A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Professor Babbling wrote an extensive list of vocabulary words on parchment and tossed it to William, telling him to translate it.

It was clear she had no intention of truly teaching him.

Ancient Runes, even at the beginner level, required at least a year of study. For fifth-year O.W.L.s, most of the exam focused on vocabulary, while grammar was reserved for advanced classes.

Babbling was already impatient during her regular lessons, let alone offering extracurricular guidance. The massive list she provided was meant to scare him off.

She didn't believe a second-year student could translate it, unless, like her, they were youthful in appearance but possessed a mature soul.

Babbling pulled out a bag of eggplant-flavored chips from who-knows-where and happily began munching.

She seemed to be a queen of costume changes; her French court gown had vanished, replaced by tight-fitting jeans. She even offered Hermione some chips, but the girl declined, much to Babbling's disappointment.

To her surprise, William returned with all five pages translated in less than ten minutes.

Ancient Runes was a complex amalgamation of pictograms and ancient Germanic languages. Its word formations were exquisite and heavily tied to ancient culture and symbolism.

For example, the runic symbol for a Demiguise abstracted its invisibility into the concept of "0." All invisibility-related magic in Ancient Runes contained this core symbol.

Similarly, a unicorn's horn symbolized "1," a Graphorn's dual horns represented "2," and a Runespoor, a three-headed serpent, symbolized "3."

The foundational vocabulary of Ancient Runes was incredibly complex. William's proficiency came from long periods of extended study, but he still struggled with full sentences due to his lack of knowledge when it comes to grammar.

Babbling hadn't expected him to finish so quickly. After carefully reviewing his work, she reevaluated him.

Could he really be a genius?

A spark of interest lit her crimson eyes as she smiled. "I'll teach you, but on one condition. You must promise to do something for me in the future–not now."

William grinned. What harm could one promise–or even a hundred–do? After all, Professor Babbling would have no memory of previous loops.

Not everyone was Dumbledore, after all.

"Deal," he agreed without hesitation.

Babbling's expression was one of triumph. 

She toyed with the amulet at her collar and smirked. "Don't get any ideas. Back when I taught Dumbledore Ancient Runes, he tried to wriggle out of paying me back but ended up doing as I asked."

William said nothing, but internally a storm of realization struck his core.

Dumbledore was over a century old. Surely he hadn't learned Ancient Runes in the past decade but during his school years.

Did that mean Babbling was another centuries-old entity masquerading as an eighteen-year-old?

A hidden treasure of a granny? William was determined to squeeze her dry of all her worth.

Babbling coughed lightly and snapped her fingers, her outfit shifting again to a moss-green robe.

This was likely her teaching attire, though its drab color seemed more suited to someone like Professor McGonagall. Babbling's white hair was now pinned into a bun identical to McGonagall's style.

Yet side by side, Babbling could easily pass as McGonagall's granddaughter.

Adopting a serious tone, Babbling said, "If I'm going to teach you, we need to clarify something first."

"Why do we rarely translate Ancient Runes into modern languages and instead immerse ourselves in understanding their meanings?"

William shook his head, he didn't know.

"Have you seen the statue of Salazar Slytherin?" Babbling gestured to a famous Slytherin statue on a nearby desk.

"Yes."

"And do you recognize his features?"

William nodded. The statue depicted an aged, monkey-like face with a sparse, wispy beard that nearly reached the hem of his stone-carved robes, and two large, grey feet standing on the polished floor.

"Do you know why Slytherin is portrayed this way?" Babbling asked.

William shook his head again.

"Because of a mistranslation. A misunderstanding of Slytherin's image.

"Originally, the Slytherin family records, written in Ancient Runes, described him. But when Corvinus Gaunt, a direct descendant of Slytherin, translated these records into Latin, he mistranslated the phrase 'Slytherin's face shines' as 'his face resembles a monkey.'

"From then on, artists and sculptors began depicting Slytherin as a monkey-like figure."

"Wait, I've heard of Corvinus Gaunt," William said, squinting in thought.

"I remember now, he renovated Hogwarts' plumbing system."

During his first year, when William was creating his own map, Dumbledore had recommended he study Hogwarts' architectural history. That's where he had read about it.

"Exactly," Babbling replied, "Not only did he renovate the system, but he made it absurdly complex."

"Let's set that aside for now. What was the result of this simple mistranslation?

"The great Salazar Slytherin has since been immortalized in this grotesque form."

"I use Slytherin as an example," Babbling continued, "to show how one word, one simple mistranslation, can rewrite history.

"Ancient Runes are even more prone to misinterpretation, their meanings are difficult to accurately express.

"That's why we don't translate them directly but treat them as a mother tongue, constantly reinterpreting their meanings."

"Kid, this is the first lesson I'll teach you: language is a powerful way to keep secrets.

"And Ancient Runes… are a treasure!"

…

Five hours later, William left the Ancient Runes office.

He had learned a great deal and planned to digest the information thoroughly. 

Hermione, who had never encountered this subject before, seemed to find it incomprehensible. After lunch, she had dozed off in a chair.

Babbling suggested letting Hermione sleep in her office, but William flatly refused.

These days, girls needed to protect themselves when away from home, and Professor Babbling didn't exactly give off a "trustworthy" vibe.

Carrying the sleeping Hermione on his back, William headed toward the Gryffindor common room.

By the time they reached the fourth floor, Hermione stirred awake.

Still groggy, she leaned against William's back and mumbled, "Are we done?"

"Yes," William replied.

"Professor Babbling is… a bit strange."

"Exactly. Which is why, in your third year, you must not choose Ancient Runes," William advised earnestly.

Hermione groaned at William, and put her head on his warm shoulders. She asked softly, "Then, will you teach me instead?"

"Of course."

Carrying her, William walked on as the setting sun cast long shadows over the two of them.

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