The Ancient Runes classroom was on the third floor. Usually, professors at Hogwarts had their offices next to their classrooms, with living quarters in an adjoining room.
Dana arrived in front of Professor Babbling's office. Just as he was about to knock, he saw the words "Ancient Runes Professor's Office" on the door rapidly change to:
[The door is unlocked, come in, child.]
Pushing the door open, Dana found something that wasn't quite what one would expect an office to be. Aside from an old sofa amidst a pile of clutter, there was nothing that suggested an academic workspace. It was practically a storage room filled with all sorts of bizarre objects—medical skeletal specimens, various shaped pottery jars, and stacks of novels with yellowed pages.
Dana's eyes skimmed the titles of the books, and his lips twitched at a few particularly… interesting ones: "You Abandoned Me, But Your Wand Is in My Hand", "Dumbledore's Love Affairs", "Salazar and Godric's Romance". Just from looking at these novels, Dana could already guess what kind of person Professor Babbling was.
Passing through the narrow room, he stood in front of a noticeably newer door. He was about to knock when the door swung open silently on its own.
A slightly hoarse female voice called out, "Come in, Dana Emrys. Very few students find their way here these days."
Stepping inside, Dana saw that the room was a stark contrast to the cluttered space outside. The only word that could describe it was luxurious. A massive circular bed, at least three meters in diameter, took center stage, draped in deep blue fabric embroidered with golden runes. And lying on it, lazily reading a book, was Professor Babbling.
She had straight black hair neatly combed back, and her gaunt features made her large eyes seem even more pronounced. The dark circles beneath them told Dana she probably didn't sleep much.
"Good evening, Professor," Dana greeted politely.
Professor Babbling put down her book, tilted her head, and regarded him with mild curiosity. "Child, what brings you here? I don't recall first-year students taking Ancient Runes. Perhaps you saw me in the Great Hall and were captivated by my charm? Ah, the young and restless heart!"
Dana decided to ignore that. "Actually, Professor, I have a sentence here, but I don't know what language it is." He handed her a small slip of parchment where he had copied a portion of Merlin's notebook. He had only written a fragment—he wasn't about to reveal that he possessed Merlin's notes without first knowing what he was dealing with.
The professor chuckled as she took the note, glancing at it before raising an eyebrow. "Do you think this is Ancient Runes?"
"Yes, Professor, but I couldn't find this language in The Complete Book of British Ancient Runes."
Professor Babbling suddenly laughed. "Child, of course, you couldn't find it, because this isn't Ancient Runes at all. In fact, this language is still in use today."
Dana's eyes sharpened. "Then, Professor, what is it?"
"No rush, no rush—" Professor Babbling placed her book on a bedside table, turned onto her stomach, and stretched her arms forward. "After a long day, I'm feeling a bit sore. Give me a back massage. If you make me feel comfortable, I'll tell you what language this is."
Dana's forehead twitched. What kind of professor is this…?
But Dana wasn't so easily manipulated. Without a word, he walked over to the large sofa, turned, and sat down. Then, under Professor Babbling's surprised gaze, he took out his wand.
With a flick of his wrist, the coat rack and full-length mirror in the room transfigured into two towering, muscular men, their hands flexing in preparation.
"Professor, I'm small and weak. Why not let these two give you a back massage?"
Professor Babbling blinked. A first-year did that? No wonder he was named Emrys.
"Wait, that's not necessary," she said quickly, grabbing her wand from under her pillow—because, apparently, that's where she kept it. With a quick incantation, the transfigured figures reverted to their original forms, and Professor Babbling sat up, her usual frivolous demeanor vanishing.
"The writing on your note is Welsh," she stated, eyes now serious. "One of the Celtic languages. Also, as you may know, Merlin himself was Welsh."
Dana's fingers tightened slightly around the parchment. Welsh?
Professor Babbling waved dismissively. "Alright, now you have your answer. You may leave."
Dana hesitated for only a moment before asking, "Professor, could you teach me Welsh?"
The corners of her lips curled. "Of course, I can. However, tutoring you outside of the curriculum is extra work, and extra work requires a fee."
"What kind of fee?"
"I haven't decided yet, but you can promise to owe me a favor. I'll teach you Welsh now, and when I've figured out what I want, you'll fulfill it."
Dana stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Professor, for pointing me in the right direction. I've disturbed you tonight. Good night."
He left without looking back. He had his answer, but he wasn't about to get into an undefined favor with a professor who exuded something fishy from head to toe.
Back in his dormitory, Dana spent hours flipping through his textbooks, contemplating how best to learn Welsh. Maybe I should just find a native speaker and use the Imperius Curse to have them teach me… But he immediately dismissed the thought. Dumbledore might have some kind of detection spell set up—best not to take the risk.
Instead, he grabbed his wand and tried something else.
"Merlin's Welsh!" he commanded.
Nothing happened.
Instead, a new note appeared in his hands:
[Knowledge requires learning. No one can cram a bunch of knowledge into your brain! No one! Idiot!]
Dana scowled at the response. His mysterious notebook had a bit of an attitude.
Still, he had his next steps planned. The Welsh problem would wait until Christmas. For now, he would focus on school.
The next morning, Dana barely made it to class on time, his sleepless night catching up to him. He dragged himself into the Transfiguration classroom and slumped into his seat, only to find a tabby cat sitting primly on the desk, staring at the students with sharp eyes.
End of the Chapter.
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