A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

The office of the professor of ancient runes.

Felix was grading homework, a tedious task that gave him the illusion of doing 1+1 hundreds of times. Fortunately, he was completely freed up after handing the job over to Hermione, who had just knocked on the door and was unaware of the situation.

"The main ones are fifth and seventh grade exams, which mainly consist of multiple choice and short sentence translation. They are relatively easy to grade—you just need to compare the correct answers and mark the wrong ones with an X."

Hermione lived up to her reputation as a top student, quickly getting into the swing of things, and she was particularly good at this type of work.

Felix then began reviewing Hermione's revised paper—it was to be submitted to Professor McGonagall for publication in an academic journal, and he had to be rigorous in its review. However, he didn't simply and crudely make direct revisions; instead, he continuously offered suggestions and provided page numbers from relevant reference books.

He believed this approach would be more helpful to Hermione.

Half an hour later, the two finished their work at roughly the same time.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Hermione was fulfilling her duties as an assistant before, but now it's Felix's turn to keep his promise.

The two sat facing each other on the sofa, separated by a small table. Felix summoned two glasses of juice with his wand. He tried to put Miss Granger at ease, but she still seemed quite reserved.

"It's clear from your thesis that you already have a good understanding of the history of ancient magic script. Even if you haven't started studying it yet, I can assure you that you will progress very quickly."

"Professor, I'm currently reading 'An Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes,' and I've also learned how to consult 'The Rune Dictionary,' 'The Magic Symbol Collection,' and the books on the list you gave me before, although I haven't fully understood most of them." The little witch sat up straight and quickly introduced her latest learning progress.

Felix paused for a moment. "Very good, but I won't spend too much time discussing translation with you. I'll just give you some suggestions at most."

"You can start from around 900, the time when Hogwarts was founded. The four founders were great figures who bridged the past and the future. They translated many manuscripts of their predecessors and left behind a lot of research materials that have puzzled later generations. These contents filled the earliest library."

"However, this part of the data is now placed in the restricted area. The Ravenclaw data is the most complete, while most of the Slytherin data has been lost. It is possible that after he split with the other three, he took his research results with him in a fit of anger..."

Felix recounted a piece of history in detail, captivating Hermione. "However, it's also possible that the Slytherin research wasn't suitable for the library. Who knows?"

"If you need it, I can approve your application."

Felix stood up and gestured for Hermione to follow, and the two went to his workbench.

"My research focuses not on translation, but on uncovering the power of the runes themselves. Like this—"

He picked up a palm-sized piece of chestnut wood from the table, infused his carving knife with magic, and carved magical runes onto the surface of the chestnut wood. These runes immediately emitted a blazing red light when they were first written, but quickly faded, turning into jet-black lines.

Hermione was seeing this for the first time, and she stared intently, racking her brains to figure out what the professor was doing, but to no avail.

Felix finished inscribing the runes and casually handed it to Hermione, saying, "You can feel it."

She reached out and took the chestnut wood shard. Without even touching it, she could keenly sense the magical fluctuations on it. As her fingers traced the dark runes, a warm sensation spread through her fingertips.

"The magic runes can store magic power for a short time, but if left untreated, the magic power on them can only last for three days at most, and that's only after considering the inherent properties of the chestnut wood itself."

Hermione nodded. Chestnut wood, as a wand material, is excellent at carrying and transmitting magic.

"There are quite a few solutions to this defect, such as—"

"You can connect them to form a loop, thus greatly extending the duration of the magic."

"Special protective magic can also be cast."

"Or add storage, conversion loops..."

Hermione's little brain was working hard to memorize everything; she wished she could immediately grab the parchment and write down every single word Professor Hyp said.

Felix's explanation process was also a process of reorganizing his own knowledge system. Unlike the previous three years when he was "not getting enough to eat," he now has far too many choices and must make careful decisions.

Therefore, giving the little witch a lesson was just a side thing. At this moment, he fell into thought and murmured, "However, these methods are only for maintaining the status quo. In thirty or fifty years, they will eventually decay with time."

Why is the sound getting quieter? Hermione quickly moved closer to the two of them, craning her neck to listen.

Are the heroes and creations of mythology merely figments of imagination or do they actually exist?

"Are they powerful wizards?"

"If so, how exactly do those magical creations that have been passed down for thousands of years achieve immortality?"

Seeing the professor fall silent, Hermione guessed, "Perhaps they themselves can provide a continuous source of magic."

Felix chuckled, "How is that possible? They're not living beings."

"What about the Sorting Hat? The Sorting Hat has existed for a thousand years, and it can even communicate with people; it has its own intelligence." Hermione tried to give examples to support her guess. "And there are the portraits of the past headmasters in the headmaster's office; I've heard Harry mention them."

"Miss Granger, the portrait itself is an exquisite magical artifact; it can hold a person's thoughts. And as far as I know, for a magical portrait to last, it requires regular maintenance, although this interval may be decades..."

"However, the Sorting Hat," Felix thought for a moment, "I did overlook it. I don't know much about it. Perhaps I should find an opportunity to reintroduce myself to it?"

"Alright, Miss Granger, let's stop our brainstorming here. Next—"

Felix took the palm-sized piece of chestnut wood from Hermione's hand. "Next, I'll connect these runes to form a loop. Watch carefully."

This work is quite meticulous. He carefully drew out the lines and connected them together, explaining as he went, "This step is very important. Many alchemical creations have complex functions."

A dozen minutes later, he handed the chestnut wood slice to Hermione so she could feel the difference before and after.

"I can feel the magic flowing, fluctuating and undulating, and it... it seems to be resisting me," Hermione said, somewhat puzzled.

This is truly unbelievable.

Felix understood. "Your resistance stems from the fact that it's a rough, unfinished product, with magical fluctuations spreading unchecked, and you've sensed that."

"Of course, this also shows that you are very perceptive, and you must have a strong talent for spells."

Hermione's face turned bright red.