Chapter 193
In the last class of the afternoon, Felix saw a group of dirty little wizards walk into the classroom as he looked at them oddly, “What’s wrong with you guys?”
Neville cried, “I blew up the mixing beaker.”
Next to him stood a young wizard with light teal hair, Seamus Finnigan who explained in a serious manner, “Professor, it was just an accident. Professor Snape was standing behind Neville, and Neville dropped a large handful of sliced caterpillars into the mixing beaker with a shaky hand, and I happened to be mixing the potion … Anyway, there was an explosion.”
Felix waved his wand speechlessly to clean the suspicious black smoke from their faces and robes, then looked at the rest of the people, and also solved it by hand.
“Thanks,…thanks professor,” Neville said.
“You’re welcome,” Felix told him, “Stay after class, I have something to tell you.” Neville visibly shaken and Felix added, “Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing.”
He watched as Neville stumbled and picked a seat, Hermione quietly came over, “Professor?” Next to her, Harry and Ron also listened with a side ear.
Felix said shortly, “About the wand.”
Hermione instantly understood it, she wrote a thesis last semester, and mentioned the fact that among the wizards she knew, there are two people who inherited their wands from others and had trouble using them, one being Ron, and the other being Neville.
It looks like Professor Hap is going to suggest Neville to get a new wand.
She pulled the unsure Harry and Ron back to the seat and muttered in a low voice.
After a minute or two, Felix started the lesson.
“Today we are officially going to learn the ancient runes, turn the book to page seven. It’s mostly very simple runes, though you’ll actually learn its complete sections in fourth year.”
“If you guys learn it well in this lesson, you will definitely save a lot of work in fourth year.” Felix motivated the young wizards, “The first rune we’ve been shown is a rune pronounced as Kenaz, meaning light, and is shaped to look somewhat like a torch.”
“Combined with the known grimoire, we found that the ancient wizards derived multiple meanings from it –
The first meaning, that of the light itself, as well as the fact that this light can illuminate the path ahead, referring in particular to the light that glows from the darkness.
The second meaning, that it can refer to the light of knowledge, is more apparent in the older grimoire. Probably because in the age of ignorance, knowledge can break the fog …
In the third meaning, it represents the inverse aspect of evil, a word that some witches liked to use to label themselves during a certain period of time.
A fourth meaning, which may also stand for hope, especially in the face of adversity
…”
The young wizard below rustled and scribbled their notes, and soon the bell rang for the end of class.
Felix clapped his hands, “This class is relatively easy, you only need to memorize the meaning of the twelve ancient runes, we will save the paper, of course, but you have to complete the contents in the ‘answer space’ – all being multiple-choice questions, so I will require you to get at least 70% correct, and in the next class we will spend a few minutes on a quiz.”
As the young wizards walked out, Felix watched as Neville took one foot out of the classroom, so he called him back.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot …” Neville’s outstretched foot retracted.
The trio dawdled to gather their things, Hermione pretended to accidentally lose a stack of parchment from her hand, Ron and Harry moved more stiffly, holding a book and lifting it repeatedly, trying to tell the professor that they wanted to make it flat.
Felix looked at Neville in front of him, his round face somewhat restless, so he said gently, “Longbottom, I heard that you inherited your wand from someone else?”
“Yes, it belonged to my father,” Neville whispered.
Felix worried about touching his sore point, he and Harry had met the boy in the summer holidays, accompanied by an old woman, not his parents.
“Can you cast some spells?” Felix said.
“Now? Here…?” Neville asked, stammering.
“That’s right.”
Neville drew his wand awkwardly, his face red, and he stroked the air haphazardly.
Harry, who is still packing up his things, can’t bear to look away, so he walked next to Neville and speaks out to encourage him, “Neville, don’t be nervous, we practiced the disarming charm together. Think what it was like!”
Felix glanced at him, you stay and eavesdrop if you want, but you are also openly involved with … seeing that your words work, you will not be driven away.
Neville did relax, he yelled “Expelliarmuss”, a red light flashed.
Felix thought for a moment, “Harry, would you like to temporarily lend your wand to Neville to use the disarming charm?”
Harry froze for a moment, “Sure, no problem.” He handed his wand to Neville.
Felix looked at Neville, who had a bewildered expression, and said to him, “You try Harry’s wand to cast the disarming charm.”
Neville tried a few times, but ended up without even a spark, but instead exhausted himself gasping for breath.
It is as if Harry’s wand simply does not want to pay him any attention …
“Try Mr. Weasley’s now, I remember you have the same wand core – unicorn hair?”
“That’s right, Professor,” Ron said. Unknowingly, he and Hermione came over.
Felix inquired, “Weasley, would you be willing to temporarily lend your wand to Neville to use the disarming charm?”
Ron seemed to think this way of talking is pretty cool, he said with a stern face: “As you wish, sir.” Then he handed the wand to Neville with both hands in a slightly solemn manner.
This time, Neville managed to cast the disarming charm.
“Well …,” Felix pondered.
“Professor, what does this mean?” Hermione is very interested in this phenomenon, and she wants to add this paragraph in her notes.
Felix explained, “It means that Mr. Longbottom’s wand just doesn’t repel him, but it doesn’t fit him. It can cause a lot of obstacles, and it’s better to get a different one.”
Neville grabbed his wand and didn’t let go.
” Professor, I don’t want to change my wand.”
Felix said calmly, “There are other ways to honour …”
He glanced at Neville, “Just a moment.” With that, he took out a piece of parchment and wrote a series of smooth words on it, which Hermione recognized from the upside-down writing, which is addressed to ‘Lady Longbottom’.
Soon, Felix finished writing a brief letter and handed it to Neville, ” Hand it to your grandmother, it’s up to her.”
When Neville walked out of the classroom, his expression looked torn.
Hermione remembered his Forgetfulness and suggested to him, “Shall we go and send the letter now and then come back to eat?”
“I, I …” Neville bit his lip.
Harry did understand his mood, the wand is probably a relic left to him by his parents, and he is remembering them in his way. But he also recognized Professor Hap’s comment, there is more than one way to remember, there is no need to force yourself to use an inappropriate wand.
He pulled Neville aside and had a small conversation with him.
Hermione asked Ron with a puzzled expression, “What’s wrong with them?”
Ron shrugged, saying he didn’t know, and he then gloated about the twins’ situation.
“Percy’s been on the wrong medication lately, staring at Fred and George all day …”
———-
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