Will had no idea what was happening in the Gryffindor common room and continued enjoying his peaceful, fulfilling life.
Ever since his conflict with Yaxley and the others in the common room, his dormitory had become a single room, and no one called him a “Ravenclaw spy” anymore, at least not openly.
He couldn’t be bothered to care about what people said behind his back.
As for the families behind those students, just as he had expected, they had no influence within Hogwarts.
One day, after Charms Class, Will found Professor Flitwick.
“Will, why isn’t Miss Lestrange with you today?” Professor Flitwick joked.
The two had already become quite familiar, and Professor Flitwick was very fond of this inquisitive, polite, and humble young Wizard.
“I have some questions for you, so I let her go play with her friends first.”
Will handed his notebook to Professor Flitwick.
“Professor, I want to know how Runes developed into the current Spell system.”
Professor Flitwick looked at Will in surprise.
“Will, Runes already involve third-year material. You don’t need to understand them at this stage.”
“Professor, I don’t want to study Runes themselves. I just want to understand why Wizards shifted from using Runes to using Spells, and how the two are connected. I think understanding that transition will help me understand the current Spell system more easily. When you visited my house, you only explained the connection between emotions and Spells.”
“All right.”
Professor Flitwick cast a Levitation Charm on his stack of books.
“Let’s go to my office.”
Will followed Professor Flitwick to his office.
“Who created Runes, and when they were first created, is unknown. Some legends attribute them to Merlin, others to Odin, and some even to Jesus Christ, but these are nothing more than legends.”
Professor Flitwick placed his books down before continuing.
“However, ancient Wizards did indeed use Runes to cast magic. They would arrange different Runes in specific structures to produce incredible effects, such as emitting light, creating flames, summoning creatures, and even influencing the boundaries between life and death.”
“Rune casting was also relatively stable. Once a Wizard mastered the necessary structures, arranging them could produce very precise results. The problem was simply the difficulty.”
“For example.”
Professor Flitwick drew a complicated symbol in the air with his wand.
“Do you recognize it?”
“Sōwilō, the sun, also associated with light and brightness.”
Will pronounced the Rune in its original form, his pronunciation sounding strange and somewhat awkward to the human ear.
“You’ve already started studying Runes?”
Professor Flitwick was surprised by Will’s progress, but he continued explaining.
“Each original Rune structure was extremely difficult for a Wizard to master because Runes weren’t ordinary syllables or words. They were magical symbols with their own properties. This was one reason ancient Wizards were so powerful, yet relatively few in number.” This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
“Over generations, Wizards gradually simplified these complex Rune structures. The spoken components became the incantations we use today, which is why Wizards must pronounce their Spells correctly.”
Professor Flitwick paused.
“And the structure of Runes…”
Will immediately understood.
“The structural arrangement of Runes became the wand movements used in modern Spellcasting?”
“Exactly.”
Professor Flitwick nodded.
“That’s why, when teaching young Wizards Spells, I emphasize both pronunciation and wand movements. They help you reproduce the necessary magical structure accurately and consistently.”
“A classic example is Baruffio. He once mispronounced the ‘F’ in a Levitation Charm as an ‘S’ and ended up lying on the floor with a wild ox standing on his chest. The incorrect pronunciation disrupted the Spell’s structure. In other words, he effectively created an incorrect magical structure.”
[You have gained new Spell knowledge. Charms EXP +22.]
[You have gained new Rune knowledge. Runes EXP +7.]
At that moment, Will realized that he absolutely had to take Runes as an elective when the time came.
“Thank you, Professor Flitwick. If possible, may I come to you after class to learn more about Spells?”
Will wasn’t foolish.
Professor Flitwick consistently helped him gain large amounts of experience, so seeking his guidance could only benefit him.
“Of course. If you’d like, you can come once or twice a week, perhaps in the afternoon or evening. How does that sound?”
Professor Flitwick was always willing to encourage students who genuinely loved learning.
“Thank you very much, Professor Flitwick.”
…
Some time later, Neville once again asked Will for help with Accio.
By then, Neville had already mastered the basics of the Spell and only had a few minor flaws left to correct.
After another practice session, the two soon left the Room of Requirement.
They parted ways at the entrance to the Great Hall, with Will heading directly inside while Neville returned to the Gryffindor common room.
Coincidentally, Harry and Ron witnessed the scene.
“What kind of evil experiment do you think that guy is conducting on Neville?”
Harry scratched his head.
“I don’t know, but I feel like he’s genuinely trying to help Neville.”
“Harry, George and the others told me they keep running into that guy when they’re out at night. Think about it. A Slytherin who’s always wandering around at night. What does that mean?”
Ron lowered his voice as though he had uncovered a great conspiracy.
“That he can’t sleep at night?”
“Could he also be looking for that thing?”
Ron leaned closer.
“You know, that dog Neville and we saw that day. Maybe he’s forcing Neville to tell him about it.”
Ron didn’t seem to realize how many holes there were in his theory.
Harry knew exactly what Ron was talking about, the thing guarded by the terrifying three-headed dog, the creature beneath the trapdoor.
“Probably not…”
Harry’s instincts told him that Will wasn’t a bad person.
However, Snape’s obvious favoritism toward Will made him somewhat suspicious.
Then Harry’s gaze followed Will.
He saw Will walk over to Snape and exchange a few words with him.
A moment later, Snape suddenly looked in Harry’s direction, his eyes meeting Harry’s.
Harry felt the scar on his forehead throb faintly.
He covered his forehead and lowered his head.
Ron immediately supported Harry, looking concerned.
“What’s wrong, Harry? Is your scar hurting again?”
“It must… It must be Snape’s doing.”
“He found out we suspected his little Dark Wizard, so he attacked you as a warning! It must be!” Ron quickly pieced together his own explanation, speaking through gritted teeth.
Harry covered his forehead and remained silent.
With no other choice, Ron helped him back to the common room.
From beginning to end, neither of them noticed the young man sitting at the Professors’ table, a large purple scarf wrapped around his head as he quietly watched them.
Will had no idea that Harry and Ron already suspected him.
He had just received a note granting him access to the Restricted Section, allowing him to borrow books related to Runes.
“Professor Snape, thank you very much.”