A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 733 Extra Chapter: Valen

The Academy of Unique Wands is located in the northeast corner of the floating island. Besides the usual teaching facilities and buildings, a particularly unique feature is a group of statues commemorating the first people to receive their own unique wands and change their destinies. The most eye-catching of these is a Niffler holding a wand, named Valen.

When you mention Valen, he's probably the most famous Niffler in the academy, or even a magical creature. Because at the very beginning of the academy's founding, Valen produced a series of "instructional videos," and thousands of wizards who weren't particularly sensitive to magic learned about the functions and applications of their wands from a Niffler.

“I’ve met Valentine a few times,” Winnie Valentine said in class. “She has done things with her wand that I never thought I would do before, which has greatly expanded the use cases and value of wands.”

"There are no fewer than ten research topics around it or inspired by it, among which the most influential is the 'Magic Reactivation Theory,' which studies whether dormant magic can be reactivated through learning and practice, making it like that of a normal wizard! There are rumors that Valen has broken free from the limitations of his exclusive wand, but of course, this has not yet been confirmed..."

"What if it's confirmed?" a student asked.

"This means it might be the most intelligent Niffler ever, surpassing at least the twelve thousand low-magic wizards who participated in the study in a broad sense... Alright, if you don't mind, let's continue the lesson. By the way, Valen knows more words than any of you. It wrote an article for the Daily Prophet, which was rejected, but it was later published in The Quibbler, which you may have heard of, 'The Martian Diary'."

In the bamboo grove behind the college lived a nest of Nifflers, siblings of Valen. Every week, scientists in white coats would come and exchange glittering little trinkets for ten to twenty minutes of research time. Unfortunately, these Nifflers didn't display any extraordinary intelligence—except that they were all very good at playing Pop-Up cards, or some other kind of cards.

Today, two unexpected guests came to the school.

"Albus, I have a secret to share with you," Scorpius said, as the two walked on the damp earth, the clear chirping of birds echoing from the bamboo grove.

"I'm waiting for you to say it," Albus said.

“Dad’s been a bit uneasy these past few days—” “Oh,” Albus lowered his head, his toes shuffling on the ground, and said softly, “I think it’s because of my dad. He raided Malfoy Manor…” “It has nothing to do with that,” Scorpius said. “It was a guy named Nott. Dad’s been restless ever since he heard that the Ministry of Magic had arrested him for questioning and searched his house… I found this in Dad’s office.”

He pulled out a small golden timer, and Albus stared blankly at the exquisite hourglass embedded in its center.

"What is this?"

Scorpius took a deep breath. "Time Converter."

"Time—what?"

"It can make people travel through time," Scorpius said excitedly. "But the last Minister of Magic suspended all research, and the data from a department I can't name was sealed away. I saw all of this in my father's notebook. I guess if we can find and defeat the person who put the curse on my mother, she will get better."

"But we're only—" Albus counted on his fingers, "five years old."

“Yes,” Scorpius said dejectedly, “we can make a deal. When we have the ability—say, ten years from now—we can use this to travel back in time, find the person who cursed the Greengrass family, and defeat him.”

"It's a deal," Albus said.

Two fingers hooked together, the two of them grinning contentedly. Then they heard a series of "whooshing" sounds and "chattering" voices coming from afar, which didn't sound like people, but rather like some kind of magical animal.

Albus and Scorpius exchanged a glance and cautiously moved toward the sound. Parting the towering bushes, they came into view of a depression, and their mouths dropped open in surprise. They seemed to have stumbled into a Niffler's den. A dozen or so Nifflers were playing in an area piled with bamboo leaves; some were smaller, with pink and gray downy fur. In the center was a small table (or perhaps a table?), and three Nifflers were playing cards. Next to one of the Nifflers was a large stack of metallic sequins.

"It's the Wizard card," Albus said, staring at the phantom that appeared on the table.

"The gameplay is the kind of fighting against the Black Boss that's become popular in recent years. You see, it's two against one," Scorpius said.

The two lay on the ground, watching with great interest. They were only five years old, and their minds were far from complicated. "The Black Devil's cards are really good!" "Which one?" "The one with the smoothest fur, like velvet satin." As Albus was saying this, he suddenly felt something was wrong. The light above his head seemed to have become brighter.

The two looked up and saw a Niffler puppy that had just woken up, parting the leaves, yawning halfway through, staring at them—or rather, staring at the glowing little timer in Scorpius's hand.

"Oh no," Scorpius said.

"What should we do?" Albus asked.

"Run!"

At the same time, the Niffler cubs cried out, and the Nifflers stopped playing and turned their heads to one side in unison, including the few that were burrowing in the hole—did they hear correctly? Their baby had come over by itself? All the Nifflers—except for Valen—had their eyes light up. They were very poor, especially whenever Valen came to visit.

Valen turned his head unhappily. He was about to win again. This was his 140th time (or what?) to beat his two younger brothers. The feeling of robbing them clean was wonderful. After the robbery, he would hold a treasure hunt competition and go easy on them. His two younger brothers were silly and didn't hold grudges or remember the beatings.

In my line of sight, two little children, not even as tall as the bushes, stumbled uphill, one of them holding something that was flashing.

Is there really a treasure? Valen tilted his head, thinking that it looked somewhat familiar.

Albus and Scorpius ran a distance, panting heavily, but the subtle rustling of branches and bamboo leaves behind them did not disappear; instead, they grew closer. Out of the corner of Albus's eye, he saw a black shadow overtake them.

"What should we do?"

"Get up the tree!"

The two had no time to think about whether the plan was feasible, but neither of them wanted to run down. So they chose a holly tree about a foot thick and covered with scars, and pulled each other up. When Albus, with Scorpius's help, climbed to the nearest branch, he was too exhausted to speak.

Scorpius nudged Albus, and the two looked down together.

A dozen or so Nifflers covered in black down were staring intently at them from under the tree. Then, a particularly conspicuous Niffler broke away from the others and swaggered to the tree, looking up at Albus and Scorpius.

The special Niffler was naturally Valen, staring intently at the time converter in Scorpius's hand, its flat mouth agape.

"They want to steal the time converter!" Scorpius shouted.

"Don't worry," Albus said, "I have a trail, Dad will come looking for us. Theoretically, we just need to hide in the tree until nightfall—"

“I’m not as optimistic as you,” Scorpius said. “For example, I’m not entirely sure if the Niffler can even climb trees.”

Albus was stumped by the question. He hadn't thought about it at all. He hesitated and said, "Probably not—" The next second he saw a reddish-brown Niffler waddling its round body up a tree. He immediately shut his mouth, and his expression turned to horror.

Valen slapped the Niffler and handed it a piece of candy. Then, he made a thoughtful expression, and after a while, he pulled a communication mirror out of his pocket. Several Nifflers curiously gathered around, their eyes shining as they stared at the glowing mirror. Valen squinted, a small wooden stick appearing in his hand, seemingly ready to swing it at any moment.

The communication device connected, and Valen chattered away for a while before hanging up, satisfied. Having done all that, Valen stared blankly at the two children in the tree. A little bored… He pulled out a jar of candy, and Albus and Scorpius in the tree swallowed hard.

……

"Here you go," Scorpius said, nimbly reaching into the air and handing a piece of candy to Albus.

"No, it's your turn to eat," Albus said. He stared longingly at the Niffler under the tree. That Niffler was so annoying, throwing candy into the air so casually that he didn't even notice the man who appeared not far away. He seemed to have suddenly appeared, and when he spoke, they were both startled.

"You can come down now, it's better for everyone," Felix said.

Albus nearly fell from the tree, Scorpius choked on a candy, his face turning red with anxiety. Felix pointed, and Scorpius's expression quickly softened. Albus patted Scorpius's back and asked, "Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Felix Heap." Felix said, tracing a line with his finger towards the holly tree. "A common trait of famous people: subconsciously assuming everyone knows me."

Albus and Scorpius had certainly heard the name before, but they didn't immediately recognize it. However, they were too preoccupied with their surprise to react. The holly tree beneath their feet bent to one side, pulling them along with it. The rough bark became smooth, like a slide, and the two of them began to slide uncontrollably down. As they neared the ground, hundreds of branches grew wildly, intertwining and weaving together to form a bench. Felix sat to one side, looking down and talking to Valen.

"Oh...is that so...okay."

After the two finished their conversation, they both looked at the somewhat uneasy Albus and Scorpius. Albus mustered his courage and asked, "Hello? Are you really Hyp—uh, Professor? Sir? Principal?"

"Call me Mr. or Professor, Albus," Felix said calmly.

"You know me?" Albus asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Felix suddenly said, a little embarrassed. “But you might not remember, I got married the year before last, and last year I was cleaning up the trench… but anyway, I’m not unfamiliar with you.” He looked at Scorpius. “I gave Draco and Astoria a wand when they got married.”

Scorpius's eyes widened.

"That wand made of snakewood, with a core made of basilisk nerves!"

“That’s right. I initially liked the unicorn hair, but Mr. Ollivander said no, so I remembered I also had some basilisk materials in my collection… I failed a few times along the way, and you can guess why. But that’s irrelevant.” Felix said, “So could I see that little timer you have? It seems better than the one the Nott family kept… It should be one of the last two lost.”

Scorpius cautiously hid his hands behind his back, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You want to take it away? No, I can't give it to you—"

“Alright, you can keep it for now,” Felix said thoughtfully. “Normally I should know in three days, relayed by my wife… but who knows, maybe I just didn’t see it. I didn’t pay much attention, my attention was drawn to something else…” He paused, “Draco once asked me for help, but I wasn’t sure at the time, now it’s time to resolve this.”

Albus and Scorpius looked at him, completely bewildered.

Felix blew into his palm. Countless tiny magical runes scattered like flower petals, piecing together in the air to form a mirror. But only the frame existed; the mirror itself was empty. Then Felix rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a glass bottle about the size of a thumb. He shook it gently, and Albus and Scorpius saw wisps of golden mist inside.

"I've been spending a lot lately, and this is all I've managed to save up."

Felix muttered to himself as he unscrewed the cork, flicked a wisp of golden mist with his little finger, and sent it flying toward the mirror frame floating in mid-air. The mist seemed to come alive, quickly filling the gaps in the mirror. Then, tiny magical symbols began to illuminate the surface layer by layer from the outer edge inwards. After a few seconds, the golden mirror surface became smooth and even.

"Let me think... Astoria... no, it should be the Greengrass family," Felix said seriously.

The images in the mirror flickered constantly, with figures and space changing rapidly, making one dizzy, like trying to read a dictionary with tiny, dense print while wearing dirty glasses covered in handprints.

Felix took a moment to explain to the two children, "I can't travel through time; the cost is too high, and I don't want anyone interfering with time. But there are many things I can do, such as dealing with the Greengrass family curse. Actually, there's no need to go back to the past; we just need to present everything that happened before our eyes... I couldn't do this in the first few years; the energy alone was enough to give me a headache. We've found it."

Albus, Scorpius, and Valen all looked into the mirror. The image in the mirror was fixed in one spot, and the picture became slightly clearer. It looked like a thin, pale-skinned, gloomy man with rat-like whiskers. He was muttering incantations, and blood dripped from his nostrils, winding and congealing in the air, turning into eerie, pulsating black symbols with the chanting. The scene was somewhat frightening, but Felix watched with great interest, nodding repeatedly as he watched.

"I see. It's somewhat similar to the curse in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts. It doesn't target a specific person, but rather the Greengrass family. As long as the bloodline of this family exists, the curse will not disappear, releasing its accumulated power every few decades. Knowing the principle makes things much easier."

"Much easier?" Scorpius asked blankly.

"For example, I could design a spell to make the curse think that the Greengrass family has naturally died out... Of course, this is just an example; I actually have a better way." The mirror shattered, and Felix carefully collected the wisp of golden mist that had clearly faded into a glass bottle, then got busy.

Valen watched for a while, then took out various snacks from his pocket and shared them with the Nifflers and the two children around him. Albus and Scorpius realized they were already hungry and began to eat heartily. "What's that?" Scorpius asked, pointing to a jar. He seemed to see tentacles wriggling.

"Don't touch it, it's a swarm of cockroaches," Albus said with an air of experience after glancing at it. Scorpius looked at him strangely, and Albus said reluctantly, "If you also had a brother who liked to play pranks."

"The chances aren't high," Scorpius said wistfully, then cheered up, "but maybe I'll have another brother or sister."

"It's over," Felix said, snatching a piece of lava cake from Valen and stuffing it into his mouth. "Don't be shy, Valen has a lifetime discount card from Honeydukes, even I don't." Valen grumbled twice from the side, "Didn't you use my name to apply for it?"

"The curse... is gone? Mom is better?" Scorpius asked, his eyes wide. He tried to move his arm, hoping to feel a sense of lightness, but nothing happened.

Felix nodded, then shook his head.

"The curse has indeed disappeared, but Astoria's body still needs some time to recover. Hopefully, she can make it to the World Cup. Alright, you've been out for too long; it's time to go back." He waved his hand, and Albus and Scorpius disappeared from sight.

Felix lay on the holly chaise lounge, fiddling with the glass bottle containing golden time energy, his breathing slowing, his body gradually becoming transparent, as if separated by something. Valen picked up a small pebble from the ground and tossed it to him.

Felix rolled his eyes.

"Hermione has completely won you over. Actually, you could have given me candy instead, it would have made me feel better..."

Valen immediately pulled a brown wig from his pocket, put it on, and leaned forward, looking quite imposing. He crossed his arms and thought (if he could): "Hmph, despair, Great Demon King! Our alliance was formed over a decade ago, a strong friendship forged during moonlit strolls around the castle. Nothing can destroy it, nothing..."

Valen turned his neck and sniffed the air.

"Some deep-sea fish may never have been discovered before, and I wonder what they taste like."

"Gulp." Valen swallowed hard, feeling his unbreakable friendship being challenged. Then came another sound of everyone swallowing, as a group of Nifflers stared at them expectantly...

(End of this chapter)