A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 245 Christmas Holiday Approaching

Felix was pleased to find that Harry, Ron, and Hermione's attitudes had become serious.

At this point, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. It wasn't very clear, but it definitely involved the broken meditation basin that he had studied all night but had no idea how to repair.

The Pensieve, memory magic, a gladiatorial arena resembling a mind-room... what would it be like to combine them all?

Felix had this image flash through his mind:

In the ancient runes class, the young wizards lined up and jumped into the Pensieve one by one. The constructed "Felix" followed the lesson methodically, and the students could even pause, rewind, and speed up the process at any time, while their real selves happily read books and drank tea outside...

Or perhaps—

He can design a complex maze-like terrain, or a forbidden forest, swamp... The location doesn't matter. In short, he can let the young wizards form teams of two or three and practice dueling without restraint in a real-world setting.

Seeing Professor Hyp lost in thought, the three muttered after a while, "We must prevent the young wizards from teasing the teacher; they're too mischievous, they'd definitely do it..."

Hermione blinked. What was the professor just saying?

Felix decided that once he returned, he would ask Nicolas Flamel, and besides him, he couldn't think of any other alchemist in the world who might have cracked the secret of the Pensieve.

It would be best to borrow Headmaster Dumbledore's Pensieve temporarily. Hmm... he can swear he has absolutely no intention of prying into Dumbledore's memories.

'If my idea can come true, this might become a magical item with even greater potential than the magic phone, profoundly changing the entire wizarding world.' This thought flashed through his mind and then quickly took root and grew rapidly.

Felix left in a hurry. Before leaving, he asked Hermione to keep an eye on the progress of the list of students staying on campus for Christmas. The little witch nodded responsibly; she was already very used to helping the professor with some trivial matters.

After he left, Harry muttered, "Thanks—for staying with me." Ron and Hermione both signed the option to stay at school.

Ron said he didn't want to see Percy's face. "He's already got three internship offers. I can imagine what Christmas dinner at home will be like—Percy wearing a big badge and bragging, Dad handing him a glass of brandy, Mom kissing his face until it's swollen, and maybe I'll even see Penelope..."

Hermione also felt she had a lot of tasks to complete, saying, "I've only read the third book of 'The Magic of Chawick,' and there's never enough time."

But Harry felt a warm glow inside, because he knew these were just excuses. "Let's go practice our dueling," he said. Ron's expression immediately turned sour, and Harry and Hermione laughed as they dragged him out of the common room.

"Can I add another mat? I mean, maybe more than one..."

……

Nick Flamel seemed preoccupied with other matters. Through the voice of the "younger Nick Flamel" in the photograph, he told Felix that he would ask Dumbledore to bring over some past research materials.

Felix had originally intended to visit Nick during the Christmas holidays, but since Nick was busy with other matters, he had to abandon the idea. However, a Christmas present was still necessary, so Felix completed a sufficiently ingenious spyglass that Dumbledore could take with him.

He believed that Nicolas Flamel would be absolutely delighted with this Christmas gift.

Besides Nicolas Flamel, he also prepared a long list of people to whom he needed to send Christmas gifts. These names included Hogwarts professors and students, some wizard pen pals he knew, and of course, avid book fans.

Since Felix's verbal battle with the wizards in the Daily Prophet, his identity as a Hogwarts professor has become known to the public, so it was only natural that fans would send their letters here.

With so many people, all sorts of strange letters came in, including some bold and passionate declarations of love. Felix couldn't help but scratch his head. "I've never done a single book signing, never shown my face before. What if I'm a scruffy old man?" He imagined himself as Andes and felt a chill run down his spine.

To his surprise, many of the letters from fans were from young wizards who hadn't yet started school. They were all loyal readers of "The Adventures of Mick the Wizard of Oz," and the letters were sent directly to LCA Comic Books Publishing House. One day, Dobby the elf brought them to him.

His Bronze Nether suddenly felt hot, and then several house-elves carrying huge bundles appeared in the office. Except for Dobby, the other elves were all dressed in tattered clothes.

He opened the package, which contained various letters and gifts. It took him quite a while to process the replies.

Felix carefully examined each of the five house-elves that Dobby brought. After confirming that they were genuine stray elves, he readily gave them the green light, offered some encouragement, and then let Dobby take them away.

Their status would be similar to that of the elves in Hogwarts kitchens, perhaps even higher; at least they have holidays and salaries, though—in small numbers, of course.

Felix had considered arranging for Hogwarts' seventh-year students to intern at LCA Publishing, but he ultimately abandoned the idea because the magic of painting could not be mastered in a short period of time.

Hogwarts students know nothing about this branch of magic, so a short-term internship is of little use. However, he can act as a bridge between Professor McGonagall and Andy, enabling them to collaborate and cultivate a group of talents who can master painting magic.

All fifth-year students at Hogwarts must attend a short meeting during the summer term to discuss their future employment with their house head.

During this period, pamphlets and flyers for all kinds of magical professions will appear all at once, and some large companies—such as Little Red Book Book Company, The Daily Prophet, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and the Ministry of Magic—will send people over every few years to promote their services.

Felix had seen Gringotts goblins when he was in school, which was quite rare; usually, such tasks were handled by Gringotts wizarding staff. This was because the goblins were dissatisfied with their treatment and harbored strong suspicion and resentment towards the wizarding community.

Leaving aside the rebellions and riots instigated by fairies throughout history, at every meeting of the International Wizarding Federation, they demand that wizards relinquish their monopoly on wands, even though fairies invariably conceal their own magic and the secrets of crafting enchanted weapons.

Felix guessed that their appearance on campus that time might be related to the end of the war, because at that time someone had proposed to take back the goblins' operating rights over Gringotts and treat them merely as mints.

The then Minister for Magic, Milison Bagnore, was a tough leader. When she took office, the Wizarding Wars were at their most intense, and it was she who approved the order that allowed the Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curse against the Death Eaters.

As a powerful minister, it was hard to say whether she would agree to the suggestion. So, after much deliberation, the goblins had to make some statements, including permanent neutrality and that they would not actively instigate riots. Their visit to Hogwarts was just one of their acts of showmanship.

……

In the following days, as the Christmas holidays approached, it was noticeable that the young wizards were no longer focused on their studies. Many of them were already planning to make the most of their last trip to Hogsmeade before the holidays and go on a holiday shopping spree.

Felix also had some free time. During their last treatment, the Longbottoms both entered a deep sleep, and their brains were undergoing an important self-repair and transformation. They might wake up in a day or a month.

But even on the day before the holidays, as the young wizards boarded the train home, Felix hadn't received the good news from St. Mungo's. He felt a little disappointed, but still carefully wrote a note and gave it to Old Lady Longbottom—

"The plan can begin."

(End of this chapter)