Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 270 Cats, Dogs, Mice, and Snakes
"I heard the wizard mention the wolfsbane potion during the awarding ceremony. It is said that you cannot eat any sweets or sugary foods while taking the potion, otherwise it will become ineffective."

Melvin picked up the porcelain plate on the table, held it up to his eyes to examine it carefully, and sniffed the smell from the bottle stopper. The faint smell that was emanating from it was enough to make him feel physically disgusted; it was more unpleasant than he could have imagined.

Melvin calmly put down the medicine bottle, feeling a bit numb in his sense of smell: "Muggle chemically synthesizes artificial sweeteners. Only a very small amount is needed to make food sweet, and it's not sugar, so it has almost no calories. Do you want to try it?"

"Um, thank you, but I think it's safer to drink it directly," Lu Ping said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Mr. Damocles Belby began developing this potion in 1970. It is said that he achieved the effect of keeping werewolves sane on the night of the full moon in just two years. However, the preparation method is particularly complicated and the brewing process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Only he himself can produce a stable product. Moreover, the potion brewed at that time was even more unacceptable to people. It was more like a werewolf repellent, which made wild beasts consciously avoid it through its strong smell."

As Melvin spoke, he recalled the investiture ceremony in his mind. He hadn't paid much attention at the time, but he vaguely remembered that the Potions Master was quite easygoing, completely different from Snape's personality.

"It is the good fortune of all werewolves that there is a potion master like Mr. Belby in the world."

Lupin was already quite content with the status quo. "I'm not Lily, nor am I Snape. I've never been good at potion-making since I was a child. It's my luck that I can work with Snape; there aren't many wizards who can make such potions."

Melvin glanced at him and remained silent for a moment.

The werewolf's potion-making skills are good enough if he can pass the exam.

Many potions require the power of the moon and have specific requirements regarding the constellation and lunar phase. Examples include Felix Felicis, Polyjuice Potion, and Wolfsbane Potion. Werewolves transform during the full moon, and the potion cannot be prepared if the process takes even a little longer.

Lupin couldn't understand his gaze. After a short rest, he continued to contain the Boggarts. He had just drunk the wolfsbane potion, and his magic was in disarray, making him somewhat weak. His efficiency was not as good as Melvin's.

Release the Boggarts honestly, let them capture your fear, transform them into a full moon, and then use the clown spell to turn the full moon into a balloon, which then deflates with a pop and flies into the cabinet drawer.

After a flurry of activity, the house-elf brought lunch to the office, and also included a portion for Melvin.

Melvin glanced at the plates on the table; it was the patient meal that Ms. Pomfrey had specifically requested.

The colors are monotonous, the aroma is faint, and the taste is bland. The dishes look unappetizing. The rare steak served with salad is bloody and red. There is no sugar in the seasoning, so it is guaranteed to be unsweetened. There is not even any fruit for dessert.

"When I was wandering around Yorkshire, it was already a blessing to have a hot meal every day."

Professor Lu Ping ate with relish, swallowing the food quickly in just a few bites. He then quietly let out a burp, thinking his action was very discreet. Afterward, he even gently massaged his abdomen to help his intestines move.

It looks exactly like how Toothpick whines when Hagrid rubs his belly after he's eaten too much.

Melvin had heard that werewolf disease could affect a wizard's eating habits, such as a preference for raw meat and a fondness for tearing and chewing. Since wolves and dogs are closely related, it didn't seem impossible for them to pick up some canine habits...

Hmm, thinking about it carefully, dogs do seem to have unique eating habits.

Ya Ya also exhibited similar behavior while patrolling the forbidden forest.

"Melvin, what are you thinking about?"

Lupin's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he frowned as he asked.

"It's nothing, just the schedule for next week's classes."

"Your expression makes it seem like you're thinking about something very impolite."

Lupin looked suspicious, but unlike Dumbledore, he wasn't an expert in Legilimency and didn't understand psychology, so he couldn't guess what the impolite idea was.

"Aren't you worried that Snape might have mixed a surprise into your potion, like a truth serum or a laxative or something?"

“I believe him, because Dumbledore believes…”

Lupin's memories of his student days resurfaced. In his mind, Snape had always looked somewhat disheveled and slovenly for a long time. Even after spending a long time with the Death Eaters, he never committed any crimes on his own initiative, and it seemed more like he was seeking refuge.

……

In the autumn forest, white mist rises early in the morning, and white frost forms on the treetops and grass blades, which slowly dissipates and melts away until noon. The air becomes fresh and moist, though it can be a bit chilly.

On weekends, instead of teaching classes, they relieve themselves of their duties as professors of the Conservation of Magical Creatures course and take on the responsibility of guarding the hunting grounds, patrolling the Forbidden Forest along fixed routes.

The hound, Tooth, followed Hagrid. Its four legs didn't look long, but it moved very fast, trotting along. Dew from the bushes and grass clung to its body, dripping down its fur. A drop or two didn't matter, but as it burrowed through the grass, its fur became soaked.

So the hound shook its body, shaking off the dew, and fell back into the grass and bushes.

"hiss……"

Ya Ya shuddered slightly as the young snake around its neck nudged it with its front jaws. The snake was icy cold, so it started running with light steps to warm up its body again.

On the way back from the tour, there was a noise in front of the Forbidden Forest Hut, and a few familiar scents lingered in the air.

Suddenly, Ya Ya stopped, and the young snake raised its neck, hissing and sticking out its tongue.

Hagrid stopped with them, glanced down at the dog and the snake, and followed their gaze, looking curiously at the fence outside the cabin.

Several neatly divided vegetable plots, with weeds and wildflowers, mainly planted with pumpkins.

Harry, his two friends, and his companions were handling the ripe pumpkins.

The old pumpkins ripened before the start of the school year. Their skin hardened and their color turned deep yellow. They were left unharvested in the ground and given a magic potion to make them grow a little bigger, so they could be used to make jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween.

Harry and Ron had already climbed into the vegetable garden, pinching pumpkin skins with their fingernails and playing with the transparent slime that oozed out. Hermione was anxiously waiting outside the fence, holding the big ginger cat in her arms, telling them to stop making trouble.

Hagrid's size made it difficult for him to move quietly in the forest, and they could hear him as he approached. Fang and Yulm stopped beside them and watched them; they could also see Hagrid and the two animals.

"We're cleaning up slugs!"

Harry and Ron suddenly stood up and showed the pumpkin in a flustered manner. Fortunately, they hadn't taken it off, as the marks left by their fingernails would heal quickly and the scars wouldn't be noticeable.

"I think you two are just slugs!"

Hagrid chuckled and cursed, then beckoned the three of them inside.

Next to the Forbidden Forest cabin, firewood for the winter had already been stored up. Several neat piles of firewood, resembling small hills, were stacked higher than Harry Potter. The fire hadn't been extinguished when they went out on patrol that morning, and thanks to the remaining firewood, embers were still burning.

A few more pieces of firewood were added, and the fireplace crackled again, making the room warm and cozy.

Aww and Yulm whispered a few words, then found a comfortable spot to lie down—warm enough that any sparks wouldn't burn their fur. Crookshanks wriggled out of Hermione's arms and happily moved over to lie down beside her.

Hagrid took a few pieces of rock cake from the cupboard and heated them by the stove.

He first poured hot tea for Harry and the others, then put the broth in the pot to simmer. By the time he sat down, the dew on his clothes had dried. "I remember Harry had Quidditch training, and Hermione had several papers to write. They were all too busy to come here. Why did you suddenly think of coming to me?"

“It’s those two again, coming to you with questions, Professor of Magical Creatures.” Harry sighed. Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance, then turned away, sitting with their seats spaced apart. “What questions? Tell me!” Hagrid grinned when he heard them call him professor.

"You know, Hermione got Crookshanks this semester, you know, that cat with cat-raccoon blood. Unfortunately, Ron also has a pet, Scabbers the rat. Crookshanks seems to have a grudge against Scabbers, and every time they meet, they launch an attack, chasing each other and making a mess."

Harry was worried about this. "We wanted to ask you if there was any way to get them to behave and live together peacefully."

"Tell the cat not to catch mice? This..."

Hagrid scratched the back of his neck in frustration; this wasn't knowledge within the scope of the curriculum.

Ron said angrily, "It's not that I don't want it to catch mice. There are so many mice in the abandoned classroom in the castle. It can catch whichever one it wants, as long as it doesn't chase after Scabbers all the time."

Hermione couldn't help but retort, "Cats are meant to catch mice, and Crookshanks wouldn't distinguish which one to catch and which one to let go, would they?"

"But why doesn't it catch the other students' pet mice? It's clearly targeting Banban!" Ron shouted, excitedly reaching into his pocket. Banban, who was fast asleep, was suddenly pulled out and blinked in confusion.

Crookshank, who had been squinting and warming himself by the fire on the carpet in front of the fireplace, suddenly twitched the tip of his fluffy tail and launched a surprise attack the instant Spotty appeared.

Turning around, arching its back, and leaping, the cat moved with fluid grace, its sharp claws pouncing straight at Banban.

"Oh!"

Ron cried out in surprise, tucked the smudges back into his collar, and shoved Crookshan aside.

Crookshank remained in an attack posture after landing, his pupils contracted, his claws outstretched to grip the ground, his back arched, his fur standing on end, and a low purr emanating from his throat.

"You stupid beast!"

"Don't say that, Ron!"

"..."

After a chaotic scene, Hermione finally managed to calm Crookshanks down. Ron, holding Scabbers in his arms, sat on the sofa, fuming. Hagrid was dumbfounded.

In front of the fireplace, Tooth stood up and turned around. Yulm leaned into its ear and whimpered indistinctly in dog language.

Ya Ya nodded slightly and responded with a soft hum, a very human-like "I see" expression appearing on its dog face.

Harry, however, seemed unfazed. He glanced at Ron, then at Hermione, his face full of helplessness: "This is the fourth time this month. Crookshanks had his eye on Scabbers back in Diagon Alley Pet Shop."

"This……"

Hagrid frowned slightly and looked at the large ginger cat over there. Cat-cats are good helpers for guarding the house and property. They are perceptive and quick, and can see through the disguise of dark wizards. The Egyptian pyramids and the Ministry of Magic are both guarded by cat-cats.

Logically speaking, pets with cat-like bloodlines are unlikely to attack other pets without reason.

But Scabbers has been with the Weasleys for over a decade, accompanying Percy and now Ron. He has a gentle and harmless personality.

Could it be that the cat-like creature's bloodline wasn't pure enough, and Crookshan simply wanted to hunt this prey that had repeatedly escaped? Intelligent wild animals do indeed have this kind of habit.

Hagrid couldn't think of an answer and shook his head: "Animals are not as smart as wizards after all. Sometimes they just follow their wild instincts. I can't think of any good solutions either. Try to keep Crookshanks and Scabbers from meeting, and don't mention it in front of them."

"What do you mean? Are you telling us to let Spotty hide from it?!" Ron immediately protested.

"For now, this is the only way."

"Humph!"

Ron glared at Hermione with a dark expression.

The trio are, after all, partners who have come together to face Voldemort, battle the Basilisk, and a series of other monsters such as trolls, Cerberus, and the Eight-Eyed Spider. Their friendship, forged through life and death, cannot be broken up just because of a conflict between two pets.

What to do when conflicts between pets are irreconcilable?
We can only drag things out to prevent a tragedy from happening; we can't just break off all relations.

……

It was warm and cozy inside the Forbidden Forest Hut in the afternoon.

Lunch was eaten in the cabin. The pot was filled with a fragrant, milky-white meat broth, along with vegetables they had grown themselves. The main dish was soaked rock-skin flatbread. All four of us and our three pets ate until our bellies were bulging and our blood sugar was rising. In addition, we were all feeling physically and mentally exhausted from the recent events, so we were all a bit sleepy and couldn't help but lean back on the sofa for a short rest.

The doors and windows were closed.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, one can hear the howling wind outside the window, the crackling of burning firewood in the fireplace, and perhaps the leaping fish in the Black Lake and the swaying branches of the willow in the field, but those sounds are too faint for only a few perceptive animals to hear.

For example, Crookshanks, which has cat-like blood.

The wizards in the room were breathing evenly. The rat, hidden in the red-haired boy's arms, was very cautious and made almost no sound, making it impossible to launch an attack without alerting the wizards.

"Well?"

There seems to be some movement coming from the bushes at the edge of the forbidden forest, coming from the direction of the 'Beat-the-Willow'.

The ginger-yellow ears twitched, and it got up to look out the window. It then slipped out of the door with silent steps and headed towards the willow tree not far away. It jogged all the way there and looked at the bushes at the intersection.

A thin, black dog quietly approached.

The black dog was clearly not an animal from the vicinity of Hogwarts, much less a wild animal from the Forbidden Forest. It was thin and bony, its fur was not very shiny, and it looked somewhat disheveled. It walked around hiding and dodging, always huddled behind bushes. Every few steps, it would stop and look around, observing its surroundings.

"..."

This dog reminded me a bit of that rat; it had a strange smell, neither quite like a rat nor quite like a dog.

He looks more like a wizard!
But unlike that mouse, it didn't seem to have any malicious intent.

Crookshan remained silent, peering out from behind the tree stump and quietly watching the black dog's movements.

The thin, black dog walked to the fence of the vegetable garden, stopped there, and looked up at the small house with warm light coming from the window. It seemed to know the place well, pausing as if hesitating, struggling with whether or not to knock on the door.

After some thought, he finally turned and left.

Crookshank's senses didn't detect any malice; it thought the black dog was a good dog and followed the tracks.

The cat and dog were unaware that two other pairs of eyes were watching them from the window.

(End of this chapter)