The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

Chapter 334: Muggleist?
After he felt relieved, Anthony spent a lot of time in the office reading the book "The Mystery of Time" and successfully forgot about lunch time. If it weren't for Professor Bubaji's sudden visit, he might have forgotten more things.

"Caridi?" Anthony opened the door and let her in. "What happened?"

"No big deal, I just remembered that I should give this to you." Professor Bubbaji handed over a piece of parchment and nodded to the cat curled up on the cat climbing frame with half-opened eyes. The cat yawned, turned its face away, and continued to sleep facing the wall.

"What is this? A list?"

Professor Bubbage said, "Yes, I forgot to tell you that professors need to submit the list of students who will take the OWLs exam to the Wizarding Examination Authority in advance. When I left Ms. Bones, I happened to meet Professor Marchbank. She reminded me that the Authority had not received the list of students in Muggle Studies, and then I remembered this. Here, you need to sign here to confirm, and then send an owl to this address. After they receive it, they will reply to you with a confirmation letter."

As she spoke, she sat down in a chair across from Anthony's desk and took off her hat. "Anything to eat? Cookies?"

Anthony stood up and took out a can of remaining coconut ice cream from the decorative furniture: "Here you go."

Professor Bubaji unscrewed the can, frowned at the deformed ice cream, picked out a piece pickily, and started eating.

She commented: “Not so fresh anymore.”

Anthony lowered his head to check the student list and defended the coconut ice cream, "It's not even a year yet." He looked up and assured Professor Bubbaji who was about to say something else, "But I was just about to buy some other snacks. If it hadn't rained so hard today, you would have been eating the freshest candy quills now."

Professor Bubbage said, "Don't buy Honeydukes' suckable candy quills, Henry. Their gummy quills are much tastier, they just don't suck like the real thing - but we're professors, we don't need to pretend we're taking notes and thinking hard at the same time."

"Okay," Anthony said.

He felt that Professor Bubaji seemed a little different from what he remembered. He glanced at her a few more times while studying the list, and then he noticed that it was her hair - the loose hair that usually scattered on her forehead and ears was tied up and formed into a tight bun at the back of her head, making her figure look even thinner and her bright eyes occupied a larger proportion of her pale face.

Professor Bubaji complained while eating coconut ice cream: "You can never imagine what I am doing today."

"uh-huh."

"A few drunks broke into the Ministry of Magic and lay on the ground to protest against the Muggle Protection Act. The Law Enforcement Squad beaters tried to kick them out, so the drunk guys cursed the Ministry of Magic as 'witch hunting dogs' and tried to Apparate. When I went to the Ministry of Magic, they just happened to separate. There were all kinds of things in the hall. Eyebrows, hair, pieces of flesh, half a leg..."

Anthony signed, folded the list and put it aside, planning to go to the Owlery after dinner.

Professor Bubbage continued, "After a while, I was still in Ms. Bones' office when a group of reporters knocked on the door, wanting to ask whether the director of the Law Enforcement Department intended to authorize the well-trained strikers who were supposed to protect the wizarding world to try to murder wizards for Muggles. In order to discuss with Ms. Bones, I declined the exchange meeting organized by the Muggle Research Society in the afternoon. As a result, I just spent my time there with a bunch of guys with ulterior motives - and a few idiots - explaining that the Muggle Protection Act is not intended to infringe on magical rights, nor is it a conspiracy from the Muggle society, a witch hunt in a civilized society! Merlin, I'm a witch myself!"

Anthony said: "Arthur also mentioned to me that someone was unhappy because of the confidentiality law, so his work has not been going well recently."

"Don't tell me who did it," Professor Bubbage snorted. "I'm already familiar with these names. What are you doing today, Henry?" She abruptly changed the subject.

"Me?" Anthony glanced at the book at hand, "Just enjoying my weekend."

Professor Bubbage raised her eyebrows. "You haven't been reading a book, have you? What is it? The Secret of Time?" She shook her head. "You should go for more walks outside, Henry."

"On a rainy day like this?"

"You haven't been out since this morning, have you?" Professor Bubagji said knowingly. "The rain stopped at noon. Do you have any plans tonight?"

Anthony had a feeling that she would not approve of his continuing to read, but he was still fifty pages away from finishing the book. Before he could think of a suitable response, Professor Bubbage had already understood the answer from his hesitation.

"Great, you don't have any plans." She put her hat back on, pushed the coconut sorbet aside, and stood up neatly. "Want to have a nice dinner?"

Anthony smiled and sighed, standing up as well, "Okay, where to? Hogwarts Great Hall?"

"No, the dinner for the exchange meeting should be about to start." Professor Bubaji looked at the time, "If we are lucky, we may be able to get the last few pieces of blueberry cake."

……

After two portkeys, Professor Bubbage led Anthony to the cabin of a garbage truck and tapped the lock with his wand: "I swear there are people who are more garbage than me."

With a click, the lock opened. The door of the garbage truck opened, revealing the rusty dump truck. Professor Bubagji stepped forward and motioned Anthony to do the same.

"That's new," Anthony muttered. Professor Bubaggi just smiled.

As soon as they stood up, the bucket began to rise slowly - rise - Anthony felt like he was being turned upside down like a garbage can - followed by a feeling of weightlessness, he felt dizzy, and was not sure if he was really thrown down.

However, the next second, he found himself standing on a solid iron plate. It looked like the inside of a garbage truck, with no windows, only a ball of light suspended in the air from magic, illuminating the surrounding white-painted iron plate.

Professor Bubbage was standing beside him, shaking hands with a short wizard with a round belly: "I knew you would be late, Woodchuck. Woodchuck, this is Henry Anthony. Henry, William Woodchuck." She introduced Anthony to a long-haired wizard next to him, "This is another William, William Walker. Evelyn, you have met him." Evelyn was a witch with light brown hair. She hugged Professor Bubbage intimately.

"Yes, we've met in your report." Evelyn nodded to Professor Bubbaji, then turned to Anthony and held out her hand. "But I don't think I've ever introduced myself. Evelyn Avery."

Anthony reached out and shook her hand. "I've read your book, Ms. Avery."

"Call me Evelyn, if you don't mind me calling you Henry." Evelyn said. Anthony remembered that when he saw the author's name, he suspected that the other party might have some connection with the pure-blood family Avery, but he didn't think he should ask more.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly shook. With a creaking sound, they seemed to start moving forward. "Oh--" Anthony whispered.

"You don't think this is the venue for the Muggle Research Society's exchange meeting, do you, Henry?" Professor Burbage laughed, "We are on the express train to the exchange meeting."

"Express garbage truck," said Woodchuck.

Anthony said: "No, I just felt like a prisoner or kidnapped or something. I had no idea where I was going."

Walker explained to Anthony, "The castle has an anti-Apparition charm and is not connected to any Floo network. In addition, Ms. Duran, the owner of the castle, also wants to ensure that no one knows its exact location."

……

After getting off the car, Anthony discovered that the garbage truck was actually pulled by seven short-legged horses. After the wizards who attended the dinner got off the car, the horses stood there and looked at them, shaking their heads and ears from time to time, making the bells on their necks clang. Behind them was a stream that served as a moat, and several fishing rods without owners were scattered on the lawn. At the end of the lawn stood a small castle with a tightly closed iron gate, surrounded by dark, twisted trees.

The door slowly opened with the sound of horse bells. Anthony followed Professor Bubaji through a corridor full of plastic bags and cans and came to the hall.

"Wow," Anthony said.

This place had the most bizarre decoration he had ever seen. Various brands of motorcycles were parked in a mess in the lobby with ornate tiles on the floor. The handlebars were decorated with flowers made of yellow and green wires. The spiral staircase was stacked with ticket machines and game consoles, and a traffic light stood where the grandfather clock should have been. The corridors leading to both sides were sealed with cement and sprayed with some unrecognizable graffiti.

"Ms. Duran has a strange temper." Professor Bubbage said to Anthony, "But she is the largest sponsor of the Muggle Research Society, providing countless funds to Muggle Research Societies in various countries every year. The Duran family has always been known for its wealth, but their family has been cautious and self-protective for generations, and few people have clearly expressed their support for a certain idea like Ms. Duran."

In the corner, Anthony saw a miniature brass Statue of Liberty holding an ice cream cone, with a replica of Duchamp's urinal next to it. Judging from the color of the ice cream, it was probably strawberry flavored.

"No one knows where Duran's money comes from. Some people say that there is a gold mine under her castle, and some people say that her ancestors had some relationship with goblins and took a lot of treasure from the pockets of those misers, so they have been hiding the location of their castle." Professor Bubbaji said, "Let's go and get some desserts."

So Anthony and Professor Bubbaji squeezed through the tires of two motorcycles, walked around a TV in a glass display case, and came to two long tables with various foods. The long table closest to them was lined with rows of glittering high-heeled glasses. Whenever someone took a cup, a new cup would appear on the white tablecloth by magic, automatically filling it with dark or light yellow liquid.

The wall behind the long table was covered with black and white printouts of Harlequin Carnival, and menus were constantly flying out of the fax machine. Wizards kept greeting Professor Bubbage, asking her what she was doing recently and why they didn't see her at the afternoon exchange meeting. Evelyn and Walker were arguing behind them.

"Dessert won't be here for a while," said Woodchuck cheerfully. "Stop making noise, Evelyn. Have some hamburgers and octopus salad."

Just then, a lady wearing a leather jacket, jeans, a huge hat full of feathers, and a lip piercing came over, holding a goblet.

"Oh, there you are!" she said loudly. "Walker, I loved your report this afternoon on how Muggles will destroy wizards! I will definitely - hiccup - give your research grant - hiccup - a little extra boost! One thousand Galleons!"

Walker quickly said, "Thank you, Ms. Duran."

Professor Bubbaji snorted quietly beside Anthony.

"No, I've thought about it again, and I'll give you 500 Galleons." Ms. Duran half-squinted her eyes, "Let's work together! We can shock the wizarding world, Muggleists! Let me quote Grindelwald - for the greater good! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" The wizards around her raised their glasses. Walker hurriedly grabbed a goblet and shouted "Cheers" too.

"Eat more, Woodchuck," Ms. Duran said. "Caridi, I didn't see you this afternoon, but that's okay. I never understood what your report was about. Nice necklace, Evelyn."

Evelyn said politely, "Thank you, Ms. Duran."

"You're new here, aren't you?" Ms. Duran said to Anthony. "I've never seen you before. Did you attend the exchange meeting this afternoon?"

"No, Ms. Duran," Anthony said.

"Professor Anthony teaches Muggle Studies at Hogwarts." Woodchuck introduced Anthony.

Ms. Duran said, "Oh, they kicked you out after all, Carity? Don't lose heart, there are better schools for Muggles - hiccups - you can try to get a teaching position there."

"No, no," Anthony said, "Caridi is still a professor at Hogwarts. And I know you're very busy, Caridi, but don't ever think about quitting. I can't handle it all."

"I think you did a great job," said Professor Bubagi.

"Hogwarts has hired two professors for Muggle Studies?" Ms. Duran said in amazement. "Not bad, I thought British wizards were all stubborn old-fashioned. You are much better than Durmstrang. I think - hiccups - Durmstrang will definitely be suppressed by Hogwarts in the future. By that time, when people see the Triwizard Tournament in history, they will wonder why Durmstrang's name appears next to Hogwarts. I like your shoes. Good taste."

"Uh...thank you," Anthony said.

"Well, welcome. What's your name? Oh, yes, welcome, Henry." Ms. Duran raised the goblet again, "Welcome to become a member of the most fashionable and rebellious organization in the wizarding world! Let the voice of Muggleism resound throughout the wizarding world and echo in the hearts of every young person who yearns for a new life! Declare war on the old era! Cheers!"

She stared at Anthony with burning eyes. Anthony had no choice but to pick up a goblet from the side and clinked it with hers: "Cheers."

He took a sip. It was Coke.

(End of this chapter)