A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 46: A Guest Appearance by the Mind Healer

As the aftermath of the Crivey incident unfolded, the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts displayed an unexpectedly unreliable side. They exchanged amulets, protective charms, and other trinkets to guard themselves, all while keeping it hidden from the teachers.

During this time, this trend quickly swept through the school. Ernie Macmillan bought a foul-smelling giant onion, a sharp-pointed amethyst, and a decaying newt tail from Knockturn Alley.

Resulting in Neville Longbottom, the other boys in Gryffindor House told him that he wasn't actually in danger; he was of pure blood, and thus immune to attacks.

"They went after Filch first," Neville said, his round face filled with fear. "Everyone knows I'm more like a squib."

The professors had to repeatedly stress in class that these items were completely ineffective. Among them, Felix Harp, with his good reputation and gentle demeanor, gained a following among many young witches and wizards.

There were even numerous lower-year students who came "by word of mouth" seeking psychological guidance.

"Professor, could I, um, talk to you?" A curly-haired Hufflepuff boy intercepted him as he patrolled the corridors.

"Of course," Felix Harp sighed inwardly. This was the fourth one this week, the weight of his reputation was truly felt.

The two made their way to a nearby pillar. The young wizard seemed somewhat uneasy, but Felix, with his high "approval rate" among the student body, quickly reassured him.

"Professor, I'm facing some difficulties," Felix gestured for him to continue. "I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley, and I come from a Muggle family..."

Felix understood the situation.

"...When I received my acceptance letter, I wasn't sure about coming to Hogwarts. But, well, you know, I was supposed to attend Eton College. My father graduated from there."

Felix nodded in agreement. "I've heard of that school; it's quite famous in the Muggle world."

"Yes, exactly," Justin became more enthusiastic. "But I'm more curious about magic. I convinced them to let me come to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall's performance at my house terrified them."

Felix Harp nodded; Hogwarts had a tradition of visiting Muggle-born new students' families.

Though thinking of the expression on a Muggle's face upon seeing magic for the first time from a materialistic perspective would be quite interesting.

Justin continued, "A lot has happened this year, the situation is tough... Everyone's in a panic, and many people are writing letters home."

"Your parents are worried about you too, aren't they? Did they ask you to take a temporary break from school?" Felix asked.

"No, no, Professor," Justin quickly replied. "I didn't tell them. I believe Hogwarts will continue, Professor. I love magic! I'm just a bit afraid. There are rumors going around... Potter, Harry Potter, he's the Heir of Slytherin!"

"Most rumors are unreliable," Felix said calmly. "Do you believe in this theory?"

"I'm not sure either. Logically, well, you know the word 'logic,' right, Professor? That's great. Logically, they're just appearing in the wrong places, but I don't quite understand magic..."

"Don't worry, it's not him. I can assure you of that. Professors have enough insight to distinguish fact from rumor."

Justin visibly relaxed.

"Any other questions?"

"One more, Professor. I heard you're also Muggle-born? And you were sorted into Slytherin?"

"That's right."

"Then you must have faced a lot of difficulties from others, right? Did you give them a good retort?"

"Well, you could say that."

Excitement flickered in Justin's expression. "Professor, many young witches and wizards, especially those from Muggle families, admire you. You're their idol!"

"??"

Am I really becoming an idol for ordinary wizards?

"Professor, everyone hopes to be as brave as you..."

Seeing off this initially shy, then rapidly chatty young wizard, Felix Harp still felt somewhat surprised. After a while, he chuckled softly, this feeling... wasn't too bad at all.

Time rolled on to December, and under the tireless efforts of the professors, the young witches and wizards finally abandoned their unreliable charms and began searching for more practical gadgets, such as the Sneakoscope that could detect potential dangers in advance.

Among the girls, the practice of carrying a small mirror and using it at every corner quickly fell out of favor, as few could keep it up.

Felix Harp's Devil's Snare had also grown robust over time and could now be used.

And then there were the branches of the Whomping Willow. After over a month of diligent magical nurturing, every inch of them was saturated with Felix Harp's magic, making their surface shimmer and maintain their vigorous vitality.

Felix Harp tested the effect. He drew his wand, "Reduce in size!" The seven to eight meters long branch quickly shrank, turning into a serpent-like shape in the blink of an eye.

"A bit too thick still."

He continued to cast spells, the branch becoming smaller and smaller, yet the process grew more and more challenging. Thankfully, the branch had absorbed his magic and didn't reject him. With the help of a few techniques from ancient books, he successfully transformed it into a slim, flexible emerald green rope.

Not bothering to rest, he quickly inscribed intricate magical runes on its surface, maintaining the magical effect.

"It looks rather impressive!"

However, his difficulties were just beginning.

According to his plan, he intended to use the Whomping Willow rope as a framework and weave unicorn hair into it, creating something like a small pouch.

But he got stuck at the first step—how to weave them together in the right way?

"I know this, I learned how to knit from my mom!"

In the end, it was his assistant who came to the rescue. Hermione provided seven different knitting patterns in succession, earning Felix Harp's admiration.

Busy for three days, the young witch impressively completed her task. Even after getting Professor Harp's permission, she used the leftover material to knit a small beaded bag for herself.

The beads were ready-made, crafted by Hermione from practicing runic carving on chestnut wood blocks.

The reason for using beads as decoration was due to the shortage of the original material, forcing her to make a compromise.

The final semi-finished products were Felix Harp's refined gentleman's wallet and Hermione's beaded bag.

"The remaining work involves engraving the magical runes, relocating the Devil's Snare, making it think it's still thriving... and some fine-tuning. It'll probably take a week or two."

"When danger arises, you can use magic to trigger the Devil's Snare's attack."

"Of course," Felix Harp explained, "your beaded bag might not accommodate many Devil's Snare branches, as the material isn't of the best quality."

"That'll be enough for me," Hermione said happily. "Professor, can I handle the construction of the magical runes myself?"

"You're not quite there yet, but you can help me with the groundwork."

...

Thursday afternoon, a small group of people gathered around a bulletin board, reading the text freshly posted on a piece of parchment.

The first few words at the top were shining brightly, constantly drawing people's attention. They were—Dueling Club.

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