A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Chapter 91 Discovery

On Monday morning, the young wizards were passing by the bulletin board when they suddenly noticed that the content had been updated.

A young wizard read aloud what was pinned to the parchment—

"The second dueling class of this semester is scheduled for this Thursday at 8 p.m. All wizards of all grades are welcome to participate."

The signature is an elegant name: Felix Heap.

"Why is it Professor Heap? Isn't it Lockhart?"

"Perhaps Professor Hyp snatched the Duel Club from him?"

That's big news!

"Don't talk nonsense. It could be a collaboration, just like Snape in the last class. He was invited by Lockhart."

The young wizards were buzzing with discussion under the bulletin board.

The trio stood not far away, Harry looking very excited: "It's finally going to start."

Ron was also full of anticipation: "I hope to learn a few powerful spells. To be honest, I've been feeling nauseous all week..."

Harry looked at him with pity. "He even made you copy fan mail?"

“Yeah, it’s never-ending.” Ron’s face showed disgust. “Especially a woman named Moria. She writes the most letters and is Lockhart’s favorite. I can recite some of the whole passages by heart…”

"No!" Harry quickly stopped him.

Ron muttered, "I've heard a lot of secrets from him these past few days, Hermione. I know him better than you do now."

“But that shouldn’t be the case, why would he do that?” Hermione asked, puzzled.

“I think maybe he’s given up on himself? He writes an apology letter to Fudge every night now,” Ron guessed, noting that Cornelius Fudge hadn’t responded to him in days.

……

When Harry, Ron, and his friends arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Lockhart stood in the doorway, looking thoughtful. As they passed by, he grabbed Ron's arm. "You know," he said, "have I changed a lot lately?"

A look of shock flashed across Ron's eyes, and he stammered, "No, I didn't notice, Professor."

"Hmm... I feel like something's not right?" Lockhart asked, letting go of his hand. The trio slipped past him into the classroom.

On the seat—

Harry said, "He realized something was wrong himself; there was definitely something wrong here."

"Perhaps it's a Confusion Charm? Many spells have similar effects," Hermione analyzed seriously.

“It’s possible that every time I’m alone with him, I want to curse him.” Ron said with a resentful look.

"By the way, do you have any clue about those three parchments?" Harry suddenly remembered something and asked Ron.

"No, it was just a regular interview."

"What is it?" Herman asked with interest.

Ron gave a brief explanation of their origins, and she wanted to ask more questions, but class started soon afterward.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Lockhart was still giving his teaching demonstration, saying, "I need to choose a volunteer; today's story is the most crucial and exciting part."

The young wizards all lowered their heads.

"Ron Weasley, it's you!" Lockhart called Ron to the stage. Thanks to his confinement last week, he finally didn't mispronounce the name this time.

“That’s right, Ron. You’re an innocent villager, tormented by werewolves. You’re begging me for help. Yes! Make your expression more bitter, very good…”

Ron, with a pained expression, served as a prop in Lockhart's story.

"What follows is my inner monologue. This part is very important, so listen carefully."

Lockhart shook his head, striking a pose of deep concern for the nation, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Poor people! They face the constant threat of werewolves, all because they killed a wolf cub that had attacked livestock. What did they do wrong! It's truly pathetic, lamentable... My conscience cannot allow me to turn a blind eye!"

The performance continued, Lockhart standing tall, seemingly basking in the villagers' praise. But Ron's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

Even after he returned to his seat, he had a dejected expression on his face.

"What's wrong with you?" Ha nudged him with her arm. Was he too shocked? It's not like he's never been before; he even played a vampire for three weeks straight.

"We'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it later." Ron curled up into a ball, avoiding Lockhart's gaze.

Meanwhile, Felix was giving a lesson to a fourth-grade wizard.

"Today we will learn the last set of practical runes. Then your magical puppets will be able to unleash their full power."

The twins in the audience raised their hands: "Professor Hyp, do you have any advanced knowledge?"

Felix smiled. "What do you want to learn?"

“For example—open up other useful runes,” Fred said.

Felix blinked, looking at the twins; they seemed to be promising candidates for ancient runes.

You can tell from the Christmas gifts the twins gave him; of course, they weren't using magic runes, but rather alchemical thinking.

“If some of you have the capacity to learn, I would certainly be willing to teach you more,” Felix promised.

After class, Felix called the twins over.

“I’d like to know if you have a clear plan for your future?” Felix asked.

“We want to open a Weasleys Magical Tricks workshop!” they both said in unison.

“Hmm…like a joke shop like the one by Joko Widodo?” Felix asked.

"Pretty much... but Joko's thinking is still stuck in the last century. We want to do something newer and more interesting," Fred said.

“Yes! We have many good ideas, but due to limitations in our capabilities, most of the designs cannot be built.” George’s expression was quite regretful.

“Great idea. But I imagine you don’t have any professional guidance?” Felix asked.

“Well, when we were kids, we found some books at home about how to make gadgets and jokes, and we also did a lot of research in the library. It helped us a lot, Professor Hyp,” Fred said with a sly look.

The library? Or the restricted section? Felix didn't say anything; the twins were quite famous among the professors.

He simply extended an invitation: "Next year, I will be starting my own Ancient Rune Club. Are you interested?"

The twins exchanged a surprised glance. "Of course, Professor!"

George suggested, "Professor, why don't you start your Ancient Runes Club earlier?"

Felix shook his head regretfully. "There's less than half a year left in this school year, and I've been distracted by various things, so I have to postpone it until next year."

“However, you can come to me if you have any questions,” Felix said.

Chapter 92 Duel Lesson

"You mean Lockhart is attributing other people's deeds to himself?" Hermione asked, looking shocked.

"Keep your voice down!" Ron said.

After dinner, the three of them huddled in a corner of the common room and discussed things quietly.

Ron rummaged through his bag and pulled out three pieces of parchment. "Take a look, Hermione."

The little witch immediately took it and buried herself in reading.

After a long pause, she looked up and stammered, "How is that possible? I mean, how did Lockhart manage to get someone to sell him the story?"

Harry suddenly said, "It might not have been sold to him; it could have been stolen from him."

Ron and Hermione stared at him, stunned. There was so much hidden behind this guess.

Thursday arrived in the blink of an eye.

The hall was redecorated, and the square, gilded stage in the center was crowded with young wizards.

When Felix and Snape appeared together and stood in the center of the stage, the young wizards had mixed feelings, a mixture of surprise and regret.

“Professor Snape?” Felix glanced at him on the stage.

Snape shook his head expressionlessly. Felix then stepped forward, tapped himself with his wand, and said, "Quiet, young wizards—"

"Our class will begin soon."

Felix spun around in place, and wherever his gaze fell, the crowd fell silent.

"Before we begin, there are a few things that need to be explained in advance."

Felix's gaze was calm as his voice rang in the ears of every young wizard, "First, Professor Lockhart, who was originally in charge of the dueling course, has generously entrusted the course to me due to his busy personal affairs, giving me full authority over it;"

The young wizards whispered among themselves. "I don't think so," Dean Thomas said to Neville beside him. "If you ask me, Lockhart is even more confused this new semester. He even forgets his lines in acting class."

“I think he’s been under too much pressure these past few days. I’m like that sometimes too; my mind goes blank when I’m nervous,” Neville said softly.

"To be honest, I was quite surprised that no Auror suddenly rushed in and took him away."

After a brief pause, Felix continued, "Secondly, Snape will serve as a guest professor, providing guidance and advice throughout our dueling course;"

The murmurs from the audience grew louder.

"—As for the third point, it concerns the dueling course itself. After discussing it with Professor Snape, we agreed that the time and format of the course should be fixed. So from now on, our course will be held every two weeks, at 8 p.m. on the second Thursday."

After the young wizards had processed this information, Felix waved his wand, and the ceiling of the Great Hall darkened. At the same time, a milky white light, like an inverted bowl, enveloped the stage and the figures of the young wizards.

The cacophony of voices seemed to blend into the open wilderness, becoming low and inaudible.

"Now, let's begin class."

In a solemn silence, Snape said in his characteristically calm tone, "Wizard duels are a long-standing tradition. Over time, after removing some of the bloody and barbaric rules, we have tamed it in a cage, making duels a means of showcasing the wizard's own charm."

Many young wizards noticed that Professor Snape's voice had a strange charm boost in this environment.

Ron whispered, "I've always thought Snape had a talent for telling ghost stories."

"What did you say?" Hermione tilted her head. But then she was surprised to find that her voice had become muffled and low.

“It’s the magic,” Harry said, but the other two could only see his lips.

"But the foundation of dueling remains. Many people spend their entire lives understanding dueling as nothing more than foolishly waving wands like trolls, competing in the strength of magic and the pitch of their voices," Snape said, his gaze falling on the young wizards of Gryffindor. "But dueling itself is a delicate art. If you are willing to spend a little time, you will realize that the World Wizarding Tournament publishes related guidebooks every few years."

Today, Snape unusually explained his views on dueling, and although his words left the young wizards confused, they could sense Professor Snape's respect for dueling.

Halfway through his speech, Snape couldn't resist making a veiled reference to a certain professor, saying, "Although Hogwarts doesn't have the same tradition of focusing on dueling and combat magic as Durmstrang, much of that content is already included in a course."

Snape gently raised his wand, his eyes fixed stiffly ahead, and squeezed out a few words through his teeth, "Yes, Defense Against the Dark Arts."