A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Aunt Penny looked around in alarm, worried that a neighbor might have noticed what was happening.

“Sirius is not a murderer,” Harry said coldly.

“Then let…that damn… guy…stop!” Uncle Vernon said through gritted teeth, veins bulging on his face. Harry was a little scared. He walked to the window with a stern face and waved to Sirius.

The horn stopped blaring.

Aunt Petunia was panting heavily, as if she had been holding her breath. Harry hesitated, unsure whether to mention his birthday, feeling it was unnecessary. Aunt Petunia glared at Harry, while Uncle Vernon couldn't hold back any longer. "What are you waiting for? Get out of my sight right now!" he roared.

At this point, Dudley chimed in, "Your godfather... Sirius Black is waiting for you."

This sentence seemed to have a greater impact than Sirius's loudspeaker. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia looked at Dudley in surprise. They never mentioned Sirius's name. If they had to, they would refer to him as "the one in jail," "the murderer," or simply "the hippie is here to see you."

Harry's mind raced. His gaze met Dudley's, and he suddenly realized what Dudley was up to. He quickly said, "I'm going upstairs to get something—"

He returned to his room, stuffed the books and luggage he had brought from school under the bed, and then looked at the pile of candy and snacks on the bed, feeling troubled. Three large cakes were also placed side by side on the table, one of which was already opened.

After a few seconds, Harry had a good idea. He took out the Golden Snitch that Sirius had given him from his pocket and stuffed all the snacks and candies inside, but he had some trouble stuffing the cake in; he could only manage to squeeze one in.

He had no choice but to stuff the remaining two cakes under the bed, hiding them behind his trunk. Having done all this, Harry clapped his hands in satisfaction; if Dudley had sneaked in, he wouldn't have gotten anything. Normally, there wouldn't have been such a worry, because the Dursleys considered his room a breeding ground for the plague, and would even quicken their pace when passing by.

But as far as he knew, hungry animals were the most dangerous and irrational, and in other words, hungry pigs were no different.

Just before leaving, Harry hesitated for a moment. Uncle Vernon was already calling from downstairs. Without thinking twice, he opened the Golden Snitch and shook out a handful of snacks: a cauldron cake, a sizzling honey candy, and some other odds and ends. Without looking closely, he placed the candies in a conspicuous spot.

Hurrying downstairs, Uncle Vernon pointed to the open door without saying a word. As Harry passed the dining table, he noticed that the quarter of a grapefruit on his plate was gone. He grinned and walked out of the room.

Sirius Black had been waiting for a while. He leaned against a powerful motorcycle, the exhaust emitting a deep roar. Harry sat on the back. Sirius started the motorcycle, and it quickly picked up speed. The wind howled through Harry's hair, and Privet Drive receded into the distance behind them. Harry shouted excitedly, "Where are we going?"

“London,” Sirius roared, “I have a complete plan.”

……

They had a great time all day, touring most of London. As evening approached, Sirius took him for a drive along the Thames, where the water reflected the golden glow of the sunset. Harry was still full of steaks and oysters.

At seven o'clock in the evening, they returned to Privet Drive, but Harry didn't want to go back so early. When Sirius invited him to play wizard chess, he readily agreed.

Harry ruthlessly won three games of chess against his godfather, forcing Sirius to cheat and break the chessboard, so they had no choice but to huddle together on the sofa to watch TV.

It wasn't until almost ten o'clock that Mrs. Figg next door knocked on the door complaining that they were too noisy, and Harry realized he should go back.

The light was still on at number 4 Privet Drive, which puzzled Harry. When he opened the door, he saw Uncle Vernon and Dudley huddled on the sofa watching the game. He breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't what he had imagined. Harry deliberately watched Dudley's expression and guiltily turned his head away.

“Go back to your room and don’t disturb Penny,” Uncle Vernon whispered.

Harry returned to his room, opened the door, and sure enough, the pile of snacks was gone. He then hurriedly checked under the bed, and the cake was intact.

He's overthinking it...

Harry suddenly realized that Dudley couldn't bend down, let alone squeeze himself under the bed; he'd get stuck. Lying in bed, Harry couldn't help but recall the day's events, and he had to admit, it was the best birthday he'd ever had.

Chapter 330 Invitation

August arrived, and Felix thought he would stay in Diagon Alley until the Quidditch World Cup began, until he received a letter from his student, Clement Villa.

Dear Professor Hep

I'm still working at Gringotts in Egypt. Aside from the work environment being a bit gloomy and damp, everything is fine here.

I made many friendly colleagues. A senior named Bill Weasley mentored me, and when I mentioned you to him, I was surprised to find that he actually knew you and had entered the university in the same year as you! I couldn't wait to ask him more about you, and the result was somewhat unexpected. He described you as a "wandering Sphinx" because in our brief interactions, you politely asked him very profound questions about ancient runes and magical theories, which he couldn't answer, making him a little embarrassed and hurting his pride (Bill himself is a very witty and humorous senior, and he said this with a smile).

I also met some local friends from the mysterious Vagabond, a massive magic school with over five thousand students! It's unimaginable what it's like to have so many people in class, but they told me it's because Vagabond recruits students from all over Africa…

I'm facing a problem. After exploring the bottom of an ancient tomb in an Egyptian pyramid, we unexpectedly discovered a dark chamber leading to a deeper level. It was a long, winding downward corridor shrouded in thick black fog and filled with all sorts of dangerous magical traps. We hadn't even finished exploring the corridor when one of my colleagues was afflicted with seven or eight curses, and we had to evacuate immediately.

My colleague was taken to the hospital, but he brought back a stone slab from the corridor wall. The slab was engraved with ancient magical script that I had never encountered before. Even my grandfather could not decipher or translate it. It seemed to come from a much more distant era.

I strongly suspect that they are all ancient magical scripts for practical purposes (the drawn patterns were sent with the letter), and I eagerly hope to receive your guidance. If you could come, that would be even better.

Your student, Kremy Vera.

Felix put the letter aside and looked at the Egyptian heron next to him. It was a large bird, more than half a meter in size, with a completely white body, but the tips of its wings and tail feathers were decorated with black.

This bird has a black, bald head and neck, and its long, downward-curving beak looks like a sickle.

Its legs were long and strong, and it kicked over a tightly wrapped package next to it. Felix unwrapped it and saw a three-foot square parchment with the pattern Vera had mentioned in her letter, which she had obtained by tracing the stone tablet.

He carefully examined the stone tablet copy and immediately recognized the true nature of the patterns. They were indeed ancient runes, or more precisely, fragments of a rune sequence—part of some ancient magic. As he tried to trace the incomplete pattern, black arcs of lightning surged through the air.

Felix carefully read through the letter Kremi had sent, and he sensed a contradiction—the owner of the dark room swaggered around hanging a stone slab engraved with ancient magic in the corridor, which seemed to indicate that the owner was a rather generous person, but the black mist and the curse had nothing to do with generosity.

He did not readily conclude that this was a dark wizard, because the definition of a dark wizard differed across different eras. In ancient wizarding communities, those who could be called dark wizards were all extremely evil, far surpassing those of today.

"A powerful ancient wizard sneaked into the pyramid, built a secret chamber for himself, and set up a complex curse... Could it be some kind of harsh inheritance? And are the black mist and the curse tests for outsiders?"

"Or, is it to use human greed to punish unexpected intruders?"

Felix wrote a reply, attaching all this information, including his own speculations. He also expressed his gratitude for Vera's invitation, and then, on a whim, asked if he could bring a student along. His assistant had acquired a great deal of knowledge of ancient runes in the past two years, and it was time for her to gain some practical experience.

After waiting patiently for a few days, Kremy Vera sent a reply, welcoming him and the student. The letter also included a formal invitation from Gringotts, with two places for his name: one already filled in with "Felix Heap," and the other blank.

Only those holding this invitation will be granted permission to explore the interior of the pyramids.

Felix smiled slightly and filled in the blank with the name "Hermione Granger".

The next morning, Hermione excitedly arrived at the Future World Corporation in Diagon Alley, constantly looking around with curiosity. Just yesterday, the professor had sent her a letter explaining the situation and inviting her to explore the Egyptian pyramids together! She had wanted to go for a long time. Although the professor told her that she would be staying in the back most of the time, there would still be a chance to get up close to the magical ruins from thousands of years ago, under safe conditions.

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise when she saw Professor Lupin. "What are you doing here?"

Lupin smiled and said, "Everyone needs to find a job." He led Hermione upstairs, giving a brief introduction to the company. Employees they encountered along the way greeted Lupin, and soon they arrived at an office on the fifth floor.

Pushing open the door, Felix was sitting in a chair, intently staring at his palm, where a black lightning bolt coiled. Seeing Lupin and Hermione enter, he dispelled the magic, revealing a smile.

"Remus, I may have to leave temporarily for a few days."

Lupin shook his head and sighed, "When you come back, will you be going to France again?"

Felix joked, "Remus, you don't have a knack for prophecy, do you?"

……

"Professor, are you researching magic lamps?" Hermione asked. When she came over, she saw various magical creatures and noticed that each animal had a glowing magical orb on its head, which was very similar to the ancient magical lighting spells she knew.

Felix smiled. "The research is complete. They're preparing for the Quidditch World Cup, a large light show."

"A light show..." Hermione imagined the scene and couldn't help but look forward to it.

“Alright, we’re a bit rushed today. You can stay here and explore more after we get back from Egypt,” Felix said. He was really looking forward to Hermione continuing her research into ancient runes after graduation; her current level already surpassed all the employees in the future world.

She still has four years until she graduates from Hogwarts.

……

Egypt, Nile Valley.

Felix and Hermione walked the streets of Cairo, experiencing firsthand the exotic atmosphere. An Arab man with a broken accent asked them if they needed a camel, but they refused. Hermione watched the strangely shaped camel walk away with a heavy heart, feeding it a clump of hay before it left.

“Well, we need to meet your senior first; she must be getting impatient,” Felix said, adding, “Maybe we’ll have a camel ride later? I thought the pyramids were in the desert…”

In a tavern in town, Felix and Hermione met Clementine Vera, who was wearing a sun hat with a sheer silk scarf hanging from its wide brim. When she lifted the curtain, they saw her skin, tanned a deep brown, and she was smiling radiantly.

Chapter 331 The Witch of Vargadu

Half an hour later, they rode camels towards the desert.

Hermione had a strong liking for Clami. During a casual conversation at the pub, when Felix mentioned that Hermione had never ridden a camel before, Clami took them to the local market and rented three camels, which Hermione chose as a pale yellow one. Afterward, Clami helped her pick out a huge sun hat and a pair of Doc Martens boots; after putting them on, she felt completely strange.

However, she declined the "local delicacies" that Kremy recommended, as they didn't look appetizing.

Before her stretched an endless sea of ​​sand, dunes gently merging together, quickly easing her sense of distance. Looking back, she could still see the city buildings in the distance. The sun grew scorching, and without a breeze, the air felt like a giant steamer.

Suddenly, a pleasant coolness traveled from her skin to her fingertips, instantly waking her up. A small, square box with a chain was floating in front of her, looking like a locket. She reached out and grabbed it; it wasn't very cold. Turning around, she saw Felix nodding at her.

“I only brought one; it’s a new product from the company, still in testing,” he explained. “But it can cover twenty feet.” He called over Kremy, and the three of them walked side by side, Kremy marveling at the little thing.

“We have similar magic in our tent, but it can’t be used once we enter the pyramid.”

Hermione, wearing the locket, perked up and became interested in every detail she passed, such as the plants growing on the rocks in the sand, or the large gecko that suddenly darted out. They also saw a gray snake.

After walking for about an hour, the three arrived near a tall pyramid. In the shadows, they could see seven or eight tents and some scattered equipment, making it look like a small archaeological team.

Felix's heart skipped a beat: "You've got the support of the local government?"

Kremi laughed and said, "It's a legitimate document recognized by the government, but it's just a cover." They arrived at the tent camp, tied the camels to the stakes, and two people came out of the tents. Like Kremi, they were dressed to blend in with the locals. Felix also saw tourists taking pictures in the distance.

“This is Faisal Abdul Iz Kampachi Duim—uh,” Kremi looked at the man and asked awkwardly, “what’s behind him?”

The young man muttered, "Just call me Faisal."

Kremi whispered to them, "Faisal's name has four parts, each of which is equivalent to our full name. I was going to formally introduce him..." but because it's not commonly used, she couldn't remember.

Another middle-aged wizard, with a brown smock draped over his shoulder, said, "Just call me Rahman." He extended his hand and shook hands with Felix.

After exchanging pleasantries, they agreed to enter the pyramid at 2 p.m., "We still need to wait for headquarters to send someone," the middle-aged wizard explained.

Clémi led Felix and Hermione to the back of the tent. "Professor Hyp, you can stay in Bill's tent. He took all his personal belongings with him. Hermione and I will stay together, so we can talk."

“Bill Weasley isn’t here?” Felix asked, suddenly remembering that Mrs. Weasley had mentioned her two sons—Bill and Charlie—would be returning in a few days. Sure enough, Kremy gave the same explanation.

“He’s on vacation. The Quidditch World Cup is about to start, and most people in the camp have taken leave to go home,” Kremy said. “Otherwise, you old friends would have a lot to talk about. Unfortunately, I’m not interested in Quidditch, so I applied to stay.”

Hermione's eyes lit up when she heard Bill Weasley's name. "Ron's older brother?"

Felix nodded to her. "Yes, he works here as a Gringotts unraveler." He then looked at Kremy. "Ron is the youngest boy in the Weasley family."

For the rest of the time, Kremy took out a thick notebook and threw out all the questions she had accumulated. Felix answered them in no time, but Kremy wasn't in a good mood. He gave Hermione a look and made an excuse to go for a walk nearby.

Inside the tent, Clemi said to Hermione with some frustration, "Gringotts has just admitted a Ravenclaw graduate, and her spellcasting is exceptionally good."

"who is it?"

Kremy named a name, and Hermione remained silent. She had seen it while flipping through the papers. That person wasn't exactly outstanding among this year's graduates; it was just that Kremy graduated too early and missed out on the professor's Mind Classroom and a series of magical teaching methods.

"Did you know that the professor started a new company?" Hermione asked her tentatively.

“I’m not quite sure,” Kremy said hesitantly. “When did this happen?”

“It must have been recently. The company is called ‘Futureworld,’ and Professor Lupin—oh, he used to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, and now he manages Futureworld—he told me that the professor wants to reshape the wizarding world,” Hermione said mysteriously.

"Remodel the magic world?" Kremy was taken aback.

“I guess it’s about changing the lives of wizards,” Hermione said uncertainly. “I saw the magic lamp, and this little thing,” she said, pulling on the chain of the small box around her neck. “I bet the professor has done a lot of research on Muggle technology; it’s very evident in his books…”

They chattered away, Kremi's expression shifting between longing and hesitation. Meanwhile, Felix walked around the Great Pyramid, seeing tourists from different countries along the way, though not many. He even helped a large family take photos, earning seven thank-you notes.