A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Inside the office of the Potions professor, Felix and Snape engaged in a wizard's chess match.

Felix, with the white pieces, opened with the King's Pawn. Snape, holding the black pieces, countered with the Sicilian Defense. As the game progressed, pieces were captured, strategies unveiled, yet both their minds strayed from the board.

"How effective is the secretion of the Blast-Ended Skrewt larvae?" Felix inquired.

"It's quite satisfactory, appears to undergo an unknown alteration, a benign one in my estimation..." Snape moved his black pawn forward, whispering, "Perhaps a path, utilizing diverse magical properties to nullify certain unnecessary yet stubborn material traits."

"In potion-making, there's material neutralization. Ah, I see." Felix replied, advancing his Queen two squares, eliminating Snape's pawn.

Snape deftly maneuvered his bishop, "Most average wizards can't discern subtle differences, crucial for their progress in potion-making..."

Felix's white knight trembled under the threat of Snape's dark bishop, crying out, "Save me! Save me!"

With a steely command, Felix directed his queen three squares forward, unflinching, assessing the two black pawns. Snape deliberated and abandoned one of the black pawns.

Then, Felix moved the white knight deeper into enemy territory. "Charge!" the piece exclaimed eagerly.

"Indeed," Felix replied, acknowledging Snape's remarks. "However, we must consider the foundational gaps among our newer students."

"Already considered. The first-year potion recipes are notably simplistic, allowing ample adaptation time." Snape leisurely remarked, "Unless they're illiterate or lack any semblance of logic."

Felix recalled—indeed, the first-year potion textbooks barely contained a few recipes, mostly focusing on common ingredients, brewing cautions, and summaries of prevalent potion traits. Even the few remaining potion formulas were intricately detailed. Stirring a few times, subsequent reactions—all meticulously outlined. The pages also detailed common errors and corrective measures.

Snape's black knight advanced towards the center of the board, launching an attack. Felix redirected his pieces to counter. While the tension rose on the board, their conversation continued outside of it.

"Many students have been discussing amplifying modern magic with ancient runic scripts; some have made significant headway," Snape whispered.

"I'm aware..." Felix focused on the board, sensing a misalignment in the center, and after a moment's contemplation, he keenly detected a concealed trap. He glanced at Snape, "Trying to distract me with conversation?"

He promptly ordered the white knight to retreat. The black pawn followed, the white bishop eliminated the black pawn, the black knight retaliated by taking the white bishop, and then the white queen suddenly emerged, capturing the black knight. The black queen swiftly moved in to counter, and finally, Felix used his remaining pawn

to capture the black queen.

After the intense exchange of moves, Felix breathed a sigh of relief.

"The fusion of ancient runes and modern magic seems to be a dead end," he remarked.

"A dead end?" Snape looked at him incredulously, forgetting his pieces.

"Indeed," Felix considered, "More accurately, a fork in the road, like a tributary branching off a river, ultimately merging back into one."

"I've never heard of such a notion," Snape said methodically, holding a struggling black knight in his hand.

Felix smiled, explaining further, "Take the 'water flow' runic script and the Water Conjuration spell, their magical ideologies intersect, enhancing the spell with the runes. However, this amplification might not suit all spells, and the specific effects could vary based on individuals..."

"Varies among individuals?" Snape pondered the phrase.

"Yes, indeed. Proficiency in runes and a deep understanding of them are fundamental. Although shortcuts might exist, someone must be willing to teach... and the choice of appropriate spells, the students are ardently experimenting; they might yield some results before their enthusiasm wanes... And timing, the casting moment, and other factors, all pose questions," Felix continued. "This is just the integration of a single runic script with modern magic. What about combining two, three scripts? Runic loops, sequences, ancient magic? You'll find that as you progress, ancient runes dominate more, rendering it somewhat pointless."

"Then why—" Snape began.

"I was sidetracked," Felix calmly said. "I was fixated on reaching higher echelons, understanding the mysteries of higher levels. Some routes, obviously unsuitable, naturally got discarded. Especially after acquiring the Runic Tome," Felix thought.

Snape fell silent for a moment. "So, do you think revealing it now would yield better results?"

"It was Diggory's reminder that made me consider it. I'm merely capitalizing on the opportunity," Felix shrugged, focusing on the chessboard. "However, on reflection, it indeed benefits me significantly to advance the study of ancient runes... Even though I don't need it," he added. Meanwhile, he moved a white pawn forward, the soldier brandishing a sword in an exaggerated manner, intimidating the opponent's knight.

"I've had new revelations lately. Some of what we previously assumed were purely translational runes might actually be simplified and altered forms of practical runic scripts—albeit highly transformed..." This was one of the insights the Runic Tome provided him.

Snape was speechless.

With no options left on the board, apart from conceding, was there any way for the Ancient Runes Society?

---

The Ancient Runes Society Headquarters.

Compared to the grandeur of associations like the Extraordinary Potioneers Association or the Sanctum Mungo Society of Magical Healing, the base of the Ancient Runes Society seemed modest. They barely counted thirty-some members, the accumulation of decades of effort and research.

"Have you seen this? It's normal for the field of ancient runes to produce a valuable paper every few years, but in the last half-month, I've received six to seven groundbreaking papers..."

"Is their research related to us?" An irritable old man slammed the table.

"Old Vira, don't let personal emotions cloud your judgment. Your granddaughter working at 'Future World' company can't affect our association's integrity."

The old man glared at his companion, furious.

"Think it through; this matter involves three departments—the Experimental Spells Committee, the Wizarding Examination Authority, and the Auro office," the other person said languidly, "Rumor has it they're planning to compile a booklet on ancient runes under Felix Harp's guidance. So, it might attract attention from the Publishing Department..."

"The Wizarding Examination Authority is involved too?" The old man asked.

"Initially, Griselda was patient, planning to assess this year's results... but things changed rapidly. It's almost a subversion of modern spells!"

"Is it that extreme?" The old man looked incredulous.

"At least it's an augmentation, a supplement. I've already conceded a point; you can't refute that!" the person snapped.

"Fine," the old man grumbled, silent for a while, "Do you know Professor Marchbanks? Get her to accompany me!"

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