Fidelius Charm

Did Professor Flitwick want to see me?

Albert was a little surprised, because he didn't have much interaction with the Professor of Charms, at least not enough for the professor to invite him to afternoon tea.

It must be about the paper? But this is a good opportunity; maybe I can find an excuse to ask Professor Flitwick for a borrowing slip from the Restricted Section.

I only need two more borrowings from the Restricted Section to complete my task.

What kind of excuse is appropriate to use?

On his way to Professor Charms's office on the eighth Seventh Floor of the West Tower, Albert kept thinking about it, but when he knocked on the wooden door of Professor Flitwick's office, he still didn't have a good solution.

"Professor, is there something you need?"

When Albert first arrived at Professor Flitwick's office, he found it rather peculiar, probably because of Professor Flitwick's height. There was a movable staircase on the bookshelf, and the chair in the office had been specially raised, with a stool next to it for stepping on.

"Anderson, have a seat!" Professor Flitwick said calmly. "Your paper from last time has been published in this issue of ' Charm Innovation '."

As he spoke, he placed "The Charm Innovation" in front of Albert and turned to the page of the paper.

"Katrina just told me," Albert said.

"Here's the thing, the Editor-in-chief of * Charm Innovation * wants to get to know you, and he sent me a letter." Professor Flitwick took a letter out of his pocket and handed it to Albert. "He thinks it's a bit presumptuous of him to send you a letter directly."

"I understand. If he did that, I'd probably think he was a fraud." Albert took the letter and looked at Professor Flitwick. "Can I open it now?"

"Oh, of course," Professor Flitwick said with a smile. "He thinks highly of your talent."

Albert smiled without saying a word, opened the letter, glanced at its contents, and read the few minor flaws in his paper pointed out in a tactful tone. He also expressed his willingness to correspond with him and hoped that he would continue to publish his "Charms of Charm Innovation" papers.

Albert's impression from the letter was that Mr. Ephias was being a little too enthusiastic.

"Isn't the Editor-in-chief of ' Charm Innovation ' named Ephias Elphias Doge?" Albert looked up in confusion, glancing at Professor Flitwick with a questioning look.

"Ephias is indeed not the Editor-in-chief, but he is the one who truly influences the magazine ' Charm Innovation '," Professor Flitwick explained with a smile. "He has now retired."

"I understand." Albert nodded to indicate that he understood.

"Anderson, whether you want to work at the Ministry of Magic, focus on studying Charms, or do something else in the future, it won't hurt to interact more with people in this field," Professor Flitwick kindly reminded Albert.

"Thank you, Professor." Although Albert had no immediate plans to pursue this path, he still expressed his gratitude to Professor Flitwick, knowing that the latter's words were entirely out of kindness.

"By the way, Professor, I discovered two advanced Charms while researching protection Charms in the library the other day," Albert said suddenly, putting away the letter.

"A profound Charms?" Professor Flitwick raised an eyebrow.

"The Patronus Charm and the Fidelius Charm," Albert continued. "I'm very interested in them, but I've only found information on the Patronus Charm. Do you know where I can find information on the Fidelius Charm?"

Professor Flitwick was somewhat taken aback; he hadn't expected Albert to have already begun exploring such advanced magic. So he tentatively asked, "You've already started learning the Patronus Charm?"

"Um, I started trying to practice it two weeks ago. This magic is a bit difficult..." Albert paused, then summarized briefly, "It is said that the Patronus Charm can summon Corporeal Patronus, but I don't quite understand what that means... Does it mean that after chanting the spell, the Charms no longer emits a ball of white light, but instead condenses into Patronus with a physical form?"

Albert began to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted.

"Your idea isn't wrong. However, the Patronus Charm is a very profound form of magic, usually used to ward off Dementor." Professor Flitwick thought for a moment and then advised, "When casting the spell, you need to concentrate and think about your happiest moments, because the Patronus Charm promotes happiness and hope, but it requires a very strong Magical Power. This spell might be too much for you right now. Don't worry if you can't summon Corporeal Patronus right now; you still have a lot of room to grow."

"I know." Albert nodded and continued, "What about the Fidelius Charm? It's said to be a powerful and complex Protective Magic."

"Yes, it's very complicated." Professor Flitwick seemed to be considering whether to tell Albert, "It involves using magic to hide a secret within the soul of a living person."

"Hide the secret in your soul?"

"Yes, by keeping this secret hidden in the heart of the chosen Secret-Keeper, no one else can discover it. Of course, unless that Secret-Keeper intends to leak it."

"So, the Fidelius Charm' is suitable for hiding things?" Albert pretended not to understand, but in fact, he was a little confused.

He remembered that the Fidelius Charm could hide a person, making them untraceable by anyone except the Secret-Keeper. But from Professor Flitwick's words, it seemed the charm had other uses, or perhaps his original understanding of the Fidelius Charm was flawed.

"Of course, you're not wrong in your understanding," Professor Flitwick said after a few seconds of silence, nodding.

"Professor, do you know this magic?" Albert suddenly asked. "I want to learn this magic."

"I can, but..." Professor Flitwick stared at Albert and asked, "The Fidelius Charm is too difficult for you right now. By the way, what do you want to use it to hide?"

"My diary," Albert said without hesitation. "That way, I won't have to worry about anyone reading it."

Professor Flitwick was speechless; he simply couldn't understand Albert's way of thinking.

Noticing Professor Flitwick's silence, Albert continued, "Professor, is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry also protected by the Fidelius Charm?"

"No, Hogwarts is too large a territory, and the Fidelius Charm automatically turns anyone who knows of its existence into Secret-Keeper after the Secret-Keeper dies. The more people who know about it, the weaker its power becomes, making it unreliable," Professor Flitwick shook his head.

"I still want to learn this spell. Can you teach me?" Albert said. "I think it's a very useful spell."

"Before that, you need to master ancient magic..." Professor Flitwick paused, suddenly realizing that the student in front of him seemed to have a high level of expertise in Ancient Runes.

"Ancient Runes? The Fidelius Charm uses Ancient Runes, not English?" Albert suddenly frowned and asked, "Professor, I have a question?"

"What's the problem?"

"The Patronus Charm has been documented since ancient times," Albert said, expressing his doubts. "Wizards used to use Ancient Runes, so why is the Patronus Charm now in English instead of Charms Ancient Runes? Also, shouldn't it be very important to avoid mispronouncing spells? But as far as I know, it's okay to pronounce the same spell in other languages. So, what is the meaning of the spells we use?"

"The essence of Charms is a talisman!" Professor Flitwick did not answer Albert's question directly, but instead said something that left everyone puzzled.