Christian stayed after the Transfiguration Class.
"Mr. Malik, do you have any questions?"
"No, but I was wondering something," replied Christian. "Is it possible for me to take Ancient Runes as a first-year student? I love languages, and I'm fluent in a dozen of them. So, I wondered if you could make an exception."
"I'm sorry, but only third-year students can take electives."
"Is there no way? It won't affect my other classes."
"Rules are rules, and I cannot break them for anyone."
"Well, I understand," nodded Christian. "Thank you for taking the time."
He left the room without a hint of disappointment at this rejection. But if someone close to him saw, they could detect the smirk on the corner of his mouth.
Later that night, Room of Requirement:
Christian sat in a study with a colossal book in his hand. As he read, his mouth made weird sounds like a snake. The process of learning Parseltongue was proceeding smoothly. With his Mind Palace, he had no problem memorizing the content, and his talent for language made pronunciation and understanding grammar and syntax fairly simple. Additionally, he would conjure a snake after every reading and converse with it.
Christian closed the book and exhaled. He put it away before taking his father's artifact, which he named [Odin's Eye] because of the Ancient Runes and because he had recently seen the game God of War 4 from Jim's memories.
"I wonder what secrets you hold," he mumbled. If things proceed smoothly, he might be able to find out by the end of the year. Christian placed the artifact away in a special place. He asked the Room of Requirement for a place only he could access and stored it there. He continued his magical training before returning to Gryffindor's common room by 11. He read for another hour before meditating and sleeping.
Thursday arrived, and it was the Flying Lesson. Christian was relatively quiet during the lesson, only briefly chatting with Hermione. And as he expected, things proceeded as in the books. Neville got in trouble, and Harry and Draco had a short-flying battle.
Not long after class, he heard the news about Harry becoming their house's Seeker, and a smile crept onto the corner of his mouth. He calmly followed his map to the Transfiguration Class. Although he had memorized the route, the changing stairs would sometimes mess him up, so he still relied on the map. Additionally, many of the classrooms in the castle were weird, needing strange conditions —like singing to them — before opening them. The map often told him these conditions, so Christian still found the enchanted item quite valuable.
"Professor McGonagall, am I disturbing you?"
"Come in, Mr. Malik," she replied while grading papers. Without raiding her head, she asked, "What can I do for you today?"
"I have a question."
"Of course," she smiled, still not paying much attention.
"Do I need to have Harry's level of fame for the rules not to apply to me?"
"Pardon me?" asked McGonagall, stopping what she was doing to look at him.
"I heard he's been granted an exception and can play Quidditch as a first-year. So, I wondered if the rules no longer apply once you reach a certain level of fame."
"That…is different."
"How?" asked Christian, looking her in the eyes. "Quidditch is a dangerous sport, yet he is granted an exception. Meanwhile, I only want to learn, and no danger is involved, but I was mercilessly rejected."
"You make a fair point," said Professor McGonagall after a brief silence. "I will talk to the headmaster to see if you can also receive an exception."
"That's all I ask for. Now, enjoy your day, Ma'am." Christian left the classroom with a smile on his face.
"Did he already know this would happen?" muttered McGonagall as she watched him leave. However, she shook her head as this would be absurd. Less than an hour later, Christian received a letter from McGonagall that he was approved to attend the Ancient Rune Class. So, Christian had a smile on his face for the rest of the afternoon. He had already prepared for class so he wouldn't be over a week behind.
As the entrance to the common room opened, Christian was surprised to see the trio fighting.
"Christian? So, you're also breaking the rules," said Hermione.
"It's only breaking the rules if I get caught, and with my mastery of the Disillusionment Charm, Filch has no chance to catch me," he replied casually. "What are you guys doing?"
"They're going to duel with Malfoy," said Hermione.
"Why are you telling him?" asked Ron angrily.
"Draco is playing you. He won't show up," said Christian.
"That's what I've been telling them." Harry immediately hesitated after hearing the same from two of the brightest students in the class.
"Do you want us to run from a battle?" said Ron. "Especially from Malfoy?"
"Yes, we can't avoid this fight," Harry agreed, so Christian shrugged and headed to his room.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" asked Hermione.
"They know the consequences and still choose to act. What do you expect me to do?"
"They could lose us points. Or worse, get expelled."
"The worst that could happen is getting punished, " Christian said before returning to his room. The next day, he did not ask the trio what had happened and attended his first Ancient Rune Class.
'This language seems to combine Elder Futhark, the oldest form of the runic alphabet, and other magical symbols,' thought Christian while taking notes. 'It's possible this form of the Germanic Rune is the oldest form of the language, which the magical world preserved. Meanwhile, the one in the Muggle World is a language that evolved from this one, stripped down of the symbols and leaving the Futhark runes.'
Christian stayed after class, as expected, as he had questions.
"The famous Christian Malik," said Professor Babbling.
"Famous? How?"
"Flitwick and McGonagall won't stop gushing about how talented you are or about your curious nature. They even gave you a nickname: Mr. One Hundred Why."
"That's a terrible nickname," said Christian, making Professor Babbling chuckle. "What question do you have?"
"I was wondering whether Ancient Runes had ever been used as an incantation for a spell?"
"Are you one of those people?" asked Professor Babbling.
"Those people?"
"A small group in the Ancient Rune Field who believed it was a magical language with great power and effect," she explained. "Ancient Rune is nothing but a language. Throughout history, there has been one recorded instance where a wizard used the word [Eihwaz] to cast a defensive spell. However, the validity of those records has been debated, debunked, and mythicized. Most Ancient Rune Scholars disdain the notion that there is power behind this language."
"I see," nodded Christian. He had seen many fanfictions or other forms of media where runes are used as the basis for magical incantations and spells, and was wondering if this applied. Now, it seems this might not be the case.
'I should not rule it as impossible since Odin's Eye might be proof of this form of magic,' thought Christian, who asked a few more questions before heading to the Great Hall to eat something. During the meal, he received a letter from Professor Quirrell.
'He answered my question in such vivid detail,' thought Christian, realizing his plan might work. 'I could use my fame among the teachers to my advantage. Make Voldemort think I'm like him, lured by the power of the dark art. If it works, I can probably pry many secrets about dark magic from him.'
Although Christian had no desire to use Dark Magic, he wanted to know more about it to better defend against it.
'Let's slowly increase the difficulty of the questions asked before asking heavy topics about the dark arts.'
He wrote another letter and had Sango send it. As such, he began a strange relationship with Quirell. He would ignore him in class but communicate heavily through letters.