A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 19: The Public Lesson (2)

The Great Hall of the school fell into a hushed silence. Every student's gaze was fixed on the raised platform, fearing they might miss the slightest detail.

A fierce battle was unfolding there.

Palm-sized figurines moved like the wind, their forms agile, each punch and kick accompanied by bursts of fire and billowing ice crystals. Every so often, one of them would unleash a certain "ultimate move," like the Fire Boy's massive fireball or the Ice Girl's icy spikes, elevating the fiery atmosphere to new heights.

After three minutes, the battle concluded as Fire Boy, using a series of flaming combos followed by the "Concealment Charm: Transfiguration into a Phoenix," defeated Ice Girl.

Many young wizards let out a collective sigh.

They had wanted to see the charming Ice Girl triumph...

Felix Harp's explanatory voice came in at the right moment, "This is a branch that has evolved from the ancient magical script, known as alchemy."

"What you're witnessing is a not-so-complex alchemical creation, a magical puppet. The exterior is not the key; the crucial part lies in the ancient magical script circuitry within."

"And the ancient script circuitry is essentially a combination game of magical writing."

"Your practical final exam will be centered around this."

Initially enthusiastic young wizards now appeared bewildered. Make them do this? Professor, are you perhaps overestimating us?

You've just arrived; you might not understand our actual situation yet...

Let's hope for someone less skilled to give the professor a taste of reality.

"Of course, this magical puppet might be too complex for you all right now. But luckily, the ancient magical script involved in creating a magical puppet essentially covers the content of five years' worth of studies. I will divide the difficulty according to your respective years."

"I will provide more detailed requirements in the upcoming classes."

The young wizards finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"But Professor!" a Hufflepuff girl raised her hand to ask.

"I'm a fifth-year student, and the ancient magical script I've learned so far has mostly been focused on translation. Do I need to learn new knowledge? Also, I have my OWLs exams this year..."

"I understand," Felix Harp calmly responded, "First and foremost, you don't need to learn entirely new material. I've reviewed your textbooks. Please have some confidence in your professors."

Felix threw in a playful remark.

"Moreover, I must emphasize that Professor Babbling is an excellent specialist in ancient magical scripts. The material she chose is quite fitting. It includes both theoretical translation aspects and a small amount of practical magical writing—though, perhaps Professor Babbling considered that the Ancient Runes course isn't Alchemy, thus she didn't delve into that part extensively."

"But consider this as a foundation; if you aspire to study more advanced subjects in the future, these basics will guide you past the initial hurdles."

Many young wizards relaxed their tension.

"Secondly, at least for this year, the practical exam will be mainly for extra points. Furthermore, I will also take into account providing more theoretical instruction in your fifth and seventh years."

Among the young wizards in the audience, some were pleased, while others let out disappointed groans.

"Lastly, some of you might worry that practical exercises will consume too much time. However, these two aspects complement each other. You might unknowingly grasp more knowledge through these activities."

"This concludes my response." Felix Harp gave a bow.

Thunderous applause echoed through the audience.

"Next, we have approximately half an hour left. Who would like to personally try controlling these magical puppets in combat?" Felix Harp inquired.

This hardly qualified as a question.

The young wizards' excited shouts could have blown the ceiling off.

"Oh, you might not be able to accurately control the puppets with wands, so you'll need this!" Felix Harp waved his wand, summoning twelve peculiar gadgets from his briefcase—essentially, they were game controllers.

"You can use these to control the puppets. Let me demonstrate first..."

It didn't take long for the students to start manipulating them. Felix conjured six platforms using Transfiguration, but given the hundreds who had attended today, not everyone could take turns.

Ron and Harry lucked out with a chance. They engaged in amateurish pecking at each other, occasionally releasing an "ultimate move" and excitedly shouting.

Yet no one laughed at them; even the little witches were utterly enchanted, shrieking in exaggerated excitement.

Felix Harp stood on the sidelines, discussing the day's lesson with Flitwick.

"Absolutely brilliant!" That was Flitwick's assessment.

As for Professor Snape, he had silently slipped away. No one knew when he left, just as no one knew when he arrived.

Lockhart, on the other hand, wore a heavily pensive expression, his thoughts inscrutable.

Joyful moments are always fleeting. As the lesson drew to a close, some students, lured by their hunger, entered the Great Hall to discover a raging dueling scene. A brief glance was enough to make them forget their initial purpose, and they swiftly joined the crowd gathered to watch.

This delayed dinner by half an hour, compelling Felix Harp to reluctantly conclude the lesson and restore the hall to its original state.

Throughout the dinner, the young wizards continued animatedly discussing the recent public lesson. Particularly lucky students who got a chance to duel were positively beaming, enthusiastically sharing their "experience." Forks and knives danced in their hands as if they had stepped into the scene themselves.

One has to admit, the young wizards' entertainment options are indeed limited.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron was still energetically recounting the "epic showdown" with Harry. Despite his minor disadvantage, he was defeated; his enthusiasm remained undeterred.

"Harry, the Fire Boy I used just now was so cool, swoosh! Kapow!" Ron waved his fork and flung a pumpkin pasty, which smacked Neville on the head.

Although Harry wasn't as animated as Ron, he was equally exhilarated.

However, he had a vague notion—an idea that compared to controlling magical puppets, he'd prefer to be out on the field, participating in duels himself...

Hermione, on the other hand, was somewhat discontented. She hadn't had a turn yet. She liked the Ice Girl a lot—so adorable, much like a doll she had as a child.

But there will be more chances!

Once she becomes Professor Harp's assistant, she'll surely get to interact with that puppet.

Hermione cheered herself on.

What's more, she could even craft her own magical puppet, using herself as the template, albeit with smaller teeth and smoother hair...

This unique public lesson undeniably succeeded, cementing Felix Harp's fame. He was the talk of the town, the center of attention!

Discussions about this lesson were bound to persist for quite some time, perhaps even turning into a campus legend, like countless rumors do, morphing into who knows what in the end.

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