Ancient Runes

Standing on the podium, William felt more relaxed than ever before.

He looked up and saw all the students in his field of vision.

When these people graduate in the future, he can proudly say, "They're all kids I raised!"

That's much more assertive than saying "They're all my classmates."

Of course, William was referring to the outstanding students. If a few Death Eaters were among them, he would immediately deny it three times over and distance himself from it.

William's words elicited a variety of reactions from the students below.

Hermione stared at William, her expression a mixture of surprise and slight annoyance at being kept in the dark, as if she wanted to curse him.

Goyle and Crabbe, who were sneaking a bite of rice cake in the last row, noticed William glancing at them and swallowed it whole without even chewing.

That's why he choked.

Alright, William has identified two unlucky guys who will have to redo the renovations.

Pansy started showing off their affection early in the morning, looking at Malfoy with a pained expression, then tightly gripping his right hand.

Malfoy was getting increasingly impatient. He tried to break free, but his right arm was wrapped in bandages and suspended by a bandage strap, making it impossible for him to exert any force.

Besides these chaotic little movements, there was also the noise of old, creaking chairs in the classroom.

"Good morning, everyone!" William's voice rang out clearly from the podium.

He waved his wand, turned on the projector, and an image appeared on the blackboard behind him.

"Are you ready? How many of you can recognize the buildings in the picture?"

"Hogwarts Castle!" A dozen voices rang out in unison.

"Yes, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just building this enormous castle required thousands of wizards; it was a larger undertaking than the Quidditch World Cup."

In the turbulent Middle Ages, this was an absolutely unparalleled architectural marvel; even now, no magic school can compare to Hogwarts.

Everyone looked proud.

"Now, let's look at this picture. What does it represent?"

William waved his wand, and the image transformed into a top-down view, revealing a strange pattern composed of densely packed lines:

A cross-shaped structure, radiating outwards from the center point, resembling a trident weapon.

At first glance, it has a bit of a crop circle feel to it.

William looked around, but this time no one spoke.

"Does nobody really know?" William raised his voice, seemingly quite disappointed.

"This is such a simple question. Whoever answers it correctly will get ten points."

William smiled and glanced at Hermione, seemingly casually.

Hermione pursed her lips tightly, her face flushed red. Even someone as knowledgeable as her truly had no idea what it was.

William's words were clearly a hint that she... remembered the bet.

Hateful!

"Seriously, am I the only one who wasn't afraid of the trouble of reading the Hogwarts Castle Structural Plans?" William feigned surprise.

Everyone shook their heads in confusion, including Hermione.

"Sigh, I dare say you know less than one-thousandth of what this school is like," William said with feigned sigh.

"The castle's blueprints are in the Hogwarts Library; there are only seven books, a few thousand pages in total. They're perfect for leisure reading."

William shrugged.

So you all still need to work hard to improve your knowledge, right?

This isn't William bragging; when he was in his first year preparing to make Hogwarts Map, Dumbledore recommended this set of books and told him to read them carefully.

William initially thought Dumbledore wanted him to be a "civil engineer," but the more times he visited the castle, the deeper his understanding of it became.

They discovered many secrets that were previously unknown. For example, Gaunt had repaired the underground pipes and hidden Chamber of Secrets.

Seeing that no one really knew, William explained:

"This is an aerial view of Hogwarts. The mountains and the rooftops of the castle together form this strange pattern... If there were Muggle satellite image, it would be clearer."

Come on, let's take another look at this.

William snapped his fingers, and another image appeared next to the top-down view.

"It really does look like it..." Seamus exclaimed.

"Yes, blocking out these shadows makes it exactly the same."

William waved his wand, and all the black lines and shadows vanished.

He tapped the Little Black and said, "This is a rune that is now very rare— 'Helm of Awe.'"

As William finished speaking, a line of words appeared on the blackboard: gishjálmur!

Some ancient wizards would inscribe "Helm of Awe" on their armor.

It possesses the magic to instill fear in its enemies and can also inspire courage within itself. It also has powerful defensive capabilities, able to withstand many evil curses.

"You mean Hogwarts is a large-scale magical place?"

"That's right, Hogwarts Castle itself is a magical rune. The builders were undoubtedly geniuses; they imbued the castle with defensive power."

Once the ancient magic is activated, it can unleash a shield even more powerful than Protego Maxima, much like the Hogwarts train.

It was strong enough to withstand multiple magical attacks, ensuring the students could leave the school safely.

Hogwarts is the safest place in the world, and that's not just a casual remark.

The creaking of the chair subsided, and everyone stared intently at the painting.

"Those who have bought my alchemical products, please raise your hands," William asked again.

All the wizards in the class raised their hands.

"I didn't expect it to be so popular..." William chuckled. "So, would you like to know how to make it?"

The creaking of the chair completely disappeared.

Everyone's appetite was completely whetted.

Even those two idiots Goyle and Crabbe, were no exception.

William pulled a Warming Badge from the Safety Watch.

"This is a work in progress. As you can see here, there's a string of Ancient Runes."

"These are actually two Ancient Runes. One is Mannaz, which means man, and the other is Kenaz, which means fire."

To give someone fire means to give them warmth.

"Sir, it could also be burning." Dean Thomas unconsciously used honorifics.

"That's right, Mr. Thomas," William said with a smile.

"Ancient Runes are actually somewhat similar to Transfiguration; what one transforms into depends entirely on the wizard's own interpretation."

The same sentence can have different effects depending on the meaning I give it.

Therefore, when buying products from other stores, be sure to check carefully whether they are selling Warming Badge or burning badges.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"What I will teach you is to learn these words and how to give them meaning, so that you can create similar magical items."

"However, I've seen older students make replicas, but their results aren't as good as Akali's Mystery Shop's."

Pansy finally stopped bothering Malfoy and instead raised her hand to ask a question.

"Miss Parkinson, simply knowing the meaning isn't enough; it requires some knowledge of Alchemy to achieve a stable energy supply."

"What is it?" Seamus asked curiously.

"Mr. Finnigan, I can't say, that involves trade secrets." William blinked.

"If any of you are willing to join Akali's Mystery Shop after graduation, you might be able to learn these real skills."

They whispered amongst themselves, excitedly discussing Akali's Mystery Shop's money-making potential, which they found incredibly enviable.

"William, what are the conditions?" someone shouted.

"You need to study this course well, and at least get an O in the OWLs exam, otherwise I won't consider hiring you."

Everyone sighed and lamented.

"Friends," William raised his voice and walked to the front of the podium.

"Ancient Runes consisted of straight lines; these letters were called magic symbols."

However, due to its complexity, interpretations that differ too much will lead to failure, and completely wrong interpretations will even bring disaster.

As Standard Book of Spells were invented, Ancient Runes were no longer valued.

However, we already know that it still plays a significant role and has advantages in the realm of advanced magic.

This is something that Standard Book of Spells don't have!

In the coming school year, I will guide you to appreciate the charm of this language.

Go and understand the hidden history interwoven within the text.

Everyone clapped enthusiastically.

(Please vote for this post, everyone!)