The Ancient Runes classroom was located in one of the castle's least frequented towers, where the large windows let in very little sunlight. The walls were covered with diagrams, inscriptions in forgotten languages, and fragments of parchment protected by preservation spells.
Aurelian settled into a seat in the second row, his quill already poised over the parchment. Next to him were Hestia and Flora, both with attentive expressions that showed their determination and curiosity to learn something new. Although most students had chosen other, lighter electives, they had decided to follow him in this one as well, convinced that this ancient knowledge could be both useful and dangerous.
When Professor Calista Blake entered the classroom, the murmuring stopped instantly. She wore dark gray robes that gave her a solemn air, her gaze shining with that mixture of discipline and enthusiasm that inspired respect.
"Welcome to Ancient Runes," she announced in a clear voice. "This is not a subject for those looking for easy shortcuts. This is not about waving a wand and reciting words, but about understanding the very language of magic. Each rune is an idea, a concept, a primal force that existed before we wizards thought of organizing spells."
A couple of students raised their eyebrows, surprised by the words of the speech given for an elective class. Blake noticed and smiled.
"Some of you may be wondering why I am teaching this subject. Until last year, I was a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but I have decided to return to my true field of study. Arcane languages and ancient magic. This year, Ancient Runes is under my tutelage, and I assure you that I will test your discipline as much as I did in my old classes."
The whispers grew a little louder, especially among the older students who had heard about Blake's toughness in Defense. Hestia and Flora looked at each other with a knowing smile: if anyone could guide them in unconventional knowledge, it was precisely that teacher.
Blake raised her wand and projected a series of luminous symbols into the air: ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚨ.
"These are some of the oldest runes of the Norse peoples. Each one holds an echo of power: wealth, protection, strength, travel. Learning to write them is easy," she leaned slightly toward the class, "the hard part is understanding their meaning and how to integrate them into our magic."
Aurelian watched intently, remembering similar diagrams in the margins of the Chamber of Secrets books. If anything could help him in his research on Parseltongue magic and the legacy of Salazar Slytherin, it was understanding the runes that had shaped the original spells.
When the class turned practical, Blake handed out clay tablets for each student to try to inscribe the basic protection rune, Algiz (ᛉ). While many simply copied the shape, Aurelian closed his eyes for a moment, connecting with the essence of the rune, letting its magic flow through him before engraving it. His tablet not only glowed with a faint light, but the rune seemed to beat like a heart.
Next to him, Hestia pressed firmly into the clay, serious, focused on not failing. Flora, on the other hand, seemed to smile discreetly, as if enjoying the challenge. Their runes glowed faintly, showing the effort they were putting into understanding something new.
Blake approached Aurelian first.
"Interesting..." she murmured with a fleeting smile. "Mr. Gaunt, it seems you understand that runes are not just symbols."
He looked up, calm.
"I just tried to listen to them, Professor."
The teacher nodded, silently assessing him, then leaned over to look at the twins' tablets.
"Not bad," she commented. "With practice, you'll make them more than mere strokes."
Hestia straightened up proudly, while Flora whispered softly to Aurelian, a sparkle in her eyes:
"You'll see, we won't be left behind."
The chalk in Professor Blake's hand moved with surgical precision, drawing new shapes in the air. They weren't just simple characters: each stroke seemed to resonate with a subtle glow. The students followed every movement, some with eyes shining with curiosity, others with a nervous grimace at the unknown.
"The magic of runes does not require a wand, as I said before," Blake explained, her voice steady as the sound of a bell. "The wand is a channel, yes, but runes are the original language of magic. Once you understand them, all you need is the right intention and symbol to make use of them."
She turned to the class, her dark eyes shining like embers.
"Watch."
With an elegant movement, he wrote the rune Isa (ᛁ) in the air. As soon as he finished the stroke, the temperature in the classroom dropped. An icy breeze swept across the windows, and the water in the jugs on the front table began to freeze. The students huddled in their robes, surprised.
Blake did not stop. He added another rune, Kenaz (ᚲ), and a bright flame sprang up in the center of the classroom, floating in the air like an incorporeal torch. The warm light restored the heat, and the students looked at each other, marveling at the contrast.
"You will then understand that runes are not mere letters," Blake continued, raising his voice. "They are primordial forces. Isa is not 'ice', it is the idea of stillness, of immobility; Kenaz is not 'fire', but the concept of revelation, of vision. The magician who engraves these symbols does not create anything new, he simply calls upon what already exists in the essence of the world."
The silence in the classroom was absolute. Even the most skeptical seemed mesmerized.
Aurelian watched intently, feeling how those runes resonated with what he had read in Salazar's library. That magic was not so different from the ancient writings he had seen in the Chamber: symbols that, when invoked, awakened hidden forces. A spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Hestia, at his side, murmured softly:
"This... this is different from everything we've been taught."
Flora nodded, with a calm smile that seemed to hide another emotion.
"Imagine, Aurelian... what we could do with this power."
Blake snapped her fingers and the runes in the air vanished like smoke.
"Don't be confused," she added, her gaze now as sharp as the edge of a knife. "The power of runes is tempting, but also dangerous. Invoking symbols you don't understand is as suicidal as playing with poison. I've seen magicians lose more than their magic by trying to force their will on these symbols. I will not tolerate recklessness here."
Several throats swallowed in unison.
The teacher turned to the students' tablets.
"Your first inscriptions are mediocre, as is to be expected. But in the case of Mr. Gaunt," her gaze fell directly on Aurelian, "I see something different. You've seen these symbols before, haven't you?"
A murmur ran through the class. Aurelian held Blake's gaze, unflinching.
"I've studied them a little," he replied calmly.
Blake narrowed her eyes, as if trying to read beyond his words, but in the end she just smiled at him.
"Then perhaps you will understand before the others what it truly means to study this art."
Then he raised his wand, signaling the end of the first session.
"That's enough for today. Next class we'll talk about combined power runes. Get ready... because I'm not going to go easy on anyone."
The students began to gather their things, murmuring ecstatically. Some looked terrified, others fascinated.
The library was silent, except for the occasional passing of Madame Pince between the endless rows of shelves. Aurelian, Hestia, and Flora had settled at one of the tables in the back, away from prying eyes, with a couple of rune books spread out in front of them.
"Look at this," Hestia said quietly, pointing to a glyph carved into a thick tome. "Here it explains that the Algiz rune can be used as a spiritual shield. It's not just a protective spell, but something... deeper."
"Perhaps some kind of anchor for the soul," Aurelian murmured, reading the passage. He recognized the shape, similar to the symbols he had seen engraved on the walls of the Chamber. Salazar knew about this too.
Flora leaned over the page, her hair brushing Aurelian's shoulder as she whispered excitedly:
"If we combine Algiz with Tiwaz, it is said that it can strengthen a magician's will against mind control spells... that would explain why some ancient records speak of magicians and warriors who were impossible to dominate."
Aurelian nodded, jotting down quick notes on a piece of parchment. Fascination shone in his eyes. It was clear that runes were more than an academic study: they were a direct path to the essence of magic.
The rustling of pages being turned was suddenly interrupted by a clumsy noise: a boy stumbled over the corner of his desk, nearly knocking over the pile of books stacked there.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" exclaimed Neville Longbottom, his cheeks red with embarrassment as he hurriedly picked up one of the books.
Hestia frowned, annoyed by the interruption, and Flora let out an exasperated sigh. But Aurelian raised his hand, stopping them before they could say anything.
"Calm down," he said in a calm voice. His eyes fixed on Neville, and for a moment he saw beyond the boy's clumsiness, he saw the character he had read about in another life, the young man who, through effort, pain, and courage, had deserved much more recognition than he had been given.
Neville, nervous, nodded and turned to leave, but Aurelian stopped him with one last sentence.
"Be careful, Longbottom."
Neville looked at him, confused by the seriousness of his words, but finally smiled shyly and walked away through the library aisles.
Hestia raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't think you'd have patience for someone like that."
Flora watched him closely, trying to read his intentions.
"Why did you stop him?"
Aurelian looked down at the parchment he had been writing on. A flash of melancholy crossed his face.
"Because sometimes the clumsiest people hide a strength that even they don't believe they have," he replied quietly.
The twins looked at him intrigued, not fully understanding, but they didn't press the issue. In the silence that followed, Aurelian went over the runes again, though a certainty lingered in his mind. Neville deserved much more than fate had given him... and perhaps, in this life, things could be different.
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