A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 194: News from the Runes Club

Over the next two days, tranquility reigned. On Thursday morning during their Ancient Runes class, Felix Harp also revealed the news of the Runes Club to the students.

As soon as the class ended, he was surrounded by a group of eager students.

"Professor, when will the Runes Club hold its activities?" a witch with golden-red curls inquired, playfully linking arms with her friend.

Felix Harp replied gently, "Miss Aexmo, the announcement will be made next Monday, including details about the recruitment process."

"Could you give us a tiny hint in advance?" pleaded Marietta Aexmo. The students around her couldn't help but look at her with admiration.

"One of the methods is through a public assessment. That's all I can say," Felix Harp stated.

"Do we really need an assessment? Oh my, other clubs usually invite members!" Marietta chattered.

Eddie Carmilche countered, "I think it's a good thing. After all, it's the first time they're recruiting. I consider myself quite adept, and even with an assessment, I can stand out."

Eddie had been one of the nine students who joined last year. Along with Hermione, who joined later, a total of ten students completed the initial testing on the 'Answering Parchment'.

Felix Harp explained, "A few individuals will receive a direct invitation from me. After observing for a year, I've identified suitable candidates. However, time is limited, and I can't know all of you..."

The surrounding students gradually dispersed. Marietta turned to her friend, holding her hand, and asked, "Autumn, what do you think the assessment will be?"

Autumn opened up, jokingly saying, "It might not be an assessment. You could receive an invitation."

"I'm aware of my limitations. I'm just average in this class. That Carmilche guy seems more likely," Marietta said somewhat pessimistically, but then she looked at her earnestly. "Who knows, maybe you'll get an invitation."

Autumn smoothed her hair, "We shouldn't pin our hopes on that. We should prepare in advance. The professor has actually given quite a bit of information."

"Really?" Marietta looked at her puzzled.

"The professor mentioned a public assessment and later said that, after observing for a year, he's found a few suitable candidates... What does that make you think?"

"I think... uh, there might be two recruitment methods?" Marietta ventured.

Autumn widened her eyes, and Marietta chuckled embarrassedly, "You're smarter than me, you know. I'm always so absent-minded."

"You're just lazy!" Autumn retorted with a hint of irritation. She then explained, "The assessment criteria probably won't be about our performance in Ancient Runes. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to waste time. Along with everything the professor has been doing this past year—magic puppets, the Answering Parchment, and this year's Sneakoscope—it all points to one thing."

"What's that?"

"He values practical Ancient Runes more!" Autumn concluded.

Marietta finally caught on, "That makes sense. But we haven't learned much practical Ancient Runes..."

"That's why I suspect there are two possibilities!" Autumn raised a finger. "First, we might have to create an alchemical item to assess our practical skills."

"Second, it could be a test of our understanding of practical Ancient Runes."

"But I don't understand much. We only learned seven, no, nine practical runes last year," Marietta said with a frustrated expression.

"You're forgetting something. The professor has written three books, and one of them is about Ancient Runes," Autumn pointed out.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Excitement gleamed in Marietta's eyes as she grabbed Autumn's hand, ready to head to the library.

"Wait, wait! We still have classes!" Autumn restrained her unreliable friend.

"Oh dear, I forgot. By the way, does that handsome Hufflepuff guy have plans with you?"

"Cough, cough! Well... he invited me to spend the weekend at Hogsmeade."

"Oh~"

On the other side, Felix Harp had finished his morning classes and was heading straight to the library. As he reached the entrance, he crossed paths with the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who was coming out.

He nodded to the professor and brushed past him.

"Harp Professor, please wait a moment!"

Felix Harp halted his steps. "Is there something you need, Professor Luping?"

Luping looked at him gently, "You see, I've heard from some students that there has been an ongoing interaction between Dueling Club and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. I wanted to inquire about your plans for this school year..."

Felix Harp felt a slight headache, as if Snape were lurking in some corner, watching him.

Of course, that was just a misconception.

He thought for a moment and said, "Let me talk to Severus and finalize the curriculum for this school year."

Luping seemed to understand his subtle hint. He didn't press for more and thanked him in a friendly manner.

Felix Harp watched him leave, "A good person, too bad you're only here for a year." Otherwise, he might put in effort to mend the bridge between them.

However, such efforts usually went unrewarded and could even complicate things. If Snape decided to leave the Dueling Club in frustration, it would be a mess.

Felix Harp entered the library, greeted Madam Pince, the librarian, and made his way to the Restricted Section.

After a while, he found the book he was looking for—'Wizarding Lineages'.

'There are differing accounts about the origins of wizards, with two predominant theories. The Preordained Theory suggests that wizards are individuals who have naturally awakened magical abilities, marked by their extraordinary destinies. They are regarded as the original Pure-bloods or the first generation of magical beings.'

'Conversely, proponents of the Blood Transfusion Theory claim that wizards were originally ordinary people. In ancient times, muggles faced threats from magical creatures and struggled to survive. Some wise individuals experimented by infusing themselves with magical blood, thereby acquiring magical powers.'

'However, the latter theory is evidently flawed and blasphemous to the wizarding identity, filled with incredible conjecture. Whenever someone discusses this topic with me, I counter with a question: where did those original magical creatures come from?'

'This question is difficult to answer, as two perspectives persist. One argues for a theory of innate existence, suggesting these magical creatures were always present. Another perspective asserts that magical creatures were the result of wizarding experimentation.'

'According to the former theory, if magical creatures have existed continuously, then why couldn't wizards have done so as well? The latter theory actually bolsters the greatness of wizards...'

Felix Harp swiftly flipped past this section, which was infused with strong personal opinions. After about ten minutes, he paused at a particular passage.

'Wizard blood is imbued with magic, more potent than magic from other body parts. In stringent magical contracts, blood is a necessary requirement. This led to the infamous Bloodline Detection Charm. Some Pure-blood families would extract blood from newborns and discard the ones with lower concentrations. This practice has been widely condemned, and even today, some stubborn families may still persist...'

Felix Harp lifted his head from the book, pondering the information he had just read.

Originally, he wanted to confirm whether he could substitute a strand of Sirius Black's hair for blood in order to bypass the defenses of the Black family's ancestral home.

The issue was, how much hair would he need? Dumbledore hadn't provided much, and it was a stretch even to create three Sneakoscopes. So, Felix Harp had come to the library to look up relevant information.

From the results, it seemed his plan was unlikely to succeed.

For the Alliance Chief, should he wear a suit or a white shirt underneath?

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