Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 294 Miss Beaver's Concern for Her Companions

Two o'clock in the afternoon, Gryffindor Tower.

“When Harry and Ron return, tell them to come to me immediately and bring that new broom…”

On a warm and quiet Christmas afternoon, Professor McGonagall's earnest words of advice could be heard from the common room.

It was during the Christmas holidays, and the vice principal wasn't so serious; he seemed more like a kind elder.

George and Fred agreed with a laugh, but Percy constantly reminded himself that he was the student council president and prefect, and made the promise and guarantee solemnly.

Harry and Ron agreed to go out and try out a new broom of unknown origin. Hermione was really worried, so she found Professor McGonagall, explained the situation and her concerns, and then took the vice-principal all the way from the pitch to the common room.

But they couldn't even see a shadow of the two of them.

George and Fred were busy working on their pranks and missed the luncheon. When Professor McGonagall came to their door, they were roasting mushrooms and bread in front of the fireplace in the common room, huddled together and whispering about replacing Percy's badge with a troll head next time.

Professor McGonagall was determined to find the two, but seeing the twins playing happily and remembering that it was Christmas, her expression softened.

Let them play for a while; they're just kids.

The little witch was still a little uneasy, feeling that the two boys were probably hiding somewhere letting loose and might even be breaking school rules. When she heard Professor McGonagall say that she would let the matter drop, she pursed her lips slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Professor McGonagall patted her on the shoulder to reassure her.

During normal school days, Professor McGonagall would never have let him off so easily. However, she had observed Sirius Black recently and knew that there were other hidden circumstances surrounding what happened back then, so Harry was not in danger for the time being.

Looking at the little witch with her lips pursed, just like when she was in school, her fair eyebrows furrowed together, and the dark circles under her eyes from long-term use of the Time-Turner, Professor McGonagall suddenly found it amusing. She patted her tense shoulder muscles, signaling her to relax.

Hermione was immediately embarrassed and at a loss. She might have felt more at ease if Professor McGonagall had scolded her with a stern face, but now that she was being comforted gently like an elder, she felt a little uncomfortable.

Professor McGonagall then bid farewell to the group in the common room. Sir Cadogan was still on duty at the portrait cave entrance, pulling his short, stout pony and holding a long gun. Before leaving, he instructed McGonagall not to set such crude passwords.

Percy is chasing his twin brother, you can hear him cursing. The badge has been replaced with a big head.

Hermione leaned against the window, staring blankly at the snow falling outside.

The feeling was a little strange. The crackling of the fireplace and the laughter of the Weasley brothers chasing each other were reassuring white noises, but Hermione just couldn't calm down.

For no reason at all, the unease in my heart grew heavier and heavier.

Black has twice sneaked into the Gryffindor Tower and left traces, and twice attacked Ron, but he has not caused any damage. So when will the next attack be?
The Dementors' patrols became increasingly thorough, with no rest even during holidays. As time passed, the Aurors always managed to track down Black's whereabouts.

Harry accidentally broke his original broom, and at that very moment, he received a brand new, expensive broom of unknown origin. There was no greeting card, no letter, and no clear information on the delivery slip.

In short, there are too many things to be sure about, and now is not the time to relax and enjoy a vacation; something must be done.

Professor McGonagall told them to relax and enjoy their vacation, and the principal was nowhere to be found.

Which professor wouldn't treat her like a child and help her find Harry and Ron?
……

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the howling wind and snow subsided slightly.

The subtle sounds became more pronounced: firewood burned quietly in the fireplace, the wizard in the portrait whispered, and as the translucent ghost passed through the armor, there was the sound of wind blowing through the cave, like a plaintive sob.

It doesn't feel noisy; instead, it feels more peaceful.

In the Muggle Studies office, on the not-so-spacious terrace, there was a low table and two deck chairs, where Hermione and Professor Levent were having afternoon tea.

A transparent bubble wrap covers the terrace, keeping the cold wind out of the snowflakes, but the snow scene is completely unobstructed, offering a view of a white world that makes it easier to breathe.

What should have been a pleasant and comfortable experience turned into a nightmare when two men went missing. After two hours of no news, they froze to death in the snow, and no one knew.

Hermione was worried, feeling that she wasn't in the right state to have afternoon tea.

“I am reading Nicolas Flamel’s notes, which are a collection of interviews he made over the past six hundred years with many famous wizards and scholars.”

Melvin said with great interest, "Many scholars have mentioned that wizards do not actually believe in God, but have gradually accepted Christmas due to the influence of Muggle society."

Hermione picked up her teacup, took a sip of pumpkin juice, and looked at the yellowed journal.

The book spread out on top is an interview transcript of "Nostradamus," and the illustrations next to it are exceptionally brightly colored, made with some kind of mineral pigment, and have a faint magical effect.

The notebooks used to be on the shelf, and the professor would occasionally look through them to pass the time when he punished them with confinement.

According to the professor, many of the essays had no theme; they were just a collection of random thoughts, with the knowledge scattered and disorganized. They mainly consisted of famous wizards analyzing the underlying principles of magic, as well as scholars' understanding of the world, offering very novel and inspiring perspectives.

But now is not a good time to read.

"Professor, I'm here because of Harry and Ron..."

Hermione recounted what had happened that day, emphasizing that she wasn't just imagining things.

It was already deep winter, and the cold wind outside felt like knives. Even playful people like George and Fred couldn't stay outside for long and had to go back to the castle to warm up every now and then.

"But Harry and Ron have been out for two hours, and they still haven't returned!"

The fourteen-year-old witch pursed her lips, her fair brows furrowed, looking pitiful.

Melvin paused for a moment, then served her hot pumpkin juice and refreshments, saying, “Don’t worry too much, Hermione. In the name of the professor, I assure you that the broom has no hidden curse.”

"Was that broom a gift from you, Professor?"

The little witch looked up at him blankly, blinked, and didn't react for a moment.

"That's not it."

"Professor, how did you know?"

"When you were talking about brooms this morning, Professor Flitwick, Professor Snape, and I were right there and did a quick inspection."

"Can you really tell just by looking from a distance, without touching it, without using any magic to detect it?"

"..."

Melvin took a sip of pumpkin juice, feeling a bit of a headache.

“Sirius Black is on the run, with ill intentions, but none of the professors seem worried. I don’t know why, and I won’t ask.” Hermione pursed her lips. “But Harry and Ron have been missing for an hour… I’m worried.”

The warm pumpkin juice steamed with white vapor, wafting a faint sweet fragrance. After the little witch finished speaking, she sat there, silently watching Melvin.

"Okay, okay... I'll try to look for it for you."

These kinds of students are easy to manage in class, but difficult to deal with outside of class.

Melvin sighed, returned to his desk, took a roll of yellowed old parchment from a drawer, unfolded it in front of the little witch, and lightly touched the center dot with his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I will never do anything good." Just from the incantation used, you can tell it's not some respectable tool.

Hermione couldn't help but widen her eyes, staring in astonishment at the piece of paper.

The ink lines outline the school map, with the castle taking center stage, and black dots marked with names appearing on the paper.

Harry and Ron's names were crammed together in the Potions department office.

"He must have offended Professor Snape and was put in solitary confinement."

Melvin raised an eyebrow, put away the map, and patted Hermione on the shoulder: "Don't worry too much. Professor Snape isn't in his office either. He's probably just having them handle the potion ingredients."

"Hmm." Hermione nodded, her expression still somewhat dazed.

“There’s one more thing.” Melvin stared into the little witch’s eyes. “This map was confiscated by Mr. Filch. Strictly speaking, it should have been sealed or destroyed by the administrator, but it ended up in my hands for some special reasons. I hope you will keep it a secret for me, okay?”

“Okay.” Hermione nodded again.

"Judging from the map, Professor Snape is not only not in his office, but he's not even at the school. He probably won't be back anytime soon. If you're really worried about your friends, you can go to the underground office to find them. They might be able to offer some help."

Melvin paused briefly, then said casually, "Also... it's very cold outside, so it's best not to leave the castle."

"Okay, Professor."

Hermione didn't understand why the professor had specifically given her this instruction, but she nodded in agreement and got up to leave.

Watching her walk out of the office, Melvin unrolled the old parchment scroll again. The map of the entire campus was meticulously drawn on it, with fewer black dots compared to the normal school days.

There were three Hermione Granger dots on the map at the same time, from the underground classroom to the office, and then to the grounds at the school gate. Some of them were motionless, as if they were hiding, while others had footprints behind them, but their positions did not change, as if they were lingering.

"A time converter?"

Melvin looked at the map with a keen interest.

……

The little witch moved quietly, pulling her wand from her pocket—made of grapevine wood, nimble and swift.

This is a very handy wand. Hermione felt the knot at the end of the wand and felt a little regretful. She hadn't mastered the Disillusionment Charm yet and couldn't become invisible anytime, anywhere.

Her position was secluded, behind a suit of armor where no one passed by.

The Potions classroom and offices were underground, after all. The torches burned silently, and the only sound in the empty, dimly lit corridors was the howling of the wind, with translucent ghosts moving through the walls.

She quickly identified the address of the potions office, and kept a close eye on footsteps and movements, as any slight sound would echo in the corridor.

"Attracting ghosts and portraits is fine, but what if it attracts Peeves or Slytherin students..."

Hermione held her breath, her heart racing slightly, feeling like a cat wandering in the night, lightly passing through the corridors.

Last year, when the Basilisk appeared in the Chamber of Locked Chamber, everyone was speculating about who the true heir to Slytherin was. They had suspected Malfoy, and during the months when they were deceived by Professor Levent, Hermione had considered making Polyjuice Potion to extract information, but only Snape's office had the materials.

Unfortunately, the plan was abandoned before it could be implemented.

Walking through the corridor where the Potions classroom was located and continuing deeper into the hallway, Hermione was surprised by how smoothly the whole process went.

There was a guide light in front of Snape's office, making it look like a burning fireplace in the dim corridor.

The door was tightly shut, and there were rustling sounds inside, along with the faint sound of Ron's curses.

Are they really processing potion ingredients?
Hermione listened intently through the door, hesitant, until she heard Harry's voice advising Ron to put on gloves and not touch the toad's back directly.

Hermione hesitated before knocking on the door: "Harry? Ron?"

There was a few seconds of silence inside, followed by excited shouts: "Hermione!?"

Hermione heard hurried footsteps outside, and two muffled thuds—the sound of heads hitting the door.

“It’s me… You haven’t been back to the locker room for several hours, and we can’t find you on the pitch or field either. Professor Levent said you were here, so I came to check on you. Are you alright?”

"Nothing's wrong? How can nothing be wrong? Our experience was terrible!" Ron's complaint came first.

Harry then replied, "We were on our way to the pitch to try out our new brooms when we ran into Snape in the foyer. He deliberately picked a fight with us, took away the Firebolt, and locked us up here to have the toads pop pimples."

“By the way…” Harry paused for a few seconds, seemingly puzzled, “The whole process only took five minutes, and we didn’t run into anyone else along the way. How did Professor Levent know?”

“A special kind of magic, that’s not important.”

Hermione stared at the crack in the door for several seconds, squinting her eyes as a series of questions arose in her mind once again.

She recalled the conversation earlier, in which the professor casually mentioned seeing them unpack the fire crossbow bolts that morning, confirming that they were not cursed.

Why did Snape take the broom?

Furthermore, why did Professor McGonagall let them play freely when there was a malevolent Blake outside, and the broom's origin was also unknown?

Looking back now, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and Headmaster Dumbledore's reactions were all too calm. Hermione remembers that only when Black launched his first attack did they look grim.

Even after several attacks, including the killing of Scabbers, the headmaster didn't seem too angry, as if he didn't care much about Harry and Ron's safety.

The professors seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, ruling out Black as a danger, but this still couldn't explain Snape's behavior... the truth Professor Levent had mentioned, the suspicious points Harry overheard about his parents' tragic deaths...

Hermione gently pushed the office door, but the brass lock didn't budge.

The Alaho Cave Opens

The lock cylinder emitted blinding sparks, one of which almost landed on the robe.

"Don't try, Hermione. Snape used the Reverse Lock-Opening Charm. We can only lift the lockout when he returns." Harry inside also noticed her attempt.

"But he's not at school."

"What?!" Ron cursed again.

The harsh curses echoed through the door and down the corridor, much louder than footsteps, but no ghosts were attracted. Only the torches on the wall flickered, casting long shadows of the little witch.

"It's good that you're all alright. Focus on dealing with the toads inside and don't give Snape any leverage over you."

"Are you leaving, Hermione?"

"Um……"

Hermione tiptoed to the corner and took out the gold necklace from inside her shirt.

She wanted to know what Snape was up to.
What secrets are these professors hiding?
(End of this chapter)