A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 234 "Professor Lupin's Patronus Charm is Extremely Skillful"

Later that day—

"You mean Harry's broom hit the Whomping Willow?"

Felix said in surprise, and Hermione said sadly, "When we went to look for it, we only found some wreckage."

"Harry must be very sad," Felix remarked, pulling out a notepad and scribbling down a few lines of well wishes. He then paused to ask Hermione's opinion: "Do you think we should add some magical effects to the greeting card, like sound?"

"It's best not to," Hermione said firmly. "Ginny gave Harry a recovery card, and if you don't put it under your pillow, it'll start screeching..."

Felix shrugged. "That's settled then," he said, handing the card to Hermione. "Give this to Harry for me."

Over the next few days, the young wizards enthusiastically discussed what had happened on Saturday, especially Professor Hyp's visually stunning Swift Patronus, which was the subject of much fascination.

The name "Guardian Angel Charm" quickly spread throughout the school, becoming the center of attention. Any student could be pulled in and given a detailed explanation—even if their statements contained many errors.

Some younger wizards obtained all sorts of true and false information from older students, combined it with their own understanding, and then spread it out again.

Many people don't actually understand the principle behind the "half-moon" spell. They treat it as the second form of this magic and name it "Silver Moon".

Felix heard the name one morning while having breakfast in the auditorium, and he almost spat out his porridge.

"My uncle's Patronus has a second form, I'm not kidding!" Fourth-grader Cormac McClargan boasted. He stroked his coarse hair and continued, "My dad told me that my uncle's Patronus is a wild boar, but I saw it once when I was little and it was clearly a long-eared rabbit. I was wondering... so this magic has two forms."

Felix looked at McClargan carefully. If he wasn't lying, his uncle must have suffered a terrible ordeal that drastically changed his personality—only under such circumstances would the Guardian Angel change.

Others kept asking where they could learn the spell. "What cool magic!" Lee Jordan exclaimed in the common room. "I mean, even if I can't do it like Professor Hyp, at least I can protect myself."

But Flitwick poured cold water on their enthusiasm. Standing atop a stack of thick books, he repeatedly emphasized, "The Patronus Charm is not within the scope of our exam. It's too profound; many adult wizards cannot master it. This magic requires immense mental strength..."

Since Flitwick didn't intend to teach it, some young wizards turned their attention to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Duel, which turned out to be a lucky accident—both of these courses taught students how to protect themselves, according to their function.

On the evening of the second Thursday of November, Felix was asked this question during dueling class.

"Guardian deity?" Felix repeated.

"Yes, Professor Hyp. This is the spell we need most right now, isn't it? Dementors are lurking outside the school, ready to strike at any moment!" a fifth-year Gryffindor shouted, his words drawing nods of agreement from the young wizards below.

Felix laughed: "Lee Jordan, the Dementors are guarding Hogwarts on orders from the Ministry of Magic. Their target is Sirius Black, an escaped convict from Azkaban."

"But Professor, what happened on the day of the Quidditch match has proven their unreliability. I even wrote home, and my mother replied that releasing the Dementors from Azkaban was the stupidest decision the Ministry of Magic ever made!"

"Yes, they are completely out of control."

“My aunt told me that even in Azkaban, there were Dementors who rioted…and some prisoners died,” said Susan Bornes of Hufflepuff, noticing Professor Hyp’s gaze fall upon her. “My aunt is the head of the Enforcement Division.”

Felix hesitated. To be honest, he didn't think teaching the young wizards Patronus Charms in dueling class was a good choice—it was time-consuming, difficult, and most importantly, not necessarily effective.

Such profound spells are difficult for students to master without one-on-one guidance. But even if you gave him ten time converters, he couldn't teach them step by step.

He looked at Professors Snape and Flitwick, "What are your opinions, Severus and Philius?"

Snape immediately showed a resistant expression, and said coldly, "I don't know that spell."

Flitwick reiterated his opinion: "Felix, the Patronus Charm is too complicated and its function is too singular; I don't think it's necessary. Besides—Dumbledore has already protested to the Ministry of Magic, and Fudge guarantees that the Dementors will never make the same mistake again."

Felix nodded; he knew about it too. In fact, when the shrunken Dementors returned, there was a lot of discontent within the Ministry of Magic, and some people even wanted to send someone to investigate, but Dumbledore firmly refused.

In addition, some irritable parents kept sending shouting letters to the Ministry of Magic and even Fudge himself, causing them a lot of trouble, and no one mentioned the injured Dementors anymore.

Felix put the matter aside for the time being, but... he looked at Snape, the professor said he didn't know the Patronus Charm, was that true?

Could it be that the professor has gone too deep into the realm of dark magic, making it impossible for him to use the Patronus Charm?

……

During dinner, he and Snape sat together, discussing the teaching details for the next dueling lesson. Felix commented, "The students have already mastered several commonly used dueling footworks. It would be best to arrange practice in the next few lessons. Severus, I have an idea. Perhaps we could hold a small dueling tournament."

"Aren't you afraid of trouble, Felix?" Snape said.

"I plan to leave it to the student council. Percy Weasley and Penelope Crivart are both very capable, and I trust them," Felix said.

Snape wore his usual sarcastic expression: "How much of your trust is genuine, Felix? Has anyone truly entered your heart?"

Felix laughed. "Oh, Severus, are you trying to say I'm hypocritical? We're talking about competence, and in that respect, I truly trust Mr. Weasley and Miss Crevat. What are you referring to?"

Snape stared at him expressionlessly, while Felix deliberately flashed a smile that looked completely fake.

Just then, a voice broke through their silent exchange—

"Professor Snape, I just ran into Professor Flitwick. He said you were in the Great Hall," Lupin said cheerfully as he approached the two. He was wearing a new robe, and it seemed Dumbledore was paying him a sufficient salary for his daily expenses.

"What is it, Lupin?" Snape's eyes narrowed. "You've finished all the potions I gave you? I have some more, a whole pot full..."

Lupin smiled and said, "Not for now, Severus. I'm here for something else—"

Snape looked at him without a trace of a smile.

Lupin said, "I am very grateful that you covered my classes while I was sick, but the teaching for third grade was too radical, skipping more than half of the textbook—"

"Werewolves..." Snape drawled, Lupin's hand trembled slightly, but he quickly masked it. "...Is there a problem with this chapter?"

Lupin frowned slightly. "Severus, third graders have only just started learning Hinkpunk. Most students don't have the necessary foundation. I'm sorry, I've decided to postpone this part of the curriculum."

Snape gave him a disdainful look. "If you ask me, Lupin, werewolves are too dangerous. It's essential that students learn how to identify and kill them as early as possible." He added softly, "Perhaps we'll need them someday."

Lupin regained his composure: "Thank you for the reminder. I will teach within the scope of a young wizard's abilities. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now; I have a lot to do."

"Wait, Lupin."

"Is there anything else, Snape?" Lupin asked in a deep voice.

"Let me introduce you," Snape said, his gaze shifting between Lupin and Felix. "As far as I know, Professor Lupin's Patronus Charm is extremely powerful. Perhaps—Felix, you could invite him to be a temporary professor for Duel Class."

Snape's eyes flickered. "As the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, I certainly have a responsibility to show my students how to deal with dangerous dark creatures like Dementors."

(End of this chapter)