A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

The Finleys prepared a delicious meal and temporarily put aside their work to stay at home.

At lunchtime, the doorbell rang, and Mr. Finley went out for a while before returning. When it was time to part, Mrs. Finley presented two large packages that she had prepared.

“Mom—” Justin rolled his eyes and said helplessly, “There’s too much stuff, I can’t carry it all.”

“I’ll do it,” Felix said, gesturing to the package and putting it into the ring on his left hand. The Finleys watched in amazement.

"Is this magic? It's incredible... I wonder if we can buy it?"

Felix shook his head. "These kinds of items are strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. It's fine for wizards, but if they end up in the hands of Muggles—that is, non-magicians—they will attract the attention of professionals."

"It's not like that antique vase made by a fairy, which you can keep at home and admire alone with a very small chance of being discovered. As long as you use it, there is a risk of it being leaked."

Mrs. Finley said regretfully, "We also have some magical items at home, little trinkets we bought in Diagon Alley. We keep them hidden in a room and never let outsiders in."

“Yes, Mom has collected a whole set of Lockhart’s books,” Justin said.

Mrs. Finley glared at him.

Before leaving, Mr. Finley handed Felix a business card. Felix took it and sensed faint traces of magic on it. He asked curiously, "What's this?"

“A friend gave it to me. He’s a collector and keeps in touch with many influential people. This business card comes from a mysterious seller who has supplied quite a few antiques over the years,” Mr. Finley said cautiously. “Including that vase…”

Felix understood immediately; the business card only had a phone number on it, not even a name, which was indeed quite mysterious.

"They contacted each other by phone?"

“It’s hard to tell,” Mr. Finley said. “The mysterious seller asked my friend to call the number listed above, but no one answered each time. However, after a day or two, he would show up and visit me in person.”

Felix smiled. "Mr. Finley, thank you for your trust. I can assure you that you won't be implicated in any trouble."

"That's for the best." Mr. Finley breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought about it for a long time last night and still felt that the Hogwarts professors should know about it. Otherwise, having a wizard hiding his face around would make him feel uneasy.

Back at school, Felix fiddled with the business card. "Interesting. Who's behind you?"

Chapter 366 is not cheating

"I can't believe it! You kept this from us!" Hermione said, still somewhat indignant. By then, they had already left the castle, turned a corner in front of Hagrid's hut, and entered the Forbidden Forest.

“Hermione, you two were having a tiff—but, buddy, you didn’t even tell me we could have worn the Invisibility Cloak,” Harry couldn’t help but say in a complaining tone.

“I was thinking… if it fails, just pretend it never happened.” Ron stammered, his eyes darting away uncomfortably. “I guess Malfoy thinks the same thing… Hermione, thank you for your white essence.”

The swelling on his face is no longer noticeable.

"That's for Harry to practice Apparition!" Hermione snorted.

“But Malfoy actually succeeded,” Ron said. “I always thought he would just cry for his mother or be a bouncy ferret…”

Hermione, on the other hand, thought it was normal.

“His grades have always been excellent, and his scores on the ‘answer parchment’ are among the best, but you just never pay attention to it.”

“Really?” Ron clicked his tongue. “I didn’t know you would pay attention to people ranked lower than you. There’s a whole list of names…”

Harry couldn't help but grin.

They entered the Forbidden Forest, and the light dimmed instantly, as if it were dusk. The forest was filled with rustling and soft sounds. They needed to find a place nearby to practice Apparition; according to Harry, he could now walk out of the "house."

Ron picked a purple berry and asked, "Can you eat this?"

“Yes,” Hermione glanced at it, “except it’s a little—”

"Ptooey!" Ron had already taken a bite, his face contorted in pain. "So bitter!"

“…bitter, it seems you already know that,” Hermione said with a smile, and Harry quickly withdrew his hand from the branch.

They soon found a familiar path and trekked to an open space—

“This place looks familiar.” Harry looked around, his gaze sweeping over the scattered stones several times.

“Yes,” Hermione said, pointing to a large tree. “Remember? We spied on Professor Hyp practicing Apparition behind that tree… I quietly asked Hagrid, and he said there aren’t any dangerous creatures lurking around this wood. But we should still be careful—”

She walked around with her wand in hand, chanting incantations.

"Peaceful Guardian... All Protected... Muggle Shield... Thief Detector... Screaming... Shapeshifter... I say, if you don't mind, you guys could lend a hand..."

“We only know the first three spells.” Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and busied themselves. “Those are the ones Professor Belby taught us, the ones on wilderness safety… What are the others?”

“Oh,” Hermione slapped her forehead, “The Thief Detection Charm can detect magical disguises, and the Screaming Warning Charm is a type of warning charm that makes a piercing sound when someone breaks in… As for the Shapeshifters,” she paused, then smiled and said, “don’t you think they’re cute?”

Harry and Ron crouched down and looked at the peanut-like things—their bodies were made of two small figures pieced together from two stones, probably using Transfiguration; they had no feet, yet they hopped and skipped.

Ron flicked his wrist, sending a shapeshifting guard flying two feet away.

“They’re a bit like roly-poly toys,” Harry commented, then looked up and asked, “What are they for?”

“They are quite sensitive to magic and can detect things we can’t see in advance,” Hermione said. “By the way, this is Professor Hyp’s magic.”

“They were really well prepared,” Ron whispered. “Now I know why she didn’t stop us from breaking the school rules. If I learned this much magic, I would definitely find a chance to use it, otherwise it would be such a waste, wouldn’t it?”

It was evening.

Felix was making a endoscope in his office, with small parts scattered on his workbench.

He carefully extracted a wisp of magic from a business card, which Mr. Finley had given him. Then he picked up a gem the size of a fingernail and infused it with the magic wrapped around his finger.

"The most important step is complete, so—Valen, I haven't heard anyone reading for half a day."

Without looking up, he said that the Niffler Valen was sitting on a large book, dozing off, with a Muggle literacy book under his bottom, which was full of illustrations.

Upon hearing Felix's words, Valen cried out in dissatisfaction, walked up to him with great momentum, and kept poking his arm with her pink little hands.

It can't take it anymore, it can't take it any longer! Why teach a sniffle to read?

It had never heard of anything so absurd.

For its own sake, and for the sake of potential future victims, it must protest on behalf of the Nifflers—no, on behalf of all magical creatures!

"Chirp! Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!"

A Galleon was offered to it. The sniffler Valen paused for a moment, then instinctively stuffed it into its pocket.

“Once you’ve taken the money, you have to do the job. That’s our agreement.” Felix pointed at it with his finger.

"Crack—"

Niffler Valen opened its mouth wide, its pink, duck-like beak opening and closing weakly.

It walked back dejectedly, turned the page with its nimble toes, and slumped down, staring at a picture of a motorcycle. Less than a minute later, its eyelids drooped...

Hermione's arrival saved it. When she came in, the Niffler leaped off the workbench and, with comical steps, pounced into Hermione's arms.

"Oh...Valen? What's wrong? You're being too enthusiastic..." She looked at the Niffler somewhat bewildered. It seemed to have suffered some injustice, pointing to the sky and the ground, and not forgetting to point to the professor and a literacy book on the table.

"Can you read?" Hermione felt a surge of curiosity. "I read similar books when I was three years old."

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Sniff pointed at Felix and kept humming.

"Uh……"

“It says it has never met a human as cunning as me, and it wants to run away from home and follow you,” Felix said, bowing his head as he assembled the remaining parts of the endoscope.

Hermione blinked and looked down at the Niffler.

Sniff nodded sullenly. Yes, that's it!

It aims to forge a new path and create a vast treasure trove. Sooner or later, it will bring a fifth house to Hogwarts.

“Alright, all done.” Felix stood up, holding a walnut-sized viewing mirror. Before Hermione could even see clearly, he had already raised his ebony wand, from which a silver swift guardian spirit flew out.

The swift, as big as an owl, hovered silently in mid-air. Felix tossed the viewing mirror in his hand, and it swallowed it whole.

“Go, find him. Don’t let him find out,” Felix said calmly.

Hermione watched curiously as the swift disappeared from the window and blended into the black night, wondering who the professor was looking for.

……

"So, you're worried that you got the invitation card by cheating?"

Hermione nodded. They were sitting on the sofa. She was holding a box of egg and milk biscuits and feeding the Niffler while looking worriedly at Professor Hyp across from her.

This matter had been bothering her, especially after Ron obtained the invitation card in the "normal" way.

Felix remained noncommittal. "Why do you call it cheating?"

“I have gone against the purpose of the test,” Hermione said sadly. “I simply cannot face my own fears. Perhaps I am the worst of all these warrior candidates.”

Felix chuckled softly. "Granger, you, and the students below sixth grade, are not being trained as warriors. You are not warrior candidates. It is only because you are younger that you are all the more precious."

Hermione looked at him with some confusion.

“To put it simply, Miss Granger,” Felix said, “Dumbledore, the headmaster, and many of the professors and I agreed that it would be a waste to exclude younger students from the tournament, but we couldn’t really let you participate. So we came up with this compromise to increase your participation.”

"To increase our sense of participation?" Hermione repeated, "That's why you don't mind if we cheat?"

“You’ve misunderstood. I never said there’s only one way to deal with fear. Do you see the inscription on the stone tablet? Courage, wisdom, perseverance, calmness. This means… there are at least four ways.”

Felix said gently, leaning back on the sofa and looking at her thoughtfully.

“You have accomplished at least two things, which was something I did not expect. First, you vaguely saw through the illusion, which may be related to your frequent contact with magic related to the Mind Chamber, making you less susceptible to being deceived. Second, you used this ability and borrowed the power of the illusion to unleash the ancient magic Golden Flame that I taught you, which is not something an ordinary person can do.”

“I even discussed this issue with Dumbledore before.”

“How did you know—” Hermione looked at him in surprise.

“If you had actually used the golden flames, you might have destroyed that place,” Felix chuckled. “But that does mean your understanding of this magic has reached a passing level, and you can now try using it in reality.”

"Now?" Hermione asked excitedly.

Felix looked at her expectantly.

“Oh, uh… okay.” Hermione sat up straight, cleared her throat, and recited a string of ancient incantations. Then, a burst of light emanated from her fingertips, and one magical symbol after another appeared in the air, piecing together into a whole.

"laugh!"

A golden flame appeared out of nowhere, burning quietly, exuding a serene and timeless aura.

“You can take your hand away,” Felix said, and Hermione did so. The flame remained suspended in mid-air, the surrounding air trembling slightly. Under her control, the flame was stretched into various shapes, and accidentally, it pierced a goblet, leaving a scorching hole.

“You need to improve your control, Granger. You’ve always been good at it, but not good enough. You need to make the flames move according to your will, like this.”