A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts-Chapter 517: Changes Brought by the Anti-Thief Waterfall

"What do 'clown,' 'warrior,' 'lion,' and 'phoenix' respectively signify?" Ms. Borns probed. If the first two sentences set the stage for the era, the latter four sentences clearly highlighted the pivotal characters on the stage. She already had some speculations and sought confirmation from Dumbledore and Felix.

"Before something truly happens, all we have are conjectures," Dumbledore shook his head slightly.

"But certain things—like the phoenix's rebirth—doesn't it refer to the phoenix or someone associated with it?" Ms. Borns looked at Dumbledore, her gaze undisguised.

As widely known, the Headmaster of Hogwarts had a phoenix named 'Fawkes.'

"That's one drawback of prophecies," Dumbledore smiled. "When you attempt to unearth the 'truth,' you're already deeply entangled. I can think of a dozen or so wizards related to 'phoenix,' and more if we include those abroad. It might represent a magical creature, like the phoenix; or certain magic, such as unique patronus, transfiguration; or it could even symbolize a state, a type of quality... What we're guessing now is merely what we wish to see."

...

As time passed, Felix found time to visit the Ancient Runes Society, guided by Clementine. They smoothly reached the office of the society's president—an independent study filled with various stone slabs, scrolls, and ancient scripts.

Felix immediately spotted Old Vira, hunched over the table with a row of rune cards laid out, muttering to himself.

Clementine coughed softly twice, but the person at the table remained oblivious.

Clementine had to approach, tapping the table lightly, and reminded, "Grandfather, Professor Harp is here..."

"Who's here?" Old Vira lifted his head, a bit dazed, glancing at her, attention seemingly fixed on the table. "Nevermind that. Help me understand this part," he waited for a few seconds, getting no response. He casually lifted his head and when his gaze met Felix's, his eyes widened suddenly.

"I heard from Clementine that you've had time recently, so I dropped by unexpectedly," Felix suppressed a smile. "I've read a few of the books you've written recently and had some questions, wanted to discuss with you..."

Stubborn as some may be, when someone offers a helping hand, they might reluctantly accept it.

At least, that was the case for Old Vira. He had already conceded long ago and wasn't bothered by another awkward encounter.

Initially, Felix asked a few symbolic questions, coincidentally touching on Old Vira's areas of expertise. He began elaborating extensively. However, within fifteen minutes, he was not lecturing but rather seeking Felix's guidance on rune cards.

"I want to arrange them in order of difficulty as a learning reference," Old Vira said.

Felix was surprised; he hadn't expected him to be considering teaching materials.

"Although I study theoretical runes, they share commonalities," Old Vira reluctantly 'quoted' Felix's definition, explaining, "Given a day, I could easily learn dozens of practical runes. It's a matter of adjusting writing and cognitive habits."

Felix understood; it was a clever approach. As Old Vira mentioned, both theoretical and practical runes did overlap. Learning the practical ones would be rapid, but mastering the rest would consume a considerable amount of time.

Following this train of thought, the old veterans at the Ancient Runes Society, who'd dedicated their lives to theoretical runes, could easily grasp several hundred runes casually. However, there weren't as many practical runes available for them to study; they were all in Felix's possession.

"Mr. Vira, I have a favor to ask," Felix said. "This year, the Ancient Runes class at Hogwarts will undergo a curriculum change, separating into theory and practical parts, each with separate exams. The theory part is manageable, but the practical section needs a complete overhaul—I believe what you're doing could greatly assist in writing the curriculum."

"Are you suggesting my involvement? Are you willing to yield that authority?" Old Vira seemed rather surprised.

"The ultimate decision still rests with me," Felix replied calmly.

The evolution of Ancient Runes had transcended a single person; it was entirely unnecessary. He only needed to ensure the critical aspects remained on track and aligned with expectations.

...

A week before school started, news arrived at Gryffindor Tower—The Anti-Thief Waterfall was complete.

"It seems different from the one at Gringotts?" Sirius eyed the product in the laboratory.

Before him stood an archway, straight on both sides, no different from a regular door frame, except for a semi-circle on top. A thin curtain of water hung from the arc, and Sirius and Ms. Borns, one in front of the other, peered through the water curtain, seeing each other's blurry figures.

"The principle has changed. I incorporated some rune circuits to replace parts of fairy magic," Felix said. "The effect is similar. If you don't believe it, you can try."

"How do we do it? Does anyone have a complex potion with them?" Sirius scanned others with a probing gaze; everyone shook their heads. He looked at Felix, who was smiling.

Sirius was momentarily puzzled. What did that mean? But suddenly, it clicked.

"Animagus?"

Felix nodded at him, confirming Sirius's guess.

Sirius didn't refuse; his body swiftly transformed into a large, black-haired dog. His fur was glossy, and he was as big as a bear.

In his animagus form, Sirius seemed excited, circling around and greeting Harry, who had arrived. Professor Borns raised her eyebrows sharply. She had to clear her throat—by now, the large black dog had put both front paws on Harry's shoulders. "Oh, Sirius, Professor Borns seems to be calling you," Harry struggled to say, almost being knocked over by the dog. frёewebnoѵēl.com

The big black dog circled around the archway twice, then slipped into one side of the archway. Ripples appeared on the water curtain above the archway, and suddenly, Harry's eyes widened, as if he'd seen something unbelievable.

Indeed, that was the case. It seemed the thin water curtain held a secret. Half of the big black dog's head vanished from one side but didn't immediately appear on the other. Unaware of this, the dog kept walking forward. Only when there were only two hind legs left did the other side of the archway reveal half of its head. It looked like Sirius's body had been severed halfway, a comical sight.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, barely holding back laughter. Everyone else present, including Professor Borns, had their lips curled up.

But the next moment, the comical scene turned into a thrilling one. The big black dog's head began shrinking and changing shape forcibly, its black fur rapidly disappearing, followed by its shoulders, arms, and other body parts, reverting back to human form.

Sirius shook his head, seemingly disoriented, taking a few seconds to regain his senses.

"So amazing," he marveled, circling the archway. His transformation appeared no different from before; he reached into the water curtain, then pulled his hand out, and this time, the water curtain had no discernible reaction.

A round of applause echoed in the laboratory.

...

A week before school started, Felix received his new wand. Thirteen inches, made of ebony wood, the core was from one of his own hairs. When his fingers touched the wand, his fingertips suddenly warmed, and the wand vibrated slightly, seemingly jubilant, eagerly awaiting his first spell—

Felix held the wand, cutting through the air like wielding a sword—Ollivander stared, unmoving. The 'crack' seemed to connect to another place, rapidly expanding and sucking everything around it. The small wand shop seemed to have instantly shifted, appearing in a desolate, overgrown wasteland.

Everything seemed so real—the dim light, swaying shrubs, distant howls. Ollivander even caught a whiff of fresh earth carried by the wind. He attempted to take a few steps forward but collided with something invisible. Yet, there was nothing there.

"Illusion? No, more real than an illusion..."

He plucked a weed from the ground, watching it turn into tiny stars in his hand.

Next second, the entire illusion vanished, and they found themselves back in the wand shop. Felix nodded in satisfaction. Although the specific effects were yet to be confirmed, the Thought Enclosure Charm had evidently made significant progress. He could now easily materialize memories from his mind into reality. "Much better than I anticipated, Mr. Ollivander. Thank you. You're the finest wandmaker I've encountered."

"It's the match between you and the wand," Mr. Ollivander chuckled wryly. "Change the person or the material, and the effect wouldn't be the same."

Subsequently, Felix paid the adequate fee.

"I have to thank you as well," Mr. Ollivander said. "Thanks to your reminder, I discovered two suspicious groups."

"Death Eaters?"

"Possibly," Mr. Ollivander himself wasn't certain. "They were quite elusive. Fortunately, the Ministry issued alert devices to each shop. Just a press and the Aurors patrolling the streets would swiftly arrive. They didn't manage to do much."

...

"Lupin, good to see you! Thought you forgot about us," Sirius embraced Lupin, feigning complaint.

"He might not have forgotten you, but he definitely forgot about his old boss," Felix mused from the side.

"Cough—" Lupin averted his gaze, feeling guilty.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked. They were currently sitting in the living room of the Black family's manor, waiting for everyone to gather for the meeting.

"Encountered a secluded and closed-off community," Lupin explained. "Risky to venture or establish connections under the sensitive noses of werewolves. I stayed until things settled. There were moments I thought I wouldn't make it back."

Sirius didn't say anything further, just patted Lupin's back twice.

Kingsley and Amelia Vance arrived, warmly welcoming Amelia's recovery. The usually reticent witch was smiling persistently.

Soon after, Snape appeared. Everyone started entering the meeting room. "Don't expect any eavesdropping. I'll cast spells," Mrs. Weasley warned the kids.

"As if it's your first time doing so," Fred muttered. The door slammed shut in front of him.

In the meeting room—

Snape was the first to speak.

"I'm about to read a highly classified document. At Dumbledore's request, it's forbidden to mention it in any public setting or disclose it to non-Phoenix members." He deliberately glanced at Sirius, who snorted.

"According to reliable intelligence, the Dark Lord—a mysterious figure," Snape changed his wording emotionlessly, "has a keen interest in something within the Department of Mysteries and is relentlessly searching..."

"After the Thief's Waterfall was implemented?" Sirius interrupted.

"...You'll find that it doesn't stop him," Snape said lightly.

"I know his capabilities. I've fought him—"

"Your meaning being escape?"

Snape and Sirius were on the verge of confrontation, making others quite uncomfortable.

"Alright, let's save the quarrels for after the meeting," Kingsley said.

"...Given the failure of using the Imperius Curse to control the Unspeakable Broderick Bode for the first time, he might dispatch Death Eaters to gather intelligence. He's lacking in this area. Augustus Lestrange, a Death Eater formerly employed in the Department of Mysteries, has been re-imprisoned in Azkaban..."

"...The Thief's Waterfall isn't foolproof. It can't detect one's intentions, whether voluntary, forced, or accidentally revealed secrets. It can't perceive or warn..."

After Snape finished, he leaned back in his chair without another word.

"Ahem, I'll continue this topic," Kingsley spoke calmly. "We've prepared for this. The protected item has complex enchantments. Regular access by the Unspeakables is strictly limited. However, there might be vulnerabilities during off-duty hours. Dumbledore persuaded Mrs. Bones to assign the protection task to the Order to avoid leaks."

Not everyone in the Order knew Voldemort's target, so they referred to the prophecy orb as 'the item.'

"I don't have much to add," Sirius said. "We've relaxed a bit with the Thief's Waterfall in place. Amelia decided to set one up in Azkaban too, scheduled for the day after tomorrow..." His tone suddenly grew complicated. If this had been in place years ago, he wouldn't have escaped.

Snape raised his head, eyes shimmering oddly. He murmured softly, "Azkaban? You're going too? Well, I suppose you wouldn't miss it, you made quite a few friends there..."

The meeting room almost turned into an arena.

...

Once the meeting concluded, the taskless members of the Order stayed back to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea. Snape and Professor McGonagall had their own tasks and left. Felix stared at Snape's disappearing figure and asked Mr. Weasley, "Is he always this busy?"

"Maybe, he doesn't usually linger," Mr. Weasley grumbled. They settled in the living room. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks appeared shortly with some dessert plates. "Watch out for the last step," Mrs. Weasley cautioned.

"Oh, alright," Tonks said, promptly bumping into an umbrella stand, dropping the plates.

Felix flicked his fingers, causing the plates to land safely on the table.

"Thanks, I always forget there's something there," Tonks lamented.

"That umbrella stand was moved here just a couple of days ago from the hallway," Ginny remarked oddly from behind, "because you always bumped into it when coming back from work..."

Tonks, embarrassed, rushed to cover Ginny's mouth, and she squealed and ran off.

"Where are Frank and Alice?" Felix asked; he hadn't seen them for a while.

"They went on a trip, probably to the giants' territory," Mr. Weasley said.

On the other side, Bill was chatting with Sirius and Lupin.

"The fairies are quite upset because of the Thief's Waterfall," Bill shared the information he gathered in his office.

"Poor excuse, they never intended to support either side," Sirius said.

"If you've dealt with them, you'd realize fairies' perspectives differ significantly from wizards'," Bill shrugged. "They're genuinely angry, believing wizards stole their technology... But you're right; they indeed have no intention of siding with us..."

"Sirius, when are you planning to leave the Ministry?" Lupin asked. He wasn't referring to Sirius's work hours but rather his exit. As per the plan, Sirius would become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the new school year.

"Maybe a day before the term starts," Sirius hesitated.

"You won't miss it, will you?" Bill teased.

"Hah, as if! I can't wait to get out sooner," Sirius chuckled.

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