A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 200: Trial

In the early hours of the second day, Felix Harp blinked groggily, his head buzzing like he had a stirring ladle plunged into his brain, swirling it ceaselessly.

He crawled out of bed and floated lightly to the washroom.

His reflection in the mirror was flushed, as if he had just been pulled out of scalding hot water. He muttered to himself, "The side effects of the Pensieve hit rather quickly."

Last night, in order to deduce the fragmented runes on the Magical Text Ball, he forcefully increased the Pensieve's processing speed. Now, the side effects had caught up with him.

He had anticipated this, of course.

Exiting the washroom, he glanced at the deep darkness outside the window, downed a large vial of potion, which quickly soothed the burning sensation, yet he still felt drained.

Felix lay on his bed until ten o'clock. The constant throbbing in his brain left him with no appetite, and even quiet contemplation seemed impossible. He decided to go for a walk, hoping that the cool breeze might help.

Unknowingly, he found himself at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, squinting between the dense trees and Hagrid's hut, torn between choices.

"Well, since I'm here, why not... test the Shrinking Charm?" his curiosity got the better of him.

Felix hesitated for only two seconds before strolling leisurely into the forest. However, he draped himself in a cloak that radiated a shimmering magical light when he lightly touched his chest – a cloak crafted from the hide of a serpent-like creature on the inside and a dragon on the outside. With Felix's careful enchantments, it bore numerous runic circuits and defensive spells, resulting in a light, ethereal creation.

The forest's air was humid and gentle, lifting his spirits somewhat as his gaze wandered.

"A Tebo Wart Hog, or perhaps a red hat," Felix hoped for.

Following a steep stone path, he descended, and suddenly remembered finding a giant spider's pincer here last school year. He had planned to fashion a runic carving knife from it, but it had already dried out, devoid of any magical traces. Coupled with his busy schedule, he had forgotten about it.

Rustling sounds emerged, and Felix looked up to find himself surrounded by a dozen massive spiders. Their intentions were clear – they were ready to pounce.

Giant spiders...

"How fortunate to meet you," Felix spoke earnestly.

The spiders on the opposite side continually manipulated their pincers, emitting a clicking sound. He could even hear the scraping of their hard, black hairs against the ground.

His ebony wand rested casually in his hand, showing no signs of unleashing powerful spells, yet his left hand quietly radiated a faint blue aura. He infused it with magic, swiftly morphing it into a swirling, spherical vortex.

At the edge of the vortex, faintly glowing runes could be seen – the embodiment of runic magic within a hollow sphere.

The nearest eight-eyed giant spider, about the size of a small elephant, leaped into the air.

Felix extended his hand calmly.

Above his outstretched palm, the spherical vortex spun vigorously, its internal hundreds of blue magical threads suddenly expanding, enveloping Felix, forming a barrier with a twenty-foot diameter.

These magical threads spun rapidly around him, weaving an intricate tapestry of magic.

The spherical vortex in Felix's hand turned transparent, releasing a fearsome suction force. The eight-eyed giant spider in mid-air had no chance to resist as it was pulled down.

Upon contact with the outer blue glow, its speed decreased, body shrinking continuously. The process lasted less than a second, and then, like a pebble thrown into a pond, it vanished completely.

Felix leaned in to examine closely. Within the colorless, transparent vortex, a tiny spider, the size of a mung bean, clung to its massive pincers, perpetually turning in circles.

The potent suction had no effect on Felix, but it was very much real and expanding outward.

"A snap!"

A massive tree snapped in half, spiraling towards him. As it approached the blue magical weave three meters away, it rapidly shrank into a toothpick. Along with the eight-eyed giant spider perched on it, they both plunged into the spherical vortex.

It wasn't just trees and giant spiders; even stones the size of heads whizzed toward him, along with soil, dry branches... Around him, a medley of peculiar objects flew in a frenzied rush.

Felix Harp contemplated and consciously began to manipulate the magic. The swirling wind around him dissipated, and swaying branches gradually settled. Yet, the remaining suction force of the vortex concentrated on the remaining eight-eyed giant spiders.

They somersaulted, flew back in various postures, and were collectively tossed into the vortex.

All twelve of them, not a single one escaped.

Felix observed his miniature world with great interest.

He attempted to halt the rapidly spinning vortex. It obediently stilled, the outer layer of magic returning to the sphere and gently revolving.

Now he held a transparent sphere, its interior filled with ribbons of blue magic, stretching freely and gliding gracefully.

Inside the spherical vortex – the captives, the twelve eight-eyed giant spiders – tumbled helplessly. One of them barely clung to the toothpick-sized ancient tree, its large pincers wriggling wildly.

Felix summarized his findings so far—

First, although he had only tested the shrinking effect, not the enlarging effect, he could confirm it was undoubtedly the Shrinking Charm. It was not some random concoction, which relieved him and lifted the heaviest stone from his heart;

Second, the magical effect was quite dramatic;

"The spherical vortex provides potent suction. The internal bundled magic expands into a web, shrinking everything."

"Eight-eyed giant spiders aren't weak, but they're utterly defenseless against it. This means that most creatures in the Forbidden Forest won't stand a chance against this magic."

Felix stared at the ten-yard radius, the now-bald patch of ground, even the soil had sunken a bit, exposing moist brown earth. This was the result of redirecting his focus to the giant spiders midway.

"The effect on magical creatures should be promising; I won't have to worry about being outnumbered anymore. As for wizards..." he analyzed inwardly, but then his head was struck by another bout of pain, "Hisss~"

Felix ceased his actions. He surveyed the scene, deciding to deeply analyze it once he had shaken off the effects of the Pensieve.

"Next, comes the most crucial part—"

He flicked his finger, and an eight-eyed giant spider was ejected from the vortex. Under his control, its body rapidly expanded, and after a dozen seconds, it had reverted to its original size.

The large spider lifted its head. The ominous wizard was observing it, murmuring strange words. "Nothing seems amiss, no deformities, no abscesses. It truly succeeded."

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