The arrangements for Peter's broadcast device were settled. Now Will had something else to deal with—the Rune Association's invitation.
It was already early January, and Hogwarts' Christmas holiday was nearly over. The best time to visit the Rune Association would be right at the end of the break.
Professor Babbling had been urging Will to go for days, but the Werewolf Venom Curse had kept him busy until now.
Early the next morning, Professor Babbling practically dragged Will to London. She was afraid he would put it off again.
The Rune Association was an organization with little influence in the Wizarding World. Ancient Runes occupied an awkward position, neither flourishing nor disappearing.
At the top, it had no prominent figure to demonstrate the strengths of the Rune System. At the bottom, most young Wizards never chose Ancient Runes as an elective.
Modern Charms had squeezed Ancient Runes into an ever smaller niche. Most Wizards wanted Magic to be quick and convenient; they did not care whether Ancient Runes survived.
Many people thought Ancient Runes were much like Old English: sooner or later, they would fall out of use.
In fact, their situations were much the same. In the Wizarding World, almost no one outside a handful of scholars cared about or studied Ancient Runes.
The association had invited Will in the hope of investing in this genius early. If he became an expert in the field, he could one day give the Rune Association a prominent figure of its own.
Diagon Alley was already bustling. With the holiday nearly over, plenty of Wizards had brought their children to buy supplies for the second half of the school year—new robes, Potions ingredients, cauldrons, spellbooks, and the like.
They ran into the Weasley family—or rather, Mr. Weasley with the Twins and Ginny.