Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 13 First Lesson
The party ended and it was almost late at night.

The castle did not quiet down immediately.

After returning to school after two months, the students were in high spirits and restless on the way back to the common room. The boys gathered together to laugh and play, and the girls gathered in a group to chat and chatter about the interesting things that happened during the holidays.

The ghosts drilled from one side of the wall to the other, from one set of armor to another. In fact, it was all the same to them and they didn't feel anything. However, the screams of the little wizards gave them great encouragement.

Only after Professor McGonagall called out twice did the students behave themselves.

Melvin didn't feel much and returned to his room early. The castle walls were well soundproofed and the noise disappeared as soon as the door was closed.

He washed up briefly in the bathroom, changed into his summer pajamas, put on slippers, and sat down behind the desk.

Open the envelope you just received and read it quietly.

The written letter from the Wizarding Examinations Authority was written by Madam Marchbanks. It was a bit long, but the main points were clearly organized and the details were appropriate. It had five pages of parchment in total, and the first four pages were all about scientific questions:
Does the universe have boundaries?
Can the damaged atmosphere be repaired with magic?

Why are whales not fish, and bats not birds...

Some of these questions were from Mrs. Marchbanks, and there were also questions from many other wizards in the Administration. It seemed that the encyclopedia craze was still continuing.

The last two pages are the main text.

"...Also, remember to record your course content, organize it, and send it to the Administration regularly. The committee will re-plan the exam syllabus based on the teaching content."

According to Mrs. Marchbank's plan, the fifth and seventh grades, which are about to take the exam, will remain unchanged and will still be tested on the content of previous years. The other third, fourth and sixth grades will be taught according to his plan and will face the new exams next year.

I didn’t expect that wizard professors in magic schools also have to write teaching records.

He replied to each question one by one, saying that he would mail the lesson plans regularly every month, and at the end of the letter he recommended some books, which were no longer children's encyclopedias, but popular science books for teenagers.

I folded the letter and put it in an envelope, planning to mail it out tomorrow. Then I took out a blank piece of letter paper and thought about where to start writing.

The second letter was to be sent to Knockturn Alley. The business deal I had agreed to last time had not been completed, and the map of wizarding villages around Britain had not been received yet. I was writing to urge them to do so, and to inform them that the delivery address had changed and would now be sent to the Hogsmeade Owl Post Office.

You definitely can't receive it at Hogwarts, that would be no different from directly revealing your identity.

Finally he took out the class schedule Professor McGonagall had given him.

I have a class with him tomorrow morning, and it seems to be for third grade students.

……

Hogwarts is a magical castle, and this magic emanates from every corner of the school.

The magic of the Transfiguration classroom lies in Professor McGonagall waving her wand and transforming desks into fat, grunting pigs. The magic of the portraits lies in the wizards and witches who wander freely across the room and whisper to each other while clinging to the walls. The magic of the brick walls lies in the ever-shifting staircases and doors that move at any moment, making it easy to get lost. There are also ghosts that come and go, students practicing magic, and house-elves hiding in corners.

Freshmen and newly joined professors all find it new, other teachers and students have already adapted to it, and few wizards realize that this wonder has lasted for thousands of years without any obvious changes.

Such magic lacks novelty and change, and has long revealed many backward aspects.

Melvin walked on the shifting defensive stone stairs, gradually figuring out the pattern of its changes, and the novelty in his heart was gradually fading.

Other freshmen had similar experiences.

"Don't think no one noticed you!"

He heard a low voice that sounded slightly familiar. He stopped at the corner of the staircase, leaned out half of his body and looked around quietly, and found that Snape and Quirrell were confronting each other.

"You're keeping an eye on that boy, right?"

"I... I don't... no..." Quirrell stuttered. He didn't know if it was the sequelae of Voldemort occupying his brain, but his severe stuttering was caused by it.

"You don't admit it?"

"I don't...know...you..." Quirrell tried to speak clearly.

"Don't know what I mean?"

"I didn't know you were watching him too."

"..."

Snape stared coldly into his eyes, suspecting he had done it on purpose, as his last sentence was particularly fluent.

Melvin pursed his lips, unable to completely suppress his laughter, and let out a short breath, which immediately attracted the attention of the two people, and they turned their heads to look at him at the same time.

"cough……"

Melvin calmly walked around the corner and said, "Excuse me, where is the Muggle Studies classroom? I'm not very familiar with the castle environment yet."

Snape gave him a cold look, turned around and walked downstairs without saying a word.

Quirrell did point him in the direction, stumbling but more fluently than before: "It's... on this floor. Turn right in front, and it's the... the third room."

"Thank you so much."

Melvin smiled and thanked him, watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance.

Snape is really not friendly at all, look at Professor Quirrell.

The former Muggle Studies professor gave clear directions, and Melvin walked down the corridor, turned right at the corner, and found his classroom smoothly.

A few minutes before class, the third graders were almost all present, chatting and talking. The boys were mainly discussing why the fourth-floor corridor had suddenly been blocked off, while the girls were discussing his clothes from the previous night and the information he had published in the newspaper.

Melvin stopped and listened for half a minute, distinguishing the colleges from their conversation and recognizing several representative faces.

"Ding dong..."

The bell rang and the classroom suddenly became quiet. Melvin pushed the door open and walked into the classroom.

The professor still wore Muggle clothes, a pine green suit jacket paired with a jet black shirt, the notched lapels were naturally rolled up, the blended fabric draped naturally, the lines were not sharp, the fabric was soft but maintained a slightly wide version, the pleats were gentle, giving him a casual and comfortable outstanding temperament.

Many little witches' eyes lit up at this.

The boys also noticed that the professor seemed quite handsome.

"Melvin...Levent..."

The students followed the chalk with their eyes, watching the lime shavings outline the professor's name, and unconsciously muttered it to themselves.

This method is really unremarkable. You should know that when Professor McGonagall introduced herself, she simply deformed the entire blackboard, Professor Flitwick used magical glow to outline it, and even Professor Sprout of Herbology once used the branches of poisonous tentacles to spell out her last name.

What?, someone asked Professor Snape?

He didn't bother to introduce himself.

The professor's opening was a bit Muggle.

Melvin wrote his name on the blackboard and casually dropped the chalk on the table. "I believe many of you have already seen my name in your school notices, and perhaps even read about me in the Daily Prophet. Considering that some students don't read newspapers, they may have many questions about this change in course content..."

"Now, you have five minutes to raise your hands and ask questions."

The little wizard's eyes lit up.

Professors have always been the ones asking them questions and guiding them through the course information; this was the first time a professor had let them ask questions. It felt like an equal dialogue.

The novel teaching method immediately piqued their interest, and even the new professor became much closer to them.

Swish!
A female student was the first to react. She raised her right hand and answered the first question as expected.

"The girl in the second row."

"Professor, are you really from Ilvermorny?"

"No question of value, but yes."

"..."

"The boy next to you, ask."

"Uh... Professor, why did you drop out?"

"It's an interesting question. When I dropped out of school, I thought many people would ask it, so I prepared many answers. However, none of them came in handy. Even Headmaster Dumbledore didn't ask when he recruited me. I suspect he forgot."

The slightly teasing words caused some laughter in the classroom. Melvin waited until the laughter died down before continuing his answer:
"My more formal answer is that I had already completed my studies, and the remaining six months were just for review and exam preparation. I needed to venture out into the wider world, to validate my previous knowledge, to observe, to experience, to explore. My head was full of ideas waiting to be put into practice, and that diploma wasn't that important to me. So dropping out was a natural choice."

The students in the audience quieted down.

A Gryffindor girl raised her hand. "Professor, what's a less literal answer?"

"A less written answer..."

Melvin paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "The world is so big, I want to see it."

A burst of laughter broke out in the classroom.

Some students also rolled their eyes, as if thinking about something.

"It was a difficult decision for me to drop out of school. At the time, I was sure I had a clear plan or was lucky enough to have opportunities. However, I don't recommend others to follow suit. If I knew that any of you wanted to drop out, I would simply contact your parents and suggest that you confiscate your wand and ground you."

Melvin felt that the atmosphere in the classroom had become a little more serious, and he was quite satisfied.

"Professor, what does Ilvermorny look like?"

"It's actually pretty similar to Hogwarts, with the same four houses and the same boarding system, but the curriculum and teaching methods are a bit different. If you want to learn more about other magic schools, I recommend a few books. Go to the library and check them out: 'The Crisis of Education in the Magical World,' 'How Magic Schools Influence Wizarding Society,' and 'School in the Desert: A History of Witch Education's Struggle in Afghanistan.'"

"Professor Lewynter, I'd like to know how the new course differs from the past and what we're going to learn."

"You will understand this later. It can't be explained in just a few words."

"Professor! We can talk about other things later, but you must answer this now!"

"You said."

“Is there a lot of homework? Is it difficult?”

"I'm not sure yet, it depends on your performance."

"Professor, I heard that you're a consultant to the Examinations Administration. Will you be responsible for setting the exam content in the future? Will you set the questions?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. I advise you to study hard."

"..."

The five-minute question time ended quickly, and the students were still reluctant to leave. It seemed that they had asked a lot of questions, but it also seemed that they had not gotten anything out of the question. However, they had become closer to the professor.

This theoretical course, which is not magical at all, had originally been attended by many students with an attitude towards the history of magic, but now they have become interested and are willing to pay a little attention.

"Now you know me pretty well, it's my turn..."

Melvin pulled out a chair and sat down next to the podium. Facing the students' gaze, he pointed to the girl in the front row on the far right. "Start with you. Introduce yourself. Tell us your name, college, and why you chose this course."

It’s another novel experience that I have never experienced before!
The students in the audience had bright eyes.

Muggle-born students had experienced this before, but this was their first time at a wizarding school, and the experience was quite amazing.

"I'm Alicia Spinnet, from Gryffindor."

The girl was a little nervous, but her previous experience made her willing to reveal her thoughts: "I'm a Muggle-born, and I think this course should be relatively easy. I can get an additional certificate."

Melvin wasn't surprised either. He had also been a student there and knew that many people thought the same way.

He waved his hand for her to sit down, and motioned for the girl behind her to continue: "Next."

"Angelina Johnson, Gryffindor. Alya and I are roommates. She dragged me here."

"I'm Lee Jordan, from Gryffindor. I like Angelina, so I came when she came."

The black boy with dreadlocks did not cover it up at all, causing laughter in the classroom.

Angelina Johnson couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

"..."

"Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff. I'm interested in Muggle culture and would like to learn more about it. If it's interesting, I might continue to take it as an elective. If I'm too busy with other classes, I might give up the advanced course in my fifth year."

"..."

"Roger Davies, Ravenclaw. I think the same as Cedric."

"..."

"Cassius Warrington, Slytherin. My father made me choose him so that I could join the Ministry of Magic after graduation."

"..."

There are quite a few students who choose to take the Muggle Studies course. The reasons for choosing the course are similar. Some students think the course is simple and convenient and want to get a certificate. Some come to accompany friends or partners. Some come to pursue their ideal partners. Only a small number of students are interested in Muggle Studies, but they do not regard it as an important subject.

Slytherin has the fewest students taking Muggle Studies, but they are also the most determined, with clear goals and no secrets.

The other young wizards were not surprised either. This behavior seemed to be very normal in the magical world, at least in the pure-blood circle.

After the last student finished introducing himself, Melvin stood up without any comment, seemingly unconcerned about their reasons for choosing the course. "One question, did you know each other before? Mr. Diggory, you answer."

Cedric thought for a moment and replied, "I know all my Hufflepuff classmates, I have a basic acquaintance with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and I know a few of the Slytherin Quidditch team members. As for the others, I only know their faces, not their names."

The compulsory courses in the first two years were taught by two colleges together. Almost all students in the same grade had taken classes together. Hufflepuff House got along well with other houses, and only Slytherin was not so familiar with them.

"I see."

Melvin nodded, not surprised. "Those whose names are called will go out and help move the textbooks to the library storage room. The rest of you will stay in the classroom and get to know each other.

"Cedric Diggory, Lee Jordan, Roger Davies, Cassius Warrington..."

The young professor seemed to remember their names after hearing them once.

(End of this chapter)