Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 333 Negotiation
The office became quiet, and the doors and windows were tightly closed.

The Prime Minister sat behind his desk, watching the steam rising from his teacup, the aroma of tea filling his nostrils. The indicator light on the phone remained silent, and the man in the oil painting in the corner watched the group.

Talking about trade with five wizards is a truly bizarre scene.

What's in it for us?

The Prime Minister raised an eyebrow, suppressing his inner anxiety; the politician's mind began to work:
"All those magical wizarding gadgets from your magical world are banned from sale because of the Secret Service Act. We don't need anything else either. Trade should be a two-way street. I only see you taking advantage of us."

“We establish trade relations, your goods open up new markets, create new jobs, and earn more gold—isn’t that enough?” Melvin said calmly.

This prime minister was perhaps doing business with a wizard for the first time. He kept glancing at the wands, his gaze secretive yet tinged with unease. It was easy to discern his thoughts without even needing to use psychic powers.

Wanting to gain more benefits at the negotiating table, but not knowing the specific bargaining chips and capital, they use vague words to trick the other party into revealing their bottom line.

"Didn't one of your wizards, an alchemist, say that equivalent exchange is an immutable law? We sell things to you, and in return, you should sell things to us."

"No one has ever said that, and even if they have, it's just the principle of alchemy..."

Ms. Burns stared intently at the Prime Minister, her brown eyes deep and unfathomable, as she relayed trade knowledge she had recently gleaned from her professor:

"But many Muggle scholars have indeed said that greed is in the nature of politicians. For an official in a high position like you, things like trade surpluses and deficits are common sense, right?"

The Prime Minister sighed for no apparent reason, his tone slightly weaker: "Is it really impossible to sell anything?"

"We must abide by the secrecy law."

“What if it were a service instead of a commodity?” the Prime Minister suddenly asked.

Ms. Burns turned to look at him, and Crouch was taken aback, not understanding what the Muggle Prime Minister meant.

"Because of that secrecy law, you can't reveal the existence of magic or sell magical alchemical tools, but that doesn't mean you can't provide services!"

The Prime Minister said emotionally, "Perhaps you yourselves don't realize that magic can play an unimaginable role in many ways!"

"For example, transportation, and Professor Levent's amazing storage methods..." The Prime Minister pointed to the fireplace burning with green flames, and then to the teapot.

"Is this the kind of trade you really want?" Ms. Burns frowned. "Let me reiterate, we do not participate in any military conflicts within the Muggle community."

"Actually, you don't need to know too much, ladies and gentlemen. Just provide services according to the order requirements." The Prime Minister looked at the Acting Minister and said tentatively, "Transporting the goods to where they are needed is very easy for you, isn't it?"

The Falklands War had just ended, and the British army had won a crushing victory. However, fighting away from their homeland resulted in excessively long supply lines, and the transportation costs of weapons and ammunition to the front lines far exceeded their production costs, sometimes by several times or even dozens of times.

If we could use the magical fireplace… Britain would once again be the empire on which the sun never sets.

Thinking of this, the Prime Minister took a sip of tea with great excitement, his heart burning with anticipation.

"..."

That was spilled on the table.

Fudge looked at his teacup, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Ms. Burns didn't think for long before quickly replying, shaking her head and saying, "The cooperation needs to undergo a full review by the Ministry of Magic and Wizengamor."

The prime minister's illusions were shattered, and he was somewhat annoyed: "Then I also have the right to refuse to cooperate."

It was clear that he was trying to put on a tough front in front of the wizard, but he lacked confidence, and his slightly trembling voice betrayed his fear.

Crouch shook his head and turned to look at the young professor, hoping he would end this pointless argument, but Melvin simply held his teacup, slowly inhaling the aroma of the tea, as if the ongoing negotiation had nothing to do with him.

Ms. Burns remained silent.

The Prime Minister thought he had discovered the other party's hand, and in the next few minutes, he kept betting with his chips to coerce the wizard into agreeing to provide those services that did not meet his requirements.

Melvin cleared his throat and suddenly interrupted him: "Mr. Prime Minister, we chose Britain simply because of its geographical proximity. But distance and space are no obstacle for wizards. We can cooperate with other Muggle governments if we wish."

The Prime Minister's expression changed: "Besides Downing Street, who else could you turn to? The Pentagon? The Élysée Estate? Surely not the Kremlin?"

“Neither,” Melvin shook his head and said slowly.

"Around the world, some Ministries of Magic have already made contact with Muggle governments. For example, in Albania during the turmoil, residents used gold to hire wizards to help build shelters and exchanged food and clothing with each other during times of crisis..."

Albania is a very special place. Many black wizards live in seclusion to avoid being hunted down. Both the Muggle regime and the wizarding regime are unstable, making it difficult for the International Confederation of Wizards to govern.

Voldemort's ghost hides in the Black Forest of Albania, precisely because the place is remote, secluded, and teeming with all sorts of people, making it impossible for the Order of the Phoenix to track him down.

"And the other places you mentioned are not impossible either. Although the Magical Congress of the United States adheres to the secrecy law, because immigrant wizards are difficult to govern and hold accountable, they do not prohibit wizards from buying and reselling ordinary people's food and appliances..."

"The French Ministry of Magic has a very good relationship with the Muggle government, at least closer than ours. Last summer, they jointly cracked a case of terrorist attacks and child trafficking. Among the terrorists were wizards, and the children they rescued were also wizards."

The Prime Minister's expression changed; he stared intently at the wizards, revealing a look of horror at falling behind in the arms race.

“If diplomatic relations can only be established by complying with the secrecy law…” The Prime Minister nodded with difficulty, “Then… comply with the secrecy law, and start with food and oil products. Gather your staff who are working in Downing Street and form a special Ministry of Commerce.”

Crouch nodded, and Ms. Burns smiled and began to discuss the specifics of the collaboration.

As dawn broke, the group said their goodbyes and got up to walk toward the fireplace. They didn't see anyone wave a wand, but the locks on the tightly closed doors and windows clicked open, the curtains were drawn back open, and the power outage call phone lit up green again.

"Oh, by the way, the matter of that fugitive Peter won't affect ordinary people, right?" The Prime Minister remembered the initial topic and looked up to call out to the group.

“No problem, it’s just an escaped rat hiding in the sewers. How could it possibly summon some world-destroying demon?” Melvin chuckled.

Several wizards sprinkled green powder, making the fire in the hearth leap even brighter, as they stepped into the bright green flames.

The Prime Minister watched them disappear silently. Compared to the previous meetings, this conversation was far more fruitful than he had imagined.

The fire went out, the wizards really left, and the Prime Minister immediately took action.

First, she jogged quickly to the fireplace, made sure there was no firewood or residual magic dust, tested the remaining heat, and found that the marble was still cold. She stood there stunned for half a minute.

Coming to his senses, he suddenly went to the portrait in the corner, covered the frame with a handkerchief to block the short man's view, tiptoed to close the doors and windows, and returned to his desk. He picked up the steaming teapot, poured himself a full cup, took a small sip, smacked his lips, and looked on with a lingering expression.

……

It's already mid-March.

After the snow melts, there is a long rainy season. This spring, there has been a lot of rain. Fortunately, the temperature is gradually warming up, so when students go to the field and forest farm for their magical animal protection class, they no longer have to shiver from the cold.

After each Quidditch practice, the players don't need to take a brain-boosting pill or a pepper spray to prevent colds.

As the Seeker for the school team, Harry had no substitutes and had to participate in every practice. He would often be reading his godfather's letters in the castle one moment and feeling the warmth of family affection the next, only to be drenched in the rain the moment he arrived at the pitch.

It wasn't soaked to the bone, because its feet didn't touch the ground.

After switching out of the Firebolt, he rode the competition-specific Lightwheel 2000, either flying around the field or practicing the Lansky feint under Wood's direction.

Even while changing clothes, there was no peace and quiet; one had to listen to Wood analyze the current situation.

"The new term at Hogwarts has begun, the season is in its second half, and the points gap has widened..."

In the last few months of Wood's tenure as captain, as graduation approached, he was constantly anxious, preparing for NEWT while also focusing on training. He would mutter to the team members during meals in the auditorium, during breaks, and in the lounge.

It is said that Wood muttered to himself while relieving himself on the toilet in the bathroom.

Amidst these mutterings, the final match of the round-robin tournament arrived.

Saturday morning, neither rain nor sunshine, with the wind blowing from the northwest.

"It's perfect weather for Quidditch..."

Harry followed Captain Wood to the Quidditch pitch, his eyes scanning the stands, his mind replaying the captain's nagging.

There were many empty seats in the Slytherin stands, indicating that many Slytherin students did not come to watch the match because their round-robin tournament had already ended.

With two wins and one loss, only losing one game against Gryffindor, they are currently in the lead in points.

The Gryffindor crowd was much more tightly packed, with lion flags fluttering in the stands, and the students cheering and shouting with great excitement, their laughter echoing throughout the stadium.

They had previously defeated Slytherin and Hawkeye, and they had one more round in the round-robin tournament, which was today against Hufflepuff. If they maintained their perfect record and had a significant lead in points, they could start preparing for the finals after Easter.

Another wave of enthusiastic cheers echoed above the stands, coming from the Hufflepuff crowd, who had previously defeated Ravenclaw but lost to Slytherin.

With one win and one loss, this is a life-or-death battle.

The number of people in the Ravenclaw stands was just right, and everyone sitting in their seats had a relaxed and contented smile on their face. They had also finished the round-robin tournament with a record of all losses.

The rest of the matches are no longer relevant to them; the Eagles students can now enjoy the purest Quidditch fun.

……

Deafening cheers filled the entire stadium, rising and falling like waves.

The batters and chasers engage in a fierce battle, with scores neck and neck, creating a highly exciting spectacle. On the outer rim, the pull and extreme turns of star seekers Harry and Cedric are just as entertaining as those on the main field.

This was undoubtedly a game far beyond the students' level, and it excited the audience in just ten minutes.

Amid the cheers, Professor McGonagall kept her lips tightly pressed together and remained silent.

The scoreboard on the scoring ring displays the score:

100:110
Hufflepuff is in the lead for the time being, and in the Seekers' duel, Cedric seems to be subtly suppressing Harry.

Is Gryffindor going to lose this match?

Professor McGonagall felt just as nervous as Oliver, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Headmaster Sprout of Hufflepuff sat not far away, with Professors Flitwick and Snape beside him. The former didn't care much about winning or losing Quidditch, while the latter two were indifferent and didn't care either.

The three men, with smiles in their eyes, discussed the two teams in the air above the stadium.

As Cedric progressed to the advanced class and gradually shone, the school professors paid more and more attention to this young student. Unlike his peers, he was not frivolous or mischievous. His magical power grew rapidly, and his gentle, calm, down-to-earth, and diligent character helped him to show his talents in all aspects.

The first students to summon a physical guardian spirit at the school gate, the ball finders soaring freely on the court, the professors' capable prefects, and the students' close companions...

“Cedric has improved a lot in Quidditch this year. If the Chaser hadn’t been injured and hadn’t left the game last semester, you might have gone much further. It’s okay that you lost this year. As long as Cedric keeps up his form, he will definitely be able to win the College Cup again in the next few years!”

Professor Flitwick paused for a moment, feeling that something was missing since his closest chat partner was not around.

"..."

Professor Sprout's eyes narrowed with laughter.

Snape listened quietly, thinking about how he could tell his players to be more mindful of the impact and to adopt a more moderate approach to tactics.

At this point, Professor Flitwick sighed and began to talk about the young professors who were absent today:

"I wonder if Melvin will be able to return before the end of the game after he goes to buy supplies for the Easter feast? I heard that the Three Broomsticks, Lady Patiffe's Tea House, and Honeydukes Candy Shop all purchased their ingredients from Muggle suppliers with the help of the Ministry of Magic. This is the first time they've used a new channel and new suppliers. Melvin's purchases this time are different from the past."

"It may take some time. The Ministry of Magic has suddenly relaxed the restrictions on Muggle goods purchases. Mrs. Rosmerta, Mrs. Padve, and Mr. Froome are not stupid. They will definitely guess that it has something to do with Melvin, and they will probably ask him for advice."

Sprout analyzed the game while watching it with a smile.

"Isn't that why Lupin went with him to make the purchases?" Snape said casually.

The stadium erupted in cheers once again as Gryffindor launched a quick counterattack, scoring a goal to tie the score and making the situation even more tense.

(End of this chapter)