couple of seconds of reflection, he decided to follow his instincts and "tell it like this".


    Felix finally spoke up and said sincerely, "To delve deeper into the mysteries of magic."


    Dumbledore bowed his head and looked like he was listening.


    "Headmaster, you have been my headmaster from the time I enrolled to the time I graduated, so you should have some idea of what I have been through. I spent a lot of time in the practical aspects of magic before my fifth year in order to deal with some trouble, and neglected some theoretical subjects." It''s true, he was always very uptight in order not to get beaten up and bashed around a bit.


    "At that time I was seeking power, the power of a single spell, but I was wrong, and it wasn''t until my last two years at school when I finally had the time to indulge in the mysteries of magic, that I realised what I had missed." It was also true that while his golden fingers had helped him to become powerful quickly, it also led him in the wrong direction - a one-sided pursuit of magical prowess at the expense of the theory behind it.


    Dumbledore nodded slightly, his tone becoming gentle again, but with a touch of curiosity, "So, you''re researching ancient magical texts?"


    It was not difficult to guess, after all, Felix''s three books, apart from Muggle Studies, consisted of the Exploration of Ancient Magical Texts. Muggle Studies, on the other hand, could not be described as the study of magic.


    "That''s right! The more you delve into magic, the more you can''t get away from ancient Magic texts, especially when you need to trace the origins of the magic, so you need to research ancient magic. I only realised this in sixth & seventh grade, but unfortunately, I only got an A in Ancient Magic on my OWLs, so I couldn''t pursue it further and had to study on my own." This is even more true and was a mistake made by Felix in his youthful ignorance.


    Felix continued, under the influence of the Blessing Agent his instincts were acute and his words becoming smoother, "I do have a personal interest, Hogwarts has the largest library in the world and there are many books on Ancient Magical Texts in it."


    "But the books on the market-"


    "I''ve read all the books on the market, and unfortunately they are mostly theory and not much practical - they seem to treat Ancient magic as a mere language, used only to translate the manuscripts of their predecessors. And in the process of studying Muggles, I had the unexpected inspiration of trying to combine the two! As you know, ancient magical texts are essential knowledge for alchemy as well."


    Dumbledore was intrigued, "You mean - if I''m not mistaken - that you want to combine alchemy and the muggle stuff?"


    Felix looked a little enthusiastic as he spoke eloquently, "Yes, but this is only an initial stage, which is to transform muggle items into magical products. Air conditioning, for example, is a cooling device that keeps the room temperature at a comfortable range. Muggles need to be powered by electricity - that is, a form of energy - and the conversion to a magical artefact is much simpler, with a freezing spell at its core, plus a detection spell."


    "Of course, there is the issue of stability to consider, and that requires the use of ancient Magic texts."


    "And what I''m working on now is a further step, combining the wisdom of the muggle with the Magic of the wizard. You know, Muggles always have a lot of strange ideas, and it''s hard to turn some of their ideas into reality, but when you add magic to the mix, it''s easy to do!"


    Dumbledore nodded and commented, "The first step is to transform, the second step to creating a brilliant idea."


    The two of them discussed the subject for a long time, and it was only after three hours that Dumbledore snapped out of it. He had indeed just been unconsciously immersed in a discussion with Felix, arguably one of the most remarkable students he had come across in the last few decades.


    Especially after three years of study at his own suggestion, the student had burst into flames!


    Even though he is a Slytherin.


    Unfortunately, he is a Slytherin!


    Dumbledore was silent, he wavered, and time seemed to have travelled back fifty years in an instant.


    The resemblance, the resemblance seemed too great!


    The same Muggle Orphans, the same Slytherin, the same good and gentle manners, the same obsession with power, how could he choose?


    If only he hadn''t forced that boy to admit his mistake with his magical flames, if only he had cared more, or even if he had discovered his evil ambition earlier, perhaps there wouldn''t have been such a horrible Dark Lord.


    And what about now?


    It seemed that he had the identical choice in front of him.


    The old man was in a trance. He looked across the table at the young, handsome, outstanding student and seemed to see the shadow of another person.


    Voldemort!


    On the other side of the table, Felix looked puzzled. I am telling the truth, albeit selectively. I''m telling the truth, and we''ve just had a good conversation, why is Dumbledore acting all complicated and glum?


    What did he say which is wrong?


    Did it sting him?


    What the hell is going on?


    Felix got a headache!

 Chapter 5 - 5 Finalized

    In the Headmaster''s office, silence once again reigned.


    After a long time, Dumbledore seemed to come back to his senses and he had already made up his mind.


    Dumbledore weighed his words, "I''m sorry, Felix, Professor Burbage has not thought of retiring ..."


    Felix wore a disappointed expression.


    "But," Dumbledore began quickly, "I can see that you are very good in ancient Magic texts."


    "Yes, Headmaster." Felix thought of something and held back the flicker of hope that had risen in his heart as he looked at Dumbledore with dull eyes.


    The old man in front of him did not deliberately play coy and stated his thoughts straightforwardly, "I would like you to teach Ancient Magic, I wonder if you are willing?"


    "Of course I do!" Felix blurted out and then slowed down: "Yes, I do. But, Professor Babbling ..."


    "Ah, Bathsheda," Dumbledore seemed to mutter with a lament before explaining, "she has been in service at Hogwarts for over fifty years, and for the past few years she has been hoping to take a sabbatical for a while to see how the world has changed."


    "A sabbatical? Are you suggesting that I should fill in for the Ancient Magical Texts class temporarily as a substitute? Is it for an academic year? Or a semester?" Felix frowned slightly, this was not what he wanted.


    Hogwarts was too rich in books, and becoming a professor at the school would come with many advantages. He didn''t want just a year and a half, but a minimum of five to ten years, at least, right?


    Dumbledore was amused, his silvery beard fluttering as he pointed out with a straight face, "Felix, Professor Babbling is not a mere wizard, she has a magical bloodline which allows - she sees time differently than we do."


    Some other bloodline? Felix recalled Professor Babbling''s appearance, which seemed to have remained unchanged from the time he enrolled until he graduated ...


    Could it be because she was of mixed blood? A mix of another humanoid race?


    It was possible, there was no shortage of them in the magical world, the most common hybrid races were humans with giants, dwarves, and elves. As far as he knew, there was more than one in the school.


    Before he could come to a conclusion, he heard Dumbledore speak, " As far as Professor Babbling is concerned, it is not unusual for her to take a sabbatical of ten or twenty years. In fact, when she complained to me about the lack of sabbaticals, she recommended a few candidates to replace her, and among them, there was you, Felix."


    It dawned upon Felix that he had a pretty good relationship with this professor; although he had been unable to take Ancient Magic in his sixth or seventh year, he had always consulted her during his subsequent self-study and had never stopped writing to her even after graduation.


    Apart from Dumbledore, the only professor who kept in touch with him after graduation was Professor Babbling.


    Professor Dumbledore added: "Your presence here will make Professor Babbling very happy, she has so many desires to fulfil over the years that she has almost filled a scroll with parchment."


    Felix, of course, nodded his head in agreement at the prospect of such a nice offer.


    As he walked out of the headmaster''s office, Felix breathed a long sigh of relief. Finally, he had returned to this place again.


    Hogwarts, the centre of the British wizarding world. This time, as a professor.


    He returned to Professor McGonagall''s office to see a phoenix patron saint dissipate, and it dawned on him that Dumbledore had informed Professor McGonagall of the result through the patron saint.


    Sure enough, Professor McGonagall raised her glasses, "I have received a message from Dumbledore, Felix, no, I should call you Professor Hap from now on."


    "You can still call me Felix, I will always be your student."


    Professor McGonagall grunted slightly, "Professor Snape won''t be happy about this."


    Felix scratched his head, he had made Snape very angry back then. McGonagall quickly skipped the subject, and with a wave of her wand, a dozen pieces of parchment flew out of a large cabinet in her office, smoothed into a neat stack, showing the stern and serious nature of its owner.


    "These are your class schedules, student lists, obligations, and privileges. Supplies, and anything else I personally think you''ll need for the class. The most urgent question, of course, is whether your textbooks need to be changed?"


    "Textbooks?" Felix was slightly puzzled.


    "That''s right, the textbooks." McGonagall repeated, "Many professors have their own teaching philosophies, and Hogwarts encourages this in principle, so they can decide for themselves how they teach their lectures, the ratio of theories to practicals, and of course, the selection of the teaching materials."


    McGonagall gave him a look, "I learned that you also wrote a book about ancient Magic texts."


    Felix understood, considering for a moment, but he decided not to change. "Professor Babbling''s textbook is just perfect, I got a lot out of it when I was in the school."


    "All right." Professor McGonagall seemed unconcerned by this move, but Felix heard her mutter something softly which was too quiet for him to hear, but it seemed to involve another professor.


    "If only ... professors could be like that ..."


    It wasn''t nice for Felix to ask, as a budding professor, he didn''t want to make more trouble before he officially hired.


    As a Slytherin, he has a very strong sense of purpose in his behaviour.


    Halfway through the day, Professor McGonagall looked up at Felix, who was not budging, and said, "Professor Hap, you can go now. We will send you a formal letter of appointment and entry date in the post, and if there is any additional information, it will also be enclosed."


    Felix smiled, "Professor McGonagall, I would like some more time to prepare. As you know, I am still very young, although I have little experience in the field of magic, and I have no relevant experience in teaching; you are very experienced in this field, and I would greatly need your guidance in this regard."


    I don''t know if it is an illusion or not, but Felix noticed that Professor McGonagall seemed to smile a little, or of course, it could have been a twitch at the corner of her lips, as they say that people who are always stone-faced are prone to have a facial paralysis.


    Felix''s mind was spinning with nonsensical thoughts.


    "Felix, you''re always so polite." McGonagall seemed impressed, And politely ceased her work at hand, "What do you want to know?"


    "I''d like to start by looking at student information, such as academic results, the number of students in each year at each house, some of the best or very famous young wizards, and it would be nice to have a review of each of them."


    Professor McGonagall gave him a look and waved her wand silently, the door of the large cupboard opened with a crack, and out of it flew a flurry of parchment scrolls, Felix hastily pulled out his wand and with a flick of it, one quill on the table turned into a long table.


    Professor McGonagall responded and stacked the scrolls on the table, "Excellent Transfiguration."


    "I couldn''t have done it without your teaching," Felix said humbly.


    "I remember your first three years, you didn''t get a lot of credit for Transfiguration."


    Felix was a bit embarrassed, as he was so busy fighting the little snakes in Year 7 that he didn''t even have enough time to practise his magic spells every day, so he didn''t have time to focus on Transfiguration, which was more or less the same.


    It was only later that he picked up Transfiguration.


    Professor McGonagall didn''t dwell on his grades because she was well aware of Felix''s situation at the time and, to be honest, she had always had a problem with the use of the Sorting Hat for sorting and had always believed, for a long time, that Felix should have been sorted into Gryffindor.


    For all his reckless, ahem, bravery, who would believe that he isn''t a Gryffindor!


    Even among the young lions, he''s the most reckless one!


    "Here''s the information you asked for, but there''s no evaluation. About some of the best little wizards, I can only stand by my side and name some from the Gryffindor House."


    "That''s useful too." Felix wasn''t picky.


    "Oliver Wood and Percy Weasley in the sixth year, Arya Spinnet and Angelina Johnson in the fourth year, Hermione Granger in the second year," then McGonagall pursed her lips, "and of course the Weasley twins, Fred and George, for goodness'' sake, if they put half of their Mischief efforts on their studies ..."


    "Is that all? I remember the famous Harry Potter attending too, isn''t he in Gryffindor?" Felix was somewhat curious, the name had thundered through him in his past and present life.


    "Harry ...." I could see that the name was entangling her even more.

 Chapter 6 - Little Assistant Or A Toolman?

    What kind of person is Harry Potter?


    Professor McGonagall is definitely one of the most qualified people to answer this question, and it is fair to say that, with the exception of a certain unnamed Potion professor, the other members of the Faculty have a good opinion of Harry.


    He is sincere, polite, and has a sense of justice, but on the other hand, he is also "slightly" impulsive and reckless - which is not entirely a bad thing, and at least fits the profile of a young lion.


    But these are all just character assessments if you look at his academic performance ...


    I can only say that we can''t go into more detail! If you want to go into detail, you can only say that he has a lot of potential!


    It''s exactly the same as what some teachers used to say at parent-teacher meetings in his previous life.


    Finally, Professor McGonagall described Harry this way, "Harry is a very friendly little wizard and plays Quidditch very well."


    I asked you what discipline he specialized in, and you tell me he''s friendly? Is there nothing else to brag about besides that?


    But he''s good at Quidditch ... and he seems to have a natural aptitude for athletics!


    To be honest, Felix feels quite envious. Not for being a star figure on the Quidditch pitch, but in his opinion, a person with good athletic talent is at least have half a dueling talent.


    What did dueling depend on? Spell power, spellcasting skill, mentality, experience, and reflexes.


    He has all the first four attributes, but the last one, reflexes, is just average, although he is not that slow. But don''t think that Felix is weak. With his golden fingers, his spells are far more powerful than they should be.


    As early as the end of the fourth year, he was able to stand toe-to-toe with three adult wizards and force his way through their defences.


    Not to mention his current self.


    If we take an unnamed potion professor as an example, Felix''s magic theory may be a little behind due to his age, but his spells are definitely more powerful than the others.


    And this is all because he has spent his days and nights working on it!


    The main attack spell was practiced 10,000 times, can you believe it? Take one of his most powerful attack spells, " Petrify ", as an example, this spell is the first one he contacted with, and now he rates it as his top 6 spells, but he can''t break through to level 7 now.


    No matter what, it''s simply impossible for him to move on further due to his lack of magic knowledge.


    But what does a level 6 spell mean? Just two years ago, with two-level 6 spells and a little bit of skill, he took down seven of the most powerful men in the US wizardry side in a flash!


    His unparalleled quickness and the sheer power of his spells are what Felix has to say about himself.


    It was because Felix had crossed two levels at the end of his fourth year and mastered two level 6 spells that he had the strength to face the outside world with confidence.


    Felix was somewhat saddened that if he had been able to react well, he might not have needed to get high level enough. If only he had better reflexes, maybe he wouldn''t need to resort to using drugs to master his skills.


    But it''s a good thing that he spent the last three years after graduating for nothing, and he has developed a new form of magic for himself.


    Felix would like to thank all those dark wizards who have made such an indelible contribution to his wizardry endeavors!


    Thank you for putting your lives on the line.


    ...


    Felix sat on the other side of the table, flipping through the information provided by Professor McGonagall, occasionally transcribing data and recording statistics - something he had been doing for two years in the Muggle world.


    He had worked for three companies in the last two years, and each time he quit, the companies were reluctant to let him go, and not because he had cast a bewitching curse!


    In the afternoon, Felix and Professor McGonagall enjoyed their afternoon tea together, during which Felix asked a question.


    "Assistant Professor?" McGonagall felt slightly puzzled.


    "It''s an assistant, which can be defined as someone who assists the professor with miscellaneous tasks such as organising research materials, marking papers, supervising exams, auditioning for lectures, and that sort of thing." Felix corrected. "Of course, there''s no shortage of little perks."


    Professor McGonagall understood a little, and she rolled her eyes slightly. I think you''re just trying to be lazy!


    As Professor Snape said, "That Felix is a standard Slytherin!" He just got a teaching job, and he''s already trying to avoid his job!


    "I don''t think it''s right for a professor to throw his work to the students." Professor McGonagall said sternly, pursing her lips.


    "Professor McGonagall, you misunderstand me, I am actually trying to train good students."


    Professor McGonagall had a look on her face that said, "You''re not going to fool me".


    "It''s true. I don''t intend to set up my own club in my first year, after all, I need some time to familiarise myself with teaching and the environment."


    A Club is a place where certain professors invite a group of students from each house who have excelled enough in their courses to get together and study magic.


    It''s called "club".


    Professor McGonagall''s Transfiguration Club, for example, held occasional events to learn about techniques and tricks that wouldn''t be covered in lectures or exams.


    Professor McGonagall nodded, precisely because Felix is a newcomer, and she hasn''t mentioned this to him yet.


    "So you''re saying that you want to find talents early? Preparing for next year''s club?" McGonagall asked.


    "That''s right!"


    Professor McGonagall looked down and thought about it, thinking that this could be done and that it would have many benefits for the students, and just a few extra pointers alone would be enough to attract the top students - as the only outstanding graduate with a dominant rank in the last few decades, Felix was more than qualified.


    As for some dregs? Who cares what those dregs think? It has nothing to do with those academic scums!


    There are no scums in any professor''s club.


    "So, what are your criteria?" Professor McGonagall enquired, as such opportunities did not often come along, and she was prepared to use her power for personal gain, no, to give preference to the talents of her own house.


    Felix thought about it and roughly suggested a few things, "Well ... first of all, active learners, that is, people who are willing to take the initiative to learn and are very eager for knowledge, secondly, well, the memory should be very good, and thirdly ... the year level should not be too high, after all This is my first assistant, so I''d like to spend some time training him."


    "By the way, the result of the ancient magic text is not important, I have special teaching tricks." He added.


    Felix thought about it again and decided that was pretty much all that he needed.


    In reality, he was looking for a toolman to help him with all sorts of chores. But there were levels for toolmen, and a low-level scum toolman was not quite that useful for his magic work.


    A low-level tool is not as useful as a magician toolman, but a tool for a student is different. Not only is it comfortable to use, but with a little training, it can be developed into a teaching assistant, a magic research assistant, or even a co-partner.


    Professor McGonagall didn''t even want to think about it, and quickly went through the list of little lion house wizards in her mind. Wood was no good, his time clashed with Quidditch; Percy was good, but he was already in the fifth year and had OWLs to prepare for this year ...


    The Weasley twins? They''ll be sent back in a couple of days! But those two do have potential ...


    Then, a name popped into her head.


    "You mean Hermione Granger?" Felix was a little surprised, the name seemed to be one of the adventurous trios, right?


    The same year as Harry Potter, so it was only his second year of school?


    "Yes, she fits your requirements almost perfectly - love for knowledge, excellent memory, not too advanced in years." Professor McGonagall spoke kindly, she has a soft spot for Miss Granger, as there is a rumour circulating around that one of Granger''s nicknames is ''Little McGonagall''.


    Seeing that Felix seemed a little hesitant, Professor McGonagall recommended the Weasley twins, but told him in advance of their awful pranking habits.


    "I''ll have a chat with them when school begins.." Felix didn''t make up his mind at the end of the day.

 Chapter 7 - Lecture Planning

    After reading the materials, Felix bid farewell and Left.


    On his way back, he stopped by Diagon Alley and picked up two sets of ancient magical textbooks for Year 3 to Year 7 from Flourish and Blotts bookstore. One set is brand new and the other is a ''gem'' that he has spent a lot of time picking out from the pile of old books.


    The old textbooks came from a group of students with different handwriting but with uniformly detailed notes, and he thought he could use them as a reference book for his study.


    The next day, he embarked on an intense course preparation exercise, starting by looking through the textbook - which was surprisingly easy!


    Professor Babbling, as an expert in ancient Magic texts, picked materials that were distinctive: they were mainly based on the current mainstream viewpoint, but with a certain percentage of practical Magic texts thrown in.


    The current mainstream view is that ancient magic texts are ancient scripts, used by ancient wizards to record magic, and modern researchers are tasked with translating what is still left of those texts.


    This is only part of the truth, but in fact, despite the name ''Ancient Magical Script'', it has a very long history - in the distant past, it was used to carry the mystical markings of wizards'' magic, and was widely used in both ancient magic and ancient alchemy. It was used across the world in various forms as part of their work.


    And it was the ancient magical texts that Felix sought out in order to find the ultimate way of truth.


    He then went through the notes of a few of the students, and the sections on key points, their thinking, and problems solving were very inspiring to him - it helped him to understand how the young wizards viewed the subject.


    That''s why he likes the academic bully - after all, things fit together.


    With the notes from the schoolmaster and the syllabus he had received from Professor McGonagall, he already has a clear vision of what he needs to teach.


    The next step is to consider the style of teaching.


    Although he already got the teaching job he had been waiting for, and the thousand-year-old Hogwarts collection was once again at his disposal, still, he was a legendary graduate, and he couldn''t return to his alma mater to be criticised for his poor teaching, could he?


    He couldn''t afford to be embarrassed by this! He doesn''t want to be accused of being a bad teacher.


    "What should I do to attract their interest?" Felix thought about it over and over again, and the first idea that popped into his mind was the Battle of the Sea of Questions.


    At this point, he knew that he was not alone in this quest! In his past and present lives, the psychological shadow of many test cases was haunting him.


    A strange "Jie Jie" laugh came from within the room.


    Back to the subject, Felix took out a piece of parchment and wrote the words " Battle of the Sea of Questions" on it, which immediately led into two branches, one being the pros, with the words " quick consolidation of knowledge", and the other branch representing the cons, with the words "easily triggered mistakes".


    Felix, of course, needs to make a name for himself, but he also knows the standard of the little wizards out there - and he needs to take it easy if he doesn''t want to overtake Professor Binns as the "most unpopular professor".


    "The key is to be interesting and informative, but interesting is the opposite to the battle of the sea of questions ..." Felix murmured, "Maybe we can start by writing diaries and mini-essays in ancient Magic texts."


    Time passes quickly amidst thought ...


    "Final exams are also very important, so I might consider adding a practical section."


    Ancient magical writing is inherently boring, but it is actually essential knowledge for delving into the mysteries of magic, linked at one end to ancient magic and at the other to ancient alchemy.


    The former represents great power and the latter represents the once glorious creation of wonder.


    "Ancient magic is not desirable, I can''t even manage it myself now. But using what I''ve already done to create, or at least repair, a piece of alchemy is a feasible idea. ..." Felix went into some sort of ''brainstorm'', thoughts and inspirations bursting forth, the quill on his desk moving rapidly. As the quill on the table fluttered and twirled, it created a trail of shadows.


    By late afternoon, Felix had completed the initial design of the course.


    "Not bad from me." He looked at his work with satisfaction: three sheets of parchment densely covered with text and flow charts.


    The only question left was what kind of artefacts to use as the teaching aid.


    This proved to be a difficult task, as Felix did not intend to prepare five artefacts for grades from three to seven - it would have been too much trouble and taken up his reading time.


    Instead, he was going to choose an appropriate number of products and divide them into different difficulty levels.


    For example, in Year 3, you will only have to complete a few things such as linking, looping, balancing, and coordinating, similar to the physics experiment of connecting wires and switching on and off switchboards.


    As for Year 7, I''m not asking them to build a rocket, but it''s not that hard for them to build a cart, right?


    "What should be the object? First of all, it can''t be too simple, otherwise, it''s impossible to distinguish the difficulty; but it can''t be too complicated either, otherwise, I''d be exhausted as well."


    There should be 800, if not a thousand, young wizards at Hogwarts, and even if only a third of them chose ancient Magic texts, it would be an unbearable amount of work for him, who wanted to be "innovative in his teaching".


    Felix had a headache trying to strike a balance between "efficiency" and "quality" ...


    For three days in a row, Felix searched his book collection, but could not find the right starting point.


    "There are so few ancient Magic books on the market, and even fewer with a practical focus!" Felix wailed in his heart, which made him long for the Hogwarts collection more and more.


    It would be his OnePiece!


    Felix had heard all sorts of strange legends when he was at school, such as the four founding heads of Hogwarts each leaving behind mysterious treasures, but it occurred to him that if he could master all the magical knowledge in the library, he would be no less accomplished than any of the Big Four.


    The greatest treasure was right in front of them, and yet most people were blind to it!


    It was only after he had missed it that he realised what he wanted - why else would he have been planning to return to Hogwarts for years? Why else would he have been plotting in the past few years to be allowed back to Hogwarts?


    With nothing to find, Felix walked out of his house and prepared to take a walk.


    "Mr. Hap, I haven''t seen you for a few days!" An elegant lady met him by chance.


    "Linda, I''ve been busy preparing for the new job."


    "You''ve found a job already?"


    ...


    After a short conversation, the lady left with a slight reluctance.


    It must be mentioned that Felix''s gentle personality and attractive looks have always made him popular with his neighbours.


    The streets of London''s Western Quarter.


    Felix wandered around aimlessly, looking like a world apart from the busy pedestrians on the road.


    Though that''s not a bad way to phrase it.


    In the middle of his walk, Felix passed by a dental clinic and, looking at the clean and tidy front of the dentist''s place, his eyes paused and a thought that had been on his mind for a long time resurfaced.


    No hurry, let''s come back in a few days.


    As he walked on, he finally stopped in front of a children''s activity room and, hearing the familiar words "yo fakkin'' da" and "dog sene", Felix walked in by accident.


    Inside, the light is slightly dim, and a half-dozen teenagers are frantically tapping buttons, tirelessly shaking joysticks, and mouthing bizarre words like " ha-ha-ha".


    Fighting games, huh?


    Felix feels like he has been returned to his childhood, not this one, but his past one, of course. The familiar characters on the screen made him feel close to them, especially the poorly costumed girls.


    "Fireman''s skill is so cool!!!"


    "Ice Girl''s move is FULL SCREEN, what do you know!"


    Felix laughed in silence.


    I was about to turn around and leave when a flash of inspiration hit him... Wait, what was that?


    Fighting?


    A fighter? Yes, hand-to-hand!


    Felix''s eyes lit up, he had finally found something that was complex enough for five grades, but not too difficult. Wasn''t that a gadget? No, wasn''t that a magic golem?


    He had been thinking about it all along, and he could finally put an end to it.


    A recreation of some of the characters from the fighting games, using ancient magic text circuits as a template!


    This kind of magical puppet ( handmade ) is acceptable for children in the wizarding world, and there is no psychological barrier for the little muggle wizard.


    As for the difficulty level, it is easily adjustable. For third and fourth-year students, he can make the complete magic golem, leaving some nodes and branching structures for them to complete.


    For the senior students, they need to complete at least one functional structure by themselves.


    The more Felix thought about it, the more excited he became... he could even start a battle of the knights!


    After all, children in the wizarding world are so miserable and the entertainment is so uninteresting, what is so great about Quidditch?


    He couldn''t stand Quidditch, and it wasn''t because he had failed his first class in flying!


    A image came to Felix''s mind.


    Two students facing each other, each holding a palm-sized magical golem in their hands, in a classic dueling pose.


    Let''s have a tense and exciting magical duel!


    The corners of Felix''s mouth rose in anticipation.

 Chapter 8 - Golem

    What does it take to make a ''real'' magical golem?


    First of all, what is a magical golem? Simply put, it''s a guardian of the house. As far as Felix knows, there are many stone golems at Hogwarts, which are extremely complex to craft and have survived for thousands of years, ensuring the safety of Hogwarts.


    But for teaching purposes, there is no need to be so demanding.


    Good clay, the right amount of dragon dung, and some blood from a magical creature - dragon blood is best, of course, but as far as teaching aids are concerned, they''ll have to be cheap.


    But he could get himself some high-level battle golems for his personal collection ...


    Felix quickly submitted an application to Professor McGonagall, and after some complicated communication, Professor McGonagall finally agreed to his idea and let him try it out.


    A formal letter of employment was sent with that letter, along with a small bag of golden galleons.


    Felix quickly gathered the materials for the student version of the magical golem, digging the clay himself and scavenging dragon dung and blood of magical creatures from the black market. He then spent the next three days travelling around Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, as well as a few different wizarding black markets around the world, before finally assembling the high-level materials for his own "refined" version of the magic golem.


    Afterward, Felix wrote to his "dear" old Slytherin classmates and borrowed a temporary loan of house elves from their home to create a magical version of an assembly line.


    Felix emptied his home and cast a spell to stretch without a trace, transforming the room into the size of a square.


    In front of him was a row of house elves.


    "Gentlemen, I''m counting on you!" After Felix had demonstrated how the golem models were made, he took a step back and delegated the tasks.


    As for himself, he was busy too! As well as redesigning his own ''refined'' battle golem, adding all sorts of restrictive and powerful enchantment circuits to it, he also has to keep the house elves well-fed so that they can concentrate on their work.


    Felix is not just talking out of his ass, as testified by the house elves: "Mr Hap is really great!" xN


    Time slipped away, and before we knew it, half a month had passed.


    Felix looked at the hundreds of models of magical golems with great satisfaction, even though they did not have a single magical circuit and could barely be considered as a rough piece.


    But that was enough.


    On the occasion of their farewell, Felix prepared a sumptuous farewell dinner for the house elves.


    "That was very generous of you sir!" xN


    After another wave of thanks, Felix sent the ''volunteer labours'' away.


    For the next week, Felix began to carve ancient magical texts of varying degrees of difficulty, according to the number of people in each grade, while using reinforcement spells to prevent damage - after all, it''s all worth money!


    Felix worked himself to death to get it done.


    "I''ll never do that again! I''m so tired!"


    Felix felt drained and pale, but his understanding of ancient magical texts had taken a big step forward.


    At random, he picked up a half-finished magical golem, a palm-sized (about half a foot) humanoid puppet that looked like a young man of proportionate size, dressed in an oriental school uniform and wearing a pair of black gloves with exposed fingers and a golden sun emblem embedded on the back of both the gloves on the top.


    After a few minutes of filling out the ancient magic circuit, he waved his wand and the golem immediately moved.


    First, it moved its arms and legs experimentally, kicking and punching, then it raised its index finger in a classic pose, paused for a few seconds, and then swung its arm violently, sending a ball sized flame following the predetermined ancient magic circuit, flying half a meter from its finger ...


    "Heh heh heh ..."


    Felix''s magical golem, although inspired by a fighting game, is not an exact copy, with some modifications to its appearance and moves.


    There are twelve different puppets, ranging from pretty boys and girls to old men and little kids, so students can choose the one they like.


    In addition to the basic character fighting moves, each puppet also has an " external skill " design. However, in view of the reality of the situation, Felix did not make it too complicated, but divided it roughly into four types: "Fire", "Ice", "Lightning" and " Slash".


    In the case of fire, for example, given the safety concerns (and not to underestimate the bears among the young wizards), the student version of the magic golem''s " external skill " is the most common type of fire, with a cooler appearance at best.


    He was so well versed on this point that he even magically altered a character''s skill to transform into a flaming bird - yes, a phoenix.


    Felix was very pleased, perhaps he could bring a new trend to Hogwarts!


    With the teaching tools sorted out, Felix turned his attention to his own ''refined'' battle golems.


    There are six of them.


    If I had to put a label on them to satisfy everyone''s imagination, they could be summed up in the following keywords.


    Hot lady of the Fiery sorcerer.


    Miss Cold beauty of Ice.


    Beautiful Miss of the Lightning.


    Cute Sister, Master of Blade.


    Miss Beauty of Speed.


    Seductress Metamorphosis Pro.


    The features are surprisingly consistent!


    All in all, he has added two new types to his collection, the Fast Assassin and the Shapeshifter. These six figures are not just a bunch of cheap stuff, but rather they are gold pieces that have taken him a lot of time to complete, with a lot of high-level materials, complex ancient magic, and preservation magic.


    The Fiery sorcerer, for example, is inscribed with a powerful magical flame that is extremely hot and can be projected over a distance of 20 meters, with the strength to shatter a wall and maintain this level of combat intensity for ten minutes.


    According to his estimation, one of these six magic golems could easily beat a 7th-year graduate.


    The six golems are a combination of long-range attack and melee, speed and strength, attack and disruption. They can be used individually or in teams of two, three, four, or even six, and their power can increase exponentially over time.


    Well, Felix felt with malice that the six golems together would have no problem holding off an anonymous Professor of Potions for ten minutes!


    The only drawback is that they would require a wizard to control them.


    But the point is that Felix himself is much better than these magic golem ...


    Felix shook his head, there was still a lot of room for improvement.


    At the very least, they should be given a certain amount of battle intelligence.


    Looking at the rest of the ingredients, he thought about it and decided to mix some inferior materials and make five more golems, stronger than the student version and weaker than the collection version.


    Consider it a prize for the course... five grades, one for each grade!


    Perfect!


    Felix took out a little box and put the teaching aids in it - needless to say, the box was also under a traceless stretching spell.


    Without thinking much about the six artefacts of his own, Felix waved his wand and let them drift up to a green ring on his left index finger.


    The ring, which resembled a storage ring, was essentially alchemy reinforced with a traceless stretching spell and a reinforcement spell.


    It is also engraved with a hidden magic circuit to limit magical fluctuations and looks like a fancy gem ring.


    But this ring holds a third of his fortune from all his travels!


    But Felix has already built two of these caves and is still missing the last one.


    He had already found the third one the other day.

 Chapter 9 - Three Caves

    Felix caresses the back of his wrist, where a tattoo the size of a fingernail is visible in a pale white pattern that few would notice unless they looked at it thoroughly and carefully.


    The pattern is actually an ancient magical text circuit that hides a small space within.


    In this space is a spare wand.


    After all, the pattern is so small that there is not much space to hide anything. The ancient magic circle is closed all the time and can only be unlocked if the conditions are met.


    The only condition to open it is by smearing it with a blood of his own.


    This is his most hidden, and almost undetectable, backhand at the moment.


    When he is at a disadvantage, or when he is disarmed, loses his wand, or even has his ring taken from him, this magical circuit will help him to turn the tables in his favour.


    As long as he is not killed on the spot, he has a chance to turn the tables.


    The ring on his left hand is shown in front light, and the magic circle on the back of his right wrist is hidden in the dark, a near-perfect combination of light and dark.


    And now Felix is about to build his third cave.


    This caution was not because Hogwarts is a tiger''s den, or because he was prepared to do something dangerous, but because he knew that the day he became the Ancient Magic Professor at Hogwarts, he would be officially involved in the plot.


    He knew that the day he became the Ancient Magic Professor at Hogwarts, his involvement in the Plot would become a reality, and with his meagre knowledge about the Plot, it was difficult for him to be foresighted, so he had to take precautions.


    He doesn''t believe in the so-called "fairy tales", he only believes in his own power.


    But even if he didn''t understand the plot, he still knew some of the most basic things.


    For example, the adventures of Harry Potter in his previous life were made into eight films, one for each year, which is eight years in the wizarding world. This fits Felix''s imagination: seven years of school adventures, plus a year after graduation to defeat the Death Eaters once and for all, no problem.


    It''s his very strict logical deduction.


    Now that a year had passed, if nothing else, Voldemort would be utterly destroyed in seven years.


    Felix was slightly relieved by this thought.


    He is certainly no match for Voldemort now, but there is no guarantee about the future.


    As Felix plotted his future strategies, he left his house and walked through the streets of London.


    Half an hour later, he stood at the door of the same dental clinic he had found earlier in January.


    Felix pushed the door open and the bell on the doorstep chimed clearly.


    A middle-aged man in a white coat poked his head out of the room, looked at Felix twice, and asked, "Are you here for a dental appointment?"


    Felix replied briefly, "I want a filling."


    The dentist nodded and led him in the direction of a seat, "Please sit down. My name is Will Granger, you can call me Dr. Granger."


    "I''m Felix Hap."


    Dr. Granger had him lie down in the seat and looked at Felix''s mouth with a searchlight-like thingy with some confusion on his face, "Mr. Hap, your teeth are in excellent condition, very clean and neat, very evenly sized ..."


    Felix pointed to the upper left side of his cheek, "I would like to fill wisdom teeth."


    Dr. Granger was flabbergasted, this was an odd request, wisdom teeth are not very useful. He said sincerely, "Mr. Hap, I don''t recommend that you fill wisdom teeth because ..."


    Dr Granger then showed his professionalism by giving him a full 20-minute lecture on dental knowledge.


    In the meantime, a young girl with fluffy hair, about 12 to 13 years old, came in and took a look at the two men, especially when she saw how Dr Granger kept talking and gave a look of "here we go again".


    Finally, Felix had to interrupt him, "Dr. Granger, how about this, you can make me a tooth first, and I''ll try it out and then decide if I want a filling."


    Dr. Granger thought about it and thought it made sense. He took out a pen and paper and noted the dimensions of Felix''s mouth. After tracing them on the paper, he soon confirmed the size and shape of the wisdom teeth.


    He then went inside and started to work.


    Felix looked around the clinic with interest, particularly at the small glass case hung on one of the walls, where magnified models of the teeth could be seen through the glass.


    As he looks around intently, a confident voice appears on his left.


    "A filling isn''t the best option, especially for a disposable wisdom teeth."


    Felix turned his head to look at the young girl, and then heard her add, "It hurts."


    "It hurts? How much does it hurt?"


    "A hole will need to be drilled in your cavity with a small drill, then the same hole will have to be drilled in and screwed back in place with your artificial wisdom teeth."


    Felix suddenly got a bit of a toothache ...


    And the little girl''s sermon continues, "Even if you get a filling, it''s not a permanent fix. On the contrary, a damaged cavity is more vulnerable to damage, and if you have bad oral habits, it can lead to decay and plaque, causing the original tooth to loosen and fall out, which must be repaired... ..."


    "Stop it!" He already had the image of it.


    Although he could use magic for repair and pain relief, now his mind is traumatised.


    Looking at Felix''s uncomfortable expression, the young girl tossed her long, fluffy hair and ran off to the corner to read a book, seemingly in a happy mood.


    Nearly twenty minutes later, Dr. Granger came out again.


    In the palm of his hand, he held a silvery-white tray with a man-made tooth that had been polished and finished.


    "It looks great, doesn''t it?" Dr. Granger complimented himself for his craftsmanship.


    But Felix simply nodded his head, intimidated by what that little girl had just said!


    As Dr. Granger had advised, he tried out the artificial wisdom tooth, without drilling or wrapping the wire, of course, just to test the comfort level.


    "It''s great!" Felix praised. "But I''ve decided not to have any fillings."


    "Really? You seem to have made the right decision." Dr. Granger was happy for the client rather than upset that he was missing out on business.


    But the client made a new request, "I''d like to buy this tooth as a souvenir."


    "A souvenir?" Another strange request thought Dr. Granger, and even the little girl who was quietly reading a book glanced at him.


    "That''s right, a souvenir."


    "All right." In the end, Dr. Granger only charged for the materials.


    As Felix walked out of the clinic, Dr. Granger still felt something strange in his mind and he muttered to his daughter, "A very strange visitor, won''t you say, Hermione?"


    Hermione Granger looked up as Felix disappeared around the corner, shook her head, and went back to her book.

 Chapter 10 - "Felixs Wisdom Teeth"

    At home, Felix went to his lab and began to modify the teeth.


    First, he drilled a hole in the bottom of the tooth to create a small cavity.


    Next, the hole repaired by smoothing it out.


    Then he placed it under the microscope and, using a carving knife purchased from a microscopist, carved out a regular pattern of ancient magical symbols, nesting together to form a circuit.


    This is very delicate work, constructing magic circuits in the tiniest spaces, something that very few people in the entire magical world can do. But Felix, with his expert carving tools and the latest generation of overpriced microscopes, has reduced the difficulty of the process by two-thirds.


    This is one of the results of his theory of combining muggle wisdom with magic.


    Muggle''s wisdom is not just about their whims; the tools they use to study the world and transform it are equally fascinating.


    And few in the wizarding world are able to do this.


    Pure-blooded wizards aside, some of them hate muggles, others are not repulsive at best.


    Mixed blood, or some wizards from muggle families, may be more familiar with the muggle world, but at the critical point between the ages of 11 to 18, their focus is primarily on magic. By the time they reach adulthood, their mindset is already set, and it is impossible to deeply embrace the best of both worlds.


    ...


    It was not until the afternoon of the second day that Felix completed the structure of twelve sets of magical circuits, each of which consisted of three to five ancient magical symbols, or some have more than ten. As the last of the ancient magic symbols were constructed, he carefully linked the twelve sets of circuits together to form a complete body as a whole.


    One by one, the circuits were lit up, and the glow of magic burst across the narrow square space of the tooth.


    With the last circuit lit up, the twelve circuits finally form an everlasting unity, a single brilliant and unified mystical pattern.


    The tiny hole inside the tooth began to expand without a sign, soon becoming the size of a suitcase, and the expansion did not end there.


    Finally, the inner spaces of the tooth expanded to the size of half a room, and then the concealment circuit came into play, the fluctuations of the magic that surged through the tooth were quickly reduced to insignificance; the stability circuit began to stabilise the entire structure of the magic symbol, and the reinforcement circuit made the tooth a very strong and unbreakable object ...


    The most crucial thing was the activation circuit, which only activated according to the conditions he had set.


    Felix smiled with satisfaction, the third cave, complete!


    He took out his suitcase and transferred the items he had already prepared into this cave, which Felix described as a ''carry-on spare storage room'', containing not only seven to eight wands (obtained from Dark Wizards), but also various types of potions, flying brooms, tents, and other materials.


    Once this was done, Felix stuffed that teeth into his mouth and fixed it with magic.


    He smacked his teeth, but there was nothing unusual about it, and then he ran his tongue over the wisdom tooth deep in his mouth.


    Felix sat silently at his desk, his gaze calm and relaxed.


    All of his belongings, most of which were commonly used and less important, were in his suitcase.


    The more important items, his backup, are divided into three sections, known as the Three Caves of the Rabbit.


    The first is his left-hand ring, which contains some of his valuable materials, potions, books, and some of his research, and is inscribed with an invisible inscription symbol.


    The advantage of this ring is that it can be carried around with him, making it easy to use in daily life.


    The disadvantage is that when it is used more than once, it is inevitably noticed, and it is difficult to escape the eyes of the senior wizards.


    Felix''s definition of it is intended to be an everyday object and something to draw attention in plain sight.


    The second cave, the magical circuit at the right wrist, stores a mere spare wand.


    Its greatest strength is that it is extremely invisible and almost impossible to detect by conventional means.


    Felix''s definition of this is something that can be used in a desperate counterattack!


    The third cave, Felix''s Wisdom Tooth, holds a large amount of routine and strategic items.


    The advantage of this is also its invisibility.


    Felix''s idea is to provide him with sufficient supplies when he is in grave danger and has to flee secretly.


    " This is pretty much safe."


    Felix believed that people as crisis-aware as he was rare in the wizarding world, perhaps some experienced Aurors had such a mind, but their methods certainly wouldn''t match his own.


    Especially since he himself was an expert in mind closure and standard torture would never get him to reveal his secrets!


    Of course, this was the worst-case scenario, and Felix didn''t think he would end up in this situation. But things are always unpredictable, and one must be prepared for them.


    In the years to come, a shadow is known as ''''Voldemort'''' will loom over the wizarding world of Britain.


    Felix never dared to underestimate him. The second Dark Lord may have a questionable IQ, but he was definitely a genius in the field of magic and had been studying it for far longer than he had, not to mention that his research was on the deviant and sinister subject of "killing and destruction".


    With less than a week left before the start of term, Felix intends to relax, he''s been so tired for some time!


    Watching films, listening to concerts, and enjoying good food, after all, he has ¡ê100,000 in his account! He''s going to spend most of his time in the magical world, and he can''t convert all of it into galleons, so it''s a waste for the time being!


    Felix spent a large amount of pounds on a selection of muggle items to keep him entertained while he went to work.


    In particular, he spent ¡ê8,000 on a compact projection unit, the kind used in cinemas, and accompanying replicas of classic films on the market. As for Hogwarts not being able to use Muggle items?


    Is that a problem for him?


    Similarly, music is a priority, and Felix considers himself a standard Slytherin, and he will enjoy himself as much as he can.


    As school began, Felix organized his room and put all the magical items in his suitcase - it would be a big problem if a thief came to his door and took one or two things.


    "What else do I need to prepare?"


    Felix thought for a while and then suddenly slapped his wise little brain, "Oh yes, books!"


    Remembering the Headmaster''s hint at the interview, he bought a few pairs of wool socks in different colours and then started to shop around in all the major bookshops.


    He picked up both his favourite books and Christmas gifts for the various professors, whether they were useful or not, but he had them on hand.


    Felix was going to give his former head of house a copy of ''A Guide to Common Experiments for Middle School Students'', well, one with lots of illustrations.


    I hope he''ll like it.


    I''m sure he''ll like it, after all, I am his best student!


    Felix is looking forward to his new job.

 Chapter 11 - Entry

    1st September.


    Inauguration time.


    A lazy man like Felix, without a doubt, continued to use floo powder to reach the Vice-Principal''s office, where he emerged from the fireplace in a bright green robe, his hair neatly groomed, and carrying a small suitcase.


    "Professor McGonagall." Felix greeted her with a smile on his face.


    Professor McGonagall was busy sorting out events for the day; she was responsible for the annual opening dinner, and it was arguably one of her busiest days of the year.


    "Oh, thank goodness you''re here at last."


    "Is something wrong?" Felix asked.


    "I need you to do some work for me."


    "With pleasure, ma''am," Felix spoke with elegance.


    Professor McGonagall handed him a series of jobs and left in a huff, muttering things like, "Dumbledore never cares about this ... I''m on my own ...". She seemed to have a strong opinion about the headmaster.


    Felix looked at the parchment in his hand with interest, "Let''s see, the first job, decorating the Great Hall?"


    The Great Hall ( Dining Hall ).


    Felix waved his wand and placed decorations around the ceiling, arranging the four long tables and spacing out each chair to perfection.


    Then came the weather at the top of the auditorium.


    "Honestly, I''ve wanted to play with this for a long time," Felix muttered, waving his wand.


    Above the auditorium, the original high noon weather suddenly became cloudy, with thick black clouds pressing ever closer as if they were going to stick themselves firmly in the sky the next moment.


    Then, Felix continued to wave his wand, and the dense black clouds dispersed, revealing a large, miserable green glow from the sky, making the entire auditorium look like a cursed place ...


    "Yah-hoo." Felix felt so happy he created a big viper, which opened its bloody maw through the green light, and out of its mouth, a miserable green figure twisted and formed, looking and acting like a certain professor.


    "Is this what you think of the professor who has taught you for seven years, Felix?" As Felix was having a great time, a hollow voice suddenly surfaced.


    Felix turned around to see his Potions professor and head of the house, Snape, appearing like a ghost with his arms flapping.


    Snape''s face looked expressionless, his eyes untouched by emotion. He spewed his venom slowly and deliberately, "Are you expressing your displeasure with me? Or have three years after graduation filled your head with inappropriate muggle thoughts and made you so arrogant and cocky that you''ve lost your manners?"


    " Cough cough...!" Felix felt a bit embarrassed to have been caught red-handed in the middle of the fun!


    Even more embarrassing is that the long snake above his head poked its head down and the miserable green professor in its mouth was wiggling and swaying ...


    With a wave of his wand, Felix turned the long snake into nothingness. He quickly adjusted his expression as if he had just seen Professor Snape, first with a look of surprise, then quickly stepping forward and greeting Snape with utmost courtesy.


    "Professor, your magic has grown steadily in three years."


    Snape looked him over expressionlessly and mocked him in a rhythmic tone, "Three years has opened my eyes, but I would have thought you were a stupid lion if I hadn''t taught you."


    Felix gave an ''embarrassed'' look, his eyes darted away in ''embarrassment'' and suddenly looked behind Snape in ''surprise'', " Professor McGonagall, when did you get here?"


    "


    Startled, Snape turns around quickly to find the hallway is empty.


    Turning back, he found Felix with a confused look on his face, "Huh? Did I just made a mistake?"


    Snape was so angry he couldn''t speak.


    There you go once again.


    The boy always found an excuse to get away with it since he was in school, gagging and talking nonsense, but Snape knew him well enough to know how dangerous this boy could be.


    In fact, he had just left the Headmaster''s office this morning after a big fight with Dumbledore when he found out that Felix had come to teach at Hogwarts.


    Snape approached quietly and said in a volume that only two people could hear, "Felix Hap-"


    "You can call me Felix, Professor!" Felix interjected.


    Snape: "..."


    Again! Always interrupting, always interrupting his speech!


    But who told Snape to speak slowly and with a musical aria? The others may have been afraid to interrupt because of Snape''s oppressive demeanour, but Felix knew him well enough!


    So well that he knew his deepest secrets!


    Snape raised his voice: "Felix, I don''t care what you''re doing here at Hogwarts, but I''m going to keep an eye on you. If you''re going to use the students at Hogwarts to promote some of your dangerous ideas ..."


    "I see you''ve read my work too, Professor, what an honour!"


    Snape was at a loss for words.


    "Professor McGonagall! What are you doing here?" Felix suddenly turned his head to the side and spoke.


    "Don''t be a smart ass!" Snape said angrily, and then he felt someone approaching quickly behind him.


    Emmm this time it''s really true ... Felix quietly gestured to his back and before Snape could turn around, he heard Professor McGonagall approaching with a stern and impatient tone.


    "Professor Snape, you have come just in time, I have something to discuss with you."


    Professor Snape was then dragged away by McGonagall, and Felix made the gesture of goodbye, prompting Snape to give him a fierce glare.


    "Looks like the Professor has a strong opinion of me~" muttered Felix, "I just threatened you once, it''s been a few years, look how much he remembers that grudge, shame on him."


    Well, Felix did threaten Snape, not exactly once, but for seven years during their time at school.


    That''s another long story.


    Anyway, Felix continued to tidy up the auditorium, not daring to play anymore this time. Waving his wand, he turned the sky above the auditorium into a bright starry sky. He deliberately enlarged and brought some of the stars closer together, a full moon as bright as a disk, crimson Mars as red as a furnace, and a yellow-brown Saturn surrounded by a ring of broken stars. ... In the distance there were brighter, smaller stars, constantly shining and twinkling, decorating the auditorium beautifully.


    "Excellent charm!" A shrill voice appeared and Felix glanced back up and then lowered his head.


    He smiled, "Hello, Professor Flitwick!"


    "Oh! Felix!" Professor Flitwick looked thrilled, but in fact, he looked like he was going to faint.


    "A talented Hogwarts graduate returns to school! How wonderful! I still remember your brilliant performance on the NEWTs spell test, perfect, perfect!"


    Professor Flitwick looked thrilled, despite his small stature, he was affectionate and had no prejudice against the houses.


    "It''s good to see you, Professor!"

 Chapter 12 - Unencrypted Conversations

    An hour ago.


    Snape strode into the Headmaster''s office, his face looked tense, but it was easy to see that he was furious at the moment.


    "Headmaster! Headmaster Dumbledore!"


    Dumbledore looked up from his desk, "Ah, Severus, what can I do for you?"


    Snape stood in front of him, he didn''t sit down but kicked the chair out of the way, and with only a table between them, he asked angrily, "You recruited Felix Hap as a professor in the school? What were you thinking?"


    Dumbledore put down the book he was holding, "Severus, I see no problem with that, Mr. Hap is excellent, and his talents are widely recognized by the wizarding community and, of course, by me."


    Snape was rather impatient, "I didn''t say he wasn''t good enough! I have taught him, I know what he is like."


    "Indeed, you once rated him, ''a standard Slytherin'' - very high praise." Dumbledore chuckled.


    Snape grimaced, "That was not a compliment from me." -- but a taunt.


    Dumbledore nodded, "We all know Mr. Hap quite well, and I know what your concerns are, and since he''s going to be teaching at Hogwarts, this issue worth a little time, let''s sit down and talk about it." He waved his hand and beckoned the chair back.


    Snape sat down stiffly, as if underneath his bottom was not a cushion, but a giant fire-breathing dragon.


    "Pumpkin juice? Tea? Or a butterbeer?" Dumbledore asked, a cup materialising out of thin air with each word he spoke.


    "I don''t need any." Snape was very dismissive.


    "A cup of tea then, Mr. Hap, very fond of it." Dumbledore placed a cup of tea in front of Snape,


    But the way Snape looked, it looked as if he had swallowed a fly.


    Dumbledore said gently, "Let''s talk. I used to have the same misconceptions about Mr. Hap, but as he grew up, so did my opinion of him in general. It was only recently that I had an in-depth conversation with him and I finally made up my mind to hire him."


    "I think you''re getting senile." Snape taunted.


    "I''m getting older, but over the years, I''ve become soberer. We''re always more likely to make mistakes when we''re young, aren''t we?"


    Snape grunted and then said, "That Felix boy is no good, he''s gotten into so much trouble by doing whatever he wants at school because he''s strong!"


    "Do you know how I got through these years? Because of him, I''ve met almost half of the purebloods in Britain!"


    "I got letters of complaint from them almost every day!"


    Dumbledore seemed to laugh a little, but he quickly concealed it with a large gulp of pumpkin juice. He agreed, "True, Mr. Hap was frantic for power in his junior year, but we all know there''s a reason for that, don''t we?"


    Snape pursed his lips and didn''t say anything.


    He knew, of course, that Felix was in a rough spot, even worse than he had been back then, and at least his enemies were not from his own House.


    Dumbledore said calmly, "Minerva once complained to me that the Sorting Hat did not accurately assign students to the right house, and she always thought Mr Hap should be in Gryffindor. What do you think?"


    "The boy is a standard Slytherin," Snape said in the same mocking tone as he had back then.


    "I agree." Dumbledore nodded, "Mr. Hap ... he is a brilliant wizard, extremely brilliant, one of the most gifted person I have ever met in my life. He was always in search of power, I could see that clearly, even though he rarely showed it after the fifth year, he never stopped chasing it."


    "Even after graduation, that was one of my biggest concerns at the time."


    Snape listened quietly, he didn''t deny Dumbledore''s wisdom, the old man''s experiences were legendary, and he intended to hear what had made him change his mind in the first place.


    "He applied to stay here when he graduated and, frankly, he was more than capable, more than I ever was in spells alone. But I turned him down, not only because he was too young, but also because he had such ambition in his eyes that I was afraid he would go off the track."


    "But fortunately he listened to my advice. After his first year of travel, he settled in the Muggle world and began to study them. It was at this time that he and I kept on exchanging letters."


    Snape listened quietly, not expecting such an experience between the two of them. You know, when he found out that Felix had become a Muggle researcher, his eyes almost bulged out!


    "Maybe he''s faking it." Snape jabbed reluctantly.


    "No, no, Severus," Dumbledore retorted, "I can still read people''s hearts and minds, living a long life has such advantages that I can tell what most people thought even without relying on magic."


    "From the time he entered school until now, he has shown no discrimination against Muggles, on the contrary, he has studied the Muggle world very deeply, as this clearly evident through his books. He does not consider wizards superior; on the contrary, he draws a constant stream of wisdom from the Muggle world."


    Snape retorted, "I didn''t say he discriminated against muggles, Dumbledore! But his ideas are just as dangerous, you know what he states in his book ''How Muggles Think''?"


    As if he were reciting a book, he spoke quickly, "Bloodline theory is also prevalent in the Muggle world, but unlike the wizarding world, more and more Muggle nations are abandoning it, thanks to the fact that they are hundreds and/or thousands of times more productive than ever before. The abundance of resources has provided them with a solid foundation to promote education, while the commoners, who are not of good blood, have shown an exaggerated potential to bring the Muggle world up at the speed of a flying broom."


    When Dumbledore tried to interrupt, Snape continued, "In the Muggle world, if the proportion of nobles is one, the proportion of commoners is more than ten thousand. And when the rulers liberated the commoners, their efficiency in development overcame all obstacles with unstoppable force!"


    The whole headmaster''s office fell silent.


    Even the portraits listening at the side of the office had their mouths agape. These words did not seem to mention the wizarding world, but simply described and analysed the development process of the Muggle world, but they implied the present-day wizarding world in every way.


    One of the portraits shouted in rage, "This is betrayal! A rebellion against the glory of pure blood!"


    The other portraits also began to chatter.


    Snape glanced at the portrait and said sarcastically, "Headmaster Black, that boy is not a pureblood!"

 Chapter 13 - That Boy Is The Next Dark Lord!

    The portrait of Headmaster Black began to cuss, and soon the other portraits were unable to keep their mouths shut and retorted, with one grumpy headmaster charging straight into the frame and thrashing him.


    Dumbledore ignored the portraits, looking as if he was reminiscing, "Mr Hap is indeed very perceptive."


    "In my opinion, it''s a Muggle wizard''s declaration of war against the Purebloods. He''s more ambitious than you can imagine, he''s the next generation of Dark Lord."


    Dumbledore looked solemn: "That is a serious accusation! Severus."


    "You always trust people so easily, Dumbledore." Snape grunted, "Perhaps he won''t start a war, I know him, he''s afraid of getting into hassle."


    "But as you say, he has so much potential, if I had to say who else in this century could catch up with you and that man, it would be him, and there would be countless people willing to be under his wing, watching his every expression, studying his every word ..."


    He said sarcastically, "History always goes around, and maybe this time, it''s the stupid lions who will follow him."


    "What will they call him? The White Lord, perhaps?"


    "I never knew, Severus, that you had such deep prejudice against him." Dumbledore looked astonished.


    "Hmph! As I said, I know him better than you think, and I have taught him for seven years!"


    Dumbledore weighed his words and decided to confess: "I did hesitate for a long time, I saw in his reflection another man. The same Muggle Orphan as a child, the same Slytherin, the same brilliance, the same pursuit of power ..."


    "But they are different nonetheless."


    "Voldemort used magic to intimidate his companions while he gathered them to fight off the goons who bullied them, and he still keeps in touch with some of the people in the orphanage to this day."


    "Voldemort was passionate about authority, and during his time at school he formed a core group around him - it was the prototype of the Death Eaters. Felix, on the other hand, he didn''t care much about authority, as you said, he hated hassle, or maybe you could sum it up, he didn''t want to put much thought into things he wasn''t interested in, and authority was one of them."


    "Voldemort was very good and polite at school, he had a very good relationship with every one of his professors, whereas Felix only spent his energy on the subjects he was interested in, as far as I know, he never passed his courses in the history of magic, divination, astronomy, or flying! This is in spite of his record-breaking grades in magic spells of all time."


    "Voldemort pursued power with a fervour, and to that end, he delved into black magic while still at school, in which he possessed a great talent. Before he graduated, his level of black magic surpassed the level of some dark wizards'' efforts in a lifetime."


    "And Felix ...," Dumbledore hesitated for a rare moment, "I have to admit that he also delved in black magic, right here in the Shrieking Shack. But before I could think of the proper way to intervene and dissuade him, he gave up on his own."


    Snape stared in awe, the Headmaster had gotten to the bottom of the boy!


    There was so much about the past that even he didn''t know.


    Dumbledore concluded, "Friendship, rejection of authority, dedication, calmness, and thoughtfulness, he had a lot of merit after all."


    Snape opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but finally refrained. Then he smiled sarcastically, only this time his sarcasm directed at the headmaster: "You''re still so ''concerned'' about your students! Why don''t you tell me more about his experiences in the three years after his graduation? You''re not hiding in the bushes somewhere peeping while he travels the world, are you?"


    "Severus, don''t be so harsh on an old man." Dumbledore wore a sad expression, but the next moment his words left Snape dumbfounded, "But I did visit some of his colleagues in the Muggle world, and they spoke surprisingly highly about Mr. Hap, and I made sure that there was no sign of any magic being used."


    At the wide-eyed appearance of Snape, Dumbledore blinked, "Severus, you don''t think I''m really muddled, do you? Would let him be a professor at Hogwarts without knowing anything about him?"


    ...


    As Snape emerged from the Headmaster''s office, he admitted that he was somewhat persuaded that the boy didn''t seem that bad.


    Even if he had threatened him - with his deepest secrets.


    But when he walked into the auditorium and saw Felix waving his wand and turning the Ceiling into a giant snake with a silhouette in its mouth that he could see in the mirror every day, he nearly exploded!


    He was wrong!


    Felix Hap is an asshole!


    ...


    Felix doesn''t know about the conversation at the principal''s office, or that he''s even been given the title of "White Lord" by someone, are you kidding?


    He went through his duties, and during the course of the day, the Hogwarts professors arrived and Felix greeted them all.


    The importance of relationships.


    Until someone unique appeared, a very handsome male wizard, wearing emerald green robes of a similar colour to his, with light, silky hair and white teeth.


    Who is this Slytherin? Why it didn''t ring a bell?


    Felix wanted to take a closer look, but soon that wizard approached him, "Felix Hap! I''ve learned a lot about you, and I''ve been looking forward to meeting you."


    "And you are?" Felix always felt that this man looked familiar, but he couldn''t remember.


    The wizard seemed to hear something incredible, his mouth wide open, and he was petrified for a couple of seconds before his smile quickly returned, and he spoke eloquently, "Felix, you must be too busy studying Muggles to pay much attention to the wizarding world, but that''s okay! I can reintroduce myself and believe me, you are worthy of this honour."


    Felix: "... if you please."


    "I," the male wizard winked, "am Gilderoy Lockhart, Third Class of the Order of Merlin, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of the Witch Weekly Most Charming Smile Award - but I don''t put that on the lips anymore. I don''t smile to banish the ghosts of Valiant!"


    Gilderoy Lockhart?


    Felix remembered he had read his biography, quite an adventuresome one. Experienced and intelligent. But he seemed to be a bit of a prude, writing books where he usually concealed half the story, never revealing the key stuff!


    Interested, Felix wondered how he could get something out of him.


    "So it''s Mr. Lockhart, I''ve read your book, it''s excellent, your experience is fascinating ..." Felix said flatteringly, and in less than three minutes he had become a friend of the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.


    He also impressed with the courage of the new professor, who didn''t mind the curse of the Dark Lord.


    He knew how dangerous this course is, and even though Hogwarts is always short of professors, he didn''t dare to take that job.


    What a brave man!


    However, from the experiences described in his books, it seems that Lockhart is an extremely perceptive and talented wizard who always manages to turn the odds in his favour!


    I guess I''ll have to pay more attention. What kind of work does this professor do?


    Felix is in deep thought.

 Chapter 14 - Opening Banquet

    As a time passed, the sky turned dark.


    Thousands of candles were lit in the Great Hall, the ceiling was decorated with beautiful starry stars, and the tables and chairs were set up in an orderly manner.


    All the professors have arrived, even Dumbledore, and Hagrid is the only one who is away to pick up the first-year wizards.


    Not far away, Professor Lockhart stood with Professor Filius and Headmaster Dumbledore, and his self-promoting words could be heard throughout the Hall, "Yes ... it''s a simple matter, my badge is not a fake hahaha... ..."


    Felix and Snape were in a corner by themselves, watching everything that was going on in the Great Hall around them.


    He felt very puzzled at this moment, just now he had spent little effort in guiding this Professor Lockhart to speak freely, he was even willing to share his own adventures, provided he made a proper comic relief on the sidelines.


    But ... had a very little harvest.


    Is Lockhart wary of him? Not at all. Is he acting? Gathering information through exaggeration and bragging?


    Felix is puzzled, as well as a certain professor.


    Snape stood in the other corner with a mocking smile on his face, not knowing who he was laughing at.


    What had happened to Professor Snape?


    He hadn''t had such a grim and sarcastic face last time he was at school?


    Had something happened in the middle three years?


    Feeling that his normally clever brain was not working well enough, Felix became more and more cautious, and then he joined Professor Sprout''s conversation, talking to her about magical plants.


    "Felix, I have to say, you didn''t put too much thought into your herbal class when you were in school."


    "Professor, I was distracted by other subjects, I was too busy."


    "I don''t think so, you were asking me all sorts of questions about those dangerous plants and what their weaknesses were ..." Sprout remembered this vividly.


    Well, black history, he really wasn''t interested in herb classes back then.


    Does it offer him strength?


    No? I don''t know what to say.


    So he never did well in herbalism, hovering between an A (pass) and a P (poor), but he was very good at dealing with dangerous magical plants, even going to great lengths to identify their weaknesses and try to solve them in the least stressful way possible.


    This was also his philosophy for his magical creature protection course, too.


    Let''s just say that he did get a little carried away during those years.


    There were a lot of clamours in the distance.


    "The students are here!"


    Professor McGonagall stood up and departed in a hurry. Felix tried to join Professor Snape in an attempt to see how he had changed over the years, but he dodged fast.


    Felix had no choice but to aim for a seat next to Lockhart as his second target.


    Professor Filius, who seemed to have been pestered by Lockhart, saw Felix approaching to free himself and without hesitation, he gave Felix his seat.


    After sitting down, Felix started the conversation with ease, "Professor Lockhart, your book ''Travels with Vampires'' describes the vampire species very well, but I have a few questions ..."


    Now it seems Lockhart''s turn to fidget, he''s a bit of a fence-sitter, always missing the mark, and Felix has to wisely stop the conversation.


    Am I hated ...


    The atmosphere became a little awkward, but soon Professor McGonagall led the students into the Great Hall, where the young wizards from Year 2 to Year 7 were seated on either side of four long tables according to their houses.


    Professor McGonagall seemed to be in a very bad mood, though, as she quickly approached Dumbledore and whispered something, and the Headmaster''s face immediately turned serious. He said a few words to McGonagall, she nodded, then she called Snape and the two of them left the Hall.


    Is something wrong? Felix was tempted to intervene, but this was not the right occasion for spying.


    On the other side of the Hall, the young wizards, who had just enrolled at school, were very excited, chattering away and making the Hall very lively. The professors were quite open-minded and did not step in to stop them, and Headmaster Dumbledore''s face became smiling again as he watched the proceedings and stroked his silvery-white beard.


    Felix also looked around with interest, there were a lot of people he knew here, after all, he had just graduated three years ago, in other words, all the students from the fourth year onwards had met him before.


    Slytherin House.


    The tall Marcus Flint is talking about his summer vacation like nobody''s around, and his voice can be heard across the three seats, and as he''s speaking happily, a fellow student quietly tugs his arm.


    Marcus Flint got a little impatient, why? Don''t interrupt me, yuck! Don''t interrupt me from sharing an interesting experience!


    When his companion pulled him harder for the second time, he finally turned his head and saw the boy with a frightened look on his face, shooting frantic glances at the professor''s seat.


    Did something interesting happen?


    A new professor? Isn''t that normal, isn''t there a professor for a certain course who gets changed every year?


    Marcus Flint looked over at the professor''s seat, his eyes scanning the place, looking for an unfamiliar figure.


    Well, a handsome-looking male wizard, and this is their new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts?


    Nothing special ...


    Wait!


    Who did he see?


    Marcus Flint suddenly let out a short cry, as if he had been bitten by a mouse, and his expression became equally terrified, in sync with his companion beside him.


    It was that guy!


    How could he be here?


    For a moment, his already dull brain became even duller.


    With a cry from Marcus Flint, the rest of the Slytherin students followed his gaze to the professor''s seat and drew in a cold breath.


    Almost instantly, silence fell over the majority of the Slytherin table.


    The remaining minority of junior students quickly noticed the unexplained silence of the senior students and also stopped talking, staring at them in confusion.


    Malfoy looked at this strange scene at his house and wondered, "What''s going on?" as he tugged the senior next to him.


    "Shut up and keep your voice down!" The senior rebuked in a low voice, lowering his head and not daring to look at the young man''s figure, but pretending to look at a silver tray with keen interest.


    Then he whispered, "Draco, keep your voice down, that sir is back."


    " That Sir?" asked Malfoy, somewhat puzzled by what sounded like the honorific title of a nobleman.


    The senior spat out a few words in a low voice, "The 8-7 duel."


    "Hiss!" Malfoy also took a long breath and couldn''t help but look at the young professor in the professor''s seat quietly.


    Was that him?


    And as the Slytherin''s suddenly settled down, the other houses noticed something strange about them as well.


    Hermione had already noticed the figure of Felix earlier, and with her excellent memory, she immediately recognised him as an odd guest she had met during the summer holiday.


    So he is a wizard too? No wonder he had such strange demands!


    I wonder what course he''ll be teaching?


    The two unfamiliar faces this year, Lockhart was already acquainted with them, the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and she had read all his books.


    His experience was fantastic!


    And the other professor looks young, not too far ahead of her age ... Huh? Why is everyone so quiet?


    Hermione looked around, the students of Slytherin House were as quiet as a guard, the other three houses were also silent for a moment, and then the discussion started with a more intense tone, the whole Hall totally exploded.


    The seniors were all talking about something, with a "I have a big secret" look on their faces.


    She had been worried about Harry and Ron''s safety, but she had already informed Professor McGonagall, so it shouldn''t be a problem, right?


    Hermione stretched her neck and listened without making a sound.

 Chapter 15 - Pie From The Sky

    In the professor''s seat.


    Felix looked at the scene and felt strange, he didn''t seem to have done something horrible, why were the students of Slytherin so afraid of him?


    Since sixth grade, he''s been a gentleman, and the oldest of the wizards around here was only in their second year.


    This is a smear on his reputation!


    If the words got out, it would look like a mobster had come to the school posing as a budding professor.


    The other professors also looked at Felix with a slightly odd look, as most of them had experienced Felix''s "seven years of brilliance", and it was three years since he left the school, yet he was still so influential.


    It was this look that made Felix want to punch someone!


    Dumbledore was smiling all the time as if what had just happened was completely normal.


    Felix can hardly bear it, but he still pretends nothing has happened and has an awkward conversation with Lockhart.


    Bang, bang, bang!


    There is a loud knock on the door, and then the door is flung open, and a giant strode in. Behind him were rows of first-year students who resembled a row of herds.


    Professor McGonagall, who had originally left, returned and led the new students forward and placed a tattered sorting hat on a small stool.


    The next moment, the cap began to sing.


    Felix grinned, still so unusual ...


    At the end of the annual song, the hats began to be divided into houses, and one by one the young wizards put the hats on their heads and waited to find their place.


    What a nostalgia!


    After the end of the division, the whole campus began to enjoy dinner, but Felix noticed that Snape hadn''t returned yet, and none of the professors mentioned him... well, you''re not very popular, Professor ...


    The good news is that Professor Snape returned once in the middle of the dinner, and Felix was relieved that his fears had not become reality - the Professor has not been captured by the unknown monster.


    But what is the mysterious development when Snape takes Professor McGonagall away?


    Felix''s imagination is playing with him, and he is now so happy that even looking at the transparent Barrow of the Blood is a delight.


    After a few more moments, McGonagall and Snape returned. Felix rushed forward and pulled Professor McGonagall aside to describe a little technique he had thought out for his class.


    "Open class?" Professor McGonagall repeated, with a look of intense distrust in her eyes.


    "Yes, I''m a new professor after all, and the first class is very important, and I''ve had a long holiday to prepare for it, so it would be a waste to split it into five years."


    "But if you bring five grades together, they won''t learn anything."


    Felix explained, "My first lesson doesn''t contain any theory, it''s a demonstration class and all they have to do is watch with their eyes, my aim is to show them the wonders of ancient Magic texts. As long as they''re interested, I''ll be able to teach them later."


    Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, she didn''t like to break the rules, but nevertheless asked, "What day are you going to put the open class on?"


    "Thursday afternoon!"


    "All right, I agree." Professor McGonagall behaved like a vice-principal.


    "Er ..." Felix looked a bit embarrassed.


    "Any more questions, Mr. Hap?"


    "Call me Felix," he replied quickly, "Thursday afternoon is my well-chosen time, but there''s still a lesson that clashes with it."


    Professor McGonagall sighed, "Which professor''s class is it?"


    "Professor Snape."


    McGonagall''s eyes widened, and she gave him a stern look, "I''ll talk to him!"


    Felix breathed a long sigh of relief.


    Eat, eat, keep eating ...


    When everyone had almost finished eating, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and under his command, the crowd sang a school song and then dismissed completely!


    Felix ate and drank enough and was ready to go back to his professor''s office, watch a film and go to bed.


    For the rest of the week, all he had to do was prepare for his open class. What''s there to prepare for? Let''s go to the library tomorrow!


    Dear Hogwarts Library, I''ve missed you so much!


    The fantasy interrupted and this time, it was Professor McGonagall who pulled him to a halt.


    The two of them went to the corner where three young wizards were already standing, two boys and one girl, all in Gryffindor House gown.


    The two boys looked exactly identical and were looking sad for some reason; the other girl he had seen before during the summer.


    He had a suspicion in his mind.


    Was it the three of them that he and Professor McGonagall had discussed as assistants? So, in other words, the Weasley twins and Hermione Granger?


    Sure enough, after introducing them, Professor McGonagall mentioned Felix''s need for an "assistant (tool)".


    From the looks of it, the twins are somewhat disinterested, while Hermione Granger is somewhat tempted, but also seems to be less interested.


    Indeed, is there any appeal in a temporary worker?


    It''s not going to work ...


    Felix decided to say something, and he was sure that when he did, they would change their attitude completely.


    Here''s how it goes!


    Felix gave Professor McGonagall a glance, followed by a slight cough, he looked at the three young wizards and spoke gently, "Hello, I am your new Ancient Magic text professor," then glanced at Hermione, "and probably your future professor."


    Hermione looked a little more formal, the twins were much bolder, one of them asked with a leap of hope, "Professor, is it true that you defeated the whole of Slytherin House when you were at school? And you drove the Shafiqs into submission?"


    Well, Felix is a full seven years older than the twins, and he graduated before they enrolled, a seamless connection that was perfectly missed.


    That''s bold ... Felix took pause.


    He didn''t respond positively, however, and said, "There are often some strange rumours circulating at Hogwarts, I even heard when I was at school that there was a tunnel that linked to Hogsmeade on the eighth floor of the castle!"


    Expectedly, the twins were visibly disappointed, and Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes covertly.


    "Let''s continue where we left off. I will be teaching Ancient magic texts at Hogwarts for a long time to come - at least until you graduate. As a result, I''m going to be training an assistant who will be helping me with trivial tasks, such as correcting papers and such."


    Seeing the lack of interest from the two twins, he quickly skipped over this uncomfortable part.


    "Of course, with loss comes gain. By becoming my assistant, you will also receive some hidden benefits. For example extra guidance from me, in addition to ancient Magic texts, I am also very good at spells, as Professor McGonagall can testify me."


    "Secondly, extra bonus points. Assistant work takes up some of your time after school, after all, so Professor McGonagall and I have discussed adding fifty points per semester."


    The twins looked at each other, that''s a hundred points for one academic year!


    And Hermione''s eyes were just as bright, in fact, she became excited as soon as she heard the first offer.


    "Thirdly, you will have the opportunity to take part in my research. You will be exposed to a lot of advanced magical knowledge that will not be taught in the curriculum."


    "Fourth, priority to join my Ancient magic text club next year."


    "Fifth, earn my personal friendship. If one becomes my assistant, I will not refuse the usual little favours," Felix winked and whispered in a seductive tone, "such as forbidden Books in the Library, weekend trips to the Forbidden Forest, and roaming the castle after hours ... "


    "Cough cough cough!" Professor McGonagall suddenly coughed so violently that she seemed to be coughing her lungs out.


    "Well, the last two doesn''t count." Felix felt somewhat sorry for himself; when he had been in school, he had strongly wished to be able to do these things openly rather than secretly - two completely different experiences.


    Still, with all those previous perks, it would be enough to excite the three young wizards.


    Sure enough, by the time he finished, the twins and Hermione were so full of expectation that they seemed ready to say ''I do'' in the next minute.


    "Of course, it''s not easy to become my assistant, you''re all the best under the fifth year at Hogwarts, which is why Professor McGonagall recommended you to me."


    "However, there is a necessary test," Felix began slowly and deliberately, like a sinister and experienced hunter, as he drew his wand and turned two strands of hair into parchment and a quill, which started to fill the parchment with words in the air.


    The three young wizards took a peek at what it seemed to be a very, very long list of books ...


    The twins'' faces immediately turned sour, even sourer than before.


    After the quill finished writing, it quietly turned into a flame. He stretched out his wand again and clicked on the parchment, which immediately split into three copies and floated towards the three in turn.


    "Here, this is a list of reference books, read as much as you can, but by Next Monday at the latest, you will have to hand me a paper on the history of the development of ancient magic."


    Felix looked at them with mischief in his heart, "No limit to the number of words, but the more, the better; no limit to the number of thesis topics, but the more, the better; no limit to the number of reference books, again, the more, the better."


    "You have one week."


    Three "the more, the better" left them a bit confused, but that was none of his business; he expected at least two sheets of parchment, not only with extracts but also with their own thoughts, and at least with the reference book list half-read.

 Chapter 16 - Exploring The Magic Text

    Back in his professor''s lounge, Felix began to decorate the room as he saw fit, with items large and small flying out of his suitcase.


    Once everything had been organized, he watched a film for fun and went to bed.


    The next morning, Felix went to the library and explored the thousand-year-old Hogwarts book collection.


    As the first day of school just started, not many visitors came to the library, so Felix took the original copy of Ancient Mysteries of the Alchemy from the forbidden section and read it with great interest.


    He even discovered seven ways to make a crystal.


    However, he was not interested in the alchemy items in the book - after all, this book was quite old, and many things were outdated - what he valued most was the ancient Magic text traces hidden in these alchemy items.


    Ancient magical texts did not appear and fall all at once.


    In the earliest untraceable times, it was a barbaric age for magic. A few gifted ''men'' struggled to build the foundations of a magical tower, and they sought the mysteries of magic in magical creatures and plants, accidentally discerning patterns that could store the magic for a short time and transform it into magical effects.


    This was the earliest form of ancient magic text.


    As a result of the efforts of many pioneers, the number of magical texts mastered by wizards increased, and this led to the creation of powerful ancient magic and ancient alchemy, which led to the emergence of human wizards.


    At that time, magic was a symbol of power.


    As time passed and more and more potential ''people'' emerged, the number of wizards began to grow, and they desperately required a way to record their magical knowledge in words.


    Some people got together to create an ancient language based on the magical text and spread it widely. By now, most magical texts were in fact powerless and merely served as a means for recording knowledge.


    As the years passed, new, magical texts were discovered, and the first ancient languages that emerged were developed, changed, and evolved around the world.


    This has resulted in a plethora of common characters, synonyms, mistranslations, and irregularities, causing countless problems for future generations in research.


    There followed two major events that affected all wizards.


    The first was the invention of the wand, which made spellcasting more stable and simpler.


    The second was the creation of simplified magic, derived from ancient magic, which may have been slightly less powerful, but with the augmentation of the wand, was not too bad.


    Most importantly, it was easier to learn and safer to use!


    As time went on, more and more wizards gave up on magical texts, and they gradually became legendary., and


    Today, they are collectively known as ancient Magic texts, and many wizards simply use them as a kind of writing, the only purpose of which is to translate the ancient grimoires of their predecessors.


    Felix is not interested in studying ancient history, what he wants is "magical" ancient magic, or rather, the original magic - as for the rest, what are they?


    But after all, it''s a good idea to learn it, so at least he can use it to teach his students now, right?


    Those first magical texts are now either lost or exist in ancient magic orphan scrolls, somewhere in the dust.


    According to Felix''s research, it is only in the branch of ancient magic known as alchemy that such texts are best preserved, and have even evolved and developed on their own to create their own logical system.


    In its present state, magic writing has little to do with alchemy.


    But in terms of history, a piece of an alchemical artefact often represents an ancient magical path or its evolution. The older the artefact, the more likely it is to be so.


    And that''s what Felix wanted!


    At the moment, he has only mastered about two hundred of the original texts and a dozen or so circuits.


    There was a long way to go.


    As the day hurried away, Felix had a great harvest, he had discovered at least six new magic circuits!


    If he could break them down and return them to their original form, bah! If he managed to recover the original magic texts, he would be able to increase his reserves by at least a third.


    What does it mean to have a thousand years of inspiration?


    This is it.


    Felix didn''t even have a meal this day - hey, who eats when they have knowledge? A bottle of elixir will do the trick!


    It''s seven percent more efficient!


    No one bothers him.


    "Professor Hap!" A quiet, female voice greeted him.


    Felix looked up and saw Hermione standing beside him, clutching a thick book. Glancing at the title, it was one of the books he had mentioned on his book list.


    And, as it happened, it happened to be his own book - Explorations in Ancient Magical Texts.


    It was no coincidence that Hermione, a very clever little witch, wanted the post of ''Professor''s Assistant'' so badly, but the list he had given her was overflowing with books!


    A week might be enough for a general browsing, but a deeper study? Not possible.


    She has to focus on one book and use the others as a reference.


    Just now, when she had spent half an hour picking out all the books on the list, she discovered by accident that one of them actually was the work of the young professor! She immediately decided which book to focus on.


    Did she need to choose? Anyone who hesitates on this issue is a retard!


    Felix and Hermione sat next to each other, not disturbing each other until the closure bell rang.


    Hermione yawned uncharacteristically.


    "Good night, Professor."


    She took small steps, holding her book, and soon disappeared.


    Felix gently rolled his stiff neck, not noticing until now that he starved himself to death!


    After a last-minute loan of one of the books, Felix waltzed into the kitchen and exchanged the keywords "please", "please" and "thank you" for three pies and a piece of cake from the house elf. Three pies, a piece of cheesecake, and a jug of pumpkin juice.


    On the way, he encountered two little Hufflepuff wizards who had sneaked out quietly to refuel themselves, but he simply ignored them.


    Back in his lounge, he ate his food hastily and fell asleep.


    The next day, he did the same.


    The third day, the same.


    In no time at all, it became Thursday morning.


    Transfiguration class.


    Harry and Ron looked at each other as they saw Hermione, who was in a hurry as soon as they got out of class, then they hurried after her.


    "Hermione, slow down!" They both panted.


    "What have you been up to? I haven''t seen you around for days."


    Hermione was quick on her feet and she replied rapidly, "What did I tell you, boys, did you forget?"


    Harry chuckled, he had been equally busy these days with Quidditch training. Ron quickly recalled, "You mean you''re going to be that new professor''s assistant?"


    "That''s right! But I''m not the only student on the waiting list."


    Hermione pulled out her Potions textbook and set it aside, then pulled out another book, mumbling something under a breath, the thickness of the book simply made Ron and Harry despair.


    "Is this your assignment? To read a book that thick?" Ron glanced at the book with some trepidation.


    "Not one book, twenty books!" Hermione flipped through them, quickly noting anything of value as she did so; this was the fourth book she''d looked through, and with the exception of Felix''s own work, she''d only read them quickly, looking for any useful information.


    But the figure of twenty books still left her somewhat desperate, and it had made her rather irritable recently.

 Chapter 17 - Open Class (1)

    Soon Professor Snape marched in, and with a wave of his wand the windows were closed, and the curtains shut, a gloomy, eerie atmosphere enveloped the classroom and the young wizards instantly became quiet.


    Hermione immediately closed the book and concentrated on the lecture.


    After the first herb class in the afternoon, the three of them were so tired and exhausted at the end they went hurriedly to the Great Hall for their open class. Four long tables had been moved to the corner, and in the middle, there is a round stage, about twenty feet in diameter and three feet high.


    "What''s all this?" Ron asked.


    "Maybe it''s where the professor might stand? There''s a bit of a crowd here today." Harry looked around the room, and goodness gracious, half the school was here, and there were also lots of little wizards from the first year.


    So popular? Not another Lockhart, right? Harry mumbled silently.


    Harry was just thinking about it, but Ron had already spoken up, muttering, " is it another Lockhart?"


    "No, I''ve been in contact with Professor Hap, and he''s very good at silent spells! And Professor Lockhart, he, he ..." Hermione became stammering.


    "What spell?" Harry didn''t catch it.


    "A silent spell, some particularly powerful wizard who can cast all sorts of spells without having to chant them, and it''s particularly handy in casting bad spells over others," Ron explained.


    Both dismissed the comments about Lockhart on the part of the girl.


    Was there any point in discussing that?


    Hermione gave Ron a blank look.


    And Harry thought about it a little more, so this professor seemed to be okay? He was looking forward to the upcoming open class with a little more anticipation.


    Neither he nor Ron wanted to come, but what difference could it make to them? They had been dragged here by Hermione, who said, "Isn''t it necessary to know about an elective course in advance of the third year?"


    And Hermione wanted to see how well Felix could teach, but she had already read Felix''s Explorations in Ancient Magical Texts, which gave her a lot of confidence in the new professor.


    Well, as confident as she was in Professor Lockhart.


    After another ten minutes passed, during which some students arrived and a few professors also came to join in the fun, it seemed like this was not a class, but a big party.


    Harry caught a glimpse of Lockhart and hastily ducked his head to avoid the sight of the ''controversial'' professor.


    It was never good to run into him!


    The last few days had been miserable for him from three sources: Quidditch training, Lockhart, and that first-year student named Creevey.


    Except for Quidditch, which was a painful and enjoyable experience, he avoided the other two!


    At the exact time, Felix appeared. He wore a light blue robe - the same colour as his eyes - with his hair pulled up slightly and with a smile on his face, he looked about 17 or 18 years old.


    Very much like Lockhart!


    Many of the younger students whispered in their minds - they were really scared by such an outfit.


    Felix made his way through the crowd and leaped gently up to the stage. With a wand in his hand, he looked around as the crowd settled down.


    Harry saw the professor draw a mysterious symbol with his wand and the next second the professor''s voice reached his ears, not too loud, but so clear that he seemed to be speaking right next to him.


    "We are officially starting the lesson."


    Felix looked at the young wizards below the stage, "I am, Felix Hap, currently the professor of the course Ancient Magical Texts." He waved his wand and conjured up his name.


    Immediately afterward, he asked his first question.


    "Does anyone know anything about Ancient Magical Texts?"


    Swipe!


    Hermione raised her hand subconsciously, and before she could think about it, her body had moved on its own.


    "Miss Granger." Felix nodded at her.


    Hermione opened her mouth and said, "Ancient magical text, also known as Ancient Runes, is a script that was used by wizards hundreds of years ago to record their magic and, as a result, modern wizards are mainly concerned with the translation of these magical scripts. However, the ancient magic texts were also one of the sources of power for the ancient wizards."


    The last sentence was added after she had read Explorations of Ancient Magical Texts.


    "Very good, five points for Gryffindor."


    Felix began to go over the history and evolution of the ancient magical texts, he pushed through them quickly, they weren''t important, or at least he didn''t think they were.


    The young wizards won''t remember either.


    "All you need to remember is that the Ancient Magical Texts are a bridge that connects ancient magic to modern magic, and at the same time, it connects ancient alchemy to modern alchemy."


    Felix nodded in satisfaction as he saw the young wizards murmuring from the stage.


    "But Professor, why is it that all we learn is how to translate ancient magical texts?" A senior girl from Ravenclaw asked, raising her hand.


    Felix looked at her, "There are two main reasons."


    "The first reason is that translation is really the dominant view in the magical world at the moment."


    "In my opinion, ancient magical texts can be divided into two, the ancient script and the magical script. The former is a script used by ancient wizards, and the latter is a power wielded by ancient wizards - only over the long change of time they have become intertwined with each other, making it difficult to distinguish between the latter."


    "The former represents the mainstream view, and they have made it their mission to inherit and study ancient magical texts, which is in fact very useful indeed, bearing in mind that most of our knowledge of ancient wizards has been gained by these people."


    "It''s a route that is relatively easy to get in, and even now you can do it."


    "But if you want to master the power of the ancient wizards directly through the ancient magical texts, it is very, very difficult and requires not only an excellent level of magic itself, but also an excellent research ability."


    The young wizards were confused, but they got a general idea. The advantage of this is that it''s easy to get started and requires little in the way of personal experience, even if you''re a dumb wizard. But it requires a lot of time to get your mind straight.


    The magic world is full of old wizards who have been studying for decades and have finally confused themselves.


    The other branch, which is based on mastering the powers of ancient wizards, is difficult to get into, so if you''re not elite + academic, don''t even think about it.


    Felix paused for a moment to give the crowd time to digest before smiling and saying, "Back to the question we just got, as for the second reason - it''s because it''s not on the exam."


    The young wizards were suddenly speechless, this reason was a strong one.


    "But ..." said Felix, "I personally think that allowing you to dabble a little in the practical application of ancient magical texts would be an effective way of stimulating your enthusiasm for this discipline."


    "Are you going to teach us ancient magic?" One of the twins shouted.


    Felix shook his head, "No. Ancient magic is known to be powerful and difficult to tame, and I do not intend to teach you about it. Not to mention, my research in this area is just in its infancy."


    "All right! This is the end of the theoretical part, and as this is an open class, I won''t go into too much professional knowledge -"


    "Next, it''s time for a demonstration."

 Chapter 18 - Open Class (2)

    The young wizards were excited to hear Felix''s words, their curiosity already piqued.


    Even the professors in the room were curious.


    Professor Snape was standing in the corner, wondering what this boy had come up with that he dared to pry into his lecture!


    Professor Filius was very excited, he really loves magic spells, but he hadn''t studied much about ancient magic. As for Felix''s views on ancient magic, he agreed, as he himself had a few powerful ancient spells, but he rarely used them.


    Lockhart was envious of Felix standing in the middle of the Hall. If he could hold a public class himself, he would get plenty of attention, right?


    What if he wrote about it in his new book ...


    But what was he supposed to do, put on a stage show?


    As everyone in the room was having different thoughts, Felix simply waved his wand and all the candles in the auditorium were instantly extinguished and the sky above the ceiling was completely darkened.


    The entire auditorium was plunged into darkness.


    " Fluorescent." Felix''s voice sounded clear to everyone in the room, calming the restless young wizard. "This is a common spell that serves to illuminate the surrounding area - it is so simple that even young wizards who are not enrolled at school can master it through self-learning."


    By the glow of the fluorescent light, Felix''s figure is faintly visible to the crowd.


    "Once you have fully mastered this spell, you can make some alterations to it -"


    "Like amplifying the glow," Felix said, as the glow from the tip of his wand spread across the platform.


    "Change the colour," the mass of light kept switching from white to red, green, yellow, and cyan ...


    "Or, toss it away." Felix waved his wand and the ball of light flew far from its tip, arcing in mid-air.


    The auditorium was plunged into darkness once more, "And its counterpart, the ancient magic-"


    The next moment, a huge amount of light blossomed from the centre of the platform, a milky white glow enveloped the entire auditorium, the strangest thing was that the light seemed to spread in all directions, there was not even a single shadow in sight.


    "This is the illumination spell," Felix whispered.


    Every young wizard in the audience burst into applause.


    Felix smiled, "This is just a simple example, but we can still see the difference." He waved his wand again, the candles relit, and the ceiling returned to its original state.


    "With modern magic, there are boundaries in power and intensity, albeit fluctuating within a certain range - but we can still clearly perceive this."


    " Ancient magic, on the other hand, is different; it is simple, brutal and its power often depends on the size of your magic."


    "For example, if I wanted to, I could light up all of Hogwarts with this magic."


    A student in the crowd shouted, "Professor, I want to learn that!"


    Felix inexplicably wanted to laugh, and in a tone of amusement, he couldn''t help but say, "Give it up, if you learn this magic, it will drain you of all your strength at the first opportunity."


    "Does anyone remember what I just said? Ancient magic is known for being powerful and difficult to tame, and I think most of you only remember the first half of it."


    "But the second half, that''s the point!"


    There was a lot of chatter from the students below the stage, their faces intensely excited, as if they were going to learn the powerful ancient magic themselves the next moment.


    But unfortunately, all the books on ancient magic were in the Forbidden section.


    A strange light flashed across Ron''s face, "I''m going to learn this, I''m going to learn this magic! It''s so cool!"


    Harry was also fascinated by the power of a simple flash of fluorescent magic when substituted with ancient magic. Would Hermione''s petrification spell, for example, be able to completely petrify a person and turn them into a piece of stone?


    Snape wore the same expression, but this kind of power ...


    So, Dumbledore and the Dark Lord have mastered some powerful ancient magic?


    Felix waved his wand and a red spark shot out from the tip, redirecting the students'' attention.


    "We will now move on to the next demonstration, which is the focus of this open class and, of course, the test for this year''s Ancient Magic course -"


    "One."


    The students'' hearts, which had somewhat subsided, stirred again.


    What kind of open-book examination is this?


    At that moment, Felix came down from the stage, "Suitcase fly!" With his spell, a suitcase flew over quickly, and landed on the ground, then popped open with a bang, and a dozen or so figures flew out of it, landing on the stage and standing still.


    It was only then that the crowd realised that the figures on the platform were half a foot tall (about 15 cm). These figures were different in appearance, male, female, old, and child, but each one was very distinctive.


    "This is ... Hey! I''ve played this game before!" Muggle-born wizard Justin suddenly shouted, his face flushed red, not expecting to see a figurine at Hogwarts, and one that could move!


    Harry also seemed vaguely familiar with it, as his cousin Dudley mentioned it before.


    "What''s this?" Ron asked, as a pureblood, he had no idea what this was. It''s just a toy that moves, what''s so surprising about it?


    "It''s a character from a fighting game in the Muggle world." Harry searched his brain for more information, but he had never played it, either.


    "A fighting game?" It was clear that Ron was more interested in the term.


    Felix smiled and said, "It seems some of you have recognised that these figures are indeed inspired by a muggle game in appearance, but that is not our focus today."


    Felix waved his wand and two of the dolls on the platform leaped up and stood in the middle of the platform, while the others retreated to the edge.


    "Does anyone know their names?"


    " Fireman and Icewoman!" Justin shouted this was his domain!


    Felix continued, "And do you know their powers?"


    "Fire and Ice!" Justin answered again, for the first time so aggressively.


    Felix repeated, "Fire and Ice ... then!" He waved his wand again.


    And all at once, the figure on the platform moved, the fingers of the fireman''s right hand burst into a bright yellow flame, and with a mighty swing, the flame swelled to the size of a ghostly flying ball and flew far away ... half a meter before exploding with a bang.


    The young wizard who was close by could not help but take two steps back, and only when he saw that the flames did not fly off the platform did he feel relieved, and then stared at the dolls with a fiery look in his eyes.


    I want to play with it, I want this too.


    On the other side, the Ice Woman kicked out with a powerful and graceful gesture, sending a line of ice-blue icicles into the air, causing some of the young witches'' eyes to sparkle.


    Aaaaaahhhh so cute!!! I want to hold it in my hands.


    Felix smiled in control - "Now we need to get back to the game.


    "Next, we need a fight!"

 Chapter 19 - Open Class (3)

    In the school hall, all the students were silent, their eyes glued to the podium, afraid of missing a detail.


    There is a fierce battle going on.


    The palm-sized dolls came and went like the wind, their athletic figures accompanied by large flames and puffs of ice crystals with every punch and kick. Now and then, one of them would pull out some kind of "trick", such as Fire Man''s big fireball or Ice Woman''s ice spike, to bring the heat to a new high.


    After three minutes, the battle ended with Fireman''s flaming flurry of moves and "Hidden Magic: Phoenix Transformation", which knocked out Icewoman.


    Many of the young wizards sighed in unison.


    They wanted to see their adorable Ice Sister in action ...


    Felix''s voice came at the right time, "This is another branch of evolution from the original ancient magical texts, the art of alchemy."


    "What you are looking upon is an uncomplicated piece of alchemy, a magical golem. The outer shell is not the key, the key is the ancient magic circuit inside."


    "And the ancient magic circuit is essentially a combination of magic texts."


    "This is the practical part of your final exam."


    The excited young wizards were a bit confused, they had to do this? Aren''t you overestimating us, Professor?


    You''re new here and probably don''t understand the reality of our situation ...


    I''m not sure if I''m the only one who can do it.


    "Of course, this magic golem is still too complicated for you, but the good thing is that the ancient magic texts necessary to make a magic golem basically cover over five years, and I will divide the difficulty level according to the different years."


    "I will elaborate on the specific requirements later on in the class."


    The young wizards breathed a sigh of relief.


    "But Professor!" One of the Hufflepuff girls raised her hand and asked.


    "I''m a fifth-year student, but all the ancient magical texts I''ve studied before are mainly translations, so do I need to learn something new? But I have to take OWLs this year ..."


    "I see," Felix said calmly, " First of all, firstly, there is no need to relearn anything new, I have seen your textbooks, please keep a little faith in your professors."


    Felix made a joke.


    "And it must be mentioned that Professor Babbling is a very good expert in ancient magical texts, and her choice of the textbook is very appropriate. It contains both a theoretical translation and a small amount of practical magical texts - although perhaps Professor Babbling didn''t elaborate on that part, considering it''s a class in ancient magical texts and not a class about alchemy."


    "But it''s quite enough to serve as a guide to get you over the initial hurdle if you aspire to study more advanced content in the future."


    Many of the young wizards put their minds at ease.


    "Secondly, for this year at least, the practical exams will still be mainly extra credit and I will also consider teaching more theory in Year 5 to Year 7."


    Some of the young wizards below the stage were happy, while others wailed.


    "Again, some students may worry that the practicals take up too much time, but the two are supposed to go hand in hand, and you may unknowingly acquire more knowledge during the sessions."


    "That''s my answer." Felix gave a salute.


    The audience applauded.


    "Now, we have about half an hour left, would anyone like to try their hand at controlling these magic golems?" Felix asked.


    This was not a question at all.


    The young wizard shouted with enough excitement to lift the ceiling.


    "Oh, you may not be able to use your wands to manipulate the golems accurately, so you''ll need this!" Felix waved his wand and out of his suitcase flew twelve odd things - in fact, it''s a gamepad.


    "You can use it to manipulate the puppets, let me demonstrate ..."


    It didn''t take long for the students to get their hands on them. Felix used his transfiguration to create six more stages, but after all, there were hundreds of people here today, so it was impossible to rotate them all.


    Ron and Harry were lucky enough to get a chance. The two were soon exchanging blows, occasionally releasing a "trick" and shouting with excitement.


    But no one laughed at them, as the most of the little wizards went crazy, screaming in an exaggerated fashion.


    Felix stood by, discussing the Open Lesson with Professor Filius.


    "It was great!" That is what Professor Filius said.


    Professor Snape had left without a word, and no one knew when he had left as much as they knew when he had arrived.


    Lockhart, on the other hand, looked preoccupied, unaware of what he was thinking.


    The fun times were always short, as the lesson came to an end and some of the students arrived at the hall in time for dinner, only to see the duel in full swing, taking a quick glance and quickly forgetting their original purpose and joining the crowd.


    This delayed the start of the meal by half an hour, and Felix was forced to end the lesson and restore the Hall to its original state.


    Throughout the dinner, the young wizards continued to discuss about the open class, especially those who were lucky enough to be selected to play against each other and were so excited to discuss their "experience" that they seemed to have replaced figurine with each other with knives and forks in their hands.


    It must be said that the young wizards had no shortage of ways to entertain themselves.


    At the Gryffindor table, Ron also enthusiastically described his " summit duel" with Harry, which he had lost by a very narrow margin, but this did not mask his enthusiasm.


    " I''ve just used the Fireman, and it was so cool, phew! Pah!" Ron swung his knife and fork and threw a piece of pumpkin pie at Neville''s head.


    Although Harry was not as excited as Ron, he was equally excited.


    However, he felt a vague sense that he would prefer to be on the field and take part in the duel himself rather than manipulating a magic golem ...


    Hermione felt a little unhappy that she had just missed her turn. She loved the ice girl, it was so cute and like a doll, she had when she was a little girl.


    But, there'' still a chance!


    If she became Professor Hap''s assistant, she would be able to get her hands on that doll.


    Hermione cheered herself on.


    She could even make her own Magic Golem, based on herself, but with smaller teeth and smoother hair. ...


    The open class proved to be an unquestionable success, and Felix became an instant celebrity!


    I''m sure the discussion about the open class will go on for a while and become a schoolyard legend of some sort, like so many rumours that one wonders what happened to it.

 Chapter 20 - Popular Professors

    Friday.


    At the start of a sunny morning, the young wizards were still discussing yesterday''s open class with great enthusiasm, a wave of enthusiasm that provided a boost to the dull school life.


    What was the topic of discussion the other day?


    The perfectly handsome Professor Lockhart?


    But that news has now been taken out of the equation, not only because Lockhart''s performance in class was disappointing - even the word "disappointing" was the result of some True Blood fans'' comments.


    More importantly, Professor Hap has become the iconic professor of the new generation, stealthily replacing Professor Lockhart, who is known to be the "lover of the masses".


    This has irritated a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.


    The dozen or so portraits hanging in his office have the same irritated look on their faces.


    "I have to do something, yes, something. ... God! He''s a real show-off!"


    Before coming to Hogwarts, he had thought that the only person qualified to compete with him for the headline page of the Daily Prophet would be the famous Harry Potter, and he was prepared for that. But now he has to admit that he is facing a tough competition.


    This reminds him of that nasty woman, Rita Skeeter, with whom he competed for the title of the best-selling author a few years ago, and lost because of that woman''s trickery when she published a dirt story about his school days!


    Still, he''s no slouch. Doesn''t Skeeter know how badly he was treated when he was in school?


    Professor Lockhart loosened his robe, which was strapped tightly around his chest, back in the days when his passions really burned! The urge to fight came back to him again.


    "A tough opponent, huh?" He paused in front of an etched mirror to cheer himself up, "Gilderoy, you''re dealing with a tough guy, and someone''s trying to take you down! You have to do something!"


    Seeing himself in the mirror, he relaxed a little. How could he possibly lose with such a handsome face?


    Without mentioning what happened in that small office, Felix''s popularity has reached new heights in small and large groups of wizards, and everyone is looking forward to his official classes.


    "Maybe he''ll continue with the magic golem battles in the classroom? You know, a lot of people didn''t get their turn yesterday." Ron grabbed a beef pie in his left hand, stuck a piece of potato on his fork in his right, and his mouth isn''t idle either.


    "Maybe, but we''re only in the second year, remember, Ron? We''ll have to wait at least a year to get into his class." Harry said more sensibly.


    Ron''s eyes widened, "Harry, you''re ruining my first dream of the year." He nudged him with his arm, "You know what I was wondering? I was just imagining beating the crap out of Malfoy with a magic golem ..."


    Ron closed his eyes and made a dreamy face, "Malfoy''s robe was lit up by a big fireball, he tried to hide, but it was no use, my magic golem was too fast! And he tried to cast a wicked spell, but it was no use either because the magic golem was too small for him to aim at!"


    Harry ate his pie in silence, thinking that Ron was the only one who would miss, as his wand was broken in half.


    Hermione, who had been reading while eating her breakfast, looked up and pointed out, "Ron, I must remind you that Professor Hap said in open class that for the safety of the young wizards, the magical golem would only emit the most basic kind of fire, which is not as powerful as the blazing spell we cast ourselves."


    Ron seemed to suddenly choke on his beefpie and couldn''t speak, he didn''t remember Professor Hap saying that, but Hermione was always right about something like this. He muttered a little, "It''s your Blazing Fire spell, neither Harry nor I know it, I think you forgot."


    Hermione grunted.


    "I thought you were reading the book, haven''t you finished it yet?"


    "I think I just told you yesterday that I have twenty books on my list!"


    Ron stopped talking.


    Harry was interested in what Hermione had to say, and he couldn''t resist asking her, "Hermione, what do you know about this professor? Ron and I didn''t make it to the school opening dinner." He was referring to the fact that he and Ron had made their way across half of Britain in Mr. Weasley''s car.


    As a result, he and Ron had to spend time in Snape''s basement, wondering if they would be expelled. Fortunately, they were not expelled from the school, nor did they receive the penalty for their behaviour, and Professor McGonagall even prepared food for them.


    But after what had happened, it was impossible to return to the dinner party politely, and Ron missed his sister Ginny''s sorting ceremony for this reason.


    Hermione quickly and fluently rattled off the information she had heard at the dinner, "Professor Hap graduated from Hogwarts Slytherin House-"


    "Slytherin!" Ron suddenly shouted but was met with a sharp glare from Hermione, and he ducked his head to nibble on his pie.


    "Yes, Slytherin. He''s nine years older than us and just graduated three years ago. But he''s so well known that all the senior students at school know him well. Professor Hap specialises in ancient magical texts, spells, transfiguration, muggle studies and, of course, dueling."


    "Dueling?" Harry looked mildly stunned, his impression of Professor Hap was that he was clearly not the fake as Lockhart, but he also looked gentle and somehow like one of his school teachers at the Muggle school he attended.


    It was hard for him to associate Professor Hap with the word duel.


    "That''s right." Hermione looked from side to side and carefully lowered her head and voice, " I''ve heard that he''s a Muggle and that the Death Eaters had just fallen when he enrolled, and the students at Slytherin weren''t very friendly to him, but ..."


    "But what?"


    "But he beat them back with his spell, the senior students of Slytherin were scared of him because they had been taught."


    Harry and Ron had a look of fascination on their faces.


    To be honest, they wanted to beat up some of the Slytherin, too.


    But the rumours Hermione had heard were obviously wrong; Felix had been in Year 5 when the current Year 7s had enrolled, so why should he have to teach them a lesson? Naturally, they would be lectured by someone else.


    In Potions class, the young wizards were still talking about yesterday''s public lesson, and Harry could clearly see Malfoy in the Slytherin crowd, boasting loudly about his "relationship" with Professor Hap and how his cousin and Professor Hap were close friends.


    Harry couldn''t help thinking that he might have "fought" for his friendship.


    Ron was also exaggerating about the time he had fought with a magic golem in open class, and from what he was saying, it sounded like it wasn''t a magic golem fighting, but rather him and Harry in a real-life PK.


    "Quiet!"


    Snape''s voice came from the back of the classroom, and the young wizards instantly shut up. The professor walked with a swagger, his black gown emitting a "hunting" effect with a +10 pressure.


    He looked around the room and his eyes lingered on Harry Potter, making the boy''s body tense. But Snape averted his gaze, this time on Ron, and in his characteristic low, mocking voice quipped, "Ronald Weasley ... Yes, you''ve certainly made quite a splash these last few days. But you should be focusing on how to improve your terrible potion grade, I don''t want to add another T to your final paper."


    The Slytherin students burst into laughter.


    Ron''s face turned red, and he clutched his duct-taped wand in his hand, wanting to cast a spell on Snape''s face.


    "And Miss Granger, put that extra-curricular book away, this is Potion class, not some ancient magic text class. You''re still a year away from that elective."


    Hermione huffed and put the book away

 Chapter 21 - The Dark Lords Relic Is At Hogwarts!

    Library.


    Felix has his hands in the books and hears nothing beyond the windows.


    Yesterday''s public lecture did not seem to affect him, even though he was the direct cause of such a stir.


    He flipped through the book with his left hand and held his wand in his right hand and flicked it in small circles as a single magical text appeared and dissipated in the air. Mrs. Pince was watching intently from the sidelines, she had been staring at Felix for over half an hour.


    Mrs. Pince is a thin, elderly woman who looks somewhat malnourished. But she is well suited to the job of librarian because she loves books and has a keen sense of detection and is always the first to find and punish students who break the rules.


    If a student dared to pull out their wand and gesticulate in the library, she would have thrown them out, but Felix being a professor made her a little hesitant.


    Luckily, Felix quickly left with two books, saving her from being so stumped.


    Felix returned to his office and took a piece of chestnut wood out of his suitcase, magic pouring down from his carving knife, carving an ancient magical text into the surface of the chestnut.


    Chestnut wood is a wand-making material, but in itself is like a blank piece of paper with little inclination to be cheap, and was discovered by Felix to practise ancient magical engravings.


    The magic-infused carving knife leaves a magic symbol on the surface of the chestnut wood, and with each complete magic inscription sketched out, it glows with a fiery red light, which then quietly goes out again, branding it with a black mark.


    Felix''s speed in carving the magic symbols was so fast that it kept the surface of the chestnut shining. The carving knife kept dancing as if it''s writing an immortal chapter that would go down in history, rather than carving a magic text.


    After a few minutes Felix had filled the layer of chestnut wood, he drew his wand and brushed it across the top, a thin layer of wood instantly detached and flew off to the other side of the table.


    Felix then took up his carving knife again and continued to work on the chestnut.


    Only when the piece of chestnut had shrunk by three inches did he stop and stretch out in his spot.


    In one corner of the table, thirty thin slabs of wood had been piled up like pages of a book, covered with ancient magical texts in black colour.


    Felix calculated a number in his mind and nodded in satisfaction, "272 magic texts, that''s the amount of power I currently have at my disposal."


    He got up leisurely and stood in front of the window overlooking the landscape, his decision to return to Hogwarts had been so right.


    This is the life I want!


    " Wow~"


    An owl flew in through the window and dropped a letter on the table.


    Felix opened the envelope and read the letter, but he couldn''t help but frown.


    It was a letter from an "old friend".


    Felix had only been graduated for three years and had only had one year of real travel under his belt, but it had been one rich year of experience, and it had opened his eyes wide enough to be "well-traveled" - no matter where in the world he went, he could name the nearest wizarding community with his eyes closed. He could name the nearest black market near him in the world.


    This letter came from a ''friend'' he had met on the black market.


    Felix drew out a parchment and hastily wrote down a string of words, asking him to meet him at the Hogshead pub in Hogsmeade on Saturday.


    Until the owl flew away, he was still thinking about his friend''s intentions.


    He recalled the first time the two of them met.


    The man, who called himself Kline, often wore a hood over his robes, and his face was so misty from the beginning that it was impossible to see who he really was.


    Kline practised the principle of equivalent trade, like rare magical manuscripts, magical potions, magical creatures, etc. He had access to them all.


    Felix had traded with him seven times, and they had kept to each other''s rules.


    So, he is also curious as to what Klein''s purpose in seeking him out was. More intrigued, of course, was what this friend had in stock lately.


    Ten o''clock on Saturday morning.


    Felix arrived at the Hogshead Bar, it was still early and there was only one customer.


    Felix walked up to the table of the customer, smiled at the sight of the familiar misty hooded face, and sat down. As he took his seat, the two figures were hidden and their voices were completely cut off from the outside world.


    "Kline."


    "Felix." It was a neutral voice, indistinguishable from male or female, and impossible to identify the age.


    There was no shortage of these types of a mysterious presence in the wizarding world, and the reasons were always varied. Like being a dark wizard, or committing some sin, hiding from the enemy, or, perhaps, just having some kind of bad taste.


    "What do you want from me?"


    "To get some information."


    "What kind of info?"


    "The relics of the Second Dark Lord."


    Felix was silent for several seconds, his mind turning.


    "Yes, but you''ll have to tell me your source of information first."


    Klein tapped his fingers on the corner of the table as if weighing it up, but he quickly uttered one word, "Uagadou."


    "You sought out that group of mad witch sacrifices?" Felix was somewhat surprised; Uagadou is an African school of wizardry, and African wizards didn''t start using wands until the 20th century, which set their path off from that of other countries.


    For example, they also inherited a branch of prophetic magic, witch rituals, although outsiders called them mad witch rituals.


    This is because this prophecy magic is actually a form of black magic, and each prophecy requires a price to be paid - such as a limb of your body.


    And to top it off, the prophecy is not always accurate ...


    Klein mentioned Uagadou, and that was all Felix could think of, since Africa and Britain were not involved, and there was no interaction between the two sides.


    "Go on," Felix said, intrigued, given Kline''s character, there was no way he would get a watered-down witch priest, and it must have cost him quite a lot to get a highly skilled witch priest to make a prophecy.


    "The prophecy stated that the Dark Lord''s relic would remain in Hogwarts for a year."


    Felix''s heart fluttered, "What exactly is this relic?"


    "Not sure, only know that it is very evil."


    Felix was a little speechless, why do you bother if you''re not sure!


    And evil, you think you''re Aurore?


    Seeming to see Felix''s disbelief, Klein added, "The prophecy I requested is: the secret of leaping over the dead."


    Almost instantly, Felix''s brain worked at full blast as he said, "You say that again?"


    "Leap to death."


    "But the Dark Lord is already dead."


    "That''s the prophecy."


    "You can look it up yourself."


    "Hogwarts has Dumbledore."


    "You''re afraid of him?"


    Klein laughed twice, and although Felix couldn''t see through the fog over his face, he knew the other party wouldn''t look very good at the moment.


    Felix pretended to "ponder" for a long time before he said, "Thank you for the information, but I will not ensure that I will obtain the relic. I can only promise that I won''t turn my back on you and go off on my own to crack the Dark Lord''s secrets."


    Klein thought for a moment and said, "Yes."


    The two men extended their hands, their index fingers touched, and a golden stripe bloomed.


    It was a temporary magical pact for a year, with no penalty for Felix if he broke it, but at that time, Kline would have his location at his fingertips for a year!


    If you are not afraid of the revenge of a mysterious wizard, you can always break the pact.

 Chapter 22 - 22 Rat Language?

    Felix walked out of the Hogshead Bar and let out a deep breath.


    You can''t underestimate someone!


    Look, a dark wizard has the ambition to pry into the secrets of the Dark Lord, so isn''t his own goal of "discovering the true meaning of magic" a little modest?


    Felix thought carefully about it and decided that his own ambition seemed loftier.


    As for the pact with Klein, pew pew pew...!


    Does he think he''s a fool for getting into trouble under Dumbledore''s nose?


    Besides, he already knew the answer to the question.


    What was the secret of the Dark Lord''s leap over the death? The Horcruxes, that was a concept he already knew. So as long as he didn''t study the soul artefact, the pact would naturally be solved in a year''s time.


    Since the prophecy was that "the Dark Lord''s relic will only remain at Hogwarts for a year," which meant it was only a passing guest, so the pact between the two would only need to exist for a year - that was Klein''s thought.


    Felix, on the other hand, guessed that the relic would probably be destroyed by the protagonist group.


    The protagonist group had no peace each year they were in school, so perhaps they would have to wait until they graduated before they got a complete break.


    But that reminded him that the crisis of this year''s "plot" would come from the Dark Lord''s relics, the Horcruxes.


    Which Horcrux could it be?


    That was the question Felix had been thinking about since he returned to his office.


    He vaguely remembered that there were seven Horcruxes, most of which were the relics of the four giants of Hogwarts, which corresponded to Harry''s seven years at school, so what did they destroy in the first year?


    The Ravenclaw crown, the Slytherin locket, the golden cup of Hufflepuff, all of these were the ones he knew, so by definition, the Gryffindor sword should also be a Horcrux?


    Which one of those had been destroyed last year? The first film seemed to be called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher''s Stone", so the Philosopher''s Stone was a Horcrux?


    Felix guessed wildly without care.


    The information he had at hand was not really useful, for one thing, you couldn''t prove what you said because he didn''t know where the Dark Lord kept the Horcruxes, and for another, it was too taboo, because Felix already had a bad name, and telling Dumbledore about Horcruxes out of the blue ... sounded like he wanted to research Horcruxes, no?


    So, let it be, he at most knocked on the side of the drum.


    It''s a perk for his assistant (tool person) Miss Hermione Granger.


    Yes, the assistant slot has been booked for her for ... one reason or another.


    Two of the only three candidates had hung up: the Weasley twins had approached him yesterday and voluntarily withdrawn. Because they were busy with Quidditch training this week and were expected to spend every weekend for the following year on it.


    Felix had heard them imply that he had to put the Wood guy in confinement, and it was for the whole school year so that they would have time to do other things.


    Was this something he could agree to? The professor blatantly used his power for personal gain, would he still be able to mix around with others?


    The main thing was that the terms and conditions were not agreeable, they were asking for too much in terms!


    Confining a student for an academic year for no reason, even Snape wouldn''t do that.


    This left Felix a bit speechless, he had wanted to return a favour to Professor McGonagall, and it had developed into this.


    Are there any good students left in other houses...


    But the good thing was that Miss Granger was very reliable, and she could be met in the library every day, and it was evident that she was working so hard that her eyes were darkened by three extra circles.


    The next day, the library.


    Another uneventful day, Felix picked out a copy of The Secret of Fighting from the Forbidden Books section and gnawed on it with gusto.


    The book, which was mainly an archive of secret stories of various duels between wizards throughout history, was placed in the Forbidden Books section because it contained many taboo graphics. In the days when the laws of the wizarding world were unregulated, black magic flourished for its rapid learning and immense power and weirdness, so duels in those days were bloody and brutal, and could even be bizarre.


    For example, he now sees the image of an unlucky wizard''s head irreversibly ''pumpkinised'', not swelling to the size of a pumpkin, but becoming a complete ''vegetable''.


    Even more miraculously, the loser survives, only to die three years later.


    There is some fighting instruction in the book, and the scale is huge, with Felix even seeing how to incorporate a curse within a normal charm.


    New tricks to acquire!


    It''s nearing noon when Felix stepped out of the library to enjoy his lunch.


    On the other side, Hermione hesitated slightly before decisively followed.


    "Professor! Professor Hap."


    Felix stopped in his tracks, "What can I do for you, Miss Granger?" He didn''t tell Hermione the fact that she was already the only candidate for an assistant, learning more wasn''t a bad thing.


    "It''s like this, I read in a book that some exceptionally gifted wizards can hear things that others can''t, is that true?" Hermione asked as she calmed down her breathing.


    Felix looked stunned, Chief K? But he quickly dropped the thought that didn''t ring a bell.


    "Can you be more specific, you''re giving too broad terms."


    Hermione considered carefully, seemingly organizing her words, "It was a short story about a young wizard and ... his father, transcribing material in a castle, and then the young wizard suddenly heard strange words, and his, father! But didn''t hear anything at all."


    Strange, why did Hermione always pause on the word ''father''?


    The thought flashed through his mind and Felix pondered it carefully before replying, "There are a lot of little stories that are actually made up, so what you were told isn''t necessarily true, but we can discuss it for now."


    Hermione nodded cheerfully.


    "The first possibility is that the young wizard is lying, and he''s trying to use this to gain his father''s attention, something that is very common in the Muggle world;" Felix began by stating the answer he thought was the most likely.


    Seeing Hermione trying to answer, he shook his head, "The second possibility, is that they are making a recording of some dangerous grimoire, be aware that some ancient magical scripts contain enchantments or have been specially tampered by their former owners, and dangerous consequences could easily result from unqualified people touching them."


    Looking at Hermione thoughtfully, he added, "There are quite a few of these books in the Forbidden section of Hogwarts."


    They were all locked up with magical chains, though, and strictly forbidden for young wizards to peek at - unless you had the professor''s signature written in his own hand.


    "A third possibility," Felix raised his volume slightly, "is that the young wizard has awakened some talent, such as prophecy, perception, or a sudden mastery of some language."


    "Can you elaborate on that, Professor?"


    "Well, as you know, some young wizards have special talents, such as animal affinity, or a natural talent for casting spells without a wand, and a rarer one is the gift of prophecy, which Professor Sybil''s elders seem to have ... Oh, and Sybil is a professor of divination classes, you might be taking one of her classes."


    "As for the gift of language, it is often related to their ancestors, if their ancestors mastered a mermaid language, this gift may be passed on to the next generation, or it may suddenly appear in the bloodline hundreds of years later."


    Felix gave a random example, "The young wizard in your story, for example, may well have had an ancestor who spoke the rat language, and he just happened to overhear a certain chatty, ratty gentleman chattering that day."


    Hermione remained in place until Professor Hap''s figure left, thinking. Could it be that Harry''s ancestors had an odd wizard who spoke rat language?


    She became somewhat confused.

 Chapter 23 - 23 A Snake Tongue, A Diligent Hermione

    " This, can''t, can''t be!"


    Harry argued irritably when Hermione relayed Felix''s words to Harry and Ron.


    He didn''t want to admit that he had an ancestor who knew rat language!


    Harry felt like he''d had a terrible first week of school. Being confined for driving across Britain, being forcibly assaulted by Lockhart, a crazy encounter with photography enthusiast Colin, plus heavy Quidditch training ...


    And with his confinement yesterday, he had to write back to Lockhart''s fans, one letter after another, endlessly, for four whole hours!


    That wasn''t the worst of it, in Lockhart''s office he heard the disconnected voice, "Kill thee ... rip ... die ... "


    When he told both this morning about it, they looked as if he had finally gone mad. And then Hermione volunteered to ask Professor Hap about it, and the answer she got broke him down a little.


    " Well that''s not always the case mate, I''ve heard rumours of something like that." Ron whispered, pulling a fat mouse out of his pocket, this one looked a little shriveled up, "You could try it, by talking to Scabbers!"


    Ron held Scabbers in his hands and handed it to Harry with anticipation in his eyes.


    Harry had to lower his head and meet the mouse''s eyes, "Can you understand what I''m saying?"


    Scabbers rolled his eyes and turned sideways without looking at him.


    "Harry, don''t use the human tongue! You just spoke in human tongue." Ron said.


    Harry: "..." I know what you mean, but can you be more civilized for a change.


    He tried a dozen times more and the rat didn''t respond a bit, "No!" He breathed a huge sigh of relief.


    Fortunately, things hadn''t gone in the worst possible direction.


    Hermione looked at the farce that had just happened and spoke up to warn, "Harry, Professor Hap was just giving an example, there are other possibilities."


    Ron, however, disagreed, "What else could be in the castle besides rats? It can''t be bugs, right?"


    The conjecture was even more terrifying, and Harry''s body shuddered as he quickly turned on his mind and searched his brain, trying to divert the topic.


    "Maybe it''s a snake!"


    " Snake?"


    Ron and Hermione fell silent for a moment, both of them looking at each other with a strange expression.


    "You mean, you can talk to snakes?" Ron swallowed heavily.


    Harry didn''t notice this, he got excited now and recounted his experience of visiting the zoo and talking to one of the snakes in it before he started school.


    "A python told you that it had never been to Brazil?" Ron''s voice sounded very weak.


    "Is there anything to that? I bet there are many people who could have to do that! It''s what Professor Hap mentioned, that ... talent!"


    Ron didn''t say anything and Hermione whispered, "Harry, talking to snakes is the hallmark of Salazar Slytherin. The ability is called Parselmouth, which is why the symbol of Slytherin House is a snake."


    "But I''m not." Harry was somewhat confused. But then he suddenly remembered that during his first year sorting, the Sorting Hat had strongly recommended that he should choose Slytherin House, and the thought of that made Harry shut his mouth tightly.


    "It''s okay, mate." Ron patted him on the shoulder in mock relief, "Pureblood wizards often intermarry with each other, maybe you''re a great-great-great ... grandson of Slytherin."


    Seeing that Harry showed no sign of relaxing at all, he added in a whisper, "Really, if you really want to get down to it, most of the pureblood wizard families can be related, and I''m still related to Malfoy."


    "You and Malfoy?" Harry was shocked.


    Ron shrugged, "There are only so many pureblood wizards out there, it''s normal for them to intermarry with each other. If you ask me, the true purebloods would have been long gone, they wouldn''t have been passed down until now if it isn''t for the intermarriage "


    Harry finally calmed down.


    "Harry, it''s best not to say a word about this to the outside world," Hermione suggested.


    Harry nodded, to his death he wouldn''t say a thing, he didn''t want to be related to Slytherin.


    And Hermione brought the conversation back on track, "Since you''re a Parselmouth, the sound you heard the other day was most likely a snake, probably it was moving along a gap in the wall."


    "But I heard it saying things like death, killing, and tearing apart to pieces."


    "Maybe it was hunting at the time? You know, just chasing some rats, little bugs, whatever." Ron speculated.


    Without proof, the trio had no choice but to let it go.


    It wasn''t that big deal anyway!


    "Hermione, how''s your thesis coming along?" Harry asked.


    "Oh no!"


    Hermione exclaimed and quickly left, leaving the two dazed in their places.


    "Has Hermione been reading herself silly lately? It''s the first time I''ve seen her in this state." Ron said.


    Harry shrugged.


    Library.


    Hermione was alone occupying a large table filled with thick books, a sheet of parchment in front of her, of which she''s furiously scribbling away.


    It would probably be an all-nighter today, with less than ten hours before the library closed.


    Come on, Hermione! She cheered herself on.


    She had only read twelve books so far, and she had only read them in general, skimming through them and remembering no more than fifty percent of them, which was a far cry from her usual habits, and she hadn''t even memorized them.


    Not only that, but she had to give up her reading habits for the sake of her thesis. But she had decided that when she finished her thesis, she would review this list of books and memorize them all.


    She flipped through the pages with a clatter, all the while jotting down appropriate arguments and justifications with madness in which she didn''t even notice Mrs Pince walking past her several times.


    She stayed until closing time when she finally finished 16 books and staggered back to the common room with the remaining four, and the thick parchment, yawning.


    Tonight, she was going to struggle along with the books.


    Pushing open the door to the common room, the other young wizards had already gone back and only two remained.


    "Harry, Ron?" Hermione was somewhat surprised.


    "Hi, we didn''t see you at dinner and thought you shouldn''t be gone and brought this for you." Ron gestured to the table in front of him, on top of which was food wrapped in parchment, which soaked right through the outer layer and oozed with an oily stain.


    Hermione covered her mouth, forcing herself not to burst into tears.


    Harry chuckled, "We can''t help with the thesis, and this is all we can do. Come on, Hermione, you''re the smartest person I''ve ever known in my life."


    Hermione nodded heavily.


    The two of them left and Hermione opened the parchment, inside were two pies, which she gobbled down.


    She was alone in the quiet common room.


    The next day, Monday, Hermione was in a trance all day, and nearly made Harry the object of her transfiguration while practicing transfiguration.


    By noon, she had to make a trip to the infirmary.


    There was no second period in the afternoon, and she intended to finish the last two books - having stayed up all night, she had finished her thesis, but she always thought that she must finish them all, and perhaps it would help to add something new to her thesis.


    But she was so tired that when Harry finished Quidditch practice, he found Hermione asleep in the common room.


    "Hermione, Hermione?"


    "Harry?" Hermione''s eyes opened sleepily, her hair getting more bushy and ruffled looking.


    She quickly woke up and let out a squeak, "What time is it Harry, what time is it?"


    "Half-past eight, Hermione." Fred, who had also just finished training, replied, "I''ll never forget that bastard Wood, our first weekend of school we trained until half-past eight. And starting the second week, he pushed it even further."


    On the sidelines, Wood had a dark look on his face, "I''m still here!"


    He wasn''t the only one, the members of the Gryffindor team were all here, covered in mud and too tired to speak.


    Hermione jumped up at once and hurried out the door, not taking more than a few steps before turning back, sorting her parchments on the table quickly, mouthing the words, and confirming that they were in order before tugging up her book bag and quickly disappearing from sight.


    "What a hard-working, studious girl.." Player Angelina commented.

 Chapter 24 - 24 Thesis

    The office of the Professor of Ancient Magical Texts.


    Felix had finished his work for the day. He had three classes today, but half of them were allocated to tests, which he termed as " a way to keep track of the students'' learning ", a term used in his previous life, called " Diagnostic Assessment ".


    Diagnostic assessment is defined as an evaluation of a student''s current level of progress at the beginning of a term or a semester.


    It is quite apt for this purpose.


    The other half of the class is spent reviewing what has been taught. This was a huge disappointment for the young wizards, who thought they would have the opportunity to continue the magic golem battle.


    Luckily, the professor told them that they would see them in his next class and there was an extra reward for their good conduct.


    Felix was watching a film in his office and with great attention He watched it.


    Thump, thump, thump!


    A quick knock on the door interrupted his entertainment time, and he opened it to see an out-of-breath Hermione.


    "Professor ... sorry, I ... phew ... I fell asleep and missed the... ...time!"


    Hermione''s chest rose and fell violently, her face suffocating and a thin layer of sweat dampening her hair.


    Looking at the young witch''s desperate look, Felix told her to take it easy and led her into the office.


    "Please sit down."


    Hermione sat down obediently and, as in hindsight, noticed the film being projected on the wall in front of her.


    She swung her head from side to side and quickly saw a projector.


    Hermione became a little confused, am I still awake? Aren''t muggle items unusable at Hogwarts?


    But she didn''t dare to move, so she could only watch the projection, and after a few minutes of watching it, she found that, eh, it is quite good.


    The film was about a princess who visits Rome and accidentally meets a journalist. You could tell the film was a bit old, but the story was so well-told that you couldn''t help but get immersed in it.


    Just in time to see a sequence where the princess smashes a violin over the jerk''s head.


    Hermione couldn''t help but laugh.


    Then she heard the footsteps and immediately curbed her smile and sat upright.


    Felix had a drink in his hand and handed it to her, "It''s butterbeer, I''ve added a little cheerio and a beauty sleep potion, they''ll give a little help and allow you to sleep well when you get back."


    "Thanks, Professor Hap." Hermione took a sip, it tasted a little odd but not unpleasant. She found her spirit lifted and the exhaustion of the past week swept away.


    Remembering what she was here for, she quickly opened her book bag, pulled out seven sheets of parchment, and handed them to Felix, "Professor, here are my thesis."


    Felix took the thesis and read it while he waved his wand without looking up and several plates of small snacks flew to Hermione, "You can eat and watch a film first, you probably haven''t had time for entertainment these days."


    Hearing Felix''s words, she realized with a jolt that she had once again missed her supper and at the moment every cell in her body was complaining to her.


    She flushed slightly and took small bites of the snack, glancing now and then at the professor who was concentrating on her thesis, and quietly speeding up as she saw that he had no intention whatsoever to look up.


    Before she knew it, she had finished her butterbeer and eaten all three plates of snacks, and the film had come to an end.


    The feeling of fullness made Hermione''s mood pleasant again.


    She craned her head to look at the professor and found that he had finished reading her thesis and now in the middle of reading a book with great interest.


    "Professor, I''m sorry ..."


    Felix looked up with a smirk in his eyes, "I thought you quite liked the film."


    Hermione: "..."


    "Well, let''s talk about your thesis." Afraid of the little girl''s thin skin, Felix hurriedly changed the subject as he picked up Hermione''s thesis and praised her, "A very excellent thesis."


    "Logical, smoothly written, and with references to eighteen books, every supporting evidence was just right ..."


    Hermione hung her head, a little embarrassed by the compliment.


    "Congratulations, you are now my assistant." Felix stood up and walked over to her.


    Hermione''s eyes blossomed with a radiant glow, "Really? Ah! Professor, I''m, I''m so excited."


    "You deserve it," Felix said gently, "You''ve worked so hard for this, far beyond my expectations, to be honest."


    Hermione wanted to cry, she had a tough week.


    "As my assistant, you are bound to put some extra time aside in the future ..."


    "Professor, I''ll try!"


    "No no, you misunderstood me," Felix smiled, "something has to be given when something has to be taken. For that reason -"


    "Gryffindor plus fifty points, each term."


    ...


    Hermione returned to the common room a little dazed, Harry and Ron were playing wizard''s chess and the twins were curled up in the corner with a piece of parchment in their hands, muttering something.


    A number of the young wizards looked up when they saw Hermione enter, the gossip travelled fastest, and they already knew that Hermione was likely to be that new professor''s assistant.


    And Felix, who had just finished his Open Class, was now in the limelight.


    Harry hurriedly leaped to his feet, and casually brushed the pieces aside, "Hermione, how did it go?"


    "Hey! I''m about to take the general." Ron muttered in displeasure, though his mind wasn''t on the board either.


    "I did it," Hermione announced the result straight away.


    "Yoo-hoo! Hooray for Gryffindor''s Miss Know-it-all! She''s become the youngest teaching assistant at Hogwarts!" The twins cheered, and they both put their hands behind their backs as they scurried around the common room in a mock aeroplane stance.


    A few fireworks went off with a bang and the common room was in a sea of joy as the young wizards came together to give their blessings to Hermione, ignoring her whispered explanation that "she isn''t a teaching assistant, but an assistant".


    The twins quietly disappeared for a while, bringing back a large bag of all kinds of food to add to the joyful atmosphere in the common room.


    Halfway through, they brought Professor McGonagall to the table, who pursed her lips and seemed to be wondering how many points to deduct from the Gryffindor.


    "Professor McGonagall, we''re celebrating Hermione becoming a teaching assistant." The twins hurried to explain.


    Professor McGonagall gave Hermione a quick glance and couldn''t help but smile when she saw her nod. "That would be fine ... but ... you guys need to keep your voices down too." Professor McGonagall quickly compromised.


    "This is your thesis?" Professor McGonagall looked over the cheering crowd to the parchment in Hermione''s hand.


    "Yes, Professor McGonagall."


    McGonagall picked up the parchment and counted the number of sheets in surprise before quickly reading it.


    It had both Hermione''s original text and the annotations added by Felix.


    Professor McGonagall flipped through it quickly at first, but soon slowed down. Although Hermione''s paper was more akin to some sort of overview, it was very concise and clear, nearly recapping the entire development of the ancient magical texts.


    Basically, anyone who read this thesis of Hermione''s would have a more comprehensive understanding of ancient magical texts.


    "A very brilliant paper, I think it qualifies for publication in a magazine."


    " I''m still a long way off, Professor Hap has helped me revise a lot of it," Hermione whispered.


    Professor McGonagall was also a little speechless; in her eyes, Hermione''s thesis was already very good, but the fact that Felix had managed to come up with more corrections showed how accomplished the brilliant graduate was at ancient magical texts.


    Felix''s comments, however, were not so much a fault-finding remark as a remark along the lines of "Suggest reading page 172-174 of the History of Ancient Magical Texts to deepen your understanding", which in fact meant that Hermione had not thought deeply enough.


    "He''s too harsh." Even Professor McGonagall, who was known for her harshness, couldn''t help but side with Hermione.


    "Professor Hap considers me as qualified, and his annotations are what I''m going to do in the next stage," Hermione explained.


    Professor McGonagall nodded at this and looked at the thesis, the more she looked at it, the more she loved it.


    "Tell you what, when you''ve revised your thesis according to Professor Hap''s annotations, I''ll pass it on to a friend of mine for you, it might have a chance of being published."


    The young witch looked like she was worshipping the big shot.

 Chapter 25 - 25 Lecture Time!

    The next morning, when the young wizards got up in the morning only to find that Gryffindor had added fifty points to their House points at once, leading the House Cup, there were many inquires about what had happened yesterday.


    And so it was announced that Hermione had become the new Ancient Magic Professor''s assistant.


    Gryffindor was naturally the proudest, and the other houses were inevitably a bit sceptical that a second-year student who had just started school could be the professor''s assistant?


    Was there some kind of inside story here?


    So there followed a very nasty scene on the pitch when Draco Malfoy called Hermione a "mudblood" and Ron, in a fit of rage, used his "half-ruined" wand to inflict a curse, but it hit him instead.


    Hermione felt very upset, but Hagrid reassured her, "He must be jealous, that wicked boy! Our Hermione could write a difficult thesis, yet they couldn''t think of one!"


    But soon the tide changed. This was because the professor of Ancient Magical Texts had released an extremely long thesis to be distributed as supplementary study material to every young wizard who had taken the Ancient Magical Texts course, including seventh years.


    This paper, naturally, came from Hermione''s work.


    Numerous senior students tried to find an omission in it, but at their level, they could not find a single error.


    It is not that Hermione''s level of ancient magical texts surpasses that of the seventh graders; she hasn''t even begun to learn them yet. Rather, it was that she had, almost single-handedly, reorganized the history of ancient magical texts, the directions of research, the major achievements, and the theoretical schools of thought, and she had brought the material up to date to the last year.


    No one has bothered to do this work for nearly thirty years, and as a result, all those who study ancient magical texts have an outdated version of the history of ancient magical texts at their fingertips.


    That is what made this Hermione thesis so valuable.


    Several professors expressed their fondness for this thesis on different occasions, notably Professor Filius, who nearly fainted with enthusiasm in class.


    And so all the controversy came to an abrupt end. Especially after Hermione''s reference list was "kindly" shared by a Gryffindor student, the debate has now changed from "Hermione is a bully" to "the new professor is a sicko".


    It''s not too much to say that a second-year who reads twenty books and writes seven sheets of parchment in a week is a "pervert".


    Countless young wizards who had chosen the ancient magical texts trembled.


    Professor Felix Hap felt his reputation had been tarnished.


    Even Professor Snape followed suit when he mocked Neville in his recent Potions class by saying, "With your intelligence, I would sincerely advise you not to take Ancient Magic in your third grade, you''ll make the professor think he''s teaching a troll."


    Felix''s Ancient Magical Texts course, as well, is starting to get on track.


    Fourth-year class.


    "Welcome to the classroom of Ancient Magical Texts, this is our first class." Felix looked down at the young lions and the young snakes.


    In it, there were two other familiar figures, the Weasley twins.


    "I don''t want to spend too much time repeating the significance of this class, some of the information I have already revealed in advance in the open class."


    "You need this class if you aspire to trace the glory of wizards as they once were, and to decipher the mysteries of ancient wizards'' magic from murky magical manuscripts;"


    "You need this course if you aspire to create mysterious artefacts of alchemy, to reproduce the relics of magic that belong to legends and fairy tales;"


    "If you wish to study the true meaning of magic, to uncover the greatness and glory that belongs to the wizard alone, you need this course as well."


    Felix watched the young wizards'' expressions closely and felt slightly satisfied to see them involuntarily rise in solemnity; it seemed that this opening statement could be delivered a few more times.


    "But it will all start with the basics."


    On the podium, Felix waved his wand and a suitcase opened abruptly, from which dozens of magical golems flew out and landed precisely in front of the young wizards.


    "Cool!" The twins looked at each other and exclaimed in unison.


    The other young wizards also excitedly grabbed the magic golems and held them in their hands, playing with them over and over, while many others pointed their wands and tried to get them to move.


    "Given that third and fourth years are the least bothered about exams, our lessons will be mainly practical."


    There was a cheer at the bottom.


    Felix waited for a moment, letting the young wizards toss the magical golems in their hands as they pleased, before continuing, "I think some of you have noticed that the magical golems you''re holding can''t move."


    He smiled mysteriously, with a certain mischievousness, "- in a sense, they are half-baked."


    The young wizards looked at him dumbfounded.


    "That''s right, half-baked, these magic golems are missing some key magic texts at the magic nodes - Connection, Consistency, Balance, Coordination - these are the four practical types of magic texts you are covering this term, and there are 27 altogether."


    "Once you have mastered all of them, you will then be given a true magical golem."


    "Plus, of course, 482 theory-based magic texts, and that''s all of you will be learning this year," Felix added.


    One of the twins shouted, "Professor, hurry up and let''s get started."


    Felix gave him a satisfied look, not bad, he''s a funny guy. "In today''s lesson, I will explain the four magical texts involved in the role of the Connection, and if you can successfully master them, you will be able to make your magical golem active."


    "Move?"


    "The basic movements, such as punching, kicking, rolling, etc."


    "Professor, can you teach more?"


    "Of course ... I can''t."


    The young wizards then stayed focused on class like never before, each trying to master the four magical texts as quickly as possible, yet only Fred Weasley succeeded partially by the end of the class - his golem could keep swinging its right arm, but only its right arm.


    " Plus ten points for Weasley."


    Near the end of class, Felix began to assign homework.


    "The homework is to practice today''s four magic texts, and the magic golem you have in your hands is temporarily placed in your care for you to practice with."


    "I hope that in the next class you will all be able to master these four magic texts."


    George raised his hand, "Professor, what if the magic golem breaks?" There is a point where he wanted to take the thing apart for imitation.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve applied some protective magic."


    Felix said again as if being kind -


    " Under the protective magic, your magic will only stay for half an hour, so, you know, practice a lot."


    The young wizards who were still packing up their things looked dumbfounded and turned their heads to look at the friendly-faced professor.


    But this was nothing for the extremely skilled twins; their focus was on the other side. Fred asked, "Professor, will you be teaching a new magic text in the next class?"


    He couldn''t wait to refine his own magical golem.


    "It depends on your overall progress." Felix''s attitude was ambiguous. In fact, of course not, the next class and the next after are theory classes, so be a good boy and go translate the text for me.


    Do you really think I would be tending sheep, what about the assessment?


    Felix''s strategy was to get the little wizard in first, then he could do whatever he wanted.


    "By the way, I will conduct a test, both theoretical and practical, before Halloween. The one with the highest combined score will receive a magical golem made by my own hands," Felix whispered, "an upgraded version of this."


    "Now, class dismissed!"


    ...


    The same strategy repeated over the next few days, and soon the young wizards in the third and fourth years were like they had been pumped up and were feverishly studying the subject of ancient magical texts.


    After class, there were lots of hand-me-downs and wands to gesticulate at the golem.


    This enthusiasm climaxed when Fred Weasley gave a public tap dance performance with a magic golem on Friday before the Transfiguration class began.


    Professor McGonagall wasn''t too happy though and gave two points off for Weasley.

 Chapter 26 - 26 Duel With Commentary

    Professor Hap had a different attitude towards the fifth and seventh-year students.


    He waved his wand and handed out a sheet of tests papers to the students, which were from their last course.


    Felix stood on the stage without speaking, but a low pressure had settled over the young wizards.


    They were seventh year students who had been " schoolmates " of the professor for three years, especially when they had first enrolled here and Felix was in his fifth year.


    What did he do in his fifth year?


    Well, he invited a certain Shafiq family to a duel, so these students were all badly shaken by the fact that they had witnessed the most vicious side of this man right from the start.


    In the eyes of the young, naive first years, is that an invitation to a duel? It''s a death notice! And the kind that a whole family would send together.


    Felix fiddled with his wand, seeing that the atmosphere was pretty much set, and finally spoke up, "Here are your results from last session''s test, and to be honest, I''m a little disappointed, quite disappointed ..."


    "Marcus!"


    Marcus Flint shivered and stood up, "Teach ... Professor." Felix might not remember him, but he remembered Felix clearly because the " Shafiq " was seated next to him.


    As a pureblood, his father had asked that senior to look after him, and he had just started school when he ran into a major storm.


    He still couldn''t forget the way that spirited senior had fallen to the ground.


    Felix walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder, "The grades are a bit poor, do well from now on, I have my eye on you."


    "Yes ... Professor."


    What else could Marcus say, go back and study like hell!


    Felix very satisfied with this Slytherin''s attitude, after all, it was his own house, which was still very powerful.


    "Let''s start the lesson, there''s a little too much to cover today, so I''ll make it quick and you guys do these three sets of papers when you go back."


    "After all, your NEWTs exams are right around the corner this year ..."


    ...


    Saturday, Gryffindor common room.


    Percy looked exhausted, he had just finished his twelve-inch History of Magic thesis on the History of the Development of the Crucible and the History of Revolution, but there were six more subject assignments waiting for him - he had chosen far too many courses on his plate.


    Damn it, if this keeps up, there won''t even a time for a date!


    Hermione walked out of the girls'' dormitory clutching a large volume of books and saw Harry and Ron gathered around a table with seven or eight other young wizards at one side, seemingly looking at something amusing.


    She walked over there and the Weasley twins were there, in fact, they were dancing with their wands guiding two magical golems.


    She recognized these two golems, which happened to be the ones that Professor Hap had shown in the open class.


    To the silent music (that is, no music), a pair of half-foot-tall men and women embraced each other, dancing and wandering across the tabletop with lightning-fast steps - making it their dance floor.


    Lee Jordan is narrating the ''plot'': "And so, Fireboy and Icegirl fall in love, and the young couple become the envy of all. But it doesn''t last long, and their philosophies clash so badly that they simply fought!"


    And Fred and George matched his narration, with Fred waving his wand first and Ice Girl kicked Fireboy in the face.


    "Oh! Ice Girl steals the lead and kicks her former lover a solid two ft. Is this how a once monolithic vow dissipates?" Lee Jordan cried out in pain.


    Not to be outdone, George flicked his wand one after the other, and Fireboy jumped up and landed a hard punch to Ice Girl''s gut, followed by a kick that sent her flying far away.


    "At last, Fireboy wasn''t concerned, love is no match for a battle of philosophies! He had to strike, he moved, he moved, he finally kicked! Beautiful!"


    A little witch on the sidelines, "Boo!"


    Hermione looked around in amazement, you guys are excellent in this, and with drama too.


    After a few more minutes, Fireboy used a wave of quick punches to gain the upper hand and then took off with a kick, although he dropped in mid-air.


    Next, Ice Girl stood still for a moment in the process as well.


    " Out of power, out of power!" Ryan Thomas, who had grown up in the Muggle world, spoke uncertain words.


    Fred and George grabbed the golem and ran to the corner and began re-inscribing the ancient magic text.


    "Professor Hap is so harsh, only half an hour of activity for a single copy of the magic text is allowed to be supplied." Many of the young wizards vocalized about a certain professor.


    The crowd dispersed and the trio and Hermione re-found their seats.


    Hermione glanced at the twins who were in the distance, "They can do that already?"


    "It''s nothing, quite a few wizards have spent a lot of time on it." Ron explained, "Fred said that Cedric, from Hufflepuff, used to get up in the middle of the night and secretly practice in order to win the pre-Halloween exams and get the mystery prize."


    "There are also quite a few witches that don''t move an inch without hugging their magic golem all day."


    Hermione nodded, it was true that she had seen little witches hugging magic golems everywhere this week, "But that''s not Fred''s magic golem, is it?"


    Ron said casually, "He borrowed it from Angelina, to create a remix of that classic battle in the auditorium. But they''re still pretty close if you ask me, I mean, they''ve only just finished learning their first set of magic texts, and they need to master four more, it''s like collecting chocolate frog cards and putting all the pieces together to form a set ..."


    "Harry, you didn''t train today?"


    Harry grimaced, "Training is in the afternoon." It had just been two weeks, but he was already a bit overwhelmed.


    Ron suddenly "snorted" as he looked at Harry and Hermione and whispered, "I''m told that Wood has been having a headache with his Ancient Magic homework, and thanks to Professor Hap, Harry was able to have an easy day."


    "Difficult homework?" Hermione speculated.


    "No," Ron was holding back from laughing, " The professor''s sixth-year homework isn''t in translation though, instead of it''s about writing a thousand-word essay called ''My Summer Holiday Life''."


    Hermione had an inexplicable sense of familiarity.


    This style seemed to be common when she was in elementary school ...


    Professor Hap was also from a muggle background and did have a lot of life experience there, Hermione thought to herself.


    The three were chatting when Percy suddenly stood up, packed his things quickly, and left without looking back, carrying his school bag.


    It was time for his date!


    Watching Percy''s back, Harry looked at him thoughtfully, "He looks a bit irritated."


    Ron shrugged, "Percy''s taken too many classes, he passed 12 OWLs and tried to continue taking 12 courses this year, but Professor McGonagall persuaded him to drop part of them."


    The two men lamented a little and then looked at Hermione in unison, would this be what Hermione''s future looked like?


    Hermione ignored the two and settled down to read her book.


    Harry looked at the Ancient History of Magic book in Hermione''s hand and couldn''t help but ask her, "Didn''t you pass the test, why are you still reading this book?"


    Hermione turned the page, "Professor Hap wrote a bunch of annotations on my thesis, all of which were things I had to pay attention to, and besides, I found the Ancient Magical Texts to be quite interesting."


    "Quite interesting ..."


    The two academic scums looked at each other, every time they talked to Hermione about their studies, they felt like they were wearing the contraption around their necks that Hagrid had planted in his pumpkin in the field.


    So they played wizard''s chess on their own.


    By the afternoon, Wood leads the team out of the common room, and Harry had thought about asking what he was going to do about his ancient magical text homework, but eventually kept his mouth shut when he thought that even the end of the world wouldn''t stop him from training.


    On the way, he ran into Colin Creevy, who once again greeted him with a warm "Hello! Harry", to which Harry returned a feeble "Hello to you too, Colin".


    He had anticipated that the rest of the training session would be accompanied by numerous flashes and shutter clicks.


    Inside the castle, Ron was bored and had to do his homework.


    He glared at the blank parchment for half a day and finally folded a paper aeroplane with it, which ended up hitting Neville on the nose, causing him to let out a cry of pain.


    In the evening, after dinner, Hermione arrived at Felix''s office to report for duty.

 Chapter 27 - 27: Hermiones Journey Through The Magical Texts

    The ancient magic text professor''s office.


    Felix in the middle of grading assignments, a job so tedious it gave him the illusion of counting 1 plus 1 and repeating it hundreds of times. Luckily, he was completely liberated when he handed over this job to Hermione, who had just knocked on the door and was still unsure of the situation.


    "It''s mainly Year 5 and Year 7 papers, based on multiple-choice and translation of short sentences, and it''s relatively easy to mark - you just compare the correct answers and cross all the wrong ones."


    And Hermione lived up to her reputation as a school bully, quickly getting into the swing of it, and, well, she was very good at this type of work.


    Felix, on the other hand, looked over Hermione''s revised thesis - it was going to be submitted to Professor McGonagall for publication in an academic journal, and he had to keep a strict eye over it. But instead of simply and brutally modifying it straight away, he kept making comments and giving page numbers for references.


    He thought this approach would be more helpful in the case of Hermione.


    Half an hour later, the two had finished their work at about the same time.


    "Okay, let''s get to the point."


    While Hermione had been the one performing her assistant duties before, it was now up to Felix to fulfil his promise.


    The two sat face to face on the sofa with a small short table between them and Felix used his wand to conjure up two glasses of juice. He tried to get Miss Granger to relax, but she still seemed restrained.


    "I can see from your thesis that you already know enough about the history of ancient magical texts, even if you haven''t started studying it yet, but I can assure you that your progress will be very fast."


    "Professor, I am reading the Easy Introduction to Ancient Magical Texts and have also learned how to consult the Dictionary of Magical Texts and the Collection of Magical Charms, including the list of books you gave me earlier, though I do not fully understand most of them." The young witch sat up straight and quickly described her latest learning progress.


    Felix froze for a moment, "Very good, but I won''t spend much time discussing how to translate it with you, at most I''ll give you some advice."


    "You can begin around the year 900, the point at which Hogwarts is established; the four founders were all great figures who carried on the legacy of their predecessors, and they both translated many of the manuscripts of their predecessors and left behind a lot of research material that left future generations scratching their heads, which populated the earliest libraries."


    "However, that part of the material is now kept in the Forbidden Books section, with Madam Ravenclaw keeping it mostly intact, while most of the Slytherin material got lost, probably because he took his research with him in a fit of anger after splitting up with the other three ..."


    Felix unfolded a piece of history that kept Hermione listening, "But it could also be that what Slytherin researched was not suitable for the library, who knows."


    "I can approve book slips for you if you need them."


    Felix stood up and gestured for Hermione to follow him, and the two made their way to his workstation.


    "My research is not directed towards translation, but towards discovering the power of the magical texts themselves. Like this-"


    He picked up a palm-sized piece of chestnut wood on the table and injected magic into the carving knife, carving a single magical text into the surface of the chestnut. When the words were first written out, they quickly glowed a searing red, but soon died out and turned into dark lines.


    Hermione, seeing this for the first time, watched with awe while she searched her mind to try and decipher what the professor was doing, but came up with nothing.


    Felix finished carving the magical text and handed it to Hermione casually, "You can have a feel of it."


    She reached out and took the chestnut piece, without having to fondle it she sensed the magical fluctuations on it keenly, a warm touch came to her fingertips as she ran her fingers across the dark magic text.


    "The magic text can store magic for a short time, but if left untreated, the magic on it will last up to three days, and that''s with the properties of the chestnut wood itself stacked on top of it."


    Hermione nodded; chestnut wood, as a wand material, was quite good at carrying and conducting magical power.


    "There are quite a few solutions for this flaw, such as -"


    "You can thread them through and form circuits, thus greatly extending the retention of magic;"


    "Or you can apply special preservation magic;"


    "Or add storage and conversion circuits ..."


    Hermione''s little brain desperately tried to memorize, she couldn''t wait to pick up the parchment and write down every single word Professor Hap had said.


    The process of Felix''s explanation was also a process of reorganizing his own knowledge system. Unlike the previous three years when he had not had enough to eat, he now had too many choices to make and had to choose carefully.


    The lecture to the little witch was therefore incidental, and at the moment he was lost in thought, muttering, "But these means will only last, thirty to fifty years, and they will eventually decay with time."


    Why had the voice trailed off? Hermione quickly moved closer to the table and stretched her neck to listen harder.


    "Are the heroes and mythical creations just a speculation, or are they real?"


    "Were their mighty wizards?"


    "If so, those magical creations that have been passed down for thousands of years, how exactly do they manage to be immortal?"


    Watching the professor lapse into silence, Hermione speculated, "Maybe they provide a constant source of magic on their own."


    Felix laughed dumbly, "How is that possible, they aren''t living creatures."


    "And what about the Sorting Hat? The Sorting Hats have been around for a thousand years and can communicate with people and has its own intelligence." Hermione tried to give examples to support her speculation, "And the portraits of past Headmasters in the Headmaster''s office, I''ve heard Harry mention them."


    "Miss Granger, the portrait itself is a subtle magical artefact that carries a person''s thoughts. And as far as I know, a magical portrait cannot be sustained for long without regular maintenance, although this interval may last for decades ..."


    "But, Sorting Hat," Felix pondered for a moment, "I did overlook it, I don''t know much about it, perhaps I should reintroduce myself to it sometime?"


    "Well, Miss Granger, let''s stop our brainstorming tour there. Next-"


    Felix took the palm-sized piece of chestnut wood from Hermione''s hand, "Next I will thread these magical texts through so that they form a circuit, just watch."


    The work was quite delicate, and he carefully drew out the lines and connected them to each other, explaining as he did so, "This step is important, many alchemical creations have complex functions."


    Ten minutes later, he handed the chestnut piece to Hermione, allowing her to feel the difference between before and after.


    "I feel the magic flowing, there are fluctuations and ups and downs, it ... it seems to be resisting me," Hermione stated her feelings with some disbelief.


    It was a little incredible.


    Felix understood, "You say resisting because it is a rough half-finished piece in its own right now, with magical fluctuations spreading wildly, and you felt that."


    "Of course, it also means you''re very perceptive, you must have a great talent for the magic spell."


    Hermione''s face turned red.

 Chapter 28 - 28 "I Have Special Teaching Skills"

    Hermione inquired, "Professor, what does this magic circuit do?"


    Felix waved his wand and the chestnut wood piece floated up from her hand and flew into mid-air as the two looked at it as it moved.


    "There is only one burst magical circuit on this chestnut wood piece, it is quite unstable, if I guide it slightly, like this ..." he snapped his fingers lightly.


    "Bang!"


    The chestnut wood piece exploded violently, accompanied by a strong burst of fire and a boom that startled Hermione.


    Felix then demonstrated a few more magic circuits to Hermione, giving her the most basic understanding of an area of this professor''s research.


    "That''s all for today, tomorrow I''ll truly teach you about ancient magical texts."


    Before they knew it, it was half-past nine.


    Hermione returned to the common room to see Harry, dirty and tired, flopping across the table, fiddling with a chess piece as the "humiliated" knight kept jabbing Harry''s finger with his miniature Lance that he held in his hand.


    Ron was catching up on his Potion assignment, with three copies of the reference sheet laid out in front of him at the same time.


    When he saw Hermione return, Harry couldn''t help but ask, "How was your first day as an Ancient Magic Course assistant?"


    Hermione broke into a smile, "It was fantastic!"


    Ron got slightly curious about what her job entailed, "What did you do, did you grade papers?"


    "Well, I''m only responsible for some fifth and seventh year papers, mind it, not many sixth and seventh year students choose Ancient Magical Texts, and they are from all four houses together."


    Ron suddenly raised his eyebrows, "If I were you, I''d be sure to nick Slytherin''s paper points harshly."


    Hermione''s face instantly turned serious, "Ron, I have to take responsibility and accountability for my duties."


    Ron slumped on the table like a deflated ball.


    "Harry, what about you? How''s your Quidditch training going?" Hermione inquired.


    "Same as ever, especially with Fred and George scouting information from Slytherin and Nimbus 2001 being so fast you can''t see their faces." Harry looked pessimistic.


    There was nothing Hermione could do about it, the whole school had little faith in the first match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses were more interested in this match to see the power of Nimbus 2001 in action, so they could provide targeted training.


    The team''s morale was not high either, and Wood sneaked up to Harry and said, "Our brooms are no match for Slytherin''s, but if you''re fast enough to catch the golden snitch early ..."


    This made the pressure on Harry even greater.


    ...


    On Sunday evening, Hermione once again went to the office of the Professor of Ancient Magical Texts.


    From a distance, she caught a glimpse of Malfoy''s figure coming out of the office and Hermione hastily hid behind a pillar where she saw Professor Hap talking to Malfoy, who nodded his head repeatedly.


    She instantly had mixed feelings.


    Inside the office, Hermione sat quietly on the sofa and watched as Felix waved his wand and piled a dozen parchments on the table into the corner.


    Could it be Malfoy''s papers?


    Hermione''s head swirled with all sorts of thoughts, and she tempted to ask Professor Hap why Malfoy was here, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.


    As yesterday, Felix sat on the other side of the small low table, and in front of him lay about ten pieces of chestnut wood, each with a magical text inscribed on it.


    "Today we will formally study the ancient magical texts in practical form." He underlined the word "practical".


    "These ten magical texts have different symbolic meanings, for example, this one," he pointed to the first piece of chestnut wood, "represents the meaning of connection, which can be specifically expanded to connect other magical texts such as liquid form and flow, or general concepts of relative categories such as burst and stability. ..."


    "In practical application, I have found that its form can be morphed in seven ways, each applicable to ..."


    After an hour of continuous lecturing, Felix''s mouth went dry.


    "Next, let''s have a practical exercise."


    Seeing Hermione pull out her own wand, Felix smiled, "We don''t need a wand for our exercises."


    "I had talked to Professor McGonagall and there is a special teaching technique I have."


    Hermione looked a little confused, while Felix had leaned over and tapped his wand lightly against the young witch''s head while whispering an incantation under his breath.


    She suddenly felt her vision drift off, the furnishings in her office shaking and distorting like water, the colours blending together in a way that made her feel as if she were in an abstract painting.


    Soon, however, the distorted environment recovered at once.


    She discovered, to her surprise, that she and the professor were still sitting on the same sofa, but with the small low table between them as the dividing line, the whole room was divided in two, and the half of the room where the professor belonged was piled high with books of all colours, thousands of them.


    The books were divided into a dozen stacks that seemed to represent different categories.


    But the most eye-catching thing of all was the ancient magic texts dancing across the books, which were of various colours, bright red, emerald green, cypress green, and metallic lustre...


    Hundreds of ancient magical texts scurried around half the room like a little pixie.


    Hermione couldn''t help but stand up, and she glanced at Professor Hap, who gave her a slight wave to indicate that she could visit at her leisure.


    The little witch crossed the invisible barrier and an ancient magical text flew to her, Hermione couldn''t help but hold the little one up and let it bounce around in her hand.


    It wasn''t until the little one hopped away that she moved away somewhat reluctantly to view the book. She made her way through the pile of books, browsing through them as she went, while quickly scanning their names -


    An Exploration of the History of Ancient Magical Texts, An Exploration through Ancient Magical Texts, An Exploration of Ancient Alchemy, Principles of Magical Spells, Explanation of High-Level Magical Spells, Selected Transfigurations, The Book of Dueling, The Art of Dueling, Ravenclaw''s Manuscripts (Volume 1), The Illustrated Book of Dangerous Magical Creatures, Magical Abilities, Ancient Magical Texts Advanced, The Enchantment in Alchemy... ...


    There were so many, and all so big, that Hermione even saw a two-foot-tall book that was half a foot thick.


    Even as a studious child, she couldn''t help but feel ashamed of herself, and she secretly resolved to read this many books in the future ...


    She stepped over a high stack of books, avoiding the dark green curtains that fluttered without a breeze, and before her was a surprising pile of muggle books: Thinking Experiments, Secrets of the Human Brain, Analysis of Mind, A Selection of World Jokes ...


    She even found a full set of the Encyclopedia Britannica, a childhood favourite of hers!


    Aside from these more normal ones, there were seven or eight books stacked scattered in one corner of the room, constantly emitting a dark aura in all directions, and if one stared closely enough at them, one could faintly hear the wail of a little Wizard.


    This, couldn''t be a book about black magic, right? The young witch gaped a little as she stole a glance over her shoulder at the professor.

 Chapter 29 - 29 Thinking Room

    Felix obviously noticed Hermione''s gaze.


    "Oh, those are indeed books about black magic, but there''s an old saying? If you want to defend yourself against black magic, you have to have some knowledge of it. As far as I know, the Aurore in the Ministry of Magic specializes in teaching a little black magic."


    "But I rarely see ..."


    "Some wizards don''t use black magic, but that doesn''t mean they don''t understand it."


    Felix smiled gently at her, "I have travelled around the world for a year and I have to mention that black magic is indeed more effective when it comes to solving certain specific problems."


    Hearing Professor Hap''s explanation, she thought it over quickly and found the reasoning barely acceptable, but said with a stern face, "Professor, I would still advise you to use less black magic in the future, I read it in a book: black magic always creeps into you, leaving you unknowingly corrupted - -"


    "-- Many young wizards have gone astray in this way, and especially for the young wizards who are underage, black magic is a poison to the heart that is difficult to reverse," Felix said, following Hermione''s words.


    Looking a little surprised at the young witch, he winked, "I''ve read that book too."


    "But thank you for the advice."


    Hermione pursed her lips, looking like Professor McGonagall.


    Seeing his assistant puff up in anger a little, Felix changed the subject without a trace as he praised, "I didn''t realize you''d read so much, quite an accomplishment for your age."


    Following the professor''s gaze, Hermione then realized that the other half of the room - the side divided by the small low table, near her - surprisingly decorated in a completely different style.


    The warm sunlight shed a large, bright glow, and the light brown carpet and goose-yellow curtains gave it an extremely comfortable feel, with a small round table in the centre, on which were two pots of green plants.


    On the wall directly opposite the room is a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Inside are hundreds of neatly arranged books, and on the second shelf, from top to bottom, stand seven or eight photo frames, both of her family and Hermione''s from childhood.


    Close to the bookshelf is an ivory doorway.


    Hermione covered her mouth in surprise; this half of the space, surprisingly, resembled 70 or 80% of her room at home.


    She turned her head to look at Professor Hap, her mind full of doubts, which only this professor could now clear up.


    And Professor Hap did give the answer, "This is the world of thought, the abode of fantasy, call it what you will. Of course, none of this is real, we are just consciousnesses existing here."


    Hermione tsked as she stood at the junction of the two spaces, her eyes wide as she kept glancing from side to side, she waved her hand a little hesitantly, "So, this place is a joint construction of ours? Half of it represents your inner world and half of it represents mine ..."


    Felix gestured over his head, "Just a partial outer mapping and projection of our inner worlds."


    "And the deepest secrets of our innermost minds are behind the door entirely." He glanced at the ivory door before flicking his wand, and the dark green curtain behind him rolled up high to reveal a tall gateway.


    Hermione visibly relaxed; she had quite a few secrets that she didn''t want to reveal so easily.


    Harry''s Parseltongue, for example.


    "Professor, why have we come to this ... mindscape?"


    Instead of answering directly, Felix first introduced a part of his experience by saying, "After graduation, I first spent a year travelling around the world before settling in London and focusing on muggle studies."


    "Muggles are no less intelligent than wizards, and in many ways, such as logic, reasoning, and problem-solving methodology, are much better. And the more crucial point is legacy."


    "They pass on their knowledge, accumulating it from generation to generation, triggering qualitative change from quantitative change."


    "Wizards have the same legacy, like Hogwarts, but in terms of inheritance and development, it''s far worse."


    "It was by realizing this that I started reading Muggle books, and to be honest, being used to the moving pictures, it was a bit uncomfortable to read Muggle books."


    "Their research on the mind and brain caught my attention, and I discovered that they were way ahead of us in this area - which should have been a much more specialized area for wizards - after all, we have a range of memory magic, like the Obliviate, Legilimency, and the Occlumency."


    "But unfortunately, we only inherited the spells, not the philosophies of them."


    "So, I combined the Muggle knowledge and created a magic spell which, although it is still quite far from my intended vision, is perfect for what we are teaching today."


    "What does this magic do?" Hermione asked curiously.


    "Thought acceleration." Felix explained, "In here - I call it the Thinking Room - your thinking is sped up, and with the help of this place we get the illusion of time being stretched out. I can only manage to increase it by a factor of three to four at the moment, any higher would be dangerous."


    "Similar to this magic is the Baruffio''s Brain Elixir, although the two don''t behave exactly the same, the latter enhances the brainpower of the person taking it."


    Hermione''s eyes widened, "Professor, this magic is just amazing."


    Felix shook his head, "It''s not perfect at the moment."


    Seeing the professor''s reluctance to say more, Hermione began to practice carving ancient magical texts, using the chestnut wood pieces Felix had provided her with - one of the downsides of this magic, what you can''t understand, you can''t make it appear.


    For most of the next few hours, Hermione practiced on her own, with Felix giving some guidance at regular intervals.


    After seven thinking hours.


    Felix noticed that Hermione''s face was covered in sweat and her figure was fading, looking somewhat like a transparent ghost.


    "Professor, I can''t concentrate, I can''t keep ... attention."


    "Well, it''s almost time, so that''s enough for today." Felix snapped his fingers and the next moment, the sky spun and the two of their minds were back to the common room once again.


    Felix''s wand was still resting on Hermione''s head when he suddenly stumbled and nearly fell to the ground after having been still.


    He pressed one hand to his forehead and waved his wand with the other, a vial of magic potion flying out of his suitcase.


    Under the command of his wand, the bottle of magic potion was quite self-conscious, not only opening the lid itself but also summoning two cups and pouring out a portion of the potion.


    On the other hand, Hermione had it worse, she collapsed straight on the sofa with a pained look on her face, as if she was going to pass out in the next second.


    "Drink it, it will ease your symptoms."


    Hermione reluctantly drank the magic potion.


    "Have a piece of chocolate." Felix shoved a piece of chocolate into her mouth again.


    It took seven to eight minutes for Hermione to get over it, and she kept whispering, "It''s horrible, it''s horrible."

 Chapter 30 - 30 Professor鈥檚 Admirers

    It took a whole bar of chocolate to bring Hermione back to normal, and although she looked rather tired, at least her intelligence went online again.


    "Professor, is this the downfall of the thinking room? It was as if I hadn''t slept for three days and nights, and then this exhaustion came rushing towards me all at once." She described how she felt.


    "That''s one of the drawbacks: it accelerates the consumption of your energy, and that consumption is constantly stacked." Felix explained, "You''ve just spent seven hours in the thinking room, but the level of exhaustion felt could be more than fourteen hours."


    With that Felix looked at her thoughtfully, "It looks like you will have to shorten your time in the Thinking Room in the future, I think three to five hours, twice a week, would be a more appropriate frequency."


    Hearing the professor''s desire to compress her study time, Hermione was about to retort out of habit, but the experience she just had made her heart palpitate, and she acknowledged Felix''s arrangement.


    Her attention quickly shifted to the magic she saw just now, and she asked curiously, "Professor, how did you come up with that magic, it''s simply amazing, I think the Ministry of Magic would award you a Merlin Medal!"


    Felix shook his head and said softly, "This magic is still very imperfect. I originally thought - it would give me hours, even dozens of hours, out of thin air, but in practice I''ve encountered far too much trouble."


    "The essence of this memory magic is that it makes you think faster, which is currently about -" he glanced at the clock, "three times faster or so."


    Hermione craned her head to stare at the clock too, with a very mixed expression, "I''ve been in the thinking room for seven hours and only two hours have passed in the outside world. It''s, like, a miracle!"


    How much time one would have been able to spend studying if others were to learn this magic as well!


    I suppose the side effects of the magic could be tolerated by very few people, though.


    And one would have to be assisted by Professor Hap ...


    Looks like she''s the lucky one, Hermione thought gleefully.


    Felix went on to explain, "The Thinking Room is not real-world, essentially, everything about it is made up from your perceptions. Do you realize what''s wrong with it?" Felix asked.


    Hermione thought for a moment, "It reflects our own perceptions of the outside world, which means - means, we can''t get the right feedback! No, I can obviously practice magic writing in there."


    The young witch''s idea behind the existence of the Thinking Room was that the wizard''s perception of the outside world made it impossible for him to "construct" something he had no idea about, such as - using the Thinking Room He can''t be able to brew potions, practice magic, or, of course, master magical texts.


    But again, this was contrary to her experience.


    Felix watched with interest as the young witch spun her brain around, thinking hard - Professor McGonagall''s assessment of Miss Granger was very apt.


    "That child has a great thirst for knowledge, and she has always been able to grasp the knowledge in books faster than anyone else. Of course, she may not be as gifted as you, but I suppose you are an exception ..."


    It is true that he is an anomaly, after all, he has a special advantage when it comes to practicing magic spells. And his view of the witch kept changing, from a familiar stranger to a recommended candidate for an assistant, to a hard-working academic overlord.


    True enough, as one of the three main characters of the original plot, this potential is rarely matched.


    And what kind of talent did the other two have? Felix''s mind spun.


    The clock ticked away.


    "Could it be because of your presence, Professor?" Hermione''s eyes lit up.


    Felix revealed the answer with an approving look, "I''m the one using the magic, so the thought room is constructed with my perceptions, at least for the most part. And that would mean-"


    "It means that your knowledge of ancient magical texts overrides my perceptions!"


    Hermione dawned on her, "Your understanding of ancient magical texts far exceeds mine, which is why I can practice ancient magical texts in your perception."


    In short, Felix was the creator of the thinking room and Hermione was his invited guest.


    Hermione followed this line of reasoning, "So this magic ... doesn''t seem to do much for the Professor."


    Felix shrugged, "It''s more or less useful. It has all the books I''ve read before, which allows me to quickly refresh what I''ve learned. Or it comes in very handy when I want to have a period of undisturbed reflection."


    In fact, Felix originally developed it as a form of combat magic - using it to gain superb dynamic vision and reflexes.


    Combined with his own level 6 Apparition Shift and Stupefy, it simply slipped through the cracks.


    This idea came to him in his fifth year, but he had no clue how to do it until he graduated.


    Compelled to keep a tube of magic potion with him at all times, he improved his reflexes by getting "high'', on drugs".


    It is only after he read a lot of research papers on the brain and mind in the Muggle world that he was able to make some progress, but unfortunately, it was used for teaching purposes now.


    A long way to go.


    Putting those thoughts aside, Felix advised her, "The Thinking Room is still not the same as the real world, and you will have to keep practicing over the next week to turn the illusory sensations into a genuine reality."


    Hermione is now in a state where she has been playing a VR game in which she has learned the skill called " frying ". If she started learning to cook when she got back to reality, it would be like having a tenfold experience on, but if she didn''t make any extra effort, that somewhat ''imaginary'' experience would quickly pass.


    Certainly not today, she was too tired.


    "Professor ..." Hermione bit her lip nervously, as if she had something to ask.


    "What?"


    "Nothing." Hermione swiftly said.


    She had seen Malfoy go out of Professor Hap''s office on her way here today, could it be that Malfoy was also getting help from the Professor to train in the Thinking Room? She wanted to ask the professor, but couldn''t find the right excuse.


    Perhaps Ron might know?


    Ever since the slug incident, Ron had been particularly concerned about Malfoy, especially the news of his downfall.


    After a ten-minute break, Hermione still looked a little sickly, but it wasn''t a big deal, so she''d just go back and get a good night''s sleep.


    ...


    Evening, Common Room.


    Hermione asked Ron about this and was surprised that he actually knew.


    Ron grinned widely, "He''s been confined by Professor Hap. It''s the third day. ... According to the story, Professor Hap thought he was disrespecting his classmates, so he punished him by copying books."


    "Copying books?" Harry asked curiously, very happy about his old rival''s downfall, and couldn''t wait to find out more details.


    "That''s right, the complete hand-copying kind. I overheard him complaining to Crabbe and Goyle about it, it is two huge books, stacked at least three inches thick, and he had to spend a month of his time on it."


    "What books?"


    "I caught a glimpse of it at the time, didn''t really read it, seemed to be Muggle or something." Ron frowned for a while, "Right! I remember, Malfoy made a comment at the time, complaining that books are written by Professor Hap that didn''t sell a thing and were only used as punishment for students."


    "Was it How Muggles Think and The Muggle Struggle: from a Million Years Ago?" Hermione blurted out the two book titles in one breath.


    Ron rubbed his head, "It seems to be ... but how do you know?"


    Hermione didn''t reply but stomped back to her dormitory, and within a few moments, she was carrying two books over.


    They were indeed big ... Harry thought to himself. Looking at the spines of the books, they were exactly the two names Hermione had mentioned.


    Ron''s mouth widened, "Hermione, don''t tell me that you used this as a pastime too."


    "You have a problem with that?" Hermione frowned forcefully.


    Harry took a book and flipped it through the middle, inside were large passages of text that made his eyes dizzy for a moment. "Hermione, do you even need to read these types of books? I mean, we grew up in a Muggle family."


    Hermione looked amused, "It''s still interesting to see the muggle world from a wizard''s point of view. And Professor Hap wrote a brilliant book, he discusses issues from a perspective that I would never have considered at all."


    Then she added hatefully, "What a bargain for Malfoy, if it wasn''t for Professor Hap, he''d never have read such an excellent book in his life!"


    Hermione didn''t mince her words in complimenting Felix, and the two boys looked at each other and silently exchanged remarks - Hermione''s object of admiration didn''t shift from Lockhart to this Professor Hap, right?

 Chapter 31 - 31Felixs Mental Journey

    Felix watched the young witch leave as he stood at the window, he could vaguely see through the darkness in the distance, a pair of young wizards sitting holding hands and enjoying a leisurely weekend.


    "The Age of Peace ..." he chewed on the word with slight emotion, it wasn''t until he returned to Hogwarts that he realized the effects of war as an afterthought.


    When the Dark Lord had wreaked havoc, Felix had been leading the older kids in the Muggle orphanage to beat up the punks from the school next door, and it was safe to say he had a happy time. And by the time he enrolled in school, the Dark Lord had been gone for almost a year.


    It turned out to be a very messy time in the magical world - Death Eaters busy trying to escape their sins, ambitious people eager to seize the power vacuum, victims constantly demanding compensation, and fugitives who were not happy with their defeat hiding in the gutter and plotting a comeback. None of this affected him, of course; it was the young wizards at Hogwarts who affected him.


    The pure-blooded families of the wizarding world at the time did everything they could to distance themselves from the Dark Lord, discriminate wizarding muggle family?, Absolutely not, But how they behaved at home, and how they educated the next generation, might have been a different story.


    It was in this situation that he enrolled in Hogwarts and-


    Shh! Keep quiet, look what we found, a muggle-born Slytherin! Let''s bully him!


    Well, that was the mental activity of most of the Slytherin students at the time.


    When the dinner was over and Felix was about to make friends with his roommates, a Slytherin said to him with a disgusted look on his face, "Go away, you vile mudblood!"


    Felix didn''t understand the meaning of the word until he subconsciously shot the other man with a Petrificus Totalus, I mean, whoops.


    Both sides were a bit confused at the time.


    Luckily, there was only one head of steel, the other two roommates had frighteningly low knucklehead values and if you ask one question they answered ten, so by the time he lay in bed that night he already had some idea of what his future held.


    He realized that this clash today would not be the end of events, but the very start of everything.


    What followed was as he had expected, but fortunately, in just one week he had fought to convince, yuck! He forced himself to make friends with the new students, who have said more than once in public that F¨¦lix is a good guy, not only talented but also helpful.


    He couldn''t beat the upper classmen for the time being, but with the professors and school rules in place, they wouldn''t cast a vicious spell on him. After all, a fight in the same year could be described as a frictional clash, but an attack by a senior against a junior would result in expulsion.


    And by the time he had shown his great magical talent, there weren''t many who still wanted to get involved with him.


    Needless to say, there was no shortage of smart people in Slytherin.


    But the danger didn''t only exist at school, Felix couldn''t remember how many death threats he had received during his school years, but he clearly remembered the first one was at his first year''s Christmas party.


    It was an anonymous yelling letter, and he guessed it was probably sent by the parent of one of the new students he had beaten up at the time.


    Still, he had cautiously stayed in school that year, by bonking a second-year Slytherin - and he couldn''t be blamed for that, they had made the first move, and he had just made the best out of it.


    But he didn''t expect the death threats to intensify, and at the beginning of his second year, a batch of red yelling letters flew at him, filling the auditorium with "Get out of Slytherin, you filthy mudblood!" Or "Don''t let me see you, or I''ll wipe out Slytherin''s shame with my own hands!"


    The young wizards at dinner were stunned, and Headmaster Dumbledore was particularly serious as he examined the remains of the roaring letter himself. But it was difficult to trace the source of such things; the owl was rent and the sound was disguised.


    Frankly, he was in a difficult position. He wanted to study magic in peace, but things never worked out the way he expected.


    Felix had to continue his plan of making friends, making more friends and fewer enemies. To do this, he had to suffer some misunderstandings - people who didn''t know the truth interpreted it as him striking out in retaliation.


    It wasn''t long before he approached a third-year Slytherin, who had developed a particular dislike for him and sent him to the school clinic for three weeks under the guise of "seeking guidance".


    He actively visited this friend afterward and was distraught at his "mistake", which was, after all, an accident!


    Professor, I''m really distressed, you want to deduct my points? Go ahead and deduct them, I can bear it ...


    Felix suddenly realized that if you want to get into trouble with Slytherin, it''s really easy, all you have to do is call their family rubbish in a place where no one is around.


    This fishing tactic was tried and proven.


    After a few times, the third year Slytherin succumbed - the most headstrong he encountered was still that roommate, but even headstrong as he was, he happily accepted his friendship after seven days of lying on the floor.


    In his third year, he put down the last stubborn seventh year Slytherin, and when it was done, there was a real sense of enjoyment in beating the odds and passing out with a full grade.


    But he was still afraid to step out of school; he still had to deal with the annual death threats.


    That''s why he spent the whole year desperately trying to gain two level 6 spells when his magic theory was only level 4!


    But it was worth it, as he was able to use his level six "Petrificus Totalus" and "Protego" to take out the seven idiots who tried to attack him over the summer in the fourth year, and who are still living in Azkaban!


    The next time he initiated a family duel at the beginning of the fifth year, it was no big deal to him, and none of the official duels took place - that Shafiq was simply picked up the next day.


    After that, he lived happily ever after until graduation.


    After graduation, Felix didn''t choose the Ministry of Magic or the Ancient Spirit Court as destinations, he wasn''t interested in working there.


    Good prospects? Good pay?


    Well, he could finally justify it by saying, I''m not interested in the money.


    He then wanted to stay in school, but unfortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore turned him down.


    "You''re young, travel more and see more, or work in peace for at least two years."


    Felix ended up choosing to travel the world, experiencing the magical customs of different countries like clockwork, especially the black markets of different countries, where there was no shortage of old magical manuscripts and alchemical artefacts, which he desperately needed.


    He also met some interesting (black) wizards as a result, and everyone covered their faces so that they didn''t judge a book by its cover, but rather each took what they wanted.


    When he meets some particular black wizards, he happily tests his magic ideas on them, and it must be emphasized here that he hasn''t ended any lives personally, but has created a bunch of idiots - hopefully, some of his friends and their family will take them back for treatment.


    His "thinking room" is also taking shape a little at that time.


    After his travels, Felix applied again for a teaching position at Hogwarts and was politely refused in return. However, it seemed that he was not interested in the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore suggested that he should live in the Muggle world for a while.


    Felix chose to accept. On the one hand, he thought it might be a "test" from Dumbledore, as he was not really a "professorial candidate" after all the things he had done at school, and on the other hand, he wanted to pave a way for himself as a scholar --This way, even if the professorial path did not work out, he could still communicate with other famous wizards.


    He was very confident about this. On muggle studies, there was one thing he could do in a heartbeat.


    He could write ten books on muggle research a year if he wasn''t afraid of shocking the jaws of the wizarding world. But in the end, he decided to be patient and make more sense of what he was doing.


    In the span of two years, his correspondence with Dumbledore had increased dramatically in frequency, with Felix constantly sending him a number of research manuscripts and the two exchanging correspondence on Muggle issues.


    This gave him hope that he would return to Hogwarts.


    Although midway through his third job attempt he failed again ... as he looks back on the journey, he still feels miserable. But from the correspondence, he realized that Dumbledore''s attitude had quietly changed.


    The next step is to publish a book and release it. His books received a lukewarm response in the marketplace, but were extremely informative in the eyes of professionals.


    The name Felix Hap was also given the title of "expert on Muggle research".


    Thanks to this, in the third year of his career, he was able to establish pen-pal relationships with many famous wizards, which benefited him greatly.


    He was also asked by the ministries of magic in some small countries to be head of their department that dealt with muggle issues, but he declined.


    Exactly three years after graduating, he finally received an offer of an interview at Hogwarts.


    It all begins here ...


    Felix stood at the window, watching the sun go down, a glimmer of afterglow clinging to the horizon.

 Chapter 32 - 32 Transition

    Time is gradually advancing towards October.


    One month into his career, Felix has settled into the intense teaching routine and has become comfortable with it.


    In Years 3 and 4, Felix ran a few practical activities in the classroom to stimulate their interest, and I have to admit that the young wizards are quite brainy, as they have only learned the first set of basic magical texts, i.e. they can manipulate the magic puppets to perform basic actions, but they were able to play with them.


    The girls'' "dance group" and the boys'' "blood combat" were extremely popular.


    Felix also discovered a talent called Cedric, a fourth-year student from Hufflepuff, who developed a wonderful idea for an enchanted use - passing notes in class.


    In History of Magic class, the lesson was probably really boring, so Cedric manipulated the golem to wander around the classroom and pass notes to his best friend. Several drowsy young wizards were stunned at the sight, and the magical golem bounced over to the feet of one young wizard - who was asleep and drooling.


    Cedric gave a small flick with his wand and the magical golem jumped up with a jolt, knocking its small fist on the little wizard''s knee.


    " Thud!"


    The sleepy little wizard suddenly woke up and subconsciously kicked out, and the magic golem took straight off, passing through Professor Binns'' body and smashing into the ground.


    Professor Binns, the only player at Hogwarts OZ, who had been immersed in his teaching world for decades, snapped in a rare fit of anger, "Rembert, disrupting class, ten points off for Ravenclaw!"


    The honest Hufflepuff stood up and stated that his name was not Rembert, nor was he a Ravenclaw, and he was then grounded.


    Such gossip spread through the school instantly, and by the next day, there were already those who couldn''t wait to try and replicate the feat, which was swiftly suppressed by a cadre of campus mobsters led by Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Filius.


    The twin brothers were unlucky enough to be deducted fifty points by Professor McGonagall, plus three additional weeks of confinement, for manipulating a magic golem into fighting with a lizard, a transfiguration prop, in Transfiguration class.


    At the dinner table, Professor McGonagall politely reminded Felix not to indulge his students, which led him to re-affirm in class that they should not practise the magic golem in any other class but his, or he would take back the teaching aids.


    The young sixth-year wizards were still struggling with their "handicapped" magical golems. They don''t have the same perfect teaching aids as Year 3 and 4, and they have to draw out 30% of the texts themselves.


    This makes Year 6 a very bizarre place to visit, as you can often see the oddball magical golem with disabled legs, crawling on their hands, and many young witches have to sign a series of unequal treaties - such as writing their homework for the younger students - in order to borrow their favourite golem from them.


    The fifth and seventh year students, however, have the most comprehensive range of magical golems, although theirs is a ''trial version'', judged by theoretical grades for the experience time, and not everyone can get their hands on one.


    At weekends, the students meet at various school locations, look at each other knowingly, and engage in a battle with their magic golems.


    The moves and tricks were so skilful that they had trained hard in private.


    Whenever this happened, a group of young wizards would quickly gather around them to watch and comment on the battle.


    Some of the first and second-year wizards, who didn''t have magical golems but were very keen on the subject, and a few from Muggle families, with serious faces, were analysing the strengths and weaknesses and trying to predict the outcome of the fight.


    "Who''s the strongest, it''s definitely Fireboy, who can stop him when he does his Phoenix transformation move!"


    "Ice Girl''s Ice Storm is also very strong, right, it directly freezes the opponent into an ice sculpture!"


    "Guys, I have to remind you that lightning is strongest when it''s in its natural state."


    "Hia, Hia, Hia ..."


    "But I do think that the slashing type of magic golem is really sinister." A second-year male wizard said, his words drawing unanimous agreement.


    Sudden flu swept through Hogwarts in early October as the temperature began to change drastically, alternating constantly between hot and cold.


    The young wizards lined up to check in at the school clinic, and Madam Pomfrey was kept extremely occupied, making a supply of the tonic that exceeded high demand - even though it would make one''s ears smoke and make them look a little funny.


    As Halloween approached, the professors'' lectures were routinely rubbing off the heat.


    Professor Filius inserted an unscheduled "Halloween special" in which he taught the young witches a spell to ward off spirits.


    Professor McGonagall''s object of transfiguration in class was a vampire mask, which students walked around wearing that day.


    Professor Snape''s lecture was unchanged: a conventional antidote to poison. However, he hinted in one class that he would "accidentally" drip expired poison into a student''s pumpkin juice at a Halloween dinner.


    Harry and Ron shuddered.


    Professor Hap, currently the most popular among the students, was no exemption to this. He presented a new creation to the class, a magical golem in the shape of a ghost doll, with a large head, a small body, a heavy black eye, and jagged teeth on its miserable white face.


    It looked ugly and cute.


    With a wave of Felix''s wand, the ghost doll opened its mouth and spat out a stream of black smoke, blackening the faces of the young wizards in the front row.


    "I said at the beginning of the school year that there would be a test before Halloween and that the first place in each grade would win a mystery prize. It can be revealed now - a magic golem from my private collection."


    "It''s limited, exclusive, and has upgraded power, so ... what are you waiting for?"


    "There''s still half a month to go, work hard!"


    The group of young wizards wailed as they reviewed the ancient magical texts.


    Hermione felt a little sorry when she heard the news, she was only in her second year and wasn''t allowed to take the test.


    But the ghost doll was something she had watched the professor craft, and it was the first time she had seen an Alchemy product go from nothing to something, from material to finished product. She had to take her assistant work back to the common room in order to earn the right to watch from the sidelines.


    The young wizards tsked at the sight of Hermione grading a thick pile of papers. A few of the Gryffindor ancient Magic scum (led by Wood) begged Hermione with a formal look on their faces to give them a pass.


    They were sternly refused by Hermione with a stern face.


    In just over a month, the young witch had already gained a certain amount of "prestige" throughout the school, especially among the senior students who had chosen Ancient Magic. Her elegant handwriting often appeared on their papers.


    Professor Hap''s handwriting, on the other hand, appeared much less frequently.


    Harry and Ron looked at the papers in her hand and were somewhat thankful that it was by no means easy to correct them, even though most of them were choices and short sentence translations.


    Hermione was enjoying herself, though, "I can learn a lot." She told the pair so, and with her memory, after marking a paper a few dozen times, it pretty much imprinted itself in her head.


    Was this the way of the schoolmaster''s realm? The young Gryffindor wizards looked at each other.

 Chapter 33 - 33Hagrid

    In mid-October, the flu that had plagued Hogwarts, instead of subsiding, had intensified, and even several professors had the misfortune of getting caught.


    Luckily, Felix had the foresight to get two bottles of tonic from Madam Pomfrey in advance and took a sip before class to avoid being infected by the untrustworthy little wizard.


    On Wednesday, Felix had a rare day off from class, so he walked out of the castle and followed a path through the greenhouse and past the beating willow to the forbidden forest warden''s hut.


    Just as he approached, a large dog barked, and Felix waited quietly.


    A man shouted twice at the big dog, "Fang, shut up!" Then turned his head to look at him, a measure in his gaze.


    "Professor Hap? You want something?"


    To his eyes, the professor dressed in fine, well-made clothes, with neatly groomed hair and clean-shaven beard, was a completely different person from him.


    "As a new professor, I suddenly realized that I hadn''t visited you yet, which, I must say, is very rude ..."


    "Is it?" Hagrid muttered, blocking the doorway, clearly not too interested.


    "I learned from Dumbledore that you are an excellent warden of the Forbidden Forest and are very good with magical creatures, and it just so happens that I am also very interested in these cute little guys."


    "Really? Ahem... I mean ..."


    Felix tapped his wand on the ring on his left index finger, and a thick book appeared in his hand with a silhouette of a group of animals on the cover.


    "This is my gift."


    Hagrid''s eyes fell on the group of animal silhouettes in various forms, and he stammered a little, "Ah, this, you''re too kind. I mean ... you don''t really have to ..."


    Hagrid stood frozen in place and waved his thick arm, "Come in, come in."


    Felix entered Hagrid''s cabin without difficulty, a standard bachelor thing as far as he could see, it looked disorganized, but everything was in its rightful place.


    It was only when Hagrid handed him a mug that he realized what a mistake he had made, this mug hadn''t been washed in days? It looked dirty!


    After chatting with Hagrid for a few words and noticing that he kept his eyes on the book, he naturally changed the subject to it.


    "Hagrid, I made this book myself, with a lot of thought, and I hope you''ll like it."


    Hagrid picked up the book with an open, large hand and flipped through the first page which showed a little animal with a tiger''s head, relying on its two hind limbs for support, its body standing upright and its two forearms hanging down over its chest in a wary manner.


    The next picture shows a scene in which this little fellow is fighting a lion. The little fellow is quite brave, not only showing no fear in the face of an opponent more than ten times its size, but attacking again and again.


    "What is this little fellow?" Hagrid''s eyes lit up at once.


    Felix glanced at the picture, "It''s a species of honey badger that is found in Africa, they are very brave and very intelligent."


    On the next page, there was a scene of a honey badger sparring with a different animal, and Hagrid was so fascinated that he kept flipping forwards.


    One novel creature after another appeared before his eyes, and it was as if a new world had opened up to him.


    Halfway through, he looked up, a little puzzled, "Professor Hap, I haven''t seen many of these animals, they don''t seem to be magical creatures."


    "That''s right, you''re an expert on magical animals, you''ve seen more than me in this area. It''s a good thing I worked in the Muggle world for two years and saw a lot of interesting creatures that may not have magical traits, but still have fascinating characteristics by virtue of their unique physiology and habitat ..."


    "I have compiled some of these from various Muggle books, films and videos to complete this magic book."


    Hagrid, obviously aware of the effort that had been put into this gift, muttered in a small voice, "This is too expensive, too expensive."


    Felix smiled, "Hagrid, you''re welcome, I have a similar gift for each of the professors. And-"


    "I do have a small favour to ask you."


    "What is it?" Hagrid asked cautiously.


    "I need some unicorn hair, not too much ..." Felix looked a little embarrassed.


    "Oh, that''s it, it''s easy." Hagrid relaxed as he leant forward and tugged a furry, dirty mat over from the side.


    "Here, I''ve got plenty of this stuff if you don''t have enough, the little unicorns change their fur several times before they grow up, and I help tidy it all up."


    Felix froze a little as he took the floppy mats, which looked like they were suffering under Hagrid''s bum, no less.


    Hagrid added, "Unicorn hairs, although they contain magic, not every one of them has the kind of magnitude to make a wand, they were picked up by that old man Ollivander, you know, he has a partnership with Hogwarts and will give discounts to new students ..."


    The two then engaged in a conversation about magical creatures, and Hagrid discovered, to his surprise, that the professor wasn''t telling lies, not like a certain self-absorbed professor at all.


    Professor Hap knew a lot about some magical creatures, one could even say that he knew many things that he himself was unaware of.


    For example, the Sphinx can be put into a state of confusion or reflection by saying just three riddles before it meets you.


    For example, when encountering a dwarf pig monster, he can use his magic to transfigure a stone, and they are particularly afraid of dogs with pure white fur.


    For example, man-eating giant ogres are afraid of bright lights ...


    Halfway through, this professor also provided butterbeer and special cakes, and the two had a good time.


    It was already a little dark when Felix walked out of Hagrid''s hut.


    He saw a small red-haired witch by the path, who seemed to be an in bewildered state of mind, and was shooed back to the castle.


    The next day, Felix traded a few branches of beating willow and a small pot of devil''s net from Sprout, the professor of herbalism class.


    The former was a highly valued material, often used to make wands and very vital in the boiling process of a range of magical potions, but thanks to Harry and Ron - who had driven their car into a beating willow at the beginning of the school year - it was currently quite abundant.


    Office.


    Felix looked at the materials on his workbench: a dirty mat, a few black branches seven or eight metres long, a small pot of shrunken plants.


    He was very satisfied in his mind.


    Felix was ready to complete a magical artefact.


    The method of making it came from a rather old and isolated magic book, which he had recently found in the library. Originally he hadn''t cared much about it, seeing as the name of the book, Applications of Alchemy, was no different from what he had seen before.


    But he soon realized the difference; the book''s cover had been added later, and the pages inside were significantly older; if it hadn''t been protected by magic, Felix had no doubt it would have decayed to ashes immediately.


    Within the slim booklet were the notes of more than ten people, some messy, some neat, with a mixture of additions and corrections to those who had preceded them, as well as arrogance and condescending overlooks of those who had followed.

 Chapter 34 - 34 Magical Creation And Halloween

    Notes from a slightly chatty Chagus Gunter led Felix to conclude that the book came from a family called "Gunter", or at least that it had been in their possession for a long time.


    The notes that follow are full of praise for their great-grandfather.


    There was more than one who did that.


    This gave Felix the pleasure of reading the commentary.


    The magical artefact that Felix was about to complete also came from this ancient book, "magical artefact" rather than "alchemical artefact" because its internal circuitry was constructed entirely from a series of magical texts, with no trace of latter-day alchemy.


    Many people would not be able to tell the difference, but Felix is an exception - magical writing can be used in ancient magic as well as engraved on objects because it is a language, a magical language.


    Its essence was an ancient wizard''s exploration and summary of magic.


    Alchemy, on the other hand, is different because it is partly an inheritance of ancient magical texts, which have been developed independently with the aim of "leaving magic on objects and giving them a special magical function".


    So the symbols used in alchemy cannot be called words, but merely magical icons.


    But it also had the advantage of being a magical technique, and the many great wizards who experimented with ways to impart magic to various objects have left a legacy of mind-boggling techniques.


    The French alchemist Nicholas LeMay was one of the best in this field.


    Compared to alchemy, magical artefacts are considered " ancient art ". This is one of the reasons why he believes that the notes are quite old.


    ...


    The magic artefact that Felix wanted to create is called " Binding Vine", which uses the spreading properties of the magical vine itself to launch a surprise attack, with the advantage of no incantation and a stable and trouble-free launch.


    But how powerful it is a matter of opinion, or at least a question mark in Felix''s mind.


    But he wasn''t looking for potency either, he was looking for the ideas contained within: firstly, the idea of making a magical artefact, and secondly, the skill of combining opposing magical properties in depth.


    Unicorns, which represent purity and goodness.


    On the other hand, the devil''s net is an extremely aggressive magical plant that is always actively attacking all kinds of small animals and unlucky humans; hunting is their instinct.


    It was difficult to combine the magical properties of the two together under normal circumstances, and Felix took a reference from the ancient books to neutralize this antagonism with the help of the beating willow - which, despite its violent behaviour, was an unmistakably unbiased plant.


    With a wave of his wand, Felix breaks up the mat, woven from unicorn hair, and places it in the water to absorb a dunk; almost instantly, the water becomes pitch black.


    Felix: "..."


    He changed the water several more times before the unicorn fur got cleaned and then dried with magic.


    It was only then that the unicorn fur showed its original appearance, the long soft, and smooth white hairs stretching out to their fullest, the warm light flowing constantly as if it were a solidified Mercury build.


    The other two main materials would take time to grow, the devil''s net needed to wait for it to grow a little more, and the willow branches needed to be infused with magic and made more flexible to facilitate the transformation.


    Felix estimated that the preparations would not be finished until at least the end of November.


    But he could think ahead about how to optimize the magic circuit ...


    Time went by and Felix completed the first mass general examination for all five grades - an examination he had promised at the start of the school year.


    The weekend before Halloween, he was still busy grading exam papers.


    It was a good thing he wasn''t alone; there was another assistant working overtime with him.


    Ten o''clock in the evening.


    Hermione covered her mouth and yawned, stealing a glance at Professor Hype.


    "Professor, I''m done grading."


    Felix looked up, "I have some more here, so go ahead and return. Have a good Halloween party."


    Hermione said goodnight and left the office. As she walked, she too had something to look forward to in three days. But it wasn''t a school party she was planning to attend, it was the 500th anniversary of the death of Gryffindor''s ghost, Nearly Headless Nick.


    In the common room, many of the young Gryffindor wizards were still catching up on their homework.


    Ron let out a whine, still eight inches short on his Potion paper and a foot short on his History of Magic paper.


    "Why do we have to do so much homework before Halloween!"


    Ron shouted out the thoughts of a number of the young wizards, who looked on with approval, and then continued to keep their heads down and catch up with their homework.


    Hermione sat down next to Harry and Ron and said nonchalantly, "If you guys had finished your homework earlier, you wouldn''t have this much trouble."


    She was much busier than anyone else; in addition to her homework, she not only had to do her job as an Ancient Magical Text class Assistant, but she also had to additionally practice the magical texts taught by Professor Hap. So far, she has grasped 19 magical texts.


    Professor Hap said she would have the opportunity to work independently on an Alchemy item this year.


    Ron grimaced, "Stop nagging and hurry up and lend me your History of Magic paper."


    "You have to finish your homework yourself!"


    "I''m just taking reference, aren''t I, Harry?"


    Harry nodded his head in a hurry.


    Eventually, Hermione lent them her homework.


    Over the next two days, the festive atmosphere on campus grew stronger. The rooms were bright and cheerful, despite the pouring rain outside the windows and the darkness of the sky like ink.


    Professor Filius decorated the auditorium with flying bats, Professor McGonagall morphed huge colourful decorations, and the huge pumpkins Hagrid had planted were finally put to use, carved into hollowed-out lanterns big enough for three to five people to sit inside.


    There are whispers around campus circling that Dumbledore has booked a skeleton dance troupe to liven up the festivities.


    Everyone was looking forward to the party for Halloween day.


    Only Harry and Ron were sullen, as Harry had agreed to attend the 500th anniversary of the death of Nick "almost headless", and Ron had stood by his brother and offered his company.


    But the more they saw the auditorium decorated with lanterns, the more bitter their smiles became.


    This bitterness finally reached its peak on the afternoon of Halloween.


    At seven o''clock, the three of them walked straight through the doorway, ready to go to the feast. As they passed by the auditorium, it was decorated with lights and candles glowing. Huge pumpkin lanterns, each the size of a carriage, were on display, and some young wizards had already chosen their seats and were talking and laughing.


    As Harry pushed his way through the crowd, he even saw one of the twins guiding the ghostly dolls, catching up with one wizard after another, spraying black air in their faces and making ghostly "cackling" noises from the magical golems.


    Just the day before, Felix handed out the results and fulfilled his promise that the first-place winner in each grade would receive a customized version of the magic golem, with more power and more "tricks" inside.


    The top student in Year 4 is not one of the twins, but Cedric of Hufflepuff - who is a frequent first-place winner. When he was picking his prize, he was fooled by the twins and picked the ghost doll.


    He was now sitting with his friend, but his eyes were on a third-year Ravenclaw girl, and he suddenly felt some regret in his heart that he should have chosen a cute little one and given it to this girl ...


    Cedric''s mind wandered a hundred times, and the path beneath the trio of Harry''s feet winded and twisted as they made their way down, straight to the basement, the sound of joy behind them growing lower and lower, just as they were feeling at the moment.


    Through a cold corridor of black candles, they saw "almost headless" Nick standing at the door of one of the chamber to greet his guests, dressed up today in a black velvet cloak.


    "Welcome, my dear friends, it''s wonderful to have you here ..."


    Almost at the same time, Dumbledore also announced the official start of the Halloween party, and the cheers of the young wizards echoed through the auditorium.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, their faces eerie in the light of the bluish candlelight, and the three walked in as if they were dead.

 Chapter 35 - 35 Halloween

    Great Hall.


    The atmosphere of the evening was very enthusiastic, and Dumbledore honoured his word by bringing in a troupe of skeleton dancers. They played cheerful ditties on instruments made of bones while dancing comically, a style of performance that was, frankly, very memorable.


    The little witches had a satisfied look on their faces as they sat in their pumpkin lanterns and gorged themselves on the festive specialities - not that they varied much in terms of flavour, in Felix''s opinion, but they were original enough in style to be different.


    Felix stuck a piece of black, tombstone-shaped caramel cake into his mouth in one bite.


    There were ribbons and monster masks of various colours hanging from the ceiling of the auditorium, and he even saw three big black dogs - not that black dogs have a good reputation in the wizarding world. But it took him a closer look to realize that it was actually a three-headed dog.


    Felix: "..." always had the feeling that the three-headed dog''s fame had been jeopardized.


    Before he knew it, the time passed ten o''clock and raced towards eleven. One by one, the young wizards put down their cutlery, beaming with the satisfaction of a full meal.


    Felix wiped his mouth with his napkin and began to discuss the spell with Professor Filius, while Professor Lockhart tried to interject, only to be ignored by the two.


    Two months after the start of the school year, it wasn''t hard for anyone with a lick of intelligence to see what a piece of work Lockhart is.


    Felix couldn''t help but give Dumbledore a reproachful glance, ''You''ve wasted my faith in you, and you''ve found such a turd to be a professor?


    Thanks to that, I thought he had a real talent.''


    Felix felt unworthy for the time he had given.


    Finally, the skeleton dance troupe ended their performance with an alternative soothing tune, and the crowd applauded cheerfully in unison until they took a bow and exited in a cloud of black smoke.


    The evening ended, and the young wizards huddled their way out of the Great Hall. A few professors were left waving their wands and cleaning up the mess.


    At that moment, a young wizard returned flustered, his lips quivering.


    "Professors, I think you need to come and see ... something happened!"


    Without him having to say anything, the professors heard the shouts of alarm from the young wizards outside the hall, and Dumbledore took a few strides over and the crowd automatically parted a space.


    Felix and Professor Filius looked at each other and quickly followed.


    They ascended the stairs to the third floor. Following the line of sight of the young wizards, they turned the corner and came to an empty passage.


    The first thing Felix saw was Harry, Ron and Hermione, the three of them standing alone with an obviously empty space around them, but the next moment his eyes fell on the cat hung on a torch stand.


    It was Mrs Norris.


    It looked very stiff, as if it had died.


    Next to it, on the wall, a foot above the floor, was scribbled with some writing that glowed with emblematic light in the light of the burning torches.


    The secret room was opened.


    He who is an enemy of the heir, be warned.


    Filch yelled something as Dumbledore quickly crossed the crowd and unstrapped Mrs Norris. His expression turned serious, his blue eyes peering intently through the half-moon-shaped lenses.


    "Come with me, Filch." He said to Filch, "and you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger."


    Lockhart quickly suggested his office, then followed Dumbledore, followed by Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Felix, while Professor Filius was left behind to calm the panicked young wizard.


    Lockhart''s office.


    Several professors were gathered around a glossy table, surveying the stiff Mrs Norris.


    The tip of Dumbledore''s long, hawkish nose almost touched the fur of Mrs Norris''s body. He scrutinized it through the half-moon-shaped lenses of his glasses, his long, slender fingers poking gently here and there.


    Professor McGonagall was bent over, her face almost touching the cat too, squinting intently.


    Snape, meanwhile, stood behind them, half his body hidden in the shadows.


    Felix stood on the other side, his fingers brushing over Lady Loris''s spine, the fur on her body turned unusually hard, then he touched her body gently with his wand and felt a powerful aura of the curse.


    She was not dead ... seemed to be petrified ...


    And almost at the same time, Headmaster Dumbledore straightened up and said softly, " she is not dead, Filch, she''s petrified."


    But the Headmaster''s words did not relieve Filch from his resentment, and he instantly aimed his suspicion towards Harry, going out of his way to reveal himself as a Squib


    But his suspicions were quickly dismissed, as "it would require the highest depths of dark magic."


    The trio clearly couldn''t do that.


    What''s more, there''s spooky handwriting on the wall.


    Secret Room ...


    Felix was lost in thought, such a familiar name.


    Snape took the main stage next, interrogating the trio in a mocking tone as Harry stumbled over the explanation, causing Felix to sigh from the sidelines.


    Boy, not even skilled enough to lie, not psychologically strong enough.


    However, Felix then fell into thought, what were they hiding?


    After attending the anniversary party in the basement, they were supposed to return to the Hall, but they were not ...


    Perhaps he could find a chance to ask his assistant.


    After the trio left, several professors exchanged information.


    "Potter isn''t being completely honest, Headmaster, that''s my opinion," Snape repeated his opinion.


    This was evident to all of them, as no professor retorted.


    But Professor McGonagall habitually defended her students, "We have no evidence that they did something wrong, in fact, they may have simply heard some strange sound."


    " That can''t be ruled out," Dumbledore said non-committally, "What is your opinion, Felix."


    The eyes of several people in the room fell on Felix, even the picture of Lockhart on the wall peeked out of the shadows.


    "My opinion ... I''m still thinking about the writing on the wall, the secret room was opened, whose secret room? Opened by whom? And who is it that is working against this so-called heir?" He threw out three questions in a row.


    Professor McGonagall pursed her lips as she said dryly, "Sounds like another Slytherin Chamber of Secrets myth, but there''s never been proof ..."


    Aside from Felix and Lockhart, two newcomers, the other three were old faculty members, by now, having heard similar schoolyard legends that spread through this small wizarding community every few years and kept popping up with more and more sensational and hunting content.


    "But as far as I know, the two most famous names that can be associated with the word Chamber of Secrets are Ravenclaw and Slytherin. And in reference to this attack, the reference is already pretty obvious."


    A few others could understand what Felix meant, the Chamber of Secrets and Slytherin linked together.


    Ravenclaw wouldn''t do something like this.


    "Fair enough speculation, but unfortunately no proof." Snape stabbed him.


    Finally, Dumbledore hammered the point home, "Let''s search through the castle for the next few days and see if we can find anything."

 Chapter 36 - 36

    The next day, Felix arrived at the corridor where the attack had happened last night and wasn''t surprised to encounter Filch.


    The corridor had obviously been cleaned by him, and the puddles of water had disappeared from the floor. On the wall with the words "Chamber opened" he lay on an empty chair.


    At the moment, his back was turned from Felix, and he was painstakingly scrubbing the writing on the wall with cleaner, but it seemed to be futile.


    "Mr. Filch."


    Filch turned back, his eyes protruding, his face plastered with an unnatural flush and his mouth muttering, but when he saw Felix, he greeted him politely, "Professor Hap."


    "I''ve come to look at the scene, maybe I can find some clues left behind."


    Felix hadn''t dealt much with the Filch when he was at school, back then he didn''t have Mrs Norris as a helper, while he himself was completely immune to him with his excellent phantom spell.


    Filch gave way and stood somewhat limply on one side. He had revealed himself as a Squib yesterday, and today he didn''t want to stay a second longer in the face of this genius professor.


    "Well, then, I''ll leave you to it, Professor, I have a little more ... to do."


    "Go ahead and get busy," Felix responded, "Oh, right." He waved his wand and the writing on the wall faded all at once.


    "Huh?"


    He was a little surprised and quickly moved over to the wall, looking the writing up and down. "It seems to be a mandatory magic, but it''s not a permanent adhesive spell." Felix gestured at the wall with his wand, and soon the writing disappeared.


    "Thanks, thanks." Filch turned red, said hastily, and left quickly, without taking even his cleaning kit with him.


    Felix began to search the surrounding area, and soon, he found a clue.


    He crouched down and tapped his wand on the ring on his left hand, and a large magnifying glass appeared in his hand.


    Felix looked closely at the floor, where there was a burn mark.


    "What is this? How did it appear?"


    Felix looked at the girls'' lavatory which was directly across the hall and without much thought he quickly pushed open the brass handle and stepped inside.


    It was a rather dark, damp place, the walls were stained, the floor was full of puddles of water, the tiles on the row of sinks were peeling off, and the only source of light was a few dark candles.


    Fighting back the discomfort, Felix''s eyes darted around.


    From the innermost cubicle came a sudden voice, "Who''s there?" With that, a grim-faced spirit rushed out, her pearl-coloured glasses covering most of her face.


    She looked over at Felix, clearly recognizing this professor.


    Dazed and somewhat disbelieving, the spirit glanced behind her, and yes, this was her own personal basement, the girls'' washroom ...


    " Professor, prof...?"


    "Hello, Myrtle." Felix''s voice was rather calm. He was here to investigate a case, he had a legitimate excuse, well, that was all.


    Myrtle looked at him blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a scream and the whole spirit flew back into the Flush Toilet, he could even hear a loud, crisp splash.


    Felix: "..." As far as that goes? It was just a question I wanted to ask you, and I forced myself not to be embarrassed with it.


    Felix said, "Myrtle, I know you''re here, did you see that attack yesterday ..."


    "No! Nothing!" Myrtle yelled from the cubicle.


    With that, he heard footsteps some distance away, and with a frightened heart, he hurriedly put a phantom spell on himself and quickly left the lavatory, brushing past a red-headed girl.


    Being spotted by a spirit wasn''t terrible, but if a student ran into him ...


    His whole reputation would be ruined.


    Over the next few days, he cooperated with several professors when he was not in class and searched the entire castle, with the natural result that he found nothing.


    One day in the Hall, Felix was still thinking about it as he ate his lunch.


    "It all started with the Dark Lord''s Horcrux but knowing that doesn''t seem to help ... I don''t know who the heir is, where the Chamber of Secrets is, and where the Horcrux is hidden."


    "Chamber, Slytherin, heir, petrified ... those are obviously the keywords. But how do you connect them?"


    Felix always felt like he was getting very close to the truth, but yet he was separated by a fog.


    "Slytherin ... snake?"


    He tried to remember, trying to lift the dusty memories that had been sealed away for so long. He seemed to remember seeing something, "Harry" fighting a gigantic snake. But the memory was rather vague, and he wasn''t sure if he was remembering it correctly; he was under the impression that "Harry" had also taken out a large group of dementors by himself.


    How was that possible? Even a normal adult wizard couldn''t do that!


    Besides, how could Dementors attack the school?


    But Felix quickly warned himself that in the world of magic, anything was possible. Especially with the presence of a ''protagonist''.


    "So, it''s probably true that a giant snake caused Mrs. Norris''s petrification." Felix went along with this conjecture.


    But once again, he had a problem.


    What snake had the power to petrify?


    All Felix could think of was Medusa, but that magical creature was extinct.


    "Don''t rule out that Slytherin performed a bloodline graft ... from his surviving notes, he was very deep into magical bloodlines."


    He hadn''t made up his mind until he finished his lunch. He soon had a new idea, though, gathering rumours about the Chamber of Secrets from Hogwarts over the years and sifting through them one by one.


    Perhaps the truth was hidden amongst the rumours.


    ...


    Three days later, Felix stood across from a tapestry of "Trolls Beating Up Barnabas" on the eighth floor of the castle, watching oddly as a silver door slowly appeared.


    And there you have it, he found it?


    With a little hesitation, he tapped his wand against his chest, and a light flickered across his wrist, ankle, and chest, and then he stepped inside.


    It was an oversized junk storage room, with mountains of various discarded items, broken quill pens, old books, damaged spyglasses ... He also saw the golden Snitch with half of its wings missing.


    He walked around carefully and found no trace of anyone.


    "A hidden room?" He could hardly imagine that the proud Slytherin would have placed the secret room here.


    "This room is quite hidden, though. It must have some interesting enchantments to study and research for another day." Felix walked out of the room, looking somewhat fondly at the silver door that had quietly disappeared.


    On the other side -


    The trio was also working hard to discover the secrets of the Chamber of Secrets, and by "working hard" I mean mostly Hermione Granger.


    After days of fruitless searching and a two-week rental list on Hogwarts History of a Pastime, the Gryffindor witch finally raised her hand to ask a question in History of Magic class for the benefit of the group and gained valuable information about the Chamber of Secrets.


    Poor Professor Binns had to go off the curriculum and lecture on ''myths and legends'' while the crowd peered at him, much to his annoyance. After this interlude, his slow, dry voice picked up speed - making his lessons even more hypnotic than ever before.


    The young wizards, who had been in high spirits, once again collapsed, a face rapidly becoming blank and dazed.

 Chapter 37 - 37 The Trios Investigation

    After class, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the classroom while discussing the information they had just received from Professor Binns.


    "I already knew that Salazar Slytherin was a perverted old loony," Ron said in utter disgust.


    Hermione as she still sorted through the information so far, "Professor Binns mentioned there is a creature in the Chamber of Secrets, no one knows exactly what it is, but Harry, we have a lead."


    She gave Harry a deep look.


    Harry magically understood her words as he glanced quickly from side to side and whispered, "You mean, my Parseltongue ..."


    Ron also looked at the two with a terrified look on his face.


    "That''s right!"


    The three men squeezed through the cramped corridor and soon came to the hallway where the attack had taken place.


    The scene before them had changed considerably from that night; the water had been cleared away, the petrified cat was no longer hanging from the torch''s stand, and the writing that read "Chamber opened" had been cleared away.


    However, there is an empty chair propped up against the wall.


    "Filch is always on guard here." Ron whispered, "He''s been very grumpy lately, often finding all sorts of reasons to deduct points, like talking too loudly or being playful."


    "But that''s none of our business, we just need to check the scene and see if we missed any clues," Hermione said.


    A few people moved quickly, Harry flopped down on the ground, his glasses almost on the floor, and soon he spotted the burn marks and Hermione spotted the impressive sight of spiders lining up to escape the castle.


    "What does this mean?" Harry wondered a little.


    Ron stepped away from the spiders with a horrified look on his face, "It could mean a lot - like that the spiders are afraid of that creature."


    Hermione sorted through the clues as usual, "So, the one that launched the attack was a snake, characteristically its attacks cause petrification, and is a natural enemy of spiders. That clue is pretty close to the truth!"


    The little witch said excitedly, "Give me a week, at most two weeks, and I''ll find out what it is. Ron, honestly, why do you keep shivering there?"


    So the next thing Ron told was the story of how he was holding a teddy bear as a child and the twins used lame magic to turn the bear with many legs, causing them to giggle.


    Annoyed, Ron said, "You wouldn''t think it is hilarious if you had that experience. Imagine you are holding a teddy bear and calling its name, only for it to suddenly sprout many legs ..."


    "There are no more puddles on the floor," Harry said suddenly.


    "Someone probably cleaned the floor, like Filch, that''s what he does," Ron said without thinking.


    "But where did the puddle came from?" Harry had a hunch that this might be a clue.


    "Ah! I figured it out." Hermione let out a squeal.


    "What?"


    "I thought of something, a possible witness who lives right next to us and may have witnessed the whole attack."


    Following her gaze, the two boys looked at the sign of the girls'' washroom and gulped in unison.


    ...


    After dinner, they walked out of the castle and made their way down the path to Hagrid''s cottage.


    Along the way, they were still arguing about what had happened during the day.


    "If you ask me, we shouldn''t have gone to the girl''s washroom, that Myrtle, and that place ... just a nightmare! And we got spotted by Percy." Ron rambled on the way.


    "But we also learned that she died fifty years ago, and before she died she saw a pair of big, scary yellow eyes, which means what? That''s the eyes of that snake."


    Hermione ignored Ron''s muttered ''not necessarily'' and continued, "Your details are also useful, we also know the name Tom Riddle, who won the school''s special contribution award fifty years ago, so maybe it''s not a coincidence!"


    Harry''s eyes widened, "You mean that Tom is the man who captured the previous successor to the Chamber of Secrets."


    "Exactly."


    The trio knocked on Hagrid''s door and he warmly welcomed the trio of little wizards inside.


    Ron looked amazed, "Hagrid, your house looks clean."


    Indeed, as the trio looked at Hagrid''s hut, it had gotten more than a little cleaner, at least to the naked eye, the black floor had turned into a dark brown floor.


    "Oh, you should say that," Hagrid said casually, "the last time Professor Hap came to visit me, he helped me clean up a bit on the way out, it was easy for him, just a wave of his wand."


    "Professor Hap?" Hermione asked in surprise.


    "Yes, Professor Hap. Dumbledore recommended him, he needed a bit of advice on magical creatures, and I''m an expert in that field, but he''s actually not too bad, very insightful in some cool directions, yes, very insightful."


    Hagrid served up a plate of brittle biscuits, a jug of pumpkin juice, and three glasses. He said rather proudly, "Professor Hap is an excellent wizard, I didn''t have much contact with him when he was at school, but -" he pointed to a book on his chair, "look guys, that''s a gift from him! "


    The three of them couldn''t wait to open the book, and Hermione noticed that it was somewhat similar to a comic book the Muggles had, with mostly photographs and a short introductory text at the bottom of each page.


    "Are these all magical creatures?" Ron asked curiously, it was nothing like the stuff he had seen as a child.


    "No, these are creatures from the Muggle world." Harry said excitedly, "Look, this is a lion, this is a giraffe - it has a long neck, I''ve seen it in the zoo, and this one is a badger, somewhat similar to the Hufflepuff''s symbol, but they''re certainly aren''t of the same kind."


    Hermione was no stranger to these animals, she had read the full set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, which had a section on animals. But the pictures in the Muggle books wouldn''t move.


    So Hermione asked, "Is this the book Professor Hap made himself?"


    Hagrid took a big gulp of butterbeer and let out a crispy burp, "Yes, it''s very heartfelt, isn''t it? I feel like I owe him one ..."


    It took most of a day before the three remembered what they had come here for.


    "The chamber of secrets? The heir? The creature?" Hagrid''s face went pale for a moment.


    "Yes, we found some clues, fifty years ago ..." Harry was about to present their findings, but was quickly interrupted by Hagrid.


    "Listen, there was no chamber, there was no creature, it was just an accident!" Hagrid got a little agitated and waved his thick palm, then his voice trailed off, and he muttered, "It really was an accident, no one thought it would happen like that, no one ..."


    With that, the trio was shooed out of the hut.


    "He''s definitely hiding something!" Ron said indignantly.


    "That much we can all see."


    The trio returned to the warmth of the common room and, having to face reality, began to catch up on their homework.


    Halfway through the day, Hermione suddenly closed her book, startling the two.


    "Who do you think the heir would be?" Hermione asked them in a low voice, again seeming to be talking to herself.


    "It''s definitely a Slytherin, I''m guessing Malfoy," Ron said quickly.


    Harry accepted this immediately, "There''s the possibility that it''s really him, you guys, their family has been purebloods for generations, he''d have a reason to do that, and on top of that, he''s taken quite a bashing recently - he''s been grounded by Professor Hap for insulting Hermione!"


    Hermione''s breathing suddenly stopped for a moment.


    Ron also seemed to discover a theory, "Harry your words are so right, he must have done it, maybe the Malfoy is a certain heir of Slytherin and their family has kept the secret for generations ... right Hermione?"


    At that moment the twins came walking over from the distance, "I thought I heard you guys talking about Professor Hap, did he make any more interesting trinkets?"


    The twins sat left and right on either side of Harry and Ron.


    "Nothing," Ron said quickly.


    Next to him, Fred put one arm around his shoulders and scowled at the trio, "Come on, we can exchange information. We admire Professor Hap, too."


    George next to Harry chuckled, "Yeah, very much, we''d love to take him apart and study his head."


    Fred sighed, "George, you sound as if we have some sort of ill will towards Professor Hap."


    "Do you?"


    "Of course not."


    "At most we-"


    "Trying to imitate his magic golem." The two men said in unison at last, after a word from you and me respectively.


    Harry thought for a moment, "Well, we went to Hagrid''s hut in the evening and saw a magic book that Professor Hap had gifted us."


    "What''s it about?"


    "Muggle animals, and as you know, Hagrid is obsessed with those."


    "Cool!" The twins said in unison as they looked at each other.


    Ron said, "It''s your turn, we agreed to exchange information."


    Fred winked, "Our little Ronnie has grown up-"


    "-not a good dupe anymore." George followed up.


    "But - who made you our brother." Fred teased as usual, whispering, "We can provide information, you know, we''re fans of Professor Hap, if any of you want to know his whereabouts, like start a casual encounter or something ..."


    Ron said in surprise, "You guys follow the professor?"


    "Don''t say that, we just got a little help, for example, Professor Hap has been going to the Forbidden Forest a lot recently for some time." Fred shrugged and blurted out a heavy dose of information.


    "The Forbidden Forest?" Hermione said in surprise.


    The trio looked at each other.

 Chapter 38 - 38 Tracking

    At night, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione were hiding behind the bush at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, glancing in the direction of the castle all the time.


    Hermione said with some anxiety, "I don''t think we should suspect the Professor ..."


    Ron quickly said, "Hermione, we''ve suffered from this before, remember Professor Quirrell in the first year? Who would have thought that the timid, cowardly man actually had a Voldemort glued on the back of his head?"


    "But that doesn''t mean that other professors-" Hermione tried to argue the facts and defend the professor she admired.


    "Think about Lockhart, he may not be a dark wizard, but he''s definitely not considered a qualified professor, Harry, you forget you acted as a vampire in your Defence Against the Dark Arts class?"


    Harry thought for a moment, and suddenly his stomach turned a little.


    So Harry whispered to her, "We''re not suspicious, we''re just curious to see what he''s doing in the Forbidden Forest. That would also rule out our suspicion on him, and we could even ask Professor Hap for help."


    Hermione stopped talking.


    The three of them hid in the brush, the November night had a touch of coolness in it, and a thin mist added an extra layer of chill to that.


    Ron stiffened a little from the cold, and he said shakily, "Maybe, he won''t come tonight, why don''t we go back first?"


    " Let''s just wait a little longer," Harry said patiently.


    After a while longer, it was nearing midnight.


    A tall figure came out of the castle.


    "Someone''s coming, it''s Professor Hap." The trio perked up, after all, they hadn''t waited in vain.


    At the other end -


    Felix left the castle and headed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.


    A cool breeze blew against his face at night, a very pleasant feeling.


    He reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and then noticed that something seemed to be watching him.


    A small animal? Forbidden forest creatures?


    But they shouldn''t be at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.


    Felix took out his wand and a dozen bright milky white dots of light flew out from the wand tip and then burst rapidly, illuminating the forbidden forest in a radius of a hundred metres.


    There is nothing.


    Somewhat puzzled, he followed his senses and went towards a large tree, examining it carefully.


    Half a moment later, he laughed softly.


    Opposite, the three youngsters, cloaked in Harry''s invisibility cloak, didn''t dare to breathe and looked across towards the professor with nervous faces.


    Harry could even feel his legs shaking as Ron''s rolling hot breath sprayed across his face.


    But fortunately, the professor didn''t suddenly reach out and lift their invisibility cloaks. He brushed past them and walked into the Forbidden Forest.


    " Huff~huff!" The three of them took a big breath.


    "Did he find out?"


    "I don''t think so."


    "Why don''t we go back." Ron backed off.


    "No, let''s continue." At this point, Hermione decided to stick with it instead.


    So the three of them held on to an invisibility cloak and took baby steps behind the professor.


    Felix wasn''t going very fast, and he fiddled with his wand in his hand, a hint of curiosity flooding his mind.


    The trio, main protagonists, was there a "plot" going to happen today?


    There were too many flaws, misplaced footprints next to the tree, the faintest sound of breathing, and a gut feeling that gave him a hint of the trio''s location.


    Still, it was the smell of his assistant''s shampoo that really made him recognize the trio.


    This was the reason why Felix did not unmask them on the spot.


    As Felix proceeded along his intended destination, he was a little surprised to find the trio still following behind him... their target is me?


    Well, it might be a good opportunity to get to know the other two "protagonists".


    About half an hour later, Felix came to a halt in a vacant space deep in the Forbidden Forest.


    Thirty or forty metres away, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were also hiding behind a large tree, "What''s he up to?"


    "Shhh!"


    Felix raised his wand and waved his wrist, three crimson spells struck the stones, and to the astonishment of the trio waiting outside the scene, the three stones turned into three large black dogs.


    The dogs were half a person tall, and their fur was as smooth and oily as fine black velvet. The three large black dogs moved their bodies slightly, then directed their gaze at Felix, their upper limbs lowered, their teeth bared outward, their gaze filled with aggression.


    "Quite the advanced transfiguration skills ... you see, they simply look like they''re alive," Hermione commented in a whisper.


    "I don''t care about his level of transfiguration, I just want to know what he''s doing in the Forbidden Forest," Ron muttered, but he too watched with rapt attention.


    The next moment, however, something happened that took them by surprise; three large black dogs rushed towards Professor Hap at the same time and attacked him. They were extremely fast and broke through a distance of more than ten metres in almost the blink of an eye.


    "Ah!" Hermione couldn''t help but let out a scream, from her perspective, the big black dogs'' fangs were less than three feet away from Professor Hap.


    But instead of dodging, Felix flicked out a curse.


    Hermione was anxious, even if it blocked one of the big dogs, there were two more. Harry and Ron''s faces were also plastered with horror, especially Harry''s; another professor dead in front of him in a year''s time?


    However, they had all apparently forgotten that all three big dogs had been transfigured by this professor.


    In a second''s time, the situation on the field changed abruptly.


    Felix''s figure disappeared abruptly, leaving a cloud of black smoke in place, and the next instant his figure appeared two metres away, and just as it did, a red light shot out of his wand. His figure disappeared in sync and reappeared in another corner, sending out a spell in an identical manner.


    In the eyes of the three, it was as if the professor had transformed into three in an instant, casting three magic spells at the same time.


    "Bang!"


    "Bang!"


    "Bang!"


    The three big black dogs were hit by the spell in the sound speed and fell down instantly.


    Under the invisibility cloak, they watched in awe.


    "Oh my god, what kind of magic is this!" Ron''s mouth gaped widely, his mind still recalling the scene from earlier.


    Out of the black smoke, the professor''s cold face appeared along with a red light, and in the blink of an eye reappeared in another place with a speed that was too dizzying to dodge or resist.


    Harry was similarly wide-eyed.


    And in the centre of the vacant space, Felix, who had just finished releasing his magic, shook his head, still not able to do it, off by half a metre.


    That was only two jumps, if he had done it ten or more times, was he in danger of being hit by his own spell?


    The reason Felix came out here was to perfect his trinity raid, which in his middle of school years he named as one of the "instant kill" techniques.


    The principle is very simple: a trinity, that is, three types of the spells used at the same time, blending perfectly to create an effect where one plus one becomes far greater than three.


    The speed of "Apparition", the power of "Petrificus Totalus" and, most importantly, the "Thought Acceleration" to maintain his balance and reflexes.


    When combined, Felix can unleash his spell from a dozen different positions in an instant, forming a magnificent line of cross-energy that can make one man into a team.


    The principle is indeed simple, but the road is extremely difficult.


    The difference lies in how to improve one''s reflexes and how to maintain one''s balance in a split second.


    At the beginning of the school year, he worked out the prototype, or branching technique, of this magic, the "Thinking Room", but it could only be used as a teaching aid. Now more than two months had passed, and he hadn''t been idle in that time.


    While Hermione had been practising the magic text in the Thinking Room, he had been in the Thinking Room contemplating how it could be applied in combat.


    Luckily, he had gained quite a bit of insight recently.


    That was why he had gone deep into the Forbidden Forest for several days in a row - escaping the anti-Apparition spell that was present in Hogwarts Castle everywhere!


    "Two hops, barely acceptable." Felix was quite satisfied; after all, it could be enhanced later.


    He then glanced back, his gaze fixed steadily in the direction of the trio.


    "Come out."

 Chapter 39 - 39 Punishment

    Harry, Ron, and Hermione shuddered as they lifted the invisibility cloak.


    The trio stepped forward, wincing, "Professor ..."


    Felix''s eyes kept glancing between the three, "Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley, can you tell me the reason for your presence here?"


    Harry gathered his courage and said, "Professor, I, we wanted to visit Hagrid, in case you didn''t know, we''re kind of close to him."


    "This is not a good place to come around, you are too far into the Forbidden Forest." Felix shook his head, "I think your professor should have told you not to trespass into the forbidden forest."


    Ron stammered, "Professor, we were looking for Hagrid, but we happened to see you and were curious for a moment, so we followed you."


    "A moment of curiosity," Felix fiddled with the wand in his hand as he looked at the trio, not speaking.


    A tremendous amount of mental pressure fell over them.


    Finally, Hermione said, with a whimper, "I''m sorry, Professor, we disappointed your trust-"


    "It''s alright," Felix said calmly, "it''s in every young wizard''s nature to take risks, especially the Gryffindor ones. But I hope you will define the line between bravery and foolhardiness, and know that you only have one life to live."


    Felix didn''t say anything more as he led the three back to the castle.


    "Let''s see, breaking curfew, trespassing into the forbidden forest, and stalking a professor ..." The trio''s faces paled as Felix''s words rang out, "ten points each and a one-week confinement."


    The trio sleepwalked back to the common room.


    Seeing Hermione''s sad face, Ron soothed, "It''s nothing, better than the best outcome I could have imagined. I was expecting us to be docked with fifty points each and put in confinement until Christmas."


    Harry''s face looked with approval; if they had fallen into Snape''s hands tonight, the consequences would have been unimaginable.


    As he laid in bed, Ron suddenly spoke to Harry, "That was cool, right?"


    "What?"


    "Professor Hap, O swish, whiz! Can''t even see him move, he''s definitely much better than Snape if you ask me, even better than Dumbledore!"


    "Headmaster Dumbledore is the strongest," Harry said without thinking.


    "That''s not necessarily true, the Headmaster has not done anything in years. If it had been decades ago, I certainly wouldn''t suspect it ..." Ron muttered in a small voice before drifting off to dreamland.


    Harry, however, was somewhat sleepless, his mind kept coming up with the images of Professor Hap casting spells, every movement, from Professor Hap casting the first spell then bursting into black smoke, breaking down and replaying in his mind.


    He saw it all vividly.


    The next day, Hermione remained a little sad, but she quickly pulled herself together and even began to discuss the Chamber of Secrets leads with them.


    The young witch said with a scowl, "So it seems that Professor Hap is not the heir of Slytherin."


    Ron said, "Don''t be so arbitrary, we''ve just put a temporary hold on the suspicion, although Professor Hap is certainly cool." He admitted that much.


    Harry hastily changed the subject, feeling somewhat ashamed of their stalking of the Professor last night, which had put Hermione, who worked as an assistant, on the spot.


    "I think it''s more likely Malfoy after all."


    "Exactly," Ron interjected.


    "But how do we coax it out of him? He''s not going to swagger and admit he''s the heir of Slytherin, right ?."


    Hermione nodded as she whispered, "Perhaps, we need to make a Polyjuice Potion."


    "What is it?"


    "Polyjuice Potion, it can turn you into another person." Hermione peppered them with knowledge.


    The two of them remained confused.


    Hermione said, somewhat annoyed, "Don''t you all listen to your lessons? Snape mentioned in class that the process of boiling this magic potion is very difficult and requires a variety of precious ingredients, and its recipe is recorded in the book Potent Potions."


    The three men discussed it in small voices.


    But then, they got stuck on the first step.


    The recipe for the Polyjuice Potion was difficult to get hold of because the Potent Potion in which it was recorded was in the forbidden section of the library.


    There was only one way to borrow this book from the forbidden section: to get an official seal signed by a professor.


    "There''s no reason for us to borrow that book," Ron said, "it''s not something we should mess with at our grade level."


    "I think," Hermione said, "that if we pretend that we''re interested in the theory, we might have some hope ..."


    "Oh come on, professors don''t fall for it that easily," Ron said, "unless they''re stupid enough to do it ..."


    Saturday morning.


    The trio had breakfast and went together to the Ancient Magic text professor''s office - to complete their confinement.


    Harry lamented a little that the first Quidditch game was about to take place, and he was unable to attend training, about which Quidditch Captain Wood had a strong opinion.


    Knocking on the door, the trio was surprised to see Draco Malfoy in the room.


    Malfoy was slumped in front of a table with a large, thick book in front of him, looking at the page numbers, having reached the final ten or so pages. His quill kept scribbling, and the tip of his nose even had a little ink on it.


    Harry remembered with a jolt that Malfoy had been punished with copying a book.


    Professor Hap said in a relaxed tone as he closed the door, "I was going to keep you apart, but after thinking about it, it was too much trouble. I made a enquire, and Mr. Malfoy doesn''t mind sharing the same table with you."


    Ron let out a sudden snicker, the look on Malfoy''s face didn''t look like he "didn''t mind" and he was looking forward to their confinement.


    Felix conjured out three chairs and placed them in front of them, "I''ll go find the materials you need to copy." With that, he left.


    The four people in the office stared at each other with wide eyes.


    Harry said teasingly, "Malfoy, your confinement isn''t over yet? It''s taking a lot out of you."


    Malfoy tilted his head high, "Harry Potter!" He glanced at the three and seemed to want to say something when he saw Hermione, but he hastily held back.


    He said, slightly condescendingly, "At Professor Snape''s suggestion, Professor Hap allowed me to take a break in the middle of the session as a way of - not having to miss Slytherin''s Quidditch training, Potter! I''ll beat you at the tournament!"


    Harry''s mood soured for a moment. With the financial backing of the Malfoy, the entire Slytherin Quidditch team had switched to Nimbus 2001 Brooms, which made them extremely fast, like seven pale green silhouettes on the pitch.


    Ron teased, "The real game is all about skill, even if you take the back door and become a Seeker, you''ll just be more the butt of a joke, loser!"


    "Shut up, Weasley. Do you even have a double-digit Golden Galleon left in your family''s vault?"


    Ron''s face turned red, and even his ears grew hot as he pulled out his wand and shouted, "Say that again! Malfoy, say it again!"


    Harry and Hermione hastily held him back, leaving aside what would happen if they fought in a Professor''s office, and even if he allowed Ron to fight, what would happen, another day of spitting slugs all over the place?


    Felix returned with a thick pile of parchment, and Harry and Ron were in no mood for any sort of fight as they looked at the more than a foot-high pile of material.


    "I asked Professor McGonagall about it, and she had a batch of papers that were too old and required a renewal, so I volunteered to take this job," Felix said slightly perkily, " It happens to be related to your behaviour - the list of student violations and their penalties."


    Felix placed the material on the table and with a "thud" brought up a thick ring of dust, he waved his wand to "clean it up" and a gust of wind carried the dust away, "Let''s get to work, kiddos. "


    Felix sat in a corner of his office, seven or eight metres away from them, "Silencio." He pointed his wand at himself and then flipped open a thick book and enjoyed his leisurely weekend.


    At the other end, Harry, Ron, and Hermione resigned themselves to their fate and sat down, Ron was strongly repulsed to sit with Malfoy and as a last resort, Harry had to be next to him.


    Harry flipped open a piece of parchment and began to copy the material with a quill dipped in ink.


    Malfoy whispered, "Potter! You know, you''re going to lose ..."


    "Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry yelled in a low tone.

 Chapter 40 - 40 Malfoy

    Harry felt awful about this confinement because Malfoy kept muttering in his ear and constantly provoking him. This made his efficiency plummet, and it was nearly noon, but he had only copied ten sheets of parchment.


    The thickness couldn''t even catch up to one little thumb.


    At lunchtime, Harry complained to Hermione and Ron about this. He broke down a little and said, "I never thought he''d talk so much, and be buzzing around non-stop."


    Ron offered him advice, "You could harass him too."


    Harry looked speechless, he didn''t have that much to talk with Malfoy.


    Hermione pondered, "You could probably provoke him and use the opportunity to ask him if he''s the heir of Slytherin."


    "Don''t be ridiculous, how could he say, unless it was someone close to him." Ron retorted.


    Harry agreed that this idea was not plausible, rather it would be easy to spook him. "By the way, Hermione, what do we do about the sign?"


    "How about you get it from Professor Hap?" Ron suggested.


    "That''s not a good idea." Hermione sighed, "He''s not like Professor Lockhart, like that ..."


    "-like a twat." Ron answered, getting a glare from Hermione.


    "But I can try tonight, just so you know, try." Hermione didn''t give a positive response.


    After lunch, they returned to the Ancient Magical Texts office and continued their own scribing tasks.


    And Harry had to endure the provocative looks from Malfoy, as he tried several times to draw his wand and inflict a vile spell on him; one wasn''t enough, it was better to do what Professor Hap had done and send out three spells in a flash, leaving him defenceless ...


    By the afternoon, Felix looked at the results of a few of them and nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, you three will be done by tomorrow afternoon. And Mr. Malfoy, you''re making even faster progress, just seven or eight sheets short."


    Draco Malfoy nearly burst into tears, thanks to how much he had paid for his slip of the tongue, two whole large books, the kind that was copied completely by hand.


    Almost two months before and after, although in between he skipped a lot of confinement to go to Quidditch training ...


    The following, Malfoy wrote so hard that even Harry couldn''t be bothered, and finally finished copying the whole thing before dinner.


    Felix couldn''t help but compliment him twice, "Very good, well Mr. Malfoy, your confinement ends here."


    "Yes, Professor," Malfoy whispered.


    Seeing him sort out his stationery made Harry and the others very envious, they still had a full day of confinement tomorrow.


    "Oh, yes, Mr. Malfoy," Felix called out to him, startling Malfoy.


    He wasn''t going to be given a few more books, was he?


    Fortunately, Felix had no such thoughts as he waved his wand and out of the corner flew a thick pile of parchment - covered in dense handwriting. Under his magic, the parchment split in two and was quickly bound together in mid-air.


    Two book covers flew out of the suitcase and wrapped the parchment together, hot gold writing slowly emerging on the cover and looking, like two books.


    "Mr. Malfoy, here are the fruits of your labour, a present for you."


    The two books landed in front of him, and Malfoy looked stunned.


    Felix said, "Although you come from a glorious pureblood with exceptional talent, Muggles are not inferior, as I think you have learned." He pointed to the two handwritten books in front of Malfoy.


    "Through this confinement, I hope you will remember one thing, weakness or strength is not an obstacle to survival, arrogance is."


    Malfoy held the two books, his lips opening and closing, but he said nothing.


    When he left, Felix said to the other trio watching, "Alright, you''re done for the day, we''ll continue tomorrow."


    Hermione whispered and asked Felix, "Professor, can I continue studying magic texts with you tonight?"


    Felix was somewhat surprised as he thought for a moment and said, "In principle, I have no objection, but your homework ..."


    Hermione said cheerfully, "That''s okay, I''ve finished all my homework." She looked as if she had hit the jackpot.


    As the trio exited the office and made their way to the cafeteria, Ron looked at Hermione with an incredulous look on his face, "Did you really finish your homework?"


    "Of course!"


    "When did you write it?" Ron seriously doubted that his own clock was different from Hermione''s, did she have a few more hours in her day than he did?


    Hermione was in a rather good mood, and she said, slightly condescendingly, "Now that I know I''m going to be confined for the rest of the week, of course, I have to finish my homework early, isn''t that common sense?"


    Ron mumbled something and Harry looked ashamed.


    ...


    Malfoy returned to the Slytherin common room and put his book bag down.


    He sat in his chair with a grim look on his face, his eyes looking out the window at the dark lake through the green light of the common room, with a fish or two swimming past the window now and then.


    Two followers came over, "Draco, want some supper?"


    "Crabbe, Goyle ..." Malfoy shot them a serious look, "Never mind, you guys go ahead."


    Crabbe and Goyle shrugged and quickly left.


    Malfoy shrunk himself into his chair, his pale blonde hair and slightly pale face half-hidden in the shadows.


    He was still thinking back to the few words of Professor Hap.


    Despite his attempts to refute the ridiculous idea, the two months of copying as punishment had put parts of the book into his head.


    It reminded him of the time when his mother had taken him as a child to a pureblood wizard, and he had run into his aunt.


    The aunt was his mother''s second sister, but had been removed from the family because she had married a stupid muggle.


    There was a terrible argument between them and his mother urged her to go back and confess her mistake, which was unceremoniously rejected.


    He remembered very little of it, and the only words he remembered were his aunt shouting at them, "What have you got to be superior to, apart from magic?"


    That twisted expression he remembered to this day.


    Somehow, he suddenly grabbed his book bag and pulled out the two books, staring at the covers.


    One, The Muggle Struggle: from a Million Years Ago, and one, How Muggles Think.


    The covers were familiar to him, after all, he had been holding and copying them for two months, but they were also slightly different -


    Underneath the author, a few new words had been added - transcribed by: Draco Malfoy.


    Malfoy picked up the book, How Muggles Think, and turned the page from the first.. Looking at the familiar font on it, he set aside his prejudices for the first time and read carefully.

 Chapter 41 - 41 Potion

    At 7pm, Hermione walked into Professor Hap''s office on time, as she had done for the past two months.


    This time, however, she felt a little nervous.


    Felix looked up and smiled when he saw that our little witch looked a little restrained, "Sit down first, I had thought you would be absent for this weekend, after all you have been here for most of the week."


    Hermione gathered her courage and said, "Professor, I''m sorry we followed you because we got a lead on the Chamber of Secrets and happened to find you in the Forbidden Forest ..."


    Felix was somewhat taken aback, "So I became the subject of suspicion ..."


    "No Professor, you are very good, we are the ones who were too sensitive," Hermione hastened to explain, "We came across a professor during the previous academic year who is a dark wizard and tried to steal a hidden magic stone from the school."


    "Oh, with an experience like that, it''s no wonder you guys are paranoid. Still, I would advise you that while perhaps your intentions are good, you must act within your means, and many dangers are not varied based on whether one is despicable or noble."


    Hermione nodded good-naturedly.


    They spent the next five thinking hours in the Thinking Room, with Felix teaching her three magic texts.


    This time was one that they repeatedly compared notes over and over, without being too exhausted or learning much. Hermione even had the extra energy to continue practicing for another ten minutes when she returned to reality, and she could barely sketch out those three magical texts.


    "Very brilliant." Felix couldn''t help but clap his hands in praise.


    If he had been in a similar position, he wouldn''t have been able to outperform her without his golden finger.


    But he also noticed a flaw in this young witch, the magic she had mastered always seemed to be modest in power, not fluctuating much in terms of ups and downs - which was good to a certain extent, the spellcasting was stable and once learned, it was hard to fail.


    But at some points it is also a disadvantage, as she is less likely to "explode" and be able to amplify the power of a spell with her powerful emotions.


    It could be fair to say that she was more suited to being a magical scholar, studying and learning magic, rather than a spellcasting wizard like Aurore.


    Felix thought that perhaps when she graduated, he could ask her to become his research assistant, or - as a partner?


    He couldn''t be blamed for thinking this much, it was because there were too few qualified candidates available as backups, and that was what he was so unhappy with Hogwarts, and the wizarding world in general - the training methods are too sloppy, how many wizards graduate and still study magic tirelessly?


    On the contrary, there was no shortage of such wizards in the black market, but the point was, would he dare to hire such a person?


    If I could dominate the wizarding world ... a thought came to his mind, but it was quickly discarded, that was not his path.


    "It''s early, you could get back early or watch a film together?" Felix asked the young witch as he glanced back at the time, just a little past nine.


    Hermione smoothed her hair, "Oh - Professor Hap?" She stammered, "I think - I''m rather curious about a certain Magic Potion and would like some kind of background knowledge."


    "Magic potion?"


    "Yes, you know, we learn about antidotes and burping potions and such in Potions class, but I''ve read in books that some magical potions, some of the more advanced ones, possess very magical effects ..."


    "Indeed." Felix thought about it, it isn''t a big deal. "Magic Potion, let see." He waved his wand and motioned it to tap the ring on his left index finger, and six finger-thick vials appeared in front of him.


    "The field of magical potion is indeed complex and magical, and although I took Professor Snape''s Advanced Class, I have to say that I''m still far from being able to master the field of Magic Potion as a whole."


    Hermione was somewhat surprised that Professor Hap would hold Snape in such a high esteem?


    "First one, Baruffio''s Brain Elixir." Felix let the first vial on his left fly to Hermione, "It can significantly enhance the brain power of the person taking it and speed up their learning efficiency. In a way - somewhat similar to the Thinking Room."


    Hermione looked at the vial in front of her, it filled with a light blue liquid, gently swirled with bright fluorescent flashes.


    "Many wizards have become so addicted to the potion that they can''t help themselves, and have lost the ability to think altogether because of the misuse of Baruffio''s Brain Elixir." Seeing Hermione''s outstretched hand tremble for a moment, he added, "But it''s still okay to take it once in a while."


    "Second, the Fire Protection Potion." A small vial of purple liquid flew in front of her, "Although the name isn''t remarkable, it''s effective against magical fire."


    Hermione suddenly remembered the question Professor Snape had set during the first year quest.


    It was a logical reasoning question, and one of the potions worked as a way to get through magical flames.


    "Third, Felix Felicis ." A vial flew up to her, containing the least amount of potion, only a third of it, maybe two or three millilitres. But it was the prettiest - it resembled a liquid of molten gold that jumped up like swimming fish with the slightest shake of a fluid blob.


    "Also known as a potion of luck, it allows the person who takes it to have all things go well, as if by magic. But misuse leads to vertigo, recklessness and arrogance ..."


    "It must be very complicated to brew, right?" Hermione asked.


    "Extremely complicated, it takes at least six months and one wrong step, and it can turn into a pot of poison." Felix said rather emotionally.


    "Fourth one, the Wolfsbane Potion. It prevents werewolves from losing their minds after a full moon transformation, but of course, it''s useless to me, merely used as a collection ..."


    "Fifth, Polyjuice Potion ." Hearing this, Hermione''s spirits shot up, and she stared dead at the vial that flew in front of her. "It seems you''ve heard of this magic potion as well?"


    Hermione whispered, "Professor Snape mentioned it in class, it allows the person taking it to take the form of someone else."


    "Yes, it''s also a rather complex magic potion that takes a month to brew. A standard dose works for about 10 minutes to 12 hours, depending on the quality of the potion."


    "What about this one?"


    "Mine? Probably enough to transform one person for half an hour."


    Hermione looked a little disappointed. It seemed that one still had to brew it on their own, and the question was back to square one; how were they supposed to get the professor''s seal of approval and get the recipe?


    Felix''s explanation continued as he waved his wand and sent the last vial flying in front of her.


    "The sixth one, Ecstasy. Also known as the love potion. Once taken, one will fall madly in love with the person who gives him/her the potion."


    Hermione couldn''t help but open her mouth wide.


    "You''ll realize that it''s used somewhat similarly to Polyjuice Potion: polyjuice is added with someone else''s hair or body tissue, thus turning them into the other person;"


    "The ecstasy, on the other hand, is to add one''s own hair or body tissue and give it to someone else to drink, thus making them fall in love with them."


    The young witch said indignantly, "This potion is an abomination."


    Felix shrugged, "Indeed, it will only give you false love, as if it were a soap bubble - like its odour, which happens to be the favourite smell of your heart."


    Felix waved his wand and the cork of the vial popped out with a loud bang, "You can try the smell of it - don''t worry, it''s the purest form of the original liquid and not very dangerous, at least not to your sanity. "


    Hermione leaned in close and sniffed gently, it smells like books, sunshine and her home in the muggle world.

 Chapter 42 - 42 Quidditch And The Second Attack

    The following week passed swiftly and everyone got busy.


    Felix had to focus more on the fifth and seventh year, which was, after all, a year where the future of a young wizard lay at stake. Of course, he also sincerely hoped that more people would take up the study of magical texts - not the old-fashioned translation, but something like his field of study.


    He also had to tend to the little devil''s net, as well as beating willow branches with a magic infusion that would make or break his first magical artefact.


    And then there were the instant killing techniques, which could not be abandoned.


    Many forbidden books in the library were still waiting for him to sort through and read ...


    Everyone else had been busy too, Harry was busy with Quidditch training, the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team became anxious as the first match approaching, they used the time in the evenings to practice extra every day after class.


    Hermione had to find some professor to get a sign on top of her daily practice of magic texts and looking up information on the Chamber of Secret''s monster.


    She managed to get a signature from Professor Lockhart without any problems, and with slightly exaggerated bragging words, Lockhart signed his big name without even reading the content of the note.


    "That was very witty of you when you caught that last ghoul with the colander ..." Hermione blushed a little at the thought of what she had said.


    But luckily, the project of brewing a Polyjuice Potion went off without a hitch.


    "It''ll take about a month to brew it, in or around Christmas," Hermione said cheerfully.


    Harry and Ron crouched sadly on the lavatory room floor, which had got a bit nasty.


    The rest of the day went by without a new attack occurring at the school, or an unknown monster popping out and turning the young wizards to stone.


    The young witches also lost interest in the legends and secrets of a thousand years ago and even suspected that the last incident was a bad prank, the victim being Filch''s cat, the "accomplice" of the most unpleasant castle keeper.


    A young wizard already swore that he had seen a sneaky shadow wandering around the third floor before the incident, holding a piece of cake that had been spiked with a petrifying potion!


    Such rumours spread faster than the truth, so within a week everyone was talking about what petrifying potion could achieve a similar effect, leaving Dumbledore at his wits'' end, stuck waiting for the mandrake to ripen to configure an antidote.


    But the professors at Hogwarts knew what the truth was, and they spent the week searching the entire castle, only in vain. So they could only order the Head Boy and Head Girl to undertake the task of spreading the propaganda.


    Percy then gave an example of his own brother wandering around the abandoned girls'' lavatory during a Gryffindor assembly to illustrate the irrational and dangerous nature of such behaviour.


    The scene was so heated that Ron almost got into a fight with his brother.


    "You shamelessly ambitious man who cares only for his own power! I am your brother! Your brother! You''re a total power animal!" Ron''s ears were red as he cursed loudly.


    "I am a Head boy of Gryffindor! I have to think about the badge on my chest, understand, dumbass!" Percy shouted with the same red ears.


    "And you were there! You also went to the girls'' lavatory!"


    "I was doing my duty as a Head Boy! A ten-point penalty for Gryffindor!"


    But all in all, there existed harmony and camaraderie at Hogwarts.


    This peace lasted until Saturday''s first Quidditch game of the school year.


    This Quidditch game was highly anticipated, firstly because it was between two old rivals, Gryffindor and Slytherin, and secondly because Slytherin had "shamelessly" received off-field assistance, with the whole team riding the world''s most advanced broomstick, the Nimbus 2001.


    The other two teams wanted to see the power of the Nimbus 2001 in action.


    Felix didn''t bother to go, just stood outside the tower and took a glance from afar.


    He had little interest in Quidditch competitions, and it wasn''t because he had failed his first year flying class; there was no causal relationship between the two.


    He just liked to be quiet rather than lively, and didn''t really like too much noise.


    Still, Felix wanted to spit on Hogwarts'' curriculum, why were flying lessons only available in his first year? It made it impossible for him to even brush up on his points.


    He was flying steadily now, okay!


    That afternoon, he heard the big news that Harry Potter had been injured on the pitch, breaking his arm in a shattered, crumbling kind of way.


    It was only thanks to Professor Lockhart''s presence and powerful magic to extract the shattered bone fragments from Harry''s arm that the Gryffindor genius seeker''s career was salvaged.


    "This is all a load of bollocks!"


    Hermione said indignantly in the evening, this incident completely broke her fanboy filter and Lockhart remained black all her life from then on.


    The truth is that Harry had simply fallen and broken his arm, something a healing spell could have fixed, but with Lockhart''s "enthusiastic help" he had to stay at the school clinic and take a "bone-growing agent" to make the bones grow back.


    Felix shivered at the thought of the sewer smell of the bone-building agent.


    Later that night, Felix dropped the young witch off and was about to watch a film to refresh himself when Dumbledore''s Phoenix Patronus flew in through the window.


    The Patronus appeared before him, and Dumbledore''s solemn voice came from its mouth.


    "Felix, come quickly to the Professor''s Common Room, there is an emergency."


    When Felix arrived swiftly, a number of professors had already gathered in this office, obviously arriving in a hurry, a few still in their pyjamas.


    Dumbledore sat solemnly in his chair, his eyes half-closed, and Professor McGonagall kept rubbing her hands together.


    "What''s happened?" Felix asked in a whisper as he moved closer to Snape.


    Snape glanced at him before whispering, "The attack has happened again, a second time."


    Felix scowled.


    "Who was it?"


    "Colin Creevey, that fanatical Potter wannabe."


    Felix had no recollection of him at all and aside, Professor McGonagall said with a sad expression, "He only started this year and has always admired Harry ... yes, always carries a camera with him, I recall him well ... I heard he''s already mailed three photo albums home. Oh, dear!"


    Felix picked up that broken camera on the table and a strong smell of charred air hit him.


    After another ten minutes, a cheerful, pleasant voice pushed open the door to the room, "Did I miss something?"


    Lockhart, dressed in gold pyjamas, walked into the room, slightly taken aback, "So many people!" But his next comment made the professors glare at him, what he said was, "Is everyone having a pyjama party?"


    "I''m the best at this, I''m seasoned in this!" Lockhart winked and flashed his trademark toothy grin.

 Chapter 43 - 43 Discussion

    Felix found it hard to understand this Professor Lockhart.


    He had long since seen through the man for what he is - a businessman who sells books by making up stories and self-promotion.


    As for his magic skills, he had long ago returned them to his teacher as he graduated.


    This author''s formula is to put his own name to his story and to shamelessly enrich himself under the banner of "autobiography".


    This is not uncommon in the Muggle world, but the wizarding world is not that liberal, and to some extent, it''s quite simple. You say it in your book that it''s your own adventures and people choose to believe it - and that''s a fraud, and if it comes out, it''s basically going to ruin his reputation.


    Doesn''t he know this himself? Why did he dance so much when he knew? And to perform it in front of the best group of British wizards in the wizarding world?


    To be honest, Felix didn''t understand it at all.


    He and Lockhart were two completely different people.


    "Silence." With the arrival of Lockhart, Dumbledore presided over the meeting.


    "A second attack took place, just an hour ago, similarly petrified, just like Mrs. Norris," Dumbledore said with a slightly heavy tone.


    "But this one is completely different in nature, the victim being a young wizard, a first-year, which suggests-" his azure eyes looked around with extreme pressure, "that the Chamber of Secrets has really been opened. "


    "Hogwarts is facing a crisis!"


    All the professors became solemn.


    Next, Professor McGonagall recounted the information from the last time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. She pursed her lips and began to recount that part of history, "Fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened once."


    "A student lost her life as a result, her name was Myrtle Elizabeth Warren, and yes, she remains at Hogwarts to this day as a ghost on campus."


    "Since then, however, the Chamber of Secrets has been closed, until now-"


    "So, then," commented Lockhart impatiently, "the attack is over? I mean, there''s been a student that got hit, no? I''ve seen a number of similar cases, like the water monster at Morgan Lake, which appears every thirty years, and since I gave the inhabitants in there my home-made amulet, they''ve never been troubled again ..."


    Professor McGonagall''s lips pursed even tighter as she said aloud in an extremely rare manner, "I must warn you, Professor Lockhart! Colin Creevey is simply petrified, he has not lost his life."


    Dumbledore followed McGonagall''s words, "True, none of us know if the monster will attack again and if the consequences will be merely petrification. If you have any suggestions, you can all make them."


    Professor McGonagall said, "I have currently arranged for the heads of each house to patrol and strictly forbid young wizards from going to the isolated areas, and for the first and second years, furthermore, to line up for their classes and minimize going alone."


    "Very good, Minerva," Dumbledore said approvingly.


    "Headmaster Dumbledore," Felix felt the need to voice the information he had, "my focus of concern on the Chamber of Secrets all along. There are three keywords revolving around the Chamber of Secrets-"


    He glanced at the crowd, "The unknown monster, the heir to Slytherin, and the location of the Chamber of Secrets."


    "Once we know any of those points, we can sort out the truth."


    Dumbledore closed his slender fingers as if in thought, "Please continue, Felix."


    "The unknown monster, why don''t we associate it with Slytherin? The Slytherin symbol is a snake, perhaps this monster is also a snake, and that solves the problem of how it appeared in the castle - with the help of the pipes that are all over Hogwarts."


    The crowd pondered, and Snape spoke up, saying in his mild, indifferent tone, "Felix, the Slytherin symbol maybe a snake, but that''s only because he''s a Parseltongue. If you had researched him a little, you would have discovered that he is a master of bloodline research, and he studies more magical bloodlines than you can imagine."


    "But we can''t rule that out, can we?"


    "Heh! That unknown monster that murdered a witch fifty years ago and fifty years later all it did was petrify ..." Snape stared at Felix with his stone-like cold eyes, "If I understand you correctly, Felix, this isn''t the same monster, right?"


    Felix shook his head, "I can''t answer that, so my opinion is only for your reference."


    He continued, "There are two possibilities I can think of for the heir of Slytherin. Active and Passive."


    "Perhaps this heir is awake and knows what he is doing, such as carrying on the will of Slytherin and exorcizing the young wizard from the Muggle family. But it is also possible that he stumbled upon the Slytherin relic and is controlled by it."


    Dumbledore looked up, "A very insightful observation, you''ve expanded our thinking."


    He pondered, "We have overlooked this in the past, it seems we need to educate the students more."


    Felix''s "manipulation theory" drew a number of professors into the discussion, he waited for a little and continued, "As for the location of the chamber, I have no way of knowing, perhaps we could enquire the portraits and ghosts of the castle?"


    After a long moment of silence, an older professor spoke with hesitation, "Originally I shouldn''t have said this, but I think Hogwarts is at a critical time and any clue is important ..."


    Felix looked at the old professor, his name was Sylvanus Kettleburn, he had been his teacher in the Protection of Magical Creatures class when he was a student, but was rumoured to have plans to retire.


    The professor, known for his preference to study and look after dangerous creatures, had set an everlasting record, experiencing 62 probationary reviews during his term at school.


    For Felix to rate, he is another version of Hagrid.


    At the moment, Kettleburn said, "The boy is definitely not a bad boy, but if you ask me if he''s anything like me ... who made a mistake out of curiosity," he paused and said a name: "Rubeus Hagrid. "


    "It wasn''t him, Sylva," Dumbledore said in a firm tone, "I was teaching Transfiguration at the school back then, and I know he''s innocent, but there''s no proof ... for it, and headmaster Dippet expelled him. "


    "It was a grave mistake, and we didn''t catch the real culprit."


    The meeting ended and Dumbledore divided up a series of tasks, for now, it still had to be mainly about prevention, in addition to conducting daily patrols, and urging the young wizards in the classroom not to trust any sort of magic item bollocks.


    When Felix went out, he saw that Lockhart is talking to Dumbledore about something.


    The Headmaster''s expression was very intriguing.

 Chapter 44 - 44 Influence

    The day after the weekend, word of the Colin Creevey attack spread through Hogwarts.


    This time was different from the last time, that was just a cat after all, and this time it was a student. If they hadn''t heard that it was possible to save him, I fear it would have caused widespread panic.


    On the other hand, the regular patrols of professors and Head students also added fuel to the anxiety on the side, even though it is a necessary act.


    In the evening after the magic text tuition.


    Felix spoke to Hermione briefly about what could be revealed, "The professors at Hogwarts will keep the young wizards safe, you can spread the word around more often about it a bit with others."


    Hermione happily agreed.


    "But, Professor, why did you guess that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a snake?" Hermione asked cautiously.


    Felix, of course, wouldn''t tell the truth, he could only relate the little story that Slytherin and snakes were compelled with.


    "You mean Slytherin manipulated the snake to do his bidding?"


    "Of course, after all, he''s the most famous Parseltongue after all," Felix replied.


    From the few words left behind by the Ravenclaw, it was clear that Slytherin had all sorts of snakes at his side and at his disposal all year round, which made him very ''famous'' at the time.


    Hermione exclaimed, "A Parseltongue can manipulate snakes?" Her heart thumped.


    "I''m just speculating, after all, Parseltongue is so rare that there aren''t many samples to study. But since this ability is hereditary, it means that it is not simply a type of exotic language, but contains magic power ..."


    ...


    In one corner of the common room, a violent conflict is breaking out among the trio.


    "Harry, I think you should tell Dumbledore, or Professor Hap, about you being a Parseltongue."


    "Don''t say it." Ron retorted without a second thought.


    "Ron! You don''t know the extent of the problem yet." Hermione glared at him in annoyance.


    Ron lowered his head and whispered, "Harry, I mean, don''t make this a public secret, if you expose your Parseltongue in public, you''ll be finished and definitely treated as the heir to Slytherin."


    "We could just tell Headmaster Dumbledore and ask him to keep it a secret," Hermione argued reasonably.


    Harry rubbed his forehead, "But it wouldn''t mean much, right? You guys know I''m not the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets, which means that there''s still a Parseltongue lurking in the school."


    "If I''m exposed, then maybe he will hide even deeper instead."


    Harry didn''t want to reveal his secret, not only because of the bad reputation of the Parseltongue but also because of some kind of hidden mental resistance towards the strong proposal from the Sorting Hat when he was sorted in his first year to enter Slytherin House.


    Was this a sign of something?


    That the Sorting Hat saw him for what he was?


    Harry said to Hermione, "What''s more, we can''t be sure if the monster is a snake yet, can we? Maybe what I heard that day is just the murmuring of a passing snake, Professor Hap admitted as much. And you haven''t found a corresponding snake in all the days you''ve been trawling the library?"


    Hermione was left speechless; the closest thing she had found came from a species called Basilisk, which had a lethal gaze, but it didn''t petrify people.


    Ron finally made up his differences on the subject, "Let''s just brew some Polyjuice Potion as soon as we can and get Malfoy to talk about this."


    "And that little elf called Dobby, he''s weird too."


    In addition to reassuring the young wizard in class over the next week, Felix made a point of caution, "Don''t trust any magical artefact that talks unless you can see where its thoughts are hidden."


    "Professor, are you talking about the Sorting Hat?" One of the twins, Fred, asked.


    "No, it''s been through a thousand years, we can trust it enough," Felix said seriously, "but some sorts of other things, like things you get by chance from library shelves, from old abandoned broom closets, like those, if you find you can talk to them, then you must beware."


    "They can be extremely dangerous Black Magic artefacts."


    "I could give hundreds of similar examples ..."


    For the next half of the lesson, Felix continued to scare the unreliable little wizards with real-life examples from various countries, and judging by the looks on their faces, he had achieved his goal.


    By late afternoon, when the twins told the audience the story they had heard, they all listened with rapt attention.


    "I never thought Professor Hap was so knowledgeable," Fred said to Ron as he and George came into a corner of the common room.


    He squeezed his eyes and gestured to a moody Ginny, "Ginny, I have quite a few stories left to tell, if you want to hear them, I ..."


    "No need!" Ginny said desperately.


    The twins looked at each other and began to exaggerate as they imitated an unlucky man who had found a black magic book and whose eyes had grown on the book ever since.


    Ginny shivered as she listened.


    "Okay guys, don''t scare Ginny." Hermione took the younger girl''s hand and said soothingly, "The Professor will protect us, as long as we don''t get too curious ..."


    Ginny nodded.


    The next day at noon, Ginny took a sneaky glance and left the large group for a secluded area where she pulled a black book out of her book bag and threw it with force.


    In the afternoon, Potion class ended, and the trio quietly made their way into the abandoned lavatory to brew the Polyjuice Potion.


    "All going well so far," Hermione announced happily as she looked at the colour of the potion.


    "Wait." Harry looked to a corner of the lavatory where there seemed to be something, but it was too dark for him to make much out of it.


    He was just about to get closer when suddenly there were footsteps outside the door.


    The trio looked at each other in alarm - "Who''s there?" Harry shouted.


    The footsteps quickly scurried away.


    Gritting his teeth, Harry got the door open and chased after him and, halfway through, he came back.


    "It''s Malfoy!" He said through gritted teeth, "He must have followed us here."


    "So did he find out about ..."


    "Not sure."


    "But it''s not safe here anymore."


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione agreed to change places and this time, they chose an abandoned classroom in the basement.


    "It''s pretty isolated."


    The three of them were very satisfied with the new location.


    In the evening, a young wizard slipped quietly into the place where Harry and the others had brewed their potions earlier, hesitated slightly, and went into the girls'' lavatory.


    Halfway through the day, he stepped out and left quickly, something clutched in his robes.

 Chapter 45 - 45 Guest Psychiatrist

    As the Creevey incident fermented, the young wizards of Hogwarts showed an extremely unreliable side as everyone hid from their professors, giggling and exchanging amulets, talismans, and other protective playthings.


    During this period, such a practice quickly took the school by storm, with Neville Longbottom buying a large, smelly onion, a spiky amethyst, and a rotting water salamander tail.


    As a result, the other Gryffindor boys told him he actually isn''t in danger: he''s pureblood and therefore safe from attack.


    "They went after Filch first," said Neville, his round face filled with fear, "and everyone knew that I was pretty much a Squib."


    The professors had to repeatedly emphasize the complete ineffectiveness of these things in class three times over. Among them, Felix, with his good reputation and gentle attitude, gained a lot of fans from the young wizards.


    There were even a number of lower-year students who "came in" and asked for psychological guidance.


    "Professor, can I, can I have a chat with you?" A curly-haired Hufflepuff boy stopped him while he was patrolling the hallways.


    "Sure." Felix sighed inwardly, the fourth one this week, this reputation is wearing him down.


    The young wizard looked a bit formal as the two made their way to a pillar, but Felix''s high " favourable" rating among the young wizard community helped him calm down quickly.


    "Professor, I''m having some difficulties." Felix gestured for him to continue, "My name is Justin Fenrir, I come from a Muggle family ..."


    Felix''s mind became clear.


    "... When I received my admission letter, I wasn''t sure about coming to Hogwarts, but, well, as you know, I was originally going to attend Eton, where my parents graduated from."


    Felix said approvingly, "I''ve heard of that school, it''s quite famous in the Muggle world."


    "Yes, that''s right." Justin got a little more excited, "But I was more curious about magic, and I convinced them to let me come to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall''s display shocked them at the time."


    Felix nodded, Hogwarts traditionally has the habit of visiting new students from Muggle families.


    But it would be interesting to imagine the expressions of the Muggles under the idealistic view, who saw magic for the first time.


    Justin continued, "A lot has happened this year, with difficult times ... every one is panicking, and a lot of people are writing home."


    "Your parents are worried about you too, right? Did they let you take a break from school for a while?" Felix asked.


    "No, no, Professor," Justin said quickly, "I didn''t tell my family, I''m sure Hogwarts will stay open, Professor, and I love magic! I, I''m just a little scared, there are a lot of rumours that ... Harry, Harry, he is the heir of Slytherin!"


    "Rumours are mostly untrue." Felix said calmly, "Do you believe this rumour?"


    "I''m not sure, judging from logic, well, Professor, you know the word logical, right? Great, judging from logic, they just appeared in the wrong place, but I don''t know much about a magic ..."


    "Don''t worry, it''s not him, I can assure you of that, the professors have enough insight to separate fact from rumour."


    Justin breathed a clear sigh of relief.


    "Are there any more questions?"


    "And, Professor, I hear you''re a Muggle-born too? Sorted into Slytherin?"


    "That''s right."


    "Then you must have suffered a lot of trouble with others, right? Did you hit them back hard?"


    "Ah, you could barely say that."


    Justin''s expression perked up, "Professor, many young wizards, especially those from Muggle families, worship you, you''re their idol!"


    ?


    I''ve just, become the idol of Muggle wizards?


    "Professor, everyone wants to be as brave as you are ..."


    After sending off this young wizard who was initially shy and then quickly turned to a chatterbox, Felix''s heart remained somewhat amazed. He laughed softly after a while. This feeling ... is not bad.


    December came, and with the tireless efforts of the professors, the young wizards finally abandoned their unreliable amulets and turned to more practical gadgets, such as a pair of spotters that could detect potential dangers in advance.


    It was rumoured that girls carried a small mirror with them and used it to look around every corner, but this practice was quickly abandoned and not many people were able to stick with it.


    The devil net that Felix had raised for so long also sprouted strong and ready for consumption.


    They''re also the branch of the beating willow, under more than a month of diligent Magic irrigation, every inch of it is infused with Felix''s own magic, which makes its surface shine and still maintain enough vitality.


    Felix sampled the effect, he drew his wand, "Quickly become smaller!" The seven to eight-meter-long branch shrank rapidly and became a long snake-like thing in the blink of an eye.


    "It''s still a little thick."


    He kept casting spells, and the branch became smaller and smaller, but the process also became more and more difficult. Luckily, the branch was soaked with his own magic power and did not reject him, and with the help of a few more techniques from the ancient books, he managed to turn it into a thin, flexible rope of emerald green colour.


    Without rest, he quickly carved a dense magic text on the surface to maintain the effect of the magic.


    "It looks quite good!"


    But next, there was a dilemma in his mind.


    According to his vision, he wanted to rely on beating willow thin rope as a skeleton, the unicorn hair knitted into it, forming a small pouch-like thing.


    But he was stuck on the first step, how to weave them together in the proper way?


    "I know about this, I learned to knit sweaters with my mother!"


    In the end, with the help of his assistant, Hermione provided seven knitting solutions in a row, impressing Felix.


    After three days of work, the little witch finished her work brilliantly, even using the leftover bits of material to knit a small beaded pouch for herself after getting Professor Hap''s permission.


    The beads were also ready-made, and Hermione made them out of a block of chestnut wood that she used to practice magic texts.


    The final half-finished product is a delicate purse that belongs to Felix, and a beaded pouch, which belongs to Hermione.


    "The rest of the work, is to carve magic text circuit, let''s make the devil net mobile and mislead itself to think that it is still growing strong ... and tweaking, probably need a week or two."


    "Wait until the critical point, then we can use the magic to motivate the devil net to launch an attack."


    "Of course," Felix explained, "your beaded pouch material is not good enough and may not be able to hold too many devil net vines."


    "That''s enough for me." Hermione said happily, "Professor, can I complete the construction of the magic text myself?"


    "You can''t do that for now, but, you can help me with it."


    ...


    On Thursday afternoon, a small group gathered around the bulletin board, reading the words on a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up.


    A few words at the top sparkled and kept drawing attention to it. It read--


    Dueling Club.

 Chapter 46 - 46 Poor Professor Hap

    Dueling Club!


    The word had spread throughout Hogwarts in just a few hours, and learning to protect oneself at this particular time was simply a sore point for all young wizards.


    Except for the first-year students who are still naive and ignorant, any other young wizard of any grade can bow on this topic with a handful of bitter tears.


    Hogwarts is unreliable!


    The original course that teaches young wizards to defend themselves against danger, the Defense Against the Dark Arts course, has been very watered down over the years, but there is still something to learn. This year, it has been recognized as a drama class.


    As a result, the young wizards have an avid interest in dueling clubs that will improve their strength.


    Seamus Finnegan looked excited, "They finally thought of starting a dueling club! It''s about time they finally do that."


    "Which professor is taking this course?" Ron squeezed through the crowd, his eyes constantly searching the parchment as if trying to circle the name of a professor or two.


    A Ravenclaw girl next to him said, "It isn''t written above, but I hope it''s Professor Filius, he was a dueling champion when he was younger."


    "Professor Hap is better." Ron quickly retorted, since the night after the trip to the Forbidden Forest, he was obsessed with Professor Hap''s prowess and thought he could hang Snape, and Headmaster Dumbledore could not tell, but it was at least 50-50 at least.


    Harry subconsciously also wanted to nod, but when he glanced at the girl who spoke, he could not help but stop his action.


    Noticing Harry''s gaze, Chu Zhang smiled at him in a friendly way, and Harry felt his breath stop.


    "What do you suggest, Harry?" Ron asked.


    "What?"


    Harry took an elbow from Ron in the ribs, but it didn''t hurt at all, and he said vaguely, "Oh, yeah, you''re right about everything ..."


    The young wizards murmured, asking each other what they thought.


    "First gathering tonight. Man, are you going to be there?"


    "I''m not against taking some lessons in dueling, it might come in handy someday."


    "I think we could use it right now."


    "Do they think they''re going to duel with that Slytherin monsters?" Ron muttered, but he also read the notice with interest, "Harry, what do you think?"


    "That girl does look very ... what did you say?" Harry suddenly snapped awake.


    Ron looked at him with a suspicious expression.


    "A duel, yes, of course, I''m going." Harry concentrated this time on reading the words on the parchment.


    By the time dinner was served, most of the table was filled with news about the dueling club, and someone swore that at least three professors would be in charge of the entire club and that they would show a high-profile showdown with no restrictions.


    It was said to be very wild.


    The name Felix Hap, once again, appeared in the mouths of many girls, and the rumours of his open challenge to a pureblood family in his fifth year became more and more outrageous.


    From the original version of "calm and unassuming", to the later "sad and helpless, fighting to the death", Professor Hap''s personal image, from a cold and powerful genius wizard, quickly turned into a tragic figure waving a wand and rushing to the spinning windmill.


    Many of the younger witches who hadn''t faced Felix were holding doll-like wooden figurines in their arms, and their eyes were filled with tears of sympathy.


    "They are talking too much," Ron said discontentedly as he kept disliking a piece of potato with his fork. It simply destroyed the powerful image of Professor Hap in his mind.


    He turned his head, trying to seek approval, only to see Hermione''s eyes also clouded with a layer of water.


    "He really suffered too much in those days ...," the little witch stated very emotionally.


    "Who? Professor Hap?" Ron''s head hit with a question mark. Are we talking about the same person?


    Harry ate his dinner sullenly, not saying a word the entire time except for the occasional glance up.


    "Harry, you''re not right," Ron said.


    "I''m fine."


    "Not right since you got back," Ron asked in a whisper as he moved over, "Did you hear that voice again?"


    "No, I''m done eating, see you in the common room." Harry left quickly.


    Halfway there, Harry lightly hammered his head, what was wrong with him?


    But he had heard her friend call her name, Chu Chang, how lovely ...


    After a while, Ron came back by himself.


    "Where''s Hermione?"


    "I don''t know, she said she had to leave first and told us to wait for her in the auditorium." Ron shrugged, "By the way, what do you think would Professor Hap teach us if he were to come along?"


    This topic caught Harry''s attention, and he quickly went through the scenes when Professor Hap cast spells, and the most impressive one was indeed the forbidden forest one.


    He expressed his opinion to Ron.


    "Harry, that magic is too high," Ron looked around and said to him slightly mysteriously, "I inquired from Fred - no, I did not say out it was Professor Hap. "Seeing that Harry wanted to open his mouth to say something, he hastily added.


    They were both asked by Professor Hap to keep it a secret and not to tell what happened that night.


    "Apparition is quite a dangerous magic, and we can''t learn it until we are at least full-grown."


    Appari- what?"


    "Apparition, allows you to disappear from one place and appear in another place in the meantime."


    Harry quickly remembered the name of the spell, Professor Hap''s performance in the Forbidden Forest that night had given him a great shock, but he had thought at the time that it was the professor''s exclusive magic.


    "And, as I learned by the sidelines, this magic is used for travelling in a hurry, and it is rarely used repeatedly in a short span of time, and the slightest slip can result in a split."


    "Split?"


    "For example, your head flies away, the body remains in place." Ron explained with a slight exaggeration, "Not to mention, having to cast a spell while moving, and frankly when I told Fred about it, he thought I was telling a joke."


    Harry ignored the danger in Ron''s mouth with a look of fascination.


    ...


    Ancient magic text office.


    "You mean the Dueling Club?" Felix asked with interest.


    "Yes, it''s posted on the bulletin board, it''s in the auditorium tonight at eight o''clock, aren''t you aware of it, Professor?"


    Felix shook his head.


    Hermione''s face rather looked disappointed.


    Then she offered her farewell, not a few steps outside, she suddenly turned around, clenched her fist, her face red with encouragement, and said, "Professor, we all think you are a very good wizard, I read a saying from a book: the hardship of youth is nothing, it will only become your motivation to move forward. You have a long life ahead of you, go for it!"


    Watching her stomp away, Felix had a question mark on his face.

 Chapter 47 - 47 Farce

    8:00 p.m., school Great Hall


    The long dining table disappeared, and in the center of the Great Hall stood a temporary square gilded stage, edged by three wooden steps.


    Hundreds of candles floating in mid-air, the center of the Great Hall, decorated beautifully.


    Harry, Ron hurried back to the Great Hall, the whole school is almost here, crowded, they are feverishly discussing. The two squeezed along the gap in the crowd towards the front, Harry inadvertently knocked off a first-year witch''s glasses, he hastily apologized "sorry".


    The witch took the glasses and put them back on her forehead, humming something softly that Harry didn''t hear.


    The two of them went to the Gryffindor wizarding area, where Seamus, Dean and Neville were all present, "Hey! Harry, this way." They sighed with relief, "There''s lots of people coming."


    Neville Longbottom''s round face turned in a flash, "Almost all of them are here, it seems everyone is curious about the Duel club."


    At that moment, Hermione came over from the other direction to rendezvous, and she was holding a newspaper in her hand.


    "You''re a little late, where have you been?" Harry asked, while stretching his neck to look out of the corridor.


    "I went to see Professor Hap first, then I ran into Professor McGonagall on the way back."


    "Something wrong?" Ron asked casually and didn''t wait for her answer when he suddenly let out a heavy sigh, and a number of other young wizards moved in the same way as he did, as they saw Professor Giedro Lockhart in his magnificent purple robes striding into the auditorium.


    Next to him was a stern-faced Severus Snape, and the two were a wonderful contrast - the former warm and welcoming, the latter downcast and solemn; the former brightly dressed, the latter covered in black.


    Harry let out a groan, his two most hated professors will be teaching him dueling courses.


    The peacock-like Professor Lockhart gave a graceful speech, starting with a ten-minute account of how he had "worked hard to convince Dumbledore to give everyone the chance to learn how to protect themselves," interspersed with the familiar self-congratulatory and book-buying advice. -They have become immune to this rhetoric.


    In the last thirty seconds, Lockhart made a rare introduction of his "assistant" Professor Snape.


    "Professor Snape, who himself knows a little about dueling, has graciously agreed to assist me with a little demonstration before class - but don''t worry, I''ll get your Potion professor back to you in one piece." He grinned widely.


    Snape curled his upper lip and pulled out a courtesy smile that sent chills down Harry''s spine; if Snape had smiled at him like that, he would have long since scampered away.


    In the meantime, the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, stood impatiently at the edge of the field, carrying a white medicine box with her, and Professor Felix Hap also appeared quietly in the corner of the auditorium.


    He was quite interested in this so-called "dueling course", and deep down he had some ideas, so he decided to come and take a look.


    If Professor Lockhart messed up, maybe he could take over ...


    And from what he knew about this professor, the odds were good that he would flop.


    It was a test of his subconscious dissatisfaction with the mediocrity and chaos of the wizarding world and Hogwarts, but being prudent, he decided to wait and see first.


    ...


    The dueling session began in less than three minutes, and Felix''s eyes twitched as he looked at Professor Lockhart, who had been knocked off his feet by the "Expelliarmus", and stood up in confusion, his magnificent purple robe ripped open in a long gash.


    You are still a rookie, can''t you have some self-awareness?


    Professor Lockhart is assisted to his feet by several young wizards as he stumbles back to center stage, "Okay, everyone, see!" His wavy curly hair stood up at the roots under the magic spell, looking rather comical, but it was his next words that were almost comical.


    "This is the way to apply Expelliarmus, I hope I just impressed you with my demonstration--" he glanced at Snape, "But don''t mind me saying this, your intention just now was obvious, if I were to stop you, it''s not going to take a lot of effort ..."


    "But the young wizards need to grow in insight, might as well show them ..." Lockhart couldn''t go on, Snape was looking at him with a murderous look on his face.


    Lockhart wisely changed the subject and moved the lesson to the next stage. Without any specific teaching, he pulled out a dozen pairs of young wizards and had them stand in a small grid across the stage.


    "This is the end of demonstration this time! Let''s see what you''ve learned, Professor Snape, if you''ll help me ..."


    What followed was a lousy battle, and Lockhart, wishing to avoid a head-to-head with Snape or specific magical instruction, shifted his task to critique and instruct, but he overestimated the level of spellcasting and discipline of the young Hogwarts wizards.


    In particular, Snape intentionally or unintentionally arranged for his own house and the little lions to pair up, which was strange if they didn''t fight.


    Although Lockhart repeatedly stressed that only the Expelliarmus can be used, the young wizards have never learned - if you do not count Lockhart''s "demonstration" just now. So after a few ineffective incantations by both parties, a variety of small vicious spells popular among the student community emerged.


    From Felix''s point of view, Harry and Malfoy''s group was barely interesting, but the two basically had no concept of dueling, using a turn-based system, you have a " grinning mouth hula ", I have a " Tarantella dance ", while the rest were just watching So, it''s a turn-based system.


    The remaining wizards, Neville and Justin, were both on the ground, panting, and if he was right, they hadn''t released a single spell from the beginning to the end.


    Ron scratched the dead-faced Simo and apologized repeatedly, his wand is still spewing green smoke.


    And his own assistant side ... their wands have long since lost, wrestling with each other, the Slytherin girl with a huge size advantage to gain the upper hand, her arm clamped to Hermione''s head, but Hermione also has one hand deadlocked on the opposite side'' hair ... ...


    "Oh my god, oh my god!" Lockhart screamed, but he had no effect on the field, and Felix had to cross the crowd, waving his wand around with a spell to separate the young wizards a dozen times.


    "Professor Hap ..." Lockhart was a little flustered and still hesitant, but soon his mind was drawn to the tragic situation of the little wizards. "Miss Fawcett ... press hard and pinch, the bleeding will stop immediately, and your nose is broken, and..."


    Madam Pomfrey stepped on stage and pulled Lockhart away as the distinguished school nurse madam quickly cast a spell and poured various coloured potions into the mouths of the young wizards. "Dumbledore should not have approved ... it''s ridiculous, it''s just ridiculous ... totally incompetent ..."


    Simo took a sip of the green gooey stuff, his face turned even greener, and finally he burped and spewed out a cloud of green gas.


    "Shame on the professor for letting little wizards engage in dangerous activities ..." Pomfrey kept muttering under her breath, but she quickly solved the trouble and in less than five minutes back and forth, the little wizards were back on their feet.


    Lockhart looked a little overwhelmed, "Well, ah ..." he froze for a few seconds, "Let us thank Madam Pomfrey for her efforts, she is a strong support staff for our dueling classes... ...and of course, Professor Hap."


    He stole a glance at Felix, who was standing on the stage with absolutely no intention of going down.

 Chapter 48 - 48Exhibition Match

    "So next ..." said Lockhart, stammering slightly, "I thought it''s best to teach you how to stop some unfriendly magic, yes, unfriendly, as I wrote in my book... . Documented personal experiences."


    "Please volunteer to come up as a pair - Longbottom and Finelli, how about you? Professor Hap, Professor Snape, we''d better leave the stage to them ..."


    Felix fiddled with his wand absently, "A very good offer, Professor Lockhart. But before that, I think it''s necessary, to let the young wizards know what a real duel is like, even if it''s a show-piece duel."


    Lockhart''s expression froze for a moment, "This, I ..." he looked in all directions and found the young wizards on the stage so interested in this that he couldn''t speak.


    "Professor Snape, what do you think?" Felix asked Snape, who had been silent.


    A certain Potion Professor measured him with a deep and unexpected look, and he pulled a smile with a wide grin on his lips, "Are you going to duel with me, Felix?"


    "A mere exhibition match."


    Neither man took Lockhart into account.


    Snape gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and simply drew his wand.


    Awkwardly on the side of Lockhart suddenly found himself miraculously detached from the center of the vortex, his face regained enthusiasm, "It seems that we have to temporarily add a duel to our course, let us welcome the two professors!"


    This time the stage applauded enthusiastically, Ron gleefully recited to Harry, "Honestly, I''ve waited too long for this day! Do you think Snape will be hospitalized?"


    As a " strong fan " of Professor Hap, he is naturally on the side of Felix.


    "It''s just a show match." Hermione stressed this point, but she still jumped up and down on her tiptoes.


    Lockhart stepped back to the edge of the stage and applied a "Sonorus" on himself - a spell he was quite adept with thanks to his book signing presentations.


    "I''m going to give you a commentary, although this is only an exhibition match, the real duel will not be like this, which requires a sharper sense of foresight to detect danger - for more details on this, please see my published works." Lockhart spoke eloquently, "But - it is still good for you. Following bow ..."


    However, neither of the two on the stage paid any attention to him, and instead chatted with each other for a few moments.


    "Felix, what do you want to do?"


    "Professor, I just stopped by to take a look and make a contribution in the process."


    "Don''t lie to me!" The two were very close to each other, which made this conversation only each other could hear.


    "Is it because Professor is only proficient in peeping through minds?" Felix teased.


    Snape grunted, in his eyes, the former student has a very strong sense of purpose, and now the behaviour, rightly he categorized as "Felix ready to seize the power with his first step".


    The two bowed, each took seven steps backward, turned to look at each other, and raised their wands to their chests at the same time.


    "As you can see, the two professors hold their wands in the usual dueling position," said Lockhart, fulfilling his commentary duties, "one of the three common dueling positions, next I will count to three, and they will cast the first spell."


    The students at the bottom held their breath, and the atmosphere was completely different from the "demonstration" of Lockhart just now.


    "One ... two ..."


    "Snape will not be killed in seconds, right?" Ron shouted excitedly.


    "I don''t think so, gosh--" Hermione was just about to say that Professor Hap looked up to Snape, but she was quickly stunned by the dazzling scene on stage.


    "Three!"


    Snape shouted, " Expelliarmus!" A dazzling red light flashed, and the spell quickly flew to Felix.


    Felix twirl his wand, smoothly release a "Protego", an invisible magic barrier appeared in front of his body, Snape''s spell bounced off, then he flicked his wrist, the magic barrier emitted a dazzling white light, and swiftly flew forward.


    Snape sent out two spells in a row to break Felix''s Protego, and the magic barrier quickly dissipated.


    However, the white light from the Protego spell obscured Snape''s vision, and when he subconsciously shifted his position - years of habit saved him once - three dull black lights brushed against him, the nearest one, almost against his nose.


    All this happened in the span of less than three seconds from Snape''s strong first strike, to Felix''s defensive counterattack, and with the white light to cover the rapid release of three spells sneak attack.


    Lockhart: "..."


    The young wizards: "..."


    The duel continues, Snape does not dare to take it lightly, he has not made a move for almost ten years, although he has not given up on the exploration of magic, but mainly focused on the improvement of magic potion.


    However, he is quickly picking up the combat experience he once had, and after several rather thrilling deflections in quick succession, finally began to counterattack.


    Both of their magic spells kept flying around, but both had a tacit agreement not to accidentally injure students.


    A variety of defensive spells, attack spells, disarm spells cut through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound, the distance between the two people sometimes quickly close, and sometimes far away, feet keep moving position in small increments.


    Lockhart wisely jumped off the stage after a spell grazed his hair, but he still commented loudly: "The duel is somewhat intense ... see their feet? MOVE, MOVE, don''t just stand there, silly!"


    Lockhart still got two brushes, at least eloquent, and through his explanation, many young wizards drifted into realization, sort of saving his image a little.


    Snape scoffed at this, though, as he deftly picked off a spell and drew an opening to counter. He felt that Felix''s magic spell was gradually strengthening in power, which made him under more and more pressure.


    Damn, this kid is putting pressure on me!


    "Why does it feel like Professor Hap''s magic spell is getting thicker and thicker?" Even many small wizards noticed this, but with their knowledge, they could only judge the strength of the spell from the "appearance".


    Snape''s wand shook violently, a strengthened version of the "Protego" blocked in front of his body, two hot red lights flew and one by one impacted on it, issued a "thud" sound, the magic barrier was torn open by a mouth gap.


    Amazing magic proficiency ...


    The second hot red lights hit the top with a "thud" sound, and the barrier was torn open.


    The young wizards on the stage were dazzled, realizing for the first time that the so-called duel was not just a silly face-to-face magic spell, but that there were too many ways to cast spells in terms of speed, timing, means of defense, pace, and awareness ....


    But they do not know, both people did not use their full strength.


    Felix slightly easily sides his head to avoid a red ray, using this short gap to turn the wand to send a magic spell, the heart quickly assessed the limit of this magic potion professor.


    Professor Snape''s strength shouldn''t be like this ...


    The next second, Felix''s heart suddenly rose alert, he threw out three Protego in a row, and let it fly far out and in the way of the necessary path.


    A crimson, powerful spell sliced through the air and quickly passed through the first and second barriers before rushing viciously towards the third one.


    The young wizards'' eyes widened, they might not be able to judge the strength of the spell, but Snape''s spell left an ever-burning trajectory in mid-air, and also pierced through the armour protective barrier in one fell swoop, they could see it clearly.


    "Dang!"


    A violent boom rang through the auditorium.


    Felix''s third Protego spell worked, bouncing off Snape''s surprisingly powerful spell.


    He smelled a hint of black magic ...


    The characteristics of black magic incorporated into the Expelliarmus spell, Professor, you are really surprising me.


    Do you have a much stronger magic spell? Do you still have a backhand ...


    Snape is far from relaxed, he did hide some magic spells, but they are black magic, can not be used in public, and looking at Felix''s performance, even if he used it the effect will not be great.


    He has surpassed me ...


    Snape has never been so clearly aware of this at the moment.

 Chapter 49 - 49 Exposure

    The two stopped casting spells at the same time, with quite a tacit understanding.


    "Wonderful! An evenly matched battle!" Lockhart''s voice appeared at the right time, "Did you see that? How tacitly they understand each other! I bet they practice together a lot in private, two cunning guys!"


    Snape''s face turned dark and ugly, and he walked off the stage without saying a word. But he did not leave either, but stood in the shadows.


    The exchange between them, rather than a duel, is more like a probe.


    He did still have a few black Magic hidden away, but they were learned from Dark Lord, and he never used them since that incident, which meant quite a lot. And what about Felix ... his ancient magic? What about his Alchemy artefacts? What about black magic?


    In the duel, his magic power has been strengthening, by the end of the duel, will that be his limit?


    Snape tried to make a specification of Felix''s strength, but he found he could no longer discern it.


    Felix calmly walked off the stage, and the crowd automatically made a way out, as the young wizards'' eyes flickered in awe over Snape and Felix.


    To the eyes of the young wizards, the duel ended evenly and without a winner. Although Professor Hap had shown a very relaxed display overall, didn''t Snape also pierce two Protego spells with a single spell?


    That''s the strongest defensive magic available to most minor wizards.


    "Snape is actually so strong!" Ron was obviously taken aback.


    "Professor Hap has very high regard for Snape," Hermione whispered, she was somewhat fretful, to make polyjuice potion, the odds were they would have to break into Snape''s private collection, and if they were caught ...


    Harry didn''t say anything, the duel just made his blood boil, he could not wait to replace either one of them. But he realized that he might be able to see each spell clearly, but in their place, he might not even be able to avoid the first spell.


    At this point, Professor Lockhart returned to center stage, and he gave a spirited speech, "It looks like the demonstration went very well, and I think you can''t wait to - gosh, to cast spells as smoothly as the three professors, but don''t be overly ambitious, you''re nowhere near that level! You''re not even close to that level!"


    Ron muttered underneath, Harry didn''t hear it, but he intuitively thought it was a rebuke of Professor Lockhart''s words because his thoughts were similar.


    "- Next, we will follow the intended schedule and choose two representatives to demonstrate for all. As I just said, how about Longbottom and Fenreri?"


    "I don''t think that''s appropriate, Professor Lockhart." Snape regained his composure as he walked quickly to the stage, his robes fluttering like a bat gliding lightly across the stage.


    " Longbottom can wreak unexpected havoc even with the simplest spell, and if we let him up here," Snape''s gaze was rather icy as his eyes swept over Felix, "we''ll just have to keep the remains of the Fenreri in a tinderbox."


    The Slytherin student laughed.


    "How about Malfoy and Potter?"


    "Great!" Lockhart agreed quickly, whatever Snape''s proposal might be.


    He gestured for Harry and Malfoy to walk to the center of the stage.


    Watching Snape and Malfoy muttering, Harry first glanced at Professor Hap at the other side of the stage who didn''t know what he was thinking, he could only turn his head to look at Lockhart, "Professor, can you show me how to use the Expelliarmus spell once more?"


    Lockhart: "..." He came closer, right next to Harry, paused for ten seconds or so, then straightened up, tapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Just do as I said!"


    "What?" Harry asked, stunned, but he noticed that Malfoy was already standing across to him.


    "One, two, three - go!" Lockhart shouted quickly.


    "Serpensortia" Malfoy shouted, his wand exploded and a cloud of black smoke quickly turned into a single black snake.


    The black snake hit the floor with a "thud" as it moved closer and closer to Harry.


    The small group of wizards closes to the stage screamed and backed away to make some space available.


    Felix took one look at it, then lost interest, a simple little mischief spell. Snape lazily drew his wand, "Don''t move, Potter," seeing the expression on Potter''s face, he was so flattered that his bad mood, which Felix had just struck, was miraculously improved.


    At this point, Lockhart saw an opportunity, he thought he had to do something to salvage the situation. So he stepped forward and shouted, "Let me do it, I''ll take care of this trouble." But then he noticed that Harry''s gaze became even more alarmed.


    A spell from Lockhart meant trouble, a plain knowledge Harry had developed in just a few short months, as the bones he had taken from him on the Quidditch field could prove it.


    Sure enough, a potent spell from Lockhart hit the black snake, and a loud "bang" sounded throughout the auditorium, and instead of disappearing, the black snake rapidly expanded and turned into a large python.


    And the anaconda, as if on steroids, became manic, it raised its head high, revealing fangs, took an offensive posture.


    Felix and Snape raised their wands at the same time, but the next second, a creepy sound came, it was like a snake "hissing" sound, but it seemed more horrible and frightening, people can not help but feel their hair erect.


    The two turned their heads at the same time, looking at the little wizard who spoke a strange language - Harry Potter.


    The black snake swung and twisted its body as if it had a cramp, looking more and more hideous, but it quickly collapsed on the floor, smashing the floor into a large crater, nearly taking Justin who was in front of it in one wave.


    Although Harry was still confused about the situation, he knew that he had stopped the black snake from attacking, so he gave Justin a big smile.


    But he soon realized something wrong, the hall was suddenly quiet.


    Everyone looked at him strangely, and Justin shuddered as he shouted, "What are you up to?" Like a frightened rabbit, quickly ran out of the Hall.


    Snape came forth and turned the Black Snake, which was lying on the ground, back into a wisp of black smoke, and his eyes also became extremely deep, which contained too many things, Harry simply could not understand.


    The crowd began to whisper and point at him - this is never going to be pleasant, and a chill ran through Harry''s spine.


    Just then, he became aware of someone tugging at the back of his shirt.


    "Come on," Ron whispered, "let''s go--"


    "But why-"


    "Don''t ask, Harry, let''s go ahead."


    Ron and Hermione almost dragged Harry out of the Great Hall with a forceful tug.


    The crowd automatically retreated to each side, and as they walked out of the Great Hall, murmurs exploded behind them.


    Felix halted in place as pieces of the recent time kept surfacing.


    Parseltongue ...


    Harry Potter is surprisingly a Parseltongue.


    The previous places that could not be figured out suddenly one by one coherent, Hermione''s several desires to speak, looking for him to ask about other wizard''s inaudible murmurings, after the attack and a special interest in snake magical creatures ....

 Chapter 50 - 50I Want To Learn Parseltongue

    The trio walked out of the Great Hall and followed a stone path in front of the door to an open area.


    It was after 9 p.m. and it was completely dark.


    "What is going on? Why are you guys acting so weird?" Harry asked irritably as he broke free from their arms.


    Ron gave him a long glance, "Harry, you''re exposed."


    "What-" Harry suddenly choked as tremendous fear gripped his guts, "You mean, that Parseltongue thing?"


    "We heard you just talking to that big black snake, in another language."


    Ron''s words kept his heart sinking as he desperately tried to justify himself, "But I was trying to save Justine''s life! If I hadn''t told the snake not to attack him-"


    "Is that what you were saying?" Ron interrupted him.


    "Of course! You were there. ..."


    "Mate, the look on your face when you were talking, it was a bit scary ... like you were giving it some command, goading it to keep attacking or something."


    Hermione said somewhat sadly, "Harry, I think the ... possible reason for this is because the Parseltongue just sounded very evil, and your voice at the time was kind of a raspy hiss with a horrible echo that sounded creepy."


    "Professor Hap said that Slytherin was also a dark wizard in the eyes of others because he had no qualms about manipulating snakes with the Parseltongue gift and making them do his bidding."


    On the other end, Felix approached Dumbledore later in the evening and the two talked for a long time.


    "Felix ... your perceptiveness amazes me, I will inform the portraits and professors of the castle to work hard for a while longer, until the Christmas holidays, when most young wizards will go home, at that time, the castle will be quite empty. We can start a full search ..."


    "Sir Dumbledore, have you given any thought about the Parseltongue?"


    "Yes, perhaps Parseltongue is the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets, but I think that there will be something you can do, Felix?"


    "Sure. But, about the dueling club ..."


    Dumbledore was non-committal, "If Professor Lockhart doesn''t object, I have no problem with that."


    Would Lockhart object? The dueling club was already his.


    Felix got up with satisfaction and took a few steps out, he suddenly stopped, "With all due respect, Headmaster Dumbledore, haven''t you considered telling Harry Potter directly? He and his friends also have been following the clues to the Chamber of Secrets as well."


    Dumbledore lapsed into silence, "I can''t be certain yet, Felix. Harry''s Parseltongue reminds me of a few things that I have to figure out ..."


    ...


    That night, Harry tossed and turned, unable to sleep, he gazed through the gaps in the curtain at the snowflakes drifting across the castle windows, his mind at a loss.


    He once again remembered the advice of the Sorting Hat to him.


    "I belong to Gryffindor." He said emphatically to himself.


    Originally, Harry thought this day would be his second most difficult day of this school year (the first being the day Ron received Mrs. Weasley''s roaring letter), but he found out he was wrong; the next morning the news spread throughout Hogwarts and everyone was looking at him strangely.


    As if the next moment, he would suddenly open his mouth which is brimming with fangs, and bite their heads off.


    For most of the afternoon, Harry hid in the abandoned classroom in the basement, watching Hermione brewing ployjuice potion with Ron.


    Harry watched as Hermione threw bunches of twigs into the crucible, and he suddenly remembered something, "Hermione, what happened yesterday when you said Professor McGonagall was looking for you?"


    Ron lifted his head and stopped dozing.


    Hermione''s expression came alive for a moment as she happily announced, "My paper was finally published."


    Harry had nearly forgotten about it, he was still full of anticipation, but more than three months had passed, and the thesis had completely cleared from his mind.


    "It''s strange that it took so long to get published," Ron said.


    "That''s because it took me over two months just to revise the thesis, not to mention the time I had to add in reviewing it. They sent me a manuscript acceptance letter yesterday, a copy of the Daily Prophet, and a sample issue of Who Will Define Ancient Magical Texts - forwarded by Professor McGonagall."


    The little witch was in a good mood as she poked some leeches right into the bottom of the pot and kept stirring.


    "Why are there two issues in the newspaper?" Ron asked, puzzled.


    "The body of the paper was in the Who Will Define Ancient Magical Texts magazine, but the Daily Prophet also reported about it," Hermione said, with narrowed eyes, she was very satisfied with it.


    Both the Daily Prophet and Who Will Define Ancient Magic has carefully stored away for her to bring it back home for the summer.


    After Friday, it was finally time for the weekend.


    On Saturday morning, the trio was holed up in a corner of the common room, Harry''s mood growing more and more irritable as he felt that everyone who passed by him would give him a deliberate look, and even the sound of their voices would suddenly lower.


    But the attitude of the Gryffindor young wizards really can not be considered worse, Harry now walked out, can have the effect of clearing out a corridor, the deterrent effect is comparable to the castle keeper Mr. Filch.


    Since the cat he kept was petrified, this gentleman recently adopted a different strategy than before - hiding in the shadows, waiting for the violating little wizards to come to his door.


    By virtue of his familiarity with the castle, he had caught three couples in a row who were hiding and dating against the ban, scaring the little wizards of Hogwarts.


    Near noon, Professor McGonagall came by to collect the list of students who will be staying for Christmas, as she does every year during the second week of December.


    The three of them found Malfoy''s name in it, and they coincidentally chose to stay in school.


    After Professor McGonagall left, Harry and Ron were bored playing wizard''s chess, sighing from time to time.


    Just when Hermione couldn''t resist saying something, an owl flew in and landed on her shoulder.


    Hermione opened the letter on the owl''s leg, which was a sticky note.


    "It''s from Professor Hap." She glanced up at Harry and Ron and said in a slightly odd tone, "He invited Harry to join me to his office tonight, saying it''s important."


    Harry was somewhat stupefied.


    ------------


    7:00 PM.


    The three of them walked towards the Ancient Magic text office, and Ron suddenly asked somewhat uneasily, "Can I come too? I mean, Professor Hap only looking for Harry ..."


    "You''ve asked this for the third time, Professor Hap has mentioned you and said that you are more than welcome if you are interested," Hermione said impatiently.


    The three stood in front of the door, and she knocked, then pushed the door open.


    Professor Hap is leaning over his desk looking at a book, a rare sarcastic smile on his face.


    This expression is quite rare, and Hermione quickly glanced at the title of the book, "Armando Dippet: Master or Moron? , the author is Rita Skeeter.


    The young witch found a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table, with Headmaster Dumbledore''s picture on the front page and the headline "Dumbledore''s Big Blunder".


    Her curiosity immediately aroused, but Professor Hap had pressed the book on top of the newspaper.


    Hermione: "..."


    "Professor Hap, good evening." Harry greeted formally.


    " Here, you are, have a seat."


    Felix sat on a sofa, which is opposite of three young wizards.


    "Professor, what can I do for you?" Harry was apprehensive, don''t mention the Parseltongue.


    "Harry, you''re a Parseltongue."


    Harry: "..."


    "Professor, I swear, it was never me who opened the Chamber of Secrets, there''s another Parseltongue in the castle, and he''s the heir of Slytherin!" Harry yelled excitedly, he even came close to blowing his own cover about the Polyjuice potion and Malfoy.


    "Calm down," Felix summoned three glasses of orange juice with his wand, "No one said you opened the Chamber of Secrets."


    "Then you were looking for me--"


    Harry was somewhat puzzled, but across the room, Professor Hap gestured at the orange juice floating in front of him, so he picked up the glass and took a sip.


    Hermione and Ron also took small sips.


    "My purpose in seeking you is simple, I want to learn Parseltongue."


    "Pfft!"


    "Cough cough cough!"


    "Cough!"


    "Professor, what did you say?" Harry felt inconceivable, he would have given anything to get rid of his Parseltongue gift. But now, someone was actually taking the initiative to learn this Parseltongue?

 Chapter 51 - 51 Persuasion And Research

    "The prejudices of the heart are a mighty hill to climb, Harry."


    ...


    As Harry walked dizzily out of the Ancient Magic text office, his mind was still reverberating with what Professor Hap had said to him.


    Two hours ago, he tried to dispel the professor''s " horrible" idea, but two hours later, he was already holding a magical scroll and began to think about how to translate the " Parseltongue " evil language.


    He even thought he would be benefiting the entire wizarding community.


    "Harry, I think Professor Hap''s point is right, a person''s gift is not what matters, but what kind of person he chooses to be!" As someone who had listened to the whole conversation, Ron quoted Professor Hap''s words.


    "What''s more - Professor Hap''s offer is also very generous," Ron added, he looked at the magic golem in Harry''s hand with an envious look, it is a magic golem with ice blue hair.


    This was the price Professor Hap had paid for the whole deal - one of the top class Magic Golems in his private collection, which, according to Professor Hap, could "easily defeat a seventh year graduate".


    Harry''s memory returns to two hours prior ...


    "Harry, we are always quick to label people, to label things we are not familiar with, but with a little understanding, we can see that this action is quite one-sided. For example, Headmaster Armando Dippet did a lot of solid deeds during his term yet all people can remember are just some ridiculous rumours that have been twisted by someone with a vested interest ..."


    Prof. Hap brought the book "Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?" on the table and the book " rattled " to the middle page, so that the trio could see the contents.


    "Headmaster Dippet improved Hogwarts'' school rules by abolishing the vast majority of corporal punishments ... At the same time, he also refused the Dark Lord''s application for a job and spared the students of Hogwarts from his influence - this is a general opinion, but Is this really the case? The author with the idea of exploring the truth, from which I see a completely different logic, it was a dusty history that was covered up, full of political dirty ..."


    Felix said calmly: "This book, full of lies and distorted facts, which has been on the best-seller list for a long time."


    Harry was disgusted with the woman named "Rita Skeeter" and empathized with Principal Dippet - they were both misunderstood, only he was because of the Parseltongue.


    He quickly agreed with Professor Hap''s offer out of some sense of empathy. Professor Hap then flung him a dictionary and told him to translate it accordingly.


    Ron and Hermione watched curiously, and after some initial shock, they became intensely interested in the matter itself. In Ron''s words, "This is the process of decoding Parseltongue, we''re witnessing history!"


    But the process is not easy, Harry turned the first page of the dictionary and held his tongue for half a day, but could not say a word.


    "Professor, I can''t do it."


    Felix thought for a moment, "You are not skilled in your Parseltongue, perhaps you are missing the direct stimulation." He waved his wand and applied a detect-feedback enchantment to the magic dictionary.


    The effect was that when someone was reading the book, it would feel like they were looking at a snake face to face.


    This got Harry into gear quickly, and after skipping the first and second useless words, he made a raspy, eerie sound that startled Ron and Hermione who were next to him.


    "That voice feels so evil." Ron shivered, his body chilled.


    "This is a serious piece of research on magic, Ron." Hermione was shocked as well.


    "Which word is it?" Felix asked.


    Harry pointed at the third word in the dictionary, " This one, [stay away]."


    "How many tones can you make on this page?"


    Harry tried again, moving his fingers over the dictionary so that the other three could judge his progress.


    The next moment, though, Harry either stifled his speech or normal English words popped out of his mouth. Ron reminded him more than once, "Harry, you''re speaking human tongue " and "Harry, we can understand."


    It wasn''t until the last word on that page that Harry finally said in a Parseltongue, " This word is [eat]," he said excitedly, "I''m familiar with this word, I heard it on Halloween."


    Felix''s fingers rested on his chin, "That means that out of 23 words on one page, the left and right sides to be exact, only two can be translated into Parseltongue."


    "What did that mean, Professor?" Harry asked.


    "Ah, animal language is always less enriched than human language, and it''s also vague. The concept of ''eat'', for example, we have a dozen words with similar meanings, which is very rare in the languages of other intelligent creatures."


    Felix thought for a moment, "Let''s pause while I do some modification on the dictionary."


    The trio looked at Professor Hap''s workbench, a very wide " dent " type table with a smooth wooden surface and a waxed finish.


    In Harry''s view, Professor Hap with his wand tapping the dictionary, the tip of the wand emitted various shades of light, the professor was sometimes silent, sometimes reciting something, and only after ten minutes, he stopped.


    "Professor?" Harry was about to ask what he did, and then he opened his mouth wide.


    The words in the dictionary suddenly "came to life".


    Completely literally, the surface of the yellowish pages swirled with ripples like water, and the words in the caption of each entry began to twist and turn as if they had arms and legs. Then they struggled to break free from the dictionary and emerged into the three-dimensional world.


    Next, the dictionary flipped pages with a clatter, and one by one the " captions " were thrown out, they landed on the surface of the workbench, the black hollow lines wiggled and bounced. In less than a minute, the number reached several thousand.


    This scene was extremely shocking, a two-dimensional object came into the real world at once.


    "Professor, am I dreaming?" Harry asked dumbly.


    "It''s magic," Felix said calmly.


    Hermione''s eyes erupted with an intense glow, this is magic ... She had always thought that magic was something concrete, a magic spell, a magic potion, or a picture that moved, but Professor Hap had shown her in action that magic could do much more than that.


    Magic is unknown, with all kinds of possibilities.


    Felix looked at the array of "words" in front of him with satisfaction, they were temporarily animated, he flicked his wand, the suitcase in the corner opened with a bang, from which a sheet of parchment flew out.


    Felix held up his wand and made a circle, allowing them to be connected to each other, these parchments stuck together under the effect of magic.


    Then Felix''s wand struck the table, and the legion of "words" on the workbench was incorporated into the parchment, and a word appeared on it, and they were arranged in a clear order.


    When it was all over, the long parchment, or rather parchment scroll, rolled itself up and turned into a magic scroll.


    "Snap!"


    It landed on the workbench.


    "Here you go, Harry, thankfully I know quite a bit of cold magic." A smile appeared on Felix''s face.


    "How is this meant to be used, Professor?"


    "It stores your pronunciation of the Parseltongue - of course, you''ll need to tap the corresponding words with your wand before using it. Also, I''ve eliminated some English vocabulary, mind you, there are tens of thousands of words in the dictionary, but a lot of it is simply useless."


    So in the remaining time, Harry spread out the scroll, word by word translated - this time the translation progressed much faster.


    Throughout the office, a raspy, eerie voice would come every few dozen seconds.


    And Ron and Hermione also from the initial discomfort, to get used to it, and then numb, after less than an hour.


    At nine o''clock, Professor Hap sent the three out, "Harry, you can usually find somewhere unoccupied to record, and if you encounter any problems, just find me."


    Then he said to Hermione, "Tomorrow''s magic text lesson is temporarily cancelled, I have something to deal with temporarily."


    "I have to go to see someone.." The professor said so.

 Chapter 52 - 52: Lies And Truth

    The next day, on the morning of the weekend.


    Harry and Ron staggered out of the dormitory and saw Hermione already sitting in on a couch in the common room.


    The two had barely sat down next to her when they saw Hermione slap a newspaper on the table with a "pop".


    "I knew it!" The little witch said angrily.


    Harry and Ron snapped out of it. They looked at each other and Harry asked, "What happened, Hermione?"


    "Remember the book that Professor showed us? The one about Headmaster Dippet, there was a copy of the Daily Prophet pressed on Professor Hap''s desk at the time, and I just didn''t feel right, and this morning I got the last few days'' papers ... that woman, Rita Skeeter! How dare she slander Headmaster Dumbledore ..." Hermione was shaking with anger.


    Harry quickly picked up the newspaper, Ron sat on his butt next to him and poked his head over.


    It was yesterday''s Daily Prophet, the most striking is the photo of Dumbledore with a head full of white hair looking upwards, solely from the photo effect, which he looked both old and dismal, and the name of the front-page headline was "Dumbledore''s Big Blunder".


    Harry had a bad feeling, and he quickly read it -


    "Our special reporter Rita Skeeter reports that the eccentric Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, has always been a very controversial wizard."


    "Recognized as the greatest wizard of our time, Dumbledore has been hiding in Hogwarts'' castle and rarely appeared in the public''s eye since he defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945."


    "Everyone praised him, believing that he is guarding the hope of the British wizarding community and constantly delivering all kinds of talents for the wizarding community, but is that really the truth of the situation?"


    "The author recently received some letters from the parents of students, claiming that there was a horrific attack in the school and the culprit has yet to be found. Mrs. Ferrien Topsham wrote: "My child is in fear of his life at school every day, and the professors are doing nothing about it! I had to bring my boy back for Christmas."


    " With a great sense of urgency, the writer reached out to the concerned parent and interviewed her. It was far more serious than expected - the attack was not something that had happened for the first time, it had happened more than a month prior. Only that time the victim was a cat, So the news was kept under tight lock & key!"


    "In order to mitigate the impact and avoid being discovered and denounced by the public, this Headmaster went out of his way to concoct a sensationalist lie - he blamed it on the millennial legend of Hogwarts, the Slytherin''s Chamber of Secrets."


    "Hilariously, a similar thing happened fifty years prior to this, when the Headmaster was a professor of Transfiguration, during which a poor Ravenclaw witch tragically lost her life. Hogwarts caught the suspect as soon as possible, but Dumbledore had great influence over then Headmaster Armando Dippet, and with his good graces, the matter was eventually dropped, and the suspect was merely expelled from the school."


    " As I write this, three days ago, two weeks have passed since the second assault on the Student, but nothing is reported about it and the perpetrator''s still on loose. We have to worry about this matter, the omnipotent Dumbledore, Is he really growing very old?"


    "The writer will follow up on the matter and bring back the truth to everyone. In the next issue, we will start with the performance of This Headmaster to reveal a more realistic image of Dumbledore for everyone."


    This is the end of the main article, but at the bottom of the page, there is a small line of text, a preview of the content of the next issue of the report, which reads.


    Dumbledore has always been brave enough to hire controversial faculty members, such as this year''s Gilderoy Lockhart and Felix Hap, but are these two really the right people? Let''s wait and see ( we welcome information from those who know, contact: Rita Skeeter, the gold editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, author of twelve best-selling books, bestseller record-holder).


    "How can she say that about Dumbledore!" Harry said, very angry. "And how can the Chamber of Secrets be a lie, when we saw it with our own eyes!"


    "Not a word from this woman, Rita Skeeter can be trusted, she often makes up gossip rumours about famous people." Ron said insightfully, "She and Lockhart made a particularly huge splash a few years ago when she and Lockhart were fighting in the newspapers, and Mom rather hated her."


    "It seems we have a good idea about what this woman is like." Hermione said mockingly.


    Ron picked up the paper, "Have you noticed that this woman is actually trying to do a series, and the next issue is about Professor Lockhart and Professor Hap. How will she script their story?"


    Hermione said helplessly, " Headmaster Dumbledore is portrayed by her as a shady person, I guess the two professors will not be spared."


    "I don''t care about Lockhart, he''s just an empty shell. What do you think, will Professor Hap storm into the Daily Prophet building and give that woman a vicious curse?"


    "Ron! That''s illegal, how would a professor will possibly do that!"


    The three of them discussed the matter, and the final conclusion was rather pessimistic.


    Harry pointed to a quote in the paper, "She said that the suspect was caught fifty years ago, who is she referring to?"


    "Come on, Harry, you still believe that woman''s bullshit?"


    "Of course I don''t believe it, but-" Harry''s eyes were fixed on Hermione.


    Her face paled quickly, "Fifty years ago, the suspect who was expelled from ... was Hagrid?"


    Ron licked his lips uneasily.


    Harry said quickly, "I believe Dumbledore, Hagrid can''t be the killer! But since he''s listed as a suspect, he must know something!"


    The three prepared to brave the snow and wind to go to the forbidden forest hut, just out of the castle, when they bumped into a stout figure, none other than Hagrid, his face full of snow & blizzard, his thick beard caked with ice, and he held a dead chicken in his hand.


    "Hagrid, oh--" Harry crashed right into him.


    "Watch out! Little ones." Hagrid said gruffly, still waving the limp chicken in his hand, a few of its feathers flying through the air with his movements ...


    Later that evening.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just returned from the abandoned classroom underground, and everything was going well with the polyjuice potion.


    Harry carried the magic scroll given by Professor Hap with him, translating a word by word in a parseltongue. In the empty abandoned classroom, now and then echoes of the hoarse, eerie sound of terror can be heard.


    This makes the dozing Ron kept awake - half-asleep, he always saw a witch brewing a magic potion like mud, a male wizard make a snake-like "hissing" sound.


    And in the early afternoon, they heard a handful of secret room information from Hagrid.


    At the moment, they are hiding in the corner of the common room.


    "Almost everything is in order!" Hermione suddenly said.


    "What?"


    "The monster of the Chamber of Secrets! Wait for me--" Hermione obviously had perfected her thinking, she hurried back to the dormitory, not a few seconds later brought back a parchment.


    The three of them came together and looked at the writing on it, which was about a terrible magical creature called " Basilisk ".


    When Harry and Ron finished reading the information, Hermione said the possible clues collected these days, "the basilisk can be dormant for a long time, the basilisk''s eyes are lethal, the basilisk is the natural enemy of spiders, the basilisk is afraid of chickens ... what do you think of this?"


    "So, the monster in the chamber is a basilisk?" Ron asked excitedly.


    "Can''t be wrong!" Harry slammed his fist on the table.


    They got two main pieces of information from Hagrid: one was that the chickens he raised always died inexplicably; the second was that he had raised the eight-eyed giant spider fifty years ago, and the eight-eyed giant spider was so afraid of the monster in the chamber that it refused to reveal even a word.


    It all fits together!


    "But there is the biggest issue, is that the basilisk can not petrify someone, I initially ignored it because of this point, but now, the evidence on the side has been very sufficient." Hermione said very critically, "Maybe I should find some time to ask Professor Hap what I can do to make the basilisk''s gaze less harmful ..."


    She hammered her head with some resentment, "It''s so strange, I feel like something is right in front of me, but I can never find it ..."


    Harry swallowed hard, "Hermione, I think I know."

 Chapter 53 - 53 Rita Skeeter

    Meanwhile, Felix was fully dressed and standing in front of the fireplace of his office. He sprinkled a handful of floo powder, said clearly and loudly "Diagon Alley", his entire body disappeared from Hogwarts.


    Diagon Alley.


    Felix came out of the public fireplace, shaking the dust off his body, and fished out a slip of paper from his pocket - it is an address.


    The next moment, Felix directly apparition to shift to that location.


    On the outskirts of London, in front of a single detached house, a tall figure appeared abruptly.


    Felix looked at the door number, walked up on the steps in the snow to the door, and tapped on the door with his wand.


    A moment later, a refined woman opened the door, her gaze peering through a pair of eyeglasses studded with jewels, and was examining the stranger in front of her with a critical look on her face.


    Felix gently introduced himself, "Felix Hap, currently serving as Professor of Ancient Magical Texts at Hogwarts - you mentioned me in the paper, Ms. Skeeter."


    "You''re Felix Hap?" Rita Skeeter''s eyes lit up and in the blink of an eye, her bright red nail-painted fingers grabbed Felix''s arm and dragged him into the room, "Come in!"


    The living room had a neatly arranged table and chairs, and the air was filled with the scent of enchanted fragrances. On both walls, on one side is a huge floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet, and on the other side are square shelves with various books, trophies, and newspapers. On a shelf behind the door stood a crocodile skin handbag.


    " It''s an honour that I received ... Mr Hap, I''m very interested in you, I''ve wanted to interview you for a long time." Rita Skeeter sat across him, her hair styled in delicate, stiff, oddly large curls that looked particularly awkward with her big jawed face.


    "Ms. Skeeter ..."


    Felix is quickly interrupted by the woman, who is imposing and fiercely, waving her wand and a shorthand quill and a roll of parchment flying out of her crocodile skin handbag.


    " So Mr Felix, you won''t object if I use a shorthand quill to take notes, will you? This will free up my hands to talk to you normally ..."


    Without waiting for his reply, the parchment had automatically spread out, and the shorthand quill landed vertically on it, the tip quivering gently.


    "Well, let''s start the conversation here ... just from the point you came here today. I''m guessing ..." she suddenly smiled out, showing three gold teeth, "you were commissioned by someone, right?"


    The long, green shorthand quill danced quickly, pouring down a fluid string of words.


    With a heart full of thoughts, this late-night visitor showed strong displeasure in the face of the editor''s questions, but not against the editor, but against the hidden shadow who was behind the whole affair ...


    Felix laughed softly, he looked at the wall clock, it''s just seven o''clock.


    He did not reply, but instead surveyed with interest around the furnishings of the living room, the floor-to-ceiling wine cooler that occupied a third of the wall, filled with large and small, exquisitely shaped flasks, and a few scattered ornaments.


    Rita Skeeter raised her heavily drawn eyebrow.


    "Are you wary by any chance, Mr Felix? It''s all right, our readers like people with rebellious personalities, and they''ll protect you."


    "Rebellious personality?" Felix repeated.


    "Yes, like the type of people who defy power and rebel against authority ... If you''re threatened, don''t worry, speak up, and we''ll give you a sense of justice in return."


    The shorthand quill kept recording, but Felix had no interest in reading it, and he stood up and went to the shelf at the opposite end of the wine cabinet where the honour prize were kept.


    The top of the shelf was stacked with personal accolades belonging to Rita Skeeter, including certificates for articles in newspapers, bestsellers and their sales figures that she had published over the years, a myriad of this sort of stuff ...


    For example, he saw "Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?"book. He sighed, "If half of what''s in this book is true, it''s not a bad toilet read ..."


    Rita Skeeter''s eyebrows wrinkled, her fingers clenched her wand so tightly that her two-inch-long bright red nails pierced into her skin.


    She quickly stood up and approached Felix, looking at him without looking away, "Mr Felix, I know who you are, one of my colleagues advised me not to play with you ... ridiculous statement, he has only graduated a few years ago, by virtue of his family background he has entered the news industry. " She said as if pointing out.


    "If you ask me, our readers have a right to know the truth, like -"


    "The truth?" Felix interrupted her.


    "That''s right, the truth!" She emphasized deliberately, "Let''s talk about your experiences, your childhood and so on, I think it will help you to have a clear perspective of yourself."


    "I don''t think that''s necessary anymore, I know exactly what kind of person I am."


    However, Rita Skeeter didn''t give up, the parchment and quill on the table flew to her, "Mr Felix, you came from a muggle orphanage and entered Slytherin when you enrolled, you must have been bullied quite a bit, right? Are you interested in talking about it, I think there will be quite a few readers who are very interested in this."


    "Rita, ah Rita, do you really know me?"


    "Of course!" Her gaze was firmly pinned on him as if she were looking at a precious treasure, "Mr Felix, you are well known in the wizarding community, there are many labels on you: a Slytherin from a Muggle orphanage, received many death threats during school, defeated one of the 28 purebloods Clan Shafiq and a group of dark wizards under the shelter of Dumbledore, became a Muggle specialist after graduation, and is now back to Hogwarts as a ..."


    Rita Skeeter said while letting the quill take quick notes, looking at Felix''s non-committal attitude, she said seductively, "Your experience is legendary, if you agree, I would like to write a biography of you, it would imply endless amounts of gold Galleons and great fame!"


    "However, the label of Muggle specialist seems too civilized, our readers like a tough wizard with a strong character, and preferably with a relationship to a celebrity ... Let me think, how shall we deal with it?"


    Felix was amused, he pointed to the book in front of him, "Like this type of biography?"


    "Art requires a certain amount of imagination." She said slyly.


    Felix became somewhat impatient and decided to solve the immediate problem as soon as possible, so he returned to his seat.


    This act caused Rita Skeeter to mistake it as his tacit acceptance, so she sat her butt down on the couch and said with an urgent and overbearing gesture, "Let''s start with your relationship with Dumbledore."


    "Ms Skeeter, I need you to stop your inaccurate reporting, I noticed that you mentioned me in the Daily Prophet and were about to make up a big story-"


    "I''m not making it up, it''s a different perspective at best ..."


    Felix nodded, "Let me tell you what a different perspective is." He tapped his fingers on the table.


    "Ta-da," the fingertips collided with the table with a crisp clink.


    "What are you talking about-" Rita Skeeter choked suddenly as she found the world in her eyes changing all at once.


    The colours were rapidly disappearing, the delicate purple long-necked pots, the crimson robe on her body, the golden trophy in the cabinet, the black and brown crocodile handbag, the pale yellow parchment, the green sketch quill ...


    The colour of everything, is fading.

 Chapter 54 - 54: You Blocked My Way...

    The whole world was left with only black, white, and grey hues.


    Rita Skeeter stiffened and watched with difficulty as Felix tapped his fingers on the table, which was fair and slender, with healthy light pink nails - the only colour within her field of vision.


    As the fingers tapped, a dark grey ripple blossomed from the tips of his finger, and the ripple passed through both of them, spreading silently in all directions.


    "You-" the woman said arduously, her wand held in her hand, but she could not raise it even a fraction of an inch.


    "You see, I occasionally use this perspective to observe the world, to observe magic, and it''s quite interesting as usual." Felix introduced his attitude unchanged from the beginning.


    But Rita Skeeter didn''t think so.


    "It''s illegal for you to do that ... ... Azkaban ...," she opened and closed her lips with extreme difficulty, one word after another word at a time.


    "Rita, Rita, you don''t think I''m going to do something bad to you, huh?" Felix said amused, "I just now asked you, do you really know me?"


    "Obviously, you don''t know me."


    "One of your colleagues advised you not to play with me? I guess he must be a Slytherin."


    Rita Skeeter''s eyes fixed him with a deadly stare.


    Felix said calmly, "I used my holiday time to visit a few stubborn purebloods in the fifth year, and they haven''t talked about me in public since then."


    "Do you know why?"


    Her eyes widened.


    "You think - whose power do I need to rely on to counter the threat of extreme pureblood families? No, Rita," he said softly, "I''m just showing them a possibility."


    As Felix''s mood swung, the whites and greys all over the room quickly tinted to inky blackness, deep, depressing darkness.


    Rita Skeeter''s body trembled lightly.


    "Yes, a possibility, if I become a Dark Lord ..." he did not continue.


    The darkness faded quickly and returned to black and white again, like an old faded photograph.


    "When you think about it, I''m actually a very nice person to talk to. As long as you don''t provoke me, I don''t have the time to take care of you. But unfortunately, it just so happens that-"


    "You got in my way. ..."


    Ignoring her, Felix beckoned the parchment on the table and read it carelessly.


    The parchment had unknowingly filled afoot, which made him somewhat burst into laughter, if the young wizards at Hogwarts, had this ability to make things up, they absolutely would be laughing out loud in their dreams.


    "Tsk!"


    "This paragraph is excessive."


    "Did I say that?"


    "Staying close to Dumbledore, who, me?" He shook his head.


    The colours in the room gradually came back, an equally magical scene, like a child finding, faded pictures in an old storage room and picking up crayons to scribble over them.


    The world came alive again.


    Rita Skeeter found that she had regained her ability to move.


    She glanced at the wand in her hand and then at Felix, who was still reading the parchment, and her eyes wandered.


    But she quickly gave up on the foolish idea.


    " Think about it, do you wish to continue? This might be an opportunity. Seize it from me, and the subsequent story will be yours to make up." Felix looked up, pale-blue eyes peering at her.


    "You''re joking, Felix, no, Professor Hap, Sir-" Rita Skeeter kept changing the title.


    "Heh."


    He tossed the parchment in his hand down lightly, and it turned silently into ashes.


    "About what I came for ..."


    "I apologize! I will stop all untrue statements!" She said quickly, with a pleasing smile on her face.


    "Thank you, Rita."


    Felix stood up, smiled slightly, and bowed courteously, then he pushed the door open and his figure blended into the night.


    By now it is completely dark, the north wind and snowflakes blow his robe " rustle ", Felix walked two steps against the wind and snow, and then the next moment he disappeared in the same place.


    After a while, Rita Skeeter quietly opened the door, glanced around, there was nothing outside the house, she quickly closed the door.


    A vicious curse spewed from her mouth, and she was cursing someone with almost the worst words she had ever known in her life.


    "Felix Hap!" She shouted the name viciously.


    "I want revenge! Revenge ... on ... his secrecy ... Yes, that''s right, this damned ... man doesn''t know I''m Animagus yet, maybe, no, it''s too risky."


    After cursing for a long time, Rita Skeeter''s mouth went dry, and she finally stopped.


    She went to the liquor cabinet and tried to take out a bottle of wine to quench her thirst, but as soon as her fingers touched the handle, the gorgeous silver piece turned to fine sand in her hands.


    Rita Skeeter froze in place.


    Tentatively, she reached out a short, long, stubby finger and nudged a long-necked purple jug - her favourite wine jug. But the next second, the jug quickly disintegrated into fine sand, including the liquor stored inside.


    Her eyes became frightened, and her body stumbled into the chair behind her, and then she noticed that the chair also fell apart and turned into a puddle of fine sand.


    Rita Skeeter looked around her house - every part of it was constantly melting into the sand, including her delicate picture frames, crocodile skin handbags.


    Even the floor was not spared.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    She ran out of the house in horror, and as she watched, the entire detached house shook, and from the bottom came a swirling sea of sand that slowly, but surely, engulfed the house.


    "That''s a lesson." A voice sounded very abruptly in Rita Skeeter''s head.


    Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but this time, she hurriedly shut her mouth.


    The edge of the forbidden forest.


    Felix''s figure reappeared out of nowhere, and he walked step by step towards the castle against the blizzard. The December weather is cold as hell, especially with the high winds mixed with blizzards, every step is a tough test.


    When he saw the outline of the castle from a distance, a thought struck him, and he shook his head, not really thinking about it anymore.


    Felix pushed open the dark brown door, shaking off all the snowflakes and entering the warm castle.


    He waved his wand, and the door behind him closed with a bang, keeping the snow and darkness out.

 Chapter 55 - 55 Magic Knowledge Contest

    As Christmas approached, the festive atmosphere became stronger and stronger, and the enthusiasm of many young wizards for learning dropped.


    Many professors claimed that they could not relax, but they did not exert too much pressure, and this was reflected in the amount of homework assigned.


    But this leniency does not include both fifth and seventh grade. They were required to deal with the OWLs and NEWTs, the Ordinary Wizard level exams, and the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test, respectively, this year.


    Ancient Magic Text, fifth-grade classroom.


    Felix once again reaffirmed the importance of the OWLs exam, "You only have six months until the Ordinary Wizard Level Exam, excluding holidays and weekends, how much time is left?"


    "Let me do the maths for you, six months, let''s say twenty-five weeks."


    Amidst the dumbfounded expressions of the young wizards on the stage, this professor did the maths, "Two classes per week, one big class of two hours and one small class of one hour, counting up to ..."


    "That''s only seventy-five hours in total."


    " Do you study this long outside the classroom? No matter how I count, it''s still less than two hundred hours."


    Looking at Professor Hap''s regretful expression, the young wizards were silent.


    But Felix''s in a good mood today, and he decided to do a student survey.


    "Which subject do you think you are the least good at?"


    A little witch said timidly, "Does ancient magic text count?"


    "Not really!"


    "Then it''s the history of magic." The Hufflepuff girl said, "Professor Binns always makes us memorize lots of stuff, and I don''t have a very good memory."


    "He never highlights anything in class, the other professors more or less give some hints." A Ravenclaw said indignantly.


    Professor Binns is the type of professor who says, "All I talk about is the main point, and all I mention in class is the test point," and this professor is also known for his flat, uneven language, which sounds like he is reading scripture.


    The hypnotic effect is first-class.


    "The history of magic ... very well, Miss Seldon, Mr. Pardis. Any more?"


    "I''m not very good in my astronomy class, I always get confused about planets."


    "The practical lessons in herbalism class are interesting, but I can''t remember the properties of magical plants any time."


    "Don''t you think arithmetic divination is complicated?"


    "Divination class is a nightmare!"


    Someone immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Divination is the easiest class to pass."


    "Trelawney is a psychopath!"


    "Professor McGonagall is very strict."


    "Kettleburn''s class is always full of dangerous magical creatures."


    "Professor Snape is awful."


    The little wizards discussed feverishly, and it quickly went so crooked that Felix hastily called a break, how did it develop into criticizing the professors of various subjects?


    He summed up the young wizards'' points: "So, you generally don''t perform well enough in courses that are more theoretical and require a lot of memorization, such as ancient magic texts, history of magic, and astronomy classes."


    Felix came up with a temporary idea, and he decided to make an attempt: "How about this, let''s play a game."


    " Let''s invite two students ... Well, it will be Miss Seldon, Mr. Pardis, I need your cooperation."


    The two young wizards stepped forward curiously.


    The classroom sprang to life for the little wizards.


    "Take out your wands."


    Seldon and Pardis pulled out their wands excitedly, their eyes fixed on Felix.


    Professor Hap''s teaching was always filled with all sorts of new and exciting tricks - a comment that had been widely circulated in other grades, but fifth and seventh grades had been exposed relatively little to it.


    "Let''s see ..." Felix flicked his wand, and a nine-panel grid appeared in front of each of the two.


    Inside the grid were nine sparkling magical texts.


    And above the heads of the two young wizards, two hot gold names were displayed - Petter Seldon, Warren Pardis.


    "Professor, what is this?"


    Hufflepuff''s Petter Seldon asked curiously, as her friend tapped her finger on the top of her head to reveal the name on top of her head, which, strangely, had the number "0" next to it.


    "We will have a magic knowledge contest, next, I will say the translation of the magic text, you need to find the corresponding magic text as fast as possible, and use your wand to touch the corresponding grid."


    "You need to be faster than your opponent in order to get a point."


    " When one of you gets a hundred points first, the game is over."


    Felix looked at the two of them, "Let''s try it first."


    He mouthed a series of paraphrases, "Light, illuminating the path ahead, also denotes the glow of knowledge."


    Petter Seldon and Warren Pardis stared intently at the magic text floating in mid-air in front of them, and when Professor Hap reached the second phrase, Petter''s eyes lit up, and she quickly tapped her wand in the bottom left corner of the ninth box.


    "I know, it''s Ken!"


    When her wand touched the magic text, that area instantly turned bright gold, and at the same time, a "+1" sign appeared above her head, pausing for two seconds before disappearing.


    Petter looked at the top of her head as an afterthought - the initial number "0" became "1", she looked at the professor, "I won? "


    "In a sense." Felix said, "I assume you understand the rules of the game?"


    Both of them nodded at the same time, this kind of play is fascinating, Warren on the other side can''t help but clench his wand - just now he was a step slow.


    Felix waved his wand, making the first set of nine squares disappear, and the second set of nine squares appeared in front of the two.


    "The second word, reward, symbolizes victory, satisfaction-"


    Warren flung his wand in the middle of the nine-grid at once and watched the area turn a dazzling gold, his face filled with a flush of excitement, "It''s Wyn, Professor."


    "Correct answer." Felix nodded, and a "+1" sign appeared on the top of Warren''s head, while the score became 1.


    The game continued, "Poor, hard, and also represents some kind of misfortune."


    Without thinking, Warren tapped his wand in the upper left corner, but this time, the area quickly turned a miserable grey.


    "Wrong answer, Mr. Warren." Felix waved his wand, and a "-1" sign appeared above his head, and his score reverted to zero.


    Warren shook his fist in annoyance.


    At this moment, the young wizards have completely understood the rules of the game, right answer plus points, the wrong answer deducted points, whoever reaches one hundred first, is the winner.


    "Harvest, Banker, or Growth Cycle ..."


    Warren quickly waved his wand ...


    "Correct, plus one point."


    "Next ..."


    "Very good, Miss Petter. Next, we''ll have a more difficult challenge."


    The first dozen or so sets were fairly superficial magic texts, but soon the difficulty climbed at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    The two slowed down, taking more and more time to think as the score pulled hard to 73::71.


    "Gain skill or random luck, reveal hidden secrets, breed life."


    Petter bit her lip as Warren kept snapping his knuckles.


    "It''s Peorth, Peorth," the young wizard watching from the sidelines couldn''t help himself, and an answer crept out.


    Petter''s eyes lit up, and her wand clicked on the correct answer.


    Felix did not comment, he did not stop the little wizards off-stage from reminding them, but he did not give the two extra points either.


    He simply replaced the other group of nines sets.


    So the two understood what the professor meant: Next, you will have to compete with the whole class of young wizards.


    The two looked at each other with bitter faces.


    But the little wizards offstage got excited, and in the next dozen or so groups of nine-grids, they worked together, chattering and joking, while the two onstage each got only one point.


    The bell rang, but no one moved.


    The score was stuck at 99:98.


    The young wizards were quiet at the moment and were not making any noise.


    Felix said quickly, "The power of the sun over the devil and the darkness ..."


    "It''s Sigel," said Petter, the tip of her staff pointing at the center of the ninth circle, and the golden light flashed.


    "I''ve won, I''ve won!"


    At her scream, Professor Hap waved his wand, causing brilliant fireworks to burst across the classroom.


    "Thank you both students for your wonderful performance, ten extra points for Hufflepuff and five extra points for Ravenclaw."


    "Now, class dismissed!"

 Chapter 56 - 56 "Harry, Show It Off!"

    The young wizards discussed feverishly to themselves, as fifth-year students, they were rarely exposed to such interesting lessons - each professor pushing them as hard and as far as possible to reach their potential.


    In a way, of course, it was a debt they owed from the previous four years.


    In the hallway, Warren Pardis said to his friend, somewhat remorsefully, "I can actually win, I''m just not lucky."


    "You were the one who went too aggressive, and you got at least ten questions wrong." His friend replied.


    As the young wizards rushed out of the classroom, Felix rubbed his sore fingers.


    The "choreography" for this knowledge contest had been put together by him, magic by magic. From the ninth grid to the score changes, to the colour feedback of the correct and incorrect answers, he did it all by himself.


    " A blunder, next time let''s change it to a ten-point system."


    In the afternoon, Felix attempted the two lessons in the sixth and seventh grades, and the results were excellent - even the "special needs" students of ancient magical texts stayed awake enough in the classroom.


    This made his thoughts clear.


    " In the future, I can do more of this kind of game-like teaching, but the prerequisite is to do sufficient preparation work." In the dining hall in the evening, Felix stuck up a piece of potato drizzled with black sauce breathlessly, feeling a little weak after a long day.


    The number of spells he had cast today was clearly over the limit.


    The common room.


    The twins, Fred and George, were fighting against each other with their magic golems, having finished their second and third sets of practical magic texts.


    This makes their battle very spectacle, Fred''s magic golem, every swing will bloom a circle of light, a "crackling" sound, Lee Jordan''s hair is standing up because he is too close.


    On the other side, George is not far behind, his magic puppet is the very popular "fire boy", every time he uses his trademark "big fireball", it will attract a sound of enthusiasm.


    At that moment, Percy Weasley burst in from outside the lounge, he just finished his rounds. Upon seeing him, Ron in the corner simply turned his head away.


    A Cold War still remained between them.


    "Ron, haven''t you made up yet?" Hermione asked worriedly.


    "Not until he apologizes to me," Ron said stubbornly.


    Harry sighed, he couldn''t say much, after all, Ron had lost a lot of face by taking the blame for the three of them.


    "Hey! Percy, I heard you got ten points from Professor Hap today?" A Gryffindor asked.


    Percy puffed out his chest haughtily, making his Head of Grade badge even more conspicuous, "Yeah, Professor Hap tried a new method of teaching, and I have to admit, he''s rather wise."


    "And you beat Slytherin!"


    Percy said modestly, "It was just a competition, and on top of that, on a ten-point system, I was nine points ahead of my opponent."


    The Gryffindor''s exclaimed in awe again, Percy was worthy of being a schoolmaster who had taken 12 papers.


    "Nine points ahead!" Ron repeated with a look of disdain.


    Harry hurriedly changed the subject, "Hermione, did you ask Professor Hap about the basilisk?"


    Hermione shook her head, "I rarely see the professor, from Monday to Friday." Unless there was a paper she needed to grade.


    "But it''s too late to drag it out until the weekend!" Harry said reluctantly, "In case there''s an attack in the middle of ..."


    He slammed the table hard enough to startle the two young wizards passing by, who gave Harry a wary look and quickly moved away from him.


    "Look at that, they all think I''m the culprit!"


    "Harry, why don''t we go find Professor Hap now?" Hermione gave him a careful look.


    Harry glanced at the wall clock, it was past nine o''clock in the evening, "Tomorrow." He slumped in his chair, like a deflated ball.


    They were basically sure that the monster in the chamber is the basilisk, and about Hermione''s confusion - the basilisk gaze is lethal, but the current two victims are only petrified - Harry also has his own speculation: those victims are not directly stared at the basilisk''s eye. Mrs Norris was looked at via the reflection of standing water, and Colin Creevy was through the lens of the camera.


    But whether this is accurate remains to be verified.


    That''s when Ron said to him, "Harry, the magic golem Professor Hap gave you, is it in your book bag?"


    " Yes." Harry returned feebly.


    He had practiced it several times in private, but he was still a little short in skills, only able to manipulate the golem to walk normally.


    "How about we try?" Ron glanced at Percy in the crowd.


    " Here?" Harry couldn''t make up his mind.


    Hermione''s eyes lit up, she had wanted to try it for a long time, and she had been attracted to this type of style during the opening public class.


    Ice blue hair, delicate and lovely face, hit her heart perfectly.


    "Maybe ... this isn''t a good choice ..." Hermione said under her breath, but she didn''t stop Harry from taking the magic golem out of his book bag at all.


    "Hey! What are you guys doing?" Fred walked up with his arm around George''s shoulders.


    "Oh, a magic golem, I guess." Ron tried to say in a cloudy tone.


    Fred saw the golem in Harry''s hand and was taken aback, "This is not a regular golem." From the appearance alone, the two are completely incomparable to each other as well.


    "Professor Hap gave it to us," Ron said.


    Fred picked the magic golem, "This thing ..." he glanced at George, "I can barely feel its magic fluctuations, more exquisite than Diggory''s ghost doll - -is even more different from the ones we''ve dismantled."


    "You guys even dismantled--"


    "Shh!" Fred put his finger up, "Keep your voice down, it''s our little secret from Professor Hap ..."


    George took the golem and said smoothly, "One time we broke the magic golem in our hands."


    "It was ''accidentally'' broken, and we were very afraid at the time -" Fred said.


    "Fear of being penalized, confined -"


    "Or hung up and whipped with a whip soaked in cold water -"


    "So we went to apologize with trepidation -"


    "And then what happened? What punishment did you receive?" Ron asked.


    "No, little Ronnie," Fred winked and gave a wicked grin, "The professor said we were very talented in alchemy and gave us each an extra ten points, but-"


    George sighed, "He steeled himself to not give us points when we laid the second broken golem part in front of him."


    Hermione rolled her eyes.


    George examined the unusually elaborate magic golem, letting out occasional admiration, and finally, he gave it back to Harry: "That''s remarkable, what have you done?"


    "Yes--" Ron was just about to speak when Hermione stomped hard on his foot.


    The twins looked at each other and shrugged.


    Fred said, "Want us to demonstrate it for you? This golem must have quite a few new features, and I don''t think you''re very skilled at it."


    "Who said that! Harry, show us your hand."


    Harry drew his wand, and under his tug, the magic golem stood up with a swing.


    Several young wizards looked over from afar.


    Harry struggled to control the magic golem, but unfortunately, at best, it could only wield a few icy blue snowflakes.


    "Harry, you don''t have enough control," Fred stated the reason.


    Harry pointed his wand at the magic golem, and he felt he had touched its core. So he concentrated all his attention and tried to awaken the dormant magic circuit.


    His magic contacted a world of ice and snow, sharp and cold as if he had eaten ten Popsicles in one breath, and his consciousness seems frozen.


    Harry''s face turned purple with cold as he exhaled a cold breath.


    "Harry, what''s wrong with you?" Ron scrambled to his feet, and at this moment, anyone could see that something was wrong with him.


    However, the next second -


    " Snicker, snicker!"


    The magic golem suddenly lit up, light blue ice crystals have floated down, the surrounding temperature plummeted, "she" fiercely raised her arm, a series of ice-blue icicles rose up, cold air like a tumbling wave of air spread around.


    A few people watched this scene in awe.


    In front of the palm-sized magic golem, a row of half-human-high ice pillars extended seven or eight meters away, completely freezing the door of the common room.


    The cold ice fog filled the common room, and the young wizards in the common room sneezed collectively.


    At the same time, Professor Hap, far away in his office, was taking small sips of tea and moodily flipping through an ancient alchemy book.


    Next to him lay today''s edition of the Daily Prophet, with today''s front-page headline: "The Good and the bad: The vast difference between two new professors" by Rita Skeeter.

 Chapter 57 - 57 Reckless? Or Courage?

    The weather brightened up on Tuesday morning, and the winter sun shone on Hogwarts, tinting the old castle with a golden glow.


    Felix slept until eight o''clock, opening his eyes amidst the laughter of several young wizards having a snowball fight.


    When he lifted the covers, his cotton pyjamas automatically detached and a delicate, soft, and silky jumper slid over his body. He moved his neck to make the clothes adjust more comfortably, and then put on a padded pant under the effect of magic.


    "Magic makes people lazy," Felix couldn''t remember when he had heard this in his class, but he deeply believed it.


    After donning a dark wizard''s robe, he pushed open the window and looked out at the snowy landscape from above.


    The weather had warmed up considerably and Felix didn''t feel cold. A thick layer of white snow was piled up in the clearing and yard in front of the castle, and several young wizards were hurrying to the hall for breakfast.


    "Luckily I don''t have a class this morning, it''s true that happiness is all about comparison."


    Back in his office, he sorted through the tasks he had at hand in the recent period -


    Locating the Chamber of Secrets, as well as dealing with basilisk ( which he had agreed with Dumbledore to solve during Christmas break).


    Finding the Dark Lord''s relics suspected to be a Horcrux ( propaganda for three times without a clue, another evidence of the young wizard''s unreliability).


    practicing instant killing techniques (recently slacked off a bit and stagnated at four jumps in progress)


    acquiring the rare skill Parseltongue ( pending feedback, responsible: Harry Potter)


    Appointment with Kline (on hold indefinitely ...).


    The next contact with Hagrid the Dirtbag (in elaborate preparation).


    Scavenging the Hogwarts Millennium Collection (in progress).


    Dealing with the public opinion threat posed by Rita Skeeter (¡Ì).


    Completing the Vine of Binding, a magical creation (¡Ì).


    Guiding Hermione to complete her thesis (¡Ì).


    Preparing Christmas presents (¡Ì).


    Undertaking a dueling club program (¡Ì).


    Proposal for reforming the teaching of the ancient magic text course (¡Ì).


    Befriending Lockhart ( brain-dead, this task is null and void).


    Felix smacked his lips, there is no particularly urgent matter now. With less than a week before Christmas, he also got somewhat lazy.


    " Might pay a visit to Professor Snape, to finalize the dueling club aide affair."


    Felix went down the stairs of the castle, through the yard, there were a few strange-looking snowmen by the road - this is obviously a lower-year students'' work, with limited magic attainments, they can only do this work by hand.


    After breakfast, he made his way down to the castle''s basement and found his way to the potion professor''s office.


    Knocking the Professor''s office door, Snape expressionlessly refused his requests to enter.


    "I don''t think I invited you to visit my office, Felix."


    However, Felix has long been familiar with the professor''s character, unless you want to flirt with him, then have something to say, and say what he is most interested in.


    So Felix said: "Professor Snape, I got permission from Headmaster Dumbledore to take charge of the subsequent dueling course. And as for the teaching faculty, I need to know your opinion ..." He stopped and looked Snape straight in the eye.


    Snape pursed his lips tightly, his black eyes fixed on him for a brief moment, and then he moved out of the way, "Please come in, Felix."


    This magic potion professor''s office is located in the underground, dimly lit, the shelves by the wall are filled with a myriad of glass specimen jars, and then within, there is Professor Snape''s private bedroom.


    Felix walked to the specimen shelf, carefully examined one of the jars, "Is this the claw of the eight-eyed giant spider? Is it from the batch that lives in the Forbidden Forest?" He asked with interest.


    Professor Snape came out of the inner room, with two cups of pumpkin juice behind him. "No." He said coldly, handing him a glass of pumpkin juice.


    The conversation between the two men got down to business.


    "Felix, when did you steal the dueling club from Lockhart?"


    "Professor, I must remind you that it was rather Professor Lockhart who was too busy with his daily work and had to relent in making concessions."


    "I don''t think so," Snape scoffed at that, "what''s so busy about one-man-acting class."


    "Busy writing back to fans, of course. From what I understand, he spends at least one hour a day doing that." Felix let out a mischievous smile, "I can relate to Professor Lockhart, after all, we''re both writers who have to deal with the harassment of fans, and he''s more productive than I am."


    "He wrote the book ..." Snape didn''t say anything further, his expression said it all. "But you write back to fans as well? That''s unexpected, I thought, you won''t spend time on such trivialities."


    "There''s no way out," Felix said emotionally, "they''re mostly officials from the ministries of magic in various countries, and we discuss muggle legislation and how to deal with muggles."


    Snape choked.


    He said, "Felix, don''t beat around the bush with me, say what you came for."


    "Professor, I want to know if you still have the desire to participate in my dueling course."


    "Your dueling course?" Snape trailed off on the word "your" for a long moment.


    "Yes, my dueling course." Felix looked at him frankly.


    It was a distinction of dominance.


    Snape fell silent.


    Felix looked relaxed, he did not know if Snape would agree, but from the information obtained from Lockhart, at that time Snape volunteered to act as an assistant for this course.


    This indicated that he was interested in the dueling course.


    As for the reason, Felix did not know, and he did not care much.


    However, he heard that Snape had been seeking a position to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts course, but unfortunately, Dumbledore never agreed. Between these two, is there a connection?


    For example, Snape used the dueling course as a substitution for the Defense Against the Dark Arts course? Felix speculated in his mind.


    "I need to be involved in the selection of the course content." Snape made a condition.


    Felix showed a smile, "Of course, your experience is worth valuing." He said so.


    Felix put the cup filled with pumpkin juice back on the table, he stood up, "Professor, the next dueling class will be conducted after the Christmas holidays, I will communicate with you about the content of the class by then, have a good day."


    "No, thanks," Snape said with a stern face.


    Felix, who was just about to walk out the door, suddenly stopped: "By the way, Professor Snape, I prepared your Christmas present in advance, I''m sure you will be satisfied."


    Snape''s mouth is tugged with a smile, he said, "I will prepare a gift for you too, Felix."


    ...


    In the evening, Felix and Professor Filius swapped their shifts for the routine patrol through the castle. There were always some little wizards, with all kinds of justified and unjustified reasons, who were out of the sight of the professor and the head of the grade and acted alone.


    But to his surprise, he ran into a hurried and panting Miss Hermione Granger.


    "Professor Hap! Oh my, I finally ran into you, professor!" The young witch said excitedly.


    "Miss Granger, what happened?"


    "The monster in the chamber ... chamber ..." Hermione tried to speak, but she was running a short distance the whole way, and at the moment she was out of breath.


    "There is a new attack?" Felix''s expression got serious, seriously now? There is another attack a few days before Christmas?


    His assistant first nodded, then shook her head.


    "The attack did happen, but no one hurt. However, Harry, he, he went after basilisk!"

 Chapter 58 - 58Basilisk And Parseltongue

    "Calm down, Miss Granger!" Felix enquired, "You need to tell me how much time has passed since you and Harry last saw each other? Can you determine his location now? And in what way is he trailing the basilisk?"


    Hermione quickly said: "No more than five minutes, Professor. We presumed that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was in Myrtle''s lavatory, so we agreed to meet there. Harry was able to locate the basilisk through the Parseltongue ..."


    "Very well," Felix interrupted as he waved his wand and from the tip flew a silvery glow that condensed in the air into a tiny bird that hovered in mid-air with a pair of narrow, scythe-shaped wings.


    Felix said aloud: "Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry Potter pursuing the Chamber of Secrets basilisk alone, please come quickly to the abandoned lavatory of Myrtle, where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is most likely located."


    After saying that, the tiny bird waved its wings and turned into a stream of light, and instantly disappeared.


    "Professor, what kind of magic is this?" Even though the situation is an emergency, the little witch still can''t help but ask.


    "Patronus spell, it can help you defend against dementors, or on occasions, you can use it to deliver a message or something."


    " That''s a kind of rain swallow?"


    "Well, it''s fast."


    "Let''s go to the lavatory first." Felix said to Hermione, "You can tell me all the details of what happened on the way."


    By the time both arrived pretty close to Myrtle''s lavatory, Felix had figured out the situation.


    An hour ago.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the Great Hall finishing a quick supper when they looked at each other and slipped out in silence.


    "It''s six-twenty," Hermione told the two before moving on, "We have about forty minutes, so as long as we make it back and return to the common room with the rest of the group before seven, no one will notice we''ve been out."


    They were going to meet with Professor Hap, gain his trust, and then report the secret room information to Headmaster Dumbledore.


    But something went wrong halfway -


    "Rip you ... to pieces ... have to kill ... hunger for blood ..."


    As they passed through a dimly lit corridor, Harry suddenly heard the voice, and he shouted, "It''s the basilisk! It''s out!"


    "You heard it?" Ron said nervously.


    Harry rushed out, he climbed the stairs, straining his ears to keep searching, he seemed to hear a subtle friction noise, so he rushed ahead, Ron and Hermione followed closely behind.


    But the sound, if any, Harry would occasionally be lost, he had to climb up and down to confirm the location.


    The three ran for most of the time, tired and panting.


    "It went back? Maybe it just came out for a walk?" Ron asked expectantly.


    "Absolutely not!" Harry said, "It wanted to kill, it said it craved for blood!"


    "Tear you ... apart... target ."


    Harry jerked his head up, the voice overhead.


    "It''s upstairs!"


    Harry quickly ran upstairs, leaving Ron and Hermione far behind.


    Turning around to a corner, he saw Justin alone from the other side of the corridor.


    " Coming ... out to kill someone ... to rip them to shreds ..."


    Harry''s expression turned horrified, it is going to be too late. He shouted toward Justin, "Close your eyes, Justin! Close your eyes, the basilisk of the Chamber of Secrets is out!"


    Justin, who had been avoiding Harry for the past few days, sniffed in shock and asked, "What?"


    Harry had no time to explain, he had already heard the " clattering" sound clearly, that must be a basilisk, it''s coming out, it''s going to kill!


    " Flipendo!" Harry pulled out his wand, a Flipendo spell knocked Justin away, his face still wearing surprise and panic at the time.


    Harry lunged at Justin to drag him away, which wasn''t easy - Justin struggled for dear life as he broke free of the spell''s effects, and the two tangled.


    "What are you going to do? Harry, what are you going to do!"


    "Shut up! I''m saving your life!" Harry gave him a hard punch to silence him, "Listen! The Chamber of Secrets monster is out, and its eyes can kill anyone, so close your eyes now."


    There was a rustling sound that came through the hallway that was distinctly clear.


    Justin closed his eyes tightly, and his body couldn''t stop shaking. Harry also closed his eyes, while one hand fumbled for his wand - which had fallen on the ground during the brief fight between the two.


    "Are we going to die, Harry? I don''t want to die, Harry, and I''m sorry I misunderstood you." Justin said incoherently.


    "Shut up!" Harry yelled, a clear echo echoing down the hallway.


    He touched a small wooden stick which was his wand, but he had absolutely no way to fight the basilisk, his eyes were still closed!


    Harry judged that the snake monster was less than two meters away from them, and perhaps its head was dangling in front of him?


    He even smelled a pungent fishy odour.


    "Get out of here!" He shouted.


    "What?" Justin asked, shivering.


    "Not you, get out of here!"


    Justin only understood the first half of the sentence, and the second half, which came out of Harry''s mouth, was a creepy sound, like the "hiss" of a snake, but much more terrifying.


    It is Parseltongue, he realized immediately.


    Harry kept speaking Parseltongue, telling the basilisk to " leave here " and " go back ", and it worked, the sound of the basilisk movement stopped.


    But it also did not move away, but instead responded, "kill ... master''s orders ... rip ... clean muggles ..."


    "Get out of here!" Harry said in a Parseltongue, "I order you, get out of here!" Thanks to the magic scrolls he had been working on for the past two days, it had made him a lot more proficient in Parseltongue.


    "Master''s orders ..."


    "Your master and I are best friends, we''re on the same team, listen! You are in danger, there is a powerful wizard coming! Just leave here quickly!" Harry kept urging, he didn''t know if it would work, but Hermione had learned from Professor Hap Parseltongue that could control snakes.


    He did not know whether it is true or not, but could only pray in his heart it is true.


    Finally, the basilisk went into action, and Harry held his breath, waiting for his fate - and hooray, the slithering sound of the basilisk got further and further away, and eventually disappeared.


    "Can''t stop killing ... the next attack ... soon ... held back a little longer... ..." were the words Harry heard from the ceiling, and it appeared that the basilisk had returned to the pipeline.


    Justin shivered and slumped on the floor, aghast.


    "It''s over." Harry opened his eyes.


    A few dozen second later, Hermione and Ron came panting from behind, "Harry, what happened?" They lost him and took a bit of a detour.


    Harry said very fearfully afterward, "The basilisk tried to attack Justin and I stopped it."


    "What- oh my God!" Hermione pointed to the scrape marks on the ground, "That''s ..."


    "Yeah, I had a head-on encounter with it."

 Chapter 59 - 59 Plot? / Fate?

    Ron and Hermione''s expressions were wonderful at the moment.


    Harry struggled to stand up, "Thanks to your information, Hermione, Parseltongue can indeed control Snake Monsters."


    Hermione covered her mouth, "Harry, you almost died, you know that?"


    "Yeah, sorry!" Justin said as he got up from the floor, "He was trying to save me ..."


    He climbed to his feet, wiped his hands on his shirt, and formally held out his hand, "Harry, I''m sorry I''ve been misunderstanding you. I once approached Professor Hap, and he assured me that you were never the killer, but I freaked out during that dueling class ..."


    "It''s nothing." Harry pretended to be relaxed as he held out his hand in the meantime, and the two shook hands together.


    "A happy ending, right?" Ron said, "I don''t mean to interrupt the friendly atmosphere, but I think we need to inform Professor as soon as possible ..."


    "Wait," Harry said as he walked over to a wooden door in front of him, which was hidden.


    "This can''t be ...," Hermione covered her mouth.


    "It could be," Harry said, "but it should be gone by now."


    He pushed the door open and stepped inside.


    Ron and Hermione followed him.


    It is a very small room, full of dust, and long track trails disappeared at a wall.


    "You think that there is an entrance to the Chamber of Secrets here?" Hermione asked.


    "We discussed it, didn''t we?" Harry carefully surveyed the place where the snake monster trail disappeared, " there is probably only one entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, but in order to facilitate the basilisk''s movement, Slytherin may have left more than one exit in the castle''s pipe network."


    Harry said in a Parseltongue, "Open up." Justine, who had just entered, shivered.


    The walls didn''t react even a little, which disappointed him a little.


    Ron guessed, "Harry, if this is really an exit that Slytherin prepared for the basilisk, he must have set special conditions-"


    " In turn, that means that the real entrance to the Chamber of Secrets must not have these restrictions!" Hermione said excitedly.


    "Then what are we waiting for?" Ron looked as if " the problem is finally solved ", " we just need to inform the professor, no matter who it is, as long as it is not Lockhart ... "


    Harry said, "No, you should inform the professor."


    The other three looked at him in confusion.


    "Look, you guys go get someone, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Hap, or even Snape."


    "What about you, Harry?"


    "I''m going to follow along a bit to prevent the basilisk from coming out again. From the conversations I''ve had with it, it''s not a nice one, in case it can''t resist the urge to attack ... halfway through," Harry gave them a meaningful look, "We''ve already guessed the real entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, haven''t we? I''ll see you there!"


    Harry took a deep breath and hurriedly ran away.


    "Let''s go!" Ron and Hermione moved immediately.


    "Wait!" Justin stood up, "I''ll help too."


    Hermione and Ron looked at each other, "Okay if you find any professor, tell them to go to the abandoned girl''s lavatory where Myrtle usually stays, the monster in the secret room is a basilisk, tell the professor to be careful not to look it in the eye."


    The three of them split up.


    At the other end, Harry ran all the way in the direction of the lavatory, and just as he was about to arrive, he met up with a person on the corner, and they collided hard.


    Harry''s glasses were knocked off, and he felt pain all over, which reminded him of his experience of falling off his broom at the Quidditch match. He glanced across at the young wizard, who he recognized as Draco Malfoy from the colour of the man''s hair.


    Malfoy was also hit hard, he had a very dull expression and seemed dumbstruck as a black book flung out of his arms.


    "Potter ..." he said with a confused look before finally coming back to his senses, "Potter!"


    Harry picked up his glasses from the floor and stood up quickly, "Get out of my way, Malfoy!" He left immediately.


    Draco, who remained in place, glanced around somewhat confusedly, and his expression suddenly became terrified.


    " Huff~huff~"


    Harry ran furiously all the way to the girls'' lavatory, and he pushed the door open, oblivious to the stagnant water on the floor.


    He said carefully and tentatively in a Parseltongue, "Are you here? The monster of the Chamber of Secrets?" All the while preparing to close his eyes.


    After waiting a few seconds, just when he thought that everything is safe, he heard a rustling sound.


    It is the basilisk!


    Harry moved his feet following the subtle sound, and he judged that the basilisk had returned from other pipes. According to their previous analysis, Hogwarts'' castle is littered with all kinds of pipes, but the Chamber of Secrets can not be hidden in the pipes, so the two must have a unique connecting passage.


    And that place is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.


    As a result of their discussion, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is likely to be in the place where Myrtle was killed back then - the present abandoned girls'' lavatory because Myrtle had described with great enthusiasm that she had heard a boy''s voice on the day she died.


    This boy could only be the heir to the Chamber of Secrets of the previous generation!


    Following the subtle voice, Harry came to the center of the lavatory, where there is a circular row of hand-washing sinks. He gently set his book bag aside, ignoring the stagnant water on the floor, and plopped down with his ear pressed against the metal pipe of the sink.


    After a loud sound like a slimy hose slicing through the ground, the sound disappeared completely.


    Waiting quietly for a dozen seconds, Harry stood up, around the sink, carefully examined around, unsurprisingly in a facet sidewall found a small snake pattern.


    He could hardly hold back his excitement and whispered in a Parseltongue, "Open."


    Instantly, the facet emitted a dazzling white light and began to spin rapidly. Then, the sink also moved, Harry, watched it slowly disappeared from sight, revealing a very thick pipe.


    Harry stepped over the stagnant water, poking his head to look, a dark tube in front, as if straight to hell.


    Harry is hesitating whether to go down, according to his past habits, certainly do not want to jump straight down. Although the last time he was confined by Professor Hap, copied for two days for the reckless behaviour and penalties of young wizards in the past, so he felt he could be steady.


    "What are you doing?"


    A very melancholy voice appeared behind him, very close to him, as if speaking close to him at the back of his head.


    Harry got startled, his feet slipped, and his whole body plunged in, disappearing down the tunnel.


    The last thing he saw was a rather surprised expression on Myrtle''s face.


    My Bookbag ...


    There is Professor Hap''s magic golem there!

 Chapter 60 - 60 Rons Adventure

    On the other hand, Ron, Hermione, and Justine each searched for the professor''s trail. After seven o''clock, the young wizards all returned to their respective house lounges under the leadership of their head of grade, and the whole castle became empty.


    A few minutes later, Ron is the first to encounter a professor, who runs over with surprise, followed by a look of despair - it''s Lockhart.


    Lockhart is also a part of the patrol today.


    "Ha! Look what I''ve caught! A little wizard who wanders through the night, playing off the clock! What''s your name again?" Lockhart showed an expression of surprise as he walked up and grabbed Ron''s arm, "Come on kid, you should be a Gryffindor, I''ll take you to see Professor McGonagall."


    "No! Let go of me, Harry is in danger, we''ve encountered a basilisk!" Ron fought to free himself from the grip that held him in place.


    "A basilisk?"


    "The monster of the Chamber of Secrets!" Ron yelled, he was furious.


    "The chamber ... basilisk ..." Lockhart tensed up, and with his other empty hand he pulled a magenta handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat rising from his forehead. "What are you talking about? Don''t expect that you can fool me with a lie ..."


    "I''m not lying!" Ron nearly went mad as he pushed hard and pulled a wand out of Lockhart''s breast pocket with his hand.


    "Hey!" Lockhart stumbled to the ground, "My wand!"


    The sound of the two men bickering soon drew the other free-spirited presence in the castle, Pippi Ghost, who walked through a wall just in time to see Ron and Lockhart tussling.


    "A student and a professor fighting! Student and professor fighting!" Pippi Ghost shouted, gloatingly.


    "Clang clang clang." Filch''s footsteps came from the distance.


    Ron ran without a pause, and in a panic, he found himself in a familiar hallway.


    Myrtle''s girl''s lavatory - they''d been brewing polyjuice potion here for some time, though it has been moved to the abandoned classroom on the ground floor.


    Ron swallowed and carefully opened the lavatory door handle.


    With Myrtle''s previous experience, he was afraid he would push the door and see a pair of big yellow eyes.


    Ron pushed the door open with his eyes closed, "Is anyone here? Harry?"


    "He''s not here. Oh, that little wretch!" A strange voice said, which Ron recognized as Myrtle''s tone, and he opened his eyes.


    A silver, transparent ghost floated in mid-air.


    "Harry came here right?, where is he?" Ron wanted to ask further details, but the sight before him made his eyes widen; the sink in the center of the lavatory had vanished out of thin air, and in its place there is a deep black hole.


    He walked forward, took a rather disgusted look at the deep, dirty pipe, and asked, "Myrtle, Harry jumped in?"


    "Yeah, it was so sudden, I was just trying to talk to him ..." Myrtle said in a rather mournful tone, "and his stuff is still here!"


    Only then did Ron realize that under one of the sinks were Harry''s backpack, lying in a crooked mess on the floor.


    "Oh, Merlin!" Ron prayed in his heart as he opened Harry''s book bag - a magical golem with ice blue hair is quietly lying inside.


    Ron let out a whine.


    "What''s wrong?" Myrtle floated over to him and looked at the contents of the bag with him. She pointed at the magic golem with interest and said, "What''s this? Is it the new popular doll out there in the castle?"


    "Harry''s in danger ...," Ron mumbled in a small voice.


    "What?"


    "I said, Harry''s in danger!" Ron took a deep breath, grabbed the magic golem as soon as he could, and took a few steps to the entrance of the chamber.


    After a few seconds, he turned his head to look at Myrtle and said pitifully, "Can you give me a push?"


    Without waiting for her to reply, Ron jumped in as if he was going to die.


    "Ahhhhhhh!" His exaggerated screams came from the water pipe.


    At the other end, Justin found Professor Snape, and almost simultaneously, Hermione found Professor Hap.


    When Felix and Hermione arrived at the girls'' lavatory, they saw Pippi Ghost chasing a Weeping Myrtle with a box of rotten bread.


    What the hell?


    "Throw it in the stomach, get ten points! Throw in the head, get fifty points! Very good, ha, ha, ha!"


    The small washroom was filled with the playful laughter of the Pippi and the sobs of the Myrtle.


    "Oh, God, poor Myrtle, Pippi don''t fight." Hermione watched the scene sadly.


    Felix waved his wand and stopped the flying bread in the air.


    Pippi Ghost then noticed the two people who had just entered, "Professor, hello." He held up the hat on top of his head and greeted.


    "Pippi Ghost, get out of here." Felix said calmly.


    "As you wish." Pippi Ghost''s figure disappeared.


    "Professor, look!" Hermione said, pointing to the entrance of the chamber.


    "I see it." Felix turned his head and asked another presence in the room, "Myrtle, did Harry jump?"


    Myrtle had silver teardrops on her face, but she answered, "Yes, and a redheaded boy with lots of freckles on his face."


    "It''s Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.


    "That''s him, aren''t you three here anymore-"


    "Shut up, Myrtle!" Hermione hurriedly stopped her words, not to let Professor Hap find out the secret of them secretly brewing the polyjuice potion, then she carefully glanced at Felix.


    Myrtle whimpered and quickly flew into the innermost compartment, and did not come out any longer.


    The little witch felt a little ashamed, and she mentally apologized to the poor ghost.


    At that moment, a clear sound chirping rang out, Felix looked for the sound, Dumbledore''s figure appeared suddenly, he wore a grey with a spotted pattern pyjamas, long beard knocked loose -- usually he tied up his beard.


    Apparition, or ...? Felix''s eyes settled on the phoenix on his shoulder.


    It was quite a strange scene, a silver, transparent phoenix standing on Dumbledore''s shoulder, like a patron saint appearance.


    No, it''s a patron saint!


    Only, the patron saint in the silver transparent intra, shrunk in to a little, palm-sized bird.


    This is the real phoenix ...


    " Fawkes just recently passed Nirvana, its power is very weak, I had to use the Patronus to protect it." Dumbledore explained it.


    So, it is the young phoenix cloaked in a phoenix Patronus?


    Felix nodded, "Headmaster Dumbledore, Potter, Weasley and Granger, the three of them found the Basilisk that came out to attack in the corridor, they saved Justine, and then Potter initiated to come and guard the entrance of the chamber, allowing the other three to seek the professor''s help."


    "However, Potter and Weasley, for whatever reason, went down one after another."


    "At the moment, it is unclear if they are in danger."


    "Very well, Felix." Dumbledore fell into thought, but within a few seconds, he looked up and said to Fawkes on his shoulder, "Fawkes, it was tough on you."


    Clad in a silver coat ( the same type of Patronus) the little phoenix gave a low chirp.


    "Remember, the basilisk''s biggest threat is its eyes."

 Chapter 61 - 61 Into The Chamber Of Secrets

    The phoenix flew down the pipe and left.


    To Felix''s puzzled gaze, Dumbledore explained, " Fawkes is too weak now, she couldn''t carry three of us, if Harry is in danger, as long as he sincerely seeks help, Fawkes will sense his location."


    At that moment, from the door came a cold voice, "Sorry, I think it''s four." Professor Snape appeared, dressed in a dark green pyjama gown, his hair tousled and mussed, slightly out of breath.


    "Severus," Dumbledore looked at him, "you''re here too."


    "How can I possibly would not come, Potter ... a Hogwarts student''s life is being endangered!" Snape''s temper isn''t exactly pleasant, "What are we waiting for, do we have a party here?"


    "That''s right, Severus." Dumbledore seemed to dawn on him as he glanced at the four people present, "Miss Granger ..."


    "I''m going down!" Hermione said quickly, "I''m not going to drag you down, I can, um ..."


    She saw the book bag in the corner, her eyes lit up, and she ran over to rummage through it and finally found a magic scroll.


    "Headmaster, Professor, this is Harry''s scroll, it contains a partial record of the pronunciation of the Parseltongue, I thought it might be useful."


    "This is?" Dumbledore showed a surprised expression as he looked at Felix.


    " As it has mentioned ..." Felix said implicitly, and the principal took it to heart.


    "Very good, Granger." Dumbledore complimented.


    Hermione tried her best not to look complacent.


    Dumbledore touched her shoulder with his wand, and she felt herself become light and levitated from the ground with a little effort.


    Then, they each applied a levitation spell on themselves, "Ready?" Dumbledore got an affirmative answer, he waved his wand, the four like light as soap bubbles flying into the dark water pipe.


    Next, a long underground tunnel, Felix is not sure whether it is five kilometers, or ten kilometers, this tunnel curves, seven turns, and sometimes spiral down.


    With the shimmering light of magic, Felix could see that the inner walls of the tunnel were slimy, soggy with liquid, and many tubes forked off in all directions.


    Finally, all the way down, the channel became horizontal. They came to a circular clearing, the floor filled with stagnant water, and above the stagnant water were countless ghastly white rat skeletons.


    At the moment, they were standing on the huge pile of skeletons.


    The tunnel is as silent as the grave.


    Dumbledore looked around with a serious expression, a place he had never known before, and he said softly: "Huge project ... seems Slytherin spent quite a lot of time for this."


    The four walked toward the mouth of one of the largest tunnels, and from a distance, Felix saw a coiled behemoth.


    "Close your eyes!" He quickly shouted.


    Hermione obediently closed her eyes, and Dumbledore and Snape closed their eyes while drawing their respective wands.


    Following the feeling, Felix waved a blazing red light, wrist-thick spell roughly hit the body of the behemoth with a dull to the core boom.


    At the same time, there was an extremely stealthy wind - this is Snape''s magic spell.


    Dumbledore also struck, he added a shallow golden shield for the four.


    Wait a moment, there is no hissing and snake monster movement expected sound.


    Felix opened his eyes, the behemoth has broken into several pieces, but not the slightest smell of blood.


    He and Snape came forward, only to find that it was a huge pair of snake skin, green, but the surface was stained with a layer of dust, looking gray-green ash colour.


    "The basilisk is at least twenty feet long -- besides," Felix said, "excellent Severing Charm, Professor Snape."


    Snape topped him off, "You''re not bad either, Felix, your ''Stunning Spell'' is as effective as an Exploding Charm."


    Hermione and Dumbledore came closer, Hermione carefully surveyed the remains of the snake molt. A third of it had been blown to pieces - a sign of Professor Hap''s magic - and the rest had been sliced in half, the cuts smooth and flat, obviously some kind of powerful cutting magic.


    The young witch picked up a piece of snake molt, hard, like a piece of metal, she could not help but smack her lips together.


    Dumbledore carefully examined the basilisk faded skin, "a period of years, probably when last time the chamber opened, the snake monster left it behind."


    At that moment, a crisp phoenix sound came from far away.


    "We need to pick up the pace." Dumbledore walked ahead of the others.


    They turned around one corner after another, and their feet tread on the soggy water, making a snapping sound. Hermione felt her feet sticky, her nerves trembling uncomfortably, just wanting to get it over with as soon as possible.


    Finally, they came upon a solid wall with a round iron door tucked into it. The arrangement looked somewhat like the circular door of the Gryffindor common room, but instead of portraits, seven intertwined snakes were coiled on it, their eyes inlaid with large, glittering emeralds. The snakes'' tails intersected, and their heads parted, closing the entrance completely.


    "Obviously, we need the entry command or forced destruction." Felix said.


    Snape waved his wand, the invisible cutting spell, the iron switch erupted into a bright green luminescence, and when all went quiet, the round iron door was intact.


    Dumbledore fingers stroked the twisted snake on the iron door, he shook his head, "I can break it, but that will take time." He looked to Felix.


    Felix takes out the scroll with understanding and tosses it high, the magic scroll quickly spreads out and unfolds into seven or eight meters long.


    His wand tapped on it, and he whispered, "Open." The writing on the magic scroll began to twist, distort, and reassemble, and soon a vortex appeared in the center of the scroll.


    The four people present heard a strange, "hissing" sound from the magic scroll.


    The next moment, the round iron door moved, from the intersection of the snake''s tail, swam out of a smaller snake, it swam around the iron door for a whole cycle, and then a "click", the door opened.


    "Professor, this is?" Hermione is a little curious, she did not know that magic scrolls have this function.


    "It can convert my words into Parseltongue, of course, provided that it has enough Parseltongue data stored inside."


    Dumbledore said with a look of admiration, "Is this the idea you mentioned to me during the interview, combining muggle wisdom with magic?"


    Snape''s and Hermione''s eyes fell upon him simultaneously.


    Felix said calmly, "Just an attempt."


    "Felix," Dumbledore said, "there aren''t many open-minded wizards like you left."


    Afterwards the group moved on and crossed the circular iron door, and before them was a long, dimly lit space. The space resembled a hammer, the handle of which was a spacious corridor in front of them, with many stone pillars carved with coiled serpents coiled on either side of the corridor.


    These stone pillars were towering to support the high, dark ceiling, casting a long, treacherous shadow under the greenish glow.


    And at the end of the space is an open clearing, like the square head of a hammer. At the edge of the clearing is a statue equal in height to the room itself, clinging to the dark wall behind it.


    Felix almost immediately recognized it as a Slytherin statue, a similar object he had seen in a number of books.


    His eyes fell on the clearing, where a fierce battle - or rather, ruthless bashing - is taking place.


    A blind basilisk twisted and turned its body wildly, it stood thirty feet long, and each fling of its body set off a huge rain of stones as a small wizard dodged in desperate disarray.


    It is none other than Harry Potter.

 Chapter 62 - 62The Observer

    "Headmaster, we ..." Felix drew his wand.


    Dumbledore did not answer, but instead fell into a deep silence, as if he is asleep.


    "Headmaster Dumbledore!" Hermione anxiously stomped her feet.


    Dumbledore pondered for a few seconds, he waved his wand and several phantom spells were placed over them.


    Felix then heard the conversation between Dumbledore and Snape.


    "I don''t understand, Dumbledore ..."


    "What, Severus?"


    "The boy ... Harry Potter, he''s dying!"


    "I''m here," Dumbledore said shortly.


    The conversation ended there, but Felix couldn''t help but get caught up in his thoughts -


    Did Dumbledore want to train Potter? Between life and death can inspire a person''s courage and potential, not to mention this old man is standing on the sidelines at the moment, in control of the situation.


    Or maybe ...


    He suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Dumbledore when Potter''s parseltongue was exposed. Headmaster said he still needed to confirm something, what could that be?


    They approached the battlefield silently, and as they got closer, Felix noticed large, broken ice crystals in the empty space, and a dozen palm-sized, bloodstained black scales stuck on half of the collapsed ice wall.


    It seems that Harry is not powerless to fight back.


    The four of them came near a stone pillar wrapped around a snake in front of the clearing and lifted, part of the effect of the Phantom spell - which allowed them to see each other''s positions.


    "Professor!" Hermione tugged on his sleeve, and behind the stone pillar, a small wizard was lying on the ground, and next to him was a small, palm-sized bird.


    It is Ron and Fawkes.


    "Headmaster, Ron has been spotted."


    Dumbledore glanced at the field, "Severus ..."


    "I''m keeping an eye on it," Snape said without looking back, his gaze firmly fixed on Harry''s body with a very resistant expression.


    Dumbledore and Felix crouched in front of Ron, his clothes covered in dust and scratches, but his body was unscathed.


    A small phoenix on the side gave a low chirp, seemingly seeking credit.


    "Thank you, Fawkes," Dumbledore said to it with satisfaction.


    "Professor, Ron he ..." Hermione looked at Ron worriedly.


    "He''s fine," Felix said, tapping the ring on his left hand with his wand, a potion flew out, and he gave Ron a hard dose.


    Ron''s eyebrows knitted up.


    In the empty space, the battle that belonged to Harry continued -


    He hid behind a boulder, waving his wand, the palm-sized magic golem volleyed out a cold air mixed with ice crystals, the blind basilisk simply can not find "her", it could only attack the whole field, again and again, the snake''s tail still remains on the dotted white frost.


    Harry agilely dodged a human-size stone, the boulder in front of him was smashed into pieces. He hurriedly jogged away, but the sound of footsteps attracted the snake monster''s attention, and the next second, the thick tail whipped over.


    Harry immediately commanded the magic golem to block in front of him, " thumb thumb thumb!" A prism of ice appeared out of thin air.


    The huge black snake tail smashed down on its head, and after a tooth-aching crushing sound, the icicle and the magic puppet broke apart on the ground.


    And Harry took this opportunity to run away on tiptoe.


    The three professors hiding in the shadows lowered their wands at the same time, and Felix couldn''t help but glance at the puddle of golem fragments on the ground in pain, just like that?


    ...


    "Professor, I want to help Harry!" Hermione said.


    Felix was silent for a moment, "You''ve thought about it?"


    "Yes."


    Felix lifted Hermione''s phantom spell while taking a beaded pouch out of the ring and handing it to her. "It is going to be your Christmas present, so I''ll give it to you in advance - I don''t need to tell you how to use it, right?"


    "No, thank you, Professor!" Hermione said cheerfully.


    She wasn''t worried about Harry''s safety, with the two professors and the Headmaster around, how could he die, but she didn''t want to see Harry fighting the basilisk all alone.


    They are best friends!


    Hermione carefully hid in the shadows, she as lightly as possible.


    On the field, Harry struggled to dodge the basilisk''s tail, and flying around debris, the loss of the magical golem''s help, he suddenly fell into an absolute disadvantage.


    Harry mouth hissed: " calm down!"


    But the basilisk had already gone mad, and the fact that it is blind almost foretells its death - either by killing or by starvation. What''s more, the fact that they had broken into the secret room.


    "Kill ... kill ..." the snake monster made a "hissing" sound, and followed the sound of a tail flung at Harry, and The tail came over.


    "Whoosh!"


    The sharp whistling sound cut through the air, an emerald green wrist-thick vine climbed the basilisk''s tail, forcibly ending its attack.


    Harry showed a disbelieving expression.


    "Hermione!?"


    The little witch wrapped the other end of the devil''s vine around the stone pillar, using it to counter the snake monster''s terrifying power. "Harry, run!"


    Harry couldn''t think why Hermione appeared here, he quickly ran away, tripping midway, to the Sorting Hat, the big silver bird brought to him!


    Just a few moments ago, the basilisk found him as an intruder, decided to kill him and Ron, at that time, regardless of parseltongue it attacked him while saying "master''s orders" is everything.


    At the critical moment, a large silver bird suddenly appeared, not only pecked the snake monster''s eyes but also after a brief disappearance, brought him the Sorting Hat.


    He didn''t know quite sure why, but he was sure it would be useful for the situation at hand.


    He picked up the tattered hat and put it on its head, muttering in a low voice, "Whatever comes, please help me."


    No voice answered him, but the hat pressed tighter and tighter, as if an unseen hand desperately grasping the Sorting Hat on his head.


    Jang!


    Something heavy and hard landed on top of Harry''s head, nearly knocking him unconscious. Harry found that it is a shiny silver sword, the hilt of the sword set with brilliant egg-sized rubies.


    Not far away, Felix''s eyes were frozen, that is ... Gryffindor sword?


    Hogwarts the symbol of courage and trust, one of the four giants Gryffindor''s sword?


    He turned his head and stared dead at Dumbledore, is this what you want to confirm?


    Dumbledore did not pay attention to his gaze, his eyes passed through the half-moon glasses, fell on the basilisk, his lips opened and closed silently.


    This made Felix vaguely feel a hint of discomfort, it was a very eerie feeling. In his vision, the basilisk, Harry, and Hermione three''s magic are very conspicuous, but there seems to be something more on the field.


    Under the phantom spell, he curled his fingers and gently touched his brow, and in a flash, the colours of everything in sight were melting and fading.


    Only black, white, and grey remained.


    Felix looked ahead at the battlefield, under his calm face, surging waves of shock.


    In his field of vision, three steps to the left, a huge source of magic blazed like a dazzling sun, it is Dumbledore. From his feet, the magic spread out a line, the other end of the line connected to the ground below the basilisk.


    There is a huge concentration of magical fluctuations, in his unique perspective, the ground like a wave of water, a wave of ups and downs.


    What is this?


    Dumbledore had struck, when did he do it?


    It seemed to be some kind of transfiguration, but he had never seen such an outrageous transfiguration ...


    It turned out that, without his knowledge, Dumbledore had put the basilisk into a cage.


    At the moment, Felix does not care about the battle on the field at all, there is no need, the basilisk is a large tool.. Perhaps its only value is to cooperate with Harry to play a scene so that Dumbledore could see something.

 Chapter 63 - 63 Killing The Basilisk

    On the other hand, Ron woke up under the effect of the potion.


    "Well ... where am I? Harry! Hermione?" Ron sat up in some confusion, then he saw Harry and Hermione, who were circling the basilisk.


    He quickly recalled what happened.


    He caught up with Harry with the magic golem, the two found the basilisk, Harry tried to say something in a parseltongue, but the basilisk directly attacked.


    They could only run as hard as they could, not even daring to look back.


    At that moment, a big silver bird appeared, it pecked the basilisk''s eyes, and then, he was swept away by the frenzied basilisk''s tail, and his body hurts so much that he thought he nearly killed in the process.


    Ron''s last memory is the image of Harry holding him, the big silver bird turned into an invisible dot, and then landing on his shoulder.


    It shed tears, is it sad for me?


    Ron stood up and moved his arms and legs, which were actually intact?


    He took out Lockhart''s wand and prepared to move forward, but the scene of him being swept by the basilisk appeared before his eyes, and great fear gripped his heart.


    I''ll die!


    He stared at the field, Harry holding an unfamiliar silver sword, brought by Hermione? But where are the Professors, where is Dumbledore? He looked around, no sign of the professors.


    Also, what were those things that looked like devil''s net branches? Ron felt that he woke up, and the situation has been completely unreadable.


    At the moment, the basilisk already broke free of the third devil vine, it becomes angrier and angrier, hissing, and showing the long poisonous teeth look like a row of sharp daggers.


    It coiled its body in a circle, the tail "crack" slapped the stone pillar, rolling up a piece of debris.


    Harry scrambled up the toe of the Slytherin statue, the basilisk lunged forward, the huge head of the snake smashed out a half-meter deep crater.


    Hermione''s beaded pouch has lost its effect, she rushed out to send out a few red magic spells, but the basilisk''s scales easily bounced it off.


    What should I do?


    Ron was trembling, and his heart was at war with the world.


    Snape''s mouth hooked a silent mocking smile, he raised his hand and raised his wand.


    However, the next moment -


    Ron Weasley rushed out, he picked up a stone and smashed it on the head of the basilisk.


    "Hey! I''m here!" He waved his arms exaggeratedly to attract the basilisk''s attention.


    The basilisk''s black eye sockets turned toward Ron, causing him to gag.


    Under the Phantom Spell, a few professors had different thoughts.


    "Stupid lion." This is Snape''s opinion.


    "Brave Gryffindor ..." Dumbledore''s eyes moistened.


    "Commendable courage," Felix said, but that would never be his choice.


    Ron paid the price for his recklessness, rolling and crawling to avoid the sweeping snake''s tail, painfully hurt by the stones on the ground, and he broke a gash in his finger.


    The basilisk opened its mouth wide, its ghastly white fangs reflecting the green light hanging down from the ceiling, looking very scary.


    In a panic, Ron threw the wand in his hand, which belonged to the wand of Lockhart in the air across an arc, coincidentally fell into the mouth of the basilisk - but did not do anything.


    And with this effort, Harry has climbed up the huge statue, his feet are under the giant head of Slytherin.


    Harry stood high above the basilisk, looking down at the frantic attack, clutching the gleaming Gryffindor sword in his hand.


    The basilisk in the center, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exactly in three different locations.


    As if a telepath, their eyes crossed the snake monster, saw each other.


    Ron suddenly ran in Harry''s direction, his mouth hissing, the only parseltongue he had ever learned from Harry - the one he intended to use to scold Malfoy.


    "Stupid!"


    This word instantly attracted the basilisk''s full attention, plus Ron stumbled all the way down and made a sound that allowed it to quickly lock onto its target.


    The basilisk twisted its snake body, scraping its scales against the ground, and swam quickly towards Ron.


    Hermione followed, but she got a bit far away and could only see the basilisk''s back.


    Ron ran under the Slytherin statue, he shouted: "Harry!" At this moment, time seemed to freeze--


    The basilisk raised its head high, ready to attack, Hermione''s mouth opened wide, eyes full of surprise. And Harry, he raised the Gryffindor sword, leaping from the Slytherin statue.


    The three professors outside the field held the wand at the same time, clenching their hands, Snape took a deep breath of cold air.


    Time seems to have slowed down, Harry felt the whistling wind from his ears, the basilisk in his eyes is slow as a snail, he even in mid-air especially have the strength to adjust his falling posture.


    It was like playing a game of Quidditch of a different kind ...


    " Snip!"


    The surface of the silver Gryffindor sword blossomed like a watery glow, piercing through the head of the snake monster like a thunderbolt, and Harry, with the speed of his descent and his own weight, slammed the sword completely into it, leaving only a hilt.


    The basilisk felt the threat of death and pain, it completely frenzied, desperately flinging head, tail like a long whip sweeping the ground debris. Harry''s death grip on the hilt of the sword, his leg got nicked, but he was completely unaware of it.


    Instead, he is desperately turning the hilt, so that the Gryffindor sword in the head of the basilisk would open a bloody hole.


    And the basilisk''s body became rigid all of a sudden, and Felix stared at the scene with dead eyes, not letting go of any detail.


    In his field of vision, the basilisk is imprisoned by the huge magic power below it.


    It is Dumbledore!


    Everything flashed like lightning, five or six seconds later, Harry is flung out of the way, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione arrived, she waved her wand and used a standard floating spell to catch Harry.


    The basilisk is extremely resilient and wriggled for almost a minute after its head was pierced before collapsing with a crash.


    Ron limped over to the two, he was bruised and battered, but he smiled brightly, "We won, it''s incredible, isn''t it?"


    Harry also laughed out, he suffered badly, multiple cuts on his arm, a long gash on his thigh, that is the basilisk''s dying counterattack.


    He was about to say something, but his vision blurred in front of him for a moment.


    "Harry!"


    "Harry!"


    Ron''s voice and Hermione''s voice as if a layer between, Harry heard with some difficulty, he faintly heard Hermione saying " a basilisk venom, basilisk''s venom is highly toxic ".


    Am I going to die?


    Harry asked himself. His lips opened and closed, but he is not sure if he has spoken.


    "Harry!" Ron shouted.


    Hermione shouted towards where Felix and the others were, "Professor, Headmaster ..." The phantom spell lifted and Dumbledore came striding out.


    "Headmaster, Harry is going to die," Ron said sadly, too late to think about why Dumbledore had arrived so coincidentally.


    "He''s not going to die!" Dumbledore''s firm tone brought great comfort to Ron and Hermione.


    Dumbledore waved his hand and Phoenix Fawkes let out a chirp and flew down, it landed next to Harry and big drops of tears fell on his wounds.


    The wound quickly stopped bleeding, shrunk, and healed completely.


    "Headmaster? Professor?" Harry opened his eyes, he looked at the phoenix in front of him and then at his own wound, "What''s going on, I''m not ..."


    "Harry, the tears of the phoenix can detoxify poisons and heal wounds."


    Harry looked curiously at the Fawkes in front of him, this is Phoenix? But it''s too fugly, right, and too small, only palm-sized.


    "What is its name?"


    " Fawkes."


    Harry looked at the phoenix and said gratefully, "Thank you, Fawkes, it''s nice to meet you, I''m Harry, Harry Potter."


    The Phoenix''s tiny head jumped onto his shoulder and nuzzled Harry''s face affectionately.


    Dumbledore introduced, "The Phoenix is a quite fascinating creature, unfortunately, Fawkes has just undergone a nirvana, in a little while it will be covered in marvellous red and golden feathers."


    "They can carry heavy things, their tears can cure poison, and they are an exceptionally loyal companion."


    They then returned to the castle, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione was sent to the school hospital.


    Among them, Ron and Hermione were both bruised, Ron somewhat more badly, while Harry had just been healed by the tears of the phoenix and apart from the dirty spots, there is nothing wrong with his body at all.

 Chapter 64 - 64 Storytelling

    The school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, took care of these wounds with just a few simple minor magic spells, and then she poured a vial of potion for the three of them to cheer up, "It''s good for you all!" Harry choked and rolled his eyes.


    "Madam Pomfrey, please give us a few more minutes," Dumbledore said gently.


    Madame Pomfrey turned and left.


    It was just the trio, Dumbledore and Felix at the scene, Snape had been sent by the Headmaster to find Professor McGonagall - and later they would have to make another trip to the Chamber of Secrets to get rid of the basilisk''s body.


    "I''m sure you all have a lot to say." Dumbledore''s eyes fell on a sideways looking at the table where the Sorting Hat, a silver sword inlaid with rubies, laid.


    Harry began to tell them the story as it happened. He told them that he heard a wandering spirit-like voice without a form for the first time when he was confined in Professor Lockhart''s office. Combined with the information Hermione got from Professor Hap, he confirmed that he is a parseltongue.


    "But because of the bad reputation of the parseltongue, I concealed it, and besides, there were no attacks at the time," Harry said with some shame.


    "Everyone has their own secrets that they don''t want to be pried into," Dumbledore said kindly, which made Harry feel a little better.


    He also told that after the first attack, they discovered the spiders in the castle escaping and learned from Myrtle that she was the victim of the Chamber of Secrets opening fifty years ago. Harry specifically mentioned the point that the day of the attack on Myrtle, she heard a boy''s voice, which is the greatest evidence that they judge the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.


    Dumbledore couldn''t help but clap his hands in admiration.


    "Hermione deduced it," Harry did not take the credit, Hermione waved her hand sheepishly.


    After that came the second attack, and speaking of which, Harry had a strong urge in his heart to voice their suspicions about Malfoy, Dumbledore must be able to find out something, right?


    However, just as he gathered enough courage, Snape and Professor McGonagall pushed the door in, Professor McGonagall saw the three of them in a mess, could not help but hold her chest, "Oh my God, what have you all been through? Professor Snape said you guys recklessly challenged the monster in the chamber ... If this is true, I''ll definitely detain you ..."


    "Minerva," Dumbledore interrupted, "and Severus, you are just in time, let us hear their adventures before we make our final judgment."


    So, there were two more people listening to the story.


    Harry opened his mouth and finally swallowed his suspicions about Malfoy as he began to recount the key information he had learned from Hermione that the parseltongue could manipulate snakes - as Slytherin did - and then from Hagrid about the existence of the eight-eyed giant spider Acromantula and its fearful attitude towards the monster.


    "And those dead chickens!" Ron reminded him.


    "That''s right, Hagrid kept a lot of dead chickens, and he thought the foxes were responsible." Harry added, "That''s pretty much the information we''re relying on to piece together the truth about the Chamber of Secrets."


    "I''m more interested in understanding how this series of events happened tonight?" Dumbledore nodded approvingly at first, then he asked.


    Harry then continued with the story of how they slipped out of the auditorium to meet Professor Hap to explain the situation - Snape made a "snort" - and halfway through heard the sound of the snake monster again, so They saved Justin, and Harry sent the others to seek help from the professor, while he went to keep an eye on the monster to prevent it from attacking others.


    "That was a noble act, Harry," Dumbledore said softly.


    "But what I saw was just a reckless and arrogant venture. Headmaster Dumbledore, you''ve given them too much leeway." Snape played his role of splashing cold water with a stern face.


    Felix watched with interest, Snape''s distaste for Harry Potter was really unconcealed, but then he was the first to stand up for Harry when he was in danger ...


    Associated with what he had investigated, the corners of his mouth could not help but hook up.


    "We can''t rush to judgment, Severus."


    Ron and Hermione then told their part of the experience separately. Hermione had nothing to say, she merely circled the empty castle for a few minutes and ran into Professor Hap.


    Ron''s story, on the other hand, is much more exciting; not only did he attack the professor (Lockhart), he also snatched his wand, and in a panic - Ron tries to gloss over the story to make him looked with a bright light - he went to the lavatory and realized that Harry wasn''t carrying his powerful Magic golem, so he simply jumped down and did a " delivery job for the hero".


    "By the way, Headmaster," Ron said apprehensively, "Professor Lockhart''s wand was swallowed by the basilisk, do I have to pay for it?" His own wand was still half broken.


    "That''s really is a problem, Gilderoy has had some bad luck lately ... I''ll talk to him." Dumbledore said in a light-hearted tone, "If we''re lucky, his wand is still lying intact in the basilisk''s stomach."


    After all three young wizards had told their part of the story, Professor McGonagall said feebly, "What you have done tonight goes far beyond your duties, and I might add, you have broken at least a hundred school rules along the way - but how did you defeat the basilisk? "


    Harry recounted how he and Ron met near the snake molt, they went into the chamber together, and then encountered the basilisk. Speaking of this, Harry suddenly realized that he should have stopped near the snake molt, but he had not thought of this at all at the time.


    Am I really a reckless, stupid lion, as Snape said?


    As the story continues, the two''s unexpected visit offends the basilisk''s psychological bottom line - it attacks Harry and Ron frantically until Fawkes pecks the snake''s eyes, and they barely have the strength to face the basilisk.


    "Professor Hap''s magic golem helped a lot." Harry glanced gratefully at Felix, the professor just smiled and did not say anything, his gaze kept pausing on the tattered and dirty sorting hat. As Harry continued speaking, during which he glanced oddly at Hermione, who he didn''t know when she arrived.


    Finally, he recounted the process of taking out the basilisk with the ultimate leap of his own, with the three of them working with each other. At this point, finally ended the whole story.


    Felix clapped his hands, "A wonderful adventure, I think, your story, enough to make a book."


    "Felix," Snape bracketed a long voice, in his characteristic, without a trace of emotion, "perhaps, you see yourself in them ..."


    "No, Professor Snape," Felix said light-heartedly, "I''m nothing like them. They''re both good Gryffindor, and you and me," he glanced at Snape, "we''re standard Slytherin, aren''t we?"


    "As the Sorting Hat can testify."


    He reached out, extremely naturally, picked up the Sorting Hat, and put it on his head.

 Chapter 65 - 65 Dumbledores Heir?

    When the trio came out of the school clinic, they had warm smiles on their faces - just now, Dumbledore in recognition of their outstanding courage, gave them two hundred points each, but also a collective contribution award.


    Of course, some digits need to be deducted from the extra points - any past violations of school orders will be left alone, but some of today''s actions - twenty points each for the trio going out in violation of the ban, and fifty points for Ron''s misconduct towards Professor Lockhart, plus a month of confinement.


    Even so, they earned four hundred and ninety points for their house at once.


    This means that Gryffindor had secured the House Cup in advance.


    "I think it''s worth it!" Even Ron, who had to spend a month in solitary confinement, had no problem with it.


    If they won the Quidditch Championship once more, this year would be perfect ... Harry thought a little greedily, but there was still time!


    At the end of the conversation, Harry and Dumbledore had communicated alone, and in this private conversation, he gathered the courage to voice his long-standing doubts about whether he had been sorted into the wrong house, after all, the Sorting Hat strongly implied that he would achieve great things if he remained in Slytherin.


    And he was completely reassured by Dumbledore''s words, pointing to the Gryffindor sword on the table and telling him, "Only a true Gryffindor can pull it out of the hat."


    He also figured out the reason he could do the parseltongue, which, according to the Headmaster, was because Voldemort had transferred some of his powers into his body that night.


    This left Harry dumbfounded.


    "It makes more sense to live the way you want to live than to dwell on a past you can''t change," Dumbledore said to him.


    ...


    It is completely dark, but the shadow that has enveloped Hogwarts for two whole months has finally dissipated.


    Ron suddenly spoke up, "You guys, what did Professor Hap just mean by what he said? It''s Gryffindor, Slytherin, whatever ..."


    Harry thought about his behaviour tonight and said with feeling, "I guess, maybe it''s the traits that different houses cherish? Like courage, which Gryffindor respects, and calm self-control, which Slytherin esteems."


    "I almost forgot Professor Hap is a Slytherin until you said it." Ron cooed in a small voice.


    Hermione did not say anything, she remembered her first private magic lesson, Professor Hap was particularly interested in the Sorting hat, his original words were "Maybe I should re-introduce myself to it sometime?"


    The little witch felt this just seemed like an excuse for the professor to reintroduce himself to the Sorting Hat ...


    When they returned to the common room, the three hid in a corner and exchanged detailed information, Hermione''s words surprised them the most, the three professors were standing on the sidelines from the beginning to the end.


    "How could they do that?" Ron said indignantly, but he felt like he was going to die several times.


    "With them in, our lives are not in danger." Hermione sensibly said.


    "I just want to know why we desperately have to kill the basilisk, and they are watching from the sidelines!" Ron is still full of complaints.


    "I think Headmaster Dumbledore might be trying to test us, remember last year?" Harry said thoughtfully, "Voldemort is not dead, this is what Dumbledore told that time, he said, Voldemort will return one day."


    "Could it be that Dumbledore wants to train us as the heirs to resist Voldemort?" Ron said with a red face as if the mere utterance of this inference is enough to excite him, "Dumbledore is not young, I mean, it is time for him to consider this issue, right?"


    Dumbledore''s heir sounds so much more perfect than Slytherin''s heir.


    The three men couldn''t help but breathe hard at the same time.


    ---------


    The Chamber of Secrets.


    Dumbledore, Snape, Felix, and Professor McGonagall stood by the corpse of the basilisk, Professor McGonagall came here for the first time, she could not help but survey the place.


    "It''s like a lair of darkness and terror." She whispered.


    Felix touched his finger across the pupil of the basilisk - most of it had been destroyed by Fawkes, black blood had contaminated most of the snake''s face, and he had managed to gather a bit of clean material.


    He is very interested in the basilisk gift of "death to all who stare", which is what he is extremely wary of the basilisk - but only wary, he has too many ways to avoid it.


    However, he is curious, if Dumbledore and the basilisk look at each other, what will happen?


    Will Dumbledore get killed by the basilisk''s gaze? When Felix saw the Headmaster''s magic power source, which is so vast that it can be considered terrifying, his heart swayed.


    In front of this class of wizards, is the basilisk''s "death stare" really useful?


    Just like he can resist a Stupefy spell or a couple of them.


    Felix analysed Dumbledore''s strength while collecting various materials from the basilisk. Professor Snape, who did the SAME.


    Whether it is snake venom, snake teeth, blood, scales, he will never refuse any of them.


    On the other end, Dumbledore is talking in a low voice with Professor McGonagall.


    "Albus, I think, we should publicize it well, so the outside world can see that we solved the trouble of the Chamber of Secrets so that they won''t talk about it casually." Naturally, Professor McGonagall had read the previous coverage and felt angry in her heart.


    "Minerva, I don''t object to this, but it would have to wait for a few days ..."


    "Why?"


    "Lucius Malfoy has been very active on the school board lately, and he seems to think that this is a good opportunity to get me out of the school," Dumbledore said non-committally.


    "How dare he!" Professor McGonagall yelled angrily.


    "From what I understand, Lucius has threatened several school board members, and it might be within the next few days that he will make a move on me ..."


    "Dumbledore, so what should we do?"


    "Just wait." Dumbledore''s gaze seemed to penetrate the ceiling above the chamber and saw the landscape further away.


    Felix and Snape also exchanged a series of words in the process of drafting the initial plan for the distribution of the basilisk material.


    He also found Lockhart''s wand, in the " clear water like a spring " spell rinsed it several times, in addition to the lingering strong odour, from the exterior alone you can not see what it has gone through.


    I hope Lockhart will not mind.


    Afterward, they moved the basilisk''s body to an abandoned classroom and locked the door with magic - they would split the basilisk when the school announced the information.


    When Felix returned to his office, he realized it is nearly nine o''clock.


    Hogwarts still has a curfew and the corridors are sparsely populated, but it won''t be long before the usual buzz will return.


    Sitting on the sofa, Felix is still thinking about the chamber.


    The Chamber was found, and the basilisk was dead, but there is still a Slytherin heir within the castle.


    Or simply, in Felix''s mind, a certain little wizard who had been manipulated by Voldemort''s Horcrux.


    How to pull her/him out?


    If you really cause a major mess, not to mention the other, Hogwarts closed for two months for a thorough inspection, so you can make him unable to cope up.


    Felix pondered his strategy when there came a sudden, sharp knock at the door.


    He pushed the door open and saw a young wizard who surprised him quite a bit - Draco Malfoy.


    Strangely enough, Malfoy''s face is very pale, and the tip of his nose holds a fine bead of sweat. He was also clutching a long, dark green striped long scarf - at the other end of the scarf, about two meters from him, dragging a plain black book.


    You could tell that Malfoy is trying his best to keep himself away from that item.


    "Come in, Mr.. Malfoy," Felix said, his instincts telling him that he would get something big for himself tonight.

 Chapter 66 - 66 Night Talk

    Malfoy sat restlessly on the couch.


    Felix sat across him and first beckoned a cup of hot cocoa and handed it to him, "Sweets will make you feel happier." He then waved his wand, causing the black book to float up and land on the small, low table between them.


    " Bam."


    Malfoy, unable to suppress a shudder from his body.


    "It seems that you had an extraordinary encounter, would you like to talk about it?" Felix said in an encouraging tone.


    "The diary ... Professor," Malfoy spoke, his voice very hoarse, "I have to ask for forgiveness ... I think that I, unintentionally, made a mistake."


    Felix''s light blue eyes looked at him, "Go on."


    "Yes ... it was Potter and the others!" Malfoy''s breath quickened, "A few weeks ago, I found them breaking the ban, more than once! So I sneaked up behind them and found them hiding in Myrtle''s Place, which is a girls'' lavatory!"


    "Myrtle''s place ...," Felix repeated his words.


    "That''s right, Professor." Felix''s response gave Malfoy confidence and the tip of his nose reddened slightly, "They must be plotting something! The Potter''s always doing this, repeatedly breaking school rules without getting any punishment ..."


    I can see that he is quite resentful about this, and kept trolling Potter.


    "Everyone is responsible for their own actions," Felix said, echoing his words.


    "Yes, Professor Hap, you are being so unbiased ... if you ask me, few people recognize him for what he is. Potter is reckless and arrogant, and that Weasley is inseparable from him like a--"


    "Mr. Malfoy," Felix interrupted, "let''s continue what we were just talking about."


    "Okay, okay, Professor. Potter found me, I panicked and ran away, and when I went back later they had cleaned up all the traces, but I found this ..." His eyes fell on the black book.


    "This is?"


    "A diary, and a very scary black magic artefact!" Malfoy said quickly, with a look of half disgust and half awe on his face.


    "I thought at the time that it was left by Potter and the others, probably someone''s diary. But I found out that it belonged to a man named Tom Riddle, a former head of Slytherin. I can still talk to him, he taught me quite a lot ..."


    Tom Riddle, the name ... Felix''s eyes became deep.


    "So, you hid its existence? I think the professors stressed more than once not to trust these things that keep their mind hidden."


    Malfoy lowered his head, and Felix could easily see his platinum blonde hair.


    "And then what, Malfoy? According to you, it counts as a mentor to you, and what caused your attitude to change?"


    Malfoy showed a reminiscent look: "For the first few days, everything was normal. But after that, things changed. I find that I sometimes appear somewhere inexplicable, and when I try to think about it, I always subconsciously forget it ... Also, my robe, my school bag, my collar, somehow covered with chicken feathers, and I never touch those things!"


    "Later today, I somehow appeared in an isolated corridor on the fourth floor of the castle, and when I realized it, saw Harry running away from me."


    "I think," Malfoy lowered his voice, as if his previous words were all in preparation for this moment, "that this is a trap ... targeting me."


    A quiet silence fell over the office.


    Felix played with his wand, seems to be thinking about something, after a while, he leaned over, using his empty hand to pick up the diary.


    He flipped through it, except for the first page with the name "Tom Riddle" written in ink, the other pages were blank.


    Turning over to the back cover, the name of a press agent in London''s Vauxhall Road was printed on it.


    "Mr. Malfoy," said Felix, "do you mean to say that all this was done by the Potter?"


    "It''s possible, Professor-" he said slowly.


    "What about their purpose in doing this? Have you thought of another possibility, like, for example, that this diary has something to do with the recent attack on the Chamber of Secrets?"


    Malfoy''s pale cheeks turned even whiter as he stammered, and Professor Hap''s light blue eyes looked at him, which made Malfoy feel that those little thoughts of his were being seen through.


    Subconsciously, he was thinking that this diary had something to do with the Chamber of Secrets.


    He wanted to give this thing to a reliable hand, and didn''t want to invite trouble - God knows what he did when he was unconscious, this thing he must not let his father know, so he deliberately avoided Professor Snape, whom he trusted more, and who had a closer relationship with his family.


    As for whether it was related to Potter, he couldn''t be sure, but isn''t it normal to give Potter a little trouble?


    "Professor ... I''m not sure, I have no memory of that." He said wryly.


    "In any case -" Felix gave him a look, "you made a wise choice. Slytherin plus fifty points, that''s as far as I can do, maybe we can go to Headmaster Dumbledore together ..."


    "No, that''s not necessary, Professor." Malfoy said busily as he stood up, "I just have one request, can you help me keep it a secret?"


    "Confidentiality?"


    "I mean, until we find out the truth, it''s best not to mention my existence or tell my family, it will have an effect on the Malfoy family''s reputation."


    Felix looked at him, "Yes." As he said.


    "Thank you, professor, if there is nothing else, I will leave now."


    After getting Felix''s permission, he quickly left.


    In the office, Felix quietly looked at the diary and tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair.


    "Ta, ta."


    His perspective changed, and in a black and white world, in front of him was a cloud of darkness thicker and deeper than ink, and he examined it carefully, but he could find nothing but the darkness itself.


    Felix came to the workbench, thought about it, he took out the quill and dropped a drop of ink on the diary.


    A stain appeared on the page.


    He waited quietly, and yet - nothing happened.


    Felix: "..." Am I not doing it right, or did Malfoy not make it clear?


    He pulled out his wand and gestured at the diary''s open page -


    "Show secrets!"


    " Emergency Active!"


    "Magic Track!"


    "Status Feedback!"


    After a series of attempts, the diary did not respond and lay there peacefully.


    This item in front of him definitely utilized incredibly secretive means of production.


    Even he could not find out the error for now.


    Does the sixteen or seventeen-year-old Voldemort has this ability? If we talk about the category of black magic, he did not dare to judge, but the magical creation ...


    What made him surpass me?


    Felix fell into deep thought, fingers tapping the table-top, the silent office issued a "da, da" sound.


    I don''t know how long it took, but he finally stopped.


    Felix''s light blue eyes became extraordinarily bright, he thought of a possibility, a possibility that made his body tremble -


    Voldemort is the heir of the Chamber of Secrets left behind by Slytherin, the probability being that he is one of his descendants, so Voldemort could be able to open the Chamber of Secrets with his parseltongue while attending Hogwarts.


    What will be in that Chamber of Secrets?


    Just a Basilisk that has survived for a thousand years?


    This is too wasteful, but another way of thinking, perhaps it is guarding something.


    For example, Slytherin''s top-secret research materials?

 Chapter 67 - 67 Bewitched

    Felix tried to project a scenario from fifty years ago -


    A bright, cautious, ambitious young wizard, who stumbled upon Slytherin lore after entering Hogwarts, would have been clever enough to discover that the two shared the same magical gift, the Parseltongue, which pretty much meant there would be a de facto bloodline relationship between the two.


    He must have been thrilled to have the same blood flowing through his veins as the noble Slytherin.


    No doubt he will try to find the Chamber of Secrets left by his ancestors, which may take years, but with his wisdom and perhaps with the help of some snakes ... In short, he succeeded.


    As a descendant of Slytherin, he became the new master of the Basilisk.


    He rightfully inherited everything there. For example, a deeper hidden room filled with all sorts of forbidden Slytherin knowledge.


    Slytherin especially good at bloodline research, but also hold a number of powerful ancient magic. The key thing is that in those days, black magic was on the rise, and Slytherin never shied away from studying and using these black magic ...


    The young wizard received the gift of his ancestors, and he secretly digested it all, growing deeper and deeper in the field of magic, and his ambition swelled. Until after being rejected by Dumbledore, he formed an army of Death Eaters and became the dark lord, the talk of the town.


    ...


    ''Can all this be true? Maybe it''s just my speculation?'' Felix''s gaze seemed to penetrate through time and saw the rise of the second generation Dark Lord.


    He stared motionlessly at the diary, like a quiet painting in the quiet night.


    Who wouldn''t want the research material of a legendary wizard who had passed through the Grandmaster class?


    ''''The mere possibility is worth trying.''''


    ''''I''m afraid that Voldemort took them away or destroyed them, then it would be bad.''''


    Felix already had a plan in mind.


    ''The first step of the goal is to start an exchange, but the Horcruxes surprisingly playing dead ...''


    After some thought, Felix quickly constructed a small section of memories and emotions in his mind.


    In the new memory, he is still a genius wizard who has achieved outstanding success at a young age, but the difference is that he is extremely conceited and arrogant, and has no doubt that he can control this mysterious diary ...


    ''The art of lying is nine truths and one lie, I just need to make him misjudge my character and make him think I can be useful to him.'' Felix thought to himself.


    He opened the diary, picked up a quill dripping with ink, and wrote an impassioned line on it.


    "Evil black magic artefacts, reveal your secrets, or I will destroy you completely!"


    After a moment of mental speculation, the mood fell in line, but the message revealed was not appealing enough, so he added another paragraph imitating Lockhart''s tone -


    "I, Felix Hap, the best graduate of Hogwarts in a hundred years, published three books related to magic and kept in correspondence with hundreds of famous wizards - but I don''t hang on that, I didn''t get Dumbledore''s offer of employment on the basis of my strong connections. "


    He stopped his pen for a second, two seconds ...


    An extremely subtle regal powerful thoughts swept through, this consciousness did not force through his memory, recklessly read the false information inside, but simply wandered around the periphery, capturing his emotions.


    This is something that impressed Felix.


    This is what many masters of the Legilimency do, they rarely enter someone''s mind crudely to check their memories, rather they perceive the other person''s emotions at the moment, supplemented it with their own rich experience so that they can unknowingly get the information they want.


    Under Felix''s watchful eye, the ink on the diary is absorbed into it.


    He waited patiently, and sure enough, a line of text emerged from the diary.


    "Hello, Felix Hap."


    The line lingered for a few seconds and quickly disappeared, and a new line of writing appeared -


    "I am not some black magic artefact, that little wizard misunderstood me, someone else actually opened the Chamber of Secrets."


    Felix hooked the corners of his mouth as he simply wrote, "Who is it?"


    "I can show you."


    A dazzling white light poured out of the diary, and Felix felt his body being pulled as if he was going to fall in the next second.


    He quickly closed the diary.


    "Bang!"


    After a few seconds of pause, he opened the diary again.


    The soul in the diary froze a little, and he slowly typed a question mark.


    Felix wrote on it: "Don''t think I''m one of those unreliable little wizards, I''m a genius Slytherin and won''t fall for your tricks easily!"


    There was a full pause of more than ten seconds before another line of text appeared on the diary.


    "You are indeed cautious enough, Felix Hap, but I am really not a black magic artefact, I graduated from Slytherin like you, and in a way, I am your senior. Fifty years ago, I was the one who caught the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets."


    Felix smiled with satisfaction, this is exactly the impression he wanted to give the Horcrux, an arrogant and self-absorbed, but at the same time shrewd Slytherin image at the same time.


    So, don''t try to fool him with some cheap stuff.


    Next, the diary took nearly half an hour, painstakingly writing thousands of words to make clear the events of fifty years ago.


    Seeing the handwriting on the diary getting lighter and lighter, Felix thoughtfully put a few drops of ink.


    "The murderer who opened the Chamber of Secrets was Rupert Hagrid." Finally, the diary concluded.


    "And how do you explain taking control of the little wizard in the school?" Felix asked a sharp question.


    A large paragraph quickly emerged from the pages of the diary.


    "The Chamber of Secrets was reopened ..."


    " Rupert Hagrid was not imprisoned in Azkaban, he remained at the school as a forbidden forest guard. The danger never went away, and as I expected, this year something finally went wrong. I tried to give a warning, but the little wizard named Draco Malfoy wasn''t interested in it; instead, he was more interested in watching the fun. I had to control him to try and find out what Hagrid had been doing to commit the crime."


    The diary wrote in an emotionally filled tone, "Even though I am only a memory, the determination to safeguard Hogwarts has not changed. I am still a member of Hogwarts and have an obligation to stop this from happening."


    Felix wrote in his diary, "Is everything you said true?"


    "Of course, I was raised in a Muggle orphanage, unlike those pureblood families whose arrogance is practically soaked to the bone. You can check out the prize showroom at Hogwarts, there should still be my trophy there."


    "Sounds like it''s true." Felix wrote, but under the occulamency spell, he couldn''t help but a curse, you have scanned me seventeen times, really believe I won''t notice it?


    "Because all this originally is genuine, you can investigate as much as you can, but time is short, the next attack could happen at any time. My suggestion is to write to the Ministry of Magic in secret and ask them to take Rupert Hagrid away temporarily."


    "You want me to snitch?" Felix wrote "angrily".


    "No, it''s just a test. Believe me, if you take him away, the attack will stop immediately." A seductive line appeared in the diary, "When this is over, you will come forward and enjoy the honour you deserve, I think, a medal of the Order of Merlin - in the name of the brave man who ended the attack of the Chamber of Secrets!"


    "But please also keep me a secret for the time being; there is someone at the school who shelters Hagrid, and if he were to discover my presence, he would not hesitate to use me as a scapegoat. This is my only request until everything comes to light, you can do whatever you want."


    Felix paused for a moment and wrote on it, "I''ll think about it."


    He then took out an exquisite box from the suitcase in the corner of the office and put the diary inside.


    A complex magic pattern flickered away.


    After completely isolating the diary from the outside world, Felix looked back on the exchange of words he had just had in the silent office and sincerely exclaimed with admiration -


    "Spoken as if it were true."

 Chapter 68 - 68 Lockharts Trouble

    The following few days passed calmly around campus, but secretly there were undercurrents -


    Rita Skeeter''s firepower was all focused on Lockhart, and after many years, the two were once again sparring across the newspaper.


    They are both writers of great repute, each with their own huge readership, and as a result, the news about them is the hottest of the moment.


    And in the newspaper margins of the word block, began to appear sporadically on Dumbledore''s inability to respond to the attack on the Chamber of Secrets question, Felix smelled the smell of conspiracy.


    Thinking about the conversation between Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall in the chamber, he almost realized what was going on.


    Nothing more than some pureblood family launched a public opinion campaign, trying to use it to bring down Dumbledore. But everything could have been a futile effort, the Basilisk has died, only not disclosed.


    Dumbledore wanted to fish, once and for all to solve the problem, then so be it, Felix is not interested.


    In the last class before the holidays, he took the parchment given by Professor McGonagall and explained some precautions as written.


    "Don''t cast spells outside of school, and don''t take teaching aids home, you know what I mean."


    The young wizards at the back laughed.


    At noon, when Felix walked into the Great Hall, he unexpectedly saw Lockhart standing in the doorway. He was just about to pretend he didn''t notice when Lockhart tugged on his hand.


    "Professor Lockhart?" He had to stop in his tracks.


    Lockhart said to him with a troubled look, "Professor Hap, we need to talk."


    The two men walked into the shadowy corner in front of the foyer.


    "Professor Hap, for the sake of us being colleagues, you have to help me, that Skeeter woman is driving me crazy!"


    Felix asked, somewhat curiously, "What''s going on?"


    "That woman is making wild rumours in the newspaper, trying desperately to discredit me. She went so far as to slander me, saying that my adventures were all fake, for God''s sake! What a ridiculous statement!"


    Felix looked at him with a bizarre expression.


    "Yeah, you think it''s outrageous as well, right? You can''t doubt me just because I have an outstanding appearance, and of course, I can''t exorcize the female ghost by smiling!" He cleared his throat in annoyance.


    "Professor Lockhart," Felix interrupted, "please state your reason directly."


    "Oh, ah ... well, it''s like this--" his tone became stammering, "I think that this quarrel between me and that woman, there''s no need to occupy public resources. Perhaps in private we can communicate ... negotiate a settlement ..."


    "But what does that have to do with me?"


    "Come on, Professor Hap I know who that woman is, she won''t let you off lightly, and in her mind, you''re a perfect news material!" Lockhart said with a shrewd face, "If you ask me, you''ve said hello to her through some big shot ..."


    Felix said to himself, "You''re a real talent, you can even make a connection like this."


    He excused himself and said, "I''m not familiar with her, but I happened to hear from Headmaster Dumbledore mentioned that around the holidays, the school will announce a big news, when some journalists will be invited to attend, perhaps she will also be here."


    "Really?" Lockhart''s eyes lit up, "I need to talk to Dumbledore ... Thank you very much, Professor Hap, if you need anything in the future, just come to me, I heard that you have studied ancient magic, and it so happens that I know something about it."


    "Let''s talk about it," Felix said with disinterest.


    Lockhart did not pay attention to his attitude, he cheerfully proposed to leave, it looks like he is going to go directly to Dumbledore.


    "By the way, Professor Lockhart, I heard that your wand ..." He wanted to find out if Dumbledore had cleaned the smell off it by the way when he handed it over.


    He is very curious about it.


    "Gee, you know about it to don''t you, horrible behaviour, if you ask me, three weeks of confinement is light for him ... that reckless Weasley."


    At the other end, Ron returned to the common room in a huff.


    "You shouldn''t stop me, Harry--" said Ron, who had just had another fight with Percy.


    Harry didn''t feel good inside; they had originally solved the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, but at Dumbledore''s request, they had to hold back for a few days and postpone the announcement of this honour until the new school term started.


    Which makes, his situation not much better, and even, Ron is suffering from a ban on his back.


    But Harry still advised Ron that, "Think positive, if everything goes well, after Christmas, we can let Malfoy get the punishment he deserves, and then all the troubles will be solved together!"


    His words made Ron''s heart feel better, "That''s right, I wish Christmas would come sooner."


    Then he said with a raised eyebrow, "Harry, that is a special contribution award, no one in my family has ever won, not even Bill! When I get the trophy, I''m going to smash it in Percy''s face."


    On the other side of the table, Hermione had been writing and drawing on parchment, not participating in their discussion.


    "Hermione, what are you doing?"


    Hermione looked up from her parchment and she sighed, "I''m planning a makeover for the beaded pouch, ew, it''s just too hard."


    Harry asked her with interest, "Is it that little bag that releases the Devil''s Net?"


    "Yes, the Basilisk did some damage to it in the chamber, and I requested permission from Professor Hap to do the restoration work independently. But it is much more trouble than I thought, even though I watched Professor make it from start to finish ..."


    Harry couldn''t resist asking more questions, the little witch excitedly gave the two of them the basic concepts of ancient magical texts, which made Harry and Ron dizzy, and the two of them tacitly diverted the topic.


    In the evening, Felix took out the diary and once again wrote and scribbled in it.


    "Hagrid was taken away, and I don''t know if I did the right thing." Felix wrote, which of course is a snub, he also cleaned up the prepared Christmas gifts this afternoon, including Hagrid''s.


    A string of letters emerged from the diary, " You''ve done the right thing, and believe me, the attacks will stop, and you''re the biggest contributor."


    Felix said "unmoved", "I won''t take your word to heart, I''ll always be on my guard!"


    "Of course, if the attack happens again, you can absolutely hand me over." The diary stated.


    Felix penned, "I''m curious, how were you made? You know, you simply had an ordinary book as a medium, but it carried a memory over half a century!"


    The diary is not repulsed by this question, on the contrary, he welcomes it very much. Talk, open your heart to me ...


    A fluent string of words danced across the page, "That involves very deep mystery in magic, and if you''re interested, I''ll tell you everything I know."


    Thus, one person and one diary began to communicate in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere.


    At first, they discussed the relatively superficial scope, but after Felix pointed out his mistakes several times, the diary had to come up with more profound content, but he also rather cunning, a lot of key points are brushed off as "he did not inject this part of information back then".


    That night, Felix gained some tips on storing memories on regular items and some knowledge of bloodline research.


    At the end of the exchange, the journal strongly recommended him a "relaxation technique", which he swore had a magical effect ...


    Felix locked the diary away, but he couldn''t help but think, "I believe in you, you bastard."

 Chapter 69 - 69 Memory

    Finally, the semester was over, and the young wizards lined up to board the train home, leaving Hogwarts mostly empty for a while.


    The usual silence of the morning after a heavy snowfall completely enveloped the entire castle.


    Felix walked through the castle, only occasionally encountering a young wizard, but he did not feel the least bit stuffy, but rather peaceful.


    He picked a remote place near the frozen black lake, used magic to turn the rock into a chair, comfortably lying on it. He lightly snapped his fingers, a bright blue flame floating above his head.


    Felix took a book out of his ring and read it with interest.


    What he had in his hand is "Ravenclaw Manuscript (Volume II)", where the descendants have compiled the information left by Rowena Ravenclaw and divided the contents into twelve whole volumes according to different categories.


    The second volume consisted of Ravenclaw''s daily entourage, which did not involve specific wizarding knowledge, and to his eyes, it''s filled with large paragraphs of cloudy, poetry-like mumblings.


    A random quote -


    The stone became a bird, chirping, and chirping. Across mountains and lakes, it brought back daisy flowers from the red plains.


    Felix: "..." It is difficult to understand the state of mind of Lady Ravenclaw at that time.


    Felix also assumed that Ravenclaw had been educated as a noble lady in her youth, and had a special preference for poetry because of her family''s education.


    But were there any famous poets at that time?


    Felix scratched his head a bit, with his not very good historical knowledge, he only knew the four founders of Hogwarts active in the Middle Ages, but it seems that the poetry of that period is inseparable from the category of religious hymns.


    He read on -


    The river said to me, O Creator, you gave me thought, but never gave me form. One day, I will merge into the ocean.


    Felix: "..."


    When you think about it, it''s still quite meaningful, or at least it reads lofty and mysterious.


    He also did not consume his mind to ponder the subtle meaning of the words, but lapped up the words and quickly skimmed through them. In less than half an hour, he turned to the end.


    "Tsk!" Felix smacked his lips, do not know what to say.


    Without a little literary appreciation, he didn''t deserve to study magic?


    He simply lay down on the chair, looking at the distant lake covered with ice and snow, recalling the knowledge he had gained from the diary in the past few days. With his vision, he was able to tell which part would be more useful to him, even though the diary had covered up everything for him and even tried to pass on the wrong information, but then again, he was only dealing with the young Dark Lord, who had yet to graduate from school and who was still very young in every way.


    In this point, Voldemort and once himself are somewhat alike, they are with the "external" force to force a single branch of study to improve the ability to achieve far beyond the level of their peers.


    But when it comes to understanding and perception of magic, they are still too shallow.


    If you don''t reach a certain level, you won''t be able to experience it.


    Felix had a feeling that most wizards spent their lives learning other people''s magic without ever improving it. It''s not that they don''t want to, but they can''t.


    "Wait, I seem to have thought of something." Felix sat up sharply, " little bird, river, creator, magic, consciousness ..."


    Felix quickly opened the Ravenclaw Manuscript (Volume II) and turned to one of the pages, he looked at the familiar words on it-


    "Stones became little birds, chirping and chirping. Across mountains and lakes, it brought back the daisy flowers of the red plains."


    Would it be possible to see this little poem as a true account of Ravenclaw''s own experience?


    The first line is undoubtedly about transfiguration, perhaps Lady Rowena Ravenclaw turned a rock into a beautiful bird on a whim one day.


    So what does the second sentence say?


    That Ravenclaw used magic to manipulate it to make a sound? Felix shook his head and connected to the next two sentences, the legendary bird that had apparently leaped a short distance and brought back a daisy flower.


    This is not something that transfiguration can do.


    Perhaps Ravenclaw had given it some kind of " trait ", like life, soul, or something like that, so that it could maintain a certain degree of autonomy even after it was out of the spellcasting range.


    He suddenly remembered part of the conversation he had had with the Sorting Hat that day...


    "Sorting Hat, do you remember how you were born?" Felix asked it in his mind.


    "Of course, oh, I vividly remember that." It said wisely, and then the dirty, ragged hat sang in his consciousness.


    "It was over a thousand years ago.


    I had just been woven into shape.


    There were four great and famous wizards that


    Vowed to nurture the young wizards into being.


    These four great wizards.


    Each had a different view of the talent they valued.


    It was Gryffindor who came up with the idea--


    He lifted me from his head.


    All four great wizards infused me with their thoughts.


    From then on it was up to me to pick and evaluate!"


    ...


    The Sorting Hat almost became an independent living entity after acquiring the thoughts of the Four Greats on it.


    How alike to that little bird that leaps over mountains and lakes and brings back a daisy flower!


    What is the key here? It is autonomy. They both exhibit extreme autonomy, just like real beings, and can still make self-decisions and complete complex behaviours when they are out of the magical range.


    How can this autonomy be achieved in a miraculous way?


    Excluding the fields of "life" and "soul", which he could not touch anywhere, Felix quickly thought of a way he could achieve it - injecting memories.


    He happened to get this part of knowledge from the diary.


    He waved his wand so that a palm-sized pebble flew to him, and then he lightly points his wand on the stone, the stone quickly turned into a delicate, small rain swallow.


    But if you distinguish carefully, you will find that the eyes of this rain swallow is very dull, like a puppet, every move needs guidance with the wand.


    Felix constructed a small memory in his mind, he touched his forehead with his wand, pulling out a silver, shimmering thin wire.


    He incorporated this false memory into Rainbird''s body and relied on the knowledge that diary had given him to bring the pieces together.


    He simplified this step as much as possible, just to verify what he had in mind.


    Under his watchful eye, the rain swallow''s eyes became animated, and without his control, it swung its wings and stumbled to take flight.


    Then it plunged headlong into the snow, leaving only two legs twitching continuously.


    Felix yanked it out, and the rainbird bounced and trudged through the snow, watching it walk rather like a sparrow - this was because he had constructed a memory so poorly.


    But he stared unblinkingly at the little guy in front of him.


    After almost two or three minutes, wisps of silvery mist spilled out of this rainbird''s body, and the fictitious memory dissipated.


    It returned to its dull state.


    Felix waved his wand and made it turn into a pebble again.

 Chapter 70 - 70 Christmas Present

    "This thought is feasible." Felix saw more possibilities in this simple attempt, and he felt he could do something like the sleeping guard statue in the castle if he tried hard enough.


    However, he did not think he could accomplish a magical creation similar to the Sorting Hat or the Diary.


    The latter is fine, after all, it is a Horcrux, which hides a piece of Voldemort''s soul, but the Sorting Hat? It''s originally was merely a Gryffindor''s hat, not something built specifically for the sorting.


    According to Felix''s visualization, the four founders may have shared an afternoon tea and questioned each other''s "talent selection plan", and in order to resolve their differences, they decided to use " wise magical creation" to carry out the sorting.


    Thus, the birth of the Sorting Hat occurred. And the Sorting Hat has been around for thousands of years. It can communicate with people, which means that it has its own memory and nature, and in a sense, it is not too much to say that it is real life.


    It reminded him of a portrait that could also communicate with people in a sense.


    In some simple portraits, such as Sir Cadogan in the castle, his intelligence is extremely simple, unable to carry on a complex and structured dialogue.


    The result of Felix''s probing during school was that the bragging Sir could only engage in seven effective feedbacks, such as bragging about his glorious battles or extending an invitation to a duel.


    And some portraits behaved miraculously with enough - they were able to interact with the outside world in complex ways and retained a considerable amount of memory themselves.


    As far as he knows, the portraits of past Heads of Hogwarts in the Headmaster''s office, as well as the portraits of the ancestors of some pure-blood families, are in this category.


    This was a result of the owners of the portraits injecting a lot of memory and magic for this purpose, thus making the portraits they left behind still maintain a similar personality to the original owners, but they are only similar to the extent, but they are not a real being.


    The biggest difference is that the character of the portraits will not change with the passage of time, always fixed at the moment they were made, like a complex set of interactive programs.


    This is fundamentally different from the Sorting Hat ...


    "The Sorting Hat absolutely hides a bigger secret!"


    ...


    The dawn of Christmas came, and Felix emerged from his bedroom fully dressed. Under the small Christmas tree in one corner of the office, numerous Christmas gifts of various shapes and sizes were piled up.


    Roughly counted, almost hundreds of pieces.


    Moreover, there were quite a few more packages on their way, and in the time it took him to make tea, three owls flew into the room through the window he had deliberately left open last night. One of them had obviously flown a significant distance, with a palm-sized delicate gift box in its beak, and collapsed in exhaustion on the table in front of him.


    Felix had to feed it a few drops of magic potion, it is in a far better state now.


    The brown owl ate a few small cookies before jumping in front of him and pecking his fingers with its pointed beak, "Are you asking me to open the package?"


    The owl looked at him, cocked its head, and held out a talon to him where a small metal cylinder was tied.


    Felix opened the cylinder and pulled out a rolled-up letter from inside -


    "Dear Mr. Felix Hap, my wolfsbane potion has been finalized. Just as the ''White Fresh'' flew to you, I have submitted the official formula to the Ministry of Magic. If there are no surprises, I will soon be awarded a medal of the Order of Merlin - at least second class! I hope you will be able to come and observe the ceremony at that time. Enclosed with this letter is a bottle of the latest wolfsbane potion, so please taste it."


    It was addressed and signed by Damocles Belby O.M.


    Felix quickly wrote on it, "I am honored, please let me know as soon as the date is set, and I will attend on time. Also: your Merlin medal is well deserved."


    He placed the note back in the metal cylinder, "Good work, White Fresh." The owl drank some water and spread its wings and left.


    Felix opened the delicate gift box, that contained a bottle of potion, he opened the lid and sniffed it gently, "Well, it smells as bad as ever, couldn''t he ever consider adding some sugar? Or is it a quirk of all Master Wizards to make their potions so awful?"


    He placed the potion in the ring with emeralds on his left hand, and then began to open the gifts with great interest.


    A good portion of them came from his book fans and pen-pals, mainly greeting cards. Felix sorted through them and set them aside for now, the rest were gifts from Hogwarts'' professors and students.


    Dumbledore gave a private alchemy manuscript, his personal insights on alchemy. And Felix gave the principal a muggle book called "99 Inventions That Changed the World", paired with a pair of long wool socks embroidered with red lions.


    Professor McGonagall gave a book called "Quidditch Teams in Great Britain and Ireland", which is an introduction to the Quidditch teams in Britain and the various honours they have won, and it contains a lot of illustrations of Quidditch technical moves.


    It seemed as if she wanted to draw Felix into the circle of fellow Quidditch enthusiasts.


    Hagrid gave him a short home-made dagger, rather crudely made, albeit out of a very unusual material - the horn of a unicorn.


    "Tch." Felix smacked his lips, not knowing what to say.


    Professor Filius sent a copy of ancient magic and invited him to discuss the contents with him sometime, and Felix gladly responded.


    Professor Snape''s gift is a thumb-sized clear bottle containing about a millilitre of clear liquid.


    "It''s a strong spiteful agent, how very kind of you, Professor." He said cheerfully, "I hope you''ll like my gift too." What he gave Snape was a set of experimental equipment for Muggle schoolchildren, including measuring cups, scales, and droppers.


    He also thoughtfully put together a "Code of Conduct for Chemical Experiments (Children''s Edition)," which had plenty of accompanying pictures, so he wasn''t afraid that the professor wouldn''t be able to understand it.


    A number of young wizards at Hogwarts also gave him gifts; his assistant Miss Granger gave him a dark green knitted scarf, Potter gave him a large box of chocolates, and Ron Weasley gave him a box of Zizzy Bee candy.


    The most interesting gift came from the twins'' collaboration, which was two wooden couple dolls hugging each other, looking rougher than Hagrid''s short dagger - the features on the face were painted in. Felix knocked the male doll''s head according to the instructions, which caused it to scream in pain, and then the two dolls shuddered and did a zombie dance.


    Although the twins said that this is a small African country''s " dance track ", but Felix directly ignored it.


    In addition, some little wizards who he hasn''t met a few times also sent gifts, such as Justin Finch, who sent a luxurious quill with a variety of functions.


    It took Felix an hour to finish writing the letters and returning gifts.


    He entered the Great Hall, where four long tables were occupied by a few scattered little wizards.


    A dozen Christmas trees covered with silver frost were hung with all sorts of new and interesting trinkets, ribbons of sprinkles of mistletoe and holly were draped from the ceiling, and enchanted snow was sprinkling down.


    Professor McGonagall and several professors were busy decorating the Great Hall.


    "Do you need some help?" He asked.


    Professor McGonagall straightened up, "Oh, no, it''s almost done." She waved her wand, hung a long coloured ribbon on the Christmas tree, turned to him, and said, "I really like your gift, Felix."


    Felix flashed a smile as he gave Professor McGonagall a half-human-sized magical golem with a dozen or so complex circuits built in it, which enabled it to take two forms - in addition to the human form itself, it could transfigure into a majestic lion.

 Chapter 71 - 71Luna Lovegood

    Felix ate his breakfast leisurely, and one by one the young wizards arrived, their faces beaming with smiles, laughing and joking with each other.


    The whole Great Hall filled with a lively air.


    From the Great Hall, Felix walked towards the direction of the forbidden forest, and on the way, he met Hagrid, who is coming towards the castle.


    "Hello, Professor Hap." Hagrid greeted warmly.


    "Hello, Hagrid. I received your gift, and I like it very much." Felix said, especially the material it was made of.


    " Haha, it''s good that you like it. By the way, the automatic wipe you gave me works quite well, it cleans the house now." Hagrid said gruffly, "No need for me to worry about it entirely, and it even gets itself clean."


    After exchanging pleasantries, Felix went to the edge of the forbidden forest. He was going to snap some chestnut branches; his stock was running low.


    But halfway through, he frowned.


    On the snow-covered ground were footprints in a straight line toward the forbidden forest.


    Felix measured the size of the footprints, which belonged to some little wizard who had violated the ban, so he followed the footprints.


    Felix walked along with the snow, except for the constant " crisp " sound of snow and broken leaves under his feet, no other sound was heard. Unknowingly, he has come to the edge of the forbidden forest.


    But this place is quite remote, in the northwest corner of the Forbidden Forest, is already quite close to the main gate of Hogwarts - this is where the young wizards go on weekends to Hogsmeade Village.


    Felix stopped in his tracks, and the surroundings formed an ambience of silence - white snowflakes fell from high from the sky, and he looked up as if countless ice crystals were swooping towards him.


    Everything is silent, and heaven and earth seem to be so empty that he feels like he is all alone.


    " Hissing Tum Thumb"


    A black creature that looked very much like a horse poked its head out of the forbidden forest, it gave Felix a look with its silver-white eyes, sneezed, and then flapped a pair of large, black, bat-like wings and receded back into the forest.


    "Surprisingly, it is a Night Thestrals." Felix became somewhat surprised.


    This kind of magical creature is quite rare, and there are many wizards who categorize them as special invisible beasts - they can only be seen by people who have experienced death, witnessed it, and understand it.


    This trait has given them a not-so-good reputation, and night Thestrals were once considered a symbol of bad luck - a harbinger of death comparable to a wizard running into a large black dog. But they are in fact rather docile creatures.


    Felix became even more curious, and he went deeper into the forbidden forest, and after about two minutes of walking, came to a clearing.


    In the snowy sky, a little girl stood in the midst of a dozen skinny, bony night Thestrals, and she grabbed a handful of hay in her hand and held it in front of the mouth of the closest one.


    He also heard her humming softly, looking very cheerful.


    Felix waited for her to feed all the dry grass in her hand before walking over, his footsteps alerted the little witch.


    The girl lifted her head. She had long, tousled, waist-length blonde hair and very light-colored eyebrows and eyes.


    When he got close enough, he realized that the little witch had her wand behind her left ear, she was wearing a pair of toadstool glasses, and around her neck hung a necklace strung with a cork of butterbeer.


    At that moment, her eyes stared dead at the person who suddenly appeared.


    Felix''s heart welled up with an odd emotion, odd little wizard ... could it be Ravenclaw?


    "What''s your name and which House are you from, Little Miss?" Felix asked.


    "Luna," she said in a voice that sounded as if she is singing, "Luna Lovegood, is my name, I''ve seen you in public class, and you are a professor."


    "Yes, obviously. What House are you from, Miss Lovegood?"


    "Ravenclaw said that superior wisdom is the greatest asset of mankind."


    Felix got it, unsurprisingly ... he said with a reprimanding tone, "Why are you alone deep in the Forbidden Forest, don''t you know it''s dangerous here?"


    "They are not dangerous." Luna said in a trance, "Night Thestrals is very friendly. Do you want to feed them together?" She suddenly knelt down, pushed aside the snow, and grabbed a handful of half-green, half-yellow hay in her hand.


    She turned her light-colored eyes toward him, and Felix noticed that her voice had almost no highs or lows when she spoke, but paired with an ethereal voice, it gave the impression that she is singing.


    "No." He said.


    With that, Luna made a turn and fed hay to a small night Thestrals as if no one else was around. And it seemed to be just learning to walk, crouching low on its somewhat stiff limbs and sticking out its tongue to lick Luna''s fingers.


    She hummed a strange little tune softly, and snowflakes fell on her clothes, accumulating a thin layer.


    Felix''s mood became calmer, and he did not try to break the atmosphere.


    "You''re in a better mood?" Luna said.


    "What?"


    "You just got caught in the middle of a harassing gadfly," Luna said sympathetically.


    "I - what did you say?"


    " Harassing gadfly ... they sometimes drift into your ears and mess with your head." She said, "I think I just heard one buzzing around here."


    Felix never thought such creatures existed, but he asked her with interest, "Can you be specific, about the harassing gadfly?"


    Luna gave a surprised expression as she held her toadstool glasses in one hand and looked behind him.


    " Harassing gadfly ... Well, they''re usually invisible, but when they want to do something to your brain, they glow red with excitement."


    "So, you saw that?"


    "That''s right." She said with great certainty as if she were speaking some kind of truth.


    Felix became suspicious at first, he scanned around but found nothing.


    After a while, the two returned to the castle together.


    On the way, he asked Luna, "Didn''t you go home for Christmas?"


    She said calmly, "Father had a manuscript to catch up with, the Christmas Issue, but we made an appointment to look for the bent-horned snoring beast over the summer."


    Another name I hadn''t heard, "Your father is-"


    "Xenophilius Lovegood, he''s the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler."


    Felix said nothing more; he knew the name of this newspaper.


    Standing in front of the castle, Felix said to her, "I will not deduct any points this time, go, find your friends and enjoy a pleasant Christmas."


    "I''m having a good time right now." Luna said with a happy smile, then she gave a thoughtful look, "You do remind me, I met a Gryffindor freshman before, she seemed friendly, maybe we could be friends."


    "Yeah? You could try." Felix encouraged casually.


    "As I recall, she was carrying a rooster in her hand." Luna said lightly, "But who doesn''t have some strange fetishes."


    "What did you say?" Felix raised his voice, but he quickly softened his tone again, "Do you know her name?"


    Luna shook her head, two strands of hair fluttering on her forehead, "But she has beautiful hair, like a puff of dancing fire."

 Chapter 72 - 72 Christmas Dinner

    Felix hadn''t expected an unexpected gain.


    Combined with Malfoy''s words, he realized that the diary had not been brought to the school by Malfoy - he was just an unlucky man who had picked it up after the second attack had taken place.


    Now, he can finally confirm the truth.


    Felix nodded and turned to leave when he suddenly heard Luna''s ethereal voice from behind him -


    "Christmas present."


    He turned to look at her, "What?"


    Luna said with a straight face, "I suddenly realized that I haven''t prepared a Christmas present for you, so rushed in my introduction." She unhurriedly rummaged through her coat pocket and, to Felix''s slightly odd gaze, pulled out an odd-looking bracelet.


    She said rather sadly, "I made them myself, I was going to make a pair." She held out her hand and handed it to Felix.


    Felix didn''t know why he reached out and took it, but he did.


    Luna bounced away.


    When Felix returned to his office, with the bracelet still in his hand, he slumped back in his chair and thought very carefully about how he should return the gift.


    It seems that the usual gift is not very appropriate according to her temperament ...


    Finally, he fished out a book from his own collection, "A Selection of World Jokes", which he somehow felt went well with the little witch named Luna. Watching the owl''s distant figure, he refocused his attention upon the new information.


    Gryffindor, flaming hair, first-year freshman, these few traits combined, he almost concluded it had to be a Weasley kid, their family quite famous for their redhead


    Moreover, he even heard his assistant mention a mouthful that the youngest member of the Weasley family - Ron''s sister - enrolled this year.


    So how did this go round and round and linked back to the trio?


    He recalled that he had indeed encountered this little red-haired witch a few times in his early days, in rather sensitive locations - either near Hagrid''s Hut or in the abandoned girls'' lavatory.


    Felix thought about this, which is another direction of an investigation. He was curious to know who had brought the diary, and whether he had any more similar, extra one in stock - the young version of the Dark Lord was cautious, and he was silent about his relationship with Slytherin, which put some of his questions in jeopardy.


    It became dark and Felix made his way to the Great Hall. A short distance away, he saw a colourful, beautifully decorated venue, in addition to those seen in the morning, near the ceiling there were a dozen constantly wandering lanterns, continuously throwing coloured fireworks from what looked like the mouth of the fissure.


    He saw the trio, where Ron waved excitedly at him - Felix guessed it may be due to the gift he gave, but he couldn''t think much about it, Dumbledore waving at him, and he walked over.


    The Headmaster wore something formal and interesting tonight. His long beard was tied up with purple and red ribbons, like the shape of a gourd, "Felix, happy holidays."


    "You too, Headmaster Dumbledore."


    Dumbledore winked and whispered, "I got your gift, it''s lovely, I didn''t get a chance to read that book yet, but I know it''s worth reading just from the name."


    "I''m glad you like it."


    With a "popping" Ferris Bueller fireworks that went through the Great Hall, the party officially began.


    Dumbledore, as the Headmaster, led the crowd in singing a few cheerful Christmas carols, then smilingly announced, "Eat to your heart''s content, fill your bellies."


    Various types of food appeared out of nowhere, including roast turkey, small sausages, meat brats, pork chops, stuffed pork loin pies, peas with butter tripped over them, baked pastries, and more, which were exceptionally plentiful.


    The young wizards huddled together, forks slashing across the table with a trail of shadows.


    Felix also put aside all his worries and ate a lot.


    Hagrid recommended a special Hogwarts custard to him, Felix tasted it, it is sweet and sour, and the alcohol taste is not very strong, he drank a few more glasses.


    On one side, Lockhart shook his head, his wavy curls shaking.


    Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore whispered, from time to time, " giggling " bursts out.


    Finally, everyone had time to chat until they were seven times full, and a "buzzing" sound echoed over the Great Hall. Felix stuck his fork into a piece of grape jelly and stuffed it into his mouth, and then he saw his assistant tiptoeing out of the Great Hall with two young wizards in tow.


    Interesting, were they going to do something again?


    At the other end, Hermione holding two pieces of chocolate cake up, announced her plan, "I''ve put a normal Sleeping Draught in this, you just make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them - they''ll eat it for sure, and when they fall asleep, you pull a few hairs out of both of them and hide them in the broom closet."


    Ron and Harry looked at each other, and they felt that there were all sorts of holes in the plan. Ron asked her, "What about you, Hermione?"


    "I already got mine! Remember the Dueling Club? Millicent wrestled with me and I fought ... back ... Anyway, I got her hair."


    Hermione went away to see the status of the polyjuice potion, leaving Harry and Ron alone to finish the job.


    "Honestly, I don''t think it''s that easy," Ron said with a sad face.


    Harry also did not hold much hope.


    But they could only shrink into the shadows and stare unblinkingly at the door of the Great Hall.


    Halfway through the day, a somewhat bored Harry whispered to Ron, "When are you going to take leave permission from Professor McGonagall?"


    "The sooner, the better," Ron said without thinking, "I can''t wait to have a new wand, Professor Hap is just too sweet!"


    Felix simply and brutally sent him seven gold galleons and a note, which briefly stated, "Noticed your wand is damaged, suggest you buy a new one, otherwise you will not be able to participate in next semester''s dueling class. Also: count it as a reward for your courage."


    Harry received a copy of "Dueling Codex", one of Felix''s reference books for writing dueling class materials.


    Therefore, the two were also aware that Professor Hap had taken over the dueling club from Lockhart, and they had discussed it privately and were looking forward to his classes.


    "I just hope the new dueling class doesn''t have Snape in it," Harry said hopefully.


    The dinner had been going on for over an hour and one by one the young wizards were leaving, Felix was still talking to Professor Filius about the grimoire he got, "That ancient magic is interesting, sort of some combination of a Reducio and an Engorgio."


    Professor Filius said, "It is said these two magic spells evolved from it, I do see some similarities, but it could be a coincidence."


    The two of them fixed a time and prepared to discuss it in detail academically after Felix had studied it for a while.


    In the lively and noisy atmosphere, Felix''s first Christmas dinner at Hogwarts ended.

 Chapter 73 - 73 Persecution

    On Christmas night, the hustle and bustle returned to silence, and the night enveloped Hogwarts Castle like a curtain.


    In the ancient magical text office, Felix habitually opened the diary and talked to the young Dark Lord inside.


    For the past two days, he had been trying to guide him to talk about Salazar Slytherin, but had been tugged away from the subject.


    Tonight, Felix decided to take a different tactic, he needed to carefully lay a trap for the young Dark Lord to step in himself.


    To do this, he re-read a lot of psychological books.


    "Something rather sensational happened today." Felix wrote.


    "What is it?" Diary asked with interest, he had been rather distressed lately with how this shrewd professor would lock him up after every exchange, which had left him completely out of touch with outside information.


    "The attack on the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets has been reported, there is a lot of buzz, and there are proposals to disband Slytherin House and strip Salazar Slytherin of all honour."


    Felix felt like a large spider, carefully weaving a cobweb.


    Immediately a string of long, flying scribbles surfaced on the diary, "Ridiculous statements, simply ridiculous! Who is it? Is it Dumbledore! He has always had a prejudice against wizards from Slytherin."


    Felix hooked the corners of his mouth as he wrote, full of mischief, "Not him, but a woman named Rita Skeeter, who has always been known for making up rumours about famous people."


    The name "Rita Skeeter" flashed on the diary, looking messy and hideous - a name that he seemed to be trying to hold on to.


    Inside the diary, the young Tom Riddle is indeed furious, and he can''t help but wonder, has the current state of the wizarding world reached this level of filth?


    After a long time, the diary followed up: "And then what? The Ministry of Magic will certainly not agree to such an absurd proposal!"


    "Of course not, but this incident has caused widespread discussion at Hogwarts, and quite a few minor wizards have commented on Salazar Slytherin - well, one could say extremely negatively."


    The diary couldn''t help but write, "Salazar Slytherin is the greatest of the Big Four! Yet later generations have only shallowly judged him by his appearance, desperately trying to discredit him!"


    Felix thought of the huge face in the Chamber of Secrets: an old, monkey-like face with a long, sparse beard that trailed almost all the way down to the hem of his robes.


    You know that is a Slytherin statue carved out by himself, do not exclude the possibility of self-glorification.


    He could not imagine what the real Slytherin looked like, especially when he was always surrounded by a variety of snakes spitting long creepy noises.


    Felix said relatively "objectively", "This is very illustrative. You know, people always reject things they don''t understand in their hearts, like the Slytherin parseltongue."


    "I couldn''t agree more, Felix Hap, your opinion is quite insightful." The diary quipped.


    Felix humbly explained, "I''ve read part of the Ravenclaw manuscript, and I can imagine the rippling times just through the mere descriptions." He wrote emotionally, "Four of the most gifted male and female wizards came together to usher in a new era of magic."


    The diary echoed him, "That is indeed a history to remember." His wording regained its calmness.


    But then, Felix deliberately commented, "I just don''t understand why Salazar Slytherin suddenly fell out with the other three, is it really a difference of philosophy? You know at that time, pure-blood ideology are not popular."


    "And he also secretly built the Chamber of Secrets, leaving horrible monsters in it. I think -" Felix wrote verbatim, "he is personally destroying his own heart and soul, which is typical of the dark wizard''s way of doing things."


    Tom the Diary couldn''t resist countering him, "Maybe his chamber wasn''t used to remove muggle wizards."


    "Or else how, Tom? I should remind you that many of the Slytherin researches were bloody and brutal, and it affected his character."


    Tom Riddle continued to refute: "But he also uncovered the fog of truth for those who came after him. Just look at his objects of research, goblins, giants, dwarves, horsemen ... His findings were enough to propel the wizard as a group to supremacy! At a mere, insignificant price."


    "Tom, you''re a crazy admirer of his?" Felix wrote.


    "No, of course not ... merely partially identified, wizards and humanoid creatures are different concepts, aren''t they?" The diary tried its best to sound more objective, "Besides any judgment out of context of that era is hypocritical and silly, the moral standards of wizards in that era were completely different from now."


    "You have a point." Felix wrote, "But it is my understanding that these precious magical resources have not been passed down, and it is unknown whether they are ''great'' or not."


    "That is indeed the ''greatest'' result." Diary, the young Dark Lord, was clearly on top of his game as he tried to convince Felix.


    "How do you know?" Felix gave a winning smile.


    "I''m just guessing. ..."


    "Don''t lie to me, Tom! You know more about Salazar Slytherin than I thought, and you''re being overly defensive about him." Felix began to close the net. "It makes me wonder if you were the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets? Are you the true Slytherin heir!"


    He wrote word by word, with a force that seemed to cut through the paper, "I need an explanation, or I''ll just have to hand you over to Dumbledore."


    In the diary, Tom Riddle felt tense, he hated the feeling of "being seen through".


    After a long silence, a line of text appeared on the diary, "You think so? Do you think I lied to you? I thought - we had a solid friendship."


    Felix wrote calmly, "That''s why I gave you the chance to explain."


    From the perspective of the Dark Lord, as long as he didn''t reveal the truth about the Horcrux, everything is up for discussion.


    The diary replied quickly and scribbled: "Of course it''s not me, I''m a Muggleborn, remember? I have nothing to do with Slytherin."


    Felix remained silent as he did not reply with any text, applying a little pressure.


    Tom Riddle in the diary couldn''t hold it any longer, he wrote again, "But ... I have to admit that I did come across a strange encounter while I was at school, and yes, I got part of the advanced knowledge of magic."


    "It was from Salazar Slytherin?" Felix asked, holding his breath.


    "-I guess so." Diary replied briefly.


    "Tell me, Tom, where did you put it?"


    The diary fell silent, and the young Dark Lord became quite torn. He had a mind to refuse, but this professor is too perceptive, and he got cornered, and if he denied it, he would surely be taken as the murderer who opened the secret room-though he was.


    He hated his powerlessness more and more, and tried desperately to get out of this predicament, which drove the proud man to the verge of madness.


    But soon he replied in a courteous, calm tone, "There''s a rather magical room on the eighth floor of the castle ...."

 Chapter 74 - 74 Liar

    It took about twenty minutes for the diary to tell the story of a "young boy who had a chance encounter".


    While he was at school, he mistakenly entered a room on the eighth floor of the castle. It was a huge storage room filled with the treasures of Hogwarts'' young wizards over the centuries.


    "I inquired about it later, and rumour has it that they call this mysterious Fleeting Room, or the Room of Requirement." The diary wrote, "This is where I got that part of the information - probably hidden away by one of the minor wizards before me."


    Felix hooked the corners of his mouth as he wrote in his diary, "So, you didn''t find the Slytherin Chamber, but another hidden room? You found Slytherin''s research materials from the hidden room - the Room of Requirement?"


    A few words quickly surfaced in the diary, "That''s it."


    Felix tapped his fingers on the table and thought for a moment as he wrote in his diary, "Those research materials are still in the Room of Requirement? You didn''t take them with you?"


    "I thought - it''s a property that belongs to Hogwarts. Before I graduated, I put them in the back of a large cabinet with a blistered surface that looked like it had been splashed with a strong acid. It is easy to find, and I remember there is a foul-smelling five-legged monster inside the cabinet. Next to it, there was also an ugly-looking statue of a male wizard." The diary wrote.


    Felix pursed his lips and did his best not to laugh out loud.


    Interesting, just too interesting.


    The conversation between the two of them is like a complex game, full of lies and misdirection, all depending on who is more clever.


    Before that, Felix did not even hope to get the secret of Slytherin from the mouth of the diary, which is too unrealistic, completely equivalent to the identity of the "heir to the Chamber".


    His purpose today, in fact, is to try and get one or two off-campus research data stashes, which is one of the possibilities he speculated, but the greater possibility is that Tom Riddle has destroyed all the materials - which is the last thing he wants to see.


    Luckily, the diary told him directly about the room on the eighth floor.


    It isn''t in vain that he put so much effort into it.


    But Felix also had a hunch that since the diary chose to tell him, it meant that it isn''t any important information - at least not to the Dark Lord.


    But he still happily replied on the diary saying, "Thanks, Tom, I''ll verify it. If I misunderstood you, I''ll apologize."


    "I hope so." The diary replied calmly.


    Felix wrote with a bit of regret, "People didn''t know how brilliant Slytherin''s research would usher in his era, that''s why he''s always been the evil figure of the dark wizard, Tom, you did the right thing."


    The diary didn''t reply, the soul inside it that belonged to Tom Riddle is about to explode with anger.


    And Felix added, "Slytherin and Gryffindor are simply two extremes, Godric Gryffindor himself has a much more positive assessment, fair, brave, and righteous ..."


    The diary poured down a line of text in a dismissive tone, "That''s just an illusion." He asked a pointed question, "Felix Hap, guess, did Slytherin cause more killings, or did more lives fall under the Gryffindor''s wands and sword?"


    Felix''s expression flinched.


    The diary seemed to anticipate his reaction as a line of deliberately bolded sentences surfaced on the page, and just reading the words on it showed his mocking scowl, "Yeah, yeah, history has never been distorted - Gryffindor is a butcher, and more wizards have died at his hands than the other three founders combined."


    At the end of this conversation, the diary did not hide its malice towards Gryffindor, "Sword in one hand, wand in the other, stepping over corpses everywhere, achieving the name of the best dualist of that era - that''s Godric Gryffindor!"


    ...


    Felix closed his diary, his expression became elusive.


    "Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor." He read the names of the once close friends softly.


    Felix certainly did not think that the diary was telling the whole truth, but neither did he think that he would be full of lies, and from his tone and wording, there was some credibility to it.


    "I need a guide, preferably someone who witnessed that time." A name suddenly came to Felix.


    Ms. Grey.


    The beautiful-looking, yet plainly seemingly very arrogant Ravenclaw House ghost had another name - Helena Ravenclaw.


    She is the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the four founders of Hogwarts.


    Despite being a generation younger, she counts as part of the same era as the four giants of Hogwarts, and she must have known many of the hidden secrets of the early days of Hogwarts'' establishment.


    At the other end, Harry was tossing and turning in his dorm bed.


    Whether it was the news from Malfoy''s mouth, or Hermione mistakenly took the polyjuice with cat hair, he could not sleep.


    The time passed zero o''clock and Harry drifted off to sleep, but he suddenly felt something pressing against his stomach, making him gasp a little.


    He opened his eyes and his vision showed a house-elf with two large bat-like ears and its pair of protruding green eyes as large as tennis balls.


    "Dobby!"


    Harry screeched in a small voice as he glanced around, a few of his other roommates still sleeping soundly and peacefully.


    ...


    The next day, Harry and Ron arrived early to visit Hermione at the school clinic.


    Just last night, they took a polyjuice potion to set Malfoy up - they always suspected that Draco Malfoy is the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets.


    But something went wrong halfway through, Hermione''s metamorphosis object, Millicent has a cat, and she mistook the cat hair for Millicent''s hair and threw it into the potion, resulting in a serious consequence.


    Her face is full of black hair, eyes turned yellow, two long pointed ears from her hair branched out.


    When Harry and Ron walked into the wing, she is begging Madam Pomfrey to add a cloth curtain around her bed.


    "Did you get any clues last night?" She asked, lowering her voice, so Madam Pomfrey couldn''t hear.


    "No," Harry said dejectedly.


    "I would say it was Malfoy for sure." Ron said, "He''s not telling the truth, he snapped at us when we asked him about the Chamber of Secrets, didn''t he, Harry?"


    "What happened?" Hermione asked with interest.


    Ron explained, "We acted like we admired him - it''s hard to realize that, Crabbe and Goyle are usually dull and silly. We asked him if he knew something. But he jumped up at once and warned us to keep our mouths shut, or he''d give us hell. I''m actually curious about that."


    Hermione sighed, the long ears on her head drooped down.


    Harry glanced around and whispered, "I did get something on my end, last night about midnight, that house-elf named Dobby came to see me again ..."


    "Last night?" Ron asked.


    "Yeah, you were asleep." Harry shrugged.


    "Harry," Ron said with a frown of foresight, "I should remind you that house-elves are extremely loyal servants, and their obedience to their masters is almost engraved into their bones. I''ve never seen anything like what you''re talking about, this kind of-"


    He could not think of an appropriate description.


    Harry said: "He is indeed very odd, but I think he respects me, yes, respect. He told me that danger still looming over Hogwarts."


    "And?" Ron got a glimmer of interest.


    "And then he banged his head against the bar .... desperately," Harry said rather breathlessly.

 Chapter 75 - 75 The Next Legend

    Early in the next morning, Felix got the research materials in the Room of Requirement.


    He easily found the "large cabinet with a blistered surface, as if it had been poured with strong acid", as Tom put it. After using the Levitation Charm to move the cabinet away, he found a dusty wooden box hidden in the back.


    He carefully waved his wand, his body flashed with layer after layer of protective magic, and he opened the dusty chest with the Unlocking Charm, and a thick stack of neatly cropped parchment was inside.


    No curses, no black magic, no traps.


    This left the heavily armed and cautious Felix a bit disappointed.


    Except for the strong stench emanating from the half-hidden cabinet, which forced him to put a bubble-head spell on himself, the whole process was easy beyond imagination.


    Back in his office, Felix couldn''t wait to look over the material.


    Frankly, this process is a bit messy, the information contains many anatomical drawings of magical creatures and Slytherin''s own label, when Felix brushed his hand across the surface of the sheet, he seemed to hear this creature'' dying wail.


    It reminded him of his own experience of studying black magic, where his mind seemed to be soaked in foul-smelling black water, invisible arms desperately dragging him downward.


    Felix quickly closed his mind with an Occlumency, and he forced through the discomfort to read over the information on the parchment.


    Almost an hour later -


    "Whew~"


    Felix exhaled a long breath, he felt very complicated at this moment.


    It would be difficult to understand the weight of the name Salazar Slytherin simply from the mere words of the latter. In a way, Felix even some understanding of the sixteen or seventeen-year-old Tom Riddle, why he was so fanatical and reverent of Slytherin.


    It was never because of being a Slytherin''s descendant.


    He looked at the parchments in front of him, they are not only carriers of knowledge - each parchment contains the thought and will of Salazar Slytherin himself when writing the information, it is a calm to cold rationality, in his eyes all kinds of magical creatures are just materials that need to be studied, you can''t feel half compassion for them, and You can''t feel any sympathy or pity for them.


    But it was this absolute calmness that made Slytherin''s research process extremely organized, each line of text, each composition contains the ultimate charm of magic.


    Even under the protection of Occlumency, Felix could not help but be fascinated, and the thought of following Slytherin''s footsteps welled up inside him.


    This is not the influence of magic, but the powerful personal charm of a legendary wizard in the pursuit of magic.


    Felix held back his reluctance to seal the material completely, "That is not my path." He admonished himself.


    There were only three parchments left in front of him, and they were all knowledge that he had picked out as most suitable for him.


    But Felix did not immediately begin to study, he stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the distant landscape of Hogwarts.


    His mind went haywire.


    " Huh! Tom, is this your calculation? Under Extreme disadvantage, you can find the means to fight back." Felix murmured under his breath.


    Many books in the magic world are potentially dangerous, and not everyone is qualified to read them. Like the Forbidden section at Hogwarts, which has numerous dangerous books locked away - not just the knowledge recorded in them, but many of them, which require a terrible price to pay just for reading it.


    And Tom Riddle''s purpose would be obvious, to borrow the Allure of Salazar Slytherin''s own wizarding path to influence and assimilate Felix''s mind.


    I can''t beat you, and I can''t influence you, but I can find a being stronger than me and let his mind transform you.


    The winter sun is warm but not glaring, the snow in the courtyard is white but not shiny, and the cold wind blowing through the tower is chilly but not biting.


    He looked away and said softly, "Salazar Slytherin ..."


    "... In a sense, we are on the same path, both in pursuit of the ultimate magic. But I have my path, and will not jump into your domain just because you have gone further."


    "People all start out weak. Thousands of years ago, were you not as confused about your path as I am today?"


    "Now you are a high mountain that is deep and dangerous in my eyes, a legend that is out of reach, but time is on my side, the future is on my side. One day, I will walk side by side with you until I surpass you."


    Felix had been standing in front of the window, watching the sun rise until the middle of the day, and as its rays spread over every corner of Hogwarts, his heart became firm again.


    This morning, Felix did not think about any magic, but he felt that his understanding of "magic" itself had advanced a great deal, and this "progress" is comprehensive, it could not be reflected in a specific spell, but it allowed him to see through the fog. He knew for a long time that he had been stagnant.


    He knew that the bottleneck of his magic theory, which had been stagnant for a long time, had finally loosened.


    The accumulation of several years in the past had qualified for a qualitative change at this moment.


    Felix waved his wand, and the milky white light centred around him, illuminating the courtyard below, the greenhouse in the distance, the snow on the ground, and the frozen black lake.


    The swaying dead branches mottled, the shadows of the black stones by the lake disappeared at this moment.


    The bearded Dumbledore, holding a piece of Zizi bee candy in his hand, looked up from the Headmaster''s office next to the main castle building, his blue eyes reflecting brightly through half-moon-shaped lenses.


    "It''s remarkable." He said softly, "Right, Fawkes?"


    A palm-sized phoenix, grooming its feathers by itself.


    Inside the Hogwarts school, the life and times of the world played out.


    Giedro Lockhart huffing and puffing in his bed, enjoying the leisure of Christmas break.


    Professor McGonagall, making a cup of coffee and flipping through the students'' reports.


    Professor Filius waving his magic wand and savouring the reading of the Spell Book.


    Professor Sprout, tending to the mischievous mandrake in the warmth of the greenhouse.


    Professor Snape, fiddling with a measuring cup with a disgusted look on his face and an illustrated booklet in his hand.


    Hermione Granger, looking in the mirror and tugging at the cat''s ear on top of her head in distress.


    Luna Lovegood sitting in the Ravenclaw common room, shaking her head and reading a joke book.


    ...


    On the snow, the two young wizards made their way through the snow.


    Harry suddenly felt a white light flash before his eyes, and he looked around but found nothing.


    "Did you notice that?" He said to his companion.


    "What?" Ron looked up and said distractedly.


    "It seems like a light just flashed ..."


    "Where?" Ron looked east and west and found nothing.


    The two continued to trample through the snow in the courtyard and walked in the direction of Professor McGonagall''s office.


    A gust of wind blew up, bringing up a few fallen leaves, and carried their faint voices -


    "Harry, do you think Professor McGonagall will give me permission to leave?"


    "Sure will, you''re doing the serious thing. You''re long due for a new wand."


    And in front of a window in the castle tower, Felix looked calmly and put away his wand, no longer a trace of confusion in his eyes.


    "In the next millennium, I will be a legend."

 Chapter 76 - 76New Magic Wand

    " Bam bam bam!"


    Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and saw Harry and Ron, who were tightly wrapped up.


    She welcomed the two in, and Harry and Ron sat down in the chairs next to the fireplace.


    "Potter, Weasley, what can I do for you?" Professor McGonagall asked.


    Ron pulled a miserable wand out of his robes; it was broken in half down the middle, connected only by a unicorn tail hair between them.


    Ron said, "Professor McGonagall, I would like to ask you for permission to buy a new wand."


    "Oh?" Professor McGonagall lowered her head and looked at the broken ash wood wand, and her hair meticulously combed, "Weasley, you should have got a new wand a long time ago, when I said how you repeatedly had accidents in class."


    Ron lowered his head and didn''t say anything.


    Harry chimed in and said, "Professor, we need to use your fireplace for a trip to Diagon Alley, please."


    Professor McGonagall looked back at them, "That''s certainly not a problem." She waved her wand, and out of the tip jumped a silver cat with the same pattern around its eyes as Professor McGonagall''s glasses.


    "Weasley, come to my office." She said.


    The silver cat leaped out of the window and quickly disappeared from Harry and Ron''s sight.


    Harry was still staring at the window when Ron stammered, "Professor McGonagall, we can go ... ourselves," in response to Professor McGonagall''s stern gaze.


    "Don''t be stupid, I won''t let two young second-year wizards go to Diagon Alley alone." The professor of Transfiguration class said so.


    Ron grimaced bitterly, even though Professor McGonagall hadn''t mentioned the name, he knew with his not very bright brain that it couldn''t be twins she is looking for.


    Harry couldn''t help but gave Ron a sympathetic look, the brothers were now in a frosty relationship.


    "Professor, what was that magic just now?" He said changing the subject.


    "The Patronus charm, Potter, you will have access to this spell when you are in your senior year."


    After waiting quietly for a while, Percy Weasley''s figure appeared in the office.


    He is visibly taken aback at the sight of his brother, "Professor McGonagall, did Ron do something wrong?"


    "No, Percy." Professor McGonagall said, "Ron is going to Diagon Alley to buy a new wand and I need a senior to tag along, and there''s no one better than you."


    The look on Percy''s face grew even more surprised as he looked at Ron and couldn''t help but ask him, "Where did you get the money?"


    "None of your business!" Ron said angrily.


    "I''m your brother! I''m warning you, if you dare to do anything-"


    "Percy!" Harry interjected, "It''s from Professor Hap." He turned his head to Professor McGonagall and said to her vaguely, "For that feat of bravery the other night."


    Professor McGonagall gave a dawning look of realization, but Percy Weasley became even more baffled.


    "Ron Weasley, I''m proud of you. You too, Potter." She said with rare emotion.


    Percy went to ask something else, but Professor McGonagall said, "Go on, come back early."


    So the three stood in the fireplace, and in a flurry of greenish flames, their figures disappeared.


    After half an hour, the three returned. Ron carefully held a fourteen-inch wand in his hand, with a happy expression on his face.


    Percy''s arm rested on his shoulder, and it looked like the two had improved their relationship.


    As they walked out of the office, Ron chattered on about his new wand, "Willow wood wand base, unicorn tail hair wand core, it''s the perfect combination! Harry, look at the shape of its curves ..."


    Back in the common room, Harry got pulled aside by Percy, who whispered, "Harry, can you tell me exactly what you guys did?"


    On the way, Ron couldn''t resist letting slip that he, Harry, and Hermione had jointly received the school''s special contribution award, but when Percy pressed, the two kept their mouths tightly shut.


    Harry said vaguely, "You''ll find out when the new term starts, it will blow your mind."


    On the other hand, Ron couldn''t resist showing off his new wand to the twins, so he was dragged by them to play a dueling game.


    Fred said with a smile, "Ron, you need to get familiar with the new wand as soon as possible."


    "Yes, that''s right. We''d like to be at your service." George patted him on the shoulder.


    Hearing the twins'' offer, Harry instantly had his heart set on a few simple spells he''d seen in the Dueling Codex that Professor Hap had given him for Christmas.


    He eagerly wanted to try out the effect.


    "Let''s go, Ron." He said.


    But Percy wasn''t interested, so Harry, Ron, and the twins walked out of the castle and into a clearing by the Black Lake.


    The four of them took turns being partners and casting spells on each other.


    After getting a new wand, Ron''s spell casting did become much more fluid, but he was still at the bottom of the pack in this game.


    He was knocked down three times in a row.


    Harry, on the other hand, first defeated Ron and then narrowly defeated George, but he tripped over his feet and was held in place by a Petrificus Totalus when he was fighting Fred.


    Ron grinned broadly: "So that''s what it felt like when Hermione cast her spell on Neville in the first year?" He kept poking Harry with his finger.


    When the spell was undone, Harry immediately fought back - he grabbed a big ball of snow from the ground and smashed it on Ron.


    The dueling game was changed to a snowball fight in the middle of the day by force of nature, and they rolled around in the snow as if they were happy.


    After completing a successful sneak attack with his quick dexterity, Harry encountered a siege of the twins, and he ran in a panic for some distance until he saw the figure of Professor Hap.


    It is a rather bizarre image.


    Outside the cold castle, Professor Hap lay in a rocking chair, relaxing and reading a book.


    The rocking chair made a "creaking" sound, swaying back and forth.


    His head is like a ribbon-like free spreading blue flame.


    "Hello, Professor Hap." Harry greeted.


    Felix closed his book and sat up from the rocking chair, with a pleasant expression on his face, "Hello, Potter."


    At this point, Harry noticed that the book Professor Hap had been reading turned out to be "A Selection of World Jokes", which did not look like a book from the wizarding world.


    "Harry--"


    "Don''t run!"


    Ron and the twins caught up with him, and they saw Professor Hap as well.


    "You guys are having a snowball fight?" Felix asked.


    "We''re practicing dueling, and it''s half-time now." Fred said, "Professor, can you guide us? You were so good in the dueling club!"


    "Ah, not today. I''ve decided not to think about anything related to magic today." Felix winked, "But don''t worry guys, I''ll resume dueling classes when school starts."


    "By the way," Felix looked around the room, "how come I don''t see Granger? Isn''t she with you all?"


    "Uh, Professor," Harry stammered, "Hermione, she''s, she''s sick."

 Chapter 77 - 77 Visit

    School Infirmary.


    "Madam Pomfrey, I''ve come to visit Miss Hermione Granger," Felix said.


    "Oh, her." Madam Pomfrey grumbled at him, "Little wizards are so capable of getting into trouble these days, abusing magical potions without a shred of fear ... The way she''s behaving, she''ll be in the hospital for at least three weeks."


    Felix asked with interest, "Can you identify what kind of potion caused this effect?"


    "It should be a polyjuice potion mixed with cat hair, it''s ridiculous, and I don''t know where they found the potion from." Madam Pomfrey said as she poured half a cup of potion from the large bottle, "It startled me when those two little wizards brought her over Christmas night, I almost thought it was irreversible enchanted damage."


    "Polyjuice Po ..." Felix chewed on the word, and after a few seconds he said gently to Madam Pomfrey, "Madam, let me bring her the potion on my way."


    Felix pushed open the door and walked into the ward.


    The room contained seven or eight beds, but only one covered with a white curtain. As Felix approached, the curtain opened from the inside.


    "Madam Pomfrey? You''ve come to deliver the remedy?"


    A furry head poked out, hearing the voice none other than his own assistant.


    Hermione and Felix''s eyes met, and she froze for a moment.


    "Ah!"


    The little witch let out a scream and immediately shrank back, pulling the curtain shut so hard that the whole hospital bed shook violently.


    But just a hurried glance, he had seen his assistant''s current appearance.


    Her face is covered with brown cat fur, which is mixed with her own hair, a few cat whiskers are scattered on either side of her face, her eyes have turned to ginger colour, and on her head, there are two erect pointed ears.


    "Miss Hermione Granger, I heard about your ordeal from Potter and Weasley and came to visit you," Felix said with a stifled smile as he spoke in an undertone.


    He waited quietly for a few seconds, and from the curtain came Hermione''s shaky voice, "Hello, Professor."


    "I brought your potion, and--" said Felix, "If you don''t mind, I can take a look and try to see if I can be of a little help."


    "Professor, are you saying ... you can fix my problem?" Hermione said in an expectant tone as she hid in the curtain.


    Felix mentally still reproduced her look, he tried his best to maintain his cool and said, "All I can say is, I will try, your situation is quite rare."


    Hermione opened the curtain a little, she looked up quickly at him, and then buried her face in her hands.


    Felix placed the potion on a side table and carefully examined the young witch''s appearance at the moment.


    This is truly pretty rare, Polyjuice potions are inherently difficult to brew cuz of ingredients, and even Master Potionists don''t have much stock of it, much less use it lightly - and the chances of something going wrong like this are even lower.


    Hermione caught his probing look, and she asked in a whisper, "Professor, do you have a solution? Madame Pomfrey says that cases like mine are very troublesome and will take at least three weeks to heal."


    "Well, it is a mistake in Polyjuice, isn''t it?" Felix thought seriously, this situation is indeed difficult to solve.


    He extended his wand and gently tapped it on Hermione''s forehead, the tip emitting a ring of golden light.


    The little witch''s face did not change.


    "Well, human transfiguration doesn''t work, it may conflict with the effect of the magic potion ... fascinating, um, I mean, really troublesome. Well, let''s try a few spells to see if the old ones work."


    In Hermione''s eyes, Professor Hap excitedly cast a spell, he also pulled out a parchment, in which the effects of various magic spells were recorded.


    "This does not work!"


    "This is somewhat useful, but it''s not obvious."


    "How about trying this one?"


    Hermione looked at Felix with a dull look on her face, are you doing this to help me? I''ve seen right through you, Professor!


    Finally, a rather out-of-the-ordinary magic spell worked.


    The brown hair on her face quickly shed and disappeared, and her skin became fair and clean again. Hermione felt the change and touched her face, then grabbed a small mirror from under her pillow to examine it closely.


    "Oh, my God." Hermione covered her mouth.


    At the moment, her appearance has been greatly improved, the original face thick, lush brown hair disappeared most of it, but the cat whiskers, a pair of pointed ears on the head still stubbornly remained.


    But this effect alone can make the heartbroken Hermione amazed.


    "Professor, what kind of magic is this?"


    "A kind of minor metamorphosis can fix some small imperfections on the body, of course, it is temporary, the magic effect can last about two hours or so," Felix explained.


    "Is it Body Transfiguration?" Hermione thoughtfully exclaimed, she had planned to learn this spell, but at the moment she couldn''t help but be a little disappointed, because body transfiguration is an extremely dangerous magic.


    That most of the adult wizards won''t even try to do it.


    "You could say that, but it might not work as well as you think - it''s rather limited in what it can fix, and keep in mind that this spell was invented by a vampire, and was originally used to simply cover up their fangs."


    " Vampire?" Hermione asked with interest, her attitude livened up by the fact that a large part of the trouble plaguing her is resolved.


    "Yes, in the Middle Age, vampires are literally hunted by everyone. And to hide in the crowd, they developed this magic. But if you ask me, it''s simply not as effective as Body Transfiguration or Metamorphmagus. Basically, no one uses it now."


    "Professor, I''ve heard that Metamorphmagus can change one''s appearance at will?"


    "Yeah," Felix gave her a look, "so you don''t have to risk taking a Polyjuice potion."


    Hermione lowered her head, and her pointed ears dropped over her head.


    "Professor, I ..."


    "You guys brewed the Polyjuice Potion in private, right? I mean you, Potter, and Weasley."


    Hermione looked up at Professor Hap with a surprised look on her face.


    "Yeah," Felix said absently, playing with his wand, "that''s easy to guess, especially when I associate it with the fact that you once asked me specifically for information on particular potions, and I introduced a total of six types of potent potions, but you were obviously more interested in polyjuice Potion."


    "Polyjuice Potion can change a person''s appearance, and it is indeed possible to unwittingly siphon off information-"


    "So, what I''m trying to figure out is, who is the target of your suspicions?" Felix looked at Hermione.


    "Malfoy," Hermione whispered.. "We suspect him of being the heir to Slytherin."

 Chapter 78 - 78 New Ideas For Learning Magic

    "Well ..."


    Felix had a crackling feeling that Malfoy had opened the chamber? He did open it.


    As far as he knew, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened four times this term.


    The first time was when Harry was confined in Lockhart''s office and heard the eerie sound on the ceiling; the second and third times caused the petrification of Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey respectively; and as for the fourth time, it was the time when Harry saved Justin.


    Malfoy took the diary only after Colin Creevey was attacked. From this point of view, it is not wrong to accuse him.


    But he is not the Heir of Slytherin, the real culprit is at this moment he is suppressed in the box.


    "Granger, I had a more in-depth conversation with Malfoy, and I can confirm that he is not the heir of Slytherin."


    "But, Professor ..." the young witch is somewhat reluctant.


    Felix said, "The location of the Chamber of Secrets has been found, the monsters inside have been cleared, the only thing to worry about is the so-called Slytherin heir, but he can''t make any big ripples."


    " Please also convey this to Potter and Weasley, as a professor, I think you''d better put your mind on your studies."


    However, Hermione sensed something keenly, and she couldn''t help but ask, "Professor, did you find some clues?"


    Felix just said vaguely, "I''ve been keeping an eye on it. So the danger is over for you and the little wizards in the castle, and it''s time for the adventure to end."


    Hermione took the professor''s words to heart as she turned to ask another question, "Professor, what you just said about light body metamorphosis, can I learn it? Of course, I know it will be hard ..."


    "You want to learn this spell?"


    "Yes, Professor," Hermione said with a serious look on her face, "there are just a few days left before the holiday''s end, and I don''t want to miss class."


    If she didn''t know about the existence of the spell, Hermione would have to resign herself to three weeks stay in the school clinic, after all, she couldn''t go to class with a cat face, which would make her die of shame.


    But after seeing Professor Hap''s " light body metamorphosis ", her mind came alive.


    As long as she learned this spell, she could wear thick clothes and a hat to class, and as for the cat whiskers on her face, she could just pull them off - the pain was nothing compared to the heartache of missing two or three weeks of school.


    However, Professor Hap shook his head, "Miss Granger, Light Metamorphosis is not as difficult as Human Transfiguration, but it is not something that a young second-year wizard can master."


    "But, Professor-" Hermione fought hard, "We''ve already learned animal transfiguration, and I mastered it very well, even Professor McGonagall seemed very satisfied."


    "Those are two different concepts, the difficulty of performing transfiguration on a normal animal is completely different from performing it on a wizard. Do you know why?" Felix asked kindly.


    "Is it because of the magic?" Hermione said after thinking about it.


    "Yes, magic can interfere with your spell casting," Felix explained, "and it''s similar with the transfiguration of magical creatures, which is also very difficult."


    "That''s a shame." Hermione sighed lamenting.


    Felix said gently, "Miss Granger, you are already one of the few talented and hard-working young wizards I''ve ever met; magic may seem teleological, but it actually has a strict logic that needs to be climbed step by step, so-"


    He stopped abruptly, his gaze shifting as he drew small circles with his wand in his hand.


    Hermione looked at Felix, she knew it is Professor Hap''s habit when thinking, she could not help but feel a wave of hope rise in her heart.


    Perhaps, the professor can come up with a solution?


    Felix ignored Hermione, he took out a parchment from the ring and quickly wrote his thoughts on it.


    Hermione leaned forward, eyes wide, to see the words.


    Professor Hap wrote down "Light Metamorphosis" in the center of the parchment, and then drew a dozen lines from these words, each line corresponding to a word that she either knew or was unfamiliar with -


    She carefully counted seventeen words and phrases: spellcasting action, incantation, gesture, spell understanding, magic mobilization and moulding skills ... magic theory level, etc.


    After seeing this, Hermione understood somewhat, these are the factors that affect the magic spell to be divided? But what''s the point?


    Felix paused briefly, and then added a few lines of small print below the "spellcasting action" entry: "need to flick, wand flicking skills, see the first and second-year magic spell textbook; need to wield the wand, another perspective diagram;"


    Hermione looked at these contents, more or less similar to what Professor Filius taught in class, the only difference is that Professor Hap mentioned too many influencing factors! There are many she had not even heard of.


    Moreover, he also listed out the necessary theoretical knowledge.


    For example, under the phrase "Levels of Magic Theory", it was written "Pre-Theory: Basics of Transfiguration; Biological Transfiguration; Partial Theory of Human Transfiguration (attached separately)" and a series of other complicated things.


    Each entry was expanded in detail on another piece of parchment.


    He spent almost half an hour completing this process.


    Soon, two sheets of parchment were completely insufficient, and the professor took out a third and fourth ...


    Until Professor Hap put down the quill, in front of her, there are already nine parchments laid out in dense detail.


    Hermione''s face is incredulous, a single spell, the professor wrote something longer than her own published thesis.


    And Felix, still reminiscing about the process just now -


    Simply put, he took all the theoretical knowledge and spell casting skills needed for a spell and broke it down into as many layers as possible, and listed the specific requirements and judgment criteria that needed to be met for each one of them.


    In fact, that is, a total goal, broken down into hundreds of small goals that can be rated.


    Once this step is completed, the rest of the problem is simple. Let the little wizards practice individually until all the small goals are reached. Finally, combine them together. Thus mastering the complete magic in one fell swoop.


    In this process, the young wizards will not encounter any obstacles, they can follow the map, find their own omissions, and then make up for them.


    They can find their own omissions and then make up for them. Like some of the more well-grounded wizards, such as Hermione, she already accomplished part of her goal ahead of schedule.


    Nine pages of parchment, but it reveals all the secrets of this spell.


    Of course, his method is not suitable for the " intuitive " wizard - many times, they do not know how they learned a spell.


    Felix nodded contentedly, except for his own "upgrade experience", counted through the current British wizarding world, and how many people can master a specific magic spell-like a treasure, divided it like a butcher?


    He could not forget the scene when he advanced his spell - after practicing the same spell a thousand times, he finally reached a certain limit, and all the memories of his past practice of this spell came to his mind.


    Every time he waved his wand, every time he mobilized his magic power, every time he tested his power, every time he tested his guesses ...


    These originally insignificant understandings burst out in his mind in an instant, and countless sparks of inspiration like star points shone at the same time, and together they formed a step, pushing his magic spell to a whole new level.


    ...


    Felix looked at Hermione, "Miss Granger, I think that I have found a way." He said gently and calmly.


    If his own assistant could learn light body metamorphosis through this method, then he would have full control over the teaching of the next dueling class.


    Felix couldn''t wait to verify this.

 Chapter 79 - 79 Conversation

    The next day.


    When Harry and Ron came to visit Hermione at the school clinic, they found that instead of the sullenness of the previous days, they found her with a furry face, waving her wand excitedly, and occasionally looking over the parchment on the table.


    "Hermione, what are you doing?"


    "Practicing spell, of course. If nothing else, I might be able to learn them in time before school starts."


    "Why before school starts?" Ron wondered.


    "Because it''ll help me out a bit," Hermione said with narrowed eyes and a grin.


    So, during the half-hour Harry and Ron stayed in the ward, they watched Hermione repeat the same action hundreds of times, stopping occasionally to make notes on a sheet.


    ...


    Felix closed the office door and walked out fully dressed.


    Along the way, he sighed a little.


    After he revealed that he had successfully obtained the research materials and once again resisted the fascination of the diary, Tom the diary had finally shut himself off, and he completely blocked his communication to the outside world.


    No matter how Felix tried, the opposite side seemed to have made up his mind to be at his disposal. Even when he placed a cluster of morbidly white stern fire in front of the diary, he got no feedback.


    "Tom, I don''t believe you''re going to give up on yourself." Felix''s mind whirled with thoughts, and he even thought he was waiting for an opportunity.


    So he sealed the diary more cautiously and even carved another warning magic text on the box.


    Before going out, he set up his purse (the Bound Vine version) at the door in case some unreliable little wizard broke in and took the diary with him.


    "Perhaps it''s time to find a chance to finish your final curtain call, Tom."


    In the corridor of the castle, Felix encounters the Pippi Ghost, who is playing a prank.


    Pippi Ghost holding a tin bucket in his arms, filled with mud, and at the moment he is applying layer after layer of thick mud and water on the armour.


    "Pippi Ghost, have you seen Ms. Gray?" Felix asked him.


    Peeper looked at him and seemed taken aback, then let out a "giggle", "Oh, Professor, I didn''t see ... I don''t care about that snooty woman."


    "I think there''s someone who would know, that disgusting stalker~" he said, floating in mid-air with his mouth open.


    "Be polite, Pippi." Felix said calmly, "Or, would you like to try my spell again."


    "No, Felix Hap! You can''t ..." Pippi Ghost had a scared look on his face as he hurried away through the wall.


    "Clang!"


    The tin bucket in Pippi Ghost''s hand smashed on the ground with a loud clang, and the mud inside splashed in all directions.


    Felix waved his wand, and an invisible barrier kept the soup and water three feet away.


    "Humph, Pippi Ghost, you again! I will definitely file an application to Headmaster Dumbledore to kick you out of the castle ..." a panting, red-faced man rushed from the corridor, waving his fist and venting his anger, hysterically.


    It is Hogwarts Castle Keeper, Filch.


    "Oh, ah ... Professor Hap, have you seen Pippi''s ghost?" The furious Filch did not see the expected arch-enemy, but instead saw the well-dressed Felix.


    "Hello, Filch, the Pippi Ghost just left." Felix waved his wand, and the mud on the ground and on the armour disappeared. "By the way, did you see Lady Grey today?"


    "Is that the Ravenclaw ghost?" Filch huffed, "Let''s see, I think I saw ... a tall ghost, the one that hardly paid any attention to people? I saw that one in the courtyard, not sure if it is her."


    "Thank you, Filch."


    Felix came into the courtyard, scanned the area, and right at the end of the courtyard railing, saw a slender ghost floating in mid-air.


    She noticed Felix watching her and raised her eyebrows in surprise before turning and floating away through the wall.


    "Wait, Ms. Gray!"


    Felix crossed the railing and chased her through to a secluded corridor.


    She finally stopped, hovering a few inches above the ground. She looked beautiful, with waist-length hair and a silver robe that trailed to the floor. But at the same time, she held her head high, looking arrogant and uncaring.


    He had bumped into this ghost a few times when he was at school, but not once had he spoken to her. If he hadn''t stumbled upon a private conversation between Bloody Baron and her, he wouldn''t even have realized that this Ravenclaw ghost, who had such a low presence, had such a big background.


    " Ms. Gray, I''m Felix Hap."


    She nodded, not speaking. There is no hint of enthusiasm in her eyes.


    "I''d like to know about the founding days of the school, the story of the four founders, there are too many ambiguities in the existing records."


    "I''m sorry," she said, turning to leave, "I can''t help you."


    "Wait, ma''am-" Felix called out as he watched her drift further and further away, "I know you''re Rowena Ravenclaw''s daughter."


    She stopped and turned to look at him. "You are aware of my origins? You came here specifically for me?"


    "Yes, I-"


    "Heh, another one!" She hovered in mid-air, her lips twisting into a sneer.


    "Another what?" Felix trailed off, but he quickly realized that he shouldn''t be the first person to ask her about the hidden secrets of Hogwarts.


    "Another ambitious one!" She said rather sharply, "Every ten years or so I come across one, asking and tricking me in every possible way ..."


    "You mean Voldemort?" Felix asked.


    She suddenly stopped talking and had a surprised expression on her face. Then she felt offended and floated upward two or three feet to look at him condescendingly.


    "Yeah, I guessed it, the Ravenclaw crown. Voldemort has always coveted the relics of the Four, but I don''t care about that, I''m more interested in knowing-"


    Felix''s words were interrupted as the ghost stated with anger and stuttering, "The crown of Ravenclaw brings wisdom, and you do not understand its power! Countless people dream of it!"


    "-Gryffindor and Slytherin''s past." Felix also finished the sentence just now at the same time.


    The two people''s words intertwined, and a faint echo came from the empty corridor - "Do not understand its power!" "Gryffindor" "Slytherin''s past~"


    Ms. Grey froze, "You want to know about that?"


    "Of course."


    "Ah, well," she floated in mid-air, seeming a bit overwhelmed, "Gryffindor ... Slytherin ... you want to know Something about them!?"


    She asked at last, somewhat stiffly.

 Chapter 80 - 80 Thousand Years Past

    "A lot of them." Felix said, "A fair number of books I''ve read mentioned the four founders, but they were either ambiguous, contradictory, or left with only a few words with absolutely no reference value."


    He gives an example, "For example, Salazar Slytherin, many people fear him and dread him, calling him a dark wizard ... but what is the truth of the matter?"


    "The truth?" Lady Grey asked rhetorically, "What truth do you want?"


    "The truth as you see it, of course," Felix said as he looked at her.


    The ghost seemed to fall into memory, she thought for a long time, and commented slightly solemnly: "Salazar Slytherin is a very good wizard, he and his wife are very affectionate ..."


    Felix: "????"


    This was obviously not what he wanted to know, but after all, it is a good start, so he went along with her, "There is indeed very little information about his wife, however, there are many references to Slytherin being ugly and looking like a monkey."


    The lady gave him a slightly condescending look, "That''s a side effect of his magic research. Slytherin''s original appearance was extremely outstanding, but as he delved deeper and deeper into those ... terrifying realms, his appearance became more and more intimidating."


    Felix''s thoughts dawned, so it was, and he had the pleasure of solving a thousand-year-old mystery.


    And Ms. Gray continued to recall: "He was always surrounded by snakes, always cloaked in black or dark green robes, a lingering smell of blood, and his eyes became, scarier and scarier."


    Felix speculated that Slytherin might have transplanted some magical creature''s bloodline.


    "- His personality became more and more eccentric, and his disagreements with the others became more and more ... erupted into more than one quarrel, and even his best friend Gryffindor could not tolerate him. But I must make it clear there was no fight that broke out between them, he just left quietly, one quiet morning, taking everything he had with him."


    "And he also left the Chamber of Secrets behind." Felix reminded her.


    "Probably, but I''ve heard something about that, Slytherin is not afraid of teaching all kinds of brutal black magic, but the other three strongly opposed this, so there were rumours that he quietly took his good students and taught these kinds of horrors in secluded places."


    So the Chamber of Secrets was originally used for teaching? Felix thought to himself, unlocking another mystery. However, according to his speculation, later as the conflict intensified, Slytherin may have transferred some of his special gory research to the Chamber of Secrets as well.


    Speaking of which, Felix had secretly visited the Chamber of Secrets, using Harry''s parseltongue pronunciation scrolls, and examined it carefully, but found nothing but the pit where the Basilisk usually rests.


    Ms. Grey concluded: "But at least during that time at Hogwarts, he still fulfilled his original promise to guard the entire school with his life against all kinds of attacks. Unlike the last few centuries, Slytherin House has completely changed ..."


    "What do you mean by attacks?" Felix caught the point.


    She floated around lightly, seemingly contemptuous of Felix''s ignorance, but with a bit of instructional excitement, she asked rhetorically, "You honestly thought that Hogwarts was built in peace, didn''t you?"


    Felix did not react, he just made a "continue" gesture.


    Ms. Grey said, "By today''s standards, the majority of wizards at the time were dark wizards. They used a mentor-apprentice system, with one older one leading three or five younger ones, who travelled from village to village, finding newcomers with potential and bringing them along to train and serve as their own lackeys."


    "And with the founding of Hogwarts, especially after the four founders covered the British Isles with the magic of The Quill of Acceptance and The Book of Admittance, these wizards were dealt a fatal blow - they were lost their source of servants permanently and completely."


    "The Quill of Acceptance and The Book of Admittance ..." Felix chewed on these two words, he had heard rumours of these two magical creations.


    It was said that the name of every young wizard who enrolled in the school could be found in The Book of Admittance.


    When a child first revealed a magical talent, the Quill of Acceptance would attempt to write down their name; but the Book of Admittance had somewhat harsher standards - only when these children had fully demonstrated proof that they possessed magical powers would their names be included in the Book of Admittance.


    The sensitivity of the Quill of Acceptance, paired with the strictness of the Book of Admittance, has allowed them to select eligible students for Hogwarts, and no mistakes have been made in a thousand years.


    "The establishment of a new order is bound to be accompanied by a counterattack from the old one," Felix said with a sigh, he now understood almost where Tom''s vicious comments about Gryffindor in the diary had come from.


    The story from a thousand years ago continued -


    "Some wizards recognized the efforts of the four founders, and they took it upon themselves to send their children to Hogwarts; but others - those extraordinarily paranoid dark wizards, who hid in the shadows, while they were away, or on holiday, sneaked up on the professors and students of Hogwarts time after time, and dropped their bodies in front of Hogwarts castle." She winced.


    "This naturally drew a counterattack from Hogwarts, with Gryffindor being the most aggressive, carrying his sword and wand and defeating one dark wizard after another who was extremely famous at the time. He even publicly declared that he was willing to accept challenges from anyone, whether it be in the Muggle way or the wizard way."


    Felix listened with amazement, how could the record on the piece of paper depict that dramatic history?


    "What about the other three?"


    "They were doing the same thing, only Gryffindor had the most fame. When some years went by and some students graduated successfully, they spread their footprints in all directions, spreading the prestige of Hogwarts to the whole world, and not many people dared to come and provoke them."


    Ms. Gray finished the whole story with pride and reminiscence.


    Felix also benefited greatly, and he expressed his gratitude sincerely: "Thank you, Ms. Helena Ravenclaw."


    "Don''t! Call me! By this! NAME!" The ghost in front of him suddenly said agitatedly, and her transparent cheeks seemed less transparent, and without waiting for him to say anything, she disappeared through the wall.


    Felix: "..."


    At the same time, a low, husky voice suddenly appeared, and he said, "Do not mention that name, it is forbidden to her."


    Felix turned around, and before him stood a withered, very pale ghost, this one wearing an ancient wizard''s robe covered in silvery blood and a huge pair of shackles.


    "It''s been a long time, Baron."

 Chapter 81 - 81 Returning From Holiday

    Bloody Baron is the ghost of Slytherin, at the same time, the young wizards of the house have a respectful attitude towards him.


    His appearance is terrifying, and Pippi''s ghost is most afraid of him.


    "Long time no see, Baron." Felix greeted.


    Bloody Baron floated fixedly in place, stared with dull eyes, and his gaze stayed on the direction Ms. Gray left.


    It took a few moments before he said in a hoarse voice, "Hello, Hap."


    Felix looked at him, during a night out at school, he had accidentally stumbled into a conversation between Bloody Baron and Ms. Gray, and he was begging for her forgiveness, while Ms. Gray cursed him to never be redeemed.


    It was also on that night that he learned the identity of Helena Ravenclaw. He also roughly sorted out the entanglement between the two; Helena had taken the Ravenclaw crown and dared not go home. And as her admirer, Bloody Baron was entrusted by Rowena Ravenclaw to bring her daughter back.


    There was a heated argument between the two, and the end result was that Bloody Baron killed Helena by mistake, and in remorse, he too killed himself with the weapon that killed Helena.


    "Baron, what do you mean when you say that names is forbidden to her?" Felix asked.


    Bloody Baron didn''t answer, he just said dryly, "Finding out that you''re not trapped in black magic, you are better than me at this point."


    Felix''s face turned serious as he whispered, "You''re the one who reminded me."


    "You could have broken free on your own without me. I saw what you recorded on the sheet ..."


    "Oh," Felix thought of the happy part too, "that was a psychological measurement form from the muggle world, a backhand I prepared in advance to prevent myself from falling deeper and deeper ... but I still have to say, without you, I might have to delay the realization of the seriousness of the problem for a month or two."


    The erosion of the mind by black magic is insidious, and the data on the measurement table is always lagging behind. By the time the abnormality was discovered, the danger might have already been incurred by then.


    Bloody Baron floated away in silence.


    Felix''s gaze stared blankly at his bony back, and finally shook his head, the matter between the two ghosts, he could not participate, and can not mediate - the ghost''s heart knot is not so easy to untie.


    The ghosts are the product of a reluctant heart at the time of death, with a strong obsession to stay in reality, obsession is the basis of their existence, and that is why their perception is forever stopped at the time they were alive.


    This is somewhat similar to the portrait in the Headmaster''s office, but ghosts can eventually do change.


    Only once changed, the result is not necessarily good.


    According to Felix speculation, if Hogwarts publicly dismissed Professor Binns, he might disappear on the spot - because Professor Binns'' obsession is teaching.


    But given the dilemma of whether such an approach would be humane and how to find another old schoolteacher to take his place, the suggestion was never made.


    He returned to his office, opened the three pieces of manuscript selected from the Slytherin material, and studied them carefully. This material was also very characteristic of Slytherin himself - he proposed speculation whether the unique characteristics of a magical creature could be converted into a wizard''s spell.


    This kind of thinking has been around for ages, such as chameleons and phantom spell, invisible beasts, and invisibility spell, but in fact, they have little to do with each other, and the development of magical spells has a great deal of randomness.


    It is only in retrospect that later generations look back and realize that some of the wizard''s spells and the magical creatures'' own natural talents have a great similarities.


    And Slytherin tried to find a way to stably convert the natural talents of foreign magical creatures into wizard magic spells, though apparently he later abandoned this line of thought.


    Slytherin chose to give up, so young Tom did not pay attention to this, from the fact that he hid this part of the material in the Room of Requirement and used it to pit people.


    But Felix is very interested in this, he will keep this scraped Research in mind, perhaps at some point in the future, he would use them.


    In the next few days, Felix flipped through the book, watched the film, a very leisurely and comfortable life. When there is nothing else to do, check the progress of his assistant''s study, and give appropriate advice, the time passed in this manner.


    Finally, the Christmas holidays were over and the new Hogwarts term began.


    That evening, the Hogwarts train sent the students back, everyone gathered in the Great Hall, the school burst into life.


    After the Christmas break, they seemed to forget about the attack that happened last semester and gleefully shared their experiences with each other.


    "Mom took me abroad to visit my family, and I never thought I''d have a cousin who goes to Ilvermorny!" A young wizard spoke gleefully as the people next to him asked for specifics.


    "What''s Ilvermorny?"


    "A school of wizardry, similar to Hogwarts, but in America."


    "Really? I thought there is only one wizarding school in the whole world!" A young wizard said with a sigh.


    On the Gryffindor table, Hermione dressed in a large thick dress, with a knitted hat on her head and a huge mask covering her face.


    "Hermione, what''s wrong with you?" Hannah Abbott, who is in the same class as her, asked suspiciously.


    " I have flu, cough!" Hermione said briefly.


    "But I noticed that the colour of your eyes has changed too ..." The young witch looked at her carefully.


    "Er ... it might be the magic," Hermione sheepishly changed the subject, "Hannah, how did you spend your holiday?"


    Hannah indeed got diverted away, she shrugged, "stay at home, ah, except for the security point, simply bored to death. Do you think the attack will happen again? I''ve read a lot in the last few days ..."


    "Don''t worry, Hannah. There won''t be an attack anymore." Hermione said very confidently.


    "How do you know?"


    "Ahem, you''ll know in a while," Hermione said, and on the other side, Harry tugged on her sleeve.


    He whispered inquiringly, "Hermione, is that spell of yours not finished yet? Honestly, you''re a bit weird in that costume."


    She sighed bitterly, "No - I can barely use it, but it works pretty badly, and there''s still a light layer of hair on my face. At least in another day or two, Professor Hap said I''m getting there pretty soon."


    Ron tapped his fork against his empty goblet, "But how are you going to eat afterward?"


    "Not a bite!" Hermione said angrily.


    " Dang!" At the teachers'' table, Dumbledore knocked a glass in front of him.


    The Great Hall gradually quieted down.


    Dumbledore turned and said with a beaming face, "Welcome back, little wizards."

 Chapter 82 - 82 Honour

    "Before you can enjoy the culinary delights, you have to listen to the chatter of this old man." Dumbledore cleared his throat.


    "First of all, it''s good to see you all back lively around the school, happily sharing your experiences with your peers. But it must be mentioned that we have just had a tough time during the last term ..."


    The young wizards stared at Dumbledore''s face, trying to see what he had to say.


    "... There were two attacks, and a little wizard is still in a clinic bed, right now, in the special ward." Dumbledore paused and suddenly raised the tone of his voice, "But thanks to the efforts of few people, who found out what happened with their own efforts, and also very bravely, tackled the monster in the chamber of secrets."


    "Yeah, we shouldn''t forget their names - Harry Potter! Ron Weasley! And, Hermione Granger!"


    Everyone''s blazing eyes turned towards Gryffindor''s table as they looked at the trio incredulously.


    "You''re kidding right!" One of the twins shouted, his voice echoing through the Great Hall and bringing the solemn atmosphere to life.


    Dumbledore laughed, and he said amiably, "Of course not, Weasley. But speaking of jokes, I''m reminded of a very funny troll and dwarf joke -"


    "Ahem!" Professor McGonagall next to him coughed heavily.


    "Ah~ Well, let''s get back to the point. They have received unanimous praise from several professors for their courage, and for that, I''m going to award them each two hundred points!" Dumbledore said.


    Snape couldn''t help but grunt.


    The Gryffindor House table already boiled over as they applauded violently, the Weasley twins rushed over to hug Harry and Ron, and Percy exclaimed from one corner, "That''s my brother! My brother! And they also share the school''s special contribution trophy!"


    Hermione looked at a dumbfounded Hannah Abbott and said cheerfully, "See, I told you there wouldn''t be any danger, right?"


    There was a lot of noise in the Great Hall for a few minutes before the noise died down.


    However, half of the eyes were still on Harry and Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table, clacking his plate with a silver fork.


    Potter! It''s Potter again, everything is Potter!


    I also contributed to the ... he looked at Harry indignantly.


    "Headmaster Dumbledore," a seventh-year Gryffindor student stood up, "can you be specific? Did Salazar Slytherin really put a monster in the Chamber of Secrets to purge all those he deemed unworthy of learning magic?"


    The accusation of these words was extremely clear, and the eyes of the wizards at the Slytherin table glared at him in unison, eager to inflict a vicious spell on him. However, the expressions of the young wizards from the other three houses looking towards the Slytherin House became quiet and complicated.


    "I don''t think so, Mr. Xavier." Dumbledore''s expression looked very serious as he glanced at the young wizards present to calm the commotion before saying calmly, "The monster in the chamber, the Basilisk, has been around for a thousand years, but there have only been two recorded attacks this year and one fifty years ago. "


    "Before that, it had been quietly dormant for nearly a thousand years. It is reasonable to assume that it was not Salazar Slytherin''s intention to launch an attack."


    Dumbledore quickly leaped ahead: "I will place the Basilisk in the yard of the school castle tomorrow, and some journalists will also be invited in to the school at that time. Please also regulate your words and actions, you can observe, but do not try to touch it, the professors will also cast special magic on it."


    "Now, let''s enjoy the meal."


    Dumbledore sat back in his chair, he waved his wand, and various foods began to appear on the table.


    However, the young wizards'' minds were not here, Dumbledore''s speech was so informative that they were all "buzzing" about everything from the good and bad aspects of Salazar Slytherin himself, to the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, to discussing how the trio had defeated it.


    " How did Basilisk look like?" A young Gryffindor wizard asked Harry.


    "Uh, a giant snake that has eyes that can kill people."


    "Cool! How big is it, is it bigger than the one Professor Lockhart conjured up that time in Dueling Club?"


    Ron interjected with his mouth full and slurred, "Hey man, it''s a lot bigger than that."


    The young wizard looked at Ron sceptically, "You actually helped with that?"


    " Dion, I played a much more important role than you can imagine!" Despite the fact that Ron''s mouth is stuffed to the point of explosion, he still can''t help but justify himself.


    On the other side, Hermione Granger sat quietly and did not say anything.


    "Hermione, aren''t you hungry?" Hannah Abbott looked at the little witch with the mask and asked her curiously.


    "... not hungry," Hermione said stiffly, but she quickly pulled out two sheets of parchment from her pocket and wrapped the beef pie on the plate in front of her.


    Hannah Abbott stared at her blankly, the fork in her hand stopped in mid-air.


    The student table was buzzing, and the faculty table was not quiet either, as some uninformed professors poked around for specifics.


    Felix finished dealing with Lockhart, who kept asking questions and went past Professor Filius to inquire about Dumbledore.


    "Headmaster, about the pressure from some pure-blood families ..."


    " Do you mean this!" Dumbledore put down his knife and fork and said with great interest, "I have been in contact within the last few days with most of the board members, and they agreed that it would be better for me to sit in this position."


    "What about the Malfoy?"


    "Lucius ... unfortunately, he is now facing no less trouble as the other school board members are unhappy with his previous threats and want to kick him out of the board. I heard that he has now approached Fudge."


    "That Minister of Magic?"


    "Yes, and if nothing else, you will see him tomorrow," Dumbledore said sagely.


    Felix nodded knowingly.


    The dinner was soon over, and the young Gryffindor wizards flocked the trio at the common room, eager to ask exactly what had happened.


    This was something Ron excelled at, and he began to describe it in graphic detail.


    As far as Harry could see, except for the parts that he was asked to keep secret - like the existence of the professor, like the Gryffindor sword - the rest of the story was exaggerated to the extreme by Ron.


    Hermione quietly returned to the dormitory, sneakily finished two pies, and returned satisfied.


    "... So that''s why I was punished with confinement before, I actually didn''t expect Lockhart to fall with a nudge," Ron said with a spiteful and regretful face.


    Hermione hid in the crowd, just in time to hear a small wizard asked Ron: "So, there is no need for you to be confined?"


    Ron opened his mouth, like a deflated ball, became sad all of a sudden.


    It was true that he had won honour for the House, but he couldn''t escape the punishment of attacking an innocent professor.


    In fact, Professor McGonagall has told him the details of the confinement and the time, in a circle, he had the misfortune to fall into the hands of Lockhart.


    He had heard Harry describe the details of the confinement - writing replies to Lockhart''s fans - as seemingly easy, but the length of the tasks, four hours each session, is enough to make one wonder about life.

 Chapter 83 - 83 Professor Snake

    On the first class of the new semester, Felix sensed the restlessness within the young wizards, who were waiting for class to end to see the Basilisk in the yard.


    He cleared his throat, and after attracting the attention of the young wizards, he gently waved his wand, "Serpensortia." With a cloud of black air, a small snake surrounded by dark marks landed on the desk.


    It made a "hissing" sound, and its slender body kept wriggling.


    The young wizards raised their heads and stretched their necks to get a better look.


    Felix''s wand ran along with its scales, and the black-spotted snake''s appearance immediately underwent a radical change - its smooth scales became thick and solid, giving it a metallic feel; its colour also became green and glowing, with the characteristic brightness of a poisonous snake.


    Even its body swelled up quite a bit, and it raised its smooth snake head, with a pair of yellow eyes that looked icy and hideous.


    "Professor, is this the ... Basilisk?" A student asked.


    "That''s right."


    "So, it was this little guy that Potter and the rest defeated?"


    The young wizard on the stage said with some disappointment this is too small, almost just three or four feet.


    Especially when the little basilisk shrunk on the podium, it looked even more inconspicuous.


    Many of the young wizards suddenly had the illusion in their hearts: I can do this too.


    But the Basilisk''s appearance is very scary, especially the pair of yellow eyes, looking really penetrating.


    Felix did not deny their stance and continued to explain: "The biggest threat of the Basilisk is its eyes, they are extremely lethal. In other words, by the time you see it, you may have lost the power to fight back forever."


    The murmur from the stage lessened.


    "And--"


    He waved his wand and the small Basilisk that had been cowering on the podium sprang up from the table, startling the small wizards in the front row, whose bodies leaned back in unison.


    And when it crossed an arc in mid-air and landed right in the middle of the classroom, the little snake''s body suddenly expanded rapidly.


    It enlarged more than a dozen times in an instant and filled up half of the classroom without waiting for them to react.


    "Ahhhhh!" Many little wizards let out screams and scrambled to avoid the huge Basilisk pressing them down, but soon they realized that the body of the Basilisk had turned from solid to black mist-like.


    A small wizard sitting on the ground gathered the courage to reach out and touch it, and his hand went straight through the black fog. He looked up and saw a number of people with half their bodies peeking into the black mist, and at the moment they were moving out of the room in fear.


    Felix said, full of mischief: "Well, this is the original size of the Basilisk."


    After a while, the young wizards calmed down after realizing that the thing didn''t hurt them in any way.


    A few of them got up from the ground in embarrassment, and one of them, a young witch named Campbell Jean King, stirred her wand around the black mist-like snake, reshaping the scales near her into a black mist.


    Many of the young witches curiously imitated the process, and in the process, the black mist-like snake kept swimming and twisting its body in the tiny classroom, its huge snake body passing through desks, chairs, books, boys, and girls.


    But most of the young wizards weren''t afraid at this point, and they were excited enough to poke it with their wands, with sparks of various colours flashing from time to time in the murky black mist.


    After a few minutes, the Basilisk shrunk back to three to four feet, and its body changed from a black mist to a greenish solid.


    "Professor, this is the real appearance of the Basilisk in the chamber?" A young wizard asked in a tone of awe.


    "You can interpret it that way." Felix conjured up a chair and sat on it, "Since you are curious about the Basilisk, let it give you a lecture today."


    The young wizards looked unsurely and looked at each other, however, just then, from the Basilisk''s mouth came a voice very similar to Professor Hap''s.


    "Now open the book at page 79, and we will study a selection of manuscripts translated from 1842 by Carlisle Matthew, an expert in ancient magical texts, a manuscript from approximately seven hundred years ago."


    Many of the young wizards were startled, but with their previous experience, they were not so embarrassed that they fell out of their seats again, but stared with wide eyes, staring dead at the small Basilisk in front of the podium, with its upper body held high.


    They blinked in confusion and looked toward Professor Hap, who is sitting peacefully in the corner of the podium, with countless complicated thoughts rushing through their minds.


    And the small Basilisk opened its maw, revealing thin, dagger-like teeth, "Yes, it''s me, your ancient Magic Professor. So, what are you waiting for?" The Basilisk suddenly approached the young witch in the front row, scaring her so much that she dropped her quill.


    "Campbell, tell me, what did I just say?"


    "Teach..., professor, you just talked about the magic word EOH, for yew tree, symbolizing death and regeneration, which can also mean continuity and sustainment." The young witch named Campbell Jean King stood up and stammered.


    "Good point, Ravenclaw plus ten points." The Basilisk spat.


    Campbell sat down with a long sigh of relief and patted herself on the chest.


    "So, why don''t you guys write it down?"


    The rest of the young wizards began to scribble away.


    For the rest of the lesson, the young wizards gradually accepted this somewhat bizarre "snake professor," who wandered up and down the aisles on both sides, occasionally coming up to the inattentive young wizards and saying loudly with a pair of yellow eyes, "Don''t look at me, read the book! "


    And Professor Hap, sitting in the corner, had a smiling expression on his face from the beginning to the end, and he appeared to be in a very happy mood.


    Near the end of the class, Felix stood up, waved his wand, and turned their snake professor back into a black mist amidst the fond expressions of the young wizards.


    "Today''s assignment, which is to review the contents of this particular manuscript, consists of a single parchment and must use knowledge learned in the third or fourth year."


    As soon as the bell rang, the hallway resounded with the sound of footsteps and noise - the young wizards were already eager to rush out and head straight for the yard. In the fifth-year Ancient Magic classroom, the young wizards gathered their things in a trance and walked slowly out of the classroom.


    "Hey! Campbell, come on, let''s go together and see the Basilisk!" Her friend called her, saying gleefully, "I''ve been looking forward to this during my last Transfiguration class."


    Campbell said with a blank face, "You go ahead."


    "What about you?"


    "I''ve suddenly lost interest in Basilisk," Campbell said.


    The young wizards who walked out of the Ancient Magic classroom with her nodded in agreement; not only had they spent a period with Basilisk, but they had also been lectured about Ancient Magic by it.


    ...


    In the yard, there were already many little wizards gathered around, and they were huddled together under shadows.


    In the middle of the little wizards, is a full forty feet long huge Basilisk, its body is as thick as the trunk of an oak tree, a scale as big as a palm, looks very rough, glowing cold green.

 Chapter 84 - 84 Cornelius OswaldFudge

    And on the Basilisk''s flattened snake head, a large hole ran through its head to its upper jaw, and both eyes were left with only two blackened, empty hollows.


    From time to time, a few exclamations accompanied by fear were heard from the crowd.


    These wizards ranged from first or second grade for the younger ones to sixth or seventh grade for the older ones, but they still couldn''t help but gulp while facing the dead Basilisk.


    One of the young wizards asked what everyone wanted: "Is this behemoth what Potter and the rest fought? How did they do it?"


    No one answered his question.


    One Slytherin student couldn''t resist trying to get closer, he reached out his hand, but an invisible barrier bounced him away.


    " You know what Dumbledore said, Flint." A shrill voice appeared, and the crowd moved aside to make way for Professor Filius.


    He looked short, but the young wizards at Hogwarts respected him because he always lectured with passion and would treat the young wizards of all four houses equally.


    He came to the front and walked around the Basilisk, "What a rare magic creature, I think Hagrid would have liked it."


    ...


    Felix thought about it at the end of the lesson and decided to go to the yard.


    Dumbledore had said last night at the dinner that the Minister of Magic, Cornelius OswaldFudge, would be here today, and he intended to get a closer look at this man.


    Rumour had it that he is Dumbledore''s echoing dog and has absolutely no opinion of his own. But Felix didn''t think so; a man who is playing politics can be more unprincipled than the best licker when he is vulnerable.


    He walked down the stairs and prepared to cross the Great Hall.


    Just then, from the distance, there came a clamour, and seven or eight figures approached from afar.


    "Minister Fudge, this way, please." Professor McGonagall walked in front.


    Behind her came a stout, small, middle-aged man, short, chubby, and solid-looking, with a scraggly head of grey hair and an anxious scowl on his face.


    His clothes were a strange mishmash: pinstriped suit, bright red tie, long black cloak, and purple pointed boots. He also had a dark green bowler hat under his arm.


    Felix recognized him at once as Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister of Magic. Following him closely is a tall man, in an Auror outfit, who looks like Fudge''s subordinate.


    After this is a middle-aged man with platinum blonde hair, his whole body is tightly wrapped in a long black travel cloak, his face carries a cold, rejecting expression of indifference, and his hand carries a wand that looks very much like a cane.


    Felix looked at his trademark hair colour and had a few guesses in his mind, perhaps it is that rather famous pureblood family - Malfoy?


    After Malfoy came a woman, with whom Felix happened to mingle, Rita Skeeter. Her face heavily coated with makeup, she''s energetically instructing her two assistants, "Seize the moment, the moment! Got it? Take lots of pictures."


    Two young men with enchanted cameras coyly agreed.


    Felix could not help but smile, it seems that this newspaper celebrity has a good psychological quality.


    Rita Skeeter carried a satchel in her hand, and as she walked through the Great Hall, her eyes began to look around cautiously for something.


    Her pupils suddenly tightened, and her steps became hesitant and indecisive as she met Felix''s gaze.


    Behind her is a slow walking in the last place is Dumbledore, his size is the tallest among the crowd, at the moment, his blue eyes watching all this.


    Professor McGonagall saw Felix in front of her, she paused, "Oh, Felix. Let me introduce you, this is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic." She then grunted softly and reluctantly, "These two are Lucius Malfoy and Rita Skeeter."


    Fudge showed enough enthusiasm as he walked up briskly and held out his hands, "Felix Hap, I''ve really heard a lot about you, I''ve heard your name mentioned more than once by the French Minister of Magic."


    Felix drew his hand back without a trace, "Just writing a few books." He stared into Fudge''s eyes the entire time, and in those eyes, he didn''t see much enthusiasm present.


    He looked again at Rita Skeeter and whispered, " It''s Rita."


    The woman with the exaggerated curls greeted awkwardly, "Hello, Mr. Hap." She wondered if she should pretend she didn''t know him if she would get into any trouble if she revealed the man''s hidden face.


    But if Felix saw correctly, this instant, Fudge and Malfoy''s eyes changed at the same time.


    What a keen ... should I say worthy of a figure in the world of prestige?


    Felix nodded at Malfoy, and the two did not cross paths.


    But Lucius Malfoy looked at him quietly for two seconds with his grey eyes, and then tugged out a reserved smile as he extended his right hand: "Hello, Mr. Hap."


    Felix, surprised in his heart, similarly extended his hand, "Hello, Mr. Malfoy."


    After a short exchange of pleasantries, Professor McGonagall continued to lead the way, Felix has quietly followed the pace to the end of the line and walked alongside Dumbledore.


    The two men adorned the group from afar, whispering to each other.


    "Felix, it''s not right to abuse the Legilimency." Dumbledore winked, "That will take a lot of the fun out of it and make you more likely to get bored with the world."


    "Is that your experience?"


    "Anyone has to be young at some point." Dumbledore did not answer directly, but Felix has heard the underlying meaning - young people are always prone to make mistakes.


    So he said, "I''m young now, Headmaster Dumbledore. Besides, I only slightly perceived his true emotions, it helps to understand each other better, doesn''t it?"


    Dumbledore did not insist on the topic, he asked with interest, "What did you perceive?"


    "Could it be that you are interested in what the Minister of Magic is thinking?" Felix asked rhetorically.


    "No, Felix, I don''t need to use Legilimency to see through him, it is perhaps the only thing I mastered without active learning after living for a hundred years."


    Felix is somewhat surprised, Dumbledore should not talk to him about these, right? When did their relationship become so close?


    The two of them remained silent for the next few minutes.


    When they walked to the yard, Professor McGonagall had led Fudge and the others to stand in front of the Basilisk, Felix and Dumbledore did not push forward either, and stood on the periphery of the crowd.


    Hagrid stood awkwardly in the corner, Felix listened to a few words of chatter from the young wizards and figured out what is going on.


    Just now, Hagrid kept pleading Professor Filius to unlock the enchantment set around the Basilisk, he wanted to feel the charm of a creature like a Basilisk up close ...


    Is this how all wizards who study magical creatures think about things?


    So, how many seconds before Professor Kettleburn would reach the battlefield? Felix thought out of tune in his mind.

 Chapter 85 - 85 Accident

    Somehow, Harry, Ron, and Hermione also arrived. Hermione still wore the huge mask and knitted hat, but her eyes had reverted to brown.


    This meant that she had become more proficient in her light morphing - or, of course, it could be the effect of Madam Pomfrey''s potion.


    Ron pulled Harry and Hermione as they hid behind a pillar. He leered, " Cornelius Fudge, Lucius Malfoy, and Rita Skeeter! What a day, three nasties all at once!"


    Harry asked, "Who''s Cornelius Fudge?"


    "He''s the Minister of Magic and my dad''s boss. But he''s a big shot and looks down on my father''s line of work, you know, just dealing with muggle stuff and such, and has been underappreciated ..." Ron muttered.


    Hermione''s eyes were fixed on the woman, Rita Skeeter, and she carefully sized her up in the back.


    "That woman is Rita Skeeter? She looks like she has rather bad taste." Hermione spat at her outfit.


    "I agree with you, if you ask me, even Lockhart is superior to her in that regard, it''s not like she doesn''t have any money ... Oh, Merlin!!" Ron suddenly wailed.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "There, look over there," Ron pointed in the other direction, "here comes Lockhart as well, the four nasties are gathered together!"


    Sure enough, Harry looked to see Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in a magnificent robe, a charming smile on his face, passing the young wizard to meet Fudge and Lucius.


    "He''s like a peacock with an open dress." Ron''s expression wore a very resistant one - he is going to report to Lockhart''s office tonight.


    Lockhart gave a graceful salute with a very wide smile, "Minister Fudge, Mr. Malfoy, it''s an honour to meet you."


    Fudge froze for a moment, then extended his hands with a big smile, "Hello Mr. Lockhart, I have read your entire book, and I must admit, it''s a big harvest ..."


    Lockhart said modestly, "I just did what I had to do, Minister, I can''t always turn a blind eye to the pitiful people who get into trouble."


    Fudge had an expression of sentiment: "There are not many adventurers like you who have a sense of responsibility."


    Lockhart wanted to say something else, but Dumbledore stepped forward and said with a smile, "Fudge, let''s take a look at the Basilisk first." He waved his wand and made the invisible protective barrier around the Basilisk disappear.


    "Oh, Dumbledore, ah, yes, that''s right." Fudge''s fingers squeezed the bowler hat in his hand as he turned to the tall, dark-skinned man next to him and gave the order, "Kingsley, you go check it out."


    The man named Kingsley took a few steps over the barrier and walked over to the Basilisk, wearing a pair of gargoyle gloves as he carefully examined the remains of the Basilisk.


    Felix didn''t step forward when he saw a familiar figure, the Ravenclaw witch named Luna.


    He paced over and stood next to her, "Luna."


    "I love the gift you sent me, Professor Hap." Her eyes fixed dead on Rita Skeeter''s jewelled glasses, and she said in a singing voice, "I don''t think she has a good recollection."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "She forgets something important at home, she is regretting that," Luna said.


    Felix looked at Rita Skeeter, who kept directing her assistant to take pictures, and he dismissed it.


    "Did you became friend with that little girl with the flaming hair?"


    Luna gave him a surprised look, "We''re already friends." She said thoughtfully, "I think the rooster doll I gave her played a small part."


    "Yeah, I guess it did." Felix smacked his lips.


    Not long after, Kingsley reported to Fudge, "Minister, it''s confirmed that it''s a Basilisk, and there''s no more danger."


    "Very good, Kingsley." Fudge prepared to get a closer look at the Basilisk, and before he could take a second step, he stopped by Rita Skeeter''s voice.


    "Minister Fudge, I think we should take a picture together for tomorrow''s front page," Skeeter said with a heaping smile.


    "Oh, sure, no problem."


    Several Adults in the room stood in a row as Rita Skeeter rushed over and yanked Lockhart, who had seized the center spot, aside, "That''s your spot!"


    Lockhart reluctantly stood at the edge.


    "Professor Filius?"


    Filius waved his hand and stepped back.


    "Click!" A shutter sounded, and the picture frozen.


    Fudge, Dumbledore, Malfoy, Professor McGonagall, and Kingsley stood together, with the giant Basilisk in the background.


    Having completed the day''s task, the few stood next to the Basilisk, Fudge took a few steps forward, holding his belly, and looked closely at the Basilisk, "This is the thing that has been at Hogwarts for thousands of years, how does it hide from being discovered?"


    Professor McGonagall explained, "Through the pipes all over Hogwarts - the school has experienced several transformations, the interior is densely packed with pipes, not many people can get the full picture, and never thoroughly checked out."


    Fudge did not speak, and Lucius on the side whispered in the discussion.


    Lockhart also came over, he surveyed the Basilisk, "looks like it''s not that hard to deal with, I once encountered a water monster, it can cover half of the lake." He tapped the Basilisk''s fangs with his wand and was about to make a playful remark, but his wand immediately made a "zipping" sound, "Oh, my!" He waved his wand frantically.


    The young wizards who were watching had the foresight to quickly retreat a dozen meters or so as if fleeing the famine.


    But the Minister of Magic, who was looking down at the head of the Basilisk, suffered when a drop of something mixed with saliva and venom flung across his face, causing him to let out a terrifying scream.


    Lucius Malfoy quickly put up a magical barrier and watched the drama with cold eyes. He maintained his magic and stepped back, but just two steps back, he was blocked by a ring of golden light.


    Felix raised his wand at some point, "Little wizards, back off."


    Several professors were doing the same, and the protective magic of Filius, McGonagall, and Dumbledore mirrored the center of the yard in colourful splendour.


    Hagrid stretched out his big futon-like hands, lifting the fallen young wizards up in one hand and pushing them far away.


    But Lucius, like Fudge and Lockhart, stand closer, and he''s separated by layer after layer of magic, and a drop of saliva mixed with poison is thrown on his protective spell with a "zippy" sound.


    He shouted with a pale face: "Stop, you fool!"


    Lockhart flung his wand a few more times before he realized what he had done, and stood in front of Fudge in a panic, trying to do something, "Oh, Minister Fudge, I''m sorry!"


    But Fudge''s screams grew louder and louder, and his face became pitch black, and the range expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    The scene is like a mess.


    "Silence!" Dumbledore shouted, he dispelled the magic in front of him, a few steps forward, with a wand against Fudge''s face, from the tip of the wand spread layer after layer of golden light, the expansion of the black trail stopped.


    Dumbledore took a closer look, "further treatment is needed, Fudge, I''m going to send you to the school clinic."


    "No, send me to St. Mungo''s! My face is ruined! Gilderoy Lockhart!, I''m going to put you in Azkaban#$%&...#&...#" Fudge spewed a string of profanities out of his mouth.


    "Oh, God." Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and glared at the frenzied Fudge, resisting the urge to bestow a Stupefy on him. Finally, the Transfiguration professor yelled at the young wizards around her, "You, all little wizards! Get out of here and go to your classes!"


    The little wizards scattered like flies.


    Rita Skeeter excitedly grabbed the camera and kept pressing the shutter like crazy, her mouth open wide and her two huge gold teeth glistening in the sunlight.


    "Look at that woman, I can see her back teeth!" Ron, who was hiding by a pillar in the yard, pointed at Rita Skeeter and said, "She''s got the big news today!"

 Chapter 86 - 86 Is Everything A Curse?

    "It''s just so exciting! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this kind of drama would happen." Fred and George muttered, they took a little detour to hide in the grass, peering through the cracks at the side of the commotion.


    Dumbledore held Fudge''s hand: "Don''t worry, Fudge, you''ll be fine."


    " Do you guarantee? Dumbledore?" Half of his face turned black.


    "I promise you, Fudge."


    Fudge''s expression became placid and he fell asleep.


    Dumbledore withdrew his glowing fingers and turned to look at Kingsley: "We need to get him to the school clinic."


    "But, Minister Fudge, he said ..."


    "The Basilisk''s poison needs to be resolved as soon as possible." Dumbledore said.


    The man named Kingsley quickly compromised, "Everything is at your disposal."


    Dumbledore turned to Filius and McGonagall and said, "Filius, Minerva, you stay here, maintain order, and get rid of that Basilisk." The two professors nodded their heads.


    Hagrid volunteered to pick up Fudge and stride in the direction of the school clinic with Dumbledore and Kingsley.


    Lucius took advantage of the chaos to leave, and he found his son, Draco Malfoy.


    "What is the truth behind the Chamber of Secrets?" Lucius questioned him.


    "Potter and the gang did it! Dad, Potter is a parseltongue, that''s why he found the Chamber of Secrets!" Draco said with an irritated look on his face.


    "A Parseltongue!" Lucius truly felt surprised, he thought that it was the diary he had thrown at the Weasley''s youngest daughter that had been discovered.


    "Did you find out who opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Lucius asked vaguely.


    "No, not yet." Draco stammered as he gave his father a wary look. He didn''t spill the beans on the fact that he had briefly been controlled by a black magic item.


    "Is that so?" Lucius didn''t notice this little gesture, and his expression turned condescending.


    ...


    Rita Skeeter wanted to follow up and film the Minister of Magic''s misery, but then she looked at the Lockhart, and after some weighing, she quickly settled upon her real target.


    Fellow peers are enemies, she must screw him!


    "Click!"


    "Click!"


    "Click!"


    "Ka-chow!"


    Lockhart, overwhelmed, blocked his face, "Hey, stop it! Stop it now!"


    Rita Skeeter, however, shooting more vigorously, her desire is now simply bursting with creativity, but unfortunately, because of some scruples, she did not bring automatic quill and parchment.


    She stole a glance at Felix, who watched all this in silence.


    This lets Rita Skeeter put her heart down, it seems that ''this one'' does not care about others. The next time she had the chance to come to Hogwarts, she must be well-prepared.


    "Oh my, Professor McGonagall must be furious." Hermione, who was hiding behind a huge court pillar, said as Harry and Ron looked over at their Transfiguration class professor, whose face was about to twist into distortion.


    The situation had developed into something where Lockhart rushed forward to grab the camera with Skeeter, but it seemed that on physical strength alone, Lockhart was no match for her, and Skeeter''s two-inch-long nails made a dozen cuts on his face.


    "My handsome face!" Lockhart went mad.


    Professor McGonagall had to step forward to separate the two, her lips quivering with anger, "Professor Lockhart, please leave at once! As for you ..." she looked at Rita Skeeter with disgust.


    "Oh, you needn''t mind me, Professor McGonagall." Rita Skeeter said cheekily, "I''ll just wander around, it''s been years since I''ve been back to school and I really miss it."


    "Suit yourself." McGonagall couldn''t care less about her at the moment as she and Professor Filius worked together to drag the Basilisk away.


    Felix looked around; Lockhart looked like an angry bull, and he didn''t want to get involved. He turned around and walked in the direction of the school clinic.


    After a while, Lockhart completely calmed down, he suddenly realized he is facing an unprecedented crisis, he straightened his messy hair and said to Rita Skeeter, "Skeeter, we need to talk, man-to-man."


    The woman gave him a condescending look as she took the magic camera, her biggest catch this time, and handed it to her two assistants, "Keep an eye on it, and stay away."


    The two assistants left, and at this moment, the empty space remained with only two of them, Lockhart and Skeeter, on the bright side.


    In the dark, the twins and the trio were on one side each, holding their breath.


    Rita Skeeter glanced disdainfully at Lockhart, she grinned, a victorious posture: "What do you want to talk to me? I guess there is no more need for that-"


    "The famous bestselling author!"


    Lockhart''s handsome face became contorted, but he looked around and whispered, "We don''t have to get to this point, and I can give you Golden Galleons as compensation, as long as you don''t say a word about this."


    Rita Skeeter glanced at him.


    "Two thousand galleons!" Lockhart said groggily.


    There is no response.


    "Four thousand!"


    "Ten thousand Golden Galleons! You greedy woman!"


    Rita Skeeter gave a stiff smile, but she still didn''t relent as she leaned closer and said, "Lockhart, you can go back and think about it for a while, figure out what a great writer''s reputation is really worth."


    "-and," she fiddled with her nails, "first think about how to clear your name for attacking the Minister of Magic."


    "That was just an accident!" Lockhart gritted his teeth and looked at her, but the woman had left satisfied.


    He gripped the wand in his hand and tried to do something several times, but finally gave up. He returned to his office in dismay.


    The lively yard, once again restored calm.


    The twins looked at each other and quietly left in silence. Behind a pillar, the trio looked at each other.


    "Dirty money deal!" Hermione was righteously indignant.


    Ron shrugged: "It''s normal, when my father went to check Malfoy Manor, Malfoy was informed in advance. Why do you think it'' because?"


    Harry looked at the direction that Lockhart left and couldn''t help but ask: "Do you guys think that Lockhart will be put in jail?"


    Ron said without thinking, "It''s hard to say, but if I am fudge, I mean, as Minister of Magic, I couldn''t afford to be disgraced like that."


    "Don''t you think it''s a coincidence?"


    "What?"


    "Everything that happened today was an accident, wasn''t it? You know the Basilisk was already taken care of, and he could have muddled through the whole year unscathed, then written a book like My Year at Hogwarts and earned a large amount of Golden Galleons."


    "You mean, the Dark Lord''s Curse?" Ron responded.


    Hermione blinked as she said with great interest, "Quite an interesting thought, Harry, perhaps the true nature of the curse is to amplify the probability of various accidents. We could look into that."


    Ron grimaced, "Hermione, don''t you think you''ve been too busy lately? For you, let me do the maths, classes, homework, weekend magic text guidance, grading papers, learning special transfiguration techniques, and now you have to study the curse ..."


    Hermione grunted as she asked rhetorically, "Don''t you think that solving one puzzle after another is a great accomplishment?"


    ...


    On the other hand, Rita Skeeter, who had been looking at the landscape slowly, suddenly turned back the way she came after turning around the yard.


    Her eyes kept searching, and Lockhart was so fast that she had lost sight of him. But she soon spotted the trio


    "Hey, you three! Little wizards, stop."

 Chapter 87 - 87 A Obliviate!

    Rita Skeeter hastily called out to the trio of probing young wizards, "Do you know where Professor Lockhart''s office is, I need to see him." She flashed them a stiff smile, but her mind had already flown far away.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her a little dazed, why this woman is back again?


    Hermione didn''t answer, just looked angrily at Rita Skeeter. But when Ron saw her gaze turn to Harry, he quickly spoke up and said, "It''s in the basement next to classroom number 2."


    Satisfied, Rita Skeeter left, walking away with a slight oddity in her mind; that girl wasn''t exactly looking at her in a friendly way.


    But what the hell! It''s not like she''s a celebrity anyway, or she could totally write her up in an article herself!


    "Ron!" Hermione looked puffed up.


    "Listen to me, don''t let Harry get involved with that woman, she''ll turn Harry''s ancestors inside out," Ron explained.


    The little witch somewhat relieved, Harry then realized that he seemed to have just taken a trip through the Whirlpool and is still safe and sound.


    ...


    In a shadowy underground corridor, the figure of Rita Skeeter disappeared for a few seconds, then out of the darkness flew a beetle, which flapped its wings and flew expertly next to classroom #2 in the basement.


    The beetle hovered in mid-air for a few seconds, staring anthropomorphically at the " Defense Against Dark Arts Class - Gilderoy Lockhart" sign, and silently slipped through the doorway.


    Lockhart is in his office in circles, his expression is a little angry. Even a row of portraits hanging on the wall also became sad-looking as well.


    The beetle landed on the edge of one of the portraits and looked down at him from a high position.


    "Damn it#%..."


    Lockhart lost his usual poise and kept rubbing his hands through his hair, his golden curls becoming more and more dishevelled.


    "Maybe I can do something about this like I used to, I''m very good at this, good enough ..."


    Lockhart muttered to himself to an equivocal portrait of himself, which gave him a thumbs up and showed a mouth full of white teeth.


    "But what to do about the charge of attacking the Minister of Magic? God, that''s ridiculous, it was just an accident, an accident! I''m not going to let someone just falsely accuse me, even if he is the Minister of Magic!"


    "I''m not to be messed with either, I have a huge readership, and they''ll all support me."


    Lockhart thought carefully for some time that he should not be put into Azkaban, which made him feel a little better.


    "But if my readers find out that I''m lying to them ..." he couldn''t help but shiver.


    Everything seemed to go back to the beginning, how to solve the problem of Rita Skeeter, the woman himself.


    Lockhart became annoyed all over again, and he felt that he should not have been greedy for new book sales and promised Dumbledore to be a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts class.


    "Old fool!"


    After a while, Lockhart sat down in his chair and took out a piece of parchment to write something quickly.


    The beetle spread its wings and quietly approached from the other side. It landed near a pile of published books, crawled over a clean white velvet handkerchief, and hid behind a delicate, thin mug.


    The position is just right to read the text that Lockhart has written.


    "Ms. Rita Skeeter, it is with a sense of calm ..." Not many words were written before Lockhart suddenly crumpled the parchment into a ball and slammed it hard.


    The ball of paper knocked over the thin mug on the table, revealing the beetle hiding behind it.


    For a second or two, Lockhart locked eyes with the beetle''s small eyes and a great sense of absurdity welled up in his heart - the lines on its body were identical to that woman Rita Skeeter''s jewelled glasses!


    "What''s with this disgusting thing in my room?"


    As he watched, the beetle quickly skittered away.


    But Lockhart didn''t think much of it, as he picked up a stack of student assignments in his hand and slapped it down hard.


    "Slap!"


    But the beetle did not even bother but ran more quickly, it climbed to the edge of the table, took off with its wings, and quickly away from Lockhart.


    "Hey, I don''t believe it!" Lockhart chased the obnoxious beetle and hit it.


    After dodging several times, the beetle was slapped to the ground by Lockhart, and he stomped on it with one foot -


    Finally, settled, his depressed mood relieved a lot.


    Wait, this kind of feeling ... on your feet


    Lockhart soon found something wrong, the bottom of his feet began to burst out a dazzling light, his feet involuntarily propped up, pushed away, a woman''s head appeared, and soon her limbs also stretched out.


    His jaw dropped as the beetle beneath his feet turned into a woman, an abominable woman named Rita Skeeter!


    "Rita Skeeter! You, you...you... you!" Lockhart gasped in shock, his foot still on her shoulder. He backed away with a horrified look on his face and crashed solidly against the table.


    Rita Skeeter slumped to the floor, an embarrassed expression running across her face; that things had developed to this point was something she had never expected.


    What kind of luck was it that this straw man, Lockhart, had a one-in-a-million chance of running into her!


    Over the years, she has peeked into countless hidden secrets, and now she actually has to fall into the hands of a stupid person?


    Does he have some kind of discrimination against beetles?


    On the other hand, Lockhart''s expression was dubious, his hand fondled behind him, and his wand was on the table ...


    He stalled for time: "Rita Skeeter! I didn''t think you turned out to be an Animagus, for God''s sake! I can''t believe you''re an illegal Animagus and sneaking into my room to snoop around ..." He reeled back and grabbed the wand!


    With the wand in his hand, he had the victory in hand.


    But by the time he turned back around, Rita Skeeter had already rushed up with her teeth bared.


    "Dang!"


    Skeeter''s fat body slammed into Lockhart, causing him to let out a cry of pain. The two wrestled together, and the portrait of Lockhart on the wall screamed in unison.


    " Scram!" Lockhart struggled desperately.


    "Huff, puff, puff!"


    Rita Skeeter got the upper hand with her size. She pinned down Lockhart with one hand and pulled her wand from her coat pocket with the other hand, the tip of her wand pressed hard against the side of his head as she frantically chanted the incantation.


    "Obliviate!"


    A moment later, Lockhart''s expression became blank.


    When he came back to his senses, Lockhart felt his mind was slightly disorganized, "Well, what was I thinking about? Oh right, it''s about that woman Rita Skeeter, I have to write to her, I have to agree to her request, otherwise my career, my reputation will be all ruined."


    "Merlin ah, one trouble after another, I should not have come to Hogwarts!"


    Lockhart stood up, the office has become neat and tidy again, only the portrait on the wall in the character is sickly, obviously have little spirit.


    ...


    On the other hand, Felix chased Dumbledore and a few others to the school clinic, Dumbledore once again summoned Phoenix Fawkes, the little dot glanced at his master angrily and reluctantly treated Fudge with tears.


    "Finally, there are no after-effects, if the Minister of Magic was attacked at Hogwarts and word got out ...," Madam Pomfrey aside poured out a bottle of black medicinal juice and fed it to fudge, whose cheeks became rosy.


    "Knowing what I know about the minister, he won''t say anything." Kingsley said, "But that Rita Skeeter woman, she''s a hidden problem!"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll communicate with her," Felix said calmly, he studied Fudge''s face, quietly pulling down a handful of his hair.


    Not that he wanted to do something, but it was too good timing, the opportunity is too rare.


    In case you have a chance to use it in the future.

 Chapter 88 - 88 Ideas

    Kingsley looked at Felix and said with some hesitation, "I know you, Felix Hap, but she''s not a person who speaks well ... That woman is bold, and even if Fudge himself is there, she might not listen."


    Felix did not speak.


    Dumbledore watched all this, he blinked his azure eyes, linked to the attitude of Rita Skeeter before, he almost had some guesses.


    The old man leaned down and carefully examined Fudge''s state, and he said, "The Basilisk is indeed a terrible creature, even without counting its eyes, and its toxicity is extremely rare."


    "Indeed it is." Kingsley nodded.


    "But no more poisonous than the desire of the human heart, Voldemort is such." Dumbledore said calmly, "As his power became stronger, his desires expanded, and he broke through each of his bottom lines until he no longer has anything to care about."


    "Voldemort had glorified his own behaviour, he said a phrase, magic is power, Felix, what do you think?"


    Felix said lightly, "Magic can carry many things, ambition, dreams, strength, power, awe ... but these are just scenery on the road, you can stop briefly, but eventually you have to move on."


    "I personally believe - magic is magic, there is no need or necessity to add other appendages." He looked up to meet Dumbledore''s calm gaze.


    Kingsley listened in confusion to the conversation between the two, how did it go from the Basilisk to the mysterious man? Wasn''t he already dead?


    "Knock, knock, knock!"


    Lucius Malfoy knocked on the door of the open ward with his cane, and he looked up slightly, leaving half his face hidden in the shadows, "Dumbledore, I need to speak to you alone."


    "Ah, welcome, Lucius, welcome." Dumbledore gladly stood up and walked out with him.


    Felix also duly offered his farewell.


    Crossing the corridor connecting the Great Hall, Felix happened to see the figure of Rita Skeeter, who looked very flustered, her make-up all over her face.


    What is going on here?


    "Rita." Felix stepped out of the shadows, startling her.


    "Felix Hap! You, I ..." Rita Skeeter stammered and stuttered.


    Something is odd ...


    Felix looked her in the eye, his light blue eyes glowing slightly.


    Flustered, fierce, relieved ...


    What had she done?


    He had some hesitation to continue probing deeper - it risked discovery - but Rita Skeeter ducked her head to avoid his gaze, "I''m sorry, Mr. Hap, I have things to do, I need to catch up ... " and she hurried away.


    "Rita," Felix called out to her, "about Minister Fudge''s injury, I hope it won''t set off too much of a ripple."


    Rita Skeeter turned her back on him and said wryly, "Mr. Hap, oh, Felix, are you asking me to conceal the truth?"


    "You know what my attitude is, as long as you don''t exaggerate and twist the truth."


    When she left, Felix sighed, he should collect his mind and focus on his magic text research.


    However, there is still the matter of the dueling course that needs to be settled.


    When the new semester started, he had to set the schedule and teaching content of the dueling course.


    After lunch in the Great Hall, Felix went to the basement of the castle and prepared to finalize the content with Professor Snape.


    Snape welcomed him in, wearing a black robe and expressionless face.


    "Please sit down, Felix."


    Snape lifted the hem of his wizard''s robe and sat down across from him, he waved his wand and sent several sheets of parchment flying across the table in front of him.


    "Here are some of my --" Snape stared into Felix''s eyes, "insights."


    Felix picked up the parchments and thumbed through them, snickering at him in passing, "Professor, don''t you have a cup of tea in here?"


    Snape pulled the corner of his mouth, "You''ve never had anything I''ve offered you personally."


    Felix bristled and stopped talking.


    Snape had frightened him with the Tulip when he was in school and had given him a small bottle of high-purity Tulip for Christmas this year; he really didn''t have the courage to try any of the drinks he gave him.


    He read the contents of the parchment carefully.


    "Professor, you mean, a lesson to learn a spell?"


    Felix looked at Snape with some confusion.


    "Felix, most of the spells related to dueling are somewhat dangerous, and if you don''t slow down, they will give you all kinds of unexpected surprises." Snape deliberately emphasized the word ''surprise''.


    Felix thought for a moment, "One lesson every two weeks, that is, learning two spells a month."


    Snape said indifferently, "You can learn a dozen spells in a school year, and with a reasonable mix, you can protect yourself completely." He revealed his usual mocking tone and said, "Some students can''t even cast a standard protego spell until they graduate."


    This is indeed the reality of Hogwarts; it has been peaceful for so long that the young wizards learn spells solely to cope with the exams.


    By the time the exams are over, some lukewarm spells are simply shelved.


    According to the normal teaching order, the young wizards in the fourth year should master the protego spell, but unfortunately, this spell is under Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and this course at Hogwarts ...


    It''s hard to say.


    Many young wizards'' fifth-year spell-casting level will become the pinnacle of his life because according to the requirements of OWLs exams, mandatory courses are required to be taken, naturally including the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the charm class, and the Transfiguration class, which are more operational than practical.


    And after the fifth year, young wizards start to choose advanced classes according to their grades and career plans, and some academic scum may only take one or two classes.


    If he chooses a class that happens to be mostly theoretical, his spellcasting level will plummet like a dive.


    Probably, when he graduated, all but those most commonly used spells would be returned to the professor.


    Felix brushed the ring on his left hand and took out a stack of parchment, "Professor, this is my teaching layout about the first magic spell, you can make some suggestions."


    Snape took the parchment and flipped through the pages absently for two pages, but then his expression got serious.


    "This is ..."


    Snape buried his head in reading the contents of the parchment, immersing himself in the magic skill tree Felix had constructed. Occasionally he took out his wand and waved it in mid-air.


    "Felix, this is how you understand the spell?"


    Felix said gently: "Just my personal understanding in the process of learning the magic spell, there may be omissions."


    Snape''s fingers brushed the parchment, in his mind quickly reconstructed the spell.


    Half an hour later, he waved his wand and sent out a dazzling red light that sent a chair three meters away flying, and the poor chair fell apart utterly in mid-air.


    "Professor Snape, what are you doing?" Felix inquired him, the spell just now was not too strong, but too weak!


    It couldn''t even catch up to the strength of the disarming charm he used that time when he defeated Lockhart.


    Snape, carefully experienced in his mind, slowly opened his eyes, "I just blocked my knowledge of the disarming Charm, according to your design, reconstructed this spell."


    Snape, mind drifted off.


    He is not only a master of magic potions, but also has an extremely in-depth knowledge of magic spells.


    He used Occlumency to shield his understanding of the Disarming Charm, and in a very short time, he relearned the Disarming Charm according to Felix''s plan.


    This is not difficult for Snape, his accumulation of all kinds of spells are there, all the relevant theory, skills, a little experience to re-release the spell.


    If it was a different little wizard, it wouldn''t be possible to do something similar.


    Snape''s approach further verified the feasibility of Felix''s theory, and the current success rate still remains at a staggering 100 percent.


    However, Felix soon went sideways, and he began to ask Snape for tips on the application of Occlumency ....

 Chapter 89 - 89 Classroom Puzzles

    Felix stayed at Snape''s office until the end of the first class in the afternoon, and then left in a hurry to go to the class for the seventh-year wizards.


    He stood at the podium and looked at the junior wizards of the Grade below him.


    There were less than twenty combined, "Tsk! There are really too few."


    At the beginning of the school year, Felix had communicated with Professor McGonagall that he could "appropriately" ease the students'' grades and let some little wizards with A grades enter his improvement class.


    He did so with the idea that "one more is one more", and that he might be able to use his strong charisma to fool an additional young wizard into joining the family of ancient magic research.


    But before his arrival, the course had been lukewarm and the response rather lacklustre. Except for those wizards who were interested in studying ancient languages, or who wanted to join the Ancient Language Court or the Ministry of Magic''s senior citizen department, there were very few other interested parties.


    So his seventh-grade classroom is either a schoolmaster, those who have chosen by mistake, who try to choose as many as possible, or an Academic scum For example, Marcus Flint, is a typical representative of the academic dregs, after entering the seventh grade, selected a total of two courses - Care of Magical Creatures class and ancient magic text.


    For him, it was Felix who gave a word to join, otherwise, he would simply have taken a single class.


    As far as Felix knew, the seventh grade Care of Magical Creatures class would add a great deal of knowledge about raising and breeding rare magical creatures, requiring a lot of information to be consulted and memorized. With Marcus Flint''s troll-like brain, Felix really didn''t know how he would pass.


    On the podium, Felix waved his wand, causing a dozen papers to fly in all directions and land in front of the corresponding young wizard.


    He commented, "In general, your grades are still steadily improving. However, I must remind you that according to the previous NEWTs assessment standards, you must translate a complete ancient text document."


    "This means that during your exams, there may be ancient magical texts that are quite out of the box, and you won''t be able to find the corresponding knowledge even after going through five years of ancient magic textbooks."


    "Professor, then, how should we respond?" A Ravenclaw witch asked, wearing a pair of extremely recognizable, thick glasses.


    "Miss Vera, it comes into a bit of exam technique, such as inferring the meaning of words."


    "Speculating on the meaning of words?" Vera asked, pushing up her glasses in disbelief.


    "In the sixth and seventh grade Ancient Magic textbook, a considerable amount of space is devoted to the evolution of Ancient Magic texts, such as Eoh, which has gone through seven versions, each with slightly different meanings and writing styles."


    "But actually, once you sort out the logic of its evolution, you''ll find that its core meaning has never really changed."


    Vera nodded, this knowledge is obvious to her.


    And Professor Hap continued, "Therefore, as long as you know one of the versions of the ancient magic text, you can make reasonable speculations based on its core meaning in context."


    "Even for those magical texts that you have never come across, you can make reasonable speculations based on word patterns. This requires the use of the more common 27 evolved forms ..."


    "Of course, magic texts with magic power are not in this range and need to be memorized separately, but there are not that many."


    Next to her, Marcus looked desperate, what are you talking about?


    Why does every word I can understand, but together it''s like a heavenly text?


    "I get it, Professor Hap," Vera said excitedly.


    In this class, she is the only one who has a true love for ancient magic texts and is determined to follow this path, except that her research direction is document translation.


    This is actually influenced by her family - her grandfather is a vice president of the Ancient Magical Texts Society.


    When she returned home for Christmas break and said that the new professor of Ancient Magic at Hogwarts is Felix Hap, the look on her grandfather''s face was amusing.


    He scolded Felix for being " a heretic and going astray", but on the other hand, he shyly admitted that "he does have real skills, you can barely learn from him", which made her mentally put Professor Hap on the same level as her grandfather.


    "Let''s move on--" After settling the daily questions, Felix''s eyes fell on Marcus: "Flint, your grades are always hovering up and down around A (passing), I''m worried about you. "


    Marcus cried, he had really put a lot of effort into Ancient Magic, even when he was training on the Quidditch pitch, he kept an Ancient Magic textbook in his book bag - although he had only opened it once in total.


    But at least the attitude is there, he hasn''t been this dedicated to his other classes. But unfortunately, he really is not that kind of material. Marcus had a mind to quit, but he shivered at the sight of Felix and simply couldn''t muster the courage.


    "Teach, professor, I will try," Marcus said tremblingly.


    "Very well, if you have any problems, just find me."


    Felix started the formal class, in this modest classroom, the academic overlord and academic scum are clearly separated. The more the schoolmaster listens, the more the dregs become confused, and Marcus is the latter - he is a dreg, but he is bracing himself to show the appearance of the schoolmaster''s spirit.


    A lesson passed in a jiffy.


    Felix left with a stack of parchments, and in his hand were the assignments of the seventh graders.


    Today, he received a total of three grades worth of holiday assignments. Felix is ready to make full use of his assistant''s motivation to learn, so that she can make the most of her talents, by handing over all the assignments of the third and fourth grades to her.


    In the evening, Felix looked idly at Professor Filius''s Christmas gift, a manuscript of ancient magic.


    There were two kinds of writing on the parchment, one of which is an extremely old and ancient magic language, and the other is Professor Filius''s additions and annotations, containing his thoughts on the study of this magic.


    It was very enlightening.


    The only thing is that according to Professor Filius, he has no special talent in ancient magic text, so this fragmented ancient magic was researched by him in collaboration with the former professor of ancient magic text - Babbling, and when Professor Babbling left Hogwarts for holiday, the research came to a standstill.


    The manuscript was given to Felix with the intention of collaborative research.


    Felix waved his wand, a hazy light blue light like a river of stars, cut through the air and fell on a quill.


    The brown quill first turned into a toothpick, and then quickly expanded to the size of a cane. As Felix kept injecting magic power, the quill kept growing to about seven feet, and it stopped dead in its tracks.


    "Well, looking at the effect is similar to combining two magic spells, the Shrinking Charm and the Engorgement Charm, together, yet in essence, it doesn''t have the high consumption, danger, and intensity of ancient magic."


    "Instead, it''s more like modern simplified magic, with a limit to its power and magic consumption."


    "Is it because the part that complements it is the idea of simplified magic?"


    Felix wrote and drew on the parchment, preparing for a prolonged battle, recovering ancient magic is not an easy task.


    ''I wish I had a teacher..'' Before going to sleep, he thought with some emotion.

 Chapter 90 - 90 Confinement And Discovery

    A few hours earlier, Ron had experienced a thrilling trip to confinement.


    At 8:00 p.m., he knocked apprehensively at Professor Lockhart''s door, stammering as he came for confinement.


    "Is there such a thing?" Lockhart looked sickly, "Oh, yes, that''s right! You little villain ..."


    He yanked Ron into the office and shoved him in a chair.


    "Well, what''s your punishment ... Let''s see, how can I get you to sincerely repent and cry out in gratitude at the greatness of Gilderoy Lockhart?"


    Ron stared at him dumbfounded, Lockhart''s arrogance aggravated again?


    "I thought of that!" Lockhart said with a jolt, clutching a bulging stack of envelopes from a cabinet in the corner.


    " Professor, what is this?" Ron swallowed hard, don''t, DON''T ...


    "These are letters from avid fans, part of my collection - my favourites! You need to transcribe them all." Lockhart said with gusto.


    Things were going in the worst possible direction.


    The letters, Ron thought, added up to be thicker than the two large books Malfoy had transcribed.


    He opened an envelope and pulled out the contents, which began, "Dear Gilderoy, I am your sweetest and most faithful reader Morelia, I sleep with your book in my arms every day because it has your most charming picture on it, oh Gilderoy, your curls simply tickle my heart and I can''t wait to have a great adventure with you in my dreams ..."


    " Ew~" Ron almost looked sick.


    "Are you sick?" Lockhart asked him.


    "No-"


    " No. Then start copying, it''s your punishment for sneaking up on the professor, no, it''s a reward - the privilege of feeling my own greatness with my readers."


    What Lockhart said today was unexpectedly blunt, and Ron had thought he was a peacock or at least would hide his butt when he opened his wings.


    But he didn''t have a choice, and Ron had to force himself not to think about anything, not to wonder what the sh*t, he was copying, really meant. But just two lines in, he recoiled once again.


    So he began to focus on Lockhart, his mind spinning desperately to make himself think about something else.


    Two feet away from him, Lockhart likewise unfolded a piece of parchment, picked up a quill drenched in ink, and wrote a line of dragon-flecked fancy writing on it, muttering under his breath, "O Merlin, I am so unlucky to have to apologize to the stupid Fudge ..."


    Ron had a gut-wrenching night, because Lockhart seems to have changed for the worse, there is no door in the mouth, spilling a lot of secrets to him.


    Either complaining that Dumbledore cheated him, or complaining that Professor Hap had stolen his thunder.


    He also mentioned the day''s when he was in school, on Valentine''s Day, he spent a large sum of money to buy a bunch of cards for himself, but did not set off any splash, he had to spend two months of bitterness over this ...


    The time finally reached midnight, Ron plucked up the courage to raise the request to leave, Lockhart looked at the clock on the wall, "the sky is already so dark? Go on, put the letters in the cabinet and continue tomorrow."


    Ron carried the pile of letters and "puffed and panted" his way to the big cabinet, he tried to open it, but the door wouldn''t budge. "Professor Lockhart, the cabinet is locked!"


    Lockhart muttered two words, waved his wand, until the third time, the cabinet door popped open with a bang, almost hitting Ron''s nose.


    Ron opened the cabinet, there are a dozen small drawers inside, he did not know where to put, but did not dare to ask, only to pull open the drawers one by one to find the appropriate space.


    When flipping to a certain compartment, he saw a parchment clipped in a binder, and the top line of text made him pause his gaze.


    "Record of a visit to an old wizard in Armenian ( note: werewolf adventures)."


    He skipped to read it twice more -


    "If you take away the fact that the main character is an ugly, ageing Armenian wizard, the story itself is quite good."


    There was a short paragraph in the middle that seemed like a record of someone''s words, "Yeah, it''s sad that the people in that village are constantly facing threats from werewolves, initially because they killed a young wolf cub that was actively attacking livestock, it''s just sad~"


    Ron''s heart thumped, he did not know why, but he quietly drew out the middle pages of this material - the top page he did not dare to take.


    Lockhart''s voice came from afar, "What are you dawdling about?"


    "Ma, right away, Professor Lockhart." Ron stuffed the few pages of parchment he pulled out into his pocket, then scattered the readers'' letters casually into three drawers and hastily closed the cabinet.


    " Professor, I''ll leave you to it." Ron quickly ran out of Lockhart''s office.


    On the way, his heart was still beating violently.


    Back in the common room, which by now is empty, he hides in a corner and carefully reads the three parchments he pulled out from his pocket.


    After reading for a while, he got somewhat confused, although the content of the story looked a little familiar to him, it is an ordinary interview.


    Did Lockhart still work as a journalist on the side?


    When Ron returned to his dorm room and saw Harry, who had already fallen asleep, he stuffed the parchment into a random book and fell back to sleep.


    For the next week, the atmosphere at Hogwarts is peaceful and tranquil.


    With no worries about attacks or exams, the young wizards had a fantastic weekend.


    Hermione finally took off her muzzle, she now only had to wear a hat to cover up her cat ears and usually looked completely indistinguishable from her normal state.


    "Lavender thought I had some kind of terminal illness before." Hermione took a big breath of fresh air, her face frozen red, but she had no idea of putting the scarf on.


    "Who''s Lavender?" Ron asked.


    "She''s my roommate."


    Ron thought for a moment, and he asked uncertainly, "Is that girl with freckles?"


    "Not her, Ron, I thought you''d remember a Gryffindor wizard from the same year as you," Hermione said acutely.


    "I remember, just not the right face. And do you know Dean Thomas?" Ron asked rhetorically.


    "Of course!"


    "And did you ever speak to him?"


    Hermione clamped her mouth shut.


    In the evening of that day, Felix guided Hermione through the upgrade program for the beaded pouch.


    Felix looked at the parchment in his hand with interest: "You''re going to isolate part of the space inside? Are you going to use it for storage? Nice try, but the difficulty has increased correspondingly."


    "Professor, do you think that at my level, I can complete it?" Hermione asked.


    "Well ... if you want to finish it on your own, at least -" Felix thought about it, "you need to learn 21 practical magical texts in a targeted way, proficiency in carving some magic text circuits, plus some basic theory of alchemy."


    "I can make a list of books for you."


    Felix swish swish, wrote down a series of reference books, Hermione''s mouth suddenly a little bitter ....

 Chapter 91 - 91 Discovery

    On Monday morning, the little wizards were walking past the bulletin board when they suddenly noticed that it had been updated.


    A young wizard read out what is pinned on the parchment -


    "The second dueling class of the current school year is hereby scheduled for this Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. All young wizards of all grades are welcome to attend."


    It was signed with the ethereal moniker, Felix Hap.


    "Why Professor Hap? Isn''t it Lockhart?"


    "Maybe Professor Hap snatched the Dueling Club from his hands?"


    "That''s big news!"


    "Don''t be ridiculous, it could be a collaboration, just like Snape in the last class, he is invited by Lockhart to join."


    The little wizards under the bulletin board were chattering.


    The trio stood not far away, and Harry''s expression showed great excitement: "It''s finally happening."


    Ron also looked with anticipation, "I hope I can learn a few powerful spells. Honestly, I''ve been nauseous this week ..."


    Harry looked at him with a sympathetic look, " He also let you copy fan letters?"


    "Yeah, endlessly." Ron gave a nasty look, "Especially a woman named Morelia, she wrote the most letters and was favoured by Lockhart the most. I can recite some whole snippets ..."


    " Don''t!" Harry stopped in a huff.


    Ron muttered, "I''ve heard a lot of hidden secrets from him in the last few days, Hermione, I know him better than you do now."


    "But he shouldn''t, why would he say it?" Hermione asked in disbelief.


    "I think maybe it''s self-loathing? He''s writing an apology letter to Fudge every night now." Ron guessed, as Cornelius Fudge never responds to his letters.


    ...


    When the trio reached the classroom of Defense Against Dark Arts, Lockhart stood in the doorway, his expression seemingly thoughtful. As they passed by, he took Ron by the hand, "Do you think that my character has changed a lot lately?"


    A flash of shock flashed in Ron''s eyes as he stammered a reply, "No, I haven''t noticed as such, Professor."


    "Well ... why I don''t feel well then?" Lockhart loosened his grip suspiciously, and the trio slipped past him into the classroom.


    In his seat -


    Harry said, "He''s noticed something wrong with himself, there''s definitely something wrong here."


    "Maybe it''s a Confundus Charm? Many magic spells have similar effects." Hermione analysed in a serious manner.


    "Possibly, every time I face him all alone, I want to put a vicious spell on him." Ron looked resentful.


    "By the way, those three parchments, do you have any clue?" Harry suddenly remembered something, he inquired Ron about it.


    "No, just an ordinary interview."


    "What is it?" Hermione asked with interest.


    Ron explained roughly the origin of these, and she wanted to ask further, but class started in no time.


    In the Defense Against Dark Arts class, Lockhart is still going through his teaching show, "I need to pick a volunteer for the most crucial and exciting part of today''s play."


    The young wizards bowed their heads in succession.


    "Ron Weasley, it''s you!" Lockhart called Ron to the stage, and thanks to last week''s confinement, this time, he finally didn''t mispronounce his name.


    "That''s right, that''s it, Ron, you''re an innocent villager, troubled by werewolves, and you''re begging for my help, yes! The expression is a little more bitter, very good ..."


    Ron''s bitter face serves as a prop in Lockhart''s story.


    "Next is my inner monologue, this part is very important, you all should listen carefully."


    Lockhart shook his head and assumed a posture of worrying about the world, and said in a prolonged voice: " Poor folks! They are facing the threat of werewolves all the time, and the cause of this incident was because they killed a young wolf cub, which attacked the livestock, what did They do wrong! It is really sad and tragic ... my conscience can not let me turn a blind eye to this!"


    The show continued, and Lockhart straightened his chest, seemingly facing the villagers'' praise. But Ron''s face became white all of a sudden.


    All the way back to his seat, his face had a lost expression.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Harry nudged him with his arm, is this too much of a blow? It wasn''t like it hadn''t happened before, and he''d played the vampire for three weeks straight.


    "Later, later." Ron shrunk himself into a ball, avoiding the sight of Lockhart.


    On the other side, Felix is giving a lesson to the young fourth-year wizards.


    "Today we learn the last set of practical magic texts, and then, your magic golems will be able to work at their full capacity."


    The twins off the podium raised their hands, "Professor Hap, is there any advanced knowledge?"


    Felix smiled, "What do you want to learn?"


    "For example - other useful magic texts," Fred said.


    Felix blinked and looked at the twins, they seemed to be good seedlings for ancient Magic texts.


    It was evident from the Christmas gift the twins had given him, but of course, it wasn''t Magic Text they were talking about, but alchemical ideas.


    "If some of you have room to learn, I am certainly willing to teach more." Felix made a promise.


    After the class ended, Felix called the twins.


    "I would like to know if you have a clear plan for your future?" Felix asked.


    "We want to open a Weasley Wizard Trick Shop!" The two said in unison.


    "Well ... like a Zonko''s Joke Shop kind of one?" Felix asked.


    "Pretty much ... but Zonko''s mind is still stuck in the last century, we want to do something newer and funnier," Fred said.


    "Right! We have a lot of good ideas, but are limited by our ability to build most of the designs." George''s expression is rather piteous.


    "Great planning. But I don''t suppose you have some professional guidance for this?" Felix asked.


    "Uh, we got some books from home when we were kids about methods of creating gadgets, trinkets, and jokes, and we checked out the library, which helped a lot, Professor Hap," Fred said with a sly expression.


    The library? Or the forbidden book section? Felix didn''t say anything, the twins'' reputation is quite loud in the professor''s circle.


    He simply extended an invitation, "Next year, I will start my own Ancient Magic study club, are you interested in that?"


    The twins looked at each other in surprise, "Of course, Professor!"


    George suggested, "Professor, can''t you start your Ancient Magic study club in advance?"


    Felix shook his head regretfully, "There are less than six months left in this academic year, plus I''m distracted by all sorts of things, so I had to postpone it until next year."


    "But you guys can come to see me if you have any questions," Felix said.

 Chapter 92 - 92 Duel Class

    "You''re saying that Lockhart is taking other people''s stories and pinning them on his head?" Hermione asked with a shocked look on her face.


    "Keep your voice down!" Ron said.


    After dinner, the three of them hid in the corner of the common room and murmured about it.


    Ron rummaged through his book bag and pulled out three pieces of parchment, "Take a look, Hermione."


    The little witch immediately took it and buried her head to read.


    Half a minute later, she looked up and stammered, "How can this be, this kind of thing! I mean, how did Lockhart manage to get someone else to sell him his story?"


    Harry suddenly said, "It wasn''t necessarily sold to him, it could have been robbed by him by force."


    Ron and Hermione stared at him in disbelief, there was so much hidden behind this speculation.


    Time turned to Thursday.


    The Great Hall is redecorated, the central square around the gilded stage, crowded with small wizards.


    When Felix and Snape appeared in pairs and stood in the center of the stage, the young wizards were in mixed emotions, surprise, and regret.


    "Professor Snape?" On the stage, Felix glanced at him.


    Snape shook his head expressionlessly, so Felix took a step forward and nudged himself with his wand, "Silence, young wizards--"


    "Our lesson will begin shortly."


    Felix spun in a circle in place, and the crowd became quiet wherever his eyes went.


    "Before we begin, there are a few things that need to be clarified in advance."


    Felix''s gaze remained calm, and his voice rang in the ears of every little wizard, "First, Professor Lockhart, who was originally in charge of the dueling program, has graciously entrusted the program to me and put me in full charge because of his busy personal affairs;"


    The young wizards whispered, "I don''t think so." Dean Thomas turned to Neville, "If you ask me, Lockhart is even more confused in the new semester; he can even forget his words in his acting lecture."


    "I think it''s because he''s been under a lot of stress these past few days, that''s how I am sometimes, when I get nervous my mind goes blank," Neville whispered.


    "That said, I was surprised that there was no Aurors to burst in and take him away."


    After a short pause, Felix continued, "Second, Professor Snape will be a special guest professor to provide guidance and advice throughout our dueling sessions;"


    The murmur from the stage got louder.


    "- As for the third, it''s about the dueling lessons itself, after discussing with Professor Snape, we agreed that the time and format of the lessons should be fixed. So from now on, this course will be held every two weeks, and it will be scheduled for the second Thursday of every month at eight o''clock in the evening."


    When the young wizards finished digesting this information, Felix waved his wand and the ceiling of the auditorium became dim, while at the same time, a milky white light like an upside-down bowl enveloped the stage and the figures of the young wizards.


    Some noisy chatter seemed to blend into the open field, becoming low and inaudible.


    "Now, we are officially going to start the lesson."


    Felix reached out and extended an invitation to Snape.


    In solemn silence, Snape said in his characteristic flat tone, "The wizard''s duel is a time-honoured tradition that has evolved over time, and after removing some bloody and barbaric rules, we have tamed it in a cage and made the duel a means to showcase the wizard''s own charms."


    Many of the young wizards noticed that in this setting, Professor Snape''s voice had a strange charm added to it.


    Ron whispered, "I''ve long been aware that Snape has a talent for telling ghost stories."


    "What did you say?" Hermione cocked her head. But then, somewhat unexpectedly, she found her voice becoming hazy and low.


    "It''s magic," Harry said, but the other two could only see him mouthing his words.


    "-but the basis of dueling remained, and there are many people who spend their lives understanding dueling as nothing more than foolishly waving their wands around like trolls, competing for the strength of their magic and the sound of their voices," said Snape, his eyes falling on the Gryffindor house young wizard with mockery.


    "But dueling itself is a sophisticated craft, and if you are willing to spend even a little time, you will realize that the International Wizard Dueling Congress publishes instructional books on the subject every few years."


    Snape took the rare opportunity today to explain his views on dueling, and although his words left the young wizards in a daze, they could sense Professor Snape''s attitude of respect for dueling.


    Halfway through, Snape couldn''t change his habit of secretly connoting a certain professor, saying, "Although Hogwarts doesn''t have the same tradition of focusing on dueling and battle magic as Durmstrang, much of it has been included in a course."


    Snape gently lifted his wand in his hand, his eyes stiffening as he gazed ahead and squeezed a few words out of his teeth, "Yeah, Defense Against the Dark Arts."


    "But this course has never worked as it should have over the years, which has made, for some students, incapable of judging even the most basic dangers."


    In a solemn and depressing atmosphere, many young wizards felt as if they were back in the classroom of the potion class.


    This professor always had the ability to bring the surrounding atmosphere under his control.


    Next, Felix clapped his hands and let the young wizards'' attention be focused on him.


    "Today''s lesson is Disarming Charm, we''ve already seen how it works in the first dueling lesson, a very useful spell."


    Felix counted some advantages of the Disarming Charm, "easy to learn, effective, low danger, no problem to use whether in daily practice or in some formal dueling situations."


    "Has anyone mastered this spell?"


    Sparsely the arms were raised, most of them were senior young wizards, "It''s quite a lower percentage than I expected." Felix shook his head.


    He called up a seventh-year Gryffindor student.


    "Professor Hap, my name is Abbott Blake." This pimple-faced student said excitedly, "I am going to apply for Auror in the Ministry of Magic, and have been preparing for this for two years."


    Felix''s mind became clear.


    Blake waved his wand at Felix''s gesture, and a red magic spell flashed, using a standard Disarming Charm.


    Next, he introduced in detail how to learn the Disarming Charm, and Blake, as a "teaching tool", let him repeatedly try to use the spell.


    Under his demonstration, many young wizards had the most basic understanding of the spell.


    "Next..."


    Felix waved his wand, and hundreds of parchments flew out from the suitcase in the corner, and they flew precisely in front of each of the young wizards.


    Harry nimbly picked up one, and his scalp exploded a little as he looked at the dense introduction and categorization on it.


    He looked at the stage as Professor Hap said, on cloud nine, "I don''t think you can learn a single spell in these two short hours; in fact, it would be beyond my expectation if ten of you managed to perform it."


    "What is on the parchment is for you to practice after class this way, and later I will explain how to use it."


    "Now, let''s have a formal practice."

 Chapter 93 - 93 Duel Class (2)

    "Little wizards, I need you to stand in the four directions of the stage according to your House." Felix waved his hand and lifted the magic that restricted the sound.


    The students off-stage were dumbfounded as Felix walked to one edge of the square gilded stage, "Slytherin, gather here!" He then walked to the other sideline, "Ravenclaw, gather here!"


    "Gryffindor, gather here!"


    "Hufflepuff, gather here!"


    As Felix walked around the stage, all the young wizards understood what the professor meant, and they quickly moved.


    "Ginny, this way!"


    Ron shouted at his sister, and Harry looked over at the sound to find Ginny holding hands with a Ravenclaw girl, stuck motionlessly in place.


    The girl had a strange necklace around her neck, seemingly strung with some sort of corks, and her long, light blonde hair dishevelled in a mess.


    She, like Ginny, didn''t move at all, and Harry even thought that she didn''t seem to be thinking clearly, and at the moment glaring at the young wizards who kept passing her by.


    Ron squeezed past, with Harry and Hermione close behind.


    "Ginny, come on. Uh ... this?" Ron looked at the Ravenclaw girl in front of him.


    "I''m her new friend," the girl''s eyes slid over him, pausing briefly in front of Harry before finally resting on Hermione.


    "I know you, a lot of people say that you should be sorted into Ravenclaw." Her eyes settled on Hermione.


    "Is that so? I think Gryffindor is fine." Hermione replied.


    Harry and Ron looked at each other and Harry said cautiously, "I think we should hurry ..."


    Most of the young wizards took up their positions, which made their small group rather conspicuous.


    Even Professor Hap had looked over.


    Ron tugged Ginny up to a trot and the girl suddenly said, "Luna, Luna Lovegood. My name."


    Harry, who is running at the end of the line, had to stop and introduce himself to her, "Uh, I''m Harry Potter."


    "I know you." The girl named Luna said.


    Harry muttered, "Really?" The scene in front of him is a bit awkward, he hurriedly said, "See you later!" And with that, he went after his friend.


    Luna arrived unhurriedly at the Ravenclaw''s location, and she waved at Ginny on the other side.


    "Who''s that?" Ron asked Ginny.


    "My new friend," Ginny said a little sheepishly as she saw Harry staring at her as well, "Our two families are actually very close to each other, but separated by a mountain."


    " That Hill?" Harry asked, intrigued. He had been to Ron''s house this year and had learned from the twins that one of their dreams as children, according to Fred, was to "fly over the Hill on a toy broomstick".


    Ginny glanced up quickly at Harry and whispered, "A little further north, their house is on top of a hill."


    On stage, Felix withdrew his eyes and muttered: Luna, and the little red-haired witch, is that the youngest daughter of the Weasleys?


    When the last little witch had taken her place, Felix spoke, "Next we need to practice in pairs, and you can choose your own pair, preferably in the same year."


    The young wizards once again moved, and Felix and Snape stepped off the stage, straightening out the disorganized group.


    "Teams of two, five meters apart."


    Like a gliding bat, Snape floated silently behind Harry and Ron, who were chatting away at the moment. Snape rolled up his sleeves and slapped his hands hard on both heads, "Focus, you two."


    Harry and Ron grimaced as they watched Snape''s back as he left, and Ron asked in disbelief, "How does he manage to walk without a sound?"


    Five minutes later, the young wizards were lined up in an orderly fashion.


    "Everyone looks at me and recite the spell with me." Felix, who had re-entered the stage, said, "Be careful not to point your wand at your partner, the wand should be swung in small swings and then stabbed out quickly, like this-"


    "Expelliarmus!"


    On the stage, a dazzling red light like a searing lightning bolt flew out from the wand in Professor Hap''s hand.


    The young wizards in all directions on the stage shouted in unison, "Expelliarmus!"


    "Very well, continue."


    "Expelliarmus!"


    "Watch the angle of your wands, continue!"


    "Expelliarmus!"


    "Very well," said Felix, "next is the theoretical knowledge about magic spells, I will only talk about the most important ..."


    After about twenty minutes, the young wizards waving their wands back-forth, despite still none of them succeeded.


    Felix and Snape whispered two words, he spoke: "Little wizards, take out the parchment you were just given."


    The young wizards took out the parchment in uncertainty.


    "-Professor Snape and I exchanged opinions, your questions mainly focus on the following seven, I will go through them all, and you can compare yourselves."


    " Blake, please come up here, I need your cooperation."


    After twenty minutes of speaking, Felix''s mouth got a little dry, but he knew in his heart that his advice could only work for some schoolmasters, while most of the young wizards would learn magic mainly by "feeling" and "repetition".


    So for the next half hour, he and Snape kept walking through the crowd, giving specific pointers.


    "Miss Page, you are not decisive enough in stabbing your wand, think about how I just demonstrated, and look at the seventh article on the parchment."


    "Mr. Warren, your spell pronunciation is not standard. Yes, the incantation is non-essential, but that will take you to master it."


    "This ... one, your name is Neville Longbottom? You''re too nervous, confidence is important! Imagine you successfully performing the spell, yes, I suggest you picture it in your head twenty times."


    Every ten minutes, he called up a few wizards with typical errors to the stage to demonstrate, and Felix found that showing mistakes was more effective than showing them correctly - at least, a number of the young wizards realized they had made the same mistakes after laughing at them.


    "Thank you, Neville, your issue is very representative. Also, five extra points for Gryffindor."


    "And you, Miss Vera, you''re so rigid, everyone, don''t laugh, if Miss Vera showed a tenth of her talent in ancient magic texts, she would absolutely amaze you. Ravenclaw plus five points."


    "Marcus ... Anyway, let''s not imitate him, let''s at least thank him for his courage, Slytherin plus five points."


    Felix wiped his sweat, the problem with guidance wasn''t terrible, what was terrible was how you could try to preserve the little wizards'' self-esteem and compliment them differently.


    ''I should prepare compliments and write down all the reasons I can think of. That way I won''t have to think of them on the spot. .....a compliment.''


    Finally, an hour and a half after the dueling session had started, a fifth-year young wizard succeeded.

 Chapter 94 - 94 Duel Class (3)

    Felix breathed a sigh of relief in his mind, at last, one success.


    Coming up to the stage, praising, adding points, a set of processes went down, Felix felt that even if there is only one successful example, the class is considered a success.


    But soon, a second, third, and fourth young wizard stepped forward to show the professor his own Disarming Charm.


    "Very good!" Felix complimented against his will as he watched a seventh-year male wizard cast a very slim charm.


    Felix thought to himself: they need encouragement, they need encouragement ...


    Snape slowly paced over and said in a sarcastic tone, "They were able to succeed because they were exposed to similar spell casting techniques and theories in other classes. In fact, I never expected any student below the fifth-year level to grasp the spell in this class."


    "We''ll see, Professor."


    Snape crooked his lips and said, "Class is over in a quarter-hour ..."


    Just then, a Disarming Charm caught the attention of the two.


    "That''s ... Hufflepuff, who is it?" Felix turned around, the four people who had managed to get in front of him, there was no Hufflepuff''s little wizard yet, which made him unable to even think about treating them all equally.


    The little wizards from Hufflepuff House automatically parted a path, and they gleefully shouted a name in unison, "Cedric! Cedric! Cedric!"


    A tall, thin male wizard stepped forward, his face slightly pale, handsome, and wearing a Hufflepuff House robe.


    "Diggory, please come to the stage, and let''s applaud the first fourth year to learn the Disarming Charm! Hufflepuff plus twenty points." Felix recognized the face - Cedric Diggory, the top of the fourth year rank.


    Katie Bell, next to Hermione, stood on tiptoe, her eyes constantly following his figure.


    "You know him?" Hermione asked.


    "Of course! He''s the Seeker of the Hufflepuff team, and Wood thinks highly of him as having a chance to take over the position of captain next year. And don''t you think he''s good-looking?" Katie Bell said.


    " Is he?" Hermione glanced at him.


    Ron whispered quietly into Harry''s ear, "So, he''s your rival?"


    Harry nodded, a little frustrated as he looked at the red sparks on his wand.


    "That guy is really popular," Ron said with some envy as he looked in the direction of Hufflepuff House, the young wizards hopping up and down and applauding enthusiastically.


    On the gilded stage, Diggory stood next to Felix, who found him surprisingly only one head shorter than himself, standing nearly five feet six inches tall.


    "Diggory, you haven''t learned the Disarming Charm before, right?"


    "Yes, Professor Hap."


    "Tell me, how did you master this spell?" Felix asked encouragingly.


    "Professor, every few minutes I practiced, I looked up my issues with the notes on top of the parchment. The one mentioned above about the spellcasting mindset helped me a lot."


    "Is that the part about confidence?" Felix asked.


    "No, it''s the phrase ''aim to disarm, not to harm''." Cedric said.


    Felix got it, "Understanding the spell intent correctly is very important for us to practice magic spells. At least in the early stages of learning magic, we are bound to mobilize an abundance of emotional power."


    The rest of the day passed with both Felix and Snape working, but only seven young wizards had learned the Disarming Charm until five minutes before the end of the lesson.


    The young wizards below the fourth year don''t bother mentioning them, after all, they still have various shortcomings, and it is difficult to make a leap forward in just two hours. But those young wizards who are close to graduation in the sixth or seventh year are also performing very mediocre.


    Most of them, merely let the tip of their wands shoot out a cluster of red sparks.


    And this, even some excellent young wizards of lower grades could do.


    Felix secretly jotted down a list of names: The Twins, Cho Chang, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Alicia Spinnet, Draco Malfoy, Eddie Carmichael, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, and Hannah Abbott.


    These individuals were young wizards in the second to fourth years, yet they showed extraordinary magical gifts and were the best of the different houses.


    In the last five minutes, Felix paused the session and regrouped the young wizards.


    He waved his wand, causing the ceiling of the auditorium to return to its original state and the milky white light to turn into stars. Many little wizards felt in a daze that they seemed to have experienced a real dream.


    "At the end of the dueling session, I need to remind you-" Felix swept his gaze over, seeming to see each one of them.


    "Time in class is always limited, you must devote more energy to practicing your magic spells, don''t complain about your lack of effort once when you are in danger."


    Felix waved his wand and from the suitcase in the corner once again flew out hundreds of materials, each made up of four sheets of parchment glued together.


    Harry opened the information in front of him, and it was written in dense handwriting.


    "-This is the details of the ¡äDisarming Charm¡ä, including various casting techniques and dismantling the objectives. You can follow the list of entries in class and compare them one by one, and if you come across any parts that are really difficult to understand, you can seek help from your professors or senior students."


    "There are also some tables in here that are very informative for you to judge your level of spell casting, and I need you to return them to me before the next class." Felix blinked his eyes and stated the key points of his concern.


    With Felix''s character, of course, he had to collect some research data while teaching.


    Certain data - such as how ''a certain'' little wizard learned the Disarming Charm - was not really important, as it was not typical in nature. But when the number of little wizards expanded to a hundred or a thousand times, with a large enough sample, the information that the data could give back is highly appealing to him.


    "Professor, is it still necessary to complete this for those who have already learned the Disarming Charm?" A seventh year male wizard asked Reluctantly.


    "Learned?" Felix made a puzzled expression.


    "Yes, I have learned the Disarming Charm, take a look - Expelliarmus!" He waved his wand, and a slim red light flew out from the tip.


    Felix and the young wizards watched as the red light flew over a distance of about ten meters and slowly disappeared in mid-air.


    The little wizard looked at him rather smugly.


    Felix pondered for two seconds, since the lesson is over, there is nothing wrong with him hitting the student egos appropriately, right?


    So he looked back and said calmly, "I am going to save this part for the next class, but since I have this opportunity-"


    He waved his arm and his wand stabbed forward like a sharp sword, and a wrist-thick magic spell shot out, spanning half of the Great Hall and hitting the castle wall straight on.

 Chapter 95 - 95 Three Broomsticks

    The spell glowed like a red sunset, reflecting on the faces of every young wizard.


    The spell made a crackling sound, and a dozen twisted, tiny snakes like crimson arcs of lightning emerged from the castle walls.


    These ''snakes'' extended to several nearby armour, and the lances and blades in their hands were released one by one.


    " Snip snip snip!"


    The lance sharp blades cut an arc in midair and smashed into the open space in front of Felix, puncturing several deep craters in the makeshift gilded stage.


    The male wizard: "..." A confused look appeared on his face, as if he was in a dream.


    Who am I? Where am I? What have I done?


    Why should I see this?


    Felix put away his wand, facing the silent students below, he said in a relaxed tone: "The same magic spell, made by different wizards, the result may be completely different - this truth I am planning to wait for you to have a certain understanding of the dueling, and then find an appropriate time to tell you. "


    "However, it doesn''t seem too early now." He added.


    The young wizards were as cold as if they had swallowed a dozen icy candies.


    This professor, are you seriously not hitting the student''s confidence? Look at that male wizard''s expression is all silly ...


    " Professor, how did you do it, sir?" Abbott Blake asked, his heart is now somewhat collapsed, influenced by his family determined to become an Auror, he has been working hard in this direction since childhood, mastering a lot of dueling spells.


    Even his uncle, who works as an Auror, praised him for his talent, but now he is in self-doubt.


    Was his decision too hasty? The world outside might be more dangerous than he had imagined. At least, he and Professor Hap were only three or four years apart, but he didn''t think he could pull off the Disarming Charm to this extent in three or four years.


    Not in his lifetime!


    What makes him confident that he will become an Auror and fight the Dark Sorcerer? He wouldn''t be hammered by a Dark Wizard by that time, would he?


    With all kinds of thoughts spinning in his head, Professor Hap comforted him at the right time by saying, "Mr. Blake, you need to switch your thinking-"


    "For common magic spells, such as life magic, it is enough to simply know how to use them; but for magic spells that can protect you, you need to put in a lot of time and effort, and you should pay more attention to them than you can."


    "As far as I know, rookie Aurors go through rigorous training, such as the Protego spell, a spell that they may practice thousands of times over and over again." Felix looked at him, "But this is after you became an Auror, at your age, your spell is already quite good."


    Blake fell into deep thought, he thought about how he was always so near victory, when he practiced against his uncle, and how it seemed that he could beat him with a little effort.


    But for the past two years, he had always missed by "a little". He suddenly realized that becoming an Auror is not as easy as he thought.


    "Thank you, Professor Hap," Blake said to Felix.


    On the other side, Cedric Diggory raised his arm and asked, "Professor, can we also achieve something like this through repeated practice?"


    Many young wizards had a hopeful gleam in their eyes, Professor, if you say we can, we will definitely brush up the exp.


    Snape scoffed at the question, but he is equally curious as to how Felix would reply.


    "Well ... this question doesn''t have a good answer, the power of the magic spell involves a lot of elements, when you go back and carefully read the study materials in hand, you will have some understanding of my words."


    "I found that in fact, most people do not have high requirements for themselves, just barely enough to use."


    "But on top of ''barely usable'', there is the skilful use, the silent casting, the wandless casting of spells, and the tweaking to match personal habits ..." Felix shook his head. "There are too many techniques to figure out."


    Felix clapped his hands, "Well, this part I will expand in detail in the next lesson. That concludes our lesson for today."


    The young wizards left the Great Hall as if they had lost their souls, the impact of Professor Hap''s last spell tonight was too great for them to imagine that the same spell could be done by different people differently.


    Professor Snape walked over, and he said, slightly surprised and reserved, "Felix, I didn''t expect you to be so selfless."


    Felix did not say anything.


    Was he really being selfless? No. The contents of the parchment were merely the minimum requirements to ensure that they learned the magic spell, and it had absolutely no effect on him.


    Even if he would later select some elites to teach more advanced knowledge, but how many of them could learn?


    He did not fear the emergence of geniuses; on the contrary, Felix expected the emergence of Such, sufficiently dazzling young wizards.


    His strength never lies in a single magic spell.


    So Felix said teasingly, "Professor, maybe I''m trying to gain their favour and cultivate my own force!"


    Snape''s expression suddenly stiffened, he did not budge to gauge Felix, to judge the truth of these words.


    "Ahem, don''t be nervous, I was just kidding."


    ...


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking back, Ron holding the ''disarm spell'' information in his hand said, "This stuff really works?"


    "Of course, I learned light metamorphosis in the same way," Hermione said, wearing a knitted hat.


    Harry asked her, "Do we have to fill out all kinds of forms as you did then?"


    Hermione had to explain: "That is to let us know more accurately our shortcomings, for targeted practice. Harry, I see you''re getting closer to success."


    "Just a few sparks released," Harry said with some frustration.


    "Oh Harry, this is a sign that the Disarming Charm is about to succeed, it''s mentioned in the information, maybe you''ll succeed next time," Hermione said to him.


    The little witch''s words made Harry feel better, maybe he should go back and try harder?


    On Friday morning, the impact of the second dueling lesson is still brewing.


    But there already were a lot of little wizards saying that "Professor Hap blew up a section of the Great Hall wall with a disarming spell", which made Felix notice at lunchtime that some of the little wizards who didn''t go to class were looking at him strangely.


    But luckily, it was soon time for the weekend.


    Felix accepted an invitation from Professors Filius and McGonagall to a small gathering at the Three Broomsticks.


    When he walked into the bar, he was surprised to find that Snape is also there.


    "Felix, come here." Filius stood on a chair and greeted him warmly, "We were just discussing Damocles Belby."


    Felix sat down, and he asked curiously, "The news is announced? I mean, about the Wolfsbane potion."


    "Did you know about it, as well?" After receiving an affirmative reply, Professor Filius said with some emotion.


    "Belby was so outstanding when he was in school that I actually suggested him to go in the direction of spells, although he ended up choosing potions - he was well-liked by Professor Slughorn back then."

 Chapter 96 - 96 Communication

    Looking at Felix with a thoughtful expression, Filius explained, "Slughorn is the former head of Slytherin House, and like Severus, he teaches potions."


    Felix nodded, he and this master of potions did not cross paths, have only heard the name, once in a while.


    Filius said, "It is said that he is leading a fulfilling retirement life, which is certainly true, he had a very high quality of life during his teaching at Hogwarts."


    "Professor Filius--"


    "Felix, you can call me just by my name." Professor Filius waved his hand, "We''re already colleagues, right?"


    "That''s ... fine, Filius," Felix said.


    "Same here, Felix, no need to be so polite when we''re in private." Professor McGonagall said.


    So Felix addressed her, "Minerva." The Transfiguration professor smiled at him in a friendly manner.


    Then he turned his head to look at Snape, who looked back at him with an expressionless face, his eyes like he was looking at a stone.


    But Felix, who knew him best, trailed off and said, "Ah, Severus ..."


    Snape''s lips quivered with anger.


    Filius suddenly interested in the view outside the window, Professor McGonagall surveyed the interior decoration with interest.


    They both had smile in their corners of eyes.


    This awkward atmosphere did not last long when a curvaceous woman with a fine face approached.


    "A small glass of champaign drink-"


    "For me." Professor McGonagall''s voice came out.


    "A soda of Cherry Juice with ice and umbrella snails-"


    "Mmm! Thanks, Rosmerta." Professor Filius said, smacking his lips.


    "A glass of water--"


    Snape took it in silence.


    Ms. Rosmerta looked at the newly added Felix, "What would you like, this guest, oh wait, you''re Felix Hap?"


    Felix looked at her suspiciously.


    He did come to the ''Three Broomsticks'' when he was in school, but never spoke to her except to order a drink.


    Rosmerta looked at him, "Mr. Hap, you don''t know how famous you were when you were in school. There were a lot of people sitting around discussing your exploits ..."


    Felix quipped about himself, "Not in a good way, I guess?"


    "No, there were a lot of people who admired you." She didn''t specify, but gave a light laugh: "Besides, good and bad reputations are a pair of inseparable best friends - inviting one of them as a guest always inevitably brings the other along with it. What would you like to order?"


    "A butterbeer, I''m used to that."


    Filius extended an invitation, "You too, ma''am, sit with us."


    Rosmerta looked at the few scattered tables in the tavern, "All right, thank you."


    In a few moments, she returned and handed Felix a glass of butterbeer.


    Rosmerta sat in the empty seat next to him, with a glass of gin in front of her.


    The lady had long fingers and took a few sips, and she gave a reminiscent expression: "In all of my years of running the tavern, my greatest pleasure has been observing the conversations of the customers, certainly not eavesdropping, on occasions like this, they would say little in confidence ..."


    "We understand what you mean."


    "Yes, a generation of young wizards come and go, and only the best ones leave their names to be remembered. Let''s see, the most famous one in recent years is definitely Mr. Hap, but there are actually some others ..."


    Rosmerta named one: "Bill Weasley, he would have been in your class?" She looked to Felix.


    "That''s right."


    "As I recall, he got twelve distinctions on the OWLs, something that was talked about at the time." Rosmerta said, "And his brother, who apparently was captain of the Quidditch school team, later ran off to raise dragons."


    Professor McGonagall scowled, she had always been upset about it, "He should have joined the national team, Charlie had the potential."


    "But that''s not what he wanted, Minerva," Filius said, "as professors, we should be proud of him."


    "I do-" McGonagall reddened and stammered, "I just feel bad that the national team hasn''t had any good talent these past few years."


    She had always been a big fan of Quidditch.


    "There''s also a little girl named Tonks who is a pretty good metamorphmagus." Rosmerta said, "Come to think of it, many of them are little Gryffindor wizards."


    Filius said with some embarrassment, "Ravenclaw has a lot of good graduates, too."


    Rosmerta winked, "Of course. They are active in a wide range of professions and are well-deserved of the best of the best."


    Snape grunted, "Ms. Rosmerta, I should remind you that Slytherin has the lowest number of people, yet has won the most House Cups."


    "Severus! Last year''s House Cup belonged to Gryffindor, and the odds are that this year as well--" Professor McGonagall countered him irritably.


    Snape gave a low "snort".


    Seeing some heads have a tendency of quarrelling, Rosmerta hurriedly said: "Each house has a lot of excellent students, this is true. By the way, what were you guys talking about?"


    Filius also played the role as he answered, "We were talking about Damocles Belby, Severus, you should have seen the recipe of the Wolfsbane Potion, right?"


    "I saw it, it''s brilliantly composed, but I don''t see the use of learning about this type of potion."


    "At least it solves the werewolf problem, doesn''t it?"


    "From a political standpoint - it does, fills a void." Snape gave his usual mocking expression, "But unless the price of the potion can be reduced to less than seven gold galleons, it''s not as useful at all as a single lock."


    In the wizarding world, werewolves are basically synonymous with poverty, and no one wants to hire them. So werewolves either stayed isolated from the pack or kept company with evil.


    In other words, at the current cost, not many werewolves can afford them.


    "As far as the effect is concerned, the wolfsbane potion can only ease the pain during the full moon transformation and keep the werewolf sane, but it can''t cure the lycanthropy," Felix said, these are what he learned from his correspondence with Damocles Belby.


    Professor McGonagall smacked her lips, "But that''s not bad, if back then--" She glanced at Snape and stopped talking.


    She thought of her former student, Remus Lupin, who is also a werewolf, only the relationship between Lupin and Snape is not good, one might even say, awful.


    Rosmerta, though curious, wisely did not pursue the matter, the chat continued, and after a while, she got up to greet other guests.


    For the next hour, several professors discussed their respective courses of lectures.


    Felix talked about the dueling course that had just ended, and he expressed his regret at the overall level of the young wizards. He said, "The Disarming Charm is not really difficult, but very few have mastered it."


    Filius, after detailed inquiries, offered a different idea.


    "Felix, they probably just don''t understand the whole concept of dueling. If you ask me, pick a senior at random, and the number of little vile spells he knows will exceed your expectations."


    Felix froze for a moment, an observation he hadn''t thought of before. When he was in school, he was completely uninterested in little vile spells that were of little use.


    "You mean, they don''t know the Disarming Charm because they don''t understand the need of this spell?"


    "Or rather, don''t value it. After all, the effect of this spell does not please the little wizards." Filius is an experienced professor of charms, and he knows the mentality of little wizards very well: "Only those little vile spells with exaggerated and hilarious effects are their favourites."


    Filius snapped his fingers, "Trip spell, pimple spell, itchy spell, sticky spell, snotty spell ... too many. Despite the school''s explicit prohibition, these spells have been passed down from one term to the next in the hands of young wizards."


    Felix said knowingly, "Perhaps I should tell the little wizards the difference between dueling spells and little vile spells. Severus, what do you think?"


    Snape didn''t say anything, but that would imply consent.


    Filius then asked Felix if he could be included in the next dueling session.


    "I was a dueling champion when I was younger." He said with some embarrassment, "Don''t worry, it''s just one lesson. I just want to share my experience with the young wizards."


    Felix looked at Filius and said pleasantly, "Of course, Filius."


    Professor McGonagall couldn''t help but interject as well, "If you don''t mind, Felix, I would also like to show the young wizards the application of transfiguration in dueling."

 Chapter 97 - 97 Confession And Help

    When Felix returned to the castle, he had a satisfied smile on his face.


    With multiple professors on board, his dueling lessons were growing stronger and stronger. Perhaps, the follow-up can pull the other professor in for fun?


    Especially that afternoon, when he received a short letter from the owl, ''White Fresh'' -


    "Dear Felix Hap, my award ceremony is scheduled on February 4, at 10 a.m. (Saturday), the venue is located on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, Room 3 (to the left of the Wizengamot Affairs Office), you are kindly invited to observe the ceremony - Damocles Belby"


    Felix wrote a reply letter, mentally gauging the time, there is still about half a month.


    In the evening, after Felix finished tutoring Hermione Granger''s magic text lesson, he handed the little witch a glass of pumpkin juice.


    Generally speaking, after the magic text lesson, his little assistant will spend some time in his office, on the one hand, to relieve the exhaustion in the thinking room, on the other hand, also to talk about some interesting topics, or answer some questions.


    Today, they talked about Gilderoy Lockhart.


    Hermione held a cup and asked, "Professor, what do you think of Lockhart?"


    "How do I think about him?"


    "Just what do you think of him as a person, in terms of lecturer, author, whatever ..."


    Felix glanced at Hermione, his assistant had been on duty for a little over half a year, he knew some of her speaking habits very well. Right now is one way, she is ready to extract Intel.


    "Professor Lockhart is a very talkative person, very expressive, quite different from me in that respect, despite the fact that we are both writers."


    Hermione pressed, "And what do you think of his books? You must have read his books, right?"


    "I did read it," Felix said: "Not much use to me, but for students, those who deal with danger, the method of detecting danger is still has a lot of reference value."


    "In fact, I rather appreciate his approach of incorporating knowledge into a story, maybe I''ll imitate it later." Felix looked at Hermione with interest, her eyebrows furrowed.


    "But--" she stammered, "don''t you think he writes a completely different version of him than he ever showed in class, there''s a strong sense of separation from the book?"


    "Perhaps," Felix judged non-committally, "it''s obvious that there are elements of fiction and ambiguity in his book, but we can only accuse him of being immoral, but at least he did a lot of research when he wrote it."


    "But what if," Hermione said nervously, a thin bead of sweat dipping out of her face, "what if he stole his story from someone else''s brain?"


    There is silence in the office for a few seconds-


    "That''s a very serious accusation, Miss Granger, and if your claim is valid, then the person who committed that act is going to be put in Azkaban," Felix said seriously.


    "Granger, I need proof."


    Hermione shuddered and pulled out a crumpled wad of parchment from her robes.


    "This is ... this is what we found from Professor Lockhart''s office." She said, with some difficulty, it was Ron who had done this, but she and Harry had decided unanimously that they couldn''t put the blame on Ron alone.


    Felix gave her a somewhat surprised look, he understood somewhat why his assistant was assigned to Gryffindor, this was one angsty, feisty witch.


    Whenever you don''t understand, you break into the professor''s office.


    When you think about it, it was truly a foresight to place the Vine of Binding at the door every time he left his office.


    He looked over the information, and the name on it made him pay extra attention, "Record of the Armenia Interview with the Old Wizard (Remarks: Werewolf Adventures)."


    "How come it''s in two handwritings?" He flipped through it roughly at first and quickly noticed the problem.


    A total of two dozen or so parchments, most of which were in Hermione''s own neat handwriting, and only three pages were in a different kind of handwriting.


    "We, I ..." Hermione swallowed hard, it would be a difficult thing for her to say in person how she had broken the school rules.


    "Take your time, I''m listening," Felix said.


    "The thing is, Ron had been in confinement in Lockhart''s office, his punishment is copying fan letters, and he found a hidden file, realized something is wrong, and smuggled back three pages. From the content of these three pages of materials, we determined that Lockhart''s book might not be his own personal experience, but a stolen story of someone else."


    "We decided that we should secretly collect evidence and investigate the truth."


    Felix listened calmly.


    "-In the following week, Ron took the opportunity of confinement and kept pulling portions from the material."


    Felix is amazed at the boldness of these guys, "So he wasn''t found out by Lockhart?" Professor Lockhart would not be a fool, right?


    "Lockhart he is not in good shape recently, his memory is very poor, and his speech is upside down. Moreover, after we obtained a few sheets of material during the day, we would quickly copy them down and return the original manuscript the next day ..."


    "These three original pages, which we think are more important evidence of Lockhart''s theft of the story!"


    Felix didn''t know whether to applaud their careful layout or to criticize it. His own words to make them study at ease were not taken into account at all.


    He drew out three pages of the original manuscript and immediately recognized what was on it as words recorded with a professional shorthand quill.


    These shorthand quills are very characteristic, they usually record the text according to the owner''s thoughts, and will also distort, modify the dialogue, and add descriptions of gestures and actions.


    Felix had seen how good this stuff could be in Rita Skeeter''s house.


    He looked at it carefully -


    Crooked Mouth Wizard: My head hurts a little, as if a spoon is constantly digging into my brain, what''s wrong with me?


    (Draconian) Adventurer: It''s normal, here, have some juice, it''s good for you.


    The crooked-mouthed wizard painfully drank the juice laced with an unknown magic potion.


    (Draconian) Adventurer: Let''s continue the story about the werewolf, you''ve talked a lot about it in the bar in the past two days, have you forgotten? I bought you quite a few drinks. But I want to know more details ... By the way, can I look at your memory later? After all, a clever woman can''t cook without rice, readers need immersive stories.


    Crooked Mouth Wizard: I don''t know, something is wrong, something is wrong ...


    (Draconian) adventurer: How? Please look at me, I can help you.


    The adventurer raised his wand.


    Felix finished reading the three pages of parchment with a solemn face, things were more serious than he thought.


    He sorted out the general logic: Lockhart found the target in the tavern, he spent a few days to set up a conversation, or rather, to become friends with the unlucky guy, and then, either by sneaking or drugging, in short, he took control of the target.


    After that, Lockhart used memory spells or something like a Veritaserum to get the whole story.


    "What do you expect me to do?" Felix asked calmly.


    "Naturally, expose him for whom he really is," Hermione said without thinking.


    "What''s on a shorthand quill doesn''t usually count as evidence, but," Felix smiled, "once we know what he''s doing, things will work out just fine."


    "I will convey to Headmaster Dumbledore, with his ability, it will be handled properly. If it is not feasible, I can also take some less appropriate measures."


    Hermione wanted to say something.


    "Is there anything else?" Felix asked.


    "Professor, it''s Ron''s trouble, and we need your help."

 Chapter 98 - 98 Handling

    Felix got serious: "What happened?"


    He even wondered if Ron had been discovered by Lockhart and taken away directly from the scene in one set.


    Lockhart is ultimately an adult wizard, and an adult wizard means that he has received seven years of a complete education in magic - even if his performance is ridiculously weak.


    But that doesn''t rule out the possibility that he is extremely well versed in a particular branch of magic.


    Hermione''s words put him at ease: "Ron is fine and unnoticed now. But at the confinement on Friday night, Lockhart was acting weird."


    "Weird?"


    "That''s right, Lockhart suddenly jumped up and cursed Rita Skeeter during the night, and Ron said that look was something he hadn''t witnessed before, with a very horrible expression." Hermione carefully said Ron''s description.


    In fact, Ron was on the verge of hysteria.


    Lockhart vented for ten minutes, warned Ron not to tell anyone about the whole bloody thing that happened at the day, and shooed him away.


    "Well ..." Felix pondered, from Lockhart''s recent weirdness to his own run-in with a panicked Rita Skeeter, and the bitter hatred Lockhart had shown for Skeeter last night... ...


    On the day after Christmas break, Minister Fudge visited the Basilisk, and he happened to bump into a flustered Rita Skeeter, who happened to be walking up from the underground of the castle, and in that direction, which happened to be where Lockhart''s office is located.


    He seemed to straighten out a line.


    And obviously, she had done something to Lockhart.


    It was possible that the two had talked it over and, afterward, they made a move.


    Lockhart''s memory is bad lately, his personality is Ansty, and his speech is upside down ...


    So, an after-effect of the Obliviate charm?


    Lockhart was under the Obliviate charm?


    This explains why after nearly a week, Rita Skeeter did not mention a word about that day in the newspaper, and even the nemesis Lockhart was spared easily.


    He himself only hinted at her not to bring the rhythm and distort the facts, but that didn''t stop her from finding trouble with Lockhart.


    That''s not that woman''s style.


    "So, Weasley going to confinement tonight?" Felix caught the point.


    From the way Lockhart was acting, it was clear that he had recovered his memory. If Ron went up to the door, it is hard to guarantee that nothing would happen.


    "No, he said he felt sick and took a leave of absence from Professor McGonagall," Hermione said.


    Felix nodded, this approach is still very clever.


    Whether it was the fact that Lockhart found out about Ron''s theft of materials, or that he thought Ron had seen too many secrets, there was the possibility of overreacting.


    "I see your point, I will communicate with Professor McGonagall and I will take charge of Weasley''s next confinement."


    "Professor, is that okay?" Hermione asked.


    "Of course, there is no mandatory rule on how confinement is to be carried out, as long as I come up with a proper reason, for example, I am in dire need of some young wizards to test out my new teaching aids." Felix blinked.


    "Some little wizards?" Hermione had doubts about the word ''some''.


    "Yeah, can''t make it too obvious, after all, the investigation will take some time. I''m going to ask all the little wizards who have been confined recently to come over."


    Felix showed a helpless expression.


    "Professor, you said the teaching aids it wouldn''t be that?" The little witch stared at him with wide eyes.


    "Oh, it''s the one you saw over Christmas break. But if you didn''t mention it, who knew when this had been completed unless I remembered it?" Felix smiled gently.


    Hermione suddenly felt that Professor Hap had smiled wickedly.


    When she left, Felix fell into deep thought.


    A few minutes later, he wrote his speculation on a piece of parchment and then waved his wand to summon his Patronus, a Rain Swallow.


    "Dumbledore, I think you need to see this."


    The tiny silver rain swallow carried the rolled-up parchment in its mouth and flew out the window with its wings fluttering.


    Felix leisurely tapped his fingers on the table, "Ta-da, ta-da." Just a few minutes later, a phoenix with golden-red feathers appeared abruptly in his room.


    In its paws, it grasped a small note that read -


    "Please give the materials to Fawkes and leave the rest to me."


    Sending Fawkes away, Felix looked curiously at the place where it had disappeared.


    The Phoenix truly deserved to be evaluated as a Class 4X magical creature, with all kinds of magical talents that made him very eager to study it.


    Early in the next morning, Felix found Professor McGonagall.


    When he mentioned that his research on new teaching aids was at a critical moment, and he needed the help of some students, Professor McGonagall showed great support.


    "Do you need me to arrange Gryffindor students to help?"


    "No, just give me all the young wizards who are currently confined, just so they can be involved in the process and learn something as well." Felix presented his idea.


    With almost no effort, Professor McGonagall agreed.


    She handed Felix a list, "This is the latest list of students in confinement, it''s all on it."


    Halfway through a garden, Felix ran into Percy Weasley, whom he happened to remember a little.


    "Professor Hap?" Percy looked at Felix a little sheepishly, and he was accompanied by a girl.


    "Mr. Weasley, Miss Clearwater. What are you doing?"


    This place is really a bit out of the way, and few people usually come.


    "Uh, Professor, Penelope and I... Clearwater and I are making the rounds and exercising our duties as Head of Grade." Percy stammered.


    "Can you guys do me a favour?" Felix looked at the young couple without stirring, without poking fun.


    "Sure!" Percy replied.


    Felix took out the list of students, "Help me notify each of the names on this sheet to the corresponding Head of Grade and have them come to my office tonight and for future confinements instead."


    Percy nodded and the two of them quickly left as if they were thieves.


    Gryffindor common room.


    Yesterday Ron had been hiding in his dormitory pretending to be sick, in order to make the effect more realistic, he resolutely acted as a test subject for the twins and took the enhanced version of ''ice rat'', his face turned iron blue.


    The whole person looked like he was buried in the ice for a few hours.


    As a result, he got really sick and spent the night in the clinic and just came back from the school clinic.


    Ron is wrapped up tightly, and he is sitting at a table with Harry and Hermione.


    Ron asked in a whisper, "Hermione, did Professor Hap really agree?"


    Hermione said helplessly, "You''ve asked seven times, for the last time, yes!"


    Ron said, "I really can''t figure out what happened to Lockhart that night?"


    Just as the few were discussing, Percy walked in.


    He came to the trio and passed a message of Professor Hap to Ron.


    "Great!"


    Ron jumped up in excitement, his own trouble just gone.


    Whether it is Lockhart himself, or Lockhart''s fans, he is finally rid of them all!


    Percy looked at his youngest brother in disbelief, thinking that isn''t he frozen silly by the twins, isn''t it confinement anywhere you go?


    And not a day less!

 Chapter 99 - 99 Testing

    At eight o''clock that evening, a row of young wizards stood in the office of the ancient magic text.


    Felix leaned against the table, rubbing his chin with one hand, "Well ..." he surveyed the mischievous characters.


    There are many familiar faces.


    A total of nine young wizards, surprisingly there are four redheads, Ron, the twins, and Ginny.


    The other five are Luna, Graham Montague, Marcus Flint, Eddie Carmichae, and Stebbins.


    " Four Houses in one package." Felix spoke up.


    "Let''s see, Fred, George, Graham, Marcus, the four of you, Pitch Fight;"


    "Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, sneaking into the forbidden forest to feed the little animals;"


    "Eddie Carmichae, selling prohibited potions"


    "Stebbins," Felix gave him an astonished look, "writing love letters to the same girl, well, hundreds of them;"


    "And of course, Ron Weasley, misbehaving and pushing the professor."


    Felix walked up to in front of them, this one has talent.


    "Professor, they started it." Fred said.


    "You''re the ones who spied on our team''s practice!" Graham Montague said, he is in the same year as the twins and is a Slytherin Chaser.


    "Don''t you guys do the same? Don''t tell me Warrington''s there for a walk!"


    Some other young wizards watched, and some scowled. The two youngest, Luna, fiddled with her butterbeer cork necklace with her fingers while staring hard at the bickering scene, while Ginny kept her head down in silence.


    "Quiet." Felix said, "Arguing doesn''t change the fact that you''re all standing in front of me."


    "You were brought here today to do some beta testing, and I need you to uncover as much as you can about what could be wrong with it."


    He glanced at everyone, "I think it''ll be more interesting than transcribing materials and dealing with weeds, at least."


    Felix moved his fingers and nine parchments flew before the young wizards from behind him.


    Fred looked at the parchment in his hand, it is rather exquisite workmanship, the surface is faintly covered with magic. In addition to a floral circle branded around, the central part is blank.


    "Oh, yes, you need some sort of makeshift table and chairs." Felix drew his wand and let the various small gadgets on the table pop and morph into a small table and small chairs.


    The nine young wizards sat in the chairs at the professor''s gesture; Marcus Flint, being the biggest, looked like a Gargoyle sitting on the floor, and Felix had to raise the size of the table and chairs for him.


    Others looked at the blank parchment.


    "Professor, what do we need to do?"


    Felix said, "The parchment in front of you is my new teaching aid, and all you have to do is answer the questions on it. Of course, before you can use the teaching aid, you need to activate it. To do that: hold your wand against the parchment and say the words ''I like ancient Magic Runes''."


    The young wizard sitting in the chair looked at the eloquent Professor Hap with a dull expression.


    The twins looked at each other instead, squeezing their eyebrows to express something.


    Ron raised his hand, "Professor Hap, I never studied ancient magic runes ... and Ginny and her friend."


    Felix said gently, " It does not matter, what you have in your hands at the moment is a beta version, there are not many questions on it about ancient magic runes, many of them are common knowledge in the wizarding world."


    He then looked at everyone, "You will notice that all the questions are multiple-choice, you just need to tap your wand on the answer you think is correct, and it will give you feedback."


    "This is going to be a fun process, so let''s get started, little wizards."


    Of the little wizards present, Luna felt the least psychologically burdened as she gleefully took out her wand and tapped on the parchment, "I love ancient magic runes."


    Under the gaze of several little wizards around her, a hazy bright light emitted from the parchment, followed by a line of text floating in the blank space.


    "Welcome to the answer space."


    A few seconds later, the words disappeared and the first question appeared.


    ''Do you prefer leaves or thorns?''


    Luna happily clicked on the option ''Leaves''.


    ''Do you prefer to explore, preserve, or perhaps provide service?''


    Luna''s wand tapped on the ''explore'' option.


    ''Do you prefer to think, feel or sense?''


    Luna thought for a few seconds and chose the ''Feel'' option.


    It dawned on the other young wizards that it didn''t look that hard, They couldn''t wait to start testing it out.


    There was an interlude in the middle when Fred subconsciously said, "I solemnly swear that-" as he tapped his wand on the parchment.


    But he was then promptly rebuked by George.


    "-- Oh, uh, I like ancient magic runes." Fred rounded off the words.


    Ron on the other side looked at him, a little uncertain, you like ancient magic runes that much? That you want to swear?


    But in any case, everyone started to answer the questions.


    Soon they found that the questions on it were not irregular, some were simple - either asking how you feel or some general knowledge of magic; but some were very difficult, involving knowledge of various subjects.


    Moreover, the feedback given by the parchment is different for different types of questions.


    For example, Ron was presented with a question, ''How do you deal with an encounter with a basilisk?''


    He confidently chose the option ''defeat it'' and also showed it to Ginny, resulting in a few large blood-red letters emerging on the parchment -


    "Your end is saddening, if there is a next time, run faster."


    Luna, who had come over to watch the fun, let out a string of lark-like laughter, and she laughed so hard she couldn''t catch her breath, and Ginny patted her on the back to soothe her.


    Ron looked a little upset.


    Marcus Flint was faced with mostly general knowledge questions about ancient magic runes, the first questions were relatively easy and the feedback he got from the parchment was "You''re great", "You''re the next magic rune expert", " Incredible triumph".


    Then he got seven questions wrong in a row, and Parchment''s evaluation of him went all the way down to "a little bad", "did you really study? ", "What''s on the other side of me, a troll?"


    His face darkened visibly.


    But the next question was about the history of magic, ''When was the International Statute of Secrecy Act signed into law?


    Marcus dwelled on it for a long time and chose the first answer, ''1637'', which was nothing else but pure obscurity.


    Several lines of exaggeratedly modelled figures appeared on the parchment, that of a couple of people beating up a large man who looked very much like a troll.


    Also appearing was the text explaining, ''The Secrecy Act signed into effect in 1689, if you do not want to be treated like a troll, remember!


    Marcus bristled, who doesn''t bother remembering this.


    Eddie Camilche answered almost all the questions about the consequences of trafficking prohibited potions.


    ''In 1927, the Dark Wizard Kambos sold inferior Baruffio''s Brain Elixirs, what happened afterward?''


    He looked at the options, ''was killed by another Dark Wizard when he was stocking the goods'', ''was imprisoned in Azkaban and sentenced to ten years, ''came out of it unscathed and made enough money to retire.


    Eddie Camilche chose the last option with great anticipation.


    Black and red writing appeared abruptly on the parchment, which looked as if it had been written in dried blood.


    ''Kambos was attacked by his partner while stocking up, and later captured by the Ministry of Magic Auror and sentenced to ten years in prison.''


    Eddie swallowed hard, but that wasn''t all. The next line was, " Kambos only spent seven years in Azkaban and passed away."


    Other young wizards encountered more or less this type of question-related to their confinement, and many of them were sweating at the end of the process.


    Behind the desk, Felix leaned back in the backrest of his chair, looking at the delicate scroll he was holding and smiling brightly.

 Chapter 100 - 100 Ginnys Testimony

    After almost half an hour, Felix got up from his chair and walked over to the little wizards.


    "Okay, little wizards, stop."


    The crowd looked up, and a few had cold sweat on their faces.


    Felix scanned the circle, "Now, tell me how do you feel."


    "I found it interesting, except for a few questions in the middle that came out a little weird," Luna said in an ethereal voice.


    "You mean-"


    "Just some questions about the Forbidden Forest," Luna thought for a moment, "like, ''You come to the Forbidden Forest because you''re curious and hear a clicking sound, and you turn around and see a large Eight-Eye Spider covered with thick black fur, what should you do next? ''"


    "Oh, your answer is?" Felix asked a question he had just added on the spot just now as well.


    "I chose ''say hello to it'', hi, Mr. Eight-Eyed Giant Spider."


    "Why didn''t you choose to run away?" Felix asked her.


    "But that''s the next step to take," Luna replied with a straight face as the other young wizards looked at her with shocked faces.


    Ron''s eyes were going to bulge out.


    "So, you''re thinking-" Felix said somewhat stiffly, "that when you run into an eight-eyed giant spider in the Forbidden Forest, you have to say hello first, then turn around and run away."


    Luna nodded, then added, "Actually, those two things can be done at the same time, depending on how fast it is chasing you."


    "Well, thank you for your answer, Miss Lovegood. But I wouldn''t recommend this, in fact, you shouldn''t have trespassed into the forbidden forest, especially when you were alone without a capable wizard."


    His gaze went to Ginny, the little girl who was obviously quite normal, and she bowed her head down sadly, as this is her first confinement in school.


    "What other insights anyone has to offer?"


    "Professor, George, and I think that the feedback from the parchment needs to be a little richer, we just tested it and there are only about twenty types at this point."


    "Oh? Keep talking." Felix asked with interest.


    Fred looked excited, as he couldn''t wait to say, "Professor, in addition to words, simple drawings, we can also add some penalty measures, such as spraying dark fumes, in fact, Stinky Liquid would be nice ..."


    "You can also add sound, if you get the answer wrong, you can hear Professor Flitwick''s voice: we are wizards, not curly-haired baboons wielding sticks!"


    The last sentence, said by Fred imitating Filius''s voice, caused a few young wizards with less than optimal brains, like Marcus, like Ron, to shiver uncontrollably.


    "What else?"


    "The textual feedback is also too gentle, the tone could be stronger, Professor, at this point George and I can help." Fred became very interested in this kind of thing, and he frantically introduced as much as he could to Felix.


    "Well ..." Felix imagined that if these suggestions were added to the list, I''m afraid the young wizards might have their minds explode, right?


    "The suggestion about the sound is not bad and has the possibility of being realized." Felix picked the most feasible suggestion and said.


    The atmosphere gradually warmed up.


    "Professor, maybe we can add scoring, so we can visually see our level." Eddie Camilche said, always a good grader, albeit somehow a smartass.


    "That makes sense."


    "Professor Hap, can we add our names?" Ginny said after a moment of hesitation.


    "Name?"


    "It''s the part at the beginning where you can write something like ''Welcome Ginny Weasley to Answer Space'' ..." Her voice was getting lower and lower, and she didn''t seem too proud of it, her cheeks as much as her hair turning fiery red.


    "A very good suggestion."


    "Professor, can we add the logo of different houses?"


    "Professor, can we get a list of the highest scores? Different houses can compete, like the House Cup?"


    "Professor, can we see how other students have answered the questions?"


    "Professor, is it possible to categorize the questions? Like ancient magic runes, history of magic, potions, Herbology, general knowledge, etc."


    ...


    The nine young wizards were talking about everything, and it developed to the point that they started to argue within themselves about which function is more important.


    Felix''s expression became increasingly strange, how did all these features add up and become somewhat similar to a latter-day knowledge game app?


    Divided categories, Q&A features, leaderboards, friendship options, confrontation mechanisms, custom skins ...


    But I just want to make a teaching aid for the ancient magic class, right?


    Why do I need all these features? Besides, it may not be feasible ...


    After thinking about it, Felix said: "You guys write down your ideas and try to refine them, and I will add them selectively. Mr. Ron Weasley, please come with me for a moment."


    Ron pointed to himself and got a clear response, so he followed Professor Hap to the corner of the office.


    "Weasley, tell me specifically about Lockhart''s performance ... on that night."


    After almost ten minutes, Ron finished telling him about what happened.


    "Very well, I have already passed the information to Headmaster Dumbledore, and with the materials, you have provided, Lockhart will soon receive the punishment he deserves."


    "But before that, I must warn you solemnly, the same words I said to Miss Granger, do not contact with Lockhart in private, and when you feel danger, immediately seek out any professor you can see."


    "Did I make myself clear enough?"


    Ron looked at Professor Hap with a grim expression, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and nodded his head repeatedly.


    "Very well, you can go back, and by the way, ask your sister to come here for a while."


    "Ginny? What''s wrong with her?" Ron asked with concern.


    "Just a few minor concerns," Felix said evasively.


    Soon, Ginny Weasley came to him in a formal manner.


    "Hello, Miss Weasley, we''ve met a few times before, but it''s only now we''re officially acquainted."


    " Well, hello, Professor Hap."


    "Let''s get right to the point, I''d like to know where the diary you had in your hand came from?"


    Ginny looked up in shock, her eyes wide, "Profess... Professor, what did you mean?"


    Felix calmly looked into her eyes, "We''ve met a few times before, like near Hagrid''s cabin, like near the girls'' lavatory, do I need to explain any more?"


    He didn''t mention the most crucial piece of evidence, which is the information Luna had provided, lest damper the friendship between them.


    Ginny''s lips quivered as if she wanted to say something, and Felix waited quietly.


    After about a minute--


    Tears welled up in her bright brown eyes, but she finally mustered the courage to admit, "Professor, I don''t know ... I was just writing in it, that diary, it, is it really connected to the Chamber of Secrets?"


    "You don''t know anything about it?"


    "I''m not sure, at first I was just writing in the diary, and it responded to me. It was sweet and helped me out with advice, and then, I often lost my memory for periods of time, and it just seemed to happen around that time that the attack occurred."


    "And then later, when the professors emphasized in class that you can''t trust dark magic items, and Fred, George, and the others said the same thing, I just, just threw it away."


    She sobbed out her experience.


    Felix nodded as he comforted Ginny: "Little wizards are always gullible, there''s no shame in asking your trusted professors for help when you encounter similar problems in the future."


    "Trust me, troubles that are difficult to solve in your eyes are often simple for professors."


    Ginny nodded gently as she said quietly, "Thank you, Professor Hap."


    "So, let''s return to the original question, do you remember where you got the diary from?" Felix asked.


    "I ... I''m not sure, I thought my mother gave it to me, but perhaps she didn''t."


    "I suppose you must have noticed something unusual?"


    "That diary was stuck inside the new book I bought, Mom wouldn''t ever do that."


    "A new book? Was it from the day you went shopping in Diagon Alley?"


    "Yes, it happened to be the day of Professor Lockhart''s book signing event, and he gifted a full set of new books to Harry, and Harry gave them to me. I found the diary that night."


    Lockhart and Potter ... quite a coincidence... maybe.


    Felix fell silent for a moment as he continued to ask, "Remember what happened that day? Anyone else possibly touched your book bag?"


    "That day, our family went to Diagon Alley for shopping, oh and Harry, he lived in an ugly house during the holidays, his relatives did not treat him very well ... ran into Hermione''s family halfway. We parted in front of the bank and mom took me to buy robes and wands, then we went to buy books and father got into a fight with Malfoy at Professor Lockhart''s book signing ..."


    Felix stopped her words, "Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy?"


    "Yes, he and father were on bad terms," Ginny whispered.


    "Can you elaborate on that part ..." Felix said calmly.

 Chapter 101 - 101 Research Team

    After a long time -


    Ginny finished her story in tears, "Professor, will I, am I going to be expelled?"


    "No, about that you can be completely at ease."


    ...


    As Ginny returned to her place with red eyes, Ron and the twins stared at her.


    Ron tried to say something, but Ginny completely ignored him as she moved her little chair near Luna, who hummed a goofy little tune softly in her ear.


    The twins fidgeted a bit for the rest of the day, but thankfully, Professor Hap let them go with a wave of his hand after he had them turn in their proposals that they had written.


    "Ginny, what''s going on?" Not long after leaving the office, George couldn''t help but be concerned about his sister.


    Ginny shook her head.


    "Did Professor Hap criticize you, Ginny? I mean, it does seem a little dangerous for you to go to the Forbidden Forest, right, Fred?"


    Fred said without thinking, "That''s right, if you''re interested in the Forbidden Forest, I can show you the way ... It''s not actually much fun, it''s all trees, rocks, flowers, and grasses of some sort."


    She chewed her lip rigidly without speaking.


    Luna and Ginny held hands as she said in a mermaid-like voice, "Professor Hap is quite nice to talk with, isn''t he? However, you don''t look good, I do suggest you take a trip to the school clinic."


    "Thank you, Luna."


    " You know how-"


    "Fred, George, and Ron, I''m fine. I just," Ginny said, taking a deep breath, "had some trouble a while ago, and Professor Hap helped me out."


    Seeing that her brother still wanted to speak, she said with a stern face, "I''m not going to tell you guys." Ginny pulled Luna and stomped off.


    Fred looked at her back and said with great emotion, "Ginny has grown up, not the little one following her brother''s bum."


    George spat out, "So you miss the old days?"


    "Uh, isn''t the reason we miss it, because we can''t go back to the past anymore?" Fred made a funny face.


    The two of them were laughing and joking around.


    For the next week, Hogwarts remained as calm as ever.


    Every evening, the nine young wizards reported to the Ancient Magic office to complete some tests according to Professor Hap''s directions.


    In fact, most of them had their confinement scheduled on a weekend, except for Ron, whose ''bad nature'', combined with Lockhart''s strong suggestion, had led to his confinement being a full thirty days in a row.


    But when Professor Hap promised them that they could offset the subsequent confinement according to their attendance, the other young wizards volunteered to complete the entire confinement process here with him almost without any struggle.


    The reason was simple: all the other professors had boring and repetitive work, and only Professor Hap was the most interesting.


    By the third or fourth day of development, they had formed a research group in a decent manner across houses, discussing the improvement of the ''answer space'' in a serious manner.


    Not just talking in general, but really getting into it.


    Seeing how enthusiastic the young wizards were, Felix was happy to see this and was willing to give guidance.


    But as the only technical advisor and judge, he had to veto impractical ideas one after another, picking out only the easiest of them to improve.


    "Little wizards, this professor is not omnipotent and cannot accommodate all your wild ideas."


    These were the original words of Professor Hap when the twins suggested that a ''video call'' feature could be added to the parchment.


    Finally, at Felix''s suggestion, the young wizards devised several versions.


    The most rudimentary and primitive version was similar to the one they had seen that day, only with the addition of different house logos and enriched feedback functions.


    The twins and Ron played a huge role in this.


    The feedback on the parchment can be roughly divided into two categories: compliments when the answer is correct, and trolling when the answer is wrong.


    The twins impressed other young wizards in their group with their level of venom, while Ron rode the path of compliments, with a variety of flattering words that could be considered corny.


    "Actually, these are the exact words of a Lockhart fan," Ron explained.


    And the subsequent version, with the professional advice given by Professor Hap, they completed a stepwise iteration of the program based on the difficulty.


    The leaderboard was the highest level at this point was easy to solve - he could use synchronization enchantment to summarize all the information on the parchment, into the delicate scroll he was holding.


    This thing actually plays the role of a server.


    Only it is not that intelligent, after getting the data it needs to arrange the high and low order artificially.


    As for other versions of features, like online matches, friends lists, and division of subjects, they were not something he could solve in a short time, nor could they fit on a piece of parchment, and Felix pushed them directly to the distant future.


    By the end of the week, the twins and Graham Montague and Marcus Flint had completed their confinement, but they chose to stay behind and prepare to finish the job.


    Ginny and Luna did the same.


    Hermione, after stumbling upon the existence of the research team, immediately applied to Felix to join this temporary team.


    With Felix''s deterrent, no one dared to openly refer to the conflict between the houses, at most showing a mocking expression, although Professor Hap''s gaze tends to follow suit at the time.


    "I didn''t think that we would be able to do something together, and my partner in crime turned out to be a Slytherin!" Fred muttered to George one day.


    "Hey, who would have thought it anyway? It''s more unbelievable than not getting into a bit of trouble at the end of our term." George shrugged.


    The twins'' eyes fell on the Slytherin Quidditch captain-


    With Marcus'' intelligence, he was incapable of offering any brilliant insights, but he basically represented the lower limit of the young wizards, and it was he, as a pure tester, who tried out the ''answer space'' bug time after time.


    Something like, "Professor, why did the writing on top of the parchment disappear?" "Oh, it took so long for you to figure out that I thought you were asleep".


    It was until the morning of the tenth day that Felix woke up early and prepared to go to the Room of Requirement to finish his magic practice for the day.


    The features of this house were something he had only recently explored.


    In fact, as early as the first attack occurred, Felix discovered the Room of Requirement by accident, but he always thought that it would be a mysterious room to hide things.


    At best, the concealment magic imposed on it was not bad and worth some research. The matter, however, was actually rather low on his priority list.


    It wasn''t until Tom in his diary told him the real secret of this room that he picked up his interest again.


    The Room of Requirement could flexibly change the interior to meet the user''s needs according to his whims.


    This nearly instantly pulled his desire to research at full capacity, but Felix was unable to analyse the secrets of this room at all using his existing knowledge, and he could only vaguely see the magic channels that littered the room through a hidden perspective.


    ''''The magic supply of the Room of Requirement is rooted on the Hogwarts Castle.''''


    This was Felix''s thought.


    Although his research was hindered, he developed a new way to use it, which was to practice magic spells inside.


    He could use his full power without fear, including his instant killing skills. The benefits of this were obvious; at least, he didn''t have to go back and forth for an hour, running deep into the forbidden forest to practice.


    ...


    At dawn, Felix walked through the empty corridor.


    When he finished his training for the day and about to go downstairs to find something to eat in the kitchen, he bumped into Lockhart.


    He is hauling a large box in his hand, with two smaller boxes floating behind him.


    "Professor Lockhart?"


    The sudden appearance of the voice startled Lockhart, and the two boxes he had been barely levitating fell to the floor with a ''thud''.


    "Who''s there?" Lockhart shouted in a low voice.


    Felix''s figure came down from the steps, and he looked Lockhart up and down, "Professor Lockhart, are you going out?"

 Chapter 102 - 102 The End Of Lockhart

    Lockhart looked very nervous, delicate, flowing blonde hair glued tightly over his head.


    "Oh, Professor Hap, I have a temporary matter, it''s about the new book ... It''s urgent and must be dealt with immediately."


    "Yes? Oh, I don''t think you''ve linked the floo network in your office, need me to call Professor McGonagall, or ... Dumbledore?"


    Lockhart showed a bright smile, "If so, that''s really great, eh, Headmaster Dumbledore, what brings you here?"


    A brilliant green light shot out from Lockhart''s hand, as fast as it could be, and just as Lockhart revealed a triumphant smile, his spell stopped in front of Felix.


    An invisible barrier appeared in front of Felix, and the dazzling beam of light seemed to be intercepted in the air.


    "Well, is this your strongest spell? Seriously, you''ve refreshed my perception of you, Professor Lockhart." Felix remarked, even with a special effort.


    "Felix Hap! Let me go!"


    "Sorry."


    "You knew all about it, don''t you, that Weasley snitch? Do you want justice? Come on, Felix Hap, I know from other people what you''ve been through, and you''re not a nosy one."


    "It''s true that I''m not interested in your business, but who let you jump under my nose?" Felix said that if Lockhart had been bouncing around outside Hogwarts, he really wouldn''t have got involved.


    "Then let me get out of here! I swear I''ll never appear before you."


    "Let you leave? After knowing that you''re a master sneak attack who specializes in memory magic?" Felix shook his head.


    The spells kept clashing, Felix increased the output of his magic power, and the originally invisible Protego spell faintly surfaced with simple lines, and an armour outlined in the air out of thin air.


    And the opposite side of the Lockhart, surprisingly, did not fall behind, exuding the aura of a mighty person. His magic spell is extremely powerful and is becoming stronger and stronger.


    His spell illuminated the entire corridor, and the green aura reflected on Lockhart''s face, looking eerie and terrifying.


    "Felix Hap, my magic is stronger than you can imagine, and I have received a hidden heritage! The current me is far from reaching my limit!"


    In just this short minute, his magic spell had climbed rapidly from its initial state, even vaguely shadowing the powerful Disarming Spell that Felix had demonstrated in the second dueling class.


    However, Felix surprisingly laughed, " Lockhart, you are just strong at this one spell, which seems to be some kind of ancient magic, really enviable ..."


    "But I would say, Lockhart, you are not good at dueling."


    Felix''s other hand waved slightly, and the rubble at the corner shook and turned into big, greasy rats.


    These rats made a ''rustling'' sound and pounced towards Lockhart.


    "What the hell! There are rats, lots of rats!"


    Lockhart maintained the incantation while shaking his body, but it is futile. One of the rats bit him on the arm, and under the severe pain, his wand fell from his hand.


    Under the horror of Lockhart and the bemused gaze of Felix, the wand fell to the ground, bounced a few times, and stood still.


    Felix silently cast the Levitation Spell, grabbed Lockhart''s wand.


    The corridor became dim again.


    With his face ashen, Lockhart pleaded, "Felix, I have no choice ... I can give you all the money I have."


    Felix sighed, "Headmaster, I''ll leave it to you."


    In Lockhart''s horrified expression, Dumbledore''s figure slowly appeared, half of his face hidden in the darkness, his eyes intertwined with emotions of anger and sadness.


    "Dumbledore ... Headmaster! I ..."


    "Lockhart, I watched you grow up."


    Dumbledore said calmly, restraining his emotions as a red light flashed and Lockhart fainted.


    The Defense Against the Dark Arts class professor floated in midair, a golden thread wrapped around him.


    As he was about to leave, Dumbledore said to Felix, "Thank you, Felix."


    "I didn''t do anything, with you watching, he can''t get away."


    All the portraits in the castle are the eyes of the Hogwarts Headmaster, coupled with Dumbledore''s own magical attainment, no one can escape from him easily.


    Felix even felt that the old man was filled with so many secrets inside, but never spilled them.


    This is also the reason why he did not use any powerful spell, if it is outside the school he meet him, he would absolutely clap Lockhart and would search his mind.


    "No, Felix, I want to thank you, you let me avoid dealing with my own student."


    Dumbledore left.


    Felix stood in place, thinking for a moment, then he walked into Lockhart''s office.


    ...


    During the day, the young wizards found that Lockhart did not come to class and could not help but murmur, and they soon found that the other professors were tongue-tied.


    And so a rumour spread -


    "It must be Fudge''s doing! I knew it, he wouldn''t let Lockhart off the hook." Dean Thomas swore to the young Gryffindor wizard, as his audience looked at him half-heartedly.


    "It''s true, Fudge has a very petty mind, I read about it in the newspapers."


    And later that evening, Felix announced the ''''Teaching Aid Upgrade Program'''' had been a success, and everyone could retire to their respective houses.


    In fact, everyone else''s confinement was over, except for Ron.


    Felix''s initial aim was actually to get Ron reasonably out of Lockhart''s grasp, except it developed to the point where the young wizard''s enthusiasm was just too high, and the situation was no longer under his control.


    However, this was the first time Felix had seen the scene where the young wizards of the four houses were working on a common goal, so he let it happen and even participated in it by providing guidance.


    Now that the danger is lifted and the upgrade program for the teaching aids has been advanced to the fourth version, it''s time to end it.


    But what should be rewarded must be rewarded.


    "In view of the fact that some of you, even after the end of your confinement, have adhered to your duties and completed your tasks with excellence, each of you will receive a bonus point."


    Amidst a chorus of cheers, Ron timidly asked, "What about me, Professor Hap?"


    "Weasley, your confinement is too long for me to give you extra points, but, well ..." Felix said, "I can suggest to Professor McGonagall to reduce your confinement appropriately. "


    Ron left the office contentedly.


    Felix''s mood is also very pleasant, all kinds of chores are sorted out, he also does not have to calculate this, calculate that.


    That night, he watched two episodes of animation video happily.


    The war between the clumsy cat and the clever mouse, simple and pure, does not contain any burden.


    Felix went through his inventory, ''Maybe I should buy some more?'' He went to sleep peacefully as he carried this thought on his head.


    At the Great Hall the next day, Snape blocked Felix.


    "You''re asking me to help you get a position for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" Felix asked in surprise.

 Chapter 103 - 103 New Teaching Aids

    It''s temporary." Snape stared him in the eye, "Felix, it''s January, a full five months before the end of the school year. You know what that means, right."


    Felix fell silent, it meant that the young wizard would not have anyone to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts class for almost six months.


    But again, does it matter if there is one or not?


    Even if the young wizards were left to learn on their own, it would probably be better than when Lockhart was around. At least they save time from writing boring homework.


    "Professor, I''ve always been curious, why can''t you give up on this class? Aren''t you afraid of the curse of the Dark Lord?" Felix wondered about this.


    However, Snape did not answer him.


    Felix thought about it and said, "I can talk to Dumbledore about this."


    He is not good at curses, plus the course has a horrible record of beaten, so he never thought of taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.


    However, he is indeed very curious about the ''Curse of the Dark Lord'', and maybe he could find out about it from Dumbledore.


    "By the way, Severus," Felix winked at Snape, "don''t forget about the dueling class tonight."


    Snape gave him a disgusted look, "How do you plan to organize it?"


    " One of us will speak a part, mainly to exhibit. After all, the professors are rushed together, the follow-up lesson I will invite them separately." Felix said somewhat helplessly.


    Professor McGonagall, Professor Filius, together with himself and Snape, that''s four people.


    Snape nodded his head and turned to leave.


    During the seventh-year class that day, Felix showed the young wizards the new teaching aids for ancient magic runes.


    They watched as Professor Hap spoke eloquently from the podium, "See this parchment in front of you? It will make a huge impact on your NEWTs exams."


    A young witch raised her hand, "Professor Hap, is this the legendary teaching aid Flint had a part in making?."


    The young wizards in the room turned their attention to the tall and imposing Marcus Flint.


    There were less than twenty people in the seventh year''s ancient magic rune class, and everyone knew everybody''s history, and they were all looking suspicious at the moment.


    Marcus somewhat want to cry, he just bragged a little, why would they point him out?


    Felix looked at him and said: "Miss Vera, Flint did participate in the testing of new teaching aids. Not just him, but a total of ten young wizards, each of whom made their own valuable suggestions, and what you see is the result of their joint efforts."


    "Next, let''s have a practical demonstration."


    The little wizards followed the previous explanation, put their wands on the parchment, and whispered, "The Secret of the Magic Rune." ( TL: did the password changed previously?)


    The parchment emitted a hazy bright light and a line of text emerged -


    ''Welcome to the answer space, please complete the following steps.''


    After rippling like water ripples, four symbols of the Houses appeared on the parchment - snake, badger, lion, and eagle.


    Their respective shapes were made up of simple ink lines that looked alive. The small snake representing Slytherin wiggled and swayed in place, the badger representing Hufflepuff stood upright and looked from side to side, the lion representing Gryffindor let out a soundless roar, and the eagle representing Ravenclaw took flight with wings.


    The wizards, both male and female, made sounds of awe.


    The eagle representing Ravenclaw occupied the middle of the parchment, flapping its wings and seemingly climbing upwards as clouds of ink lines appeared around it.


    Eventually, the eagle stopped, its sharp gaze fixed on the front, and a line of handwritten, elegant text slowly emerged, " Wit beyond measure is man''s greatest treasure."


    Almost instantly, Vera liked it, and her brown eyes seemed to glow under her thick glasses.


    ''This is made by Professor Hap? This is the application of ancient magic Rune?''


    ''This is an Ancient Magic Rune!''


    Even she herself didn''t realize that her perception of ancient magic rune had unknowingly leaned towards Felix''s way.


    A few seconds later, the image of the eagle shrank again, and it landed on the flower pattern in the upper left corner of the parchment, glancing around and grooming its feathers by itself.


    And the center of the parchment emerged with a new message, ''Please use your wand to input magic and input your name.''


    Vera used her wand to neatly write down her name - Clammy Vera.


    After completing this step, the official interface finally emerged on the answer parchment.


    In the upper left corner is an eagle representing Ravenclaw, at the bottom is the name of Clammy Vera, while the central position is divided into three modules, namely - OWLs module, NEWTs module, and a collection of mistakes.


    Felix nodded in satisfaction, and in the finalized version, he made considerable adjustments.


    For example, the starting password, from the original "I like ancient magic rune" into a more formal ''secret of magic rune''.


    For example, he added the part of information bonding, that is, a collection of names, houses, and magic identification function.


    The function of "ranking", which he had set in his mind, is temporarily suppressed, because the current number of answer parchments is too small, and he also has the intention to pull in other professors. (TL: if he creates an artefact that uses Hogwarts Magic and has its own sentience like a sorting hat later, it will be cool)


    To do this, it takes time to fester.


    After about three or four minutes, the young wizards were excited to complete this step by following the guidelines on the parchment.


    And, already, a number of them started to compare.


    "Look at my lion, it''s too majestic!"


    " Still, the eagle is more beautiful."


    ...


    "Okay, little wizards." Felix clapped his hands and drew their attention.


    Felix explained, "Currently, the answer parchment is only available for fifth and seventh grade, and you will need to select the NEWTs module. It stores test questions from previous years for you to complete the test and learn."


    "Of course, I''ve split them up so that each test will last about twenty minutes, and you can practice when you have nothing to do."


    "As for the wrong question set module, all the questions you have done wrong can be found here."


    The young wizards who were exposed to this new gadget for the first time couldn''t resist trying it already, and Clammy Vera forced herself to hold back her excitement and said, "Professor Hap, can we try it now?"


    Felix said kindly, "Of course, the next twenty minutes are reserved for you."


    "Oh, by the way," he emphasized, "if you guys don''t like the feedback function, you can just tap your wand on it and say ''silence''."


    Vera looked a little uncertain, but she tapped her wand on the ''NEWTs module'' and a magic rune question quickly appeared on the parchment.


    When she finished the first question, a line of golden text surfaced on the parchment -


    ¡ºWise choice¡».


    She understood Professor Hap''s words somewhat, and the next thing she knew, she was met with all sorts of overwhelming praises.


    ''Your answer simply tickled my heart and soul.''


    ''''You are the next star of magic rune!''''


    ''''The Choice of Genius!''''


    These words left Vera in a delicate mood, a little embarrassed, but unable to resist the desire to see new compliments, and time passed without her noticing a little.


    But the others didn''t have a wonderful experience as she did, most of them had a mixture of compliments and toxic comments, while Marcus faced mostly flowery sarcasm.


    He couldn''t help but mumble the names of two individuals, "Fred Weasley, George Weasley."


    It is their doing!


    In less than ten minutes, Clammy Vera finished the test first.


    A big ''O'' appeared on the parchment, with an eagle circling in the upper left corner and large clusters of fireworks in the background.


    She waved her fist excitedly.


    "Very good, Miss Vera, ten extra points for Ravenclaw!"


    At the end of class, Felix assigned the latest homework: "Complete 3 tests and write an essay based on the questions you answered incorrectly, which will you analyse the areas where your knowledge is weak."


    ...


    In the evening, the Great Hall once again changed its look, with the gilded ring rising from the ground and the young wizards talking in small groups.


    The third dueling lesson is about to begin.

 Chapter 104 - 104 Four Professors

    The center of the Great Hall, hundreds of candles burning, the weather on the ceiling is like black velvet, not a single star in sight.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in the middle of the Gryffindor group, whispering to each other.


    "Harry, did you finish your form?" Hermione asked him.


    "Almost," Harry said vaguely, honestly only a half of the way through his form.


    Half a month ago, after the last dueling class, Hermione told him that the sparks released from the tip of the wand were a sign that the disarming charm was about to succeed, so when he returned to the common room, he couldn''t resist dragging Ron to practice with him for half an hour.


    Originally no success, sleepy Ron then acts like Malfoy, and Snape too.


    As a result, he managed to use the disarming Charm.


    The next day learning the news, Hermione was very envious of this, "Harry, you''re a genius! I dare say, no one of our age can do this."


    Harry said with some embarrassment, "I have some special feeling about this spell."


    The little witch picked up a piece of paper from her book bag, "Let''s go over the evaluation criteria given by Professor Hap."


    Harry was dumbfounded at his spot: " Hey, Hermione, I still didn''t get a chance to read it ..."


    ...


    In the Great Hall.


    Ron couldn''t help but interject: "Harry''s Disarming Charm has become very proficient and can succeed eight or nine times out of ten, unlike me ..." he suddenly grimaced: "Once or twice out of ten."


    Hermione took out the parchment from her robe, and the table on top was filled with a lot of data. She said with some anxiety, "I can use it, but this, this, and this standard, are only just up to the mark, in the case that I wake up one day, suddenly can do it?"


    Listening on the side for half the time, Neville humbly asked Hermione for advice: "Hermione, if the form is filled, still have not mastered the spell, what can I do?"


    Hermione: "Uh ..." froze for a while, she said uncertainly: "Have you tried the Decomposed Method?"


    "Of course I tried it, but I failed two-thirds of the steps ..." Neville''s round little face scrunched up into a frown and said pitifully, "I''m so stupid, maybe Professor Snape is right. "


    "Don''t be disappointed, Neville. I can help you sort out the parts you''re not good at." Hermione said.


    "Thanks, thank you, Hermione."


    Harry reassured him as well, "Neville, we can practice together."


    "That''s right, don''t care about what Snape says, your herbology class grade is excellent," Ron said. "Neville, believe in yourself, you''re an unpolished gem that will shine one day."


    Frankly, after Lockhart''s trial, he was now speaking kind words without fluttering a word.


    Neville''s face quickly turned red, and even a bit flattered.


    He said, somewhat embarrassed and stumbling, "I just like to fiddle with flowers and plants, and Grandma has a lot of flowers that I tend during the holidays."


    "You see, that''s what''s so great about you." Harry encouraged him.


    On the other hand, Felix stood at the entrance of the Great Hall, waiting for the other professor''s arrival.


    Professor Filius was the first to come, having changed his usual wizard robe and wearing a close-fitting men''s gown, with his hair processed in a very ironed manner.


    "Filius, you look marvellous tonight." Felix praised.


    Filius was in a good mood, "Thank you, Felix. This is what I wore when I won the dueling championship."


    The two men casually chatted and climbed up.


    "Felix, have you made any progress on that magic research?"


    "It just barely works a little, but to be honest, it''s so fragmented that I can even say that it''s a simplified spell mixed with ancient thoughts about magic ..."


    "Ahem! Felix, there''s no way, very few ancient magic can be passed down intact."


    The two discussed the feasibility of restoring that ancient magic, but it was difficult to cook without Ingredients even for a clever woman, they had too little information at hand, and there was simply no common research ideology in the wizarding community.


    Felix did feel that if he mastered enough magic runes, one day, it would be very easy to recover this magic.


    I just don''t know how many years it would take.


    He had silently lowered the priority of this matter and was ready to let nature take its course.


    Soon, Professor McGonagall and Snape came together, perhaps because Felix''s gaze was too obvious, and Snape couldn''t help but jab him. "What''s going through your head, Felix?"


    "Nothing, I just thought that you would have counted the time to come," Felix said with some embarrassment.


    All the four professors are present, so Felix gets right to the point: "My idea for this dueling class is to demonstrate. The four of us will each present the best part of our own take on dueling."


    "In the subsequent lessons, I will invite professors separately in phases, so that you can fully illustrate your points."


    Filius was the first to state, "Of course, no problem."


    The others also had no objection.


    So when the four professors appeared in the Great Hall and walked up to the gilded ring at the same time, the young wizards had shocked expressions on their faces.


    Ron groaned, "What day is it?"


    The crowd exploded with excitement as hundreds of students buzzed around the stage, and the little Ravenclaw and Gryffindor wizards erupted in dramatic applause, welcoming their House''s Head.


    "How come I can'' see Professor Sprout?" A young second-year Hufflepuff wizard asked.


    "Ernie, Ms. Sprout wouldn''t care about this ...," a senior student said.


    The other three professors had a tacit agreement not to speak up and looked at Felix at the same time.


    Felix stepped forward, imbuing his voice into a loud tone, and started to speak, "I''m honored that we have Professors McGonagall and Flitwick here today, and they are not shy about showing you more possibilities for dueling. Cheer them up, little wizards!"


    The crowd thundered with applause as if they were celebrating a holiday, and Harry''s palms were red from clapping.


    " Do you guys think that Snape doesn''t want to do this anymore?"


    "Although I think it''s you who think too much, that''s a brilliant notion!"


    Next, after some shouting, Professor McGonagall remained in the ring, and the other three retreated offstage.


    Filius drew out a handkerchief, turned it into a high stool, and stood on it by himself.


    Professor McGonagall''s hands clasped together, she looked at everyone with a serious expression, and the crowd gradually quieted down.


    Everyone was curious about what she would say, after all, in their hearts, transfiguration has little to do with dueling.


    Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and looked at all the students calmly and said, " Transfiguration is a profound magic branch, it can do many unfathomable things, and in this regard, the most skilled person I know is your Headmaster Dumbledore."


    "That''s new," Ron muttered off-stage. "Don''t tell me that he defeated the Dark Lord with Transfiguration."


    "Of course, that would require a high level of Magical power to support it, and it would be difficult for you to do that." McGonagall said, "The importance of Transfiguration for you guys is not the strength of the magic power, but the way to enrich your skills."


    "The core of Transfiguration is to change, to change as you wish."


    Professor McGonagall drew her wand and raised her arm straight up, and a chair stacked in the corner flew over.


    The chair turned into a big black cat in midair, it landed on the ground with agility and dexterity, and with the command from Professor McGonagall''s wand, the big cat circled around her in a quick loop.


    The next second, it suddenly leaped up, its body quickly expanded, transforming into a mighty lion, golden mane reflecting a fine light.

 Chapter 105 - 105 Transfiguration And Charm

    "Roar~!"


    The lion let out a roar and the little wizards, in the front, felt their hair rose up.


    Luna blinked, and several young witches around her took two steps back in fear.


    The next second, the lion began to run wildly around the ring, sometimes morphing into a leopard, sometimes into a one-horned rhinoceros, a wild boar, a boa ...


    The young wizards looked at Professor McGonagall dumbstruck, during class time, why are you not doing this?


    From the beginning to the end, Professor McGonagall only waved her wand a few times and did not utter a single incantation.


    Dean Thomas couldn''t help but ask, "Is this a single spell, or multiple spells? Why I couldn''t figure it out a bit."


    If they were to describe Professor McGonagall''s performance, the impression of the young wizards would be, it is too fluid.


    The form morphed naturally as they ran around.


    Professor McGonagall''s ''show-off'' lasted almost two to three minutes, and when a giant eagle hovered over the great hall, the students raised their heads and stretched their necks to look closely.


    Finally, the giant eagle landed in the ring, rolled its body, and transformed once again into a black cat.


    "In theory, any young wizard in the sixth or seventh year could do this." Professor McGonagall said from the stage as she addressed the crowd.


    "Wood, how about you?." Fred asked the captain of his house team.


    "Ahem ..." Wood looked a little embarrassed.


    Not very far away, Percy, who is responsible for keeping order, walked next to a Ravenclaw girl: "I think I can do it, Penelope, maybe not as smoothly as Professor McGonagall can do it ..."


    "I can''t do it, I''m not very good at Transfiguration." That girl said, she also wore a Head badge on her chest.


    "I can teach you," Percy said.


    " Really?" The girl shot him a blank look.


    On the stage, Professor McGonagall motioned for the black cat to stand in front of her.


    "I need an assistant, Abbott Blake, you''ve always worked hard to be Auror right?, let''s give it a try." Professor McGonagall selected a student from her house.


    Abbott Blake stepped forward timidly, he pretty much had a whole new perception of the professors'' strength from the last dueling lesson.


    The young wizards offstage stared with rapt attention. It became obvious that Professor McGonagall wasn''t going to cast any other kind of magic spell, but rather going to use Transfiguration throughout, which made the duel between them fascinating to behold.


    The two were separated from each other by eight or nine meters.


    Felix acted as the referee, "Bow to each other ... one, two, the duel begins."


    Blake agilely jumped to the side and raised his hand to cast a disarming charm.


    The black cat in front of Professor McGonagall leaped up and blocked the disarming charm.


    The black cat in the middle of the air lost its footing and one of its legs turned into a bench leg, but in the next second, it rolled on the ground and turned into an agile panther.


    Another spell from Blake was blocked more easily this time.


    " Blake, you need to speed up your spell casting."


    Professor McGonagall said, and in the interval, she waved her wand and three more chairs flew over, which likewise took the form of panthers.


    At this moment, three black-spotted panthers stood in front of Professor McGonagall, guarding her safety.


    Blake gritted his teeth, no longer having scruples, and one spell after another was cast out.


    If it comes to dueling alone, he does rank top among the students of Hogwarts, thanks to his uncle who is an Auror in the Ministry of Magic and trained him for two years in low intensity.


    But Professor McGonagall blocked it with extreme ease, "One of the characteristics of Transfiguration is that it kinda restrains individual spells, but of course, to do that, you need to have an outstanding sense of perception."


    The three panthers cooperated with each other and handled it with ease.


    "Incendio!" Blake''s spell hit a panther, and its body suddenly burst into flames.


    In the blazing fire, the transfiguration spell lost its effect, and it reverted to a burning chair.


    Professor McGonagall said, " Transfiguration works equally well on water and fire, so you only need to change your spell slightly--"


    The burning chair rose with a leap and turned into a blazing lion, its mane pulsing with bright flames.


    Blake couldn''t help but take two steps back, but fortunately, Professor McGonagall had no idea of attacking.


    Blake quickly thought of a good idea, "Diffindo!" A red light flashed, and the spell hit the other panther precisely, causing it to split into a dozen pieces in mid-air.


    But it only worsened as each of the pieces turned into palm-sized kittens, which nimbly circled behind Blake and stared at him from a distance.


    "At short range, or within the range of the transfiguration''s manipulation, it''s tougher to deal with than you think, Blake." Professor McGonagall said, her mood thoroughly jovial and no longer wearing a stern expression.


    Hearing Professor McGonagall''s comments, Blake panicked a bit, suddenly realizing that the more he attacked, the more he fell into an unfavourable situation.


    After a few seconds of stalemate, a kitten ran to his feet, Blake couldn''t resist kicking it, but the kitten morphed into a cane and wrapped his legs tightly around it.


    Good thing, Professor McGonagall didn''t take it seriously, she simply released his body, the cane didn''t continue to grow, and Balk''s arms were free.


    In a great panic, he cast a spell on the kitten next to him, "Diffindo! Diffindo! Diffindo!"


    The kitten didn''t dodge it, and to Balk''s eyes, its body split apart in an instant, with various pieces rising up in the air and morphing into tiny finger-sized birds with long, pointed beaks.


    They remained in mid-air and formed a network, their sharp beaks aiming at Blake in unison as if they would pounce in the next second.


    In the eyes of the young wizards, Blake is completely surrounded, looking up there is a phalanx of flying birds, behind him is a group of palm-sized black cats, and a little further, blazing lion and panther watching intently.


    Blake''s scalp tingled, he hurriedly cried: "I admit defeat, Professor McGonagall, I admit defeat."


    Professor McGonagall paused with some regret, she still had much to show.


    She turned the transfigured creature back into a chair and repaired it with a Mending Charm as it should have been. She looked at the young wizard offstage and said, "For most wizards, they don''t guard against transfiguration in a duel. If you can master a few proficiently, it can be completely useful as a surprise."


    Felix couldn''t help but clap his hands in praise, which was exactly the same mindset he used to defeat Lockhart.


    The second person who appeared on stage is Professor Filius, who showed everyone a kind of dueling concept, the matching between charms.


    Professor Filius is short, yet he easily gathered the eyes of the young wizards, just like he did in class.


    "If you have mastered a lot of Charms, the question must arise, can I really use them all?"


    "Perhaps it is better to specialize in one charm?"


    "These are two different kinds of options, and what I want to show you today is how different charms fit with each other."


    "It''s a simple charm altogether, let''s see-" Professor Filius shouted, "Avis!"


    His wand made a loud bang, like a pistol shot, and a flock of small red-feathered birds fluttered their wings out of it.


    A Hufflepuff muttered, "This charm isn''t easy, that''s the NEWTs content."


    "Shut up." His friend said.


    Filius looked at the flying birds: "You can certainly use it to launch an assault with good effectiveness. But if you add a Doubling Charm -" he waved his wand, and the birds split rapidly apart with a "thump, thump, thump".


    "And then add an Enlarging Charm--"


    The palm-sized bird quickly enlarged.


    Filius looked up and surveyed the hundreds of owl-sized birds that surrounded the gilded ring, almost overshadowing his figure.


    In front of Filius''s tiny size, many of the young wizards couldn''t help feel a sense of awe.

 Chapter 106 - 106 Snapes Suggestion

    The young wizards looked in fascination at the flock of birds flying above the ring, a creature that did not exist in reality, and even right now they could only exist in this state for a short time, but the sight of them hovering over the gilded ring, clad in fiery red feathers, was a memory that many young wizards could never forget in their lifetime.


    Professor Flitwick waved his wand and discharged his spell.


    "These charms are taught in class with no extra study required," said Flitwick, "but, once combined, they can be very effective."


    A senior Ravenclaw girl couldn''t resist asking, "Professor Flitwick, I know all three of these charms, can I master this combined spell?"


    "Miss Padma, the difficulty of a combination spell is never in the spell itself, but how you can fit, and maintain your spells so that they remain stable in their overall form."


    Flitwick said, "So you are asking me, can you be able to master it? The answer is yes you can. But it takes time, it takes practice, and it tests your mastery of the magic spell very much."


    " What I demonstrated is an example of the kind of magic spell that works well with each other, and which requires a certain amount of your own ability. Whereas the second type, it is relatively simple."


    "Our common dueling spells, such as Petrificus Totalus, Disarming Charm, Stunning Spell, Shield Charm, etc., are really useful. But we can pair them with some other spells to give you more of an advantage."


    "When the two sides of a dueling pair are evenly matched, it is often these seemingly insignificant and simple spells that would become the key to breaking the balance."


    Next, Professor Flitwick showed the depth of his own magic charm mastery -


    "For example, the supersensory charm, it can significantly enhance your own sense, will make you more sensitive to the environment, more sensitive to the magic spells;"


    "For example, the Reparifors charm, before the duel apply it on yourself, you can effectively resist the minor magic ailments such as poison, Stunning Spell so on - the effect depends on the opponent''s spell power, but in any case, there will be some effect;"


    "Then there''s Slippery Jinx, which can make the road before you slippery;"


    "Or Flame-Freezing Charm and Impervius Charm, it can resist water and fire damage, although it doesn''t work on Fiendfyre, for general flames and water spell, it''s still very effective;"


    Flitwick named a dozen charms in a row, and the young wizards were dumbfounded.


    Even Felix showed a thoughtful look, thinking about the effects of Filius''s theory on his own.


    In fact, his instant killing technique is the product of this kind of ''magic charm with each other'' theory: thought acceleration and Apparition are the core of it, while the stupefy charm can be replaced by another charm as a means of attack - it depends on what he wants to accomplish.


    Theoretically, stupefy can be completely replaced with the Petrificus Totalus and the Disarming Charm, which will have little effect on this tactic.


    And Filius''s ''break the stalemate by a simple spell'' method, again, goes well with Felix and Lockhart''s exchange as well.


    It can only be said that the two professors, Flitwick and McGonagall, each from a different field, yet on the same path, are perfectly reflected in Felix.


    Finally, Flitwick concluded: "Spells are alive, they have various complex relationships, some restrain each other, some complement each other. If you are interested in dueling, you can spend more time and refresh yourselves on the spells you have learned."


    "I think you will have a whole new perception of them."


    Next, Professor Flitwick called up a few Ravenclaw students and showed the other young wizards his theory.


    Like Professor McGonagall, he had similarly placed restrictions and limitations on himself.


    Even when he faced a three-man siege at the same time, he always found the most suitable way to break his opponent''s offence with a simple spell.


    "Watching Professor Flitwick duel is like enjoying a waltz." Justin Finch-Fletchley said adoringly.


    "What''s that?" The young wizard next to him asked.


    "Uh ... a muggle dance that looks very beautiful and graceful," Justine explained.


    As a dueling champion, Flitwick''s foundation is extremely solid, especially the transition between steps, so many spells are blocked and directly avoided.


    The young wizards watched in awe and were even more impressed when Professor Flitwick used his wand to release a massive firework that easily obscured the opponent''s vision.


    Finally, Flitwick bowed and left the stage with a smile on his face.


    It was followed by unstoppable applause.


    The third person on the stage is Snape, who stood in the center of the ring, and the young wizards who were originally restless instantly quieted down.


    Snape''s style was completely different from the first two professors, and he said in a cold tone, "What I want to offer is that when you encounter the dangerous dark wizards when you meet the scum that lingers in the gutter of darkness-"


    He looked at the young wizards off the stage, and after a long pause, he said, "What to do."


    The young wizards were silent, stunned by the scenario Snape described, only Harry suddenly remembered his own brief misadventure into Knockturn Alley.


    Knockturn Alley bordered Diagon Alley, a dirty, narrow alley lined with eerily dim stores, all of them appeared to have some ties with dark arts. According to Hagrid, there are quite a few dark wizards hiding there.


    This year, he went into it by mistake because he made a mistake while using floo powder. At that time a scary-looking old witch took the initiative to talk to him, her handheld an object that looked very much like Dead Man''s nails, if not by chance he meet Hagrid, he did not know what would happen.


    Snape continued slowly: "You need to identify the danger and distinguish it."


    "You need to prepare different coping strategies: a scuffle at school, how would you handle it? A conflict with a stranger, how to deal with it? How to confront an evil dark wizard? And dangerous species and plants ..."


    "Frankly, I don''t think your gimmicks will help much when you face a dark wizard ... Running away will ALWAYS be the first option; asking for aid is the second option; and when you have no choice ... then strike first, use any spell you can think of."


    Snape''s black eyes remained motionless. As if they were embedded with two stones. He said unhurriedly, "In a duel, the first strike is always the best strategy, and giving up priority would mean being at a disadvantage."


    There is dead silence off the stage.


    "Severus ...," Professor McGonagall said with some concern, "I think young wizards are not required to be exposed to these things."


    Snape hooked the corners of his mouth in a mocking expression, but he didn''t continue the conversation above, either.


    "When faced with danger, use the spell you are most comfortable with, not the most powerful. Speed, angle, timing, success, these are far more important than the mere power of the spell."

 Chapter 107 - 107 Charm Level?

    "Teach, Professor, how do you judge which spell you are most comfortable with?" A Slytherin student asked.


    Snape said coldly: "Those you learn the fastest and use the most. Other than that--"


    "If you can invent a spell of your own, it is naturally your best." After saying that, he flung his robe and strutted off the stage.


    Offstage, Ron and Hermione looked at Harry at the same time, and the meaning of their eyes varied from each other.


    Hermione: So you are good at disarming charm?


    Ron: That''s it? How can it be compared to advanced magic spells, right?


    When Felix took the stage, the young wizards were still immersed in the atmosphere created by Snape, although he did not talk about any specific magic, it was still stirring.


    Felix decided to pull out a little dry stuff.


    "At the end of our last lesson, we brought up the point that the effects of the spell, even if it''s the same spell, the effects released by different wizards can differ widely."


    "This is especially true in dueling; after all, you can hardly imagine A wizard spending a lot of time and effort researching the spell ''Scouring Charm''."


    "The same is true for most life magics. We don''t go through them to explore the mysteries of magic, or to beat the crap out of our opponents." Felix made a joke.


    The young wizard on the stage laughed lowly.


    "For wizards who are good at dueling, they have amazing attainments in one, or a few, spells."


    He swept his gaze around the stage at the wizards, "Take the Disarming Charm as an example-"


    Felix waved his wand, and a slim red aura flickered away.


    "This is the initial level of mastery."


    Harry looked carefully, this is exactly the level he can now release.


    Many of the young wizards who had mastered the disarming charm carried the same action. And the result of the comparison is that most of them are at this level.


    "-This stage is at the novice level, and there is a possibility of failure in casting spells." Speaking of this, Felix said with a slight bitterness, "For the sake of understanding and comparison, let''s call it a level one spell."


    "At this juncture, the factors that affect the success rate of spell casting are your spell casting motion, chanting, confidence, magic power utilization, and other such basic elements. I won''t expand on that, it''s described in detail in the materials from the last class."


    "And when you practice more often, practice makes perfect, and there is almost no failure of release, just like this-"


    Felix waved his wand and a distinct red light streaked across the top of the great hall.


    Harry heard the excited voice of his senior, Abbott Blake, who had just been called up for the demonstration, saying, "That''s how my spell works!"


    "For the convenience of comprehension, we may call it a Level Two spell."


    Felix leisurely drew an arc with his wand, as if he is conducting a symphony.


    " You invested more time and effort to delve into this spell - preferably with the guidance of a professor, and its power will be appropriately enhanced."


    Felix waved his wand, and a finger-thick red beam shot out, spanning half of the great hall in an instant.


    "This is a level three disarming charm ... in the horizontal classification, somewhat like the threshold of professionalization in the wizarding world, such as a novice St. Mungo''s healer who has just undergone training, a newcomer Auror."


    The young wizards were all staring at Professor Hap at this point with unblinking eyes, listening carefully to every word he said. They intuitively thought that this lesson would be very important today.


    Even the expressions of other professors were serious, and Snape wondered how many levels Felix would push the spell to.


    Magic spell levelling, heh, is something he would do!


    And Felix on the stage still unhurriedly narrated, "Next, the deeper understanding you have of the spell, the more comfortable you are with it, you can even make some changes to the spell itself to suit your personal habits--"


    A beam of light flew out from the tip of the wand, only, this time, the charm is more cohesive, the colour is also mixed with white light, it is even left a clear arc in midair.


    "The power is not much different from the third level magic spell, but the controllability is higher, and it wins with subtlety, so it can be called a fourth level spell." Felix spoke, "One more remark, this is also the level of that talented Auror and St. Mungo healers, after working for a few years on their best spells."


    Felix nodded slightly, and from here on out, it wasn''t for everyone. Talent, perseverance, and teaching, you can''t have one without the other.


    Harry looked at Professor Hap on the stage, he felt like he couldn''t breathe, and it took a few moments before he realized that the emotion he had just felt welling up in his heart was longing.


    After a long pause, the young wizard looked at Professor Hap dimly.


    Is there more? Can we continue?


    A Level Five spell? Level six? Seven, eight, ninth level? I''m really curious!


    And Professor Hap lived up to the expectations as he continued, "On top of that, if you were an experienced Auror and had spent almost half your life dealing with various dark wizards, then your best spell would probably be something like this-"


    The scene was like yesterday all over again, a wrist-thick magic spell shot out, spanning half of the great hall and hitting the castle wall straight on.


    The red thunder-like arc of magic kept twisting and stretching.


    Until Felix withdrew his wand, the red light that reflected half of the great hall finally disappeared.


    "This might be called a level five magic spells."


    The young wizards offstage looked at the scene wordlessly, even though it was the second time they saw it, it was still shocking.


    Felix pondered that it was like Lockhart''s ''Forgetfulness Charm''. But again, the comparison could not be made in this way, because Lockhart was lucky to have been blessed with ancient magic knowledge.


    Ancient magic is naturally powerful, but there is no point in discussing the power because you don''t know if the next time you use it, whether it will suddenly get out of control due to lack of control.


    The young wizards on the stage were quiet and peaceful, like a flock of Quails swept by a gale. Looking at their expressions, it seemed that someone had just cracked open their heads and stuffed a bunch of messy things inside, making them completely unable to think.


    After ten seconds or so, Felix clapped his hands, "Of course, the above magic spell levels are only for your convenience of comprehension; in reality, there is no such division as level one or level two spells."


    "Magic is unconstrained, and there is no point in dividing much of the magic that is described as miraculous by hierarchy."


    "Moreover, I must remind you that even in a duel, the one-sided pursuit of magic spell power is not the best choice; if you want to become an Auror, you need to master many things, which are equally important."


    "Next-"


    But the words didn''t kick in, the great hall seemed to explode as the young wizards raised their hands enthusiastically, and it was obvious that they had many questions.


    "Professor, how does a level six magic spell look like?" Finally, someone offstage couldn''t help but exclaim.

 Chapter 108 - 108 The End Of The Diary

    Felix answered nonchalantly, "That''s too far away from you, and I''m still in the middle of researching ..." He avoided the topic of the level six magic spells, because frankly speaking, he had never witnessed a similar spell from other people.


    This made him suspect for a moment that the so-called level six magic spells are merely exclusive to him personally.


    After all, he had incorporated nearly all of his heart, mind, and beliefs in his fourth year before he was able to master two level six magic spells - ''Protego'' and ''Stupefy''.


    When he succeeded, he experienced a metamorphosis beyond his imagination, his magic power, and will be sublimated.


    To be clear, he was only fifteen years old that year.


    And in the next six years, even though his magic theory advanced further, to this day, the number of his level six magic spells is less than ten.


    Of course, this is also because he shifted most of his energy towards the study of ancient magic runes.


    ...


    A student raised his hand and asked, "Professor Hap, are you in favour of specializing in one magic spell?"


    Felix shook his head as he explained, "For beginners, it is necessary to specialize in one or two kinds of magic, which will allow you to progress rapidly, stand out quickly, and gain the ability to protect yourself. But for the full-fledged wizards, they need to learn more to cope with different troubles."


    "Professor Hap, if I practice only one magic from now on, how long will it take me to reach level three or four?" This was Abbott Blake''s question.


    "Mr. Blake, I don''t recommend you to do this. If you have no problems with your grades, you will have a great hope to become an Auror." Felix said.


    "Professor, will you include this part in the next dueling lessons?"


    "Of course I will, there is no doubt about that."


    "Professor, I want to upgrade all of my magic spells to the third level in magic spells, any suggestions?"


    Felix said in a tone like he was amused, "Mr. Pardis, you can put more effort into your magic theory. But still, there is no need to do this."


    The three professors looked at Felix with different expressions, and to be honest, in their respective fields of expertise, they thought they were no lower than the " Level 5 Magic Spell" that Felix was talking about, but the crux of the matter was...


    How would he define a level six magic spells?


    This is what intrigued the professors the most.


    "Professor McGonagall, what do you think of his theory?" Snape asked in a low voice.


    Professor McGonagall said: "This method is not suitable for Transfiguration, but for magic spells, I personally think it''s not bad. Filius, what''s your opinion?"


    Filius offered his insight: "At least in the matter of dueling spells, it is quite applicable. It provided new ideas for me to analyse some classic dueling cases. Of course, as he said, this theory can''t cover all magic spells."


    During the next few questions, the young wizards seemed to have tacitly accepted his statement about magic levels and kept asking various questions about it.


    After about ten minutes, the crowd gradually quieted down.


    Felix said, "All right! Let''s move on to the next step. We have forty minutes until the end of class, so we''ll spend the rest of the time testing and instructing you on the Disarming Charm."


    The four professors shuttled through the crowd, divided the young wizards into pairs, and instructed them on the disarming charm.


    But many of the young wizards were still scratching their heads a bit -


    "Professor Hap has definitely mastered level six magic spells!" Ron said conclusively.


    "I think so, too, and he doesn''t deny it." Dean Thomas said.


    But Professor Hap just won''t speak about it, it''s so infuriating!


    Unknowingly, most of the young wizards agreed with this method of division.


    "What do you guys say, what does a level six magic spell look like?" Ron asked.


    "Will the spell become bigger and brighter?" Neville asked with a longing look on his face.


    "You mean, a bucket-thick magic spell?"


    "It''s a possibility, isn''t it?"


    On the other side, Felix said to a small Hufflepuff wizard, "Very good, Diggory, your spell is already quite good."


    Cedric said with some formality, "I''ve been practicing this for a long time now, also the information you gave us was very useful."


    Felix nodded in satisfaction and was just about to praise a few words, but he suddenly stopped talking.


    Cedric saw that Professor Hap''s expression became serious all of a sudden, and he couldn''t help asking, "Professor, what happened?"


    But Professor Hap did not answer him; his gaze remained in one direction, and his light blue eyes seemed to pierce through the great hall.


    "Diggory, I have a temporary emergency, help me inform the other professors." The young professor left in a hurry.


    He went all the way straight to the castle tower, and in just a few minutes he was standing in the doorway of his office.


    Felix enchanted himself with various protective magic, the protective artefacts under his clothes shimmered with the dim light from magic, and after making enough preparations, he calmly waved his wand and the door opened silently.


    The scene in front of him surprised him greatly.


    At the doorway, seven or eight dark green devil snares were tightly wrapped around the body of a house-elf, and the green branches shimmered with a greenish glow as if they were breathing.


    Felix carefully examined the unexpected intruder, which seemed to have passed out.


    Felix cast a Stunning Spell and walked straight into his office.


    After double-checking inside and out to make sure there was no risk, he opened the suitcase in the corner and took out a delicate box from it. Felix''s fingers brushed over the surface of the box, which lit up with layer after layer of magic runes.


    There was no sign of it being cracked.


    He opened the box and the diary lay quietly inside it, he let a slight sigh of relief.


    Only then did he have the heart to think about the origin of this strange house elf.


    After some thought, he took a thumb-sized clear vial out of the ring, which contained about a millilitre of clear liquid.


    This was a Christmas gift from Snape.


    Felix put two drops into the mouth of the house-elf and woke him up with a Reviving Spell.


    About five minutes later, he figured out the whole story.


    Felix''s emotions were quite mixed.


    He looked at the diary, and after a long silence, he said softly: "Sorry, Tom."


    A large amount of fiendfyre flew out of the wand, gathered above the room, like a cloud churning on a cloudy day. Under Felix''s control, the clouds of fire converged and shrunk toward the center, condensing into a long white sword in midair as if it were solid.


    The diary sensed the danger, the page flipped wildly, from which a large amount of black gas gushed out, but these black gas collapsed as soon as it touched the white sword.


    Tom''s voice came from the diary: "No, I can tell you the secret to overcoming death-"


    " Snip!"


    The long sword pierced the diary, passing through the delicate box, the long table-


    Then the sound came to an abrupt halt.


    Felix waved his wand and let the eerie white longsword dissipate.


    "Understanding the essence, reshaping the form, this is the sixth level of magic ..." his voice rang out in the office.

 Chapter 109 - 109 Dobby

    Under Felix''s gaze, the diary suddenly oozed a large amount of dark ink, dripping on the floor, and the floor was corroded with bursts of black smoke.


    "Scourgify!" The ink disappeared.


    The diary was also completely destroyed.


    Being a Horcrux, it was extremely resistant to regular spells, but it could not resist the blaze of the Fiendfyre. Especially, Felix''s Fiendfyre longsword was counted as one of the most destructive magic.


    But under his deliberate care, it did not burn it to ashes, and the fire only burned a fist-sized hole in the journal - for Felix, its remnants were still useful.


    Felix''s eyes fell on the house-elf named Dobby.


    With the power of the magic potion, he almost understood what happened -


    As a Malfoy family''s slave, Dobby was able to hear a lot of Lucius Malfoy''s hidden secrets. When he learned that his master had brought the Dark Lord''s relics into Hogwarts through the hands of Ginny Weasley, he was deeply worried about Harry Potter, the House elf''s biggest benefactor, which led him to act privately again and again.


    This includes, but is not limited to, intercepting Harry Potter''s mail, obstructing Harry from getting on the train, controlling the Golden Snitch at the Quidditch pitch to injure Harry ...


    Of course, this also includes today''s attempt to sneak into his office and steal the diary while Felix was in class.


    The effect of the magic potion almost faded, and the elf''s eyelids fluttered, at any moment he was able to wake up.


    Dobby slowly opened his eyes.


    He dragged his slender body from the ground and opened his slender palms to observe repeatedly, his face has a puzzled look.


    "Where is Dobby at? Dobby remembers, Dobby went against his master''s wishes and secretly ... took advantage of that man''s lecture," he said as he surveyed his surroundings. Soon, his eyes met with Felix who was sitting on the couch -


    He let out a shriek and stumbled back a few steps, grabbing his face with his hands in horror.


    Through the gap between his withered fingers, Dobby''s large eyes were filled with fear. "Faye, Faye, Felix Hap!"


    The elf was subconsciously about to run away, his short body became a blur, but the next second, his body froze.


    Felix put down his wand, and his rather emotional voice reached Dobby''s ears: "Very excellent talent, the house-elf is really a fantastic creature, but unfortunately, the magic power is too weak."


    Dobby''s magic power was not even one-tenth of that of a normal adult wizard.


    Extraordinary talent, low magic power, this is the characteristic of a house-elf. When Felix was attending school, he dedicated a lot of time to researching the weaknesses of various magical creatures, which naturally included house elf.


    One-on-one for a short time, the elf could get the upper hand in a battle with a wizard by virtue of their own talent; but if they meet with a purposefully one or two months trained wizard, they would be no match for that wizard at all.


    The panic-stricken elf struggled desperately to get rid of the invisible bindings. But when Felix said a name, Dobby''s body suddenly froze as if a Petrificus Totalus had been cast, completely frozen.


    "Lucius Malfoy."


    Dobby''s expression became even more terrified as Felix''s words seemed to awaken his instincts and he trembled: "Bad Dobby!, Bad Dobby!" He suddenly stood up, and his body involuntarily slammed into the nearest cabinet.


    Felix waved his wand and hauled him into a position opposite to him, and said calmly, "Dobby, I have no covetous desire for the Dark Lord''s relics, and there is no need for you to worry about what I will do."


    "Dobby doesn''t believe it!" He screamed, "That''s ... the vilest of all magic artefacts, and it will affect you and make you as horrible as the Dark Lord ..."


    " Pop!"


    A tattered diary fell on the small table between the two, it had a large broken hole in it and near edges, as if it had been meant to be that way.


    Dobby''s voice choked as if someone strangled him, and not a word could come out.


    "This..." Dobby clumsily stood up, his expression carrying confusion and disbelief, cautiously moved two steps closer, and then jumped on the table, half bent over to carefully examine the broken diary.


    Like a tennis ball-like eyes were wide open, " incredible! Unbelievable ... Mr. Harry Potter is safe!" A teardrop rolled down from his long, pointed nose.


    He wiped his tears with the tattered pillowcase he was wearing and kept muttering in a small voice. But he soon realized what was going on and shouted, "Bad Dobby, Bad Dobby!" Looking around for something to try to punish himself.


    Felix shook his head. The house-elf had been in a war with wizards and after losing the war signed an extremely harsh magic contract, after generations, obeying their master''s orders had become an instinct engraved into their bones.


    For example, Dobby dared to trespass on the territory of a powerful wizard without his master''s permission, and he is considered an exception among the house elf.


    Felix tapped his finger on the sofa arm, and Dobby looked like he had been struck by a hammer as he regained his senses.


    "Let''s talk it through, Dobby."


    Dobby looked at him cautiously, "What do you want to know, the honourable and almighty Mr. Hap?"


    Although Felix already understood what had happened, he was still interested in asking some questions, he inquired, "I would like to know, the diary been in the hands of three people, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and me. But why did you choose to come and steal the diary while I had it in my possession?"


    Three holders, two minor wizards, and one powerful professor, who would you choose in this? This choice wasn''t that difficult.


    Dobby''s expression was rather formal as he hunched over and whispered, "Because I can''t, sir. My body is preventing me from taking action, one is my young master, the other is also of a noble status ... I can''t, I can''t ...'''' he let out a scream.


    Felix pondered, ''can''t touch the young master'' is a good reason to understand, but ''Ginny''s noble status'' what does he mean?


    The honour of a pureblood family? ...


    So, you mean that I am no longer a pureblood? Or is it that house-elf also relies on information from the outside world to make judgments?


    Felix shook his head, he didn''t care about the answer to that question.


    "Then how did you overcome your instincts to do these things, I assume Lucius Malfoy didn''t give you permission to act privately, right?"


    The question seemed to stun Dobby, and he whimpered and sobbed.


    "Dobby, Dobby had to punish himself by banging his head against the wall and burning his hands with a branding iron ..." said the house-elf with his tennis-big eyes wide, "but it was all Worth it, for the safety of Mr. Harry Potter ... and Master did not specifically forbid Dobby, Dobby can do this, although Dobby''s behaviour will not please master, Dobby will punish Dobby. Oh! No! Bad Dobby! Very bad, very bad, Dobby!"


    He pulled his ears fiercely.


    Well ... Felix looked at him, is this also the talent of house-elf? The loophole of such rules can be used by you.


    Felix looked at the wall clock, almost twenty minutes had passed, and he was ready to end this conversation for now.

 Chapter 110 - 110 The Duel Class Ended Perfectly

    "Dobby, can you stay here and let''s talk later?"


    "No, Dobby must go back, back to his master ... Dobby sneaked out while his master visiting a friend." Dobby said emphatically, "A very close friend! So master won''t let Dobby follow."


    "Then come back, when you have time. No, I need time to prepare, you can let me know in advance." Felix waved and a brass-red, round piece of metal flew over from the workbench.


    It is a brass coin.


    He tossed the coin to Dobby, who reached out to catch it and looked at it carefully, "No, no, Dobby can''t take it, Dobby doesn''t deserve ANY money." He said in fear as if he was holding some evil black magic item.


    Felix sighed, "That''s for you to notify me. You inject your magic in advance, and I will receive the message."


    This thing is a pair magic artefact, somewhat similar to the two-way mirror, but less functional than that.


    It''s just a pair of copper coins with ''synchronization enchantment'' applied to them, and when you inject magic into one, the other one will become hot.


    The ''Fever Coin'' is a spin-off product of Felix''s question-answering parchment, a product created through the collective brainstorming of those little wizards, with little technical content of its own.


    Felix is also casually made it for fun, he also sent a pair to each of his research team in it.


    The Weasley twins were interested in this, and Felix felt that it wouldn''t be long before they would show him the remnants of the ''Fever Coin'' ...


    Hearing Felix''s words, Dobby then relaxed, he carefully examined the coin in his hand, his eyes seemed to shine.


    "Is this a gift for Dobby?" He asked, cocking his head and holding the copper coin in his hand.


    "-You could say that." Felix had no intention of taking it back.


    "Mr. Hap is so generous, it''s the first time Dobby has ever received a gift!" The elf was moved to tears.


    Felix: "..." I have a lot of similar trinkets if you''re feeling happy...


    As he watched, Dobby bowed towards him, then snapped his fingers lightly, then his figure disappeared.


    "What an interesting talent," Felix said adoringly.


    Creatures like house-elf were very magical, they had many ''wizard-like'' abilities, for example, the technique Dobby just used when he disappeared is very similar to a wizard''s Apparition, but the principles are completely different.


    At least, as far as Felix knew, Hogwarts had a lot of anti-Apparition ward laid out, but this ward didn''t work against some magical creatures - like phoenixes, or house elf.


    On top of that, house-elf can manipulate all kinds of small things, which are very convenient for household chores and room cleaning; they also possess quite an offensive ability, although this ability has been firmly shackled by the magic contract.


    But these are not spells familiar to wizards, rather they are the natural gifts of a magical creature who has these abilities, like a bird or snake magic creature that can enlarge and shrink its body at will depending on the space it is in.


    ...


    When Felix returned to the great hall, the three professors were still carefully instructing the young wizard.


    It had been two weeks since the last dueling class, and many of the older young wizards were barely able to cast the Disarming Charm.


    This made the sparring between them have a bit of a shadow of a duel.


    But it was only a shadow.


    Felix then saw the two young wizards look at each other and chant the spell aloud, only to awkwardly shoot a shower of sparks from the tip of their wands. And then, without a second glance, unleashed a real disarming charm that came straight at him.


    "Miss Bulstrode, be careful with your spell," Felix remarked to the stout-looking witch as he put off the spell. He looked at her twice more. If he was not mistaken, his own assistant had acquired cat hair from her and wore a knitted hat for three weeks for it.


    "Oh sorry, Professor." Millicent Bulstrode said with some panic.


    "You have to watch the angle of your wand and wield it hard as if you were stabbing it out. And ... faith is important, don''t be playful, it will seriously slow down your progress."


    After pointing out a few young wizards, Felix came near Professor McGonagall, where a small circle of people was gathered around her.


    She was standing excitedly in front of a pair of young wizards, complimenting them loudly, "Potter, very excellent disarming charm." She rubbed the corners of her eyes.


    As Felix looked over, a red light flew out of Harry''s wand, hitting his opponent, Hermione Granger, precisely.


    Her wand came out of her hand and arced in midair, caught in Harry''s agile hand.


    The little witch looked puffy.


    Harry handed the wand somewhat smugly and was just about to say something when his next opponent had stepped forward.


    Felix noticed, to his surprise, that opposite to Harry, there is a short queue, with a number of young wizards surrounding around, looking at Harry with adoring faces.


    What is this situation?


    When Hermione saw Felix, she quietly came over. "Professor Hap."


    "What''s going on here?"


    "Uh, Ron mentioned that the reason he learned the disarming charm was that he practiced against Harry and got hit by the charm too many times." She said with her head down.


    Felix looked at Ron, who was on the sidelines cooing, commenting, and scowling, and looked ridiculous.


    But ... is it possible? Even he is not sure.


    It''s really an absurd point of view, totally for the people without a clear brain circuit.


    He looked at his assistant, "So, you also believe it?"


    Hermione said with some embarrassment, "At first I didn''t believe ... it," but the number of young wizards running over to request mainly to practice against Harry grew, and she wavered.


    She tactfully changed the subject: "Professor, everyone says you''ve mastered the Level Six spell." Hermione stared at Felix''s expression, trying to gauge something.


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes!" Hermione said emphatically, "What do you think, Professor?"


    "My thoughts, Miss Granger, are we going to be working late this weekend."


    "Uh, what?"


    "Grading the homework that was given in the last dueling class."


    Hermione looked at him dumbfounded, and she couldn''t help but look around at the hundreds of young wizards in the great hall, who were practicing their spells with gusto and enthusiasm.


    In their eyes, it was a new and interesting enough game.


    Occasionally, the great hall erupted with laughter when someone missed a spell or spewed out a cluster of dazzling sparks.


    But in the joyful atmosphere, she suddenly lost that joy, only feeling a little disturbed.


    After seven or eight minutes, Felix came up to the stage and ended the session.


    "I have seen your progress, young wizards."


    "The perfects of each house will collect the assignments which were given in the last class uniformly, and I will spare some time to advise one by one - if your data is not fabricated."


    Many of the little wizards bowed their heads.


    As the young wizards left the great hall, they had big smiles on their faces.


    "Hermione, you don''t look so good," Ron said.


    He was in a very good mood, in fact, because of the Special Contribution Award, Ron became very popular these days, especially after resolving the trouble with Lockhart, and his detention was mostly lifted by Professor McGonagall.


    " Oh well." Hermione walked away with her head held high.


    "Harry, I think it''s because of you, your Disarming Charm is much better than hers," Ron said to Harry.


    Harry scratched his head.


    The next morning, a piece of news spread throughout Hogwarts, overwhelming all other gossips.


    "Gilderoy Lockhart: a false adventurer! About to face multiple trials.." A young wizard held the newspaper delivered by an owl and read the front-page headline aloud.

 Chapter 111 - 111 Dumbledores Afternoon Tea

    The young wizards in the great hall, eating their breakfast and murmured.


    Hermione borrowed a newspaper from the person eating next to her and pointed to the text on it, "Look here, ''After tampering with the wizards'' memories and obtaining their stories, Lockhart used Obliviate on them. So far only seven victims could be found, and their memories were permanently impaired.''"


    The chicken leg in Ron''s mouth stopped tasting good, "So, I almost lost my memory forever?"


    He felt disbelief, with the level of magic that Lockhart displayed on a regular basis, and he was also repeatedly able to sneak up on him.


    Harry also said with palpitations: " or you might not even know that you had lost your memory, who would have thought that he is a master of Obliviate ?"


    "It''s terrible to think I spent a week in an office with someone like that." Ron took a big gulp of pumpkin juice.


    "I wonder who captured Lockhart?"


    "Wasn''t it Auror from the Ministry of Magic, I heard it from Dean."


    "No way, I asked the Fat Lady, and she said no outsiders came that day at all," Hermione said casually.


    "How did she know?" Ron looked shocked, " it''s just a portrait."


    "Ron, the portrait also retains its own character, the Fat Lady is keen on opera and chatting, she often visits other portraits when no one around." Hermione narrowed her eyes, "She''ll be happy to share some gossip with you as long as you compliment her a few more times on how well she sings."


    "And to be fair, her songs weren''t that bad."


    ...


    Later that afternoon, in the Headmaster''s office, Felix and Dumbledore sat face to face as they discussed the aftermath of Lockhart''s arrest.


    On the table lay several plates of cupcakes and cookies, along with two glasses of pumpkin juice.


    "Sadly, there may be more people harmed than initially anticipated," Dumbledore said softly.


    "More than his adventures?"


    "Yes. He can''t guarantee that every story he encounters will be engaging enough."


    Felix flipped through the few newspaper pages on the table, "How come I didn''t see anything from Rita Skeeter?" That wasn''t like her.


    Is she afraid her attack on Lockhart will be exposed? But memories are rarely used as evidence, especially when the perpetrator himself is a master of said magic. Even if Lockhart identified Rita Skeeter in court, it wouldn''t matter much.


    "She''s in the middle of some trouble." Dumbledore used a small fork to stab a piece of cake, "It tastes quite good, Felix, I highly recommend it."


    Felix put one piece in his mouth, "Would she put herself in trouble? She''s a smart one."


    Dumbledore gave him a look, "Smart people will make mistakes as well, and they are more prone to find loopholes in the rules than the average person, so the mistakes they make are probably bigger."


    "So the trouble she''s in is-"


    "According to the information I got, she did everything she could to inquire about the inside story of Lockhart''s arrest, and then rushed to register as Animagus the same day at the Ministry of Magic."


    "Animagus." Felix swallowed the cake and repeated. "Yeah, Animagus, an illegal Animagus ..."


    He finally understood why Rita Skeeter had made a move on Lockhart.


    "I guess, her transformation must be some kind of tiny creature." Felix sounded very sure.


    "It is a beetle." Dumbledore said calmly, "If the truth is as we think, there is a reason why she has been well-informed all these years. From what we can discern, Lockhart has been hit by an Obliviate, but he has got free from the effects of the spell, which puts her in a very awkward spot."


    Memories can be falsified, but magic doesn''t lie. If Lockhart did testify that Rita Skeeter is an illegal Animagus, there must be quite a few people in the Ministry of Magic who would be interested in inspecting it.


    Rita Skeeter has been acting recklessly these past few years, and I don''t know how many people she has pissed off.


    "I don''t think she''ll have it easy as she wants," Felix said.


    After a moment of silence, Felix spoke, "Headmaster Dumbledore, there is still five months until the next academic year, what about the school''s Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"


    Dumbledore also showed a distressed expression, he could not help but smack his lips and sighed and say, "The professor for this course change really fast."


    "So, the curse of the Dark Lord is true?"


    "I guess so, since I refused Voldemort, no teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts has been able to teach it for more than a year." Dumbledore said, "I think he must be very angry to be rejected twice."


    "Twice?" Felix looked at him with a bizarre expression. "You rejected him twice?"


    He, himself, got rejected three times, and he''s still eating cake in the Headmaster''s office.


    "No, Felix." Dumbledore blinked and said light-heartedly, "Headmaster Dippet thought he was too young and rejected him. After that, he disappeared for ten years and when he came to apply for a job again, I could hardly recognize him and I rejected him explicitly."


    "Professor Snape, however, has always had this class on his mind." Felix banged the side drum for his house head.


    "Severus ...," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "I will not give him this class."


    "Why? In the years I attended, no one died, only one or two suffered minor injuries, and it doesn''t look like the curse had much effect."


    "That''s because no one has ever been in this course for more than a year." Dumbledore sighed softly. "That''s the only solution I''ve come up with, but after thirty years, this course doesn''t have a good reputation anymore, and it''s getting harder and harder to find qualified teachers."


    This is indeed true.


    Felix rejected the Defense Against Dark Arts class because, on the one hand, the default term of appointment for the course is one year, which has never been an exception and does not suit his purpose; on the other hand, it is a really nefarious position, and every professor more or less had an accident by the end of the term.


    But in his opinion, this time there is not much risk. Snape can totally substitute six months of classes, a big deal, handed it over to the new professor the next year.


    Felix voiced his suggestion.


    "But Severus will be staying and teaching at Hogwarts next year, won''t he?" Dumbledore looked at him meaningfully.


    "You mean the curse won''t stop as long as the person remains in the school?" Felix asked keenly.


    "That''s what I''ve observed. I have also invited a few outgoing professors for the Defense Against the Dark Arts course to change to other positions, resulting in serious mishaps ..." Dumbledore fell into reminiscence, "but it doesn''t matter if they take a class or two in temporary."


    He revealed very alarming information, which is almost saying that once tainted with the curse, you must flee Hogwarts in a year at most, otherwise, even if you step down from the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, you will not be safe.


    Dumbledore seeking anyone, except Snape.


    Felix completely dismissed the idea of helping him to secure a teaching position in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and the two began to discuss the curse itself.


    "How did he do it?" Felix asked.


    It seemed unbelievable to him because Voldemort''s curse is linked a little too closely to Hogwarts.


    Hogwarts itself, in fact, has a very good defense ward, it is difficult to be affected by external influence.


    "What follows are all speculation on my part, and is considered to be tea-time banter."


    "Of course."


    "I think Voldemort cleverly used the identity of the Slytherin heir, plus he himself is very good at curses ... In short, when the two are combined, result in phenomenal results." Dumbledore said.


    "Voldemort can influence the operation of Hogwarts?" Felix asked as he felt chills. This claim is amazing ...


    "No, Felix. The Hogwarts order has existed for a thousand years, and even if Salazar Slytherin ever returned, he would not be able to reclaim the Hogwarts."


    "Then--"


    "Voldemort paid a huge price, and from all the indications, he gave up Hogwarts'' protection forever - a privilege that belongs exclusively to the descendants of the four founders - he used the authority and shelter that he was given, and with his own hatred to cast this curse."


    After a long silence -


    "And the way to lift this curse is?"


    "Voldemort''s death." Dumbledore lowered his gaze.


    "So you knew he wasn''t dead for a long time?"


    "Yes, I always knew." Dumbledore murmured, "The existence of the curse suggests it."


    The two discussed the curse for quite a long time next, and Felix knew a lot of information about Hogwarts.


    When Felix excused himself and left, Dumbledore sat quietly in his chair, on the table with the long thin legs, there placed a set of rare and odd silverware, whirling and emitting small puffs of smoke.


    Portraits of the old Headmaster on the wall, they whispered and murmured about what the pair had just talked about.


    On the cabinet shelf opposite to the table lays a tattered and crumpled wizard''s hat. At the moment, a crack near the rim of the sorting hat opened up like a mouth: "Dumbledore, this is not like you."


    Dumbledore slender fingers joined together, "Do you have any insight, the sorting hat of the House? I''m all ears."


    "You''ve said a lot today, and I thought ... you''d keep it all buried deep inside."


    "Maybe I simply got hooked on the conversation, and Felix is a good listener."


    "Maybe ... but you''re revealing a bit of the Hogwarts hidden secrets, which is exclusively for the Headmasters. Dumbledore ..."


    The portraits on the wall all stared at Dumbledore.


    "... I guess, you are trying to groom that boy?"


    Dumbledore gave a little smile, his beard twitching gently: "sorting hat, how do you see him, from your own point of view?"


    "He wants to research me, I can see that, though he hides that idea deeply. What a fine wizard. He reminds me of Lady Ravenclaw, and I am very much looking forward towards his growth."


    Dumbledore showed an astonished expression, he and the Sorting Hat spent nearly half a century together, he naturally knew that although the Sorting Hat respects all four founders, it has the most special feelings for two of them, one is Gryffindor, the other is Ravenclaw.


    This is very high praise from the Sorting Hat.


    The old man regained his composure and said: "Voldemort''s presence is getting stronger and stronger, and I have a feeling it will not be very far from his return.. I also have to make some preparations, although it may not always be useful."

 Chapter 112 - 112 Extra Guidance

    Later in the day, Felix had mentioned the conversation with Dumbledore with Snape, and the professor had left in silence.


    Maybe he wasn''t hopeful ... Felix watched his back and thought silently.


    Time skipped to Saturday, and Felix finally got a big chunk of free time.


    He took out the memory spells material copied from Lockhart''s office and studied them carefully. It could be seen that Lockhart attached great importance to this information, it was filled with plausible personal notes, and part of the ink was still very new, it couldn''t be more than two weeks old.


    ''It''s not as if Lockhart hasn''t done anything decent for most of the year.''


    According to Felix''s thoughts, perhaps Lockhart never took teaching to his heart and just mingled as much as he could. Waiting for a year to pass away, he sold a lot of books, memory magic can also have some progress, and most crucially, he can write a book like "The Professor Under the Curse" or "My Year at Hogwarts" kind of book.


    This is not a challenge for Lockhart, who could even modify stories that were abandoned in the past and use them directly.


    At least he saw in the manuscript of Lockhart''s interview, which the trio had copied, a considerable amount of space was devoted to the crooked old wizard''s experience in solving the curse of dark magic items, but this part was not placed in his "Wandering with Werewolves".


    It would make perfect sense if Lockhart intended to link this part, with the Hogwarts curse, to present himself as a master who is good at solving curses.


    Felix ignored the notes from the material of Lockhart and carefully read the original manuscript - although the term original manuscript is not appropriate, because the entire material was copied by Lockhart, and this is the most regrettable part for him.


    But from the lines, he still felt a sense of familiarity.


    What exactly is it, has he read a different book by the same author?


    Felix went through thousands of magic books in his thinking hut, and he got a bit of a migraine.


    Late in the evening, Felix let out a soft sigh of relief and put down the material in his hands.


    The harvest was great.


    In addition to Lockhart''s own signature magic, Obliviate (Ancient Magic Version), he had also gained some scattered and trivial tips on Occlumency.


    After combining the insights about memory magic from Lockhart, the diary, Snape, and his knowledge, perhaps he could obtain a new level six magic spells after working on it for a while.


    Whether it is an Occlumency or Obliviate? For Felix, it was really hard to choose.


    "And with two versions of the Obliviate spell, I have a chance to sort out the simplified concept of modern magic and go back to the source to restore the ancient magic from the modern one."


    It is another long-term project, but for Felix, it is a million-dollar affair.


    Felix kept thinking about it, and he felt that the biggest gain from his return to Hogwarts, besides the growing number of practical ancient magical runes, this would be his biggest gain.


    He even tapped into a number of interesting ideas from this material, which can solve the puzzles that arose from the diary.


    " Lockhart is really a Treasure Wizard, unfortunately, he''s going to Azkaban."


    ...


    A little later, his own young assistant reported in a time.


    Felix put the memory charm materials away and took out the two-foot thick parchments from the corner.


    These were the assignments turned in by the young wizards in dueling class.


    "Well ... we have to divide the work neatly, I''ll give the evaluation, and you will be recording it," Felix said, he felt his assistant was somewhat sluggish in the sparring match with Harry.


    But she was the most determined among the young wizards, who learned the Disarming Charm according to his " division method ".


    It is necessary to give her some extra care as a benefit.


    "This ..." Felix picked up the first parchment and looked at the data in the table on it, "Tsk!" Without saying anything, he handed it to Hermione.


    "Professor, what should I write?" The young witch asked, holding a quill in her hand.


    "Give him a question mark, an exaggerated one."


    Hermione: "????"


    "The data is made up." Professor Hap said shortly.


    "Professor Hap, how do you figure it out?"


    "His stats are excellent, but I''ve noticed him in dueling class, and he didn''t learn the disarming charm and has problems with even the most basic wand form ... probably copied a schoolmaster''s stats."


    Hermione nodded as she wrote down a question mark on the parchment.


    "The second one, let me see ..." Felix circled a few lines of data, "His problem is that his foundation is too poor, it is recommended to review the specific chapters of the magic spell textbook, which is mentioned in detail in the material. Miss Granger, mark the specific entries for me."


    "Okay." She wrote down "focus on what is mentioned in the fifth article of the study material" with ease - she knew the study material of the Disarming Charm by heart.


    Hermione finished writing her annotations on the parchment, then looked at the data Felix had circled, and she understood it all at once.


    This student named El-Buz, most of the problems are concentrated in the major category of ''operation standard'', and slightly on other categories such as ''essential theory'', ''spellcasting mentality'', ''magic comprehension'', etc.


    Time passed, Hermione continued to follow Professor Hap''s description, writing down various suggestions on the parchment, Professor Hap didn''t do anything, he would only highlight the key data and mark it out.


    As she has seen more and more problems, her understanding of the disarming charm is becoming clearer and clearer.


    With many suggestions made by Felix, she was able to understand a good deal compared to the key data that the professor had underlined.


    This is a matter of handling specifications, and this is a matter of mindset ... which is also reflected in the self-evaluation.


    Felix will also give various tips, such as the spell casting mentality part, he gave the approach of " imagine a tall man wielding a broomstick to attack you, and you are using your mind to make the broomstick in his hand fly over."


    She also wrote up Professor Hap''s explanation - "The mindset of the disarming charm is a self-preservation mindset, to be determined to make the enemy lose the ability to hurt you."


    Hermione could not resist asking: "Professor, do we have to visualize this idea to succeed?"


    "When you become proficient, there is no necessity. Some elite Auror can even cast disarming charms while sleeping. But when you have yet to master the charm, this right mindset will speed up your progress."


    Hermione nodded.


    Halfway through the grading, Hermione yawned impishly.


    "Let''s continue tomorrow evening, I suggest you spend more time practicing the disarming charm tomorrow during the day, you might get some surprises," Felix said to his assistant.


    The next day, evening.


    "It''s really improved!" Hermione said excitedly.


    She didn''t wait until morning, but practiced by herself when she got back last night.


    It was a strange feeling, when the wand was waved, she could realize which part she did not do well.


    The advice and tips she had written down in a stroke of her own quill kept popping up in her head.


    During the day, she spent a lot of time practicing, and she was progressing almost at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    Felix smiled, "We''ll finish grading today, and I think, by that time, your understanding of the disarming charm will be excellent."


    ...


    In the following week, time flew by and the answer parchments, which were only used in the fifth and seventh years, appeared in the ancient magic rune class of the other years one after another.


    There was a buzz among the young wizards about this new teaching tool.


    During one day in the great hall, Professor McGonagall asked him some information about the answer parchment, and Felix answered her cheerfully.


    Professor McGonagall stayed where she was with a thoughtful face.

 Chapter 113 - 113 Ministry Of Magic

    February 4, Saturday, 9:30 am.


    Felix, fully dressed, stood in front of the fireplace, then his figure disappeared from the office amidst a puff of bright-green flames.


    And when Felix exited the public fireplace, he already reached Diagon Alley.


    Diagon Alley is the most famous wizarding commercial district in the British wizarding world, which contains many big-name stores, bars, offices, and large enterprises.


    Gringotts, Broken Cauldron Bar, the main office of the Daily Prophet, and the Ollivander, Madam Malkin''s Robes, Flourish and Blotts Bookseller, and Apothecary, and many more associated with the little wizards, were all here.


    However, Felix was just passing by. He patted the dust on his body with his bowler hat, and the next second, he appeared directly in a dark, and narrow alley using apparition.


    When Felix came out of the alley, he was standing on what looked like a very desolate street, where there were only a few dilapidated-looking low-rise office buildings, a small saloon, and a dusty antique car.


    He walked some distance to the red phone booth by the wall - it looked pretty lousy, tattered, red paint peeling off in large pieces, broken glass, a slightly sane person would not even bother to enter to explore it.


    But Felix went inside, he picked up the phone hanging crookedly, dialled the number "62442", and waited quietly.


    A few seconds later, a cold woman''s voice echoed through the phone.


    "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your name and the reason for your visit."


    Felix said calmly, "Felix Hap, invited to the awarding ceremony of Damocles Belby."


    "Thank you," a cold voice of the woman stated, "Guest, please take the badge and pin it to the front of your shirt."


    A square, silver badge slid out of the coin slot, which read, Felix Hap, temporarily admitted for a visit.


    "Guest of the Ministry of Magic, you will be required to be checked at the security checkpoint and register your wand. The security checkpoint is located at the end of the main hall."


    Felix pinned his badge on his robe, and his thought at the moment is, is this woman even a real person?


    But the floor of the phone booth suddenly trembled, and he slowly descended into the ground. After about a minute, the phone booth stopped.


    "The Ministry of Magic hopes you to have a great day." The woman''s voice stated.


    The door jerked open and Felix stepped out, a gleaming lobby before him.


    He walked on the glossy dark floor with rows of plated fireplaces embedded in the walls on either side, which for the official members of the Ministry of Magic way of commuting.


    Perhaps being a weekend, there weren''t many people, nevertheless, there were three to two wizards still busy. A pimply-faced young man with a wobbly stack of parchments in his arms passed by him.


    Felix looked at his back, the one just now seemed to be an acquaintance of his?


    He shook his head and walked past the fountain in the center of the foyer to a desk. Behind the desk sat a wizard in peacock blue robes and a poorly shaven beard.


    Above his head, there is a sign that reads "Security Clearance".


    Felix tapped his finger on the table, "Good morning, sir, l am here to register my wand." The wizard looked up and put down the Daily Prophet in his hand.


    " Over here." The wizard stated in a dull tone.


    Felix approached him, and the male wizard raised a long gold rod, as thin as a car''s antenna, and he swept it across Felix''s front and back from top to bottom.


    "A wand." The security wizard muttered, extending his hand.


    Felix flipped his wrist and flicked a wand out of his sleeve.


    The male wizard froze, "I''ve seen quite a few Auror conceal their wands like that, you''re a newbie Auror?"


    "I serve at Hogwarts," Felix said briefly.


    "Geez, that''s a good job ..." The male wizard''s attitude warmed up quite a bit, "My name is Eric Munch, usually in charge of security, and occasionally doing guard duty."


    "Felix, you can call me that."


    Eric threw the wand at an oddly shaped, scales-like brass machine. The machine began to vibrate slightly.


    The male wizard was in the middle of a conversation, "What class do you teach? I heard that Professor Kettleburn is retiring, is he still around? His class was so awful that when I was in school ..."


    "Mr. Munch," Felix interrupted, "Professor Kettleburn is still teaching the young wizards, and I''m in charge of the ancient magic runes."


    As far as he knew, Professor Kettlebone is indeed retiring, but his replacement is readily available now- Rubeus Hagrid.


    Dumbledore is actively attempting to pacify him and restore his reputation. But it seems to be going not so smoothly, because the murderer who opened the chamber has yet to be caught, Felix has planned to throw the diary out at the right time.


    But this matter must be scheduled after speaking with Dobby. Otherwise, if something goes wrong in the middle, he is afraid that he will not be able to see that reckless elf.


    In fact, the matter of restoring reputation and appointing as a professor, Dumbledore himself can solve it, he only needs to mention a sentence at a holiday dinner. But in order to allow Hagrid to use his wand openly, it is necessary to obtain the recognition of the Ministry of Magic.


    And the Ministry of Magic has always been the representative of a tough figure to talk to.


    "Tick tock!" A narrow piece of parchment flew out of the brass machine''s bottom opening, and Eric ripped the paper off and read the words on it.


    "Thirteen inches, ebony, with a dragon heartstring core for the wand, ten years old. Is that correct?"


    "Very accurate," Felix said mildly.


    "I''ll keep this one," the wizard said, jabbing the strip of parchment onto a tiny brass staple. "You can have this back." he grabbed the wand with one hand.


    "Thanks."


    "Wait a minute," Eric asked, his hand reaching halfway across the desk as he paused to take a good look at the badge on Felix''s chest.


    He said slowly, "I remember you just mentioned that your name is Felix, Felix Hap? That ... one who prompted the 8-7 dueling contract."


    The tip of Eric Munch''s nose flushed and his nostrils expanded excitedly as if he had seen something remarkable.


    "Can you tell me, what were your thoughts at the time? I mean, they''re one of the 28 purebloods! Even though I can''t stand them myself - I''m mixed blood - there''s something about the fact that they''ve been around for hundreds of years. But it''s such a shame that one of them has now left Britain forever ..." he chattered.


    Felix calmly held out his hand, and the inky wand in the male wizard''s hand flew to his hand with a "whoosh", "I''m in a hurry, we can talk again later." He nodded at Eric Munch and turned to leave.


    Felix took the elevator to the second floor, he followed the door sign all the way through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, and the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects, and finally found the Wizengamot Headquarters.


    On the left side of the office, there are two oak doors that opened inwards and look very heavy. On the door, there is a conspicuous sign - meeting room No. 3.


    As Felix approached, from inside a very familiar, drawn-out voice spoke: "The taste of the magic potion is not important, my personal habit is to increase the amount of aconite ...."

 Chapter 114 - 114 Recognizing A Certain Hogwarts Professor

    Felix curled his lips and walked into the Assembly Room.


    The room was also cast with Extension Charm, which looked small from the outside, but inside looked like a small Hogwarts great hall.


    The floor laid with dark, oily, dark wood, blue ceiling inlaid with glittering golden symbols, constantly moving and altering.


    Two rows of torches were stuck in the walls on all sides, red flames burning quietly.


    There were about twenty people in the assembly room, scattered in seven or eight small circles.


    The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, was surrounded by the most people, he looked very active, full of smiles, his stomach stuck straight up, and he looked completely different from when he was at Hogwarts.


    Not far from the door, Snape is talking to a tall, thin, middle-aged male wizard with curly brown hair.


    "Professor Snape, you''re here too." Felix walked up to the two.


    Snape also looked at him with a surprised expression, his eyes fixed on Felix, and said quietly, "I didn''t expect to see you here as well, I don''t remember you achieving anything memorable in the field of potions."


    Felix smiled: "Belby and I are friends and often correspond with each other."


    Snape smacked his lips and didn''t utter a word.


    Felix turned his head to look at the male wizard, "Damocles, long time no see."


    The male wizard in front of him is the master of the potion, that invented the Wolfsbane Potion- Damocles Belby.


    Belby shook his hand warmly, "Felix, I''m glad to share my joy with you."


    He abruptly came closer and said in a hushed tone, "I recently saw a new muggle play that was very interesting, and if you haven''t seen it, I highly recommend you do so."


    "What was it about?"


    "The story of a bunch of canine having a party?" He said, not quite sure. "Honestly, I always thought it was an opera, but the muggles call it a musical, and I can''t figure out the difference."


    "Well ...," Felix said, trying to remember.


    Snape listened in amazement at their conversation with each other, even Hogwarts'' Muggle Studies professor, Charity Burbage, doesn''t get too involved in Muggle life.


    That said, it is Felix who brought Belby into the pit.


    The earliest acquaintance between the two was when Belby wrote a letter refuting some statements in his book, arguing that he was overstating the case, and was quite vocal about it. At the time, Felix only treated him as a brainless pureblood, and justifiably mocked him in a fancy way, with various data.


    As a result, Belby really studied it seriously, and finally wrote a letter admitting his mistake.


    The correspondence between the two people also became more, Felix also visited him several times.


    This master of potion is introverted, not good at socializing, but in fact, the heart is delicate, also a little sensitive. In his letters, he was distressed that his obsession with the potion had alienated his relationship with his family.


    Felix suggests that he and his family look for some common topics and find something to intersect between his own preferences and those of his family.


    And Belby chose opera.


    According to what Felix later learned, Belby invited the whole family to a very famous wizard opera at a family gathering, and they were all surprised by it, but gladly went along.


    Later, Felix unintentionally mentioned that the Muggle world also has quite a few excellent operas ...


    During the conversation, Belby pulled over a man, "This is my brother, Crest, Crest Belby."


    Felix looked at the short man with the same hair colour, "Hello, Mr. Crest."


    "Hello, Mr. Hap." The man said with interest, "I''ve heard about you from Damocles, and he held you in such high esteem that he bought a hundred copies of your book ..."


    "Ahem!" His brother coughed twice with some embarrassment.


    Felix: "..."


    It didn''t take long for other wizards on the scene to spot Felix, and they took the initiative to come over and talk.


    " Hap, long time no see, I heard that you went to work at Hogwarts."


    "That''s right, I''m in charge of ancient magical runes. Ogden, are things busy at Wizengamot these days?"


    "Not much going on, I don''t even bother about that so much." The male wizard muttered.


    Halfway through, Fudge also came to say hello, he hinted that he had a private party in the immediate future, Felix pretended not to understand and wished him all the best.


    In the meantime, quite a number of people came into the room, most of them experts in the field of potions and members of the Wizengamot, as well as some working employees of the Ministry of Magic and three or two journalists.


    There is a buzz at the doorway, and Felix looks up to see a short, fat witch in pink.


    As she passed by, a strong smell of perfume hit him.


    The witch walked right up to fudge and talked to him in a shrill voice.


    Belby frowned and said, "She''s the host for the day, that''s my only complaint."


    "That''s-"


    "Dolores Umbridge, Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office and, of course, a member of the Wizengamot. She doesn''t have a very good reputation in the Ministry of Magic, very demanding individual ..."


    The witch suddenly cackled, and Belby shut his mouth tightly.


    Soon, the ceremony officially began.


    Umbridge stood on the high platform and smiled sweetly at the thirty or so guests below.


    "As a member of the Wizengamot, I am honored to stand here and preside over this award ceremony. I would like to express my special gratitude to Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge for his trust in me, without his wise leadership ..."


    Originally Felix listened attentively, but when ten minutes had passed, he finally strayed away. Although he would be polite with strangers, never for such a long speech.


    When she reached twenty minutes mark, the voices at the bottom of the stage gradually got louder. Umbridge had to draw her wand from her dress pocket and tap the wooden panel in front of her to silence the crowd.


    Felix''s eyes skimmed over the pink bow in her hair and stared at the wand in her hand - a birchwood wand of about 8 inches.


    After another three or four minutes, and as the commotion broke out once more, Umbridge finally got down to business.


    "Let us welcome today''s protagonist - Damocles Belby, who has been awarded the second class badge of the Order of Merlin for his outstanding contribution in inventing the wolfsbane potion!"


    Belby walked up with an expressionless face.


    "-and the honored guests, Augustus Gray and Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge."


    The head of the Wizengamot Office, an aged wizard, trembled as he handed Belby a gold-plated certificate, and then was pulled down.


    Then Umbridge handed Fudge a box, which Fudge opened with a smile on his face, and took out a gold medallion with a purple ribbon from inside.


    Fudge hung the Order of Merlin on Belby''s chest and shook his hand affectionately.


    Felix noticed that the smile on Belby''s face is very stiff.


    The stage flashed with white lights and "clicks" for pictures.


    Next, Fudge gave an enthusiastic speech, praising "Belby''s outstanding contribution to the eradication of werewolves that have been a problem for centuries, a historic milestone."


    Felix imposed a "Muffliato Charm" around himself, whispered to Snape, and quietly turned his head to the side.


    "How come I didn''t spot Dumbledore?"


    Snape squeezed a sentence out of his mouth, "He rarely participates in these activities unless he thinks it is really necessary."


    "Isn''t he the head wizard of Wizengamot?" Felix asked.


    "That''s an honour, Felix. Wizengamot, other than judging a group of dark wizards at the end of the war, mostly spends the rest of the time minding petty chicken crap, do you think, Dumbledore would get involved in that?"


    Under Snape''s explanation, Felix reacquainted himself with this organization.


    Wizengamot has a great reputation as the highest Tribunal in the wizarding world, functioning similarly to the combination of the Court and the Parliament. However, in the actual process, their authority overlaps highly with other departments of the Ministry of Magic.


    The members of the Wizengamot can be viewed in two: most of the members are wizards reputable in various fields, who are invited to join in; while the other part of the members, the Office of Wizengamot Affairs, is responsible for the regular management and paperwork.


    But they are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic.


    This department is responsible for hearing all common violations. Only in controversial cases of greater impact will all members of the Wizengamot be invited to act as a jury and vote to decide.


    Even then, the Ministry of Magic will often assign judges themselves straight out.


    ...


    When walking out of the meeting room, Felix asked Belby, "Any plans these days?"


    Belby took a long breath, "I''m going to take some time off and get exposed to something new - that''s the advice you gave me, no?"


    A thought suddenly appeared in Felix''s mind, he looked Belby up and down, and just when the master of potion got a little hairy, he finally spoke out -


    "Damocles, are you interested in experiencing a period of campus life?"

 Chapter 115 - 115 Invitation

    Belby looked at him in disbelief, are you going to make me go back to school?


    "How about we find a place to sit and talk about it, in the Hogsmeade''s Three Broomsticks?" Felix suggested.


    "No problem." Belby talked to his brother and quickly walked over.


    Snape had already left, so the two used Apparition and went directly to the entrance of the Three Broomsticks Inn.


    "A very good experience, Felix, I did not feel any discomfort." Belby said admiringly, "I generally do not use it on my journey unless I have to ..."


    Felix and Belby walked into the inn, it being a weekend, there were only small groups of little wizards from Hogwarts sitting inside, especially couples, and they too watched in amazement as Professor Hap and a stranger walked in.


    "Is that Professor Hap''s friend?" Clemmie Vera thought to herself as the girl next to her stared curiously at the duo.


    Felix picked a seat in the corner, and Mrs. Rosmerta came over to take down their order, and within a minute, it was delivered.


    "A glass of low-alcohol mead."


    "A glass of sorbet with limoncello."


    She wiggled her waist and left.


    Felix knocked on the table, and the surrounding voices weakened all at once.


    "Felix, this is?"


    "It''s best to keep the little wizards out of this conversation between us." Felix pointed a short-distance away, and several young wizards peered curiously, and he even saw a few familiar faces.


    Next, Felix briefed him on the encounter with the last Defense Against the Dark Arts class professor.


    "So that''s it, I didn''t pay much attention to the incident," Belby said.


    "There is something I must warn you about, the rumours about the curse placed on this class in the outside world ..." Felix concealed the existence of Voldemort and used a powerful wizard to refer to the source of the curse by proxy.


    "Well ..." Belby some hesitation. "According to you, I only need to teach a little over half a year, and the curse would not affect me?"


    "From past decades of history, it is true that the vast majority of those wizards who have taught Defense Against the Dark Arts classes are still alive and well, except for a few-"


    "But they all have their own reasons for this, Damocles, you are an excellent wizard, and with a much shorter period of substitution, this danger is near negligible."


    Felix said sincerely, "Hogwarts has the largest collection of books in the world, and I think it would be no less useful to you at this stage."


    Belby''s eyes lit up at once, "Indeed ... I spent more than ten years researching wolfsbane potions, and what troubled me most about this was the lack of research material of the same type."


    Magic potion masters are a group of relatively nerdy wizards, they have less time to socialize, which is related to the nature of the potion - a magic potion will be brewed for a month or two, if you want to make improvements, at least a hundred trials are needed.


    His mind livened up, perhaps he could spend a little over half a year to recharge himself - the word ''recharge'' is also something he learned from the Muggle world.


    What''s more, there is a Potion Master at Hogwarts to communicate with.


    Plus the twofold lure of Forbidden Forest and Lady Sprout''s greenhouse ...


    "Do you have any tips to offer, Felix, if I agree to teach?" Belby asked, his heart already racing.


    Felix thought for a moment and said, "I suggest you prepare a few defensive magical artefacts - I can provide them to you, no-no, there''s no need to be nervous, I''m just used to coping with problems proactively." He looked at Belby''s expression and added.


    "Secondly, when you communicate with Dumbledore, you can seek more information from him about the course, especially those wizards who used to be professors of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class - what is their current status? You could even visit some of them."


    "Finally, prepare for the class in advance, the level of the young wizards at Hogwarts may be different from what you might expect."


    Belby flashed a smile, "I graduated from Hogwarts too, Felix, and I know the level I was at."


    ...


    That day, Felix told Dumbledore about it.


    "So, we will soon have an excellent professor?" A look of surprise appeared on Dumbledore''s face, "To be honest, I was just about to send out the job advertisement."


    "Headmaster Dumbledore, Belby is just a little intrigued, and you still need to communicate with him on that aspect specifically, so I''ll stay out of it. But - he is one of the few friends with whom I can chat, I hope you can guarantee his safety."


    Dumbledore''s blue eyes looked at Felix, he smiled mildly and said, "Of course."


    Over the next few days, Felix didn''t pay much attention to this matter. He went through the routine of teaching, answering questions, and studying magic.


    This rhythmic life made his sense of time blur.


    The week passed quickly.


    On a clear afternoon, the snow began to melt from the castle and the roof was dripping with silver drops.


    The Weasley twins blocked him at the end of class.


    The two chuckled and pulled out two coins, which Felix took, and he couldn''t help but wonder if they''d scrapped the "Fever coin".


    But to his surprise, the coins were intact, and there is something more to it.


    Felix fondled the brass coin in his hand and looked at the twins, who exchanged a sly glance.


    "Is this going to be a challenge?"


    He felt the magic contained within, and after ten seconds or so, he squeezed one of the coins and injected magic into it, and the other copper coin quickly became hot, and the performance became bumpy.


    Felix examined it carefully, and several abbreviated words emerged from the awfully hot coin, and he tried to deduce them, and found that the sentence that best matched is -


    ''Filch is coming, get out of here!''


    Felix: "... This is your night tour prop?"


    "Uh, Professor Hap," Fred said, "don''t you think it''s a good emergency item - it should be useful when Auror raids the wizarding black market, like closing holes in the lines of defense or something. "


    "Or a code word passed between lovers, the words on it were filled in randomly," George said.


    Oh.


    Felix would not believe that they first worked out this thing, absolutely to the convenience of a night tour.


    And, what wizarding black market ... I think you''re trying to con me.


    But - they are very open-minded, just like they said about the two scenarios, there is some feasibility.


    "So why did you approach me?" He asked.


    "Professor Hap, we''ve run into some difficulties - for example, the words on the coin are fixed, and we have no way to modify them."


    "The coin itself is too small to have anything to write on it."


    "Yes, we hope to work on gadgets that allow two-way communication, similar to a two-way mirror, but of course -"


    "-Costless!"


    "- Easier to make!"


    They looked eagerly at Professor Hap, hoping that Professor Hap could answer their doubts.


    In the past few years, some prank props were researched by the twins themselves, but many ideas could not be realized and had to be put on the shelf.


    But the good thing is, Professor Hap has agreed that they can always seek help from him.


    When the twins finished speaking, Felix fell into a contemplative mood and stood motionless in place.


    After a few short moments-


    The two men looked at each other, and Fred said, with some caution, "You just need to give us a little hint ...."

 Chapter 116 - 116 Dwarfs

    Felix snapped back to his senses.


    "Oh, I''ve been thinking about it a little deeper." He had just thought of the mobile phone from the twins'' idea, so he put part of his mind in the thinking hut and deduced a little.


    This is similar to the "text message" function which he can completely deal with, he read so many books from the library about alchemy, not for nothing.


    But beyond that, if he wants to implement more complex functions, it''s not easy to make it happen.


    After all, a hundred or a thousand years ago the wizard did not have such a big brain, there are too many things that he needs to study and realize independently.


    But ... why bother? Why should he do this all by himself?


    He''s looking at the twins, if in the past he just treats the two as potential young wizards, now with his thoughts in mind, isn''t it a waste not to train them as another tool?


    Maybe he could eventually see magic cell phones in action?


    Felix had never been a highly purposeful person, but he didn''t refuse to make the wizarding world a better place.


    Especially when it didn''t take much effort.


    He said to the twins, "I can certainly tell you the solution directly, or even complete your ideas directly, but I would prefer to develop your capabilities."


    Felix took out a piece of parchment, "swish swish swish" wrote down a series of book titles, and marked the page number.


    "This is the reference list, which contains everything you want - including two books stored in the forbidden section, and I will give you a permission slip."


    "Thank you very much, Professor Hap." The twins exclaimed, looking so excited that they seemed as if they were about to rush up and hug him the next moment.


    Felix hurriedly waved his hand -


    "Also, regarding the materials, you may consider the materials used for the Wand''s body."


    "Professor, do you have any recommendations?"


    "From my personal perception, I like ebony, like inky jade." Felix showed them the wand he had in his hand, "However, reason tells me that it would be better to choose chestnut, which is very mild in nature and has no specific tendencies."


    The twins left joyfully.


    After the second lesson of the afternoon, Felix went straight to the great hall, halfway to see a group of young wizards gathered around with Professor McGonagall standing in the middle of the crowd, her lips tightly pursed together with a rather serious expression.


    Which little wizard had got into trouble now?


    It only took Felix a moment to notice as he approached that there were three other creatures in front of Professor McGonagall, so short that they were overshadowed by the little wizards.


    Surprisingly, they were dwarfs, and Felix found it very new.


    They had dark green skin, standing no more than a meter tall, and had a rough, fierce face. Even when the face is expressionless, there is a gloomy aura.


    Seeing the dwarfs, Felix remembered a person - Faris Spavin, the former Minister of Magic who created two records: one is reaching the seat of Minister of Magic at the age of 109, and the other is that he was in power for 38 years.


    Almost a hundred years have passed since then, but these two records have not been broken so far.


    One of his unique acts was when he gave a speech at the ''Conference of Wizards and Tribes of Friendship'', he told a bad joke about "a centaur, a ghost, and a dwarf walk into a bar", which caused the displeasure of the centaurs and resulted in a failed assassination (kicking) attempt on him.


    ...


    Felix stood outside the circle, and the one who kept arguing with Professor McGonagall is one of the grimmest-looking dwarves, who seems to be the leader among them, with a dirty bundle on his back and a handy gesture.


    "Ma''am, we received an invitation, and you can''t cancel it!"


    Professor McGonagall said impatiently, "I''ve said it for the third time, it was Lockhart who invited you, but he is now about to be brought to trial by Wizengamot."


    "But ... but ... we have many talents, let me show you."


    The dwarf opened the ragged bag behind him and took out from it a pair of golden wings and strapped them on his back, and picked up a tiny harp.


    The other two dwarfs beat the drum with a grim face and did stiff dance moves.


    Then, the little wizards were surprised to see a gloomy "Cupid" with golden wings and a harp singing...


    "Arilala~"


    "We are the messengers of love~"


    "Kicking people''s little legs along the way, without any trouble ~"


    "Delivering the confession of love~"


    Felix suddenly froze in his tracks as he stared blankly at the three dwarfs, unable to restrain sweat from forming on his head.


    The other young wizards felt almost the same way, Harry''s face seemed to twitch, Ron grinned, his body desperately bent forward.


    Hermione listened impassively, but her lips were pursed in a way that looked similar to Professor McGonagall''s, about 70%.


    Harry thought to himself, if anyone had sent this guy to confess to him, he would be so ashamed that he would disappear like steam on the spot.


    After singing an awkward verse, the dwarfs stopped, and in the process, Professor McGonagall''s lips kept trembling, "You guys ... you guys ..."


    "Ma''am, we are professionals, and I can also choreograph a dance at the moment, even singing and dancing ..." The dwarf''s face craned from side to side, as if looking for a target. In which direction his eyes dropped, there was an empty space in that direction.


    Finally, the dwarf''s gaze kept moving between Harry and Felix.


    Felix''s heart tightened, few people could bring him a nervous feeling, but this dwarf in front of him undoubtedly did that.


    He walked out with big strides, with a wand in his hand, he silently cast a spell - "Silencio."


    The dwarf opened his mouth, but could not utter a sound, and he touched his throat in a panic.


    "Professor McGonagall, what''s happening?"


    Professor McGonagall said with a helpless look on her face, "Gilderoy Lockhart''s special project for Valentine''s Day - dressing up the dwarf as a cupid and confessing his love for his students on Valentine''s Day."


    "..." Felix said, "He''s really thinking ahead, it''s been nearly half a month since his arrest."


    Professor McGonagall said, "In fact, he booked it a month in advance, and according to them," she grunted at the dwarfs, "they''re popular."


    She cleared her throat and said to the dwarves, "You did not sign a partnership with Hogwarts, so I regretfully-" before Professor McGonagall could finish her sentence.


    A few dwarfs burst into tears, it is a strange picture - they have a serious and gloomy face and silently shedding tears, which makes the onlooking wizards to have very mixed feelings, neither laugh nor could sympathize.


    "We are willing to do discount ..." said the dwarf leading the group. "It''s too hard, our team will not able to eat."


    Finally, Professor McGonagall took them away, the problem will be left to Dumbledore to have a headache.


    It didn''t take long for the latest news to come out-


    Dumbledore agreed to the dwarf group performing at the Valentine''s Day banquet, but refused their free help of helping students passing love letters and reading confessions.


    In the common room, an upper classman gave more accurate information: "It has been rumoured that Dumbledore is doing this to welcome the professor who will be taking the Defense Against the Dark Arts class that day."

 Chapter 117 - 117 Discussion

    The day before Valentine''s Day, Hogwarts was filled with an air of fidgety youths, and the whole school became alive.


    Among the small group of wizards, various tips for confessions began to circulate, from the manner and place of confessions - with the most popular being under the mistletoe - to what to wear when confessing, all sorting out rhetoric.


    There was even a sudden appearance of a batch of poor quality love potions, and several professors put a few students in severe detention to stop the craze.


    So the little wizards'' attention shifted towards the star students of each house, and they began to discuss which male wizard is more handsome and which female witch is more beautiful ...


    Some popular ones even had a proper fan base, such as Hufflepuff''s Cedric Diggory, who is already very popular, and the talent he showed in the few dueling classes made his fame expand rapidly over other grades and house.


    Harry also recently suffered a bit, with the dual bonus of the saviour aura and the school''s special contribution award, his fame has always been high. Especially after the display of the basilisk corpse in the school, the fear of the basilisk has transformed into a corresponding awe of Harry, Ron and Hermione.


    But this awe is more obvious over Harry, because only he has shown a great talent for fighting - his disarming charm even surpassed a number of senior students.


    This allowed him to gain a fan following.


    "Harry, there are some more girls over there looking at you, can''t you control it?" Hermione said in an annoyed mood.


    Harry looked at the corner of the library, stood a handful of younger witches, feeling very helpless, and their behaviour is quite bold, staring straight at him, when he looked over, they hid their faces behind the book and let out a "giggle".


    Ginny is doing her homework not far away, occasionally while flipping through the book, taking a quick glance at Harry.


    It didn''t take long for Harry''s troubles to be solved on their own, and Mrs. Pince, the librarian, waved her wand to drive the rowdy little girls away.


    He breathed a long sigh of relief.


    Ron is rather envious, as the people who love to listen to his stories are boys, and their fever is gradually fading off.


    As the three walked out of the library, they began to discuss who is the new professor.


    "I wonder who the new professor is, I hope it won''t be another one like Lockhart and Quirr ...," Ron said with a palpitating feeling, those two had left a huge psychological shadow on him.


    "We can learn from the dueling class." Harry does not care much, his most satisfactory course this year is the dueling class, but unfortunately, it is only twice a month.


    "Harry, dueling class and defense against the dark arts class are not the same, defense against the dark arts teaches you to ward off danger, and fighting is just a way to ward off danger." Hermione said, "Actually, Snape''s theory is full of demands that match the requirements of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."


    Ron looked at her with a shocked expression, as if she had said something shocking.


    "Oh~ don''t be like that, I''m just making an honest assessment." Hermione said.


    Harry didn''t say anything, it isn''t Snape''s opinion on the duel that he objected about, but rather the person himself.


    On this point, the two boys agreed tacitly, he didn''t like Snape, and Snape also didn''t like him.


    So he diverted the topic and asked: " Any rumours about the new professor? Leave the dwarfs out of the conversation ..."


    As they spoke, a dwarf passed them with a grim face - after Dumbledore had agreed to the dwarf''s Valentine''s Day performance, they had brought the whole group, twelve in total.


    These green-skinned dwarfs walked around the school and became a unique sight this February.


    Harry is very glad they don''t normally have the habit of wearing golden wings and carrying harps.


    As the three watched the dwarf disappearing from their sight, Hermione replied to his earlier question, "The new professor''s name is Damocles Belby, a Potions Master who has just been awarded the Order of Merlin for inventing the wolfsbane potion."


    " Potions master? Wolfsbane potion?" Harry asked, in confusion.


    "The Order of Merlin? The stuff that Lockhart brags about?" Ron said in disgust.


    The young witch first told Harry, "Wolfsbane Potion is a new magic potion invented this year to keep werewolves awake during full moon transformations-" then looked at Ron, "Professor Belby received a second class medal, which is different from Lockhart''s."


    ."


    Harry nodded.


    "How do you know so much about all this?" Ron asked curiously.


    "I asked about it from Professor Hap, he is a good friend of the new professor, and he was the one who recommended this new professor to Dumbledore." The young witch said.


    Ron smacked his lips and said, "Then why did he recommend his friend over? I mean ... that curse?"


    Hermione shook her head, she also could not understand Professor Hap''s approach.


    Privately, she actually thought that Professor Hap had lost consideration. But she still countered Ron by saying, "The new professor is only subbing for half a semester, I think, he probably doesn''t think the danger is too great." She said, not very confidently.


    Ron muttered, "That''s dangerous, either way."


    It wasn''t until the evening that their questions were somewhat answered during their time in the common room.


    Ginny said somewhat unnaturally, "Luna''s mother died in an accident as a result of a spell mishap, and she said to me that if you try to research something new, you will inevitably run into all kinds of dangers ..."


    "... unless you don''t do anything."


    Ancient magic rune office.


    Felix sorted out his haul, he used the weekend to divide up the basilisk material with Snape.


    The other professors had little interest in it, except for Kettleburn and Hagrid, who came to see it a few times.


    Professor Kettleburn''s attitude was the purest, and he said with a regretful look on his face, "If you can raise it ... I mean, just enough to be sure."


    Given the professor''s exaggerated experience, Felix is deeply sceptical.


    Hagrid''s attitude was a bit more complicated, his large hand stroking the scales on the basilisk and saying slightly sadly, "I was expelled because of it, when my father passed away not long after, and he loved me so much ... it was a really dark time."


    He wiped his tears with a dirty handkerchief and told Felix about his sadness.


    But soon, before Felix could think of words to comfort him, Hagrid adjusted himself, sizing up the basilisk''s fangs and big hollow eyes, and remarked, "A fascinating creature, isn''t it?"


    ...


    Before Felix lay a greenish snake skin and scales separated from its body, as well as a dozen fangs.


    These are the results of the processing - originally, the scales on the snake skin are not peelable, just like most snakes, the so-called scales are actually the product of the snake''s superficial skin and keratin accumulation.


    But under the effect of magic, everything is not a problem, he easily separated the scales and snake skin.


    The basilisk has extremely strong magic resistance, comparable to the fire dragon in terms of horizontal analogy. Even if a spell of physical impact hit the thick scales, it might just cause a small, shallow dent.


    He considered making a close-fitting soft armour so that the general spell wouldn''t be effective against him the least.


    As for the scales, Felix temporarily has not yet thought of how to deal with it - this thing is full of magical inertia.


    He could only hope that Professor Snape could develop a use for the basilisk''s scales, preferably turning it into a rare magic potion material.

 Chapter 118 - 118 Valentines Day

    Felix stroked the greenish snake skin in front of him and thought about the production method.


    ''First, you need to deal with impurities, this step can be referenced from the Binding Vine operation, however, the characteristics of basilisk and Whomping Willow branches can be completely different ...''


    ...


    February 14 Valentine''s Day.


    When the little wizards got up early to go to the great hall for breakfast, they found that all four walls were decorated with dazzling pink flowers, and much heart-shaped confetti kept falling from the light blue ceiling.


    Even the normal corridors were decorated with canopies of wintergreen and mistletoe.


    Many young male and female wizards were grinning and smiling silly during the meal.


    During this day, the professors turn a blind eye and don''t meddle much - but don''t expect them to smile at you as well.


    "I think Percy must be sour when he sees this," Ron said, pointing to a few couples holding hands in the distance - he and Percy have made up, but not without the habit of taunting him a little.


    But all this had nothing to do with them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ate breakfast and hurried to class.


    Evening arrived.


    They dragged their tired bodies to the great hall, and the long table was already filled with many young wizards.


    Not surprisingly, they saw the dwarfs dressed as the cupids, albeit they were standing on a makeshift platform, grimly playing the harp - not unpleasant, at least there was no impulse to flee.


    The two shortest-looking dwarves, who seemed to have yet to master the art, stood two or three meters near the doorway of the great hall, and from their pockets pulling out a handful of coloured flakes which would be thrown at anyone passing them in as a duo.


    Harry and the group then saw Dean and Neville, who were walking in front of them, bathed in a rain of coloured flakes, with Neville standing awkwardly in place and Dean letting out a grunt of unknown meaning and quickly running away.


    A roar of laughter erupted from the long table.


    Neville scratched his head and laughed along, his round face tinged with a blush.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried around the corner to avoid the pair of dwarfs.


    Soon, an unknown duo got hit, and if it is a couple, they will laugh graciously, which is not embarrassing, but if it is purely friends, the expression on their faces is enough to make the little wizards on the sidelines laugh for half a day.


    On the teachers'' table.


    Belby looked at this lively scene, somewhat surprised to said: "I did not expect, now Hogwarts celebrate Valentine''s Day? You know, I was sneaking around back then."


    Felix said, "Maybe it''s meant to welcome you."


    "Don''t be ridiculous, Felix." The middle-aged male wizard said, turning his head to look around, "How come I missed Professor Snape?"


    "He wouldn''t like this sight, he would probably be a little late."


    "Yeah, he looks pretty serious." Belby said, "The last time we met it was too brief, we didn''t talk much in detail, he had some very insightful ideas ..."


    "Was it about the Wolfsbane potion?"


    "That''s right, he seems to have thoughts on improving the Wolfsbane potion, I hope we can collaborate, and I''m willing to provide the initial research information."


    "Didn''t you think of inviting someone else before?" Felix asked curiously.


    "I thought about it, but ... not many were interested," Belby said regretfully, "Professor Slughorn did offer some suggestions, but he refused to get involved."


    "Slughorn?" It wasn''t the first time Felix had heard of him.


    "Yeah, he used to be my potion professor, but now that he''s retired, and his whereabouts are uncertain, it''s hard to get in touch with him."


    After ten minutes, other professors also arrived one after another.


    Professor Filius sat in the empty seat next to Felix, and Professor McGonagall sat down next to Filius.


    Snape chose a seat far away.


    Just when Harry got bored with listening to the dwarfs playing the same song for the seventh time, the dinner finally started.


    Dumbledore tapped his glass to silence the young wizard, and he introduced their new professor to the crowd with a big smile on his face.


    "I have the honour to introduce you, Damocles Belby, who has graciously agreed to fill the vacancy for this year''s Defense Against the Dark Arts class."


    The young wizards applauded sparsely, the preceding professors already consumed with their enthusiasm.


    Belby stood up and bowed to the crowd, "It is an honour to return to Hogwarts after so many years. Although I will be here for only six months, I will do my best to fulfil my duties ..."


    Belby''s words were very sincere, and the fact that he didn''t look and dress as glamorous and desperate to catch everyone''s eye as Lockhart did directly wooed the limited goodwill of the young wizards.


    The most visual evidence of this was the neat and loud applause from the young wizards when he sat down.


    Snape, sitting on the edge, stared coldly at the goblet in front of him.


    The other professors were all enthusiastic and happy, despite the fact that Belby had won the Order of Merlin with the invention of wolfsbane, and wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, at least he had some real talent.


    It''s better than Lockhart, who has been organizing a pyjama party.


    A variety of food appeared on the long table, and the tired young wizards began to eat.


    Professor Filius, who is sitting next to Felix, talks to him in a small voice.


    "Felix, I heard that you are using a new type of teaching aids in your class?"


    "That''s right, Filius, I call it Answer Parchment."


    Professor McGonagall, who occupied the next seat, did not move but slowed down the speed of chewing food.


    "You don''t mind if I ask this - I saw it from a student, and I found it very useful for magical charm theory as well."


    "You''re thinking of using the answer parchment in a charm class?"


    Filius stammered, "There are only a few months left before the final examination, but the theoretical results of some young wizards are still worrying."


    He looked at Felix, "If there is anything you need from me ..."


    Felix smiled softly: "Filius, I have no problem with that. However, I did run into some difficulties - if I want to add more disciplines, I definitely have to improve on the original, which is not something I can solve all by myself, and I would like to invite you to work on it with me."


    "I''d be more than happy to do so." Filius said readily.


    Professor McGonagall found the right moment to pick up and said, "I can also help."


    Felix said, "Minerva, I have envisioned adding all the Hogwarts disciplines, but it would take a professor of distinction to make this happen."


    Professor McGonagall thought for a moment, "I will find out what others think, and that is a good thing. But how are you going to unite so many disciplines on a single parchment?"


    "Using synchronization enchantments," he explained, "the parchment in the hands of young wizards is just a simple magical artefact that receives information, and the magic rune and alchemical means laid out on it are relatively simple. I also have a scroll made from dragon skin, which stores the every grade exam questions of recent years."


    "But this also result in young wizards can only use the answer parchment at Hogwarts."


    "Well, one-to-many? ...." Filius mused, " That kind of idea seems to be something I''ve heard from someone before."

 Chapter 119 - 119 Penalty

    "Is it a two-way mirror?" Felix asked with interest.


    "No, Felix, I don''t think so." Filius pondered.


    Professor McGonagall voiced her guess: "Perhaps it''s a wizarding newspaper?"


    "A newspaper?" Felix looked at her; he had never thought of that before.


    "Yes, I remember that Daily Prophet holds a similar technology, if there is a change in the data, the content of the newspaper will also change," Professor McGonagall added, "Now this is rare, they prefer to change the content in the evening paper of the day."


    She recalled, "During the wartime, the Ministry of Magic issued several emergency notices with the help of the Daily Prophet ..."


    Felix is somewhat surprised, he had the impression that Daily Prophet does not follow journalistic integrity very well, they are probably more concerned about the sales of the newspaper.


    That''s why they divided it into a daily and an evening paper, and a weekend edition of the Daily Prophet on Sunday.


    But the Daily Prophet''s perspective as a whole leans toward the Ministry of Magic, so ... is this the basis for cooperation that was laid a long time ago?


    "Do they use synchronization enchantment too?" He wanted to know more about it.


    "I think there'' more than just that - the newspaper probably uses multiple variations of charms on it, it''s an exclusive technique of theirs that you don''t see in other newspapers." Professor McGonagall replied.


    Felix pondered, in that way, it is indeed somewhat similar to his answer parchment, even more perfect - their newspaper covers the whole of Britain.


    Except for the lack of interaction aspect.


    " Well, not really." Filius said, somewhat puzzled, "Strange, I wouldn''t forget this ...."


    Professor McGonagall''s eyes widened, and she stammered, interrupting, " That, that wouldn''t be the man''s mark, would it, Filius?"


    "Oh, my God, of course not!" Filius''s voice became sharper.


    Felix listened quietly, are they talking about the Dark Magic Mark?


    He hadn''t studied it, but he was under the impression that it was a type of magical contract with a tattoo that served to locate and summon, and perhaps Voldemort had added a personal twist to it?


    A silent Belby suddenly said: "Speaking of which, I have seen a similar gadget in the Muggle world ..."


    "Yes, this is it!"


    Belby''s words gave Filius some inspiration, and he said with a jolt, "I remember, I heard it from professor Burbage."


    Charity Burbage?


    A Muggle Studies professor?


    Felix recalled that he hadn''t met the professor more than a few times; she seemed to live outside the school throughout the year.


    "Charity showed me a picture of it, it was square, and I don''t remember its name." Filius looked at Belby, hoping for a response -


    "Oh, I remember it being called as mobile?" Belby said, "I saw someone using it at the Muggle Opera House, and I asked him about it, and he looked at me weirdly, and I said I was from the countryside."


    And he grinned at Felix, which is mentioned in the ''Methods of dealing with Muggles'' chapter given by Felix in his writings.


    Filius gave Belby an affirmative look, " That''s the thing ~ mobile...phone? Muggles are said to be able to carry on conversations across thousands of miles. Charity complained to me that the paper she wrote was simply ignored, they thought it looked like pie in the sky - all old school."


    Professor McGonagall, who didn''t really know much about Muggle items, asked suspiciously, "Is the Muggle world that advanced already? What do they rely on to solve the problem of long-distance communication?"


    Now, Filiusand Belby could not utter a word, their knowledge of this area is very limited.


    Felix let out a soft breath.


    He knew what kind of book to write this year - an introduction to the technology of the Muggle world. However, Professor Charity Burbage''s encounter gave him a good counter-example, if the initial start is something beyond the wizards'' wildest imagination, I''m afraid it won''t be able to set off a single splash.


    The two books he wrote before introduced the history about the development of ordinary people and their way of thinking, something that wizards can understand, and he deliberately arranged numerous examples of interpersonal scenarios with relatively high usability - convenient for some public officials to follow the map and deal with ordinary people.


    It is precisely for this reason that his book has been able to gain professional recognition.


    It''s also convenient for him to clip some personal opinions that he really wants to express ...


    How should he organize the structure of his new book? Felix pondered.


    ''It has to be simple, clear, and easy to understand at a glance. Never be afraid of less, just have more.''


    Some simple mechanical devices, some energy harnessing prototypes, even simple reproducible physical feats ...


    He suddenly remembered talking to Miss Granger about Lockhart, who had mentioned that she admired the way Lockhart incorporated knowledge into his stories, "Maybe I''ll imitate it later on!" He said this to his assistant at the time.


    Now it seems that he could write a fairy tale of "The Adventures of the Wizard Boy" by himself?


    "Felix?" Filius looked at him.


    "Just thought of something funny," Felix said.


    He put the matter of visiting Professor Burbage on his agenda.


    As for the improvement of the answer parchment, he still had a lot of little wizards'' ideas that he hadn''t brought out, plus the two-way mirror, the wizard newspaper, the dark magic mark, the mobile phone, all these things could give him some inspiration and ideas.


    Halfway through, the professors finalized their cooperation plan, with some regret from Belby, who was not good at this aspect altogether.


    After the dinner, the young wizards left in small groups and in silence, and some male and female wizards quietly disappeared from the large group, looking for secluded places to go on dates.


    ''I wonder how many young couples Filch will catch tonight?'' Felix''s mind whirled with mindless thoughts.


    Back in his office, he flipped through today''s edition of the Daily Prophet Evening News, and the front page news caught his attention -


    '' Gilderoy Lockhart Is Facing Seven Years In Prison, Fans Letters Blasting Ministry Of Magic.''


    This intrigued Felix, and the paper mentioned that Lockhart deeply regretted his actions and that he is willing to heal and compensate those who have been harmed - in hope of escaping punishment.


    He also put up a whopping 20,000 gold galleons to donate to various reputable wizarding organizations. Still, Wizengamot sentenced him to seven years in prison - a sentence that is clearly lightened from Felix''s point of view.


    Besides, the dementors, which are feared by ordinary wizards, are not that intimidating to the occlumency master.


    But for Lockhart, the loss of the dazzling aura and future is the most terrible sentence, right?


    But that is not the most outrageous news of the day. In the margin, he found a piece of news that looks inconspicuously small -


    ''The former editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, Rita Skeeter, faced charges such as withholding information about Animagus for a long time and illegally acquiring others'' secrets for personal benefit, but yesterday, the Ministry of Magic suddenly dropped all charges and sentenced her with two thousand galleons penalty instead. It is reported that more than one Ministry of Magic high-ranking officials said that there is no direct evidence to prove Rita Skeeter''s guilt ...''


    Felix suddenly laughed: "Rita, ah Rita ..." He has really opened his eyes now.


    Gilderoy Lockhart and Rita Skeeter, who were extremely similar in a way, became famous male and female wizards by virtue of illegal means.


    Lockhart even obtained a badge of the third class of the Order of Merlin, which represents honour.


    But even so, when the crime was exposed, they ended up completely different - Lockhart received a reduced sentence but still went to prison, while Skeeter''s sentence is painless.


    Felix''s light blue eyes reflected the night scene of Hogwarts in the night, and he is very curious at the moment: "Just how much do you know about the hidden secrets of the big shots, Rita Skeeter?"


    A string of names of controversial high officials of the Ministry of Magic flashed through his mind -


    Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Bartemius Crouch, Ludovic Bagman, Dolores Jane Umbridge, Pius Thicknesse ....

 Chapter 120 - 120 Defense Against The Dark Arts

    Another beautiful morning, Damocles Belby had his breakfast and headed to his first class in a happy mood.


    He followed Felix''s advice and visited twelve wizards who had taken the Defense Against the Dark Arts class after negotiating with Dumbledore, which gave him first-hand information about the rumoured curse.


    According to those seniors, the effects of the curse were so subtle that they could not even be sensed, but after six months, something hidden began to exert its influence, and they often came across some seemingly coincidental accidents.


    As time dragged on, such accidents would become more and more frequent.


    Their advice to Belby was, "When one day you''re brewing a potion, and you encounter a failure that you shouldn''t have, proceed to leave."


    Belby took this advice to heart.


    With a few days remaining, he began to carefully plan his lectures.


    ...


    ''Today will be a second-year class, they should already be capable of dealing with the Red Cap at this time, however, I better play it safe.'' It would be his first class, and Belby felt mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness.


    When he appeared at the door of the classroom, the eyes of the young wizards, who had been chatting, fell upon him keenly.


    The professor had a normal appearance, tall and thin, and looked a bit weak, but he''s dragging two large cages covered with shrouds with his magic, which gave them a hint of expectation.


    It couldn''t be helped that they were already expecting very little.


    This professor stood at the entrance and greeted them, "Follow me, little wizards, today is a practical session, I need to know your practical level." He gestured towards the cage floating in midair as it faded away at the door, "By the way, don''t forget your wands."


    The young wizards scrambled to gather their things, but they exchanged surprised looks with each other.


    It had been a long time since any of them had had a practical session on the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, unless you included the memorable one this year when Gilderoy Lockhart had brought in a Cage full of Cornish Pixies and messed up the classroom order.


    "You know, it reminds me of something?" Ron said suggestively.


    "Those tin-faced little guys wouldn''t be so quiet," Harry replied with great empathy.


    It was them who cleaned up the mess in the practical session, recapturing the Cornish pixies back into their cages, with Hermione''s Freezing Charm being a big help.


    They crossed the hallway to a quiet, empty classroom.


    Belby put the metal cage in the corner, from inside came a low sound of " Kiki ", Neville who walked in front shrank back, he dreaded whatever inside would grab his ears and fly to the ceiling.


    "What do you think it is?" Harry asked.


    "It sounds a bit like beavers." Ron guessed.


    "But beavers should be in the Care of Magical Creatures class, and they''re not dangerous," Hermione said.


    "I just hope it''s not an eight-eyed giant spider," Ron said hopefully, the thought of Hagrid releasing a pack of eight-eyed giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest made him want to crack open his thick skull and see what he thinks.


    This piece of information was a secret that Hagrid revealed when they tracked down the Chamber of Secrets monster, and it haunted them when they saw the photographic information Hermione found out later about the eight-eyed giant spiders.


    "He even gave it a name - Aragog !"


    Belby looked at the classroom with emotion as he recalled his school days - though not too fondly, as he didn''t really fit in at the time.


    He reintroduced himself, "Many of you may not know me well, my name is Damocles Belby, and I have some expertise in potions, although perfectly qualified for teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts."


    "In a way, I also have a certain edge about it. I read your second-year textbook, and you guys need to learn some counter-evil spells, as well as learn how to properly deal with some low-danger magical creatures, which I happen to know a lot about when I''m brewing potions ..." He made a snide remark and judging by the effect, the young wizards were indeed frozen.


    Ron whispered to Harry, "I guess, Hagrid won''t like him." But an idea suddenly occurred to him, and he was eager to introduce Aragog to the new professor.


    Harry agreed, if anyone dares to treat his "cuties" as a material for the potion, he will be crazy.


    After introducing himself, Belby called the names of the young wizards one by one according to the list.


    "Millicent Bulstrode."


    "Neville Longbottom."


    ...


    "Ronald Weasley."


    After the roll call, the young wizards raised their hands curiously to ask questions, they already acquired various true and false information in advance -


    "Professor, you received the Order of Merlin?"


    "Yes, just this month."


    "Are you a master of potions?"


    "That''s what others think of me."


    "What is wolfsbane potion?"


    "A potion that soothes the symptoms of a werewolf''s full moon."


    "Who is better, you or Professor Snape?" It is a question from a Gryffindor, and the other Half of Slytherin glares at him.


    "Well ... our research direction is different, there is no point in comparing."


    After a few minutes, Belby realized that he could not let this group of young wizards with scattered thoughts ask questions about the east and west, they seemed to want to let him fight for the title of Hogwarts'' first Master of Potions by singling out Snape.


    Belby cleared his throat and said, "Today, let''s review everything you''ve learned about Red Cap, I''ll ask you some questions, and if you get them right you can get extra points--"


    "Professor!"


    A young wizard interrupted, "What''s Red Cap?"


    Belby froze a little, "Uh ... red cap is a magical creature similar to a dwarf, they are found in the Nordic region, and so on!" He looked down at their bewildered expressions, "Didn''t you guys learned about Red Cap?"


    The response he received from the group is a neat mixture of bobbing heads and sighs.


    Belby paused, sensing something amiss, he called up a student, "What did you all learn?"


    Seamus Finnigan stood up and spoke uncertainly, "Professor, we learned to play as vampires." He unbuttoned the outer layer of his wizard robes to use it as a cloak, bared his teeth, and made a noble expression of superiority.


    Many of the young wizards laughed.


    "Well, that''s funny, but it''s not the answer I was looking for."


    Finally, Hermione raised her hand to brief the overwhelmed new professor on what they had learned this year.


    "So, other than the pixies in the first class, you guys didn''t have any practical sessions?" Belby looked completely flabbergasted.


    He did inquire about the class and was mentally prepared for it, but no one had told him that there was no practical part in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?


    After almost half a minute, he came back to his senses, "Well, then we, uh ... then we''ll learn about Red Cap today."


    He waved his wand and lifted the curtain over the cage.


    The creature in the cage startled them; it is a short, bony creature, except for the top of its head, which is covered with a layer of red velvet fur, the rest of its exposed skin gives a dirty dark brown colour.


    "You can get a closer look," Belby said.


    The young wizards braved themselves to get closer and surveyed the fierce-looking creatures -


    As they curled up in the cage, grimacing at the young wizards, one of the red caps suddenly slammed its claws on the enchanted metal cage, but it was futile.


    "Bang!"


    But the little wizards were still startled.


    Harry could clearly see that its claws were very exaggerated, completely out of proportion to its body, and its nails were at least an inch and a half long.


    Belby''s voice came in to explain, "Notice their claws? I think someone already happened to notice that their forelimbs are very flexible, which allows them to use simple tools like branches, sticks and stones and such."


    "Red Caps are attracted to blood and will sneak up behind you if they come across a lone muggle or young wizard in the wild. We will learn how to deal with them today-"

 Chapter 121 - 121 Red Cap

    "You want us to deal with this thing? What if we get hurt?" A young wizard with platinum blonde hair asked.


    "You are?"


    "Draco, Draco Malfoy." He trailed off, inserting his last name.


    But Belby just nodded, "I''ve heard of the Malfoy. Don''t worry, I''ll be watching from the sidelines." Then he added, "Of course, if you get hurt, don''t worry, the damage caused by the red cap is very manageable."


    He winked towards the silent young wizards below, "I have specially brewed up a batch of healing potions, all of which are rare and finest products on the market ..."


    Draco looked at the new professor''s expression of "if you get hurt, you''ve made a fortune", his already pale face turned even paler.


    "The red cap is agile when hunting, will suddenly shift and roll to avoid the counterattack of the prey, we can use the Banishing Charm against it, correspondingly, Petrificus Totalus, Freezing Charm, Trip Jinx, Dancing jinx, Tickling Charm, Jelly-Legs Curse can be used, except for dark magic, I do not have any specific requirements."


    "Little wizards, let me see what you can do!" Belby said with great passion.


    "Professor, is disarming charm allowed?" A young wizard asked.


    Belby looked at him with an odd expression and said, "If you know it, of course, you can. But that''s not a spell you can master at your age ..."


    "Professor, I learned it in dueling class." The young light teal-haired wizard said confidently.


    The other young wizards took two steps back; Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan were known as two of the biggest mishap makers in the classroom, one accident-prone in Potions class, the other deviant in Charms class - what bizarre mishaps could happen from his spells, even Professor Flitwick wouldn''t be able to tell.


    "Very well, you''re called Seamus Finnigan, right? Please come forward."


    Belby unlocked the cage, and he quietly softened the red cap''s nails with a softening charm.


    In the expectant eyes of the young wizards, Seamus shouted out the incantation of the Disarming Charm -


    "Expelliarmus!"


    " Thumb!"


    Seamus'' wand made a dull sound, like a muffled winter thunder coming from the distant sky. From the tip of his wand ejected a series of sparks, accompanied by trails of black smoke, sweeping wildly.


    The young wizards quickly scrambled into a corner, and Seamus'' wand paused, but his sparks ignited the red hair on the red cap''s head.


    Belby hurriedly cast out "extingu" to extinguish the fire, he turned his head to look at Seamus: "Uh ... not exactly a successful attempt, your disarming charm is not proficient-- -You will find that using an unskilled spell to cope with danger is a very stupid thing to do in actual combat. Do you know any other spells, a Trip Jinx? Very well, but you should try it on the table first ..."


    This time there is no problem, Seamus successfully used the Trip Jinx to knock off the red cap.


    Of course, this may have been linked to the fact that the red cap was afraid to come forward, and the red hair on top of its head was mostly burned.


    Belby wiped his sweat at the scene.


    Next, the young wizards lined up in a long line and following Belby''s instructions went up one by one to challenge it.


    Since Belby didn''t forbid them from using their little self-taught vile jinx, it made the little wizards collectively take a leap in strength, and most of the people in front of the line completed the task with a Trip Jinx -


    Dean Thomas'' Jelly-Legs Curse, which caused the Red Cap to suddenly fall to the ground, paralysed.


    Draco Malfoy''s Tickling Charm, which made the Red Cap laugh wildly.


    Pansy Parkinson''s Knockback Jinx, which sent the Red Cap tumbling backward, unable to approach her.


    Hermione Granger''s freezing charm freezing the Red Cap in place, with only a pair of small eyes constantly flickering.


    Ron''s Petrificus Totalus has made the red cap''s legs tied together, like a rock falling on the floor.


    Harry''s disarming charm directly knocked the red cap far away, unable to get up for a while.


    Halfway through, the two red caps refused to attack, but when Belby took out a tube of dark red, blood-like potion and pointed at the little wizards, they became very excited.


    After that, the little wizards got beaten up pretty badly -


    The red caps showed their aggressiveness and hunting expertise in the next round of trials, flexibly moving with their forelimbs and making intimidating noises with their mouths, which made the young wizards hesitate to face them.


    For the young wizards, once they hesitate and become timid, they will not play well.


    For example, Neville Longbottom, after several failed attempts to recite a spell, started to run around the classroom, causing the Slytherin students to laugh, and soon he was cornered, with the red cap scratching his thighs with its softened nails - "Fight back!


    "Fight back! Neville Longbottom, you need to fight back, in whatever way you can." Professor Belby said loudly from the side.


    Neville gathered his courage and grabbed the red cap''s claw and threw it away.


    The young wizards in the audience watched as the small, dwarfed Red Cap flew halfway across the classroom in midair and was finally caught by Belby with a Levitation Spell.


    Neville seemed to have opened up new horizons to them.


    "Very good! Have you seen it? The red cap is not that strong ... When you are cornered, instead of cowering in fear, you should fight back."


    The taller Crabbe also wanted to replicate this process, and he threw a straight punch, wanting to simply knock out the red cap. But the Red Cap nimbly dodged and tripped him from behind instead -


    The red cap jumped on Crabbe''s chest and tried to claw his face and eyes.


    "What did I say? Don''t duck, show some courage ... The red caps don''t have a physical advantage, they win by being sneaky and nimble." Belby said encouragingly.


    But Crabbe let out an exaggerated scream, and he kept screaming until Belby pulled the red cap away with a spell.


    Draco couldn''t resist slapping him: "Don''t be stupid, you don''t have any injuries on your face!"


    ...


    When the lesson was over, Belby was relieved that he had the foresight to soften the red cap''s nails with a spell in advance, or else half of the young wizards would have been put to rest.


    Although he could indeed cure them, in the first class, to put a group of students down, it is really not good to be mentioned.


    He concluded the class with the young wizards: "How many of you noticed that the Red Cap''s nails were under a softening charm?"


    A handful of arms rose up.


    "It shouldn''t be..." Belby shook his head, "All of you should have realized it after Longbottom''s accident, he didn''t have half a scratch on him!"


    The young wizards also felt embarrassed, but they really didn''t notice it at the time.


    "Observation of details, judgment over the situation, these are things you need to carefully consider .... Well, the assignment this time is to write a minimum of eight-inch parchment based on this lesson, discussing your own strengths and weaknesses."

 Chapter 122 - 122 Professors

    This class also allowed Belby, the new professor, to recognize the reality, which is, in part - that


    Times do change quickly.


    The difference between the ''average level'' he mentioned and the ''average level'' shown by the young wizard was so vast that he couldn''t help but wonder about life.


    ''''But maybe it''s just this particular grade that''s worse?'''' Belby thought with illusory hope.


    The young wizards who came out of the classroom in a row were, on the contrary, extremely satisfied with their new professor.


    "Today''s class was excellent."


    "Did you see the trip jinx I used?"


    "I completely over-performed!"


    "Crabbe was acting dumb.".


    ...


    By the end of the day''s entire curriculum, Belby had become soberly aware of the young wizards'' magical attainments at last, and no longer harboured any hope - he even had a tendency to deviate to the other side of the line.


    "Danger awareness is near non-existent, just standing still and chanting spells." At dinner, Belby vented to Felix.


    Felix laughed heartily: "I already tried to tell you, Damocles, so you can understand their level in advance."


    "This is totally different from when I was in school," Belby said.


    "In fact, the level of the senior class is not bad, they at least mastered a fair amount of useful spells, just do not know how to use them flexibly. But in recent years, the professors are less reliable in this course, which leads to a complete lack of danger awareness built up among the younger wizards in the lower grades." Felix explained.


    He suggested.


    "The Defense Against Dark Arts class and the Dueling class are close enough that we can do some interaction."


    "Interaction?"


    "As you know, many dueling spells are equally effective in the Defense Against Dark Arts class. For example, Shield Charm, Incarcerous Spell and so on."


    Belby showed a thoughtful look.


    Defense Against Dark Arts is a class that teaches students how to use magic to protect themselves from dark creatures and dark magic, and students will learn some offensive and defensive magic in class to defend against danger.


    But this class actually covers a much wider range of topics - there is never just one source of danger, Dark Wizards, Dark Magic, dangerous magical creatures, Magical Plants, treatment of minor vicious spells, and responses to general danger scenarios ...


    Rather than defense against dark arts, it''s a defense against potential dangers.


    Recognizing danger, discerning danger, responding to danger, and judging the Strength and Weakness of the enemy, looking for vulnerabilities ...


    These are the concept for establishing a Defense Against Dark Arts class.


    Therefore, Belby would not, and should not, waste a lot of time to let the young wizards focus all their energy on one or two sources of danger.


    If you look at it from this perspective, the dueling class can naturally be counted as a supplementary and practical part of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class - which is one of the reasons why Lockhart easily claimed the dueling club.


    ...


    In the following period, Felix spent all his energy on upgrading the ''answer parchment''.


    Professor McGonagall exercised her power as Deputy Headmistress, pulled in almost all the professors of the corresponding subjects, and held a meeting between the professors.


    Faculty members raised their hands to express their willingness to participate in the program or not.


    Except for a few courses - such as the purely practical oriented flight class, and the divination class that claimed to ''require rare vision'' to learn, plus some temporary ones (such as Apparition class and career advice session) - all other subject professors gladly agreed to join them.


    Professor Kettleburn said with a complicated look, "I''ve been hoping to do something meaningful before I officially retire, and originally I planned to host an opera and invite my troll friends ..."


    Felix was rather glad he had dispelled that idea.


    And Professor History of Magic - Ghost Cuthbert Binns, whose transparent silver-white body also becomes glowing and white in a bizarre state, causing people to worry whether he would feel his existence being replaced and thus permanently vanishing.


    But fortunately, he was just somewhat excited: "That''s good, I think young wizards will improve their History of Magic results."


    ...


    From a spectator''s point of view, with many professors gathered in one room, one would see many interesting events.


    For example, the fact that Professors Flitwick and Sprout rarely see eye to eye with each other directly, yet they do not display body language that resists each other.


    For example, Snape''s indifferent attitude towards Belby, but does not refuse to discuss potions knowledge with him.


    Felix also met the professor of divination class for the first time since he joined, Sybill Trelawney.


    She still looks the same after three years: Trelawney looks very thin, with high cheekbones and large glasses reflecting the light of the blaze, making it difficult to see her expression, like a large beetle approaching us.


    Only when you get closer, you can see her eyes that have been magnified several times. She was clad in a light, transparent, shimmering cloak, with heavy necklaces and beads around her slender neck, bangles, and finger rings on both arms and hands.


    ''This is perhaps the most self-decorated professor at Hogwarts, with an air of mystery hanging over her.'' Felix thought to himself.


    He didn''t have good feelings towards the divination class professor, as she had hinted several times during Felix''s school days that something bad would happen to him ...


    And Felix decisively dropped the class after discovering he had no talent for divination.


    This caused his divination class grade to be permanently halted at a bad level.


    "Oh, Felix, I remember you ... in the eyes of the public you are a very talented wizard, but under my vision," said Trelawney, pointing to her eyes and staring straight at him, "I see a large area of murkiness and darkness."


    "Sybill, I think it''s because you haven''t sobered up from your hangover." Professor McGonagall interrupted nonchalantly, not likewise fond of the vague, pretentious professor.


    Trelawney blushed and said, " Inner Eye are not influenced by external influences and will not change regardless of whether I have been drinking or not!"


    She sat down angrily in an empty chair.


    Felix also used the meeting to have a probing chat with Muggle Studies Professor Charity Burbage, and the response he got was a little disappointing.


    This professor is not a stranger to Muggle society, according to her, she lives in a small community in the Muggle world. But Professor Bubarge also stood in the perspective of a wizard to think about things, or at least, she never considered trying to learn about the principles of technology - even at the level of an elementary level crafts class.


    "Felix, I think that''s enough, I visit the bookshop twice a year and pick out the most popular books from it."


    Felix asked politely, "What is the most recent book you have been reading?"


    "A Biography of Mendel: The Father of Genetics," Bubarge said with interest, "It has inspired me a lot ..."

 Chapter 123 - 123 Carving Knifes

    During the afternoon, Harry followed the team to the Quidditch pitch for the practice.


    Wood pondered three more targeted tactics to deal with the new patterns and tactics that the other houses had shown this year during the short Christmas break.


    The others returned to the castle to do their homework.


    The ancient magical rune office in the late afternoon.


    Felix is checking Hermione''s learning progress - in recent times, she has been working on improving and upgrading the beaded sachet..


    "You have learned all the magic runes needed to upgrade the beaded sachet, the next very important step is to learn how to construct the magic runes circuit."


    "Professor, what''s the difference?" Hermione asked.


    "The inscription of individual magic runes is relatively simple, but if you want to connect them into a circuit, you need to consider the stability and balance between the magic runes as a whole - this is very much a test of your mastery of magic power."


    Felix''s fingers kept moving, drawing a string of letters out of the air, which was divided into three rows, each with a subtle difference in brightness and size.


    "If these are the magic runes you''ve completed at different times, the brightness represents how much magic you''ve injected."


    Hermione observed the runes, and then, under Professor Hap''s control, they were arranged in a row in random order.


    The rearranged runes looked disorganized, bright, dark, large, and small mixed together, looking both disordered and awkward.


    She instantly understood what Professor Hap meant by ''stability and balance''-every magic rune in the circuit, the magic power used, had to be as consistent as possible.


    "Even subtle differences in magic power can render the circuit useless," Felix said.


    "Professor, what should I do?"


    "There are two ways, the first is to finish writing the magic runes at once, in one go, your magic will tend to be more consistent, but of course, it still requires a lot of practice."


    "But with this way, you need to actively adjust the structure of the magic runes and make some slight changes in form ... which is not something you can do now."


    "But won''t this disable the magic rune itself?" Hermione asked in amazement, the information she had been exposed was all about writing the magic rune in a disciplined manner, not allowing a single change.


    "That''s what''s so fascinating about it." Felix gave an example: "The process is somewhat like the process of going from letters to words; we learn the letters as standard and regular as possible, but when it comes time to combine them into words, the letters are fine-tuned to better match the flow and beauty of the writing."


    "This is a test for your understanding of the magic runes," Felix said implicitly.


    To put it bluntly, if you don''t understand the magic rune well enough, it is better not to play any tricks.


    Hermione nodded her head with some understanding.


    "There are some tricks in this as well, we will talk about it later. The second way is to complete a single magic rune, from which draw out a magic line, linking them one by one to form a closed and stable circuit."


    This method Hermione has seen a few times, she is not new to it.


    "Let''s try it--"


    Felix and Hermione went to the workbench and took out a few pieces of chestnut wood.


    He opened an elaborate toolbox, which contained seven carving knives of different sizes and materials - metal, wood, and indiscernible materials aligned.


    "Is this a professional tool for magic engraving? Where can I buy it?" The little witch couldn''t help but ask this question.


    In her mind, these carving knives had been equated with magic wands and had become a necessary tool for her to learn ancient magic runes.


    As a result, Professor Hap said with an amused look, "I made these myself, well ... except for the metal one."


    He is not in a hurry to proceed with the topic just now, instead, one by one placed the carving knife in front of her.


    "First I want to remind you that there is no specific tool requirement for carving magic rune, carving knife, wand, or finger can be used, what is important is magic power and your understanding of magic rune. But-"


    "If there is a smoother way by using a tool, why refuse it?"


    Hermione nodded in understanding. Just like some wizards who were proficient in wandless spell casting, and they would never refuse to use their wands. Because the tools can help them to accomplish more delicate operations.


    There were seven carving knives in front of her.


    The first is a metal carving knife, silver-white with a streamlined body, a distinct curve in the grip, and a tip that appears to be made of different metals.


    Felix said: "This one I bought from the micro-carving dealer, which I repeatedly made sure that this metal is the least repulsive to magic."


    Hermione took the carving knife, it looked a little heavy, but it turned out to be surprisingly light.


    "As I told you, there is no unique form for carving magical runes, either in the form of writing leaving magical runes on the surface of an object or in the form of carving, leaving engravings in the material."


    He picked up a piece of chestnut wood and injected magic power into the metal carving knife, the tip of which blossomed with a tiny but burning red light, leaving a magic rune on the chestnut wood piece.


    "Look, its surface is not flat."


    Hermione touched the surface of the magic rune with her fingertips, and could clearly feel the chestnut wood sunken down - this is the metal carving knife that left a trace of the slash.


    "This way is especially suitable for those inert magical materials, such as muggle items, ordinary stones, or, for example, the scale of some magical creatures and so on."


    Hermione understood somewhat, for inert magical materials, that do not sustain magic easily, can be employed with engraved marks to strengthen the form of the magic rune.


    "Actually -" Felix added: "The process is separate - carving and enchanting magic, and I''m just very proficient at this process, so I combined the two steps together, and when you practice, you still have to do it separately."


    One of his backups: ''Felix''s Wisdom Teeth'', was done this way.


    Hermione nodded.


    Felix took out five more wooden carving knives in a row, which looked, rather, like alternative wands, and Hermione had just seen the twins'' fake wands during the day and was impressed by them.


    "These carving knives, which are made of the same material as the wands, their own characteristics are similar to when they were made into wands." Felix pointed them over one by one -


    "The Acacia carving knife, it''s hard for beginners to get started, it''s particularly sensitive to magic, in fact, overly sensitive. But once you master it, it will quickly adapt to the owner''s magic and become extremely personal, and no one else can use it at all;"


    "Ebony carving knife, outstanding when carving offensive magic rune, of course, it is not easy to control it, it will work well with those owners who have the courage to be themselves and do not follow the crowd;"


    "Red oak carving knife, I personally think that it has a certain degree of memory, when you are skilled, it will actively guide you to complete the magic rune;"


    "Chestnut wood carving knife, the favourite of beginners, there is little preference, and of course, there is no bonus;"


    "Laurel wood carving knife, uh, I''m not a big fan of this kind of carving knife, you have to use it often, otherwise when after a long time you remember, it may charge at you when you inject magic power with a lightning attack ..."


    Felix finished explaining, Hermione curiously picked up these carving knife repeatedly examined them, the more she looked, the more she loved it, she said cheerfully: "Professor, when can I have a carving knife like this? I mean ... I''m willing to pay a price ..."


    "You don''t need to think about that for now, that chestnut wood carving knife is for your practice." Felix said, "Wait a few years before you need to consider an exclusive carving knife."


    "By the way, what material is your wand made of?" Felix asked.


    "It''s Vine wood," Hermione said, "the core of the wand is dragon heartstring, and 10?" long."

 Chapter 124 - 123 Fake Wand

    The weather at Hogwarts has become milder, the snow blending into the earth and the tender sprouts poking out, and the young wizards have been extra fond of lying on the grass in front of the Black Lake, lazing in the sun lately.


    On Saturday, Ron and Hermione, as well as Ginny and Luna, sat by the lake, watching Harry and Neville dueling back and forth.


    Two more dueling class has passed, and they have learned two new spells. A defensive spell - Shield Charm; and to accommodate the young wizards, Snape''s own invention of a minor mischief spell - Langlock jinx.


    In addition, his work attracted some controversy, but these remarks were ignored by Snape.


    "Even dark wizards will usually chant spells in the middle of the duel, relying on words to drive emotions and relying on emotions to strengthen the power of the spell." Snape said in a mocking tone, "Therefore, it is necessary to close the opponent''s mouth."


    In fact, Felix had privately suggested that Snape should teach Silencing Charm instead, but he refused.


    "The Langlock jinx sticks a person''s tongue to their upper jaw, it''s not as gentle as the Silencing Charm, and that''s exactly what I want." Snape said it was developed independently while he was in school, and he was very happy with the spell from the real-world results.


    The Shield Charm, on the other hand, as explained by Professor Hap, is much more advanced, and many younger wizards are simply unable to master it.


    Even Harry and Hermione have not succeeded once.


    But it is a spell that can resist many kinds of magic spells, and more difficult is -


    At the time, Professor Hap had said this: "The Shield Charm can defend against both magical spells and physical solid attacks, and it''s perhaps the most practical defense spell you will ever be exposed to while you are in school."


    Damocles Belby, the new professor of Defense Against Dark Arts, also explained a very useful spell in class - the Supersensory Charm, which has the effect of sharpening the senses of the students, as Flitwick had mentioned in his dueling lecture.


    "You can use it to sense the impending danger in advance, especially if you are in a dangerous situation."


    He used his magic to create a black fog, "Let''s assume it''s late-night - a favourite time for Red Caps and other magical creatures to launch attacks. If you are in the wild, what would you do, do you remember?"


    The young wizards bickered and discussed.


    Belby nodded and said.


    "Peaceful suppression ... total protection ... sense of thieves ... better add a muggle shielding charm, of course, you can not do this now, but it does not prevent you from keeping this knowledge in mind."


    He then had the young wizards walk into the black fog one by one to try to avoid the red caps.


    "I''ve laid some leaves and branches on the ground, so stay focused, and you''ll spot the danger ahead of time."


    However, the truth is: only a few of them could spot the red cap in advance and make a counterattack, most of the little wizards were knocked and driven out of the black fog by small wooden sticks.


    But the good thing was that, apart from some embarrassment, none of the young wizards were hurt.


    Harry had been curious as to why the two red caps were so cooperative, and later Professor Belby explained that he had fed them many nutritional potions, "They like the taste of blood, especially the blood of magical creatures, and I happen to have no shortage of these ..." Now, The two red caps can be barely considered his assistants.


    Unknowingly, the dueling class and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts class have been integrated into the lives of the young wizards, and are subtly changing their whole school life for the better. The most obvious reflection of this is that many young wizards like to play dueling games in the hallway after class.


    But these students did not end up well, and Filch arrested many students.


    One day, the Gryffindor House Cup gems fell with a clatter, and the look on Professor McGonagall''s face nearly scared the young lions to death.


    Not only Gryffindor, Even other three houses also caught a lot of young wizards of their own.


    In this period of time, the number of students who were punished by mandatory work was extremely abundant. Snape directly asked a group to deal with potion materials, Professor Sprout asked a group to take care of flowers and plants, and Hagrid also applied to Professor McGonagall to find a few young witches of lower grades to take care of the unicorns that were about to give birth.


    Professor McGonagall didn''t spare the rest of the students, and she asked them to work together to test an improved version of the ''answer parchment''.


    Having learned their lesson the hard way, the young wizards at Hogwarts finally realized that it was extremely foolish to cast spells in the corridors and chose abandoned classrooms, the black lake, yards, and hidden corners ...


    Just like now, Harry guided Neville on the Disarming Charm.


    Neville suffocated and struggled to cast a spell, and finally, after an unknown number of attempts, a very slim red light flew out of his wand.


    "Great, you did it, Neville!" Harry said loudly.


    Sitting on the grass, Hermione and others also clapped their hands, and a few Gryffindors in the distance whistled.


    Neville blushed and tried to say something, but ended up simply scratching his head and grinning happily.


    The two returned to the vacant field and the group began to make small talk.


    Ron talked about the news he had received from the twins, "The new version of ''Answer Parchment'' is nearly complete, with many of the features mentioned at the time."


    Four of the six people present had worked on the first beta one except for Harry and Neville, all of them very interested in the topic because, supposedly, the new teaching aids would be available to all seven grades.


    "What are the new features?" Harry asked with interest.


    "The most important one is definitely the leaderboard." Ron said without thinking, "I''d like to see Gryffindor crush Slytherin on top, hopefully, number one, but it''s not very realistic, the Ravenclaw nerds will definitely dominate ..."


    "Ron!" Ginny glared at him and turned her head to look at Luna, who is a Ravenclaw.


    "Uh ..." Ron whispered, "I''m sorry."


    Luna expressionlessly pulled a very delicate looking wand out of her pocket and she pointed the tip towards Ron -


    "Oh, Luna." Harry persuaded he thought Luna is going to give Ron a nasty spell.


    But the next second, the wand in her hand let out an ear-splitting scream and turned into a giant rubber mouse.


    Ron''s expression became comical, one eyebrow knitted tightly and the other seeming to fly out of his head.


    Luna pointed at his face and exaggeratedly laughed, Ginny also "snicker" and giggled softly, the two little girls hugged and fell on the grass.


    Neville held back his laughter, but couldn''t hold it in, and he let out a "puff, puff, puff" sound.


    "Well, that was fun," Ron muttered as he watched Luna slam her fist on the ground.


    Hermione held the rubber mouse''s tail and watched in amazement as it transformed back into a wand. "What is this?"


    Ginny got up from the ground and wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes: "It''s a prank item Fred and George came up with, they call it fake wand. I think they developed it not long before, though ... How did you get this?" She looked at her friend.


    "I ... haha! Bought it from them, ha ... ten Sickles." Luna said under her breath.


    "How does this stuff work?" Harry asked with interest.


    "Feed magic into ... it."


    Harry took the fake wand and tried to inject magic into it, and with a shriek, it turned into a rubber mouse once again.


    Ron poked it with his hand and said with some disgust, "It''s worse than Scabbers."


    Harry is watching the large black squid looming in the black lake, the breeze brushing his hair, his mood greatly relaxed.


    The secret room confrontation with the Basilisk seems to have passed a long time ago.

 Chapter 125 - 125 The Wand And The Wizard

    " Vine wood?" Felix repeated, and the young witch noticed Professor Hap''s expression, visibly dazed for a moment.


    "Very good." He commented briefly.


    Felix explained, "My personal experience is that magic rune carving knives are very similar to wands, so it''s best to pick the same material of your own wand for your first carving knife, except for the chestnut carving knife."


    "For example, to me, the ebony carving knife is the most comfortable."


    Hermione showed a dawning expression, her heart murmuring, Vine wood for her Exclusive carving knife first choice.


    However, it also made her curious, when she bought her own wand, Ollivander once mentioned that it is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the wizard who chooses the wand, and Professor Hap also gave similar advice, what is the secret here?


    She expressed her doubts to Professor Hap.


    Felix thought about it and said, "That makes sense because Ollivander''s Wand Shop never makes custom wands, which means that little wizards have to get used to the traits of wands.."


    "So the wands we have in our hands are just roughly compatible with us?" Hermione understood the point he was trying to make.


    "It can be interpreted that way, but don''t worry, for the vast majority of wizards, there is absolutely no need to consider such fine details." Felix said, "It''s still quite an interesting topic, you can check the library and see what kind of wands your friends around have and what kind of traits they represent."


    Hermione is indeed very interested, this kind of act which satisfies her desire for knowledge and gossip at the same time, simply makes her want to go back to the library.


    "Do you have any recommendations for books, Professor?" The young witch asked, accustomed to asking Professor Hap for a list of books, and getting an accurate response every time.


    Sure enough--


    "Well ... I remember there is a book in the library, Wands and Wizards, which describes hundreds of reputable wizards and their wands." Felix said.


    Hermione mumbled a couple of words and wrote the title of the book down.


    "Well, next, is the seventh carving knife." Felix brought the conversation back on track.


    The young witch looked at the last carving knife, thin as a dagger, the colour is hauntingly ghastly white, looks like the teeth of some kind of creature. She exclaimed in surprise, "This is the fang of the ... Basilisk?"


    "That''s right, it occurred to me by chance that I could make a magic rune carving knife from part of the magical creature''s bones." Felix smiled and said, "It''s just an attempt."


    Hermione felt that this material is too wicked, carving out the magic rune with this type of material will not bring its own snake venom or curse, right?


    So she asked Felix about it, "So how does it work?"


    Felix smacked his lips, but only vaguely said some " developed new ideas ", " next time he will use the unicorn horn as a try " and so on, Hermione wisely did not ask further.


    After spending some time explaining the concept of ''magic carving knife'', which Professor Hap invented himself, the two finally returned to the original topic - the difference between a single magic rune and a magic circuit.


    Felix put away the other carving knives, leaving only the ebony carving knife and chestnut carving knife, he handed the chestnut carving knife to Hermione.


    Hermione carefully examined the carving knife in her hand, she realized that this knife will be with her for a long time.


    Its colour is somewhat like a light coffee colour, the material is smooth and compact, the top is divided with straight and slender veins, it looks very much like the pattern of the rain flower stone.


    Then she stared at the carving knife in Felix''s hand-


    The ebony carving knife in Professor Hap''s hand, like his wand, had been carefully selected from the heartwood, without a trace of stray colour.


    It is a pure, deep black, with a dull sheen, giving it an extremely heavy and hard texture.


    Felix picked up a thin slice of chestnut wood and said to Hermione: "Whether it''s a wand material carving knife or a chestnut wood slice, it''s very friendly to magic, so carving magic runes is more like writing an essay."


    He gently held the carving knife, smoothly wrote down a string of magic runes, red aura from the black tip of the knife bloomed, when Felix lifted the carving knife, the fiery magic rune has quietly extinguished, branded with black traces.


    "There are two ways to write magic rune circuits, in one go or one by one."


    "This is the first one."


    He then took another piece of chestnut wood, wrote an individual magic rune on it one by one, and after showing it to Hermione, carefully drew out the line to connect them together.


    Hermione took the two pieces of chestnut wood at the same time, comparing them with each other.


    With what she could associate, the former is like a completed fancy font, elegant, yet at the expense of individual rune recognition; and the latter is a standard font, except written by naughty children with crayons all together, and the former is pleasing to the eye, the latter more like poor quality graffiti, people can not help but frown.


    But Felix said to her, "It''s the one you need to master." He pointed to the combination he called ''typography + graffiti''.


    "Your beaded sachet requires three sets of magic rune circuits, and I will explain how they are connected."


    Felix snapped his fingers lightly, and the two people'' consciousnesses entered the thinking hut.


    From the beginning of the school year, his mastery of this magic had become more and more proficient.


    This seemed to allude to Snape''s theory - magic that he invented himself would naturally become more powerful for him.


    ...


    When Harry yawned as he walked out of his dorm room on Sunday morning, he saw Ginny and Ron sitting next to Hermione watching something.


    "Morning." He said, a little sleep-deprived from training for Quidditch the night before and staying up late.


    Harry rummaged through his book bag for his Potions class assignment, but his mind jumbled around.


    It took him a few minutes before he noticed the difference among the three across him, "What are you doing?"


    Hermione intently writing on a thin piece of wood - he thought it was a piece of parchment, and repeatedly looked at it twice.


    The tool she held in her hand is also odd, a bit like a quill, and also looks like a shrunken wand.


    But Hermione apparently did not have time to answer him, Harry looked at Ron.


    Ron whispered to him, "It''s a magic circle."


    Ginny retorted to him, "No it''s not, it''s a magic circuit."


    Ron shrugged, "Something like that," he explained towards Harry, "You know, to fix her little beaded bag."


    He looked over the other side of the table where Hermione is sketching out an odd-looking pattern on a thin wooden board that, from his point of view, kind of looks like a large squid in the Black Lake.


    The red light kept flowing from the tip of her ''pen'' as she wrote so slowly that the initial strokes had cooled to black.


    "Whew~" Hermione let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from her face.


    "Well, did it work?" Harry asked with interest, although he still isn''t quite sure what she was doing.


    But Harry reckoned he would have to take Ancient Magic rune next year for that.


    Hermione''s whole body relaxed, and she said somewhat lazily, "I can''t keep injecting magic steadily, it''s very different from a single magic rune."


    "I remember you said that your success rate is at ninety percent?" Harry asked.


    "That''s a single magic rune, Magic rune circuit is much more difficult ..." she said with a sigh.

 Chapter 126 - 126 The Empty Castle

    A new week begins, and the young wizards are surprised to find that the lessons have changed.


    ----------


    Charm class:


    Professor Flitwick pulled out a stack of parchment and standing on a thick stack of books, "Little wizards, today you will be introduced to a new teaching aid that I think many of you have already heard about ..."


    ----------


    Potions Class:


    In the fifth-year classroom, Snape quietly looked at the young wizards off the podium: "For the sake of your OWLs grades, I need you to put more effort into your theories, as I have said many times."


    The little wizards were like a quail, not daring to say anything.


    He suddenly raised his wand, and dozens of parchments flew out like sharp swords, landing one by one in front of the little wizards, the parchments leaped with the shimmering light of magic..


    The well-informed young wizards were already impatient to use their wands on it, and called out: "The secret of the magic rune."


    But the parchment did not budge.


    Snape said slowly, "Very well, Miss Campbell has given us a demonstration of how to do it wrong."


    ----------


    Transfiguration class:


    Professor McGonagall''s sharp gaze swept around, " It took a tremendous amount of effort from a couple of professors, and I hope, you won''t treat it lightly."


    "Here, take out your wands and chant after me: The Mystery of Magic, always keep in mind."


    The young wizards chanted after that ...


    ----------


    Ancient magic rune class, 6th-year classroom.


    Felix had a smile on his face, "You will find this new version of the ''Answer Parchment'' has more features."


    "Including the leaderboard that you are all looking forward so much."


    The young wizards couldn''t help but try it out. Except for the fact that the start-up password changed from the ''ancient magic rune'', the picture also changed -


    A castle emerged from the top of a stretching mountain and then moved rapidly through the great hall, The Grand Staircase, the yard, the tower, the library, the forbidden forest ...


    This seems to be the point of view of an outsider entering Hogwarts for the first time, a simple outline of the most familiar scenes.


    This image is fixed upon the castle of Hogwarts, the flags which represent the four houses are inserted at the main entrance of the castle, the Snake, Badger, Lion, and Eagle on the flags are lifelike.


    When their eyes fall on it, they will find the corresponding creatures either swaying, standing upright, roaring, and raising their wings.


    The young wizards who had chosen the Ancient Magical rune class had finished the binding process early on, and at the moment they were looking at the latest interface.


    It showed an overhead view of Hogwarts, with clouds of symbols flashing, each one representing a different class.


    Such as the one representing the ancient magic rune is a line of magic rune, the meaning of which is precisely the original password - "the secret of magic rune".


    The one representing the Transfiguration class is a flaming lion, but its form keeps changing.


    On behalf of Potion class is a boiling crucible, with rolling hot air constantly churning.


    ...


    Besides these symbols, the young wizards were most concerned about the leaderboard function.


    They looked carefully, and on the right side of the parchment alongside their names, a new symbol appeared; it is a sketch of a roll of magic scrolls.


    The young wizards rather skilfully tapped their wands on the scroll, and a rain swallow with scythe wings flew to the center with the magic scroll, which began to zoom in and slowly unfold ...


    In the top line, a row of words began to appear - house, year, name (code), subject, level, score - a total of six categories.


    Other than that, it remained empty.


    Felix looked at the crowd and explained, "There are a few points that need your attention."


    "The ranking on the leaderboard is not about grades, but about examining your accumulation in the subject, which I and other professors believe would allow you to find your direction of interest in advance, which would be good for your future employment;"


    "The ranking list can be found in the subcategories of the corresponding subjects, which are topics set by the professors based on their own experience, and new content is added every once in a while;"


    "I think someone has already noticed that the leaderboard can use code names which can be used to hide your ranking, which is designed for some students who don''t want to be in the limelight;"


    The young wizards listened attentively.


    "And besides the rankings, there are two other places you need to be concerned about: the incorrect sections are split up among different subjects; also, you can preview or review subjects from other years, which have the key points marked by the professor."


    "Next, let''s take the ancient magic rune as an example, and let''s experience its specific functions ..."


    ...


    With the warmer weather, Hogwarts is getting sunnier and sunnier.


    Even at the end of the school day, the sun still stubbornly left its tail.


    In the castle corridor, Ron kept yelling in a low voice, "Crazy, they are all crazy, not a single one ..."


    Harry gave him a sympathetic look, he felt that Ron''s state is abnormal now.


    He''s holding a piece of parchment in his hand and just staring at the leaderboard on it all the way -


    In the second year list, Hermione Granger''s name occupied the first place in all subjects, having passed 37 levels already at the highest level of the charm class, and besides that, he saw many familiar names: Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang, Percy Weasley, Penelope Clearwater ...


    The castle became empty, with very few people in sight - everyone holed up in the library or in the common room playing games for level breaking and unlocking new ones.


    They couldn''t stand the atmosphere in the common room anymore and ran out to hang out.


    Ron muttered, "I can''t understand how the words break-in and game are linked together."


    Harry said, "Wait a few days for everyone to come to their senses, I guess."


    Ron remarked something that he couldn''t agree more with him, "Hermione definitely won''t, she''s totally caught up in it."


    Harry and Ron had no idea of returning to the common room, they wandered around the castle and soon came across a familiar figure -


    "Fred, George!"


    "Oh, it''s you two." One of the twins said.


    "What are you guys doing out here, shouldn''t you be in the common room playing break-in games?"


    " Not us, though." the twins grinned, "Today is a rare occasion, so of course we have to remember this."


    "So you guys were going out for a fun trip? It''s too early for that ...," Ron said suspiciously.


    "No, Percy is pretty confident that he''ll take first place in the sixth year, so we''re going to get some butterbeer and Honeydukes sweets." Fred said.


    "That''s right, success or failure, it''s worth celebrating." George said with a grin.


    "So - you guys are going to sneak out and go to Hogsmeade through the secret passage? Can you take us there?" Ron asked with some amazement.


    Harry couldn''t help but hold his breath as well.


    "George, we seem to have let it slip." Fred said.


    "You''re the one who let it slip." George rebutted him.


    "I agree, but we have to do something." Fred squeezed his eyes.


    "Like ... obliviate?" George said knowingly.


    With that the twins'' eyes fell on Ron.


    Ron swallowed and took two steps back.


    But the twins ran away quickly, and Harry and Ron could still hear their laughter as their figures disappeared from sight of them.


    Elsewhere, Felix strolled through the castle as well, and he entered the yard to see a spectre floating peacefully in midair, staring at the greenery and contemplating her thoughts alone.


    "Lady Grey."

 Chapter 127 - 127 Memory

    She also saw Felix, and she immediately wanted to leave. But she seemed to thought of something and abruptly remained where she is, though her expression became proud.


    Felix stood next to her, "It''s rare to have such a serene time at the castle."


    She raised her eyebrows in wonder, but quickly regained her composure. She followed Felix''s gaze and looked up, a red haze reflected in her eyes.


    Neither of them spoke, quietly watching the setting sun''s afterglow illuminate the sky in brilliant orange-red colour.


    It grew fainter and lighter, and when the last glimmer of light disappeared, twilight fell.


    The ghost''s silvery-white transparent body also seemed to darken as Lady Grey''s gaze went over, her expression mellowed.


    "I apologize for my rudeness last time," Felix said..


    She tried her best to keep her tone calmer, "No, I was the one who was too sensitive ... I always lose my temper over the smallest things."


    The two talked for a few minutes, Felix did not talk anything about the history of Hogwarts, Helena, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Bloody baron, they just simply chatted about the weather, the humans, and the wonder of the world.


    "... The Magical Congress of the United States of America - similar to the Ministry of Magic over here - has made at least five relocations of their headquarters, just to avoid the eyes of the public," Felix said.


    "Is that so? There was no such organization in the time I lived ..."


    "Because the MACUSA was just founded three hundred years ago. Wizards, over there, are very secretive in their activities, and the laws are harsh and very unfriendly to outsiders." Felix introduced, "I think it''s because they have come close to exposing the entire wizarding community a few times."


    "The most controversial one is the Rappaport law they made at the end of the eighteenth century, a law that states that wizards and ordinary people must be completely segregated and strictly forbids friendship and marriage between them."


    Intrigued by this, Ms. Gray asked him for more details.


    "A very clich¨¦d opening of a witch falling in love with a handsome muggle, but unfortunately he is the offspring of a purger ..."


    Hogwarts grew a little darker, shrouding the figures of Felix and Lady Grey in darkness.


    "... Until the end, they couldn''t guarantee if they had erased the memories of all the people involved, and to prevent such things from happening, this law came into being."


    The story of Felix was over.


    Ms. Gray floated off with interest.


    ...


    Felix returned to his office, where he reorganized the important events of the recent past - the


    The further conversation with Dobby.


    Tossing out the diary and restoring Hagrid''s reputation.


    The rest were less important, or not time-bound things, such as writing a new book, researching ancient magic, examining the Room of Requirement, making snakeskin soft armour, learning memory magic, etc.


    And memory magic ...


    Felix became intrigued, and he prepared to attempt again the operation he had once completed.


    He tapped his wand on the silver floral inlaid cup in front of him, and in a burst of deformation, it quickly morphed into a small squirrel.


    "Well ..."


    He then constructed a memory fragment in his brain, and pressed the tip of his wand against his forehead, drawing out wisps of silvery filaments.


    The silver filaments floated on top of his palm, emitting silver specks of light around his hand.


    Felix carefully incorporates the memory fragments into the squirrel -


    Its expression became animated, and the little squirrel lifted its head and stared straight at him.


    "Do you have anything to say?" Felix asked softly.


    He knew it wouldn''t open its mouth because the memory didn''t contain the linguistic input, it was merely equivalent to a code word, and the squirrel began to move. It stood on the table and looked around, and soon brought a quill to him in its mouth.


    Felix tapped on the table again, and it quickly ran to the other side of the table, this time bringing back a piece of parchment.


    "Very good."


    He nodded, then watched quietly as he gave this memory two instructions in addition to some habits of the little squirrel that he understood.


    At the moment, for example, the little squirrel hid in its big fluffy tail and carefully poked its head out, its black eyes staring at him.


    After about seven or eight minutes, its expression lost its brilliance.


    Felix waved his wand and made it revert into a cup with a silver pattern.


    He fell into thought, the office went quiet.


    Half an hour later, he once again had a new inspiration -


    Felix whispered, "Expecto Patronum."


    The tiny silver rain swallow flew out of his wand and circled around the office, its speed so fast that it left a slim streak in its owner''s eyes.


    The hazy silver glow made the room gorgeous, and finally, it landed lightly in front of Felix.


    ''How would it work if I injected some memories into the Patronus?''


    That''s what Felix thought, and that''s what he did, as a memory with the same colour was integrated into rain swallow''s body.


    In his expectant gaze, rain swallow silently shattered.


    It is out of his expectation, why would this happen?


    But he quickly thought of the definition of the Patronus: it is a reflection of your most positive emotions of all, the caster must focus on recalling the happiest memories they can think of, and as far as practice goes, the stronger the joy the memories bring, the stronger the effect of the spell.


    The keyword used to describe this is ''memory''.


    The Patronus is made up of happy memories, and Felix just happened to inject memory, so naturally, the magic naturally dissipated.


    Felix shook his head, "I thought I could get a more stable transfiguration structure with the Patronus, by using the temporary incorporation of memories."


    According to his vision, the Patronus can act as a messenger, can be separated from the wizard a certain distance by itself, if it is given enough flexible memories, is it not equivalent to a ''other self'' that wanders in the outside world?


    Whether it was the Patronus magic itself, or the memory fragments injected, it all depended entirely on the Wizard himself, so there was no need to worry about it getting out of control.


    Even, according to his vision, the ultimate form of this magic can directly carry his own consciousness, to allow his Patronus to walk around the wizarding world while he is in school, to complete some simple tasks.


    For example, gathering information and inquiring news ...


    Concerning this aspect, Felix already has certain plan, such as with the help of contract with magic, such as with the help of thinking hut, although now there is no ray of light at all, at least he can work in this direction.


    But it all stops at the first step.


    One is a pure and happy memories, and the other is a fragment of memory without emotion, which are inherently at odds with each other.


    How on earth can he solve this problem?

 Chapter 128 - 128 Ravenclaws Chamber Of Secrets

    Felix was pondering this question until the next day.


    He just came back from the Room of Requirement, in this hidden room, he tried to use various methods to make these two unrelated memories get along, but all ended in failure.


    Therefore, Felix instead began to research the Room of Requirement. He repeatedly passed across the '' Troll Tapestry'' on the eighth floor, mentally pondering the various needs.


    He had researched this mysterious room earlier, but it was all about his own needs, and except for the outrageous requests, requests that were regular and in line with the perception of the wizarding world were basically met.


    So he intends to try out the Room of Requirement from someone else''s perspective.


    Starting with a simple idea like ''hiding something'', he kept trying all kinds of possibilities and even hit on various professors.


    For example -


    "I want to access the Severus Snape''s secret stash ...."


    Naturally, there was no response at all.


    It seems that Professor Snape, when he was a student, did not have the habit of running around with prohibited items in his pocket, he thought with some relish.


    Felix found joy in this ''game'' - it gave him a sense of time and space dislocation and conversation with a distant young acquaintance. He tried with relish, this time anchoring the principal of Hogwarts -


    ''The room where Albus Dumbledore hid his stuff.''


    ''The room where Albus Dumbledore practices his magic.''


    ''The luxurious sleeping room where Albus Dumbledore slept.''


    ''The luxurious washroom that Albus Dumbledore ever used.''


    Felix was about to continue the next topic, but a door surfaced on the wall very abruptly.


    The door, which opened from left to right, looked very luxurious and was decorated with various golden carvings and patterns.


    "What did I just mention?" He obviously froze for a moment, and then pushed opened the door and walked in.


    Inside was a very luxurious lavatory, decorated with a variety of exquisite and luxurious chamber pots.


    Felix silently retreated.


    He was debating whether to continue, when not far away came a noise, under his gaze, Trelawney appeared dragging a box.


    The box made a " tinkling " sound of glass clashing, very clear in the corridor.


    Trelawney did not wear those mysterious-looking accessories but wore a crumpled pyjama, her hair also messily braided up, looking unkempt.


    She also saw Felix.


    Trelawney''s expression quickly went from bewilderment to horror, but she did her best to remain calm and said, "I''m glad to see you here, Felix, fate has brought us together this early in the morning."


    "So you don''t have any preparations at all and despise the fate?" Felix said, pointing to her costume.


    Trelawney retorted angrily, "Don''t despise fate!"


    "Well, besides fate arranging for us to meet, what else do you plan to do by the way?" His eyes fell on the box, which contained seven or eight bottles of sherry.


    "Oh! I, I think I can hide ... to put something that I can''t use by the way."


    The two men then fell silent.


    Felix felt that she wanted to escape from here very badly, and he did not want to stay much longer, but there was one more question to be cleared up.


    "You know about the Room of Requirement?"


    "What? Oh, yeah." She said absently, "I use it to keep my stuff, and frankly, my office is a little small, and I haven''t had a pay raise over the years ..."


    Felix quickly excused himself.


    After leaving the eighth floor, Felix ran to the great hall for breakfast and then made his way to the Ancient Magic rune classroom in a hurry.


    On the way, his thoughts whirled, thinking about memory magic for a moment and the Room of Requirement for a moment.


    "Hey, look out, Miss Lovegood."


    In his lingering glance, he caught a glimpse of a figure approaching straight ahead, and he stepped aside to avoid her.


    It is Luna Lovegood, holding a piece of parchment in her hand and looking at it intently, but Felix notices that she is holding it upside down.


    "It''s you, Professor Hap." She lifted her head and looked at him with wide eyes, "It''s good to see you."


    "So am I, Miss Lovegood," Felix replied helplessly, the second time today he expected to hear that from an acquaintance.


    She waved the parchment in her hand, "I''m reading the leaderboard, and I''m not going to bump into anyone, don''t worry." She said.


    Felix choked a little, he just wanted to remind the little girl, now he could only change the subject and ask: "Anything interesting?"


    "Very interesting indeed ..." Luna showed him the parchment - still crooked - and she said chirpily, "From this angle, here," her finger traced an arc across the paper, "connecting the Ravenclaw names, doesn''t it look like an eagle?"


    "Well ..." Felix scrutinized it for a good half-minute, and he said, "It does look like that."


    Luna immediately raised her eyebrows and smiled.


    ''Clear-thinking little girl, worthy of Ravenclaw.''


    Felix thought to himself as he watched her distant back.


    ...


    As he stood at the podium, looking at the young fourth-year wizard, ready to start the lesson, a light suddenly flashed -


    He had always had a question about who had built the Room of Requirement.


    Even he could not see through the entire structure of the room, was it possible for an ordinary wizard to do this? But Hogwarts had been around for a thousand years and had produced many outstanding wizards, so he couldn''t say whether such a person existed.


    So this suspicion was once given up by him.


    However, he suddenly fixed on one person at this moment, Rowena Ravenclaw.


    Could it be that she built the Room of Requirement?


    Thinking from this perspective, a lot of things are clear -


    The magical power supply of the Room of Requirement is based directly on Hogwarts, and Rowena Ravenclaw is one of the founders of Hogwarts and naturally has this authority.


    The Room of Requirement has no fixed form and will always change to match the needs of the person asking for help, which must contain powerful memory magic, transfiguration magic.


    And from the manuscript Felix saw, Rowena Ravenclaw did meet this requirement.


    Also, the rumours of the Chamber of Secrets that have been circulating for a thousand years, the only ones most famous for this are Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Now that Slytherin''s Chamber of Secrets has been found, what about Ravenclaw''s Chamber of Secrets?


    The young wizards on the stage saw Professor Hap with a smile on his face, seemingly ready for class, but he suddenly fell silent.


    " Professor?" A young wizard bravely asked.


    "Oh?" Felix snapped back to his senses and suppressed his thoughts as he turned to the young wizards and said, "Now, let us begin today''s lesson ..."


    "Please turn the book to page 147."

 Chapter 129 - 129 Helena Ravenclaw

    After finishing the day''s lecture, Felix left plenty of time to answer questions.


    "Professor, how do I pass the 7th level of the ancient magic rune?" A young Slytherin wizard raised his hand to ask a question.


    " Montague, I remember I tagged the hints on every level?" Felix blinked.


    "But you just left a book title, Professor." He said with some resignation, "And it''s an unread book."


    The other young wizards also murmured and discussed.


    "Ahem!" Felix cleared his throat and magically drew out a piece of parchment as they looked over, "In fact, you were supposed to have already read it."


    "The book, Easy Ancient Magic rune, appeared three times on your last year''s paper reference list ... Shall I remind you which ones?"


    The young wizards looked at him dumbfounded as the discussion came to a halt.


    "Teach, professor, you weren''t here last year?"


    Felix said in a light-hearted tone, "I exchanged letters with Professor Babbling, and she told me about the cache of information from previous years." He looked down from the podium with some emotion, "She is quite a serious professor, isn''t she?"


    ...


    Later that night, Felix stood in front of the Room of Requirement.


    During the day, a suspicion had suddenly occurred to him that the Room of Requirement is Lady Ravenclaw''s secret room. But whether this idea is correct or not is yet to be tested.


    Behind him is an enormous moving tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy''s foolish attempt to train a group of eight trolls, and one of the trolls stops beating the ballet teacher and turns its head to gaze at Felix.


    A bug crawled up the troll''s foot and into its nostrils, and it let out a silent hiss as the stick in its hand flew high above and smashed into the head of another troll.


    But all of this had nothing to do with Felix Hap, who silently mumbled in his mind, ''I want to enter the secret chamber of Rowena Ravenclaw ... I want to enter the secret chamber of Rowena Ravenclaw ... I want to enter the secret chamber of Rowena Ravenclaw ...''


    He walked past the place three times, he couldn''t stop his heart from racing, and then, he looked up - there remained a section of an ordinary white wall in front of him.


    Felix was silent, "And yes, I do not know how to enter it?"


    The entrance to the Room of Requirement is simple, but it is not something that can be easily exploited.


    He thought for a while, once again silently recited, ''I would like to enter the original Room of Requirement ... I would like to enter the original Room of Requirement ... I would like to enter the original Room of Requirement ...''


    Still no change.


    Then, Felix thought of the Slytherin Chamber originally used for teaching, so he tried again ?I want to enter the secret place where Rowena Ravenclaw teaches her students.'' Or ''I want to enter the laboratory of Rowena Ravenclaw.''


    But no door appeared at all.


    Felix could only leave helplessly, but in the next few days, he kept trying to connect the Room of Requirement together with Rowena Ravenclaw, and he thought of almost everything he could think of, without any luck.


    Just when he was about to give up, on Friday evening, he ran into Ms. Gray on the courtyard - for the third time this week - and the two casually made small talk and watched the sunset together.


    In his mind, Ms. Gray was a somewhat haughty and prideful, but kind-hearted and refined lady, and putting aside a few petty thoughts, it seemed very pleasant to chat with her.


    "It''s beautiful~," said Ms. Gray.


    "Do you rarely look up to view the sunset?" Felix said, striking up a conversation.


    "Rarely," she hesitated, but the two had got to know each other well enough to admit it, and she said, "It reminds me of something sad ..."


    Felix didn''t ask more questions, and he kept his mouth tightly shut.


    The two looked at the dazzling red haze, a few streaks of light piercing the clouds, edging them with a golden edge.


    "Will you keep a secret for me?" She said suddenly.


    "Yes, I will." He did not promise, but still answered her confidently.


    But Ms. Gray believed it, and tried to open her heart, she said with some sadness: "I died in such a sight."


    After she had uttered her first words with some difficulty, she seemed to free herself and spoke in a rush: "It was about the same time as now, only it was in the forest of Albania, a desolate place, and I thought- it''s out of my mother''s reach."


    Felix listened in silence, knowing what would happen next.


    It was a tragedy, a tragedy that formed Lady Grey of Hogwarts and Bloody baron.


    "I grew up with extraordinary talent, the most privileged of the bunch. I grew up with people touting me, and year after year, I was completely giddy ... but by the time I was old enough, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I was still no match for my mother. So-"


    "I stole my mother''s diadem because it bestowed wisdom, and I imagined I could surpass her with it."


    Her transparent body began to tremble.


    "They say," she choked out, "that my mother never admitted when the diadem was gone, and she kept pretending it was still there. She even hid that loss from other founders of Hogwarts, concealing my disgraceful betrayal."


    "Then my mother became ill - very ill. Even though I had done something ungrateful and unjust, she was still desperate to see me again. She sent a certain guy to me. But I rejected him, thinking he was lying to me, along with my mother. How could she be sick when she had already taken that step a long time ago?"


    Felix said calmly, "It''s Bloody Baron."


    "That''s him. I refused to go back with him, and he went into a rage - he always does, and the dark magic has completely eaten him up."


    Felix listened quietly.


    "We had a violent conflict, and no one could have foreseen the consequences ... He stabbed me to death with his sword. I fell to the ground and saw this vision of dusk ..."


    She lifted her head and watched the last glow slip away.


    After a long silence -


    Felix asked, "Do you hate him, Bloody Baron?"


    "Do I hate him! He destroyed me, my magic, my life, my everything!" She yelled with indignation.


    Helena Ravenclaw took a deep breath and raised her head so that her expression could not be seen.


    "And," she whispered, "Before I died, I asked him if what he said was true. It was about my mother ..."


    "He told me everything was true, that my mother was truly very sick. He deprived me of the chance to see my mother one last time, my only chance to redeem myself! Do I hate him, you ask? My answer is, of course I do!" She suddenly shouted out of control.


    She floated and was about to leave, but her hand got caught and Helena looked back in shock, even her expression of anger lightened considerably.


    Felix''s hand shrouded with a cold, ghostly blue light, and he tightened his grip on her hand.

 Chapter 130 - 130 The Choice

    "What kind of magic you ... are doing?" Helene''s expression is brilliant.


    " A kind of application of memory magic." Felix explained, a fine layer of sweat dipping out of his forehead, "Can you stay for a while? To be honest, I''m not very good at this magic yet."


    She paused. .


    Felix''s head got a little dizzy, having constructed a huge amount of memories in just one moment and using them all at once, making his mind foggy.


    Helena looked at him with concern.


    Felix took a few deep breaths and felt much better. He said to Helena, "We''re friends, aren''t we?"


    "Of course."


    "Forgive me for taking the liberty, ma''am. From your story, instead of hating the other guys, I''d say - you''re hating yourself."


    Her expression fell silent for a moment, and she turned her body slightly sideways, keeping half of her face in the shadows.


    Felix eased his tone as much as possible: "Why did you become a ghost, is it because you fear death? From my contact with you, I don''t think so. What really bothers you is your inability to let go of the guilt you feel for your mother."


    He said with an extremely serious expression, "Bloody Baron has been carrying the shackles for a thousand years, how could it be otherwise for you? I hope you will try to forgive yourself ..."


    The night enveloped the castle and after a long silence -


    "The one person who could forgive me has disappeared forever, on the third day, when I became a ghost," Helena said icily, turned and floated away.


    This time, Felix didn''t bother to stop.


    ...


    Ghosts are born from obsessions, and the thoughts before death are the most radiant and intense. So most ghosts'' obsessions are born out of a fear of death and an escape mentality.


    Those like Helena, Baron, and Professor Binns are few and far between.


    For Helena, her obsession is one of guilt and regret - regret that her ignorance led to a big mistake, regret that she did not believe Baron''s words, and guilt that she did not see her mother one last time and apologize to her in person ...


    That night, he appeared in front of the white wall of the Room of Requirement.


    Through his conversation with Helena Ravenclaw, he suddenly came up with an angle he had never considered before.


    He thought to himself, "I want to find the room that Rowena Ravenclaw left for her daughter, Helene Ravenclaw ... I want to find the room that Rowena Ravenclaw left for her daughter, Helene Ravenclaw ... I want to find the room that Rowena -Ravenclaw''s room left to his daughter, Helena Laenklau ..."


    Will it work? It''s reasonable to assume that there shouldn''t be such a loophole ...


    Felix slowly opened his eyes, a plain blue door, drawn from white walls, appeared in reality.


    On the door, a silver-white handle emerged.


    Felix''s hand rested on the door handle, but at this moment, he suddenly hesitated.


    After a long time, he firmly pushed open the door.


    Inside the door is a very simple room, the room is not large, with a few simple tables, chairs, flowers, books, the place is spotless, giving people a sense of tranquillity and warmth.


    "Is anyone here?" He asked.


    After a long time, he did not get any response. He tapped his forehead with his finger and switched his own perspective.


    The colour faded fast, and a ripple spread out, centring on him.


    Felix saw the magic that seemed like substance and coiled in the deepest part like silk spread out, a dozen magic channels like chains that went deep inside through the air.


    ''''This is the true core of the Room of Requirement.''''


    ...


    For the next few days, Felix kept wavering, having trouble making up his mind.


    He had realized that the core of the Room of Requirement is that room.


    And what lay deep within the magic, much like silk, he had a suspicion that it might be a memory left behind by Lady Rowena Ravenclaw.


    He didn''t know why he was allowed in, maybe he mentioned the name Helena Ravenclaw? And the memories left behind by Lady Ravenclaw were still dormant before he made the discovery.


    According to common sense, he should have told Helena Ravenclaw about it right away, it would be good for both parties - Helena might reconcile with her mother, and he could use the opportunity to ask about some mysteries of magic, or if he is lucky, he could even get the Ravenclaw legacy.


    But he found himself not looking forward to this event much.


    For the ghost, moving ''on'' would mean relief, but what would it signify for the people who had, in reality, developed a friendship with the ghost?


    Felix felt confused, his experiences did not help him, so he chose to ask someone with more wisdom.


    "Headmaster Dumbledore, how do you feel about ''death''?"


    "Well ... Felix, why do you suddenly ask this question?" Dumbledore looked at him with some confusion.


    "Because of some matter of feeling."


    Realizing that Felix did not want to explain, Dumbledore thoughtfully did not ask more questions, he pondered, smacked his lips, and said, "Everyone has a different view of death, fear, avoidance, disgust ... but for some people, such as me, have a welcome attitude."


    "Welcoming?" Felix wondered if he had misheard.


    "Felix, for an old man like me, nothing in the world would make him flinch; death to me is just an unknown, new, and interesting thing, like an entrance slip to a great adventure."


    Felix shook his head, this is different from his concept, he may not fear death, but he will not look forward to it either.


    He asked what he was most concerned about, "So what do you think the existence of ghosts means?"


    "Ghosts? They are stranded in reality due to strong obsessions ..."


    "No no, Headmaster Dumbledore," he interrupted Dumbledore, "please forgive me, perhaps I did not describe it very well ..."


    Dumbledore looked at him understandingly, giving Felix time to reorganize his words, and this time Felix asked, with caution, "Ghosts exist because of their obsessions, and they are liberated when their obsessions disappear. Is that correct?"


    "That''s right." Dumbledore blinked and said approvingly.


    "And what does this liberation count as? Another death? Especially for her living friend, in reality, I mean ... that''s forever separation, no different from death."


    "She?" Dumbledore asked.


    Felix remained silent and did not answer.


    Dumbledore thought carefully for a moment before saying, "Different people may have different interpretations, I can only say what I think about it for your reference."


    "This is exactly what I came for, to rely on your wisdom to help me see a few things clearly," Felix said.


    "For ghosts, there is no doubt that ''keep moving on'' is a relief. Being stuck in reality does not make them happy; in fact, while they can continue to speak and walk, they are unable to enjoy anything and are always bound by their obsessions - few choose to carry on their existence in this most deprived way."


    "What about the living ones? What about the friends of the ghosts?"


    "Only a blessing." Dumbledore said calmly: "It may be that I have experienced so much that I always see things soberly, somehow ..." he said softly, "and even somewhat inhumanly."

 Chapter 131 - 131 Helenas Decision

    Felix politely excused himself and left.


    In the afternoon class, he was absent-minded.


    "Please turn your books to page 147. Let''s look at how ancient shamans viewed the concept of ''being''."


    "Professor? That''s the part we covered in our last class ...." said a young wizard, raising his hand.


    Felix gave a surprised look as he looked at the textbook, "It was indeed my fault and I owe you all an apology. It also shows the point that professors are also human beings who are bound to make mistakes at times ..."


    "Okay, let''s turn to page 152, today we''re going to talk about ''hope'' relevant ancient magic rune."


    The Weasley twins off the stage looked at each other, and Fred squeezed his eyes: ''It''s rare for Professor Hap to make a mistake in class.''


    George made lip-sync: ''We witnessed history.''


    Fred pinched George''s thigh to keep himself from making a sound.


    After class, the twins surrounded Felix.


    After a few questions were answered, Fred asked curiously, "Professor, is there anything we can do to help you?"


    " Pardon?"


    "Oh, Professor," George said playfully, "we think you might be in a little pickle, and though we can probably fix it, maybe we can do something about it."


    Felix flashed a smile, "Mr. Weasley''s, I don''t have any ... Well," he looked at the two and asked thoughtfully, "Can you get a magic camera?"


    He knew that the young wizards had a private circle similar to a flea market with all sorts of new and interesting gadgets.


    "Professor, would a muggle camera and a developing solution work? The effect is the same." Fred said.


    "That''s right," George explained, "First-year Creevey was the one who asked us to buy the developing solution, but the camera is the one he brought with him."


    Felix thought for a moment and said, "Yes."


    Within two days, he received the camera, film, and developing solution.


    He paid the full amount with enthusiasm.


    During the following week, Felix and Helena chatted, they both deliberately did not mention the conflict that night.


    Felix described interesting things about the outside world, even including the hidden secrets of his own travels over the years -


    "Is it true that you were caught by Auror in the American wizarding black market?" She asked in surprise.


    "I can''t say that, it was merely a matter of coincidence that I caught one of their operations, and I originally wanted to slip away with the crowd-everyone was masked anyway, and it was easy to get out and Apparite."


    "And then what?" She asked with interest.


    "Seven Auror found me and chased after me ..." Felix said with a look of regret, "I had to take them down."


    That was the first actual battle with his instant killing tactics, except he took a bottle of magic potion in order to enhance the thinking speed, for which he had a headache for a week.


    "It''s a pity ..."


    "Pity about what?" Felix asked.


    "Unfortunately I can''t use magic, and even lost most of the memories related to casting magic." She said regretfully, "The ghost aren''t complete, I only have particularly strong memories concerning my death ..."


    "What about other memories?"


    "It''s either vague or doesn''t resonate, like watching a stranger''s experience ..." she said.


    And At this moment, he finally made up his mind.


    Felix said, "Helena, there''s something I need to tell you."


    "What is it?"


    Felix hesitated, and he took out his camera, "Can I take a picture of you?"


    Helena looked at him in surprise, she hesitated for a moment in reserve and happily agreed.


    Felix took a few solo shots of Helena and then finally a picture of the two of them together.


    "It may take a day or two for the developing solution to work." He said.


    He looked at the smile that appeared on Helena''s face, and his heart fluttered. Helena saw the expression on his face and slowly composed herself, "That''s not what you''re going to say, right? It is difficult for you to say, Felix?"


    "Do you know about the Room of Requirement?"


    "Uh, oh ..." she smoothed her hair in some panic, "I know, it''s a lab my mother built, I used to go there when I was a kid, but my mother didn''t want to be disturbed, but I was always up against her. "


    "Have you been there again since? I mean ..." he paused for a moment, "after turning into a ghost."


    "No, no." She said dryly.


    Felix''s heart understood, probably out of guilt, or perhaps self-punishment, she deliberately avoided this place.


    He said softly, "I found something in there that Ms. Ravenclaw left behind, probably for you."


    "Wh-what did you say!" She flew forward briskly, her eyes fixed on him with a deadly stare, as if to discern, if is it was a bad joke or not.


    Felix looked at her calmly in the eyes, not remotely meaning to say anything funny.


    Helena believed it.


    She asked eagerly, "What is it? What did she leave behind?" Her translucent pearl-white body floated in midair, and her hands tried to grab Felix''s shoulders, but they passed through it.


    A bone-chilling coldness made Felix shiver.


    "It''s a memory." He whispered.


    ...


    For the next few days, Helena avoided him.


    Felix understood her well, this feeling of being in worry was not pleasant, who could guarantee that the memories of Lady Ravenclaw must be left for Helena?


    Can the memories be awakened by the ghost?


    When it is awakened, does it retain its reason?


    Will there be a reason, and will there be a desired outcome?


    Although the answer to these questions is most likely '' yes '', but no one can be sure until the moment when the truth is revealed.


    In the meantime, Felix had collected seven photos, and under the effect of the developing solution and the adjustment with his magic, Helena looked like a real person, beautiful, tall, and with a smile on her lips.


    Finally, on the morning of the weekend, she found Felix.


    "Take me there." She said calmly.


    "You''ve decided?"


    She nodded solemnly, accepting whatever the outcome would be.


    On the seventh floor, in front of the Room of Requirement, Felix and Helena stood quietly.


    A blue door slowly appeared, and Helena looked at him as Felix held the knob and pushed it open.


    Felix stepped into the room again, with an additional Helena beside him - or rather, he is the guest.


    As Helene stepped into the Room of Requirement, the whole room became active.


    Subtle sounds came from all sides of the room, and even without having to switch his perspective, Felix could feel a huge magical force awakening.


    The furnishings in the room continued to disappear, and the space continued to stretch until it became a white, borderless world.


    Heaven and earth, it seems, have lost their limits, leaving only Felix and Helena two to exist.


    Not far in front of Helena, the magic power gathered in a gushing manner, outlining the figure of a lady.


    From the illusory, To the reality, she came out of nothingness.


    After a thousand years, Rowena Ravenclaw opened her eyes.

 Chapter 132 - 132 Rowena Ravenclaw

    A beautiful, but stern-faced witch, she did not look like a memory at all, but rather like a real living person.


    If he hadn''t seen her transformation into reality with his own eyes, Felix would have thought Ravenclaw had managed to survive to this day!


    The witch''s eyes seemed unfocused, but when she saw Helena, her eyes instantly became animated.


    Her eyebrows and expression became delicate, her eyes gradually sharpened, she is Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, a legendary wizard from a thousand years ago.


    "Helena, welcome home." She said.


    "Mother," Helena choked as silvery, clear teardrops poured down.


    Lady Ravenclaw''s keen gaze swept over her body, then glanced at Felix, who stood back silently.


    " Gentleman, could you tell me how much time has passed?".


    "You may call me Felix, Felix Hap." Felix bowed slightly, "A thousand years have passed, ma''am."


    "A thousand years ..." The Ravenclaw chewed on the word and walked over to Helena, gently wiping the tears from her face.


    "How can I be unsatisfied with seeing you again after a thousand years?" Lady Ravenclaw said tenderly.


    "Mother, everything is my fault! I shouldn''t have stolen your Diadem, I shouldn''t have run away from home, and I shouldn''t have ignored Baron''s words ... I didn''t even meet you at the end ..." Helene cried sadly.


    "You are my child, how can that be counted as stealing?" Lady Ravenclaw said lovingly, she slightly lifted the cape around Helena''s chest, and looked at the black wound on it, and asked, "Does it hurt?"


    "It hurts, Helena, is in pain, day and night." Helena took her mother''s arm and said with a bit of a spoiled tone.


    Ms. Ravenclaw held up her hand and no one saw her do anything, but Helena''s transparent fingers quickly became white and congested, and then expanded upwards, and in less than a minute, Helena had a solid body from her ghostly state.


    The clothes on her body also turned into a blue-coloured dress.


    Felix then realized that Helene''s hair looked a vivid burgundy colour.


    "Mother?" Helena looked at the Ravenclaw in surprise as she suddenly fell from two inches above the floor, stumbled twice, nearly fell, and was caught by the Ravenclaw - so much time had passed that she had forgotten how a normal person should walk.


    She took one hesitant step, two and her body fell straight to the ground with a twist.


    Lady Ravenclaw stepped forward to help her up, and Helena leaned most of her body on her.


    "Try again, you haven''t even put on your shoes yet, and you fell like this!"


    "But I haven''t walked in a long time."


    Felix watched all this without bothering to come forward. It was all a mirage, at least, he did not think that Ms. Rowena Ravenclaw would have the ability to come back from the dead.


    What''s more, she is just a memory.


    Apart from that, he could see clearly that Helena''s smile getting brighter and brighter, her eyes curved into a crescent moon, a sign of her heart being freed.


    ''''Isn''t everything just as you anticipated? You are prepared for this, Felix.''''


    Helena and Ms. Ravenclaw were having fun playing the game of ''holding and walking'', both of them ignored Felix at the side.


    After almost half an hour, the two ladies stopped, each tidying up their messy hair strands.


    Helena''s body emitted light, soft white light, which made her look like a princess.


    "Mother, you have forgiven me, don''t you?" She asked, still somewhat anxiously.


    "I never blamed you." Lady Ravenclaw said with a smile.


    Helena smiled and wept, her face blossoming with holy and pure light.


    After a few moments, Helena whispered in her mother''s ear as their eyes looked over towards Felix, who stood not far away.


    The two walked over in a pair, holding each other''s arms together.


    "Mr. Hap?" Lady Rowena Ravenclaw said.


    " Lady Ravenclaw, Helena, congratulations," Felix said.


    "It''s thanks to you, Felix. Otherwise, I might have been lonely forever." Helena said with a smile as she gently tugged on her mother''s sleeve.


    Rowena Ravenclaw looked at him with a soft gaze, "Thank you very much, Mr. Hap, you freed my daughter."


    "Helena is a friend of mine, as well as Baron, and I hope they can both relieve their knots ..."


    "Baron? He''s not dead?" Rowena Ravenclaw''s expression stunned, her gaze as sharp and intimidating in a way it had never been before.


    Helena said somewhat gloatingly, "That nuisance also became a ghost, but he is no better, always carrying the bloody shackles, you don''t have to bother with him."


    "Is that so?" Rowena Ravenclaw''s gaze went into the distance.


    Felix felt the magic power surging around Rowena Ravenclaw''s body, and she seemed to be doing something he couldn''t understand.


    Outside the Room of Requirement, an extremely hidden magic pattern is lit up one by one, and starting from the seventh floor and extending outwards.


    The tower, the sixth floor, the fifth floor, expanding all the way down and out ...


    In the Headmaster''s office, Dumbledore put down the quill in his hand with a very puzzled expression. Does it seem that he is - deprived of some powers of the Headmaster?


    No, not deprived, but temporarily borrowed.


    Who has this authority? Dumbledore stood up with a serious expression.


    The Grand Staircase in the castle began to turn violently, and some armour made cackling noises.


    Hogwarts underground and an abandoned classroom in the middle of nowhere, Bloody Baron floated in midair with an expressionless face.


    In A gust of wind, the depleted Baron jolted back to life, his expression frozen as he swept around, but found nothing.


    Inside the Room of Requirement, Rowena Ravenclaw sighed.


    "It was my mistake, I shouldn''t have let him find you."


    "It''s all in the past," Helena whispered.


    Felix relieved that nothing had gone wrong, and he was afraid that the Ravenclaw would try to avenge her daughter''s death and outright make Baron disappear.


    Although it was the same as disappearing, self-liberation and being beaten into a puff of mist were completely different concepts.


    "However - I seem to have found something familiar." Lady Ravenclaw said, and as Felix and Helena looked somewhat puzzled, A tattered diadem appeared abruptly from thin air and fell onto the white ground.


    "Is this your diadem?" Helena looked surprised and said, "How did it appear here?"


    Lady Ravenclaw stared at the crown, "You don''t know this, how would I know? I found it in a dump ... What the hell do these little wizards think my lab is?"


    Felix''s gaze fixed deadly on the diadem, and he switched his perspective straight away - the same feeling the diary brought him, deep, dark, evil magic, silent as death.


    It is a Horcrux!


    " A piece of soul is sealed inside ... A magic left by that Herpo the Foul?" Ms. Ravenclaw frowned and said, "I remember it seems to be called as Horcrux?"


    "You know about this thing?" Felix asked.


    "Of course, Herpo was famous in my time, and many of his magic spells that could be considered nefarious were widely spread. Horcrux, though, are indeed quite rare."


    Lady Ravenclaw''s gaze turned to Helena: "Who did you give this diadem to?"

 Chapter 133 - 133 Diadem And Questions

    Helene looked away, somewhat abashed. "Almost fifty years ago, I was tricked by a student into telling him the place where the diadem was hidden."


    Felix added from the sidelines, "As far as I know, Voldemort, oh, that''s the name he changed later, Voldemort is superb at fiddling with minds and, more importantly, he''s extremely ambitious and has made more than one Horcrux."


    As for how wicked Voldemort was and what he did in the wizarding world, it simply didn''t matter to Rowena Ravenclaw.


    He took the tattered diary out of his ring and handed it to the Lady Ravenclaw.


    She stroked the neat scorch marks on the journal, "A fiendfyre curse, a very skilful fiendfyre curse." She didn''t say anything about the dark magic; in her time, the fiendfyre curse had been used by quite a few people because of its power and counter-curse.


    "I also saw traces of magic that belonged to me ....," Lady Ravenclaw looked up at him.


    Felix''s thoughts moved to provide the key information: "Voldemort is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and he received the Slytherin legacy of magic."


    "... That so? I did exchange memory magic ... with Salazar," Ravenclaw whispered.


    At this moment, Felix suddenly had a flash of light, he took out the magic manuscripts of Lockhart and said tentatively, "These manuscripts came from a professor who graduated from Ravenclaw House, he said he obtained a hidden inheritance-"


    Ravenclaw took it and casually flipped through it twice, "It''s my stuff, although it''s been transcribed, who is this guy? How could he be recruited to the school as a professor, his annotations are full of all sorts of lame blunders and delusions of grandeur."


    "He has paid the price," Felix said briefly, not wasting any time in describing what Lockhart had done, the glow emanating from Helena was getting stronger, "Do you remember where you put this information?" Felix inquired.


    Ravenclaw glanced at him: "It should be in the lounge bookcase, I set up some hidden magic, waiting for the latter generation to discover ..."


    Speaking of which, she waved her manuscript with some confusion: "Is he really a Ravenclaw student? My magic wouldn''t have expired after too long, would it? But I set it to automatically draw on Hogwarts'' overflowing magic, ah ..."


    This lady is not as daunting as she seems when discussing magic, Felix thought to himself.


    His eyes went to the diadem, "Lady Ravenclaw, if you don''t mind, I will be obliged to take it away and find an opportunity to destroy it."


    "With your fiendfyre curse?" Lady Ravenclaw asked.


    "It''s very effective."


    "But the diadem will be completely ruined." Lady Ravenclaw glanced disgustedly at the large hole in the diary and thought for a moment, "I''ll do it." She poked out her hand, let the diadem float in front of her, scrutinized it for a moment, and tossed it out.


    In the pure white space, the magic continued to surge, forming stars and multicoloured rays, which converged behind Lady Ravenclaw, as if draped in a river of stars.


    "Go on." Ms. Ravenclaw said, and the starlight whistled like a tidal wave, forming an exaggerated magic vortex in midair and swallowing the diadem.


    In the vortex, an ice blue and bronze magic began to swirl and tear at the diadem, wisps of black gas spilled out of it and were then smashed by the surrounding magic.


    A harsh sound rang out, but Lady Ravenclaw reached out and pointed, and the sound suddenly disappeared.


    "This?" Felix asked in amazement if he saw it right, this crude approach is-


    "I borrowed the magic of the castle to form a vortex that pulls out the souls inside and grinds them apart piece by piece," Ravenclaw said flatly.


    Felix: "..." amazing to have this much magic power.


    He asked politely, "Won''t this damage your diadem?" A diadem that could grant a person wisdom is something he would be interested in studying, but his original intention was to do so after he resolved the Horcrux without harm.


    "It''s already ruined, the nefarious soul tainted the diadem''s entire wisdom, and I just don''t want to damage its materials." Lady Ravenclaw said.


    Felix looked at the diadem that kept spilling out black smoke in midair and remained silent.


    Helena, who had been holding the Lady Ravenclaw, asked, "Felix, don''t you have a lot of problems that you don''t know how to solve? There''s a grandmaster of magic right here." She winked at Felix and made a gesture: ''You''re welcome.''


    The Ravenclaw smiled at Helena and Felix''s interaction, "Feel free to ask any questions you have, there may not be much time left." She looked over at Helena, the glow in her body could no longer be hidden.


    Once Helena was freed, her mission would be complete.


    In the end, she is merely a memory.


    Lady Ravenclaw held Helena''s hand in her backhand, trying to delay the process, and Helena gave her a beautiful smile.


    Time is limited, and Felix isn''t pushing it, hurrying to ask about the thing he is most interested in-


    " Lady Ravenclaw, my first question is: what is memory?"


    Ravenclaw looked at him, "You are your memories. Everything in our lives is a memory, except for a thin layer of ''this moment''."


    Felix said solemnly: "So, whether it''s a person or a soul or an animal, the most important thing, is memory?"


    Ravenclaw did not deny: "And what do you think of the ''here and now or present''? Is it the result of the past, or the beginning of the future?"


    The question made Felix scratch his head a little, he wanted to ask about magic, not to discuss philosophy.


    He stated his thoughts, "From my point of view, the ''here and now'' is something I can absolutely grasp; it is in my power, an expression of my will. Or to put it simply - the ''here and now'' is the ''choice''."


    The past is beyond pursuit, the future is yet to come, and the key to it all lies in grasping the ''here and now''.


    Ravenclaw nodded and smiled, neither agreeing nor refuting.


    Felix waited for a moment, and when he saw that she did not speak, he simply asked straightforwardly what he was most concerned about: "Madam, I want to inject a fictional memory into the Patronus, but there is a violent conflict between the two, in addition, I also want to transfer part of my consciousness into the Patronus ... "


    He waved his wand and let his Patronus fly out.


    Lady Ravenclaw smiled and beckoned, letting the silver Rainbird land in her hand.


    Felix obediently relinquished control of the Patronus, knowing that Lady Ravenclaw would demonstrate it to him.


    Her fingers brushed its feathers, and the rain swallow chirped.


    "You need to extract the memories correctly." She said methodically, "Imagine you grab a specific one from a birdhouse full of birds, it may seem difficult, but if each bird has a string tied to its leg, you will do this easily by pulling on the string just from the outside of the birdhouse."

 Chapter 134 - 134 Curtain Ends

    "Birdhouse, string, thread," Felix repeated.


    He realized suddenly one of Ravenclaw''s traits, she is very, very fond of inspiring people - whether the person wants to be inspired by her or not.


    "Mother, can''t you be blunter?" Helena said from the sidelines.


    Ms. Ravenclaw gave her a look and helplessly revealed the riddle: "Don''t crudely cram


    Memories into anything, you need to shape them."


    Felix seemed to have thought of something, but still separated by a layer of thin paper, shading in and out of view.


    "Memory moulding, or rather, structuring a solid memory."


    Ravenclaw held the rain swallow, which turned into a silvery mist and then reassembled into an eagle with its head held high, in the body of the eagle, there are dense dots all over..


    The eagle landed on the ground and looked at the ground.


    "These are?" Felix''s breathing seemed to stop, he directly switched on the acceleration of thought, desperately remembering the structure of these dots.


    Ravenclaw said flatly, "Soul nodes? Memory nodes? Whatever, I just found some structure for stable memories."


    "So, you also ... constructed this way?


    "Yes, I''m just a memory of Ravenclaw, not a real person, not a ghost, not even considered as life, but the only emotions are real without being fictional."


    "As for transferring consciousness, you can refer to Pact Magic." She said quickly.


    Felix could only memorize it as well, and he duly asked one last question: "Madam, I would like to know, how far did the four founders truly advance their magic?"


    Ravenclaw gave him an approving look, "Talking too much will only disturb you, what I can tell you is that we count ourselves as magical beings."


    She glanced at the diadem that was constantly being washed by the massive magic, the mass of black air being churned to pieces.


    "It''s almost time." Lady Ravenclaw said softly, her form slowly fading away, but she still looked at Helena tenderly.


    The glow on Helena''s body became brighter and brighter, more and more holy, and a heartfelt joy spread out.


    The temporary body constructed by magic had disappeared, and she reverted to the form of a ghost.


    "May I hug you again?" She asked.


    Lady Ravenclaw opened her arms, and the two somewhat illusory figures pressed together for a long time before separating.


    In a swirl of magic, a blurred face rushed out from the diadem, but immediately shattered silently.


    The Lady Ravenclaw grabbed the diadem as soon as she could - it shone brightly, as if it had been scrubbed clean and as good as new.


    "I will recreate the diadem as your reward." She said to Felix.


    "Lady Ravenclaw, you don''t have to ..." he said hesitantly.


    "It is not as wise as you think it would be, not when it can be given." Lady Ravenclaw said, her figure growing fainter and fainter while the diadem grew brighter and brighter.


    She glanced over at Helena with a parting glance.


    "It is somewhat unfortunate that I cannot accompany you on your journey." Lady Ravenclaw said that she is just a memory, and today she finished the mission that belongs to her and is going to dissipate.


    Helena smiled and said, "I''ve got the courage to walk the rest of the way."


    Lady Ravenclaw stared at her, and after three, maybe five, or ten minutes, she finally disappeared.


    "Clang!"


    The diadem fell to the ground and rolled twice.


    "Take it, it belongs to you," Helena said.


    The light on Helena''s body grew stronger and stronger, and the restrictions left on her by the Ravenclaw lady before had disappeared.


    Felix didn''t even look at the diadem, he gazed at Helena and said with some difficulty, "I''m going to lose another friend today."


    She floated up to him and her palm tried to touch his cheek, but her fingers passed through.


    "It seems you''ve had your share of grief."


    Felix was silent for a moment, "Let''s get out." He held out his palm and let the diadem fly over with the diary, which he tucked into the ring.


    The two of them walked out of the Room of Requirement, the light from her body quickly spread out, a soft glow illuminating the entire seventh-floor corridor.


    "It may be too late, I have something to say to someone," Helene said.


    "Do you need help?" Felix asked, knowing who she was referring to as ''someone''.


    "Sure." She smiled at him, "We''re friends, aren''t we?"


    Felix''s wand made a blast and the window in front of him abruptly disappeared as he leaped from the window on the seventh floor with Helena in his arms, before landing lightly in the yard.


    The next moment, Felix''s voice instantly resounded through the castle -


    "Baron, come to the yard, Helena has something to say to you."


    The young wizards in the castle looked up, startled by the loud voice.


    What had happened?


    "Come on, let''s go check it out," Harry said to Ron and Hermione, and the trio ran simultaneously.


    Doing the same, were other young wizards who, full of curiosity.


    It is the weekend, everyone is very free.


    They ran towards the yard at the same moment.


    But the fastest is still Dumbledore, he appeared very abruptly in front of Felix and Helena, his expression a little puzzled, but when he saw the white light on Helena''s body, his azure eyes widened at once.


    He looked at Felix, who nodded gently.


    Another ten seconds or so later, a silver shadow passed through a wall and appeared in the yard.


    It is Bloody Baron.


    He looked as frightening as ever, covered in silver blood and carrying a huge shackle on his back. But his expression at the moment is one of unprecedented tension and trepidation.


    Bloody Baron looked at Helena bathed in light, his mouth opened and closed, and stammered, "Congratulations, Helena."


    One by one, the little wizards and professors, and the ghosts came from afar, and they stopped far away when they saw this scene in the yard.


    The little wizards were somewhat puzzled, but the professors and ghosts had seen a lot, and they clearly saw the state of Helena.


    Nearly Headless Nick, covered his mouth very empathetically, "Oh, my God."


    The other ghosts also stared nervously at the center of the yard.


    "Sir Baron, I''m about to leave." Helena said, "I was told to learn to forgive myself ... I''ll give that to you."


    "And what about you?" Baron asked, his body shaking constantly, "Will you forgive me?"


    "I''ve hated you, but I''ll try to forgive you, just from this moment on." Helena Ravenclaw said.


    The light from her body exploded into a white, long phantom of a ladder, appeared. Helena''s gaze lingered around, finally pausing on Felix for a moment, and she firmly stepped onto the ladder.


    Her figure disappeared.


    Felix felt dispirited.


    "Felix, thanks, I know the person she was talking about is you," Baron said, and a clean white glow spread from his body.


    "I didn''t do anything." Felix shook his head.


    A clamour erupted from the distant ghosts; what a day. Two ghosts freed from their bindings one after another!


    Only those who knew the thousand-year grudge of these two ghosts could not help but feel a lot of emotions.


    Baron did not resist the white light stirring in his body, and in a solemn atmosphere, his figure disappeared.


    The young wizards looked at this scene dumbly, they did not know what had happened but knew that the ghosts of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, two houses, had disappeared forever from this day.

 Chapter 135 - 135 Followup

    The young wizards were driven away by the professors.


    Professor McGonagall commanded the grade heads and told them to take the students of their respective houses away and to return to wherever they wished, and in fact, she had very mixed feelings.


    Startled by Felix''s voice, she thought something urgent had happened and rushed here, even using the Animagus halfway.


    More than one young wizard saw a cat nimbly crossing the flowers, a blurred shadow flickering, and they thought Mrs. Norris had recovered.


    But even though it was different from what she had imagined, things were still considered ''urgent'' and she had witnessed two ghosts that had existed at Hogwarts for a thousand years just dissipate.


    This is a good thing, but she is still full of doubts, what happened?


    Most of the professors and ghosts stayed behind, they looked at Felix on the field and seemed to have the intention of listening to a story.


    Snape by the yard pillar, his expression puzzled, his thoughts at the moment is, this is the first time this year, can it be called ''accidental'' event?.


    It seems that every single one of them can be related to Felix ...


    Professor Flitwick stood aside, his lips opening and closing, wanting to ask something. He is aware of Ms. Gray''s true identity, for decades he has always had great respect for her, and he is most anxious for the truth.


    Dumbledore is touched for a greater extent, he kept looking at the location where the two ghosts disappeared, murmuring softly, silver beard twitching, but no one could tell what the 100-year-old man is thinking at the moment.


    "Felix ..." Dumbledore said softly: "It seems that something incredible must have happened to you."


    Felix''s expression looked a little ''sullen'' as his eyes swept over several professors on the field, Snape, McGonagall, Belby, Flitwick, Sprout, madam hooch ...


    There were also the ghosts of Hogwarts - the almost headless Nick, Fat Friar, Professor Binns, and a few he couldn''t name.


    Just about everyone who could come arrived.


    He said in a flat tone, "It''s a long story indeed, but the privacy of two honourable ghosts is at stake, plus I myself have very mixed emotions right now and am not in the mood to tell that for now."


    "Headmaster Dumbledore, please forgive me for leaving for the moment, when the mood has calmed down, I will disclose the truth in order to maintain the honour of the two friends."


    Dumbledore''s eyes covertly skimmed over the others, he said from goodwill: "Of course, Felix. I suppose that of all the people present, there is no one who will suffer more grief than you."


    Felix and Dumbledore left one after another, and several professors looked at each other, and the ghosts on the sidelines were also in a similar mood, all scratching their hearts a little, but knowing that they could only wait, they discussed a few things and dispersed.


    Ancient magic rune office.


    Felix sat on the chair behind the desk, took out a stack of parchment, and scribbled down all the conversations with Ms. Ravenclaw, and when they slowly took shape in the thinking hut, the manuscript in front of Felix silently turned into flying ash.


    Only when he finished these, Felix leaned back in his chair, with the diary and the brand-new diadem in front of him, and fell into a pensive mood.


    His mood is indeed somewhat low and complicated, but more so because he could not tell the story without loopholes while concealing some key information.


    For example, the thousand-year memories of Lady Ravenclaw, such as the diadem, and Horcrux ...


    These, he did not want too many people to know.


    Many hidden secrets, once leaked to a second person, will no longer be called hidden.


    But the Horcrux, he did not want to hide it from Dumbledore, after all, he has a whole two pieces in his hands - he was wondering how things have developed into this?


    Voldemort''s trouble, it is better to leave it to the Headmaster to have a headache.


    And the most crucial thing is that he seems to be able to fit the diary into the story reasonably well ...


    Including Ginny, including Draco Malfoy, including Dobby the house-elf, these clues that he obtained off and on, can also be forwarded to Dumbledore.


    To put an end to the Chamber of Secrets incident, when Dobby''s troubles are solved, it will be possible to restore Hagrid''s reputation.


    Speaking of which, why hasn''t Dobby contacted him? Was there an accident, or did the instincts of a house-elf take over?


    In the office, there is no trace of sound.


    Elsewhere, at Hogwarts, numerous young wizards were voicing their opinions about the shocking events that had taken place today.


    And what Harry is most concerned about is what really happened to the two ghosts.


    At the moment, the trio followed the large group back to the Gryffindor common room, led by the head of the grade. The young lions, who had been discussing in a whisper, burst out with great enthusiasm, nearly toppling the ceiling.


    Hermione winked at Harry and Ron, and they chose a long couch with a divider and a red curtain and sat down. On the other side of the divider were a few of the Gryffindor heads of grade.


    They were likewise discussing what had just happened.


    "It''s the ghost''s salvation!" Percy said with great certainty. "I''ve seen similar descriptions in books, and this is an extremely rare occurrence."


    A fifth-year Head Girl said suspiciously, "I seem to have heard about it at home, but isn''t that a fairy tale?"


    "Haha, did you also hear the story "The Disappearance of Barney the Ghost"?" It was a male wizard''s voice.


    On this side of the partition, Hermione mouthed: ''You''ve heard this story?''


    Ron shook his head.


    The discussion continued -


    The head girl said: "I always thought it was fake, but I never thought it would really appear before my eyes today."


    "What do you guys think, about what happened?"


    "What exactly is the relationship between Lady Gray and Bloody Baron?"


    "Maybe a couple?"


    "Oh, no way, the word Ms. Gray said was ''forgiveness''."


    "You heard that? It was so far away I couldn''t hear it, and Professor McGonagall wouldn''t let us get close!"


    "I saw the way she mouthed when she spoke ..."


    "Then it''s a feud, and frankly, I think that''s more likely, like he murdered Ms. Gray ..."


    A new, excited female voice appeared, "Could it be that ... Bloody Baron was a murderer who killed a lot of people and ended up on trial, but before he died he thought about fighting back ... and became a ghost. " She laid out a bunch of inner drama, and then dramatically concluded.


    The trio changed their place, to a hidden corner.


    "What do you think?" Harry asked.


    "Other than the information about the ghost redeeming itself, it doesn''t hold much credibility," Ron said. "Especially the girl with the somewhat shrill voice who kept trying to lean the truth towards love-hate relationships."


    "They ignored Professor Hap, the one who summoned the Bloody Baron." Harry speculated, "Hermione, what do you think?"


    "I also think it has something to do with Professor Hap, he seems a little sad and I know that he and Lady Grey are friends," Hermione said what she knew.


    The Gryffindor discussion wasn''t the most lively, of the four houses, Ravenclaw House had the biggest reaction.


    Ms. Grey, although she always gave the impression of being lofty, she was not shy about giving pointers to the young wizards, especially to the students of her own house.


    Her departure made the young eagles sad.


    ...


    In the evening, Felix left the school and went to the old town of London.


    He walked along a pitch-black road and into a cemetery, where the guards watching the gate ignored him.


    Almost three or four minutes later, Felix stood in front of a tombstone.

 Chapter 136 - 136 The Story

    The white inscriptions on the black marble are easier to make out in the dim light, they seem to glow in the dark -


    Rock Irwin


    Born on December 12, 1966, died on May 3, 1980


    Died of influenza after nursing 12 companions


    " Rock Irwin ..." Felix murmured, recalling the scene when he was nine years old and collapsed in a hospital bed, at his weakest, someone kept taking care of him.


    Three days before he recovered, Irwin''s disappeared, and he pleaded the dean to tell him, only to be met with a heavy sigh..


    That was the first time he understood death deeply.


    Felix stood quietly in front of the tombstone, like a silent statue, and after almost an hour, his figure disappeared.


    At eight o''clock in the evening, Felix returned to his office, where he had, earlier this morning, used his Patronus to inform his assistant that he had cancelled this weekend''s magic tune tutoring.


    With a little preparation, he knocked on the door of the Headmasters office.


    The room is very dim, Dumbledore looked up from his desk and looked at him through his half-moon glasses, "Felix ... please sit down, wait a moment, the office is a little dark."


    He held up something that looked a lot like a silver lighter, pressed a few times, a ball of light flew out of it, and the office immediately became brighter.


    "What is this?" Felix asked with interest.


    "I made a gadget, I call it a lighter, can absorb and release light sources," Dumbledore said.


    Felix sat in front of him and pulled out the diary and the brand-new diadem.


    The first thing Dumbledore''s eyes fell on is the diadem, he stood straight up and bent down to examine it carefully, "This is ... if I''m not mistaken ..."


    "That''s right, Lady Ravenclaw''s diadem."


    Dumbledore looked at Felix and keenly noted his use of the word ''Lady'', few people would use that.


    He quickly thought of his Headmaster''s authority being briefly borrowed, and the suspicion that sprang to mind horrified him a little, but he quickly ruled it out.


    His eyes turned to the diary, an item that was much less eye-catching, looking tattered and torn, with a hole in the middle.


    Dumbledore stared at it for a longer time, his fingers kept fumbling with the broken hole, "A powerful Fiendfyre curse," he frowned but did not rush to comment, and for a moment his azure eyes widened, "So that''s it, yes, that''s it ..."


    After a long time, his eyes moved away from it. Dumbledore said with a soft admiration, "What a surprise to me, I thought, there will not be anything that can make me an old man surprised, it seems that your story will be a big eye-opener for me."


    Felix began to recount his ''experience'' from very, very early on, "The night the Chamber of Secrets adventure ended, I was approached by Draco Malfoy, who appeared terrified, yet very resourceful, bringing with him an evil dark magic item ..." He nodded to indicate the diary on the table.


    He spoke of his suspicion that the diary had something to do with the opening of the chamber and tried to talk with it, but there was no trace of feedback.


    "This is not quite consistent with Mr. Malfoy''s experience, and I am going to observe it for a while and set up tight magical protection for it."


    Dumbledore crossed his arms and rested them under his chin, listening quietly.


    "Until the dueling class, I found that the ban I had set up was broken, rushed back and found a house-elf, his name is Dobby, I used the magic potion on him and accidentally obtained the truth about the incident of the chamber," Felix said.


    "So--"


    "The diary is Voldemort''s relic, which he gave to Lucius Malfoy for uncertain reasons, and Lucius hid it in the Weasley''s youngest daughter, Ginny Weasley''s book, with the help of an accidental meeting in front of the Bookshop."


    Dumbledore sighed, "Matches up with some of my suspicions, as far as I know, the Ministry of Magic searched several pureblood families during that time, under the guise of investigating dark magic items, Lucius may have been in a hurry and couldn''t wait to get rid of the problem."


    "Dobby harboured a huge debt of gratitude to Potter, and he went out of his way to disobey his master''s orders to protect Potter in any way he could, even though ..." Felix gave a small smile, "it may have been troubling to Potter himself. "


    "Ah, such pure emotion, often can exceed our imagination," Dumbledore said with emotion.


    "Anyway, I realized the danger and prepared to destroy the diary, but regular magic simply didn''t work, so I used the Fiendfyre," Felix said, profusely, did not avoid the fact that he used dark magic.


    And Dumbledore did not say anything more: "Perhaps ... this is indeed a good way."


    Next, Felix explained himself in the time of pursuing the secret room, had inadvertently found a mysterious room, "I think its magic is very interesting, ready to study in their free time."


    "On the seventh floor of the castle, the tapestry of trolls beating Barnabas with a club?" Dumbledore repeated, showing a thoughtful expression, he smiled and said: "Your words have unlocked a long-time suspicion."


    "You know it too?" Felix asked knowingly, he couldn''t say that he had done all sorts of strange and bizarre tests using your name, right?


    "Oh, it was a wonderful experience, but perhaps I underestimated its use at the time ..."


    Felix did not press the issue, he nodded and spoke again about the two ghosts, he and Baron knew each other when they were at school and had overheard a conversation between them.


    He said with some shame: "Initially I had a utilitarian purpose - I saw the manuscript left by Lady Ravenclaw from the library and became curious about that time a thousand years ago, and I very deliberately befriended Helena."


    Dumbledore reassured him, "I, too, had deliberately befriended many famous wizards in my youth with a utilitarian purpose in mind."


    "Thank you, Dumbledore." Felix said, "At the time, I also had the idea that, as Baron''s friend, I hoped to ease Helena''s resentment toward him."


    "But as I got deeper into it, I found Helena to be a very fine lady, and it was a pleasure to chat with her, and I enjoyed it." Felix''s voice trailed off.


    Next, Felix cut back on his description of Helena, not wanting to mention her name in a pile of lies.


    "... I realized that the Room of Requirement might be the chamber left by Ravenclaw, and I took her inside and met the memory left by Rowena Ravenclaw a thousand years ago."


    Dumbledore''s hand running through his silver beard stopped as he listened intently, not wanting to miss a word.


    "... Lady Rowena Ravenclaw found the diadem, which she said contained a piece of an evil spirit, and magic said to have originated from a famous dark wizard of Ancient Greece, Herpo the Foul. "


    Dumbledore''s face became solemn, as he spits out a word: "Horcrux.".


    "Yes, that magic, I thought about the diary and took it to Lady Ravenclaw. After her confirmation, the diary is also a Horcrux that belongs to the same person ."


    "Very perceptive, Felix," Dumbledore said.


    "Afterwards, Lady Ravenclaw used the vast magical power of Hogwarts to destroy it, and before the mission was completed, she recreated the diadem."


    Felix finished telling the story.

 Chapter 137 - 137 Two Memories

    The office went quiet.


    The delicate silverware on the corner of the table swirled, emitting small puffs of smoke and making a "tick-tock" sound.


    "Your testimony is very useful, Felix." Dumbledore said, his eyes staring contemplatively at the diary, with his eyes under thick silver eyebrows, "He is even crazier than I thought."


    "You mean, Voldemort,?"


    "I prefer to call him Tom, Tom Riddle, which is his original name. He never shied away from that when he was in school, and the professors would not call him by his last name ''Riddle'', but affectionately called him Tom.." Dumbledore explained.


    Felix pondered, it seems that Voldemort went to school to live a much more nourishing life than he did.


    "Is it because he made more than one Horcrux?" Felix asked.


    "That''s right, Felix. This magic is more evil than you can imagine, the ability to gain immortality by splitting souls-"


    "Headmaster Dumbledore, I''m not interested in that." Felix interrupted, "Do you have any other questions?"


    Dumbledore blinked with a pleased smile, "Felix, you know more about restraint than a younger me ... I do have one more question."


    He crossed his arms on the table, "I would like to know more about what happened when the Horcruxes were damaged."


    Felix had expected this, and it just so happened that he also had two things he wanted Dumbledore to know. So he turned to look at the black cabinet behind him, "Why don''t you see it for yourself, Dumbledore?"


    He looked back and saw Dumbledore''s surprised gaze.


    The older man said, "You mean, Pensieve? Many wizards avoid that ..." It is a reaction he did not anticipate at all.


    "Yes, I saw it on my last visit, when the cabinet was left open." Felix explained, "As for avoidance? I do avoid it, but I personally think that since Voldemort is not dead, one day he will return, and you are the person he fears most."


    Dumbledore shook his head, the old face has long been covered with wrinkles: "Felix, I am old." He waved his hand, the black cabinet door opened, a shallow stone basin flew out smoothly, and landed on the table in front of the two.


    Felix carefully examined the Pensieve, an ancient and rare magical artefact. There were strange carvings on the mouth of the basin: they were various mysterious runes and symbols.


    He could make out some, but more were in the blind spot of his knowledge.


    Inside the Pensieve was a pool of silvery substance, sort of like bright silver, but in constant flow. Felix drew his wand and touched it gently with the tip, and the silver light swirled softly.


    He then placed his wand against his forehead and Dumbledore whispered, "Felix, I must thank you for your trust in me."


    Felix gave a mischievous smile, "Oh, Headmaster Dumbledore, I will only show you the most crucial memories, some private matters I will hide well - you won''t get anything out of it even if you stick your nose in."


    Dumbledore showed a cheerful smile for the first time tonight.


    A shimmering silver strand was pulled out and added to the Pensieve, and Felix stirred it with his wand, letting the strand melt into the silver light.


    The two reached out at the same time, and when their fingertips touched the silver light inside the basin, a great attraction pulled, and they did not resist, falling into the Pensieve smoothly.


    The first memory is very short -


    An elf fell to the ground, and ''Felix'' summoned a long sword of Fiendfyre pointed straight at the Diary.


    The Horcrux let out a dying cry: "No, I can tell you the secret of conquering death-"


    But ''Felix'' did not hesitate half a second, controlling the longsword directly through the Horcrux, and the voice ended abruptly.


    This memory ends here.


    The two figures reappeared in the office, Dumbledore''s expression was very complex, but also with a sense of inexplicable relief.


    He looked at Felix: "I am proud of your choice, in the war years, many famous wizards were easily compelled by him, not to mention his secret of conquering death."


    Dumbledore didn''t even mention why Felix was able to practice the Fiendfyre curse to such an extent.


    At other times, he might have advised Felix not to go too deep, but now, compared to rejecting the Horcrux, this is simply irrelevant.


    And this is the first thing that Felix wanted to tell Dumbledore.


    The next is the second memory -


    In a pure white space, ice blue and bronze magic intertwined into a huge vortex, constantly tearing the Diadem, wisps of black gas spilled from the diadem.


    Dumbledore looked oddly not very far away, across from the '' Felix '', is a beautiful and serious witch, Helena and her arm linked together, they said something, but Dumbledore could not hear anything, even the face is blurred.


    "Is this what you call privacy?"


    "We''re discussing my wizarding path," Felix said briefly.


    Dumbledore shut his mouth tightly, such things were the secrets of powerful wizards. He turned to look at the vortex in midair and let out a sigh of admiration.


    Halfway through the day, a blurry face burst out of the diadem and was immediately and completely churned up by the vortex.


    Dumbledore sighed with emotion, but he found that the two did not leave the memory, and after a while, he heard the only words in the whole memory.


    It was the words that Lady Rowena Ravenclaw said to Felix, "I will recreate the diadem as your reward."


    The words, in the empty white space, kept echoing.


    Dumbledore looked speechlessly at Felix, who was nodding approvingly, and the next second, the memory ended.


    The air in the office settled down, no one spoke first.


    Half a minute later, Dumbledore said helplessly: "I understand what you mean, the diadem is yours, no one can snatch it away, and if others have objections, I will testify for you."


    Felix revealed a bright smile, "Thank you so much, Headmaster Dumbledore, I''ve been worried that there would be some unreasonable school board members or the Minister of Magic looking for me."


    As he spoke, Felix nimbly used his wand to pick out his memories and let them dissipate completely.


    Dumbledore suddenly felt a pang of heartburn as he waved his hand, "You can take the diadem."


    Felix politely offered his farewell and turned to leave.


    Walking out of the office, he showed a satisfied smile, the expected goals were accomplished.


    His main goal had three points, one was how to interpolate the diary into his version of the story, and the second was how to dispel any doubts Dumbledore might have: what if Felix had become interested in the Horcrux? Three is the ownership of the diadem, he did not want to make any compromise on the right to ownership.


    So after he finished telling the story, he smoothly threw out two memories, corresponding to the second and third goal. Among them, the second goal was the most important.


    So careful because he knew that Dumbledore held concerns about him, fearing that he had gone dark and become another Dark Lord.


    And even more frightening is that Dumbledore is more than a hundred years old, he can not afford to miscalculate the consequences. And Felix? Only 22 years old, far from his peak.


    From the past deeds, this worry Felix completely understand.


    So he could only put in more effort to beat the old headmasters doubts by doing this.


    ''''I can be a really considerate person.''''

 Chapter 138 - 138 Wind

    Felix returned to his office, at late night, the window hit by the wind making a "click-click-click" sound.


    He sat in his chair, his eyes passed over a corner of the desk, where there stood a stack of photos.


    Felix picked up the photos in his hand, leaned back, and looked at them quietly - seven photos, most of them were solitary photos of Helena, she always smiled quietly, but from different angles.


    The only photo is with him, and he said something at the time, and Helena gave an amused expression, and there''s a clear gesture of covering her mouth in the photo.


    Felix''s fingers brushed over the photo, causing her hair to turn burgundy, and then he collected the photo in his ring.


    "Have a good trip, Helena."


    ....


    The next morning, Hogwarts is windy, Felix was woken up early, he came out of his bedroom in his pyjamas, the office is very dimly lit, and it is pitch-black outside.


    The windows were raging under the gale, making an unbearable creaking sound.


    Felix snapped his fingers and the windows seemed to become one, the sound instantly weakened, but the sound of the gale crashing against the castle walls was beyond what he had to offer.


    Through the window, you can faintly see the branches of the trees in the distance keep swaying.


    "Don''t want to think at all in this weather." He muttered, lazily curling up on the couch.


    Felix hooked his fingers, and the suitcase in the corner popped open, and a box of film floated in midair past his eyes, "Tch! I can''t believe I''ve seen them all."


    "I remember a very famous series of films, I wonder if it was released, what was it called?"


    "The Legend of Nagini?"


    Felix shook his head and beckoned a book of fairy tales, "The Adventures of Camper," from a wall cabinet - one of the gifts he had received for Christmas.


    The main character of the story is called Robin Camper, a ten-year-old prep young wizard.


    His parents, both employees of the Ministry of Magic, are usually very busy at work and often entrust him to the care of a neighbour, but he does not like the neighbour''s cat and sneaks out.


    Camper originally wanted to stroll around Diagon Alley, but ended up in Knockturn Alley by mistake and was whisked away by a dark witch with an Apparition.


    But the good thing is, the resourceful Camper used a small trick to deceive the witch, smoothly escaped. After that is the story of avoiding the pursuit of the dark witch. While making various friends and trying to go home.


    Felix finds that if one doesn''t think too much about logic, such as why the witch''s henchmen are three cats with names like ''Nate'', ''Marsh'' and ''Moray'', and that they always come first before The witch found Camper and was chased away by Camper''s new magical creature friends and so on all these issues ... is actually quite interesting.


    He read with great interest, less than an hour to finish it.


    "I wonder if this type of book is popular among the little wizard community, I should investigate, if the response is good, I can take reference to complete my new book."


    "As for the plot well ..." he glanced at the Adventure of Camper in his hand, "the story of a ten-year-old wizard-to-be, sent to a muggle school by his busy working parents to live, learn and make friends in an unfamiliar environment. "


    "Well, this wizard-to-be grew up in a magical family and is not familiar with the outside world, and with the help of his eyes, the reader gets to see a lot of interesting things."


    "It''s best to illustrate it with some dynamic images."


    Felix absently made up the plot, the day finally dawned.


    Harry woke up with a start, listening to the wind whistling in his ears, he rubbed on the glasses and looked carefully through the window.


    "It''s windy, oh yeah, it''s March." He muttered.


    Ron is still asleep, it''s Sunday, and Harry doesn''t wake him up, getting dressed and carrying his book bag to the common room.


    He had a ton of Quidditch practice in the afternoon, and he had to catch up on his homework.


    When he arrived in the common room, it is empty, with only three or two people, but he was not surprised to see Hermione.


    She is carving a magic rune with a carving knife, and from Harry''s point of view, it already looks very decent, the tip of the light coffee-colored carving knife flows with searing magic, leaving behind chestnut wood pieces with a burning symbol.


    "How''s it going?" Harry asked when she stopped.


    Hermione gave him an ambiguous answer, "Not too bad, but I haven''t succeeded once."


    "Yeah?" Harry didn''t quite catch the phrase: "It looks rather impressive, it has the mystique of a wizard in a fairy tale now."


    "Harry, you are the wizard."


    "I''m talking about the wizard lore of the Muggle world." As for Hogwarts, Harry thought about his desperate attempt to catch up on his homework and was hardly in the mood to think about gods and mysteries.


    While Harry was writing his herbology class thesis, the whistling outside the tower didn''t stop, interrupting his thoughts several times. This put him in a very irritable mood, and he suddenly looked up expectantly and asked, "Hermione, do you think if the weather is still like this on Monday, our herbology class will be cancelled?"


    Hermione said, "I think - you might as well expect today''s training to be cancelled, and I''m curious how the mandrake gets into someone''s pot, Professor Sprout said it''s almost here in a few days, and I don''t want to miss it."


    Several mandrake plants had a feverish, noisy dance in the third greenhouse during last week''s Final Herbology class, much to Professor Sprout''s delight.


    "We''ll know they''re fully mature when they want to move to someone else''s pot." She said, "Then we''ll be able to bring both that poor little wizard in the hospital ward and Filch''s cat to life."


    Harry muttered, "Surely Wood won''t cancel the training, I have faith in him."


    When Ron got up, the three of them gathered their things and went to the great hall for breakfast.


    Ron pointed to the Ravenclaw House crowd and said, "They don''t look very excited."


    Harry said uncertainly, "Maybe because the ghost of their house has disappeared?" He thought about it, and even though he hadn''t had a good time at Nick''s 500th-anniversary party, he would certainly be upset about it if Nick suddenly disappeared.


    As this is happening, a silvery figure burst into the great hall, bashing the Slytherin students with a stack of chalk heads.


    He let out a loud laugh and suddenly disappeared when no one reacted.


    The trio got dumbfounded, and after a while, Ron said, "Merlin ah, nobody cares about Peeves now?"


    Everyone knows that only Bloody Baron and Dumbledore can control Peeves Ghost, and he only maintains limited respect in the face of the professor.


    "However, I do think it''s not bad." Ron looked at the wretched little Slytherin wizards, especially when there is Malfoy among them, so he happily stabbed up a piece of bacon.


    Hermione said worriedly, "It''s Slytherin that Peeves is targeting now, not necessarily after a while."


    "That''s Slytherin''s worst luck as well," Ron said optimistically.

 Chapter 139 - 139 Peeves Ghost

    Felix stayed in his office until noon, before heading hungrily to the great hall for a meal.


    Instead of sitting at the faculty table, he chose a random long table of students, with several young wizards discussing the morning''s events just a short-distance away.


    "In just one morning, Peeves has attacked many Slytherin students in the great hall, and pushed down statues in the corridors, painted mud all over the armour, and scribbled on the ceiling. ..." One student counted Peeves'' crimes on his fingers.


    "I think he must have spent all day yesterday thinking about how to celebrate, which is why he''s so efficient today."


    Felix listened on, when a few Slytherin students walked in with angry faces, their angry yelling audible to him from seven or eight seats away.


    ".... This is outrageous, to run into our common room and fool around! Make sure to tell Professor Snape ..."


    Their voices faded away.


    Felix walked out of the great hall, intending to pay a visit to Belby, only to see that the door of his office is locked tightly.


    As he prepared to leave, he is greeted by a tall, lean figure of Belby, who looked jubilant.


    "Damocles."


    "Oh, Felix, did you come to meet me? I went to Professor Snape''s office, to improve the wolfsbane potion, which is progressing promisingly ...," said Belby enthusiastically.


    The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Belby suggested, "Why don''t we go for a drink?"


    Felix readily agreed.


    "Please wait, I still need to clean up ..." Belby said vaguely, and the two walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts class office, which had a very different style from when Lockhart was there.


    Instead, it is somewhat similar to Snape''s office - several large cabinets arranged against the wall, each containing a variety of bottles and jars; on a long table, is a row of glasses and crucibles.


    One of the crucibles is brewing potion, it is set under the orange flame, the mouth of the pot emitting steam.


    Felix shot a couple of glances at the crucible, which consisted of a creamy mass, only the colour of it is an uncomfortable dark green.


    "Is this some sort of smear ointment?"


    "Yes, it works wonders on large boils caused by Stinging Jinx, I had been discussing it with Madam Pomfrey, and boy, is she a treasure trove of potions for all sorts of minor injuries and ailments."


    Felix said approvingly, "I couldn''t agree with you more, Damocles." He had found this out when he was in school.


    Belby lifted a curtain in the corner, inside which were two metal cages, two red caps were sleeping quietly.


    But when he took out two thumb-sized glass bottles, they opened their eyes at once, "chirping", two paws on the bars of the cage.


    Felix could read the emotion of ''eagerness'' on their dry, thin faces.


    Belby issued a tone of voice, the red caps immediately silenced, head pressed against the side of the cage, the mouth wide opened.


    He poured the bright red liquid from the glass bottle into their mouths, and the red caps had an intoxicated look on their faces, their bodies swaying as if they were drunk.


    Then Belby covered the curtain and went back to Felix, slipped two green leaves into the crucible, tapped the edge of the crucible twice with his wand, and the dark green contraption began to swirl.


    "There, that''s settled. Let''s go." Belby said.


    As they made their way down the stairs to the ground floor, they saw several Slytherin underclassmen running in disarray not far away, hiding the backs of their heads from the pervasive chalk heads with the hoods of their wizard robes.


    "Oh, ten, ten, fantastic, one hundred!" A dwarf-looking midget chased after them, flipping in midair and waving his two little shorthands incessantly.


    "Peeves."


    Peeves Ghost stopped as he looked at the two professors next to him, "Oh, I didn''t notice~ These little wretches are attracting all my attention ..." He looked at them with wide-open eyes and unnaturally pulled at his peaked cap.


    Felix beckoned and let the pointy hat on Peeves'' head fly into his hand, "I don''t suppose this is yours, is it, Peeves?"


    "Yes, it''s mine, Professor." A Slytherin boy came over and whispered.


    Peeves gave him a hard stare, "Lord Peeves remembers you!"


    The Slytherin startled, the half-extended hand stopped, expression very hesitant.


    Felix waved his wand, a silver light struck the Peeves Ghost, his eyes became lax. The whole person fluttered lightly, and his mouth kept chanting, "Don''t, I hate classes!"


    "Don''t pull my hair ..."


    "I hate the history of magic!"


    "Why did he get the highest grade!"


    The few young Slytherin wizards looked at Felix in awe, and even Belby''s eyes went a little straight; he could deal with the Peeves, but causing this effect would be a bit of a head-scratcher.


    The Peeves seemed to have split into a million minds at once, and from different people.


    "Don''t look at me like that, it''s just a simple confusion spell to make it think it''s just been born," Felix said.


    "Any word on that?" Belby asked, though he didn''t think it was just a simple confusion spell.


    "Peeves is a special ghost, or maybe it''s more appropriate to call him a rowdy ghost, who arrived with the construction of Hogwarts, but didn''t take a concrete form until the school enrolled many students, and he took benefit of their playfulness and overflowing magic."


    The students who had just been chased listened quietly, exchanging excited glances with each other.


    "He won''t always look like this, will he?" Belby asked.


    "No, it will take a week at most to recover, but the process won''t be too pleasant ... I thought he would remember how it felt." Felix said regretfully.


    "Teach, professor, is there any good way ...," said the little wizard who had been robbed of his hat.


    But Felix did not seem to hear, he asked Belby with a clearly puzzled expression on his face: "Do you think we should tell the little wizard that the Tongue-Tying Curse is also workable against ghosts?"


    "Not good, it might bother some ghosts ...," said Belby cooperatively.


    "The ghosts in the castle are very friendly, if any little wizard dares to use it against a ghost, just detain them for a whole year," Felix said.


    The corners of Belby''s eyes twitched a little, are you serious?


    The Slytherin students were also startled, and they said formally, "Professor, we''ll leave first."


    "Your hat." Felix tossed him the peaked cap in his hand.


    "Thanks, Professor!" The young wizard said thanks and ran away, pulled by his companion.

 Chapter 140 - 140

    Three Broomsticks Inn.


    Mrs. Rosmerta brought two glasses of mead, "The best oak-rubbed mead, low in alcohol, you''ll like it."


    "Thank you, ma''am."


    She smiled and nodded, and turned to greet the other customers.


    Belby looked around the inn and saw seven or eight adult wizards talking in whispers, in addition to three or two small ones.


    "I have a feeling this place is doing a lot better than the Hog''s Head Inn." He said.


    "The Hog''s Head Inn specializes in strong liquors, and minor wizards don''t go there much.." Felix said, "And the attractiveness of the proprietors and the interior is even more jarring."


    Belby glanced at the curvaceous Mrs. Rosmerta and thought about the wrinkles on the Hog''s Head Inn owner''s face and the dirt-covered glasses, and especially the dirty, rotten smell inside the bar ...


    "Well, you''re right. I wouldn''t go there for nothing more than the necessary reason, either."


    Felix bowed his head and took a sip of mead, which tasted excellent, the sweetness of honey and the freshness of oak wood filling his lips and teeth, barely feeling the taste of liquor, but as it slid down his throat, he could clearly feel a long wave of heat rushing to his heart, warming his whole body.


    "How does it feel to be back in school, Damocles, almost a month now?"


    "It''s very relaxing, and it feels like I''m young again." Belby chuckled, "Sometimes, though, I really want to crack open some students'' little brains and see if they''re stuffed with Bubotuber pus?"


    Felix looked at him speechlessly, worthy of being a master of potions, the metaphor is so refreshingly simple.


    Bubotuber is an extremely ugly plant, its pus is no less ugly, it is a sticky yellow-green liquid, with a pungent smell of oil.


    You can''t blame him for being mean, though; the challenges Belby encountered from the academic rubble comprehensively outclassed Felix in every way - because the Defense Against the Dark Arts class is mandatory, and every young wizard is required to take it until sixth grade.


    As we all know, the quality of teaching in this class has always been worrying.


    Felix said, "There are always some good students, aren''t there?"


    "That''s true," Belby reflected on himself, "and I lectured a little too fast, you know, to make up for the previous deficiencies. In the second year, for example, they haven''t even seen a few low-risk magical creatures, let alone know how to handle a minor vile hex."


    " You brewed the potion just for this?"


    "That''s right, I collected a list of minor vile hexes they''ve mastered and made a special topic to teach them how to deal with them."


    "That sounds great, Damocles, you have a talent for teaching."


    "No, Felix, your ''answer parchment'' has helped me a lot."


    Felix looked at him in disbelief.


    Belby explained, "I converted the information I looked up into test questions, put them on the answer parchment, and urged them to complete them after class as part of the homework."


    Is this ... online homework?


    The all-subject version of the answer parchment had been available for some time, and each professor was given a dragon skin scroll that allowed them to modify and add questions for the corresponding subject - Felix opened up that part of the access.


    However, most professors clearly place more emphasis on fifth and seventh graders, and they have moved all the questions from the OWLs and NEWTs exams of recent years, while for other grades, they may simply provide a focus range and corresponding reference chapters.


    No one seems to have realized this use of parchment ...


    Felix looked at him, and Belby said with some embarrassment, "Although I only plan to substitute for six months, I also hope to make a good record. Honestly, I don''t want the young wizards telling the new professor how bad I am in the next academic year."


    "Don''t worry, there shouldn''t be a better professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the last ten years than you," Felix said with great appreciation that he had encountered most of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in the last ten years during his school years, and the few that remained had, as far as he knew, have fairly below average reputation.


    Not to mention the last two years, a dark wizard and a fraud.


    At the end of this little gathering, Belby talked about his latest teaching project, "In addition to the little vile hex topic, I''d like to do a topic on forbidden forest creatures, which are equally dangerous magical creatures."


    He also formally extended an invitation to Felix to explore the Forbidden Forest together.


    Looking at his somewhat faltering tone, Felix understood in his heart that he is afraid of being affected by the curse and wants to find a partner who can look out for each other in case of danger, so that he will not be isolated as a result of an accident.


    For example, meet a Warthog?


    Felix thought for a moment and agreed, he is also ready to fully explore the forbidden forest once, pick up some miraculous materials by the way.


    Every time he saw the snake fang carving knife, it always felt like it was teasing him.


    Felix had the intention to transform the unicorn dagger that Hagrid gave him into a carving knife.


    Back at school, the two parted from each other.


    On the way back to the office, Felix saw several young wizards with a look of obvious awe and gratitude on their faces, which confused Felix a bit.


    Did word about Peeves'' ghost spread? Not another outrageous rumour, is it?


    All the way until the third wave of young wizards he encountered, all with similar looks, Felix could not hold back his curiosity and called out to one of them, "Finch-Fletchley, what is going on in the castle these days?"


    Justin Finch-Fletchley looked at him with an adoring face, "Professor Hap, it''s about the Peeves Ghost."


    Felix thought to himself, "Indeed, it is, is it really a rumour about me taking out the Peeves Ghost?


    He said softly, "Tell me more about it."


    Justin said with some excitement, "A few Slytherin students said you couldn''t stand the Peeves'' mischief and used magic to teach him a lesson."


    Nothing wrong with getting this far, Felix thought to himself.


    "Please continue."


    "... Everyone noticed that Peeves ghost became weird, he seemed to be mimicking different students'' speech, and dumbing down."


    No problem getting here either.


    "And then what?" He wanted to know at what point the wording went awry.


    "Then Ron''s twin brother noticed something different about Peeves ghost, and they conjured up a big fan and fanned Peeves around the castle for exhibition."


    Felix: "... very creative idea, did they get into any trouble?"


    "Does attracting many ghosts count?"


    "Ghosts?"


    "Yeah, they clapped their hands on the sidelines, especially a short, chubby ghost with a big pair of glasses, she was just overjoyed." Justine Finch-Fletchley said.


    Was it Moaning Myrtle? Felix guessed.


    "Where are they now?" He intended to go over and see.


    "Oh, they were in the yard - they were going to throw an impromptu party, and then Professor McGonagall took them away."


    "She looks pretty upset," Justine added.

 Chapter 141 - 141 Testing Diadem

    Felix waved Justine away and returned to his office.


    He had never thought before that he would ever meet people like the Weasley twins, they simply spent all their passion on pranks and weirdness, it was no wonder that when he was hired, Professor McGonagall had a stifled look on her face when she mentioned the twins.


    ''''I wonder how the beggar version of the wizard phone they were researching is going?''''


    Felix thought in his heart, in fact, although the wizarding world as a whole has a trend of rejecting scientific and technological items, you can still vaguely see their shadows.


    For example, the Hogwarts Express, the Knight Bus, the magic radio ... these are things recognized by the Ministry of Magic and can be used legally, only they need to be subject to reasonable regulation.


    The Ministry of Magic has a special department - the Division for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, which is responsible for dealing with these affairs.


    The word ''Misuse'' already speaks volumes..


    Most of the violators, all converted muggle items with a magic twist, after which they strayed back into the hands of ordinary people, causing all kinds of incidents related to magic.


    And for Felix, if he wants to modify the base of the existing cell phone, it''s not really difficult - the easiest way is to add a magic rune to it, shielding it from Hogwarts'' influence, just like he did with the mini-movie projector.


    But what good would that do?


    He was looking forward to seeing the wizarding world show more possibilities, more healthy changes in its development, not convincing wizards to have a cell phone in their hands.


    If he had expectations of the twins, this was indeed undeniable.


    These scattered thoughts flashed through his mind one by one and soon fell silent.


    Felix waved his wand, locked the doors and windows tightly, and applied a burglar sensing enchantment with magic - the caster would get a message when someone entered the range of the enchantment.


    He took the diadem out of the ring, and after being restored by the Ravenclaw lady, it was no longer a tattered, rusty shape, but a jewelled, glittering crown.


    The overall design of the diadem is an eagle, the breast is inlaid with a sky sapphire, and the two spread wings are symmetrically decorated with rows of carefully dotted pearls.


    Felix put on the diadem.


    ''Nothing has changed ...''


    After two minutes of silent experience, Felix made a note on a piece of parchment -


    No significant change while wearing it.


    Next, Felix picked up a stack of parchments, which he had got from Lockhart, but in fact the "hidden legacy" as she called it was a ''surprise'' that Lady Ravenclaw had left for her Academy students.


    Felix forced himself to forget the existence of the diadem for a while, and studied the magic on it carefully - he had memorized it long ago, and even the ancient spells on it were barely mastered.


    This time, he felt the difference.


    His mind became more active, like countless fine bubbles on the surface of the water that is about to boil, and it became easier for him to access the existing knowledge.


    Digesting new knowledge is actually a process of continuous internalization - taking something that was unfamiliar and forming connections with his own original perception system.


    And this process requires constant mobilization of existing knowledge, using the known to understand the unknown.


    The diadem clearly accelerated this process.


    When he tried to think about memory magic, the relevant memories were clearly activated, in a state of extreme liveliness, as if shouting at him: I can hook up with this... look at me!


    Felix recorded on parchment -


    That the same type of knowledge is more easily mobilized when worn.


    After thinking about it, he added, ''more dependent on his own knowledge base and unable to provide knowledge directly.''


    To verify this conclusion, Felix rummaged through his own collection of books and found a copy of A New Theory of the Political Properties of Power, which also served as one of Professor Snape''s alternative Christmas gifts at the time, and which he picked because the handwriting on it is small and dense, and the content is so dry that it can simply make one''s head go bald.


    He read a dozen pages with patience, feeling his stomach-churning.


    He wrote a line on the parchment -


    The help for completely unfamiliar areas, blind areas of knowledge, is close to nothing.


    Then he did seven or eight more tests one after another, recording them continuously on the parchment.


    It became dark before he knew it.


    Felix looked at the entries listed on the parchment and mentally compared them with the Thinking Hut, the Thinking Acceleration, and the Baruffio''s Brain Elixir.


    Of these three, Thinking Acceleration focused on improving reflexes and is in fact dueling magic.


    The other two, Thinking Hut, is to speed up the operation of the mind and play the illusion of lengthening time. In other words, it is to take the conclusion you reached in three hours of thinking in reality and finish it in one hour.


    And it is not connected to reality, after all, people can not improve their actual ability through ''thinking''.


    As for Baruffio''s Brain Elixir, it is not so harsh. It can significantly enhance brain power, and since it is a magic potion used in reality, it is effective in reciting knowledge and magic practice, but it actually focuses more on the memorization of knowledge, and many young wizards look forward to using it temporarily before exams.


    "Sure enough, it''s still more helpful to have a Diadem." The mere advantage of being able to stimulate specific knowledge areas and accelerate the absorption of new knowledge of the same type is enough to make people swoon.


    Moreover, almost six or seven hours had passed since the start of the research, and Felix had no after-effects other than being a little hungry.


    To be cautious, Felix pulled out the long-unused ''psychometric table'', revised and modified, ready to record a month.


    He didn''t worry about Lady Ravenclaw harming him, but rather about the existence of any unknown effects.


    Felix took off the Diadem and looked at it quietly: "Apart from the shape being a bit feminine, there are no other obvious flaws."


    "In fact, if you look closely, it is just a little slender and handy, not necessarily exclusive to women, Lady Ravenclaw is very majestic ..."


    After ten o''clock in the night, Felix prepared to rest, but a copper coin in his pocket suddenly became hot.


    "Finally."


    Felix gripped the fever coin- which matched the one he had given to Dobby - tightly, and he injected magic into the coin to give a response.


    Then he waited quietly, and after almost a minute--


    A house-elf in an old pillowcase suddenly appeared in the office, and the office immediately emitted a "woo-hoo" sound, which Felix casually extinguished.


    This is the defense enchantment he set up before studying the Diadem, the role of the enchantment.


    The elf Dobby was somewhat surprised, but he did not ask more questions, respectfully greeted: "Dobby greet Mr. Hap, it''s a pleasure to see you again."


    "Me too, Dobby." Felix said, "I''ve been waiting for you for a long time."