A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 244 Tests and Admonitions

An open space had been cleared in the center of the lounge, surrounded by chairs and sofas that the young wizards had moved over, arranged in an irregular circle.

In the center of the circular open space, two magical puppets are engaged in a fierce battle.

One of the magical golems crackled with electricity and sparks from its fist as it punched its opponent in the face, instantly freezing it in place.

"Four to two! Angelina Jensen is the first to advance to the finals! Let's cheer for her!" said Fred, the judge. "She will also receive a coupon for a couple's mirror and participate in a raffle to win a prize..."

"It's the lottery," George reminded him, but Fred corrected himself, "Yes, the lottery."

"So—the next match! Professor Hay, Professor Hay?" Fred spotted Felix and waved to George in a slightly flustered manner. George tacitly put away the parchment in front of him.

"Are you gambling?" Felix asked, looking at him.

"No, no," Fred explained. "We're promoting couple mirrors and having some fun on the side."

Felix looked at him suspiciously, and Fred swore, "Absolutely not, you can ask them if you don't believe me." The other young wizards nodded in agreement.

"Okay, what about Percy?" Felix didn't press further.

“He’s not here, Professor. I’m guessing he’s with Penelope,” Fred said without hesitation. “I can provide a few of their meeting places.”

"Ahem, there's no need for that." Felix felt a headache coming on for Percy. He raised his voice and said to the young wizards around him, "I'm here on Professor McGonagall's behalf to collect your Christmas attendance list. Come and fill it out, tick the corresponding boxes..."

"Well, leave the form here for now, I'll come pick it up this afternoon—if Professor McGonagall hasn't gotten rid of her little troubles by now."

The young wizards gradually gathered around.

Felix stood aside, looking around the Gryffindor common room. It was his first time here, and the layout was different from Slytherin or Ravenclaw. It used gold and red as the main colors and was shaped like a large circular living room.

The lounge has both soft armchairs and sofas, as well as small and sturdy solid wood chairs and tables. The bulletin board is covered with various notices, posters, and information written by students themselves.

The latest eye-catching news is the promotion of the Weasley twins' matching mirrors and the news of Ravenclaw defeating Hufflepuff in a Quidditch match at the end of November.

Below this message was a line of handwritten, inspiring, and glittering text: "We still have a chance!"

The layout of the common lounge includes large open areas as well as individual cubicle spaces divided by partitions in the corners.

Besides a huge fireplace that took up an entire wall, the other three walls were covered with scarlet tapestries depicting portraits of many famous witches and wizards, as well as some animals.

Felix thought the magnificent fiery lion he saw was very similar to the one Professor McGonagall had shown in Duel Class.

"Could it be some kind of magical creature?" he wondered to himself.

"Professor," Hermione said, having just finished filling out the form, as she walked over with Harry and Ron.

Felix smiled at them. "I heard your dueling study group is doing quite well?"

Harry couldn't help but scratch his head. "It's mainly the three of us practicing, with Dean and Seamus coming over occasionally."

Felix said, "Harry, I've read your dueling system paper, and it's perfect for you. The time when you can seamlessly integrate it into every battle you fight will show that you've truly mastered what's in the paper."

Ron said, "I think Harry is right now—" Harry quickly pulled him back.

Felix looked at Ron and asked with a smile, "Are you saying that Harry has already implemented the dueling system described in his thesis?" Seeing that the professor didn't seem angry, Ron mustered his courage and nodded.

This was Ron's personal experience. If you don't count the Disarming Charm, he could still go toe-to-toe with Harry for a few rounds, since he had also barely mastered spells like the Armor Charm and the Stunning Charm.

But against Harry's maximum Disarming Charm, all his resistance was futile—his Armor Charm shattered in the middle like a comical cookie, his wand flew out, and he was sent flying; there was no other possibility.

Alternatively, Harry could make the trajectory of the Disarming Charm a magical arc, combined with the footwork he learned in Duel Class, which would always easily break through his defenses.

This made Ron secretly anxious, and even the food in the cafeteria didn't taste good anymore—he didn't want to be left too far behind.

Felix thought for a moment and decided to test him. "Look at me, Harry." His eyes turned silver-white. Harry met his gaze, stared blankly for a dozen seconds, and then suddenly stumbled and almost fell.

"Professor?" Ron helped Harry up and looked at Felix in surprise. He almost thought the professor in front of him was Black in disguise.

The reason they thought this way was because they had done something similar last school year, sneaking into the Slytherin common room with Polyjuice Potion in an attempt to get information about the Chamber of Secrets heir from Malfoy.

They had previously discussed that Polyjuice Potion would be a good way for Black to infiltrate Hogwarts Castle. However, the final conclusion was that this was unlikely, as Black would have a hard time getting past the spyglasses at the castle gates.

"I'm fine," Harry said breathlessly. "Professor Hyp, what is this—what is it—"

"I have a unique spell, which, while not absolutely accurate, can still be used to test your progress," Felix said.

Harry exclaimed with great admiration, "I dare say this magic is absolutely extraordinary; I was actually able to fight you in my mind..."

Ron stared at him in shock. What had Harry said? Fighting in the mind? Was that what he was thinking?

"Is it the Mind Chamber, Professor?" Hermione guessed. She had always practiced ancient runes in the Mind Chamber and had never actually fought in one.

"Well, it's only somewhat similar. To be honest, I've been making too much progress in the field of memory magic lately and have discovered a lot of new and interesting techniques, but I haven't had time to name them yet," Felix said.

He changed the subject, looking at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "From the test just now, it can be seen that Harry has not yet mastered the dueling system he devised, especially in various details, there are still many problems... In fact, Harry's problems are also your problems."

Moving from theory to practice requires overcoming more than one hurdle, and turning it into an instinctive reaction that requires no conscious thought takes even longer.

He said with a serious expression, "For some people, this time may be a lifetime."

"Of course, all three of you are talented wizards. The only enemy you need to defeat is complacency, which will keep you from making any progress."

(End of this chapter)