Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 116: Return! Back to school season!

In the early morning of mid-August, the lights of Ilvermorny Castle gradually came on, and the Pukchi servants began to clean the castle, trim the lawns and branches, occasionally communicating in the Pukchi language, but more often they were silent.

Mount Greylock slowly regained consciousness.

Melvin worked in the garden for half an hour, using the Splitting Spell to trim the lush branches of the snake tree. Unlike the Pukchis who pruned them with measured precision, he broke off the branches one by one. He held the removed branches in his hand and examined them for a moment, confirming that only some of the leaves had slightly yellowed edges. These branches had the most magic and vitality and the best effect.

The pruned branches were stuffed into a linen bag, compacted firmly until it was bulging, and then tied tightly with a simple rope made from torn bark, and then pressed into a suitcase that was completely mismatched in appearance.

Principal Fontana looked at his busy figure, then at the pitted branches of the snake tree, which looked like they had been gnawed by a dog, and was silent for a moment: "Or why don't you just dig up the snake tree?"

Ignoring the principal's dark complexion, Melvin chuckled softly, "Don't feel bad, Principal. These are just some outer branches. Even if I don't prune them now, they will fall off in the winter. Consider this a parting gift for me."

"..."

Who sent the gift?

Ilvermorny or the Horned Serpent?

Principal Fontana fell silent for a moment, not caring about these few...hundreds of branches. He looked away with a distressed look on his face. "Is the information about the Goblet of Fire Tournament reliable?"

"It won't go wrong." Melvin was very confident. "If Ilvermorny wants to get involved, it can't just start from the school side. It also needs to work with the Magical Congress to communicate with the Ministry of Magic's Department of International Affairs, where the other three schools are located.

"I don't know much about the French Ministry of Magic. The head of the British Department of International Affairs is Barty Crouch, and he's quite responsible in his job. As for Durmstrang, the Romanian Ministry of Magic should have some influence. Mentioning my name would be very helpful..."

As Principal Fontana listened to the students' suggestions and arrangements, he gradually felt less distressed and even felt that these snake tree branches were quite worthwhile.

"I'll keep an eye on it." Principal Fontana paused and turned to talk about the dinner two days ago. "Your business with the Graves family..."

"Let's just not reach an agreement. Even without the Graves family's help, the situation in Budapest will gradually spread over." Melvin has his own plans. Compared to the gold coin income, content control is more important.

Principal Fontana nodded and smiled kindly: "Then I wish you a pleasant journey."

"See you in the Goblet of Fire!"

……

First rushing from Mount Greylock to New York, then from the Woolworth Building to the British Ministry of Magic, Apparition and Portkeys were two completely different experiences, but neither was very comfortable.

Two hours later, we arrived at Charing Cross Road.

Pushing open the brick wall behind the patio of the Leaky Cauldron, Melvin felt a little strange. He had traveled thousands of miles from Hogwarts to Budapest, then from Romania to Ilvermorny, and finally returned here. Two months had passed and the summer vacation was coming to an end.

After becoming a wizard, my perception of time and space has changed unconsciously. Occasionally, when I recall those distant memories, I always feel a sense of unreality.

Diagon Alley is more lively than before. As the school term approaches, Flourish and Blotts Bookshop and Madam Malkin's Robe Shop are always crowded with students and parents. The scene in the nearby Knockturn Alley is completely different.

Walking through the narrow alley covered with mud and moss, Melvin knocked on the door of Borgin and Burke's shop.

The brass doorbell rang crisply, in stark contrast to Borgin's still slick tone: "Welcome, how can I help you... Professor Lewynter! It's a pleasure to see you again!"

The mechanical and lifeless glib tone quickly turned into a light and cheerful one. The hunched-over Bogin pushed up his glasses, and the mirror reflected a glossy luster similar to that of his hair.

Melvin also had a smile on his face. "I'm not buying or selling anything today, Mr. Borgin."

"So who are you looking for?"

"I want you to introduce me to someone."

……

"Diagonal cough cough... Knockturn Alley."

Harry climbed out of the fireplace dizzy, his skin a little black and blue, his body covered in soot. He straightened his broken glasses and barely saw his surroundings clearly -

A dark and eerie wizard shop.

The shelves were filled with all sorts of strange and twisted objects: bloodstained playing cards, glass eyeballs, and daggers made of spliced ​​human bones. From the ceiling hung hideous masks and rusty yet sharp spikes.

Harry was certain that nothing here would be on a Hogwarts shopping list, and the narrow, dank alleyway outside the glass window was certainly not Diagon Alley.

Just as he tiptoed towards the door and was about to slip out, two figures appeared in front of the door. One of them was the annoying Draco Malfoy, and the other was a middle-aged wizard with an unfamiliar face who looked like Malfoy's father.

Harry was trapped inside, his mind racing, and he hurriedly hid in a black wooden cabinet. He closed the door from the inside, leaving only a tiny gap to peek through.

"If your hands still want it, don't touch anything, Draco." The middle-aged wizard looked at the shelves lazily, pressed the doorbell, and a slight sound came from the inner room.

"I thought you were going to buy me a gift." Draco withdrew his hand in disappointment. He was about to touch the dark magic items on the shelf.

"..."

The conversation between the two confirmed Harry's guess. He focused his attention and eavesdropped on their conversation more carefully.

At this moment, a hunched man appeared behind the counter. His voice was as greasy as his hair. He looked very surprised. "Mr. Malfoy, and Master Malfoy, are you really here?"

Mr. Malfoy frowned slightly and pulled out a roll of parchment from the inside of his clothes. It looked like some kind of list. "I'm not buying anything today, Mr. Borgin. I'm here to sell something."

“Very welcome.”

Mr. Borgin took the list respectfully, but did not look at it immediately. Instead, he said carefully: "Mr. Malfoy, these business matters can be discussed later. There is a gentleman who wants to talk to you. Look..."

Mr. Malfoy had a blank expression on his face and a somewhat cold look in his eyes.

Draco was confused and asked unawares, "Sir? Which sir?"

Mr. Borgin's smile was a little forced. He turned slightly to the back and pointed to the inner room, indicating that Lucius should go and see for himself.

Mr. Malfoy's long nostrils rose and fell slightly. He glanced at Borgin and walked towards the inner room. Draco was about to follow him, but was stopped by Mr. Borgin: "Master Malfoy, come and see this skull. What do you think? Voodoo made by Indian priests..."

Seeing that Draco's attention was diverted after just a few words, Harry curled his lips. Everyone could see that Mr. Borgin wanted to separate them, but he still fell for it. What a fool.

He tried his best to glance into the inner room through the narrow gap, but apart from Mr. Malfoy, he could only see a vague figure, a slender figure, who seemed somewhat familiar.

……

Mr. Malfoy walked into the inner room and saw the young wizard standing in the middle of the room, flipping through a book on dark magic. On the cover was a poisonous snake drawn in dark red ink, which faintly smelled of blood.

He casually placed his cane on the shelf beside him: "Professor Levent?" Malfoy certainly recognized the professor. He first gained fame in the newspapers and later became a rising star in the British wizarding world through the Magic Mirror Club. Among wizards of his age, Melvin Levent was the most illustrious name.

But the more profound impression came from the retelling of his own child Draco.

At the beginning, it was an insignificant joke that used far-fetched logic to infer that Severus loved his wife. When Narcissa showed him her son's serious secret letter, he just thought it was absurd and funny.

Of course, Malfoy would not think such an outrageous inference was true. He just regarded it as a joke and even sent an invitation to Severus, intending to make fun of him in person.

It's a pity that he didn't accept the invitation.

Later, there was the warning during the night walk in the Forbidden Forest. After that, Draco suddenly became much more sensible. The couple thought that their child had grown up by going to school. Later, when Draco accidentally asked about the rent of several shops, they realized that it was the professor who taught him a lesson.

Finally, Draco came back from vacation to show off the deal he made with the Longbottom children. Although it was just children playing house, it also revealed the style of the Malfoy family.

Mr. Malfoy didn't mind making friends with such an upstart professor.

Of course, there are limits to friendship and it's a cautious one.

Melvin was also sizing up this middle-aged wizard, the head of the Malfoy family, a businessman with trade all over the world, a former core Death Eater, a hypocritical person who escaped trial, a conspirator in the wizarding world, and a generous philanthropist—

Lucius Malfoy.

With light blond hair, deep grey eyes, and a pointed, pale face, he looked very similar to Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, I'm sorry to invite you like this."

Melvin put down the book and bowed slightly to him, showing an impeccable smile. He casually summoned two chairs and motioned for him to sit down and talk slowly. "I heard that Mr. Malfoy wants to deal with a batch of difficult items in response to the recent inspection by the Ministry of Magic?"

Mr. Malfoy nodded slightly, sat down comfortably, and said self-deprecatingly, "The Malfoy family's reputation is not much left. It's barely enough for me to delay for two days and vacate the attic."

"Dark magic items are just a minor issue. If they are discovered, the only thing left is a fine. These Galleons are nothing to Malfoy..."

Melvin's praise made Malfoy raise his chin slightly, revealing a bit of complacency, but the next half sentence shocked him:

"What about the Dark Lord's things?"

Mr. Malfoy's pupils shrank, his smile froze on his face, and his body tensed up, showing an instinctive defensiveness. He put on a tough attitude and asked coldly, "What do you mean?"

Melvin stared into his eyes and spoke word by word, "I say, what are you going to do with the diary in your pocket?"

The precise and detailed words shattered all hope in Malfoy's heart. A layer of cold sweat quickly broke out on his back. His mind was in a mess as he tried to analyze the young professor's intentions.

How did he know about the diary?

Is he the Dark Lord's man?
No. He's Dumbledore's man?

Melvin continued to speak to himself, "I think Mr. Malfoy should have seen my film. Dumbledore and I both believe that the Dark Lord will make a comeback one day. I am very curious, when the time comes, will you, the Death Eaters who quickly switched sides after your downfall, escaped from prison, betrayed your allies, and never looked for him in all these years, still gain the Dark Lord's trust?
"Perhaps with the Malfoy family's wealth and extensive connections, you and your wife... and your child, Draco, can become core Death Eaters again. But what happens after that? Can the Dark Lord win this time? If he loses again, which side will you side with?"

"Or you will become cannon fodder abandoned by both sides. No matter who wins, Malfoy will be the target of reckoning."

"..."

Malfoy felt a chill spreading from the soles of his feet to the depths of his heart.

Melvin smiled gently and said, "Or, you can have a third way out."

……

"Click!"

Through the narrow gap between the wooden cabinets, Harry saw Mr. Malfoy hurried out of the inner room, pulled Draco with him, and hurriedly left the shop.

"Goodbye, Mr. Malfoy. Can I go to the manor to pick up the goods tomorrow at noon?" Borgin greeted flatteringly.

"Um……"

The figures of the father and son disappeared into the narrow, damp alley. The shop fell into silence again. Borgin adjusted his pince-nez, turned around and walked slowly back to the inner room, still muttering to himself:
"If the legend is true, the items on this list are less than half of what is hidden in Malfoy Manor..."

"call……"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and planned to wait until Borgin was completely in the inner room before he slipped out quietly and left without anyone noticing.

Just as he was waiting for the opportunity, Harry's pupils suddenly contracted. Through the slit, he saw an unexpected figure walking out of the inner room. He had a slender figure and a handsome, youthful face.

"It's Professor Lewinter!" he shouted in his heart.

Harry watched Professor Lewynter chatting with Borgin for a while, then prepared to say goodbye and leave with a book on the Dark Arts and a diary tucked under his arm. Then he casually glanced around the store and landed on the cabinet where he was hiding, revealing an intriguing smile.

Professor Lewynter stepped closer, and Harry slowly held his breath.

Harry swore to Merlin that he had always thought Professor Lewyn's smile was kind and gentle, but seeing the same smile now made him feel a chill.

Accompanied by a slightly musty breeze, Melvin opened the cabinet door and looked at the disheveled Harry inside, and many distant memories emerged in his mind.

Dobby must have noticed Malfoy's conspiracy, so he made trouble to prevent Harry from returning to school. As a result, the Weasley brothers simply took him to the Burrow and waited for school to start together... There would be more trouble later, at least the poor Whomping Willow was in trouble.

He smiled and asked, "First time using Floo powder, did you pronounce the place name wrong?"

Harry hummed in a muffled voice.

Then there was a crackling sound, and the eyes blurred. I saw the professor's finger lightly tap, and the broken lenses suddenly spliced ​​and fused together, and the vision became clear.

Melvin summoned another whirlwind, which blew around him twice, carrying the soot on his body and blowing it into the nearby fireplace.

"Come on, I'll take you to Diagon Alley. Mrs. Weasley must be looking for you anxiously."

"..."

In the blink of an eye, the disheveled look was completely changed, and Harry was still a little confused.

Is Professor Lewynter a good guy or a bad guy?

(End of this chapter)