Chapter 517: Changes Brought by the Anti-Thief Waterfall

Chapter 517: Changes Brought by the Anti-Thief Waterfall

"What do 'clown,' 'warrior,' 'lion,' and 'phoenix' respectively signify?" Ms. Borns probed. If the first two sentences set the stage for the era, the latter four sentences clearly highlighted the pivotal characters on the stage. She already had some speculations and sought confirmation from Dumbledore and Felix.

"Before something truly happens, all we have are conjectures," Dumbledore shook his head slightly.

"But certain things—like the phoenix's rebirth—doesn't it refer to the phoenix or someone associated with it?" Ms. Borns looked at Dumbledore, her gaze undisguised.

As widely known, the Headmaster of Hogwarts had a phoenix named 'Fawkes.'

"That's one drawback of prophecies," Dumbledore smiled. "When you attempt to unearth the 'truth,' you're already deeply entangled. I can think of a dozen or so wizards related to 'phoenix,' and more if we include those abroad. It might represent a magical creature, like the phoenix; or certain magic, such as unique patronus, transfiguration; or it could even symbolize a state, a type of quality... What we're guessing now is merely what we wish to see."

...

As time passed, Felix found time to visit the Ancient Runes Society, guided by Clementine. They smoothly reached the office of the society's president—an independent study filled with various stone slabs, scrolls, and ancient scripts.

Felix immediately spotted Old Vira, hunched over the table with a row of rune cards laid out, muttering to himself.

Clementine coughed softly twice, but the person at the table remained oblivious.

Clementine had to approach, tapping the table lightly, and reminded, "Grandfather, Professor Harp is here..."

"Who's here?" Old Vira lifted his head, a bit dazed, glancing at her, attention seemingly fixed on the table. "Nevermind that. Help me understand this part," he waited for a few seconds, getting no response. He casually lifted his head and when his gaze met Felix's, his eyes widened suddenly.

"I heard from Clementine that you've had time recently, so I dropped by unexpectedly," Felix suppressed a smile. "I've read a few of the books you've written recently and had some questions, wanted to discuss with you..."

Stubborn as some may be, when someone offers a helping hand, they might reluctantly accept it.

At least, that was the case for Old Vira. He had already conceded long ago and wasn't bothered by another awkward encounter.

Initially, Felix asked a few symbolic questions, coincidentally touching on Old Vira's areas of expertise. He began elaborating extensively. However, within fifteen minutes, he was not lecturing but rather seeking Felix's guidance on rune cards.

"I want to arrange them in order of difficulty as a learning reference," Old Vira said.

Felix was surprised; he hadn't expected him to be considering teaching materials.

"Although I study theoretical runes, they share commonalities," Old Vira reluctantly 'quoted' Felix's definition, explaining, "Given a day, I could easily learn dozens of practical runes. It's a matter of adjusting writing and cognitive habits."

Felix understood; it was a clever approach. As Old Vira mentioned, both theoretical and practical runes did overlap. Learning the practical ones would be rapid, but mastering the rest would consume a considerable amount of time.

Following this train of thought, the old veterans at the Ancient Runes Society, who'd dedicated their lives to theoretical runes, could easily grasp several hundred runes casually. However, there weren't as many practical runes available for them to study; they were all in Felix's possession.

"Mr. Vira, I have a favor to ask," Felix said. "This year, the Ancient Runes class at Hogwarts will undergo a curriculum change, separating into theory and practical parts, each with separate exams. The theory part is manageable, but the practical section needs a complete overhaul—I believe what you're doing could greatly assist in writing the curriculum."

"Are you suggesting my involvement? Are you willing to yield that authority?" Old Vira seemed rather surprised.

"The ultimate decision still rests with me," Felix replied calmly.

The evolution of Ancient Runes had transcended a single person; it was entirely unnecessary. He only needed to ensure the critical aspects remained on track and aligned with expectations.

...

A week before school started, news arrived at Gryffindor Tower—The Anti-Thief Waterfall was complete.

"It seems different from the one at Gringotts?" Sirius eyed the product in the laboratory.

Before him stood an archway, straight on both sides, no different from a regular door frame, except for a semi-circle on top. A thin curtain of water hung from the arc, and Sirius and Ms. Borns, one in front of the other, peered through the water curtain, seeing each other's blurry figures.

"The principle has changed. I incorporated some rune circuits to replace parts of fairy magic," Felix said. "The effect is similar. If you don't believe it, you can try."

"How do we do it? Does anyone have a complex potion with them?" Sirius scanned others with a probing gaze; everyone shook their heads. He looked at Felix, who was smiling.

Sirius was momentarily puzzled. What did that mean? But suddenly, it clicked.

"Animagus?"

Felix nodded at him, confirming Sirius's guess.

Sirius didn't refuse; his body swiftly transformed into a large, black-haired dog. His fur was glossy, and he was as big as a bear.

"After the Thief's Waterfall was implemented?" Sirius interrupted.

"...You'll find that it doesn't stop him," Snape said lightly.

"I know his capabilities. I've fought him—"

"Your meaning being escape?"

Snape and Sirius were on the verge of confrontation, making others quite uncomfortable.

"Alright, let's save the quarrels for after the meeting," Kingsley said.

"...Given the failure of using the Imperius Curse to control the Unspeakable Broderick Bode for the first time, he might dispatch Death Eaters to gather intelligence. He's lacking in this area. Augustus Lestrange, a Death Eater formerly employed in the Department of Mysteries, has been re-imprisoned in Azkaban..."

"...The Thief's Waterfall isn't foolproof. It can't detect one's intentions, whether voluntary, forced, or accidentally revealed secrets. It can't perceive or warn..."

After Snape finished, he leaned back in his chair without another word.

"Ahem, I'll continue this topic," Kingsley spoke calmly. "We've prepared for this. The protected item has complex enchantments. Regular access by the Unspeakables is strictly limited. However, there might be vulnerabilities during off-duty hours. Dumbledore persuaded Mrs. Bones to assign the protection task to the Order to avoid leaks."

Not everyone in the Order knew Voldemort's target, so they referred to the prophecy orb as 'the item.'

"I don't have much to add," Sirius said. "We've relaxed a bit with the Thief's Waterfall in place. Amelia decided to set one up in Azkaban too, scheduled for the day after tomorrow..." His tone suddenly grew complicated. If this had been in place years ago, he wouldn't have escaped.

Snape raised his head, eyes shimmering oddly. He murmured softly, "Azkaban? You're going too? Well, I suppose you wouldn't miss it, you made quite a few friends there..."

The meeting room almost turned into an arena.

...

Once the meeting concluded, the taskless members of the Order stayed back to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea. Snape and Professor McGonagall had their own tasks and left. Felix stared at Snape's disappearing figure and asked Mr. Weasley, "Is he always this busy?"

"Maybe, he doesn't usually linger," Mr. Weasley grumbled. They settled in the living room. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks appeared shortly with some dessert plates. "Watch out for the last step," Mrs. Weasley cautioned.

"Oh, alright," Tonks said, promptly bumping into an umbrella stand, dropping the plates.

Felix flicked his fingers, causing the plates to land safely on the table.

"Thanks, I always forget there's something there," Tonks lamented.

"That umbrella stand was moved here just a couple of days ago from the hallway," Ginny remarked oddly from behind, "because you always bumped into it when coming back from work..."

Tonks, embarrassed, rushed to cover Ginny's mouth, and she squealed and ran off.

"Where are Frank and Alice?" Felix asked; he hadn't seen them for a while.

"They went on a trip, probably to the giants' territory," Mr. Weasley said.

On the other side, Bill was chatting with Sirius and Lupin.

"The fairies are quite upset because of the Thief's Waterfall," Bill shared the information he gathered in his office.

"Poor excuse, they never intended to support either side," Sirius said.

"If you've dealt with them, you'd realize fairies' perspectives differ significantly from wizards'," Bill shrugged. "They're genuinely angry, believing wizards stole their technology... But you're right; they indeed have no intention of siding with us..."

"Sirius, when are you planning to leave the Ministry?" Lupin asked. He wasn't referring to Sirius's work hours but rather his exit. As per the plan, Sirius would become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the new school year.

"Maybe a day before the term starts," Sirius hesitated.

"You won't miss it, will you?" Bill teased.

"Hah, as if! I can't wait to get out sooner," Sirius chuckled.

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