Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 204 The vacation is over
“Don’t be naughty, Gilderoy…”

The therapist took Lockhart's arm and settled him behind the chair, his face full of loving affection. "Signing autographs isn't a dangerous thing. It can even exercise his brain and hands. We hope this little hobby of signing autographs will help him recover his brain."

Lockhart behaved very well, sitting upright in his chair and writing his name stroke by stroke.

Melvin stepped forward and glanced at the autographed photos, all clippings from old magazines and publications, in which Lockhart smiled broadly, revealing his white teeth.

The therapist looked him up and down, then hesitated before asking, "You must be Professor Levent?"

"You know me?" Melvin was somewhat surprised.

“I am also a therapist at St. Mungo’s Hospital. I know that the headmaster and professors of Hogwarts have brought new medicines. I have seen you coming and going several times in the past two days. I know Headmaster Dumbledore and have also heard your name in the newspapers.”

After explaining, the middle-aged witch paused briefly and introduced herself, "I am Melanie Straw, formerly the therapist in charge of the Janus Sitch ward."

"Melvin Levant."

Melvin introduced himself and, without beating around the bush, asked directly, "You've read the series of reports in the newspapers, so you should know what Lockhart did and that he's a despicable liar who'll stop at nothing. Why are you still taking such good care of him?"

"You said this..."

Melem looked down at Lockhart and smiled gently, “I’m just an average therapist. I barely got a good grade on the NEWT exam. I can’t cure these patients. I can only do my best to take care of them and pray that they will get better on their own.”

Becoming a resident healer at St. Mungo's is just as difficult as becoming an intern Auror. Both require obtaining certificates in at least five subjects: Charms, Potions, Herbalism, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Furthermore, healers need to have a great deal of patience and goodwill.

Melvin glanced at the middle-aged witch. To be able to work at St. Mungo's Hospital and be in charge of a closed ward, she was more patient than the average therapist.

Wearing a gold and silver floral wreath on her head and a green robe, with a wand and a white bone emblem crossed on her chest, she possessed a loving maternal quality and treated all patients equally, not just Lockhart, but also the Longbottoms she had previously cared for with great care.

"Do you want to cure him?" Melvin asked after thinking for a moment.

"I do not know either……"

Melem hesitated for a moment. “If he regains his past memories, he will become that fraudster who steals other people’s memories again and will have to face Azkaban’s imprisonment. But that is the punishment he deserves. Adult wizards should repent for their mistakes. Staying in a closed ward all the time is not a solution.”

"Based on your therapist's professional assessment, what are the chances of him recovering on his own?"

“It’s very unlikely. This mental state is already the result of treatment.” Melem sighed. “The Oblivion Curse, a spell that involves the brain and soul, is often very serious if something goes wrong, and may be irreversible for life.”

Melvin nodded thoughtfully: "Have you heard about today's consultation? Frank and Alice have similar symptoms. They might be able to regain their memories, or at least their sanity."

Regaining one's memory is equivalent to recovery, and regaining one's rationality allows one to leave the closed ward. Either way, it's better than staying here any longer.

“They are heroes who bravely fought against the Death Eaters, and there’s the Hogwarts’ special medicine, the Malfoy family’s donations… so many experts helped with the treatment, Gilderoy didn’t receive such good treatment,” Melanie said.

“I can’t offer any other conditions, but I can sponsor a batch of special medicine. Would you like to give it a try?” Melvin suddenly asked.

Melem paused, then said, "I...I don't know, Professor Levent. I'm not an expert like Mr. Spring, and I'm not sure if I can cure him. Besides, this is a side effect of the Oblivion Curse going out of control, unlike the Cruciatus Curse. We can't use the exact same treatment plan, and..."

"So you want to give it a try?" Melvin asked again, his voice very soft.

A criminal suffering from amnesia and dementia, a patient bearing punishment, with little hope of recovery—this doesn't seem like a bad thing. If cured, they would have to atone for their past sins; if not, they would be mentally impaired for life. It's difficult to judge whether treatment is even necessary in this situation.

The kind-hearted therapist looked conflicted.

“I’ve heard that Muggle doctors take an oath when they are studying medicine to put the health and lives of their patients first and to exclude all external influences,” Melanie said.

"The Hippocratic Oath..."

Melvin wasn't surprised; influenced by him, British wizards were no longer as closed off as they used to be. "So what's your answer?"

"I want to try,"

Melanie's expression gradually hardened. "Gidero should face his own life."

……

Saturday, 7 p.m.

Harry and Hermione arrived at Professor Levent's door on time, just as agreed at the tutoring session, but this time they were followed by someone.

Neville felt a little uneasy. He had already heard from Harry that Professor Levent might not be at school for a while.

However, they were lucky tonight. After knocking, they quickly heard a response from inside: a simple "Come in." This immediately put their minds at ease, and Harry and Hermione both breathed a sigh of relief.

Melvin looked up and saw the three figures. He wasn't surprised. Seeing that Neville was still a little reserved, he laughed and joked, "Isn't this the head of the drama club? The drama club's performance will be shown on the screen tonight. You can't be so shy anymore. Show some Gryffindor courage."

Neville blushed and lowered his head shyly, but quickly raised his head and mustered his courage to say, "Yes, Professor!"

The sudden increase in volume surprised everyone. Harry and Hermione looked at him with very strange expressions.

Melvin's eyes revealed a hint of understanding: "It seems you already know about St. Mungo."

“You’re right, Professor.” Neville struggled to overcome his shyness, his chubby face full of seriousness. “Grandma wrote to me. She told me that you brought the special medicine, and the healers at St. Mungo’s have determined a feasible treatment plan…”

“Grandma said the results are very optimistic. Even if they can’t be fully cured, Mom and Dad will improve significantly and be able to go home and live normal lives.” Neville’s courage didn’t last long; it quickly faded when he mentioned his parents, his voice choked with sobs. “Thank you, Professor… thank you so much…”

He remembered Professor Levent's teachings and didn't cry out loud. He wiped his face haphazardly and swallowed the sobs back down his throat.

Harry and Hermione were somewhat at a loss. They wanted to comfort Neville, but felt it wasn't the right time, so they could only stand awkwardly to the side, trying their best to keep their eyes off him.

Melvin sighed: "Adults should worry about their own affairs. Although I don't want to say it, Neville, St. Mungo's treatment is very time-consuming and there won't be results in the short term. Your most important thing right now is to study hard."

“Okay…Professor.” Neville sniffed.

“Since you’re already here, you can attend the tutoring session with them tonight.” Melvin turned to the two people beside him. “Harry, Hermione, you two explain the basic tactics of dueling to Neville and do dueling practice with him.”

"Ok."

Harry and Hermione nodded obediently. For the next two hours, Harry and Hermione each gave Neville half a lesson, each explaining different styles of dueling tactics.

Harry hadn't realized it yet, but Hermione clearly understood that in explaining it to Neville, she had gained a deeper understanding of the duel. The process of retelling knowledge was like digestion, and Neville's occasional questions helped her review and fill in any gaps in her knowledge.

"So it was the right thing to give them guidance and instruction when they first entered the school."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully.

……

Wiltshire, Malfoy Manor.

The main castle building was dark. Lucius, the owner of the manor, sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace, leaning back against the cushions and gazing at the mirror in front of him, which was engraved with the Malfoy family crest. There was a soft sound behind him as the mistress, Narcissus, removed her headdress and let her hair down.

Perhaps even they themselves didn't realize that their original lifestyle had changed without them noticing, and that this lifestyle was very similar to that of Muggles.

“That’s rare. The Daily Prophet even gave a preview in the evening news, and the tavern owner spread the word…” Narcissa said without turning her head, “What’s on tonight’s show?”

The atmosphere was somewhat delicate. Professor Levent had recently sent word that they needed to raise funds to film a movie to restore Malfoy's reputation, and had also extended an invitation as a close relative of Lestrange. Due to their long-standing cautious nature, they agreed to the professor's arrangement, but did not fully comply.

Invitations were extended, but filming was delayed, and progress stalled in the early preparation stage.

"It's supposedly a performance by the Hogwarts Drama Club," Lucius said. "The publicity and scale were actually quite small, nothing compared to the freshmen staying at the school that year. The Daily Prophet and the pub owners promoted it spontaneously."

After tidying her clothes and hair, Narcissa sat down next to Lucius and watched with him.

A preview appeared on the mirror: Please enjoy the theatrical performance, "Knights of the Round Table, Cadogan".

Then the scene dimmed, silver mist surged, and lines of different colors outlined the scene. It was still the familiar Hogwarts Great Hall, the familiar house table, and the faces of several professors and students could still be seen.

The audience members standing in front of the mirror felt as if they had returned to that thousand-year-old castle and were back in their student days.

The choir members holding the toad exited the stage, followed by the drama club members standing on their lampstands. The perspective remained fixed, the background noise was slightly chaotic, and the students could be heard whispering to each other.

“It feels different from last time…” Lucius frowned slightly.

“There was no immersive atmosphere; it felt more like a performance, a real stage play,” Narcissa said, expressing her opinion.

Filled with doubt and curiosity, the two watched the entire performance. Narcissa's doubts remained unanswered, but Lucius seemed to catch something and frowned in thought.

Compared to the film shown in the tavern last time, this stage play is much rougher. Whether it's the dialogue and performance, or the props and background music, everything exudes a strong performative feel.

If the idea of ​​keeping freshmen on campus is to create an immersive experience, then deliberately making it mysterious by saying it's based on a true story is to make the audience believe it's reality.

A stage play, on the other hand, clearly tells the audience that this is a stage play, this is a performance, and this is fake.

The plot wasn't particularly dramatic; it relied entirely on the children's entertaining performances to keep the audience engaged. Lucius had heard of Cadogan before—a wizard with a title bestowed by the king himself, something the Malfoy family had always dreamed of.

After watching the entire play, Lucius didn't leave much of an impression except that he was a typical Gryffindor fool, ignorant and fearless, blindly reunited, and then blessed by Lady Luck to succeed.

"..."

Lucius suddenly froze, his eyes widening. "I understand!"

"what?"

"That's Professor Levent's advice: make an impression on others with videos, and guide them with content!"

……

For most wizards in Britain, this year's Easter holiday was nothing special.

A short stage play was shown in the screen. Some people thought the young wizards played their roles quite well, making it both funny and interesting, and introducing many people to this knight from hundreds of years ago. Others thought the stage play was crude and simple, with no originality in the plot and performance, and only provided some gossip for bored drinkers.

However, everyone felt that this format was very novel, and if the story and performance were carefully polished, it might present an even more wonderful show.

The holiday passed quickly.

Early morning, Muggle Studies office.

Melvin pushed aside the pile of documents on the table, lifted the stubborn baby snake, placed the newly arrived letters on the table, and began to read them one by one.

"Greetings to you, kind and generous Professor Levent. St. Mungo's Hospital has been busy throughout the Easter holidays. As I write this letter, I have just finished reporting to Mr. Spring and have three more medical records to write later."

Gilderoy's treatment is showing initial results; the magic of the Oblivion Curse in his brain is gradually being removed. Previously, his brain couldn't hold any new memories, but now he can remember things from the last ten minutes. I believe this is a sign of improvement…

Frank and Alice's conditions are quite serious, and the treatment is not yet very effective, but Mr. Spring is optimistic and believes they will recover soon.

This is all thanks to your generous donation of medicine.

Thank you, Melanie.

After receiving the donated medicine, the kind therapist seemed to take it as a mission and began to report on her progress regularly.

Melvin didn't pay much attention, shook his head and put down the envelope. The golden cup would be destroyed sooner or later. He had only thought of trying his luck. If he was cured, it would be the blessing of Lady Luck and Hufflepuff; if he wasn't, it would be the cruel joke of Fate.

"With my sincerest greetings, it is I, your loyal partner, Lucius Malfoy (twelve inches of meaningless, insincere small talk omitted)..."

Regarding the film and television production I mentioned last time, I have already commissioned someone to write the script, and filming is scheduled for the summer. However, I still have many questions and hope to seek your advice, Professor.

The advice given two months ago is only being implemented now. This Mr. Malfoy is too concerned with weighing the pros and cons and lacks the courage to take big risks.

It seems that the construction of the Shadow Mirror will require the assistance of other pure-blooded wizards.

Melvin tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on the golden cup not far away.

(End of this chapter)