Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 223 The Rozier Couple

Christine's eyes met Melvin's without her noticing, and she looked away slightly.

For the first 17 years of her life at Rozier Estate, she thought the manor was wonderful. The castle was clean and tidy, the rooms were spotless, the streetlights along the roads were surrounded by fairies, the garden fountains glowed at night, and she could summon house-elves for any need. It was just like a world from a fairy tale.

After graduating, I lived in Romania, quit my Auror job and returned to Beauxbatons to teach. During the summer vacation, I preferred to stay at the school rather than go home. I have witnessed the life of a normal wizarding family and experienced the life of a Muggle family. Two years later, I returned here and now, facing the house-elf butler and this manor, I feel inexplicably ashamed.

Christine quickly gestured that she didn't need anything and didn't require any service for the next short distance. She told the house-elves to leave immediately. The butler's service was so attentive that he even bowed to them and greeted the guests before leaving.

Christine recalled asking her parents several times when she was in school why Beauxbatons didn't have house-elves to greet and send her off. Her mother, with a dignified expression, told her that this was a unique privilege of a deeply respected wizarding family, one that Beauxbatons couldn't match.

She used to think that the Rozier family had a good background. House-elves were attentive servants and nannies who could play with the little wizard at any time and respond to all her needs. Young Christine didn't even need to say what she wanted; with just a few glances and gestures, the house-elves could understand her meaning and serve her food, candy, and toys.

On a midsummer night, the castle gradually lights up, fairies dance gracefully in the garden, and run barefoot in circles beside the hot spring, winning the father's favor and praise.

Looking back now, these are all remnants of ancient families. Even if a normal wizarding family had house-elves, they wouldn't tame them so obediently with whips. The magnificent gardens and streetlights were just for showing off their grandeur.

This grandeur wasn't for the children to play with, but rather to be displayed to other guests at holiday banquets and dances, using their admiring and envious glances to gain the Rozier family's prestige—a useless yet extravagant display.

Now that the family is declining, the guests who used to praise them are no longer willing to come. However, the mother still struggles to maintain this extravagance. It's not that she's wrong; she just doesn't want the Rozier family to become a laughing stock in her hands.

The insistence that she study alchemy and work in the related field was also for Rozier's sake, to revitalize the gradually fading family. However, at that time, she could not understand these things and felt wronged, feeling that her mother only wanted a tool and no longer loved her. So she willfully chose to go to Romania and seek refuge with her Aunt Vida.

She had also been to Paris when she returned to France for her interview at Beauxbatons, but she didn't know how to face her parents, so she only lingered at the door for a short while before leaving in a hurry.

This time, the Salem cultists gave her a legitimate reason to return to Rozier Estate.

Melvin didn't seem to mind the house-elves' manners. As he walked towards the foyer, he kept looking around. The brightly lit manor seemed very wizarding to him. Whenever a fairy on a lamppost circled around him, he would stop and watch, just like a Muggle child who had just arrived at Hogwarts and was curious about everything new.

Hogwarts and Ilfamoni also use fairies, these delicate yet beautiful little creatures, to decorate the castle during major festivals, but none of them compare to Rosier Manor, where they are directly incorporated into the daily lighting.

By placing the fairy's nest inside the lamppost, yet ensuring their normal life activities and even making them dance happily, it requires a combination of alchemy and animal behavior.

Christine's mind raced with thoughts. She glanced at the young professor beside her and felt it necessary to explain the reason for the invitation to him:

"France and Britain are very similar. Many ancient wizarding families live here. In some ways, the history of wizarding families on this land is even longer than that in Britain. Some of Britain's pure-blood wizard ancestors migrated from France. They set foot in that country with William the Conqueror and established new families."

Melvin surveyed the magnificent castle in the distance: "From the perspective of Muggle studies, wizards generally live longer than Muggles, and magic also allows wizards to acquire wealth more easily and quickly. In the era before the enactment of the Secret Law, wizard families multiplied and expanded more rapidly and for longer than Muggle noble families."

The ancestors of both Malfoy and Nott came to Britain with William the Conqueror, and before they rose to prominence, both families were quite ordinary.

Rozier and Lestrange had a deeper heritage, being prominent in both Britain and France, and with branches in multiple countries and continents. Some of their people also went to North America during the New World migration, but they failed to expand their influence.

"The French Ministry of Magic was established relatively late, and the wizards here did not take the Statute of Secrecy very seriously. Almost every wizarding family had business dealings with Muggles, so there was no large-scale pure-blood ideology. Later, influenced by Grindelwald and the Sorcerer Party, some wizards began to hate Muggles, but they only adhered to wizard supremacy and did not revere pure-bloods."

"After Grindelwald's downfall, these wizards were purged. Coupled with the International Confederation of Wizards' accountability and the rise of Death Eaters, the ideology of French wizards has undergone unexpected changes in recent decades. Some have begun to advocate pure-blood, some have come to Budapest to be close to Muggles, and some believe that Muggles and wizards are equal, but wizards should strictly abide by the secrecy law and keep their distance from Muggles."

Christine slowed her pace slightly. Her Aunt Vida was a core member of the Vida Party, and she was also a half-new generation Vida Party member. "Divergence breeds chaos and disputes. The French Ministry of Magic has changed five ministers in succession, none of whom lasted long. Internal factions are constantly fighting each other, so Mr. Bonnell cannot fully cooperate with the investigation."

Melvin nodded: "So what does this have to do with you inviting me over?"

“The Rozier family is too deeply entangled in the vortex. Although there are wins and losses in the factional struggles, overall, the family’s power is constantly weakening. My mother is focused on cutting losses and revitalizing the family. She will not contribute without a special reason.”

Christine paused briefly, "We need a big shot, a big shot with enough influence to step in."

"Am I some kind of important person?" Melvin couldn't help but laugh.

"You are."

Christine looked up into Melvin's dark eyes. "The recipient of the Order of Merlin, a guest of honor of the Romanian Ministry of Magic, and the founder of the Magic Mirror Club—these titles carry more weight than you think, far more weight."

"Do you think I can persuade your mother just by stepping in?"

Melvin found it strange; after all, he was an outsider, how could he possibly be more persuasive than his own daughter?

Christine walked beside him, gazing at the distant foyer lights, her voice calm and understated: "When you see my mother later, tell her you're interested in promoting the Mirror Image in France. My mother and Aunt Vida have been in contact and know about the profits of this business. In order to win the favor of the founder of the Magic Mirror Club, she will be willing to send people to help investigate the Obscurus."

Melvin glanced at the witch: "Aren't you betraying your own family's interests?"

"I will make it up to you."

Christine didn't specify how she would make amends, and Melvin didn't press for details.

Perhaps it's related to the dragon business in Romania, or something else entirely; it's a matter between their families.

It's not really about betraying family interests. The investigation isn't a direct battle, and proceeding cautiously won't cause any damage. Normally, we could hire a group of local wizards to do it, but the time was short and the task was urgent, so there wasn't enough time to recruit an organization.

After dealing with the cultists and the Obscurus, the Rosier family gained exposure from both Madam Maxim and the Ministry of Magic, which was quite lucrative.

Walking up the marble steps into the foyer, the castle was brightly lit but empty. Two curved staircases led upstairs in the rotunda. Melvin followed Christine, his gaze not entirely unabashed as he surveyed the furnishings. The Rozier family home didn't seem particularly wizarding; there were no tapestries depicting the family tree, nor any magical portraits of ancestors. As if sensing his thoughts, Christine said softly, "There's a tower on the north side used to display portraits, and the family tree is kept there too. Besides, we don't have any ghosts in our house."

"I wasn't looking for ghosts."

Melvin offered a weak defense.

A soft cough came from the top of the escalator, and the two looked up at the same time. The true owner of the castle was standing there.

Mr. Rozier was an overweight, middle-aged wizard with a Mediterranean hairstyle and graying hair on the sides. He had no distinctive features and would blend into the crowd of tourists if you left him in front of the Louvre. He was the kind of person you wouldn't recognize unless you were a close family member.

Madame Rosier, on the other hand, made a much deeper impression. She simply stood there, drawing all the light in the room to her. Her folded hands and straight back exuded the poise of a noble witch.

She has a tall frame and her figure still shows traces of her youth. She has fair skin, and fine lines are faintly visible on her neck and cheeks. Her lips are thin and angular. Her blonde hair is still thick, but it has faded slightly, with the roots turning into light ash gray.

What is most famous are the eyes of the Rosier family. If Christine's eyes are a light blue like a lake, Mrs. Rosier's eyes are a sharp, glacial blue, with astonishingly clear whites and a calm yet penetrating gaze.

As her gaze swept over him, Melvin felt she instantly assessed his background, upbringing, and worth.

Christine called out with a touch of sadness, "Mother, Father..."

"So you finally decided to come back!" Mr. Rozier laughed and scolded. "If you didn't want to learn alchemy, you shouldn't have. You just ran off to Romania without a word. If it weren't for your Aunt Vida's letter, your mother would have..."

"cough……"

The old father's rambling was interrupted by a cough. Mrs. Rozier looked at the two people standing downstairs and said in a low but clear voice, "Nino said you brought guests back. Aren't you going to introduce them to us?"

Christine glanced to the side and switched to English to introduce them: "This is Professor Levent from Hogwarts. I believe Aunt Vida has mentioned him to you. Professor Levent, these are my parents."

Mrs. Rozier's gaze shifted, the candlelight and crystal chandelier reflected in her icy blue eyes, making it impossible to discern her thoughts: "Professor Levent, what a pleasant surprise."

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Rosier.” Melvin breathed a sigh of relief. The Rosiers, with their elite upbringing as wizards, were fluent in foreign languages.

"..."

The Roziers descended the steps and exchanged some meaningless pleasantries.

To Christine's surprise, the atmosphere was very harmonious, as if Melvin's arrival had made them forget the past family conflicts. The mother's expression softened temporarily, like a glacier thawing, and the old father started nagging again.

The atmosphere between Mrs. Rosier and Christine was very delicate.

"I rushed back. Have you had dinner yet? I've asked the kitchen to prepare some hot dishes. How about we talk at the table?"

Mr. Rozier seemed eager for Melvin to stay, hoping to buy him ample time to resolve the family conflict, and he was particularly enthusiastic about it.

Melvin had spent the whole day investigating the Obscurials. He only had some hot dogs for lunch and, to be honest, hadn't eaten dinner. He happily agreed.

The family of three and their guests arrived at the dining table in the side room. The house-elf served the prepared dishes and red wine: caviar with toast, white truffles and foie gras, Danish bread with raisins, and an extravagantly shaped lobster. The feast was unbelievably lavish, and it was hard to believe that it was prepared on short notice.

Melvin could tell that this dinner was prepared for his daughter who had been away from home for a long time, so he tried to minimize his own presence and let Christine be the focus of the table.

“We know you came back as a teaching assistant and are doing very well in Beauxbatons. The Christmas presents you received were specialties from the Pyrenees. Before Boxing Day dinner, I wanted to write back to ask you to come back, but your mother got upset and burned the letter I wrote.”

Mr. Rozier treated it as an ordinary family dinner and kept rambling on: "Sigh... you two, mother and daughter, are exactly the same. You both miss each other, but you're unwilling to lower your pride."

"I'll tell you when I officially become a professor."

"What's so great about being a professor? It's tiring and troublesome..."

Melvin silently savored his authentic French meal, not uttering a word to defend the professor. This profession was indeed troublesome, and having a headmaster like Dumbledore was even more troublesome.

But this warm reunion lasted only until the appetizers were finished. Mrs. Rozier took over the conversation, naturally drowning out the father and daughter's voices that had been building for so long: "Professor Levent, the Magic Mirror Club must be very busy. Why did you suddenly think of Paris?"

"I'm coming here for a summer vacation."

Melvin slowed down his eating.

Have you visited the wizard market here?

"I just arrived in Paris a couple of days ago and haven't had a chance to explore yet."

"Has Professor Levent considered promoting the mirror business in France? The market prospects here are vast, and the Rozier family can provide assistance for the club's development."

Melvin took a sip of red wine and exchanged a glance with Christine.

The real drama is here.

(End of this chapter)