A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 190: The New Third-Year Class

It seemed that he might never have the chance to drag Professor Lupin to a Dueling class.

Felix Harp thought with a touch of regret.

If he really did so, it would be difficult to judge whether Snape would directly curse the new professor or aim his wand at Felix as the instigator.

As for Snape's evaluation of Remus Lupin, Felix could only take it as a reminder.

At least, when Sirius Black had caused a stir, Dumbledore still let Lupin teach students, including Harry Potter, in class. This indicated a considerable level of trust the Headmaster had in him.

The next day, in the Ancient Runes classroom for third-years, Felix introduced himself to the young witches and wizards below the podium.

"Most of you—"

Felix's gaze swept across the crowded classroom, pausing briefly on some familiar faces—Gryffindor's Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Slytherin's Draco Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode...

"—have formed your impressions of me from Dueling class. However, this subject is Ancient Runes, and you will find that these two disciplines differ greatly. In the public eye, Ancient Runes is not seen as a practical field."

A Slytherin girl raised her hand, her eyes fixated zealously on the puppet placed on the table, "Professor, you created a magical puppet using Ancient Runes!"

"This young lady, what's your name?"

"Daphne," the girl said, "Daphne Greengrass."

Felix nodded, "Miss Greengrass, as I've mentioned, it's in the public perception." He emphasized, "Though I've been striving to shift Ancient Runes away from its previous stereotypes, as of now, we've only achieved some effects within the school."

"However, you represent the future, and I believe more and more people will come to recognize the practicality and value of Practical Runes..."

A wave of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Professor Harp's words stirred their hearts.

"Now, let's begin the roll call—"

"Ravenclaw, Rowan Brown!"

"Slytherin, Millicent Bulstrode!"

"Hufflepuff, Seymour Feeneygan!"

"Gryffindor, Hermione Granger!"

"Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass!"

"Slytherin, Gregory Goyle!"

"Hufflepuff, Vincent Crabbe!"

"Ravenclaw, Norbert Longbottom!"

"Slytherin, Draco Malfoy!"

"Gryffindor, Harry Potter!"

"Ravenclaw, Padma Patil!"

"Slytherin, Pansy Parkinson!"

"Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan!"

"Gryffindor, Dean Thomas!"

"Gryffindor, Ron Weasley!"

...

It took Felix a good seven to eight minutes to finish reciting all the names.

There were indeed a lot of them, and the thought of having to grade their assignments... Wait? Maybe he didn't need to grade them himself.

He glanced at Hermione and decided to give her a bit more responsibility, including the task of coming up with questions.

With various thoughts in his mind, Felix said calmly, "Next, following tradition, I will introduce this year's study tasks to you, including Translational Runes and Practical Runes—these are my own categorizations. In addition, I will let you experience the wonders of Runic creations."

Felix waved his wand, causing a magical puppet on the platform to come to life, instantly capturing the attention of the students.

"Absolutely, magical puppets. I believe you've all heard of them?" Felix Harp said with a pretentious air, drawing a wave of chuckles. More than just hearing about them, many had borrowed them from older students to control.

Continuing, he said, "Fortunately, besides puppets, we'll be introducing another form of runic creation this year—Scrymir."

Felix noticed Draco raising his hand, using his left hand—his right was bandaged, a sling supporting it around his neck.

'One of the injured students from Hagrid's class? Quite a coincidence,' he thought.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"Forgive me, Professor, my right hand is not very convenient... It's injured. What I meant to say is, isn't Scrymir something those alchemists concocted? My family has quite a few high-end Scrymirs that can envelop the entire estate." Draco stated proudly, his gaze challenging Ron Weasley when he mentioned the estate.

Ron glared back at him.

Felix gave Draco an odd look, "Envelop the entire estate... Is that one of the Malfoy family's defense measures? How am I going to crack that..."

"Ahem!" Felix pulled himself back on track, explaining to Draco, "You have a valid point, Mr. Malfoy. However, I've improved the crafting method of Scrymirs, incorporating a certain runic circuitry."

"What's runic circuitry?"

"You can think of it as connecting multiple runes together to achieve a specific effect," Felix explained succinctly.

Seizing the opportunity, he subtly promoted the nearly non-existent Runes Club, "I'm considering teaching this part of the knowledge in the Runes Club. The notice will be posted soon, of course—with assessments."

Next, Felix spent about twenty minutes discussing the history of Ancient Runes, potent ancient magic, ancient runic creations, and hidden wizard histories... Each topic was captivating in its own right.

It had to be said; he successfully ignited the young wizards' motivation to learn.

Yet, there were objections. During the Q&A session, another Slytherin girl raised her hand, "Professor, I have a question."

"Miss Parkinson?"

Pansy Parkinson crossed her arms, her face delicate and narrow, her short hair framing her cheeks. Even without speaking, she exuded an air of arrogance and sharpness.

She tilted her head, "Perhaps I'm being too straightforward, but since alchemy has replaced runic creations, doesn't that indicate they are outdated? Why bother digging them up from the grave?"

"Miss Parkinson, factually speaking, alchemy indeed dominates the magical world today..."

Felix paused, addressing the class, "Before answering this, let me pose a question. Who here knows about the Pensieve?"

Hermione's hand shot up first.

Pansy pursed her lips, saying, "That's the thing to view memories, right? My family has one. But no one pays it much attention."

"Very well, Miss Parkinson. However, please raise your hand when answering next time." Felix fixed his gaze on her eyes, "I believe you'll remember that, won't you?"

Pansy lowered her head, "Oh, yes, Professor."

"Anyone else with more detailed information... Miss Granger."

Hermione stood up and recited, "The Pensieve can view and store memories. It faithfully reproduces any detail from the memory owner's subconscious. Some wise wizards use it to examine and categorize their thoughts, though most tend to shy away from it."

Felix nodded, "Very comprehensive. What I need to add is that the concept behind the Pensieve is extremely ancient. You'll find it difficult to categorize it as either 'alchemy creation' or 'runic creation,' as it embodies elements of both."

He looked at the young wizards, "When an alchemist wishes to progress further, he inevitably delves into runic knowledge, whether he admits it or not."

"It's quite simple—the cherished and ancient magical creations mostly contain runic circuitry or variations thereof. The two are intertwined."

Harry raised his hand, and Felix nodded at him.

Excitedly, Harry asked, "Professor Harp, if an alchemist masters a lot of runes, why can't they just study ancient magic as well?"

Felix explained, "Firstly, top-tier alchemists have the sensibility to know what they want. Alchemy itself is a vast field requiring a wealth of knowledge. Constrained by talents, they must allocate their time and energy reasonably."

"Furthermore, you don't think that merely mastering a sufficient number of runes would allow you to learn ancient magic, do you?"

"I have to remind you, Potter, from individual runes to ancient magic, there are many thresholds waiting for you."

Seeing the somewhat puzzled expressions on the students' faces, Felix realized he might have gone too deep. He clapped his hands, "Alright, let's move on to examining these two types of runic creations."

About the roll call part, it's not that the author is padding word count. It's to remind everyone that from this chapter onward, they are officially introduced into the story.

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