Albert was stunned. Of course, he knew who Mog McDoug was. He was a close friend of Badbrod, a famous contemporary magic master, and was said to be on par with Adber Wolfling, the author of "The Theory of Magic."
only...
The man in front of me, Mog McDoug, is quite different from what I imagined... or rather...
"What's wrong?" Mog McDougal noticed the momentary surprise on Albert's face and asked in confusion, "Is there something on my face?"
"I thought… you would be younger." Albert hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but voice his doubts.
"I'm sorry. I misspoke."
"Young… Haha, no need to apologize, I'm definitely not young anymore." McDoug didn't mind Albert's slip of the tongue at all, and smiled as he pointed to the sofa inside. "Come on in, Bud should be back soon."
Albert sat somewhat awkwardly opposite McDougall, but his gaze was drawn to the parchment on the table, which was entirely written in runes.
"It seems Bud was right, you are indeed very skilled in this area." McDougal picked up his tea, took a sip, and nodded at Albert, seemingly quite satisfied.
Albert also noticed McDougall's gentle smile, well...
The way the other person looked at me was very special... and also very familiar.
"I thought Isabel was already incredibly talented," McDougall said softly. "She's one of the best kids I've ever seen."
"Izebel?" Albert cast a probing glance at the middle-aged man in front of him.
"My distant niece." McDougal nodded at the parchment covered in ancient runes and asked Albert with a smile, "Bard and I are planning to compile a book in ancient runes. Would you be interested in joining us?"
"Me?" Albert thought he had heard something absurd: the other party would actually invite a child to co-write a book.
"It's you who's writing this, not us." Professor Broad pushed open the door and walked in, nodding to Albert. "You're here a little earlier than I expected. Would you like something to drink?"
"Milk tea." Albert paused for a moment, then answered instinctively.
Professor Brod waved his wand lightly, and a fragrant cup of milk tea appeared out of thin air in front of Albert.
"I can see that you have a high level of expertise in ancient magical script, so I recommended you to Mog. Of course, the main work of writing the book is Mog's job, and we are just helping him by acting as his henchmen."
"It's incredible," Albert said honestly.
"Me too?" Albert asked tentatively. "If word got out, it would probably be the funniest joke of the century."
"Don't say that. You're special, even more dazzling than Izabel," McDougal explained. "I think you might come in handy. You don't mind, do you?"
"I don't mind."
"Of course, I think you'll definitely learn a lot in the process," McDoug said with a smile. "Get to know me again, Mog McDoug."
"Albert Anderson, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mog McDoug." Albert reached out and shook hands with the other man. Although it felt unreal, it seemed like he had met an extraordinary fellow.
"Are you planning to write a textbook, or..."
"No, it's a more advanced book. It's not for students to read as material; it delves into deeper aspects of ancient runes research," McDougal explained. "Perhaps you haven't yet explored that area, but ancient runes do possess special power, and some ancient spells utilize them. If Dumbledore were willing to help, our progress would be much faster."
"Nowadays, there are very few people who truly understand how to use ancient runes." Professor Brod did not hold back his praise. "Mog is an expert in this field."
"No, no, Bud, at least I have one right in front of me." McDoug smiled and nodded slightly at Albert's wooden bracelet. "The workmanship is a bit rough, but there's no denying that this is the prototype… You don't mind if I take a look at your work, do you?"
"Hmm?" Albert realized what the other person meant by the achievement, took off the wooden bracelet, and handed it to McDougal.
"If it were me, I would suggest you use yew wood. Although the guardian tree has special effects, it cannot perfectly activate the power of the runes." McDougal's fingers brushed over the runes on the wooden bracelet, and he looked at Albert with interest, asking, "Unfortunately, you haven't really mastered how to use it yet."
Albert's eyes lit up as he stared at Mog McDougal, feeling that he might find the answers to his questions about runes from the man.
"Don't rush, you're already ahead of many people in this area. At least Bud doesn't know these things," McDougal said softly, turning to look at his friend.
"I'm not like you; I haven't done any research in this area." Professor Brod didn't take his friend's teasing to heart at all. "You're far less capable than me in terms of practical experience."
"Each has its strengths." McDougal showed no embarrassment as he looked at the parchment on the table. "Well, I think we should focus on our work."
"May I ask?" Albert picked up a piece of parchment and asked, "Where did you get these things? I mean, these runes on them."
"This is one of the legacies left by Ravenclaw," Professor Brod said bluntly, completely unconcerned about how sensational it was.
"Inheritance?" Albert was quite surprised, but he quickly calmed down.
"Yes, the legacy, the wisdom of Ravenclaw," McDougall said. "It's amazing. I plan to summarize it and write it into a book so that others can decipher this knowledge. One day, people will realize the magical power contained in the ancient runes."
"I've never seen these words possess any magical power," Professor Brod pointed out.
"Because you don't understand runes well enough," McDougal pointed out the problem bluntly. "Alright, let's begin!"
He waved his wand, and parchment and a quill appeared out of thin air as he began to prepare to record.
This was a tedious task, and Albert found it hard to believe that he was involved. When he came out of Professor Brod's office, he was in a daze, his head was still buzzing, and the things he had heard and experienced during this period kept echoing in his mind. Although he understood them, his brain was not able to process the chaotic knowledge well for a while.
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Albert didn't even realize when he returned to the Gryffindor common room, or when he closed his eyes to rest. His mind kept replaying the strings of runes and what McDoug had said until he fell asleep without realizing it.