The next day, in the classroom with the 'Frontline Lookout Club' sign on the door, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were arranging the soft mats and wooden targets in order on the floor. Which might be used later.
The door was pushed open and Fred and George sauntered in, " Why are we moving here today?"
"Professor Hap is coming." Harry said.
The twins approched Harry with a look of interest and Harry shrugged, " I guess he wants to see my Patronus and guide us in the meantime."
"Cool!" Fred said.
They also joined in and by the time Ginny and Luna came in, the classroom was already full of people. Ron and Neville were moving a large wooden box filled with various spell books and training props together.
"I'll help." Ravenclaw student Anthony Goldstein shouted, raising his wand and pointing it at the wooden box. "Don't!" Neville was startled and shouted, however, the spell had already been recited, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The wooden box swung violently, knocking Ron's hand away, and the corner of the box smashed into his foot, causing him to yelp in pain. The crate then floated slowly, swaying left and right as if drunk, and rose higher and higher, soon reaching a dozen feet high into the ceiling above them.
" You need to learn a bit of control." Harry said as he ran over and looked up for a few seconds.
"Sorry! It's my first time controlling something this big." Anthony said with a sad face.
"It's not about the size," Harry shouted towards his ear, "you need to learn to control your spell."
" Spell?" Anthony muttered in confusion.
"That's right, you're doing great now, look! You managed to make the crate fly to the ceiling, I now need you to complete the next step and make it descend again." Harry said as the people around him watched apprehensively, Hermione mumbling under her breath.
"What are you doing?" Ron asked, tiptoeing on one foot as Neville supported him from the side.
"Preparing a shock absorption spell, just in case." Hermione said quickly, "Oh, but I suppose there's no need for that."
The large wooden box descended to the ground little by little and slowly landed. Anthony slumped to the floor, covered in sweat and panting. Harry pulled him up, "Well done." "Thanks." Anthony grunted as the members around him applauded.
A voice sounded from the doorway, "Very brilliant teaching, if it was a classroom I would consider giving you twenty points." Felix said with a smile on his face.
The members of the Frontline Lookout gathered around, "What are you going to teach us, Professor?" Fred chimed in.
"How about the ancient magic hidden behind the twelve amulets?" Lee Jordan suggested, "The last demonstration was too short."
Felix wanted to put his memory body in a small dark room, but at the moment he could only go along with his memory body's mischief, "Last time was considered as an introduction, to pique your curiosity - I'd like to give the students more time to do their own research... ...as far as teaching goes, it might be better to leave it as suspense until the end of the school year, just like Illumination Magic. I just dropped by today to check out a few things. Potter, I'm interested in seeing your variant Patronus."
"Oh, okay." Harry said.
This is something that had been agreed upon a long time ago, the Professor had said that he would take the time to stop by after the Christmas break, but he didn't expect it to drag on until now. Harry's happy emotions brewed, "ex-PEK-toh pa-TRO-num!" As he whispered, a silver stag burst out of his wand and circled around them.
Harry grew very comfortable with this charm, and he saw Professor Hap nod slightly, which sent a jolt of excitement through him. As he maintained the Patronus Charm, he held out his other hand. There seemed to be an additional invisible carving knife in the air, outlining a bright runic symbol.
In the blink of an eye, the runic symbol turned into a purple mist with a faint golden glow.
Harry looked up and the silver stag which was hovering in midair flung its hooves and rushed toward him. Instead of ducking, he reached out his hand, in a manner that looked like he was about to caress the Patronus' horns to the other's eyes. Then - the purple mist merged with the Patronus, like ink dripping into a pool of water - the Patronus's blurred outline became clear, and its hooves touched the ground with a "ta-da" sound.
Felix smiled at this.
"Have you tested the power?" He asked.
Harry scratched his head in confusion, there were no dementors in sight, but when he saw Professor Hap's eyes moving towards the wooden target, he instantly understood. "Go on." Harry said as the Stag gently nudged his hand with its massive antlers before turning towards the wooden target and slamming into it, "Bang!" The wooden target was knocked over.
The Patronus' bright purple glowing horns became dim and seemed to turn back into a blur of silver colour, and when Harry tried to control the spell, the stag's form became solid again.
"Professor, it has another form." Harry said, pointing his wand at the stag as the purple mist on the Patronus faded away, followed by the rapid expansion of the stag's size making it two or three times bigger than it was, "Erm, it just simply got bigger, but I don't know what the point is." He said embarrassedly.
"It will be useful," Felix commented, "Have you tried any of the other runes?"
"I've tried 'Tranquillity' and 'Enthusiasm' but they don't work too well and conflict with the Patronus Charm." Harry honestly said.
"Strange." Felix was a little surprised, "I've tried it personally and there were no problems."
"Have you tried it too, Professor? And it worked?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah," Felix opened his hand and a Silver Rain Swallow emerged from the thin air and landed on his shoulder. He then produced two runic symbols, one by one, and brought them to the Rain Swallow's beak, which opened its beak and swallowed a cyan symbol, then its silver aura gradually tinged with faint cyan colour.
A faint halo rippled out, and those around it immediately felt their mood become very calm and peaceful, with a very lazy, but clear consciousness. Then the Rain Swallow Patronus swallowed another fiery red symbol, and its body looked like it cloaked itself in a thin layer of flame as it gave a high-pitched cry as a halo of radiance spread out.
The peace of mind was immediately shattered, and Fred and George, who were close by, clenched their fists with excited expressions. "Fred, I've got a great idea, how about pulling Peeves into our club?" George excitedly blurted.
"Can't wait!" Fred responded to him enthusiastically as the pair strutted off towards the door.
Harry was also feeling out of sorts, his own enthusiasm for Quidditch had resurfaced and all he wanted to do now is ride his broomstick wildly through the sky, maybe taking Ginny with him would be a good idea? His mind whirled with crazy thoughts, then the Occlumency spontaneously worked and his mind cleared, as he subconsciously pulled the twin who reacted the most.
"Professor?" He shouted urgently.
"I know."
Felix cancelled the spell and looked around the room. Most of them felt like they had been bonked in the head and gradually came back to their senses, but with confusion still evident in their expressions.
"Sorry, I didn't expect such a big reaction, you guys carry on with your practice and ignore me while I examine it myself." Felix sat down on the large box in the corner and secretly wondered what had happened, are they that weak to be affected that much by a slight emotion?.
Harry shook his head, the Occlumency is isolating the adverse reactions. He looked at the rest of the group, who were clearly caught up in a state of false enthusiasm and dazedness.
He clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention to him. Harry said stiffly, "Let's continue our Patronus Charm practice today, I know it's been a long time, and you may have gotten a bit rusty-"
"Bollocks! I'm in great shape!" Ernest Macmillan exclaimed.
Without waiting for Harry to continue, Ernest started waving his wand around with a look of concentration and enthusiasm. Harry suddenly realized that these people couldn't have been influenced by that 'enthusiasm' rune, could they? Amplifying emotions with the power of the Patronus ... but how on earth did Professor did that?
The training today had been surprisingly good.
It only took Ernest half an hour to condense a vague shape, and Harry was startled when he saw it; how did Ernest's Patronus somehow look like his cousin Dudley? He stared at it for a while before recognizing it as a boar, and because of this he missed the Weasley brothers' brilliant show narrowly - they brought the blurred silver mist together to form a vivid Magpie.
"Look at this, Harry!" Fred exclaimed, but as his wand turned a different direction, the Magpie reverted back into a mist.
"You're close enough, try again a few times!" Harry encouraged, even though he didn't know what had happened.
"Got it, got it." Fred stated impatiently and proceeded to get together with George to study the odd Magpie Patronus.
Fred's attitude was not unusual, Harry noticed - most of the members had become more focused but also became rather annoyed if they were disturbed as if they were immersed in their own world. This could be an effect of the professor's magic, Harry thought.
He approached Felix resentfully, the professor holding a Rain Swallow in his hand, constantly feeding it runes of various shapes and sizes, which had tinted the Rain Swallow with a blossom of colours.
"What's wrong?" Felix asked with his eyes closed.
He is experiencing the construction of the Rain Swallow Patronus - his Patronus is far more stable than the others, even beyond the definition of the 'Patronus Charm' itself, due to the fact that he had inherited Lady Rowena Ravenclaw's memory nodes and used them to nearly reconstruct his Patronus.
" They don't need my guidance, at least for today." Harry quipped.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I seem to have messed up your day." Felix said.
"It looks like they got a great deal out of it," Harry shook his head and then looked at the rest of the classroom with some concern, "It won't leave any after effects, will it?"
"No, it's like a sudden rainfall, the effects are minimal. They should get tired though, you can prepare some chocolate in advance-"
Harry nodded.
"Unless they're in that mood for a long time, that is-" Felix stopped and opened his eyes.
"Professor?" Harry looked at him curiously.
"I've been wondering what would be a good carrier for the emotions." Felix muttered.
"And now?"
"Seems to have found the ... answer right at hand, no?" Felix lowered his head to examine his Patronus. "Say sorry to them for me ... Also, the reason you couldn't incorporate the other runes into the Patronus was found, because its spell intent simply isn't the same as those runes. I'll write it down and give it to you later, it's a bit of a pain in the arse to explain at once ..." He got up with a jump and disappeared in a flash with the help of the Room of Requirement as a medium.
Dumbstruck, Harry reached out and poked the air in front of him; just now someone had been sitting here, but now it seemed as if the professor had never been here. Harry sat in Felix's place for a moment in confusion, which naturally ended in no success. He looked up at the others, who didn't notice the eerie scene - except for a dubious glance shot by Hermione, who nevertheless turned her head back to practice the Patronus Charm.
Only one person seemed unaffected in any way - Mafalda came over and asked curiously, "What did you talk about? And why Professor Hap has suddenly disappeared, I thought it is not possible to Apparate in the castle?"
" It was nothing," Harry said warily, "You weren't affected?"
" Well, I was; but now I have an urge to interview you, very badly." Mafalda's 'Enthusiasm' for gossip (interview) overrode her 'Enthusiasm' for magic.
"Er ..." Harry looked speechless, and after a long pause, he whispered, "There's something I happen to ask of you."
"An advertisement? Or an exclusive reveal?" Mafalda asked with great interest.
"Is there any difference between the two?" Harry squinted at her.
"The former requires you to pay for the advertisement, while the latter involves me paying you an honorarium." Mafalda said matter-of-factly.
" Well, you need to distinguish it," Harry froze and said vaguely, "Well, it's an exclusive reveal, but it also counts as an advertisement ..."
After half an hour the whole group broke from that state of intense focus one by one, looking exhausted. Harry handed out the prepared chocolates to them, "The Professor asked me to convey his apologies, he's not quite skilled in that magic yet."
"Where is he?" Fred turned his head to look around.
"I guess he got into a frenzy too, but he went into that state by choice." Harry said furtively, "He'll probably perfect that magic next time."
"That's pretty cool." George said with a look of admiration.
Ginny yawned, her eyes fluttering half-open and half-closed as she asked, "Can I have a nap on the cushion, Harry?"
"Let's go to the 'Crumpled horn Snorkacks Certainly Exist' club," Luna said, "I transplanted a lot of plants, and it looks like a little garden with a hammock. Want to come along?" She turned her head to stare at Harry.
"... No, thanks though." Harry said as he bid farewell to Neville, Susan, and the rest of the group, and eventually, only a few people were left in the classroom.
"It does seem a bit scary, I mean that magic." Ron said with a lingering fear, "I didn't know it was affecting me, I was so into learning that I became annoyed if someone distracted me from doing it." Then he added with a smile, "But it worked like a charm though, I seem to be getting the hang of it and my Patronus has taken on a hint of shape."
"Me too," Hermione said cheerfully, "The Professor once said that it was difficult for me to muster strong emotions, probably because I am too collected, maybe I should make myself more 'enthusiastic'."
Mafalda was the last to leave apart from them, and she gestured at Harry, "It's a deal."
"What 'deal' have you made?" Ron asked, munching his chocolate.
"Draco Malfoy." Harry said softly. "Great." Ron said happily, "I can't wait to see him get cursed by everyone - peeping in the girls' lavatory is enough to get him in trouble! And he couldn't complain about it because we sort of helped him out!" He was in such a good mood that he looked as if he had already eaten several chocolates, his faced beamed brightly.
"I didn't say his name." Harry shook his head and said.
"Oh." Ron's eyebrows dropped, "I bet he would not thank you for letting him off the hook regarding this."
Harry shrugged, "I don't expect to get anything in return either."
The great hall was buzzing with life in the late evening as the Ministry of Magic staff remained after the dinner to guide the students who had failed their assessment as usual, "Step up, there's only less than a third of them remaining." Twycross cheered his colleague on.
"I need a break." Umbridge said coldly, as she walked out of the great hall on her own.
" Wilkie, I'd like to get some air too ... it's been a tiring few days, sorry." Avery whispered, followed by several more people who made their own excuses to leave. Twycross watched this with a mixture of bewilderment and deflation as he glared at the remaining people from the Ministry, "Do you want a break too?" No one walked out of the room this time.
" Twycross, do you need a hand?" Professor Flitwick asked enthusiastically.
"Oh, Professor Flitwick? Is it your turn to be on duty with Professor Snape tonight?" Twycross beamed, "Thank you so much." Snape, who followed Flitwick stood in silence as he stared at Umbridge and Avery as they passed the long table until they disappeared in the doorway of the great hall.
The fact that Voldemort had not revealed his undercover status to these two made him secretly relieved, it indicates that the Dark Lord seemed to have finally regained a bit of his senses. Although it is not necessarily a good thing, at least he does not have to worry about him suddenly going berserk during one of the debriefings ...
On the other hand, Umbridge and Avery, who had walked out of the great hall, passed through the entrance hall and came to a dark corridor, where they hid behind a huge pillar and muttered.
"You go!"
"Why not you?"
"I have a more important task!"
Valen, who was passing by in the distance, gave them a curious look. She smacked her lips and carried the little snake away, she had failed to negotiate with the Great Demon King last night. Valen had concluded that she sucked at maths and that she needed to find some assistance! From her previous experience with Astoria, she knew that many of the students at school are unreliable and probably inferior to her, and she had to find the right person for this task.
It just so happens that she knows a school topper.
Umbridge and Avery peeked out furtively from behind the pillar and stared at Valen's back.
"You think this little thing will help with the plan?"
" Give it a try. If it works, you'll have someone to open the door for you." Avery whispered, "I'll find another opportunity to make contact with Malfoy, and if that doesn't work, there's a backup." He left from the other side of the stone pillar.
Umbridge stopped where she was, somewhat persuaded.
The Ancient Rune Office seemed like a den of horrors in her mind, but if someone there to lead the way, it would undoubtedly be much easier.
She stepped out from behind the pillar and discreetly pulled out her wand. Her wand looked very short, only eight inches, like a quill with its feathers pulled out, and it looked very inconspicuous. Umbridge stepped closer, she had heard about this Niffler in the past few days, a pet ... raised by that man, who she hated with a passion.
Umbridge slowed her breathing as she kept mentally reminding herself that all it would take would be a Confundus Charm, just like she had convinced her own father to retire early. It would be easy.
Her mouth squirmed, and then there was a flash of white light. Umbridge almost thought she had succeeded, and she controlled herself from grinning broadly, but things went beyond her comprehension when the little yellow hat that Niffler had been wearing suddenly exploded with a powerful light and bounced off the spell that she had been confident of.
Valen who is carrying the little snake stopped in her tracks and turned her head in confusion to see a strange-looking short, fat woman frozen in place with her wand in her hand. Valen blinked and took off her little yellow hat, a visible scorch mark was visible on the back of the hat and a faint wisp of black smoke rose from it.
"Kee?"
Valen stared intently at Umbridge.
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