Nightmare Course

After lunch, which didn't include lamb chops, Sean and Hermione walked together toward the second floor of the castle. Hermione's steps became noticeably lighter as they passed the library.

"It's so nice that the Ancient Runes classrooms are so close to the library entrance," the girl said cheerfully.

Sean is clearly not so lucky. With two talents, he can still struggle in Potions thanks to Hermione and Snape's notebooks, but he probably won't be so fortunate in Ancient Runes class.

Despite investing a great deal of time and effort, Sean still hasn't understood even the most basic "Introduction to Ancient Runes".

Unfortunately, Runes is the key to mastering Ancient Magic, the feeling of not getting any feedback from this hard work is terrible.

Hermione glanced at Sean's worried face. She knew her friend's troubles and comforted her, "Ancient Runes are very difficult to learn, and all magical disciplines have their own unique characteristics. Perhaps Ancient Runes are just difficult to learn on your own? Professor Babbling's teaching level is very high. After listening to his lectures, you may be able to understand them better."

Sean smiled, his sour face disappearing. He knew Hermione was trying to comfort him; Hermione had taught herself the same book, "Introduction to Ancient Runes," in just two months.

At present, we can only hope that Professor Bathsheba Professor Babbling, the teacher of Ancient Runes, can give this stone some inspiration.

At the end of the corridor, they arrived at a classroom of Ancient Runes.

The curtains in the room were tightly closed, but it was still brightly lit, with indistinct light sources on all four walls and the ceiling that made Sean's eyes dizzy.

Bookshelves reaching to the ceiling were placed in the corners of the walls and on both sides of the blackboard, containing many ancient books and documents with worn covers or even no covers at all.

Aside from that, the classroom was abnormally normal; the desks, chairs, blackboard, and globe made it look exactly like the classroom Sean used to have in elementary school.

"Seeing this at Hogwarts has a strange sense of familiarity..." Hermione sighed.

Sean nodded in agreement, and the two sat down in the middle seats of the middle row, which was probably the best place to listen to the lecture.

Professor Babbling walked in just in time for class. She was a witch who looked quite young, but she had the air of an old scholar. It was said that the professor was quite old, but for some reason she still looked young—one of the reasons why many girls chose to study Ancient Runes.

Professor Babbling walked to the lectern and spoke very quickly, "Welcome. Guda Runes is a profound but dry subject. Your choice may be right or wrong. Whether you gain anything depends entirely on how much knowledge you can absorb from me. I can only guarantee that I will not hold anything back. At the same time, I allow you to ask questions within ten minutes after each class. If you have more questions, please come to me every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from seven to ten o'clock. I am in the office at the far east end of the corridor on the sixth floor."

After delivering his opening remarks in one breath, Professor Babbling adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and scanned the crowd with a blank expression.

"Did you understand?"

"I understand." Many people were still processing her opening remarks when responses came one after another.

Behind Sean, two Hufflepuff girls were whispering, "Professor Babbling seems to be similar to Professor McGonagall?"

"No, I heard from others that Professor Babbling is not strict at all, and she talks a lot. However, she has a very strong sense of time, and I heard that she is always multitasking, constantly reviewing her Runes knowledge in her mind, so her face is often expressionless."

The two's hushed discussion went unnoticed by Professor Babbling, who walked to the back of the podium and put down her textbook. "Can someone tell me the origin of Ancient Runes and our current direction of study?"

Hermione immediately raised her hand.

"Miss, Academy, your name and your answer."

"Hermione Granger, from Ravenclaw, Professor," Hermione stood up quickly. "Ancient Runes are an alphabet that originated 1,500 years ago. When the first wizards were exploring magic, they discovered that some special symbols could have a wonderful connection with magic. As wizards developed, the symbols gradually evolved into an alphabet, and the alphabets of different eras are collectively called Ancient Runes Runes, which are now also called Ancient Runes."

Hermione took a breath and continued, "It comes from the German word Raunen, which means 'secret conversation.' These symbols are believed to contain mystical elements, and each letter is a hieroglyph with a deep meaning. Of course, due to various historical factors, Runes are now in a semi-lost state. We mainly learn this script now in order to study Ancient Runes magical manuscripts in order to obtain some information about ancient wizards. At the same time, the field of alchemy also relies on Runes. However, as far as I know, very few Ancient Magic that modern wizards can cast using Ancient Runes are truly effective."

Professor Babbling gestured for Hermione to sit down. "Very good, Miss Granger, Ravenclaw five points."

"Miss Granger is quite accurate. This is the mainstream academic consensus on Ancient Runes, which also means that your course is mainly a theoretical course."

Many girls expressed their regret, as they originally thought that Professor Babbling's eternal youth came from an Ancient Magic they had never heard of.

Professor Babbling ignored these voices. She simply opened her textbook quietly and said in a rapid-fire voice, "I understand what many of you are thinking. You want to learn dazzling, powerful, and magical Ancient Magic, but what about reality?"

She forced a stiff smile, "The reality is that the Ancient Magic you can imagine truly exists."

The students in the audience stared in surprise.

"But that requires very in-depth research. I look forward to you discovering mysterious areas that I have never even discovered in your future studies. I will be proud of you."

"But now, please turn to page three of the book."

Sean flipped through the book and then saw the preface on this page:

Runes are a script of rules.

Professor Babbling patted the textbook. "Just like the preface, before we begin our formal study, I hope you understand the key point of the Runes, which is the [rules]."

"Runes are a script of rules. Its learning, use, and even research must follow rules. These rules mean a fixed flow of magical symbols, and the different effects of Ancient Magic come from the combination and arrangement of different symbols."

"Furthermore, does anyone know why Ancient Runes and alchemy are so closely related?"

No one raised their hand in the classroom, and even Hermione was a little unsure.

Sean raised his hand.

"Similarly, give me your name and your answer, sir."

"Sean Wallerup, Ravenclaw, Professor," Sean hesitated slightly, but still gave his answer, "Both have one thing in common, which is Equivalent Exchange."

"Correct, Mr. Wallop, five points for Ravenclaw." Professor Babbling nodded expressionlessly, gesturing for Sean to sit down.

She continued, "Equivalent Exchange is a characteristic of Ancient Runes, or rather, Ancient Magic that uses Ancient Runes. We all know that magic is miracles, but unlike modern spells, Ancient Magic has no upper limit within the framework of rules."

There is no upper limit... Everyone began to ponder the meaning of this sentence.

"Besides the arrangement of symbols, the output of magical power also affects the power of Ancient Magic. If your magical power is large enough, you can create a powerful effect. I think you should have some questions now. There is no upper limit, which seems like a good thing for magic, so why has Ancient Magic been so severely lost?"

Everyone nodded.

"On the one hand, the evolution of writing has led to information gaps, and on the other hand, it is because of this [no upper limit]."

"Throughout history, countless wizards have had their magic drained when using this unstable and powerful force. The output of magic in Ancient Magic is very difficult to judge, and having one's magic drained often means severe damage to one's vitality or even death."

"Then, wands appeared that could amplify the power of spells and calm their instability. Based on wands, safer spells, which are the modern spells we learn and use now, began to develop, and Ancient Magic declined."

"This danger is also why Hogwarts only allows me to conduct theoretical classes."

"Rules and Equivalent Exchange are the two key points I want you to remember when you study Ancient Runes."

Before anyone could process what Professor Babbling had said, she turned her gaze to her textbook.

"Now, let's start by learning the pronunciation and meaning of the alphabet."

Sean glanced at the alphabet instinctively, and then that familiar dizziness washed over him again.

Although Professor Babbling speaks quickly and tends to cram a lot of information into her words, it must be said that her knowledge is accurate and unreserved. In just one sentence, she clarified many key points of learning Ancient Runes for her students.

In teaching the basics of Runes initials, transcription, phonetics, and meanings, she is equally fast and accurate.

This put immense pressure on Sean, who stared at the symbols with a headache, trying his best to concentrate.

But just like before, even though it was just the meaning of a magic rune, which didn't even involve the use of any magic, Sean still forgot what his teacher had taught him as he studied.

A complete mess... This is the state of Sean's head an hour after the Ancient Runes class began.

This is ridiculous! So having a little talent means you have no rights, huh...?

Sean looked away from the alphabet with a headache and glanced at the people around him.

Despite Hermione's furrowed brow as Professor Babbling lectured rapidly, her constant quilling and muttering to herself revealed that she was quickly absorbing Professor Babbling teachings.

Sean slightly raised his head to look at the other students. Each one was different, but without exception, they all had a sense of urgency on their faces. This proved that no matter how well they absorbed the material, they were still trying to digest the teaching content.

No one else experienced headaches and dizziness like Sean.

Professor Babbling continued her rapid-fire lecture, paying no attention to the classroom except for the occasional pause to correct the pronunciation of a letter. She also failed to notice Sean's bewilderment and disorientation.

Unfortunately, this professor, who had taught at Hogwarts for many years, had extensive teaching experience, which made Sean, who wanted to learn but couldn't, extremely frustrated.

The second half of the Ancient Runes course became a painful ordeal.

"... I will check your understanding of the alphabet in the next class. If you listened attentively in the previous lesson, or even if you only listened for half the lesson..." Professor Babbling paused, not looking at anyone, and continued, "Then you should at least have mastered the accurate pronunciation of more than ten letters and the specific explanation of individual hieroglyphs."

"The progress check won't affect your class grades unless you blow up my classroom. Otherwise, I'll give everyone enough passing grades—but my final exams are very difficult. By the way, a P is a passing grade in Guda Runes, but every year the number of people getting Ds and Ts is the highest of all subjects."

The exam is divided into six levels: O (Excellent), E (As Expected), A (Pass), and then the three levels of failing.

P (Poor), D (Very Poor), T (Extremely Poor). By the way, T means Troll —you're on par with Troll in terms of intelligence.

Now, Sean can almost foresee his first TOEFL and his first retake...

Professor Babbling closed his textbook. "That's it. Class dismissed. If you have any questions, come to me. You have ten minutes."

Hermione immediately took Sean's hand. She had just witnessed Sean's painful struggle during the second half of the lesson, just like when the two of them were studying Runes together before.

Pushing aside two female students who wanted to ask about Ancient Magic for preserving one's appearance, Hermione pulled Sean, who was rubbing his head, to Professor Babbling.

The professor remained expressionless as she calmly looked at the two of them. "What's the problem, Miss Granger, Mr. Wallop?"

"Sean ..." Hermione nudged Sean.

Sean stepped forward; his temples were still throbbing.

"Professor, I'd like to know, is it abnormal to experience dizziness and headaches while studying Runes?"

Professor Babbling glanced at him expressionlessly, then nodded. "Yes, something's not right."

Sean immediately looked up in surprise. "Is there any way to improve this?"

"Go to Madam Pomfrey and get her an Invigoration Draught."

"Ah?"

"Dizziness and headaches when you overwork your brain are often symptoms of a cold, fever, or lack of energy. If you don't have a cold, I suggest you go to the Hospital Wing for a full checkup," Professor Babbling said calmly.

"Um, you've misunderstood, Professor. I'm not sick or weak. I just don't feel well when studying Runes..."

Professor Babbling interrupted Sean, her gaze calm beneath her glasses. "That only proves that there's a problem with your attitude towards learning."

Before Sean could speak, Hermione argued for him. "No, Professor, Sean is a very serious person."

"No one gets a headache while learning the basics of Runes. If you're not sick, it just means you're not taking it seriously enough," Professor Babbling said to Hermione, ignoring Sean.