Chapter 230: The Loyal Heart Charm

Professor Flitwick wanted to see him?

Albert was a bit surprised since he didn't have much interaction with the Charms professor. They weren't close enough for the professor to invite him for afternoon tea.

It must be about the paper, right? This could be a good opportunity, perhaps a chance to ask Professor Flitwick for a signature on the Restricted Section library pass.

He only needed two more library visits to complete the task of borrowing books from the Restricted Section.

What would be a suitable excuse?

As Albert made his way to Professor Flitwick's office on the eighth floor of the West Tower, he kept pondering the question, but he still couldn't come up with a good plan even when he knocked on the wooden door of the professor's office.

"Professor, you wanted to see me?" Albert asked when he entered. It was his first time in Professor Flitwick's office, and it felt somewhat unique. Perhaps it was because of Professor Flitwick's height that there were movable stairs on the bookshelves, and the chair at the desk was intentionally elevated, with a small stool nearby for footrest.

"Albert, please have a seat!" Professor Flitwick said in a calm tone. "Your paper from last time was published in this issue of 'Innovative Spells.'"

Saying that, he placed the magazine in front of Albert and turned to the page with his paper.

"Katrina just told me," Albert replied.

"It's like this. The editor-in-chief of 'Innovative Spells' wants to get to know you. He sent me a letter," Professor Flitwick took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Albert, "he thought it might be a bit presumptuous to write directly to you."

"I understand. If he did that, I'd probably think he was a scammer," Albert said, looking at Professor Flitwick with an inquiring gaze. "May I open it now?"

"Oh, of course," Professor Flitwick smiled. "He has high hopes for your talent."

Albert opened the letter and quickly scanned its contents. The letter politely pointed out a few minor flaws in his paper and expressed the sender's willingness to correspond with him. The person also hoped that Albert would continue to publish papers in "Innovative Spells."

The letter gave Albert the impression that Mr. Euphrates was somewhat overly enthusiastic.

"Isn't the editor-in-chief of 'Innovative Spells' named Euphrates Dodgson?" Albert raised his eyebrows in confusion, asking Professor Flitwick.

"Euphrates is indeed not the editor-in-chief, but he's the one who truly influences 'Innovative Spells.' He's retired now," Professor Flitwick explained with a smile, "I understand."

"Albert, whether you plan to work in the Ministry of Magic, concentrate on researching charms, or do other things, it won't hurt to have more interactions with people in this field," Professor Flitwick kindly reminded Albert.

"Thank you, Professor." Although Albert currently had no intentions of pursuing that path, he still wanted to express his gratitude to Professor Flitwick. He knew that the professor was saying all this out of goodwill.

"By the way, Professor, I found two advanced charms when researching protective spells in the library some time ago," Albert put away the letter and suddenly said.

"Advanced charms?" Professor Flitwick raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"The Patronus Charm and the Loyal Heart Charm," Albert continued, "I'm very interested in them, but I only found information on the Patronus Charm. Do you know where I can find information on the Loyal Heart Charm?"

Professor Flitwick was somewhat astonished; he hadn't realized that Albert had already started delving into such advanced magic. So, he asked tentatively, "You've already started learning the Patronus Charm?"

"Um, I've been trying to practice it for the past two weeks. It's quite difficult..." Albert paused for a moment and summed up, "It's said that the Patronus Charm can summon a corporeal Patronus, but I'm having trouble understanding what that means... Does it mean that after casting the spell, the Patronus no longer appears as a mere light, but takes on a tangible form?"

Albert was steering the conversation towards the information he needed.

"Your thinking is not wrong. However, the Patronus Charm is an incredibly advanced spell, usually used to ward off Dementors," Professor Flitwick thought for a moment and advised, "When you cast the spell, you need to focus on the happiest memory in your heart. The Patronus Charm advocates happiness and hope, but it requires a powerful magical foundation. It might still be a bit too much for you at the moment. Even if you can't summon a corporeal Patronus right away, don't worry; you still have plenty of room to grow."

"I understand." Albert nodded and continued to ask, "What about the Loyal Heart Charm? It is said to be a powerful and complex protective spell."

"Yes, it is indeed very complex." Professor Flitwick seemed to be considering whether to tell Albert more about it. "It involves using magic to conceal a secret within a living person's soul."

"Concealing a secret within the soul?" Albert asked.

"Yes, that's right. The charm hides a secret in the chosen secret-keeper's heart, and from then on, no one else can discover that secret. Of course, unless the secret-keeper chooses to reveal it," Professor Flitwick explained.

"So, the Loyal Heart Charm is suitable for hiding things?" Albert pretended not to understand, but he was actually a bit confused. He remembered that the Loyal Heart Charm could hide a person, making them untraceable by anyone except the secret-keeper. But from Professor Flitwick's explanation, it seemed that the charm had other uses, or maybe he had misunderstood the nature of the Loyal Heart Charm.

"Of course, your understanding is not wrong," Professor Flitwick replied after a few seconds of silence.

"Professor, do you know this magic?" Albert suddenly asked, "I want to learn this spell."

"I do know it, but..." Professor Flitwick stared at Albert and asked, "The Loyal Heart Charm is too difficult for you right now. By the way, what do you want to hide using it?"

"My diary," Albert replied without hesitation, "that way, I won't have to worry about someone else reading it."

Professor Flitwick was at a loss for words; he couldn't quite comprehend Albert's thought process.

Noticing Professor Flitwick's silence, Albert continued, "Professor, is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry protected by the Loyal Heart Charm?"

"No, Hogwarts is too vast, and after the secret-keeper's death, anyone who knows about the charm becomes a secret-keeper themselves. The more people know, the weaker its power becomes, and it becomes less reliable," Professor Flitwick shook his head.

"I still want to learn this charm. Can you teach me?" Albert said, "I think it's a very practical spell."

"Before that, you need to master ancient runes..." Professor Flitwick's words halted suddenly as he realized that the student in front of him seemed to have a high level of proficiency in ancient runes.

"Ancient runes? The Loyal Heart Charm uses ancient runes instead of English?" Albert furrowed his brow and asked, "Professor, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"The Patronus Charm has been documented for a long time. Ancient wizards used ancient runes to cast it. Why is it that the modern version of the Patronus Charm is cast in English, not ancient runes? Also, when using spells, it should be crucial to pronounce the incantation correctly, but as far as I know, using the same incantation in a different language doesn't seem to cause any problems. So, what is the significance of the incantations we use?"

"The essence of spells is runic magic!" Professor Flitwick didn't directly answer Albert's question but instead said something that left Albert puzzled.

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(End of this chapter)