Chapter 273: Unexpected Events During the Patronus Charm Practice

The verbal spat with Draco Malfoy temporarily pushed aside Harry's inner turmoil. However, Professor Harp seemed intent on keeping them on their toes, casually remarking, "Time is not always abundant, children. You must make the most of it."

The crowd dispersed further, individuals pairing up like headless flies.

"Which incantations have you mastered?"

"Illumination, Flames, and Severing. What about you?"

"I only know Illumination and Livestock."

Pressed for time, they shared the core meanings of the most essential incantations. Luckily, their thoughts aligned. Until Harry completed an exchange, he remained oblivious to the identity and house of the person across from him.

He discovered that it wasn't as difficult as it seemed, prompting him to seek out unfamiliar individuals for the next three rounds. This time, he even remembered to politely inquire about their names. As for their houses, they all tacitly agreed to omit that detail.

As he shared his thoughts with Ron midway, Ron widened his eyes. "You don't think everyone knows who you are, Harry?"

Harry slapped his forehead, the question never having crossed his mind. He spotted Hermione approaching gleefully and immediately grabbed her. "How many have you swapped?"

"Fifteen," Hermione said joyfully. "The trick is to find older girls. They're friendly and have less overlap with your knowledge. Wait a moment!"

Hermione's eyes gleamed as she approached Daphne Greengrass, whispering something with an air of triumph. Harry watched for a while and eventually noticed the two of them sneaking into a corner.

"Are they friends?" Harry asked, aware that the girl was a Slytherin.

"Came out of dueling practice or something," Ron said. "At least that's what Hermione says."

Felix Harp quietly observed, mentally noting down students who could be grouped together. While he wanted to break down the barriers between the four houses and encourage interaction, he wasn't interested in forcing incompatible individuals together.

Fortunately, except for a few groups, most students' thoughts weren't as intense as they had initially anticipated. They just needed a suitable excuse. With this realization, his upcoming arrangements wouldn't appear too abrupt.

When the last student completed their exchange, most had already attempted to capture runic symbols using the Serpent's Crest Ring. Felix clapped his hands, signaling them to stop.

Silently and seamlessly, their seats rearranged, once distinct clusters now mixed.

"Let's discuss how to perceive the structure of objects.

You should have encountered this in other classes, particularly Transfiguration. Sensing runes is similar in concept. There are some tricks to it, allowing your magic to gently touch them, not forcefully inject magic, as that would cause them to burst

Imagine raindrops falling into a pond, creating ripples."

Felix's fingertips tapped the air, and the air seemed to take shape, slightly indenting before a faint blue magic spread outward.

"Channel your magic, delicate but unbroken. I must remind you, this is not an incantation"

"Boom!"

A student caused the runes to explode, resembling an orange firework.

"Eddie Carmichael, listen to me," Felix ushered them into a Mind Chamber, "practice here first. Otherwise, the runes you just acquired will vanish even faster than a Disillusionment Charm."

After the gathering concluded, Felix turned to Neville. "Are you able to keep up with the pace?"

Neville scratched his head, saying, "It's a bit challenging, but much easier than I thought. I managed to decipher four runes."

Emerging from the Mind Chamber, Felix finally allowed them to begin deciphering the runes themselves. The subsequent classroom resembled a fireworks display, though after struggling seven or eight times, most managed to find the key. They adapted the techniques honed within the Mind Chamber to real-world scenarios.

Neville, however, was new to this, having no prior exposure. He hadn't even mastered a single practical rune.

"You're doing well. I noticed you signed up for the dueling competition?" Felix inquired.

Neville blushed and replied softly, "I thought I'd give it a try"

"Very well, prepare thoroughly. I recall Potter and his friends have a dueling practice group. That might be helpful for you," Felix suggested.

Neville looked up and informed him, "I'm already a regular member there. My Stunning Spells work quite well."

"A regular member?" Felix questioned, puzzled.

"Um... Harry and the others don't exclude anyone from joining. Many students have played once or twice, and they also invite some older students," Neville explained.

"People who come often are given a copper Knut. If the Knut heats up, it means there's an activity," Neville retrieved a coin from his pocket. Felix glanced at it and chuckled; it was the same self-heating Knut he had crafted before.

Except the emblem on it was changed to a lion's head.

As the Magical Runes Club curriculum delved deeper, some students began falling behind and chose to withdraw voluntarily. This was inevitable since, when selecting members, Felix had only genuinely qualified seven in mind. He had to lower his standards to accommodate more.

Those who dropped out midway hadn't prepared to invest significant time and effort. Once the novelty wore off, they chose to leave. Before departing, they returned the copper Knuts that were used to notify meeting times.

For Felix, these Knuts were transitional items. During their crafting, he hadn't even added basic protective spells. Now, they had been replaced with the Serpent's Crest Ring.

He casually placed the self-heating Knut in the discard area, planning to dispose of them when he found the time. It seemed his assistant had discovered them and even studied them privately...

Gryffindor Common Room.

Harry recounted the unexpected encounter from his visit to Professor Lupin's office, where he practiced the Patronus Charm, to Ron and Hermione.

Hermione exclaimed, "You saw Voldemortyou saw the mysterious person?" Others in the room glanced over, and she muffled her voice, "How is that possible? Weren't you afraid of Dementors?"

"I thought so too," Harry said with a shudder, "Professor Lupin found a Boggart in the staff room. He said there are ways to fool a Boggart, but I declined."

"I genuinely believed my worst fear was Dementors, but then the Boggart turned into Voldemort clinging to Cho's back, then later into a serpent...," Harry explained.

Ron marveled, "It must have been confused or something. Who would have two worst fears?"

Harry elucidated, "Professor Lupin suggested it's a possibility. Usually, it's fears of the same type, like if you're scared of spiders, the Boggart might transform into different spider forms. My case seems to be rare. He theorized it might be because the Boggart couldn't find something that would truly drive me to lose control, so it's alternating between them" he concluded with a wide grin.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "I think it might be due to that Dementor toy's influence... how many times have you played with it?"

Ron emphasized, "It's not playing, Hermione. It's about getting used to facing the feeling of Dementors. Look, Harry's not that afraid now."

Hermione huffed, then turned to Harry, "But how will you practice the Patronus Charm?"

"Professor Lupin managed to fool the Boggart temporarily, making it believe my greatest fear was still Dementors. However, he asked me to bring the Dementor toy next time to show him...," Harry shrugged. "He said he's never heard of anything like it."

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