A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 182 Phineas Black's Commission

Felix walked out of the LCA building. It was already noon. He stopped by Little Red Book Book Company on the way, and to his surprise, the sample copy of his book, "Magic in the Muggle World," was already finished.

"That's incredibly efficient; I didn't have to worry about a thing."

This book, as a serious popular science work, is in line with his two previous monographs on Muggle studies and has the potential to become a series.

At least that's what the elegant lady in the purple dress told him.

Felix also specifically inquired about things he hadn't paid attention to before, such as how his books went beyond Britain and sold all over the world.

From her answer, Felix realized that there were two ways to distribute the book worldwide. One was to obtain a recommendation from one's own country's Ministry of Magic, but this method had limited slots and, being an official action, might be met with resistance from some countries. The other method was to become a member of the International Federation of Wizarding Publishers.

The International Federation of Wizarding Publishers is a relatively loose international wizarding organization whose members are top publishers from different countries. They hold meetings every March and September to select some valuable books.

These lucky books will be taken to magic bookstores in different countries for sale.

Felix, unaware of the benefits he had received, expressed his gratitude once again.

"Your book is excellent, Mr. Hyp. It's a win-win situation for us."

……

Felix returned to the school, and many professors returned as well. Professor McGonagall and Flitwick decorated the auditorium, and they were in high spirits; Professor McGonagall even hummed a little tune.

The tall and imposing Hagrid walked in carrying two three-meter-long pine trees. Flitwick gracefully waved his wand, causing them to stand in a corner of the Great Hall and be adorned with colorful paper ribbons.

"Felix," Hagrid greeted him gruffly.

"Hagrid, how's the lesson preparation going?" Felix asked.

Hagrid said cheerfully, "It went fairly smoothly. I went to the library and did a lot of research. I specifically looked through all the new books on the market, and I dare say the textbook I chose is absolutely interesting."

"I remember the textbook for this course was always 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'?"

"Ah, that's a textbook for older grades. I tried something new in third grade... You told me that innovation needs a test subject, and only if it succeeds can it be promoted to everyone."

"I'm looking forward to it, Hagrid."

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and the professors gathered at a square table for dinner that evening. Even the elusive Professor Trelawney came, wearing a veil.

She whispered to a house-elf, "Get me some sherry, my dear."

The little elf stammered, "Okay, okay, ma'am."

Her figure disappeared, and a moment later she reappeared, staggering, carrying a large wine bottle. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find the small bottle, this is the only one I had."

"Ha!" Trelawney's eyes lit up. "It's okay, this is good, very good."

"Want some?" She looked at Felix, shaking the bottle, the liquor swirling around.

"No, thank you," Felix politely declined.

Trelawney poured herself a drink, and Professor Bubbaje next to her also took a small sip.

This was Dumbledore's first appearance since their meeting in France. He seemed to be in good spirits, smiling as he accepted a plate of brown pastries from Flitwick. Felix thought it was probably because he had just been freed from a tedious job.

After dinner, he called Felix over.

"Wait, Felix. Nick has a few books he asked me to bring to you," Dumbledore said, blinking.

So the two went to the headmaster's office, where Dumbledore said in a light tone, "Wait a moment, I put it on my bedside table in the bedroom. I read a part of it every day while you're away."

Felix nodded, watching him walk up the spiral staircase and disappear into the second-floor office space.

"That's Dumbledore's bedroom, I wonder what it's like?" he thought with some curiosity.

The principal's office hadn't changed much. The spacious, round room was filled with all sorts of amusing noises: the phoenix Fox on its gilded perch breathed rhythmically, the silverware on the long-legged table jingled as it spun, and the portraits of past principals on the walls emitted a series of snores.

Felix stared at the Sorting Hat, which lay quietly on the partition, hesitating whether to pick it up and examine it.

"Hey, Slytherin brat!" came an unsettling voice.

Felix turned his head and looked over. There was a portrait on the wall, and at the bottom of the portrait were a line of small, gilded characters—

Phineas Nigellus Black, served from 1847 to 1925, graduated from Slytherin.

"Principal Black, were you calling me?" Felix asked.

The portrait in the painting grumbles, "What else? Are there any other living people in this house?" His goatee twitches, and his thin eyebrows make him look quite unpleasant.

At that moment, he reached out and gripped the photo frame. "Come closer, I have something to tell you," he said, his tone becoming urgent as Felix remained motionless. "It'll be good for you!"

Felix was filled with doubt; surely he wouldn't get any benefits. Nevertheless, he walked up to Principal Black's portrait.

The snoring in the other portraits has disappeared; they either open their eyes wide to look around or half-close their eyes, closely watching the interaction between them.

But Principal Black didn't say anything, perhaps because even if he was unhappy, there was nothing he could do. So he said as quietly as possible, "Have you ever heard of Sirius Black?"

"I've heard of him. He's a celebrity now. He escaped from Azkaban three weeks ago," Felix said.

Principal Blake was taken aback, and said with some embarrassment, "Those are descendants of the noble Blake family, my great-grandson!"

"oh."

"You naughty boy, what do you mean!" Headmaster Black hissed, but then added slyly, "We're all Slytherins, boy, I know what you're thinking..."

"Listen, the Black family has a long history, and their old house has a rich collection of books that Hogwarts can't compare to. Want them? Do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"Bring him to me, not this me, but another portrait. Remember, 12 Grimmauld Place."

Felix was very interested in the Black family's library, but he cautiously probed, "Don't tell me that the old house of one of the 28 pure-blood families has no defenses at all."

"Listen to me, don't interrupt me, time is limited! You will find it, I believe you can do it, but you need something, something unique to the noble Black family... Oh, Dumbledore! When did you return?"

Felix turned around abruptly, and Dumbledore was already standing on the second-floor railing, two books tucked under his arm, his face expressionless.

"A long time ago, when you acknowledged Sirius Black as your great-great-grandson." Dumbledore descended the steps, backlit so that his eyes were obscured, only his powerful voice could be heard: "Phineas, we discussed... he committed an unforgivable crime."

The portrait of Headmaster Black proclaimed loudly, "Dumbledore, he is the last descendant of the Black family!"

But Dumbledore raised his voice, speaking calmly, "...He betrayed his best friend, and he killed thirteen others, one of whom was also a close friend of ten years. Do you know his fate, Phineas? The staff at the scene could only find one of Peter's fingers and a bloodstained piece of clothing."

The old man walked up to the portrait, his voice icy, every wrinkle on his face radiating rage. "And now, he's escaped, fantasizing about helping his former master regain power, willing to kill his godson to claim the title of Godfather."

"Phineas, my headmaster...you want to shelter him? A criminal?"

The principal's office was completely silent.

(End of this chapter)