A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 368: Not Cheating

"I can't believe it! You kept this from us!" Hermione said indignantly. They had already left the castle and turned a corner in front of Hagrid's hut, entering the Forbidden Forest. Still, she seemed rather annoyed.

"Hermione, you and Ron were having a tiff at that time but, Ron, you didn't even tell me. We could have used the Invisibility Cloak," Harry said, his tone tinged with reproach.

"I thought... if it failed, I'd just pretend it never happened," Ron mumbled, his eyes darting nervously elsewhere. "I guess Malfoy had the same idea... Hermione, thanks for the Skele-Gro."

The swelling on his face seemed to have lessened.

"That was for Harry's practice with the Patronus Charm!" Hermione huffed.

"But Malfoy actually succeeded," Ron said. "I always thought he'd be the type to cry for his mother or skip around like a ferret..."

Hermione found that quite reasonable.

"He's always been a top scorer, among the best in the 'Testimonial Scroll', you just never paid attention," she said.

"Really?" Ron scratched his head. "I wouldn't have known. I suppose you're the type to keep an eye on people ranked lower than you, considering there are so many names..."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

They ventured deeper into the Forbidden Forest. The light dimmed suddenly as if it were evening, accompanied by various rustling and subtle sounds from the forest. They were looking for a spot nearby to practice the Patronus Charm. According to Harry, he could already emerge from "The Room."

Ron plucked a purple berry absentmindedly and asked, "Can you eat this stuff?"

"Sure," Hermione glanced at him. "Except it's a bit"

"Ugh!" Ron had already taken a bite and made a bitter face. "So bitter!"

"...bitter. Looks like you've found out," Hermione chuckled, and Harry quickly withdrew his hand from a branch he had been reaching toward.

They soon found a familiar path and made their way to a clearing.

"This place looks somewhat familiar," Harry observed, his gaze skimming over the scattered stones.

"Yeah," Hermione pointed to a large tree. "Remember? We spied on Professor Lupin practicing the Patronus Charm behind that tree... I asked Hagrid quietly, and he said there aren't any dangerous creatures' nests around this part of the forest. Still, we should be cautious..."

With her wand in hand, Hermione walked around the clearing, muttering incantations.

"Safe guarding... full protection... Muggle concealment... thief detection... piercing alarm... transfiguration guards... by the way, if you don't mind, could you lend a hand..."

"We only know the first three spells," Harry and Ron exchanged glances and got busy, too. "Those were taught by Professor Flitwick, in the Outdoor Safety theme... what are the others?"

"Oh," Hermione slapped her forehead. "The thief detection spell detects magical disguises, the piercing alarm is a type of alarm spell that makes a shrill noise when someone enters... as for the transfiguration guards..." She paused and then said with a mischievous smile, "Don't you find them cute?"

Harry and Ron crouched down to look at the peanut-like things they were small figures made of two stones each, put together with Transfiguration, lacking feet but still hopping around.

Ron flicked one with his finger, sending it flying a couple of feet away.

"They're a bit like Weeble-Wobbles," Harry commented, then looked up. "What are they for?"

"They're sensitive to magic, able to detect things we can't see," Hermione explained. "By the way, these are Professor Lupin's creation."

"Quite well-prepared," Ron muttered. "I finally understand why she didn't stop us from breaking the rules. If I knew all these spells, I'd definitely look for opportunities to use them, it'd be such a waste otherwise, don't you think?"

Evening was setting in.

Felix was in his office, crafting a Sneakoscope. Small components were scattered across his workbench.

Carefully, he extracted a strand of magic from a business card, a gift from Mr. Filch. Then he picked up a gemstone the size of a thumbnail and infused it with the strand of magic, already coiled around his finger.

"The most crucial step is done. Now then... Valen, I haven't heard any reading for half a day."

He said without lifting his head, and Valen, perched on a hefty book, appeared to be dozing off, resting atop a Muggle picture book adorned with various illustrations.

Upon hearing Felix's words, Valen protested loudly, standing up and moving toward him. Its small, pink hands poked at his arm energetically.

It couldn't take it anymore. It really couldn't! Why teach a Snidget to read?

It had never heard of anything so absurd in its life.

For itself and for the potential future victims, it, on behalf of the Snidget clanno, on behalf of all magical creatureswas going to protest to the Dark Lord!

"Chirp! Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!"

A Galleon was slipped in front of it. Valen blinked in confusion, then instinctively pocketed it.

"If you've taken the money, you need to work. That's what we agreed on," Felix pointed out with his finger.

"Gaa-ba"

Valen opened its beak wide. Its pink bill, resembling a duck's, fluttered feebly.

With a dejected expression, it retreated and flipped to the next page with nimble toes, staring at a picture of a motorcycle. Within a minute, its eyelids drooped...

Its rescue came in the form of Hermione. As she entered, Valen hopped down from the workbench, swaying comically, and leapt into her arms.

"Oh... Valen? What's going on? You're so affectionate..." She looked at Valen with a mix of confusion, as if it had been wronged. Valen pointed to the heavens and the earth, even gesturing to Professor and the book on the table.

"Are you learning to read?" Hermione felt a surge of novelty. "I did something similar when I was three."

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Valen pointed at Felix and continued to make small, insistent noises.

"Um..."

"It says it's never met a human as cunning as me before. It wants to run away from home and follow you," Felix said with his head down, finishing the last parts of the Sneakoscope.

Hermione blinked and looked down at Valen.

Valen nodded enthusiastically. Yes, that's right!

It wanted to venture into a new world, creating a grand treasure trove. One day, it was determined, Hogwarts would have a fifth house.

"All done," Felix held a walnut-sized Sneakoscope in his hand and stood up. Before Hermione could fully comprehend, he raised his ebony wand and summoned a silver falcon guardian that shot out from its tip.

The falcon was as large as an owl and hovered quietly in mid-air. Felix tossed the Sneakoscope into its open beak.

"Go, find the person. Make sure he doesn't notice," Felix said calmly.

Hermione watched curiously as the falcon disappeared from the window, blending into the black night. She wondered who the professor was trying to locate.

...

"So, are you worried that you received the invitation card through cheating?"

Hermione nodded. They were sitting on the couch now, and she was feeding Valen a box of egg and milk cookies while keeping an anxious eye on Professor Harp across from her.

This issue had been bothering her, especially after Ron received his invitation card through "normal" means.

Felix neither confirmed nor denied it. "Why do you say it's cheating?"

"I went against the intent of the challenge," Hermione sighed. "I couldn't confront my deepest fear. Maybe among the Champion candidates, I'm the worst."

Felix chuckled softly. "Granger, you and the students below sixth year aren't being groomed as Champions. You aren't considered Champion candidates, just more precious due to your younger age."

Hermione looked at him, puzzled.

"In simpler terms, Miss Granger," Felix continued, "Professor Dumbledore, the other professors, and I all believe it's a waste to exclude younger students from the Triwizard Tournament. But we can't actually have you compete, so this compromise was created to make you feel more involved."

"Make us feel more involved?" Hermione repeated. "So, that's why you don't mind if we cheat?"

"You've misunderstood. I never said there's only one way to face fear. Did you read the inscriptions on the monument? Courage, Wisdom, Tenacity, and Calmness. That implies... there are at least four methods."

Felix said gently, leaning back on the couch, looking thoughtful.

"You've achieved at least two of them, which weren't something I foresawfirst, you vaguely saw through the illusion, which might be related to your familiarity with the magic associated with the Room of Requirement, making it hard for you to be deceived; second, you used this ability, harnessing the power of the illusion, to cast the ancient spell, the Golden Flame, that I taught you. That's not something just anyone can do."

"I did discuss this matter with Dumbledore before."

"How did you know" Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"If you had truly used the Golden Flame, you might have destroyed that place by now." Felix smiled. "But this also shows that you've reached a passing level of understanding for this magic and are ready to try using it in reality."

"Now?" Hermione asked excitedly.

Felix looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, well... alright." Hermione straightened herself, cleared her throat, and began reciting an ancient incantation. Soon, her fingertip emitted a cluster of light. Magical symbols appeared one after another in the air, forming a cohesive whole.

"Whoosh!"

A golden flame materialized out of thin air, burning quietly, appearing serene and distant.

"You can take your hand away," Felix said. Hermione complied, and the flame continued to hang in the air, causing the surrounding air to quiver gently. Under her control, the flame transformed into various shapes. In a moment of carelessness, it burned a scorching hole through a tall glass.

"You need to enhance your control, Granger. You're good at it, but not good enough. You should make the flame move according to your intentions, like this."

Felix demonstrated by passing his hand through the golden flame, his fingertip carrying a small golden spark.

Hermione widened her eyes.

"Is it quite magical? Actually, it's not at all. You haven't discovered the true nature of this magic yet. It's not an overly explosive spell, otherwise, I wouldn't have taught you..."

...

A new week began, and Felix became busier.

After the noon class, he managed to find time to visit Classroom Seven, recording the names on the monument and handing the list to Professor McGonagall.

Seeing this list, Professor McGonagall was taken aback. "A second-year student as well?"

"Yes, I didn't expect it either," Felix said with a hint of sentiment. "Unless she has a deep and positive understanding of fear itself..."

"What do you plan to do, Felix?"

Felix looked slightly troubled. "I'll discuss it with Severus first. After all, she's from Slytherin House, and she has a sister in the same House..."

"I'll talk to Severus," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "Regardless, I won't agree to let a second-year student participate. We've discussed the training plan, and to be honest, I find it too radical. Even those fourth-year students..."

"Miller, a fourth-year, is not that young. They're generally fourteen or fifteen, the age when they're most eager for honor. If we dissuade them, there might be some rebellious howlers sent to us."

Felix joked.

"...Alright, since both you and Professor Moody agree, and Professor Dumbledore doesn't oppose."

Professor McGonagall gave up arguing further. These issues had been discussed numerous times in meetings before, and she actually agreed, just now she was grumbling a bit. She turned to another topic

"Congratulations, Felix. Lemes got a big order."

>

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