A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 180 Special Training Ends

On the morning before school started, Felix sat leisurely in a private booth at the Leaky Cauldron, eating breakfast and casually flipping through the day's newspaper.

"Tsk, Sirius Black, how come he's been on the front page for so many days?"

Felix stared at the man in the photograph; his face was sunken, and his long, black hair was tangled. He had waxy skin and looked somewhat like a vampire.

The newspapers recounted his crimes repeatedly and in great detail, including supporting the mysterious man and, when driven to desperation, blowing up half a street and killing thirteen people. He is currently on the run.

The words "extremely dangerous" and "most notorious prisoner" appeared repeatedly in bold red text.

"Is escaping from Azkaban that difficult?" Felix took a sip of coffee and spent two seconds simulating the scenario.

First, take out your spare wand, and then...

"If the premise is flawed, why lock me up?"

"But at least that explains why Fudge was so worried about Harry."

Just then, Harry yawned and walked down the stairs. Dobby followed carefully behind him, looking at Harry with a worried expression, as if he was afraid that Harry might misstep and tumble down the stairs.

"Harry, Dobby, over here." Felix tilted his head at them. "Good morning, Professor." Harry sat down in the empty seat opposite him, and to his surprise, Dobby also sat down next to him.

"Dobby, don't you need to greet the guests?" Harry asked.

"Mr. Potter, Dobby has resigned from the Leaky Cauldron. This is Dobby's last day here, and the boss has given me permission to do nothing."

"Oh, uh..." Harry was clearly still not fully awake, his mind not quite processing what was happening. After a long pause, he said, "But where are you going?"

"Mr. Hyp offered Dobby a job, and Dobby is happy to help his friend! Dobby, Dobby is honored." The little elf stared at Felix with his big eyes.

Harry turned his head as well, and Felix said briefly, "I've hired Dobby to act as my spokesperson and handle some book publishing issues."

"Dobby, congratulations," Harry said sincerely.

After Felix finished breakfast, he said to Harry, "I won't be assigning any training tasks on the last day. You've already reviewed the Ironclad Charm, Stunning Charm, and Tongue-Locking Charm these past two days, and you've also learned the Binding Charm, which is more useful for you right now and can give you an advantage."

Harry listened silently, knowing that this special training was coming to an end.

The incantation for the Binding Charm is "Imprison Swiftly," and its effect is to shoot a thick rope from the tip of the wand to bind the target. The advantage of this spell is its extremely long range, allowing the user to attack from across a corridor.

He only learned it last night, and can barely cast it, but the attack range is twelve or thirteen meters, which exceeds most of the spells he has mastered.

"I have Ron to thank for teaching me this magic," Harry thought. After many failures, he remembered how Ron had taught him the Disarming Charm. So Harry asked Professor Hyp to use the Binding Charm on him, hoping to "experience" its secrets up close.

Professor Hyp was also very interested in this. "I've wanted to try it for a long time, but I haven't had the chance yet." As a result, Harry was bound by thick ropes that were comparable to the Devil's Web, tied into an airtight cocoon, and he felt like a giant Flobber caterpillar.

In his desperate struggle, he finally mastered the magic, at the cost of being covered in bruises, as if he had been hung up and whipped by the Willow for half an hour.

Mentioning the Whomping Willow, he couldn't help but think of Mr. Weasley's car. Last year, when school started, Dobby closed the platform, and he and Ron drove Mr. Weasley's privately modified magical car across most of England in order to get back to school on time. However, when they passed through the Forbidden Forest, the car couldn't withstand the weight and crashed into the Whomping Willow.

Mr. Weasley was investigated as a result, and he felt guilty for a long time.

Now, the culprit not only has breakfast with him but has also become his friend, which makes Harry marvel at the wonder of the world.

A commotion erupted outside the bar, and a large group of people suddenly poured inside. Most of them had red hair and were carrying suitcases and cages of various sizes.

"Daddy, is Harry here?" a little girl with fiery red hair asked, tugging at her father's arm.

"This is the seventh time I've answered you, yes, Ginny," her father said.

Harry's face lit up with surprise—it was the Weasleys, and standing next to them was a couple dressed in very Muggle attire, whom Harry recognized as Hermione's parents.

But nothing could capture Harry's attention as much as his two best friends; he couldn't wait to share his experience—

"Here! Ron, Hermione!" Harry waved frantically, jumped off his seat, and ran to them.

Ron was dressed in an outlandish outfit, exuding exotic charm, while Hermione's skin was tanned brown, and they both wore bright smiles.

Ron punched Harry in the chest and grinned, "Hey Harry, did you really inflate your aunt's tummy?"

"I didn't mean to do that," Harry said, noticing the strange looks Hismione's parents were giving him. He instinctively explained, "I lost control, you know, a magical outburst..."

But things seemed to get worse the more he tried to explain, so he turned to Professor Hyp, who was walking over, and looked to him for help with his eyes.

Ron realized he had said the wrong thing, and Ginny kicked him across Percy.

Felix nodded to them, then looked at Harry: "A magical outburst is a product of extreme emotions. I'm surprised you were able to maintain a semblance of composure while out of control."

He turned to Hermione's parents: "Hello, I am Felix Heap, Professor of Ancient Runes at Hogwarts, and I have a fairly good understanding of the world of ordinary people."

Mrs. Granger smiled at him; she had heard her daughter mention the professor. Mr. Granger, however, looked at him with surprise. "I've seen you before, some time ago. A strange guest, huh? I didn't expect you to be a professor at the university…you're far too young."

Felix brushed the topic aside: "Yes, the magical world doesn't care about that."

Hermione greeted him quietly, "Hello, Professor Hyp."

Felix nodded to her. "Hello, Miss Granger." He turned to Arthur Weasley. "Mr. Weasley, we should have corresponded earlier."

Arthur Weasley slapped his forehead. "Yes, I did ask you some questions about Muggle technology... Ah, Molly, don't be like that, it was just research."

Mrs. Weasley glared at her husband and said warmly to Felix, "Professor Hyp, thank you for the Christmas present you gave Ron. To be honest, it's a bit expensive... but little Ronnie loves his new wand."

"Mom!" Ron said, somewhat annoyed, because she always called him by his nickname regardless of the situation.

But Mrs. Weasley ignored him: "Ron idolizes you a bit, he even took your class this year, and of course—" She glanced at Harry and Hermione, who nodded in unison, "and these two little devils, they're both mischievous kids, always causing trouble."

She rambled on, "We got the news from Dumbledore a long time ago. Arthur and I were stunned and trembling with fear. We kept thinking about it, but we didn't dare write a howling letter for fear of affecting Ginny, after all, it's dark magic..." She mumbled on the past, "It also concerns the Chamber of Secrets. Her brothers set a bad example for her."

"Mom, how did this get dragged into this?"

"Yes, we didn't cause any trouble all summer."

The twins beside her protested vehemently, but Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and looked at them sternly. "You still dare to talk back? Don't think I don't know what you're researching..."

Percy stepped forward, chest puffed out, a gleaming silver badge hanging on his chest—the insignia of the boy council president. "Mom, Ginny has a brother like me to look up to."

The twins looked sour and muttered to themselves.

"Student council president, right?"

How about changing it to a big-headed boy?

The two quickly exchanged knowing smiles.

Felix watched the family interact with interest, and when they stopped, he said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley, I know them quite well..."

Old Tom, hunchbacked and all his teeth gone, walked over. "Guests, it seems you need a large table?"

He moved his fingers, and the three tables in the bar were pushed together, with a dozen small round stools falling next to the tables.

"Then, would you like something to eat?"

"Don't worry about me, Tom," Felix said. "I'm leaving now."

He nodded slightly to the crowd. "Please forgive me." He turned to Dobby and said, "Let's go. I need to get you some new clothes."

Dobby said goodbye to Harry, and after he waved goodbye, he skipped and hopped after Felix.

(End of this chapter)