A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 158 End of the School Year

Before he knew it, Felix had finished reading the entire content.

"Professor?" Hermione looked over.

She paused the screen presentation and began discussing some questions about the paper.

"I read in the book 'Wands and Wizards' that the idea that 'wands have a life of their own' is repeatedly mentioned. How should this statement be understood?"

"Well... I don't have in-depth knowledge in this area, so I can only give a general overview."

"Of course," Hermione said with a blink and a relaxed tone.

"Every wand is unique. Even if they are made of the exact same materials and are the same size, they will produce completely different effects in the hands of different people."

"Is it because of the wand's owner?" Hermione guessed.

"Indeed, I personally believe that the wand displayed in the store is only a half-finished product; it desperately yearns to become complete."

Hermione looked up at Felix; that was a novel perspective.

Felix explained, "The properties of the wand wood, and the properties of the magical creature from which the wand core comes from, already give wands an extremely rich variety of characteristics, but there is one more characteristic that cannot be ignored—that is, the wand's owner himself."

"Rather than saying that the wand is alive, I prefer to believe that the wand becomes complete and unleashes its true power only when the characteristics of the wand, the core, and the owner are combined."

"So, this is the theoretical basis for 'the wand choosing its wizard'? In order to be complete, with both the wand and the core fixed, it is more willing to choose an ideal master who is compatible with it?" Hermione said, following his train of thought.

"This is just one person's opinion," Felix said modestly, then added—

"Moreover, for a young wizard, obtaining a suitable wand is only the first step. The wand and its owner will work together, learning from and helping each other in the days to come, constantly cultivating this tacit understanding."

"We can understand it this way: every wand has a different experience."

"But, Professor, I've heard that some wands betray their masters?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Felix's expression turned serious. "This is quite rare. Even wands with bad reputations or those that are rather eccentric won't become estranged from their owners after one or two failures. And the rivalries on campus certainly don't reach this level..."

"But this situation must exist, right?" Hermione pressed.

"Indeed. I think the reasons are varied: some are due to a poor relationship between the owner and the wand; some are due to the wand being inherently sensitive and worshipping the strong; and some are due to the impact of 'failure' on the owner being too great, which deepens the rift."

"However, in terms of the core material alone, unicorn hair is indeed more loyal, while dragon heartstrings seem too active; they may 'temporarily' submit to powerful enemies."

"temporary?"

"For example, if such a wand is forcibly taken away by an enemy, but you retrieve it in time, you can still use it normally."

"This, this is..." the little witch said in surprise.

"Miss Granger, what we're discussing is too far removed from your world," Felix said, ending the conversation.

In fact, Felix believed that the conditions for changing hands of a wand were extremely demanding, including at least one condition: "utter defeat in a hostile confrontation," a conclusion he drew from some dark wizards.

That's how Felix got his stockpile of spare wands.

Even so, these wands can only be used temporarily at best—wands that are not one's own will ultimately have various limitations in spellcasting.

The examples of Ron and Neville suggest that there might be instances of 'voluntary transfers,' but he had never experienced it firsthand.

"Granger, let's discuss your modification of the beaded pouch. I originally thought you would finish it next school year."

……

Felix's new book is also on the agenda. In order to expand his influence, he chose to complete two books at the same time—one for young aspiring wizards, which mainly uses a lot of dynamic pictures and is supplemented by vivid and interesting storylines.

One book is a popular science book for adult wizards, using the most rigorous logic and language to explain the most basic and fundamental technologies in the Muggle world.

After completing part of the manuscript, Felix had the illusion that he was explaining addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to someone with intellectual disabilities, which made him want to give up at one point.

However, some of the readers he selected did give positive feedback.

As Belby looked at the manuscript, the first picture was of a kettle boiling over, with steam constantly billowing from its spout; the second picture showed a pipe extending from the kettle, through which steam flowed to a windmill at the other end; and the third picture showed the windmill spinning rapidly, propelled by the steam.

The next image is a hand-drawn version, which looks more abstract: a huge kettle is mounted on a train, connected to the wheels via pipes, making the train move...

To make the whole process more straightforward, Felix deliberately marked the color of the steam very conspicuously, making it look like a train carrying a menacing kettle monster, constantly spraying venom.

"This is the steam engine Muggles talk about? They use this to power their trains?" Belby exclaimed excitedly. "You know so much, Felix!"

Three days before the end of the school year, Felix received an invitation letter signed by the "International Wizarding Federation"—an organization similar to the United Nations, except that its members are the magic ministries of various countries.

"Why did they contact me?"

Felix opened the letter, and after a moment looked up. "So it's an invitation from an organization under the International Wizarding Federation to attend a meeting in Paris. The Muggle Problems Research Group? Tsk tsk, never heard of it before. Could it be a newly established group in recent years..."

From the rather formulaic language in the invitation letter, Felix could tell that the research group was employing a strategy of casting a wide net and catching as many fish as possible; perhaps even the most well-known Muggle experts would be invited.

The next day, he took the opportunity to ask Professor Bubbaji, and the feedback he received was as he expected: she had also received an invitation.

"You too?" Bubbaji stared at him, wide-eyed. "Oh, of course you deserve it. I mean, you're too young, I didn't think of that before."

"Professor Bubbaje, do you know where this so-called research group comes from?"

“I do know a little,” Bubbaje said. “It seems to be an issue spearheaded by the U.S. Ministry of Magic, dealing with crises and all that. It’s all old news, you know, they’re always sensitive about Muggle issues.”

Felix nodded thoughtfully.

The two then agreed to meet in Paris and went their separate ways.

He also wanted to see how "experts" from other countries viewed the Muggle issue.

For the next two days, Felix dealt with various chores: assigning holiday homework to young wizards, bidding farewell to Belby with other professors, applying to Dumbledore for permission to stay at school, and attending the school's dinner party...

At the station, the young wizards boarded the train with great excitement, while Felix watched silently from a corner.

The most conspicuous thing was Marcus Flint's tall figure; he had been avoiding him ever since the exam.

Next is Kremi Vera, who wears large glasses. She immediately sought out Felix after the exam, hoping to maintain contact with him after graduation and receive his guidance in ancient runes.

Several other graduates expressed similar sentiments, and Felix did not refuse.

In addition, the young wizards who had left an impression on him that year appeared one by one:

Abbot Balker, Percy, Penelope, Jeffrey, Pete Selton, Warren Pardis, the twins, Cedric, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood...

He also saw a somewhat dejected Draco Malfoy. Felix remained silent, knowing that Lucius had struggled several times but had still been ousted from the school board, and his son was inevitably affected.

Felix watched the Hogwarts Express roar away.

As the train disappeared from sight, he turned and left the platform.

(End of this chapter)