Bathsheda Babbling.
Hogwarts Professor of Ancient Runes.
This was a very low-key professor. Each week when she came to Hogwarts, aside from teaching classes, her presence was virtually undetectable. Some people even suspected that, like Professor Binns of Magical History, she was also a ghost, though those who had taken Ancient Runes knew this rumor was pure nonsense.
Professor Babbling was not only not a ghost, she was also a very intellectual beauty. She wore a purple wizard's hat and purple evening gown-style wizard robes. Some said she had elven heritage, but Sean had observed her ears, and they weren't the slightly longer and sharper ears typical of wizards with elven blood.
Sean was very interested in Ancient Runes, not because of this Ancient Runes professor, but because Ancient Runes were closely related to alchemy and were the origin of ancient magic, which would be of great help to Sean's magical studies and even the writing of his Transfiguration thesis.
Ancient Runes were vast and profound. Even present-day Ancient Runes experts wouldn't dare claim to be proficient in them, but Professor Babbling's attainments in Ancient Runes, at least in Sean's view, were different from those half-baked experts. When teaching, her every word and action carried confidence, and he didn't know where Dumbledore had found such a professor.
"Ancient Runes, also known as Ancient Futhark, each rune has its specific meaning, but the meaning represented by each rune is not unique.
So when using Ancient Runes, you must remember to apply them flexibly; otherwise, if used incorrectly, some very dangerous things might happen.
Just like the most widely circulated example where a Levitation Charm might summon a buffalo, incorrect use of Ancient Runes could very well endanger your life. Therefore, I don't want any of you to rashly experiment during the learning process, as that would lead to results you absolutely wouldn't want to see."
Professor Babbling pointed her hand, and Ancient Runes and their meanings appeared out of thin air on the blackboard, as if an invisible person was writing on the blackboard with chalk.
"In Ancient Runes, some represent specific meanings while others represent conceptual, non-specific meanings. Today, like the previous lessons this semester, I will teach you five Ancient Runes with specific meanings: [Torch], [Rain], [Oak], [Aurochs], and [Lake]. I hope you can remember them and write a paper on how to use these five Ancient Runes, at least two feet long. You'll hand it to me during next week's Ancient Runes class."
A two-foot paper really wasn't long at Hogwarts, considering that some professors had previously assigned four-foot or even five-foot papers. Even Sean found such lengths somewhat troublesome.
When class ended, Professor Babbling picked up the books and assignments on her desk, preparing to leave.
Sean seized the opportunity and stepped quickly in front of Professor Babbling, beginning to ask questions about Ancient Runes.
During previous classes, not understanding her well, Sean would chase after her to ask questions after each class but was always a step too late. As long as Professor Babbling left the classroom, as long as she was out of sight for even a moment, she would definitely disappear without a trace immediately, only reappearing at the next class. This was precisely why some people speculated she was actually a ghost.
Professor Babbling looked at Sean blocking her path, her face full of unwillingness, her whole body radiating rejection. But when Sean asked his questions, Professor Babbling seemed bound by some rule. No matter how reluctant she was, she still had to open her mouth and give Sean detailed answers.
Ancient Runes class was in the morning, and after class was the lunch break, so Sean could ask questions freely. He questioned her for nearly forty minutes, until Professor Babbling's face darkened, before reluctantly putting away his things.
"Thank you, Professor Babbling. That's all for today's questions."
Today's questions...
Professor Babbling's mouth clearly twitched, then she strode out of the classroom without looking back.
Sean immediately followed, closely behind Professor Babbling as she left the classroom. However, just like before, the moment Sean followed Professor Babbling out of the classroom, she had already vanished without a trace.
"Really does appear and disappear like a ghost."
The Quidditch season atmosphere in early October was already quite thick.
Many people were even wearing homemade badges supporting their house's Quidditch team.
Sean and Blaise stood in front of the greenhouse, waiting for Herbology Professor Sprout to arrive.
Just then, Sean saw Ron and Hermione standing not far away, quietly arguing about their pets. The issues between the rat Scabbers and the ginger cat Crookshanks.
Sean naturally knew why this was happening.
Crookshanks was very intelligent and even had the bloodline of the magical creature Kneazle. According to Sean's speculation, Crookshanks should have discovered that Scabbers wasn't a normal rat, which was why he repeatedly tried to catch Scabbers. This was protection for his owner Hermione, or there was another possibility. That Crookshanks had already communicated with Sirius in his dog form and decided to help Sirius capture Scabbers, though Sean thought this possibility wasn't very high.
Speaking of which, Sean knew who the rat Scabbers was, but others didn't, so Crookshanks' behavior seemed to Ron like simply wanting to harm his only pet, his only possession.
When Sean was still an observer, watching Ron constantly defend Scabbers, he had also thought Ron was foolish and didn't know priorities. But after coming to this world and understanding Ron, he discovered that Ron's protection of Scabbers, from his perspective, wasn't incomprehensible.
Ron's family had many children. He wasn't the oldest, wasn't the youngest, and wasn't even the most mischievous and worrying. He was just the most ordinary and least noticed one. Of course, this didn't mean Ron's parents didn't love this child, it was just that they had too many children and couldn't put all their love on Ron. Most of their love went to the oldest child, the youngest child, and the most mischievous child, while this honest and dutiful child received the least attention.
Naturally, from childhood, Ron only had things that were hand-me-downs from his brothers countless times over, and the only thing that belonged to him was Scabbers. Although it was also something Percy didn't want, in Ron's view, this was the only thing that belonged to him, his only pet. Therefore, Sean understood Ron's constant protection of Scabbers.
However, understanding aside, the matter of capturing and pursuing Scabbers, or rather, capturing Wormtail Peter, still needed to be put on the agenda.
Animagus. Sean had been looking forward to this for a long time.