A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 157 Interesting Research

More and more young wizards gathered in the courtyard, looking at the examiners with awe.

Several seventh-grade students gasped in surprise when they saw Machiban's wrinkled face.

"She's here again!"

"It's pretty much the same people."

"To be honest, every time I come here, I get stared at like I'm a troll," Toford muttered.

Felix smiled and said, "These people are eager to see their goddess Norns."

"I am not a goddess of fate, we are wizards."

The day was destined to be long, especially for the fifth and seventh graders, but Felix had done all he could; the rest was up to them.

The wizarding level exam officially began at 9:30 a.m. on the second day.

The spacious auditorium was converted into an examination hall for students to take theoretical exams; several small rooms next to the auditorium were renovated and used as classrooms for practical assessments.

The theory session was held in the morning, and the practice session was held in the afternoon. The whole process lasted for two weeks.

Felix glanced around between classes for the other grades; the Great Hall was quiet, save for the sound of quills scratching parchment and the soft rustling of sand slipping through an hourglass. He turned back to his class for the sixth-year wizards.

Felix strode into the classroom carrying a stack of parchment.

"Today we are announcing the final grades."

The top students, led by Percy, Penelope, and Jeffrey, didn't dare to breathe, as if awaiting their fate.

"There are 33 papers in total. 12 are excellent, 17 are good, and 4 are pass." Felix read out the overall results: "Congratulations!" He handed out the papers.

The male and female wizards below the stage clapped enthusiastically, whispered among themselves, and were beaming with joy.

"Of course, I must add one more thing—"

The students quieted down and looked at Professor Hyp on the stage.

"This grade excludes the practical bonus points. If we include those extra points... I think I need to correct it: 15 excellent, 18 good."

A new line of handwritten text appeared on their exam papers, indicating bonus points for the practical section, specifically an assessment of the application of "practical magic runes." The evaluation grades on the papers were also changed accordingly.

The wizards and witches were overjoyed, and a huge cheer erupted in the classroom.

"In this lesson, we will go over the test paper. We will continue with the practical lesson next time."

……

With two fewer grades of classes, Felix had a lot more free time, which he spent entirely in the library.

He didn't see his assistant until Saturday morning.

She is writing a paper.

"Is there any professor so inhumane as to assign homework after the final exams...?" Felix wondered, watching the busy figures.

With less than two weeks left in the academic year, professors generally waive homework for lower grades.

In the evening, he solved the puzzle.

The little witch excitedly said to him, "Professor, didn't you suggest I look into the relationship between wands and wizards? You even recommended a book called 'Wizards and Wands' to me?"

"That's true," Felix replied.

"I skimmed through it before and found it very interesting; in fact, I became fascinated by it. It wasn't until after the final exams that I finally had plenty of time."

Hermione told him, "I want to write a paper on the subject, not for publication—just for fun."

Felix asked with interest, "Are you finished writing?"

"It's only a part; much of it is just copied material, not yet a complete thought process." She pulled a stack of parchment from her bag and handed it to Felix. "It has my scribbles and annotations, as well as scattered thoughts and such, so it might be a bit messy..."

"It's okay."

Felix said, "You can do something else first, like watch a movie." He picked up the "half-paper" and started reading.

Hermione skillfully turned on the small projector, rummaged through the small box, and picked out her favorite film.

After hesitating for a moment between "Wuthering Heights" and "Tom and Jerry," Hermione ultimately decided to watch something lighter, as the former was too heavy for her.

Felix plugged his ears and read slowly. He soon discovered that it was indeed a paper meant for amusement, containing data on the wands of some of the little witch's friends.

For example, Harry Potter's wand—eleven inches long, made of holly wood, with phoenix feathers, soft and flexible.

The little witch's annotation reads: "Holly wood, a rare wand material. It is generally believed to possess defensive properties, representing patience and endurance, and also symbolizing death and rebirth. It is suitable for those who need to overcome irritability and emotional impulsiveness."

Phoenix feathers are difficult to tame.

She drew two lines on "overcoming irritability and emotional impulsiveness";

However, holly wands often choose wizards who have shared dangers and have strong spiritual pursuits, and their specific characteristics are matched with the wand core material.

A wand made of holly and phoenix feathers is extremely difficult to craft, as their differing properties create significant conflicts. However, once this combination is achieved, nothing can stand in its way.

Hermione underlined the last sentence and added a question mark, which may indicate that she did not quite agree or that she had doubts.

There's also Ron Weasley's wand here—fourteen inches long, made of willow and unicorn hair.

The little witch's note reads: Willow wood, an equally rare material, possesses healing power (?), suitable for casting silent spells.

Unicorn Fur: Strongly repelled by dark magic, extremely loyal, and usually most compatible with its first owner.

She underlined "extremely loyal" and "most compatible with its first owner," and wrote a small note next to them: "This matches the situation of Ron and Neville. Ron's old wand came from his brother Charlie, and Neville's old wand was inherited from his father. Both wand cores were made of unicorn hair."

Seeing this, Felix was somewhat surprised. In this day and age, besides Ron Weasley, there were still people using the old wand?

Or were they from two different famous wizarding families?

What were their parents thinking?

The Longbottom family is no ordinary family. Although not a pure-blood family, it has produced many outstanding wizards, and their reputation has always been good.

The paper also includes Hermione's own description of her wand: fourteen inches long, made of grapevine wood, with a core of dragon heartstring.

Below is a somewhat hastily written note: 'Wands made of grapevine wood are typically chosen by wizards with lofty goals and visionary perspectives, who often do things that shock their friends who think they know them well.'

Felix chuckled softly; it seemed Miss Granger wasn't in a calm mood when she wrote those words.

He then flipped through the pages; below were examples of her classmates, as well as entries copied from the book "Wizards and Wands".

Somewhat surprisingly, he also saw Hermione's guess about her wand: Professor Hyp, between twelve and fourteen inches, ebony, core unknown, possibly phoenix feather or dragon heartstring.

Next to it were two very small letters that were an abbreviation. Felix deduced that it probably meant black magic. She had seen some books on black magic in the Mind Chamber, which was why she ruled out the unicorn hair option.

"Ebony's appearance is impressive, and ebony wands are well-suited for offensive magic and transfiguration. They favor those who dare to be themselves, who don't follow the crowd, are unconventional, or are detached from the world. Their owners often disregard external pressures and possess unwavering faith."

She marked it heavily with the phrase "unwavering faith despite external pressure".

This chapter cites some references, but I personally feel it is quite important, possessing a prophetic and explanatory nature.

This can also be considered a popular science lesson for readers who haven't read the original work.

(End of this chapter)