A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 116: Invitation

Belper stared at him, puzzled. "Are you planning to send me back to the furnace for reconstruction?"

"Let's find a place to sit and talk. How about the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade?" suggested Felix Harp.

"No problem." Belper exchanged a few words with his younger brother and quickly walked over.

With Snape gone, the two of them used Apparition to arrive directly at the entrance of the Three Broomsticks Inn.

"What an amazing experience, Felix. I didn't even feel uncomfortable," marveled Belper. "I usually prefer traveling on my own, unless absolutely necessary…"

Felix and Belper entered the inn. It was a weekend, and scattered throughout were young wizards from Hogwarts, many of them couples. They looked surprised as they watched Professor Harp and a stranger walk in.

"Is that Professor Harp's friend?" thought Clemmy Weasley, her curiosity piqued. The girl next to her stared at the two newcomers with interest.

Felix chose a spot in a corner, and Madam Rosmerta came over to take their orders. In less than a minute, their drinks arrived.

"A glass of low-alcohol honey mead."

"A glass of pear and lemon cider."

She swayed away.

Felix tapped the table, and the surrounding noise immediately subsided.

"Felix, who is this?"

"It's best not to let the young wizards overhear our conversation," Felix pointed discreetly to a few young wizards who were craning their necks to listen. He even recognized a few familiar faces among them.

Next, Felix recounted the challenges of taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.

"So, that's how it is... I hadn't paid much attention to this matter," Belper said.

"There's something I must remind you of—about the rumors of a curse on this course from the outside world…" Felix omitted Voldemort's existence and used a powerful wizard to represent the source of the curse.

"Hmm..." Belper hesitated. "According to what you're saying, I only need to teach for about half a year, and the curse won't affect me?"

"Based on the experiences of the past few decades, that seems to be the case. Most wizards who have taught Defense Against the Dark Arts have lived well, with only a few exceptions—"

"But they all had their reasons, Democles. You're an exceptional wizard, and your substitute teaching period is even shorter. This danger is almost negligible."

Felix earnestly said, "Hogwarts has the largest collection of books in the world. I believe it could be quite useful for you at this stage."

Because they were friends, he offered this suggestion. He knew how passionate Democles was about potions, and how rich the library of Hogwarts was.

In a way, they were of the same kind, both climbing the peaks of magic.

Belper's eyes brightened. "Indeed... I've spent over a decade researching Wolfsbane Potion, and the lack of similar research materials has been the most frustrating part."

Potion masters tended to be rather reclusive wizards; they had less time for socializing, which was influenced by the nature of potion-making—each potion required one or two months of brewing, and if improvements were desired, it would require hundreds of trials.

His mind became active; perhaps he could recharge himself in this half a year—a term he picked up from the Muggle world.

Moreover, Hogwarts had a potion master he could exchange ideas with; coupled with the temptation of the Forbidden Forest and Professor Sprout's greenhouse...

"If I agree to teach, do you have any suggestions, Felix?" Belper asked, his interest clearly piqued.

Felix pondered for a moment. "I suggest you prepare a few defensive magical items—I can provide you with them. No need to be nervous, I'm just accustomed to proactively addressing problems." He looked at Belper's expression and added.

"Secondly, when you communicate with Dumbledore, try to learn more about the course, especially from those who have previously taught Defense Against the Dark Arts—how are they doing now? You might even visit some of them."

"Lastly, prepare your lessons in advance. The proficiency of Hogwarts young wizards might surprise you."

Belper smiled. "I graduated from Hogwarts as well, Felix. I know what my level was back then."

...

On that day, Felix Harp informed Dumbledore about the matter.

"So, does this mean we will soon be welcoming an exceptional professor?" Dumbledore's face lit up with delight. "To be honest, I was about to send out recruitment advertisements."

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Belper is just considering it for now. He still needs to have a detailed conversation with you. I won't be involved in that aspect. But—he's one of the few friends I can get along with, and I hope you can ensure his safety."

Dumbledore's azure eyes gazed at Felix, and he smiled gently. "Of course."

In the following days, Felix didn't pay much attention to this matter. He taught his classes, answered questions, and immersed himself in magical research.

This rhythmic life made him lose track of time.

A week quickly passed.

On a sunny afternoon, the castle's accumulated snow began to melt, and snowwater dripped from the eaves.

The Weasley twins cornered him after class.

Playfully, they produced two coins. Felix took them, half-suspecting that they had somehow tampered with the "Fevered Knut."

However, to his surprise, the coins were intact, and there was something extra.

Felix fingered the copper Knuts in his hand, looking at the twins, who returned his gaze with mischievous smiles.

"Are you testing me?"

He sensed the magic within and, after about fifteen seconds, he gripped one of the coins, infusing it with magic. The other copper Knut quickly became scorching hot, its surface becoming uneven.

Felix studied it closely. Several abbreviated letters appeared on the coin, and he tried to puzzle it out. The most fitting sentence he could come up with was—

"'Fercules is here, make a run for it!'"

Felix: "... Is this your nighttime prank prop?"

"Well, Professor Harp," Fred said, "Don't you think this could be a great emergency item—useful for a surprise attack on the magical black market, like plugging gaps in defenses and such?"

"Or for passing secret messages between couples; the words on it are just random," George added.

Heh heh.

Felix wasn't about to believe that they initially invented this thing for night-time escapades.

And what magical black market... I feel like you're implying something about me.

However, their thinking was quite broad. Just as they mentioned, both scenarios had some feasibility.

"So, what's your purpose in coming to me?" he asked.

"Professor Harp, we've encountered a few problems—like the words on the coin are fixed, and we can't change them."

"The coin itself is too small to write much."

"Yeah, we're hoping to develop a two-way communication gadget, something like a two-way mirror, but, of course—"

"—lower cost!"

"—easier to make!"

They looked at Professor Harp with eagerness, hoping he could help resolve their confusion.

Over the past few years, the twins had independently developed some prank items, but many ideas remained unrealized and were relegated to the back shelf.

Fortunately, Professor Harp had promised them that they could always seek his help.

After the twins finished speaking, Felix fell into deep thought, standing motionless in place.

After a few minutes passed—

They exchanged a glance, and Fred said somewhat hesitantly, "You just need to give us a little hint..."

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