Test

The rest of the day after Harry duelled with Daphne and Tracey, while Hermione was in the library, passed in a whirlwind. Nothing of importance or significance occurred the whole day, and finally, it was time for dinner.

"Hermione," Harry asked as he put a sandwich in his mouth, "what were you reading in the library?"

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing of importance. I will tell you later."

"You should focus on your upcoming test," she added.

Earlier in the day, Harry had been informed by Minerva McGonagall that his test would be conducted that night after dinner.

Harry nodded reassuringly, "Do not worry. I will pass."

Harry also had a feeling that Dumbledore would not be as stubborn as he might have been otherwise. Harry's 'erratic' behaviour, attributed to 'Voldemort's influence,' had made the old headmaster cautious and he would be unwilling to push things too far.

Very soon, dinner was over, and Harry arrived in the room where his test was to be conducted.

Not surprisingly, the entire fourth year was present; they had been granted special permission to observe this 'event'.

To his slight surprise, a few other professors—Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Septima Vector—had also marked their presence. Indeed, Severus was no longer a member of the panel; he had been replaced by Minerva McGonagall.

"Harry," Dumbledore smiled, "it is time to complete your test, which for certain reasons had to be abandoned midway."

Although he did not mention it, everyone knew what those certain reasons were. The news of Snape being sent flying away was widely known and had been blast of a news, and Harry was sure that if students started a business selling that particular memory, many current wizarding students and graduates of Hogwarts alike would be willing to pay a handsome sum for it. Snape was deeply hated and loathed by many students.

"Last time," Dumbledore continued, "you performed the first rune flawlessly—the defensive rune, as prescribed by Professor Babbling."

"Now, Minerva, please ask the second question," he said.

Minerva nodded, "Mr. Potter, I would like you to take the same defensive rune a step further."

"Please mould the defensive rune into a square-shaped box, in the same manner that we use them to protect houses, buildings, and castles," she said.

Minerva's instruction required an advanced version of the defensive rune- one in which the runes functioned as a protective shield, as she had explained.

Harry nodded and began weaving his wand. He took the same amount of time as any average wizard would, and in the next few minutes, a square-shaped, greenish transparent cube was floating a few inches above the ground.

Four thread like runes had been stretched from the four corners of the bottom square of the cube, merging at a point outside the cube.

These thread-like runes were to be used to transport magical energy to the defensive rune. To maintain a defensive rune indefinitely, it required a continuous supply of magical energy. While magical energy could be supplied directly by a wizard or witch, that method was impractical.

This approach might work for this small defensive rune, but it would be impossible for a person or group of a person to sustain for a massive castle or building.

This is where another thing- source stones came into play.

Source stones, however, are a very complex piece of magic. Not only the source stones acted as a source of magic when required, but they are also the foundation of family magic— foundation of 'keystone' a topic we will explore in some detail later.

Once again, Harry had executed his work flawlessly, and those who- the professors understood the intricacies of rune drawing were both in awe and somewhat shocked by his display.

His smooth and flawless flow of magic impressed them, and like Bathsheda they also doubted whether Harry was truly a beginner in the subject.

"Wonderful, Mr. Potter," Minerva said. "I will now check its working."

The unobstructed and smooth flow of magic through the thread runes and throughout the entire structure was one of the most important and complex aspects of drawing this type of rune.

If the supply was not even, balanced, and smooth, one of the points in the structure could remain weak and this was the main challenge when constructing runes for a real castle.

Harry had drawn a simple structure, making it easier to maintain a balanced and smooth supply of magic. However, for a real castle or house, which involved numerous bends and corners, keeping the flow smooth and balanced was considerably more challenging, often resulting in weaknesses in the rune.

Minerva picked up her wand and fired a burst of magical energy at the point where all the threads converged. In a moment, the magic seemed to travel through the entire structure, increasing the glow it emitted. The flow was flawless.

"Well done, Mr. Potter," Minerva remarked with a nod of acknowledgement. This was far better than what any fourth-year student could do.

"Truly wonderful, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore also remarked.

"Now, since we are dealing with defensive runes, I won't let it astray. Why don't you show us how to connect it to a source stone?" Dumbledore added as he pulled a small stone- a source stone from his robe.

Almost all the professors, especially Bathsheda, raised their eyebrows in deep frowns.

"Headmaster," she said, "this is beyond the scope of what a third-year student learns."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, Professor Babbling. Source stones are very much part of the third-year syllabus," he added.

True, source stones were part of the third-year syllabus, but only the term 'source stone' had been mentioned.

As tradition had it, students were only introduced to the concept of a source stone, which was useful for theory.

As for connecting and using source stones for the runes, that was taught in subsequent years.

Technically, Dumbledore was right, and Bathsheda Babbling wanted to protest further, but Harry intervened.

"I can do this, Headmaster," he said as he levitated the source stone toward himself.

Snape, meanwhile, smirked. He thought Harry as an overconfident brat and he believed it was impossible for Harry to do what Dumbledore had asked.

Bathsheda's protest might have resulted in something but it was Harry who had taken the initiative. And thus, nothing could be done now.

.

.

.

[Join my P@treon for advanced chapter. p@treon.com/Book_paradise / Search Book_paradise in P@treon.]

[Thank you for reading. Rate, Review and Comment on my novel. Send the Power Stones.]