Chapter 35 Professor Murray and Alchemy
Alchemy is closely related to ancient runes, and ancient runes are a very difficult course to learn. In addition to the history of magic, most courses in magic schools focus on practice, but ancient runes must be memorized by rote.
Characters, shapes, pronunciations, and meanings, ancient runes are very different from modern languages in all aspects. If you want to master the basics of this course, there is no other way except to recite. And many students who choose to take the ancient rune course, it is rare to memorize all these things until graduation.
Fortunately, there is no Ravenclaw student with a bad memory. Even if it is not as good as Hermione, Wade has done special training to strengthen his memory, and his recitation speed is not much slower than Hermione. After three months of contact with magic, he relied on his strong memory and his love for magic alchemy to memorize all the books, and strengthened his memory by reciting again and again. Now he will not make mistakes in this regard.
After a moment of silence, Professor Murray began to ask questions about the contents of those books, and then took out parchment and a quill pen, randomly asked some ancient magic characters and short sentences, and asked Wade to write them down.
More than an hour later, Professor Murray had to admit that the student in front of him, who seemed to him to be a child, did not lie, and he really understood everything he said.
Alchemy is one of the most difficult courses in Hogwarts, and Professor Murray's requirements are also very strict. There are less than ten students who can choose to practice alchemy in each class, and they are all the best in the grade. But Professor Murray dared to say that if he called the seventh-grade students he was teaching now, even the best one would make one or two small mistakes in these questions.
Alchemy requires a genius-like sharp imagination and creativity, as well as a more meticulous, rigorous, and meticulous attitude than the gears of a watch. And these two qualities often do not exist in one person at the same time.
What's more, this is just one... one...
Professor Murray suddenly realized that he knew nothing about the student in front of him.
"Child, what grade are you in now?" The old professor said with a pleasant face.
"First grade, sir." Wade said.
Professor Murray was silent again: "I remember - Ancient Runes is an elective course for third graders?"
"Yes, sir." Wade said, trying to look calm, not like a peacock showing off with its tail spread out.
Professor Murray didn't care whether the student in front of him was mature enough. He just began to recall his eleven years old... and the level when he started to learn alchemy at the age of sixteen... and the great wizards he knew - such as Dumbledore, such as Grindelwald, such as Voldemort, the level they showed in the first grade...
Thinking about it, Professor Murray looked at Wade more and more as if he saw an undiscovered treasure. His smile became more and more kind, and he asked softly: "What's your name? Which college are you from?"
"Wade Gray, Ravenclaw College." Wade looked up and said, he had noticed something from the change in the other party's attitude.
Professor Murray asked again: "You like alchemy very much, right, Wade?"
At this time, his tone was completely different from before.
"Yes, professor." Wade's answer was the same as always: "This is a very wonderful field, with enough power to change the world. Perhaps I will spend my whole life studying it."
"As a wizard, what do you think of the technological inventions of Muggles?" Professor Murray asked again.
This question couldn't be easier. The furnishings in the office were enough to show what kind of answer the professor wanted to hear. But Wade was silent this time. He thought seriously for a long time before saying: "Muggle technology is developing rapidly, production tools are constantly innovating, information exchange and communication are becoming more efficient, and the changes to the world are becoming more and more significant. Wizards need to take the initiative to learn, absorb, and integrate, otherwise they will be left behind by the times one day."
This is his heartfelt thought.
Although he yearns for the wonders of magic, let's compare the real gap between the two sides:
Wizard communication - owl; Muggle communication - mobile phones and networks that can be reached instantly.
The number of wizards - there are only about 3,000 in the UK, and only a few hundred thousand to one million in the world; the number of Muggles - there are more than 57 million in the UK alone, and 5.4 billion in the world, and this number will increase to 7 billion in 20 years, and 8 billion in 30 years.
Wizards kill - only a few dark wizards can use the killing curse; Muggles kill - Maxim machine guns, incendiary bombs, nuclear bombs, self-propelled artillery, howitzers, intercontinental missiles, and two-year-old children can also shoot and kill people.
The gap between the two sides is so big that in the past era of Muggle ignorance, wizards could only survive by hiding themselves as much as possible; in the future when technology is becoming more and more powerful, wizards must learn from, get close to, and integrate with the Muggle world, so that they will not be easily swallowed up by the times.
In fact, Wade has many more dangerous ideas, but it is not convenient to say them out. He is afraid that if he talks too much, Professor Murray's good impression of him will disappear, and he will be swept into the ranks of "the third generation of the Dark Lord" - how unfair is that?
Professor Murray was very satisfied with just such a general answer. He smiled and said: "I teach sixth and seventh grade students every Monday and every Thursday. If you have any questions, you can ask here Come see me in the office at any time. As long as you maintain your passion for alchemy, I will be happy to give you two hours a week to teach you."
Professor Murray spoke very reservedly, but the next moment he found a book "Learning to Make Magic Items from Scratch" from his collection and lent it to Vader, and set a tutoring time for Thursday. Only then did Wade leave.
When going out with the book in his arms, Wade saw the black lake next to the Forbidden Forest through the window, and suddenly remembered the figure he saw when he woke up in the morning.
Apparently, that should be Professor Murray, right? The same silver-white hair...
Suddenly, Wade's steps stopped, his scalp suddenly became numb, and goosebumps suddenly appeared.
When did he see that person? After arriving, I met Professor Murray... was there ten minutes in between? hateful! The fever was so severe that I lost track of time.
Anyway, it shouldn't be too long.
If that person was Professor Murray, how could he arrive at Vader's location in just ten minutes or so? Apparition is prohibited in Hogwarts. Professor Murray's arms and legs are old and he certainly can't climb stairs very quickly, and he doesn't look like a young boy who can ride a broom.
If that person wasn't Professor Murray...or Dumbledore...then who could he be? Is it another professor that Wade doesn't know, or...
He thought that maybe he was overthinking it. Harry Potter's first year at school should be a very peaceful year...at least for ordinary students...but the chills still came up one after another.
"What's the matter, Vader?" Professor Murray asked behind him.
This voice that sounded kind and gentle before now had an inexplicable and eerie atmosphere.
"It's nothing." Wade was surprised that his voice was so calm at this time, with a hint of gratitude: "I just thought that Professor, fortunately, you passed by and found me this morning... Did you just come back from outside at that time?"
"Of course not." Professor Murray didn't seem to be suspicious. He smiled and explained casually: "I usually don't live on campus. I only come to campus through the fireplace when I need to go to class. Oh, the fireplace in my office can be used temporarily. Access to the Floo network, which is authorized by the Ministry of Magic. I just arrived at the office this morning when I heard Griffiths shouting in the corridor, and I met you when I went out. "
