Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 338 Special Classroom
The Easter holidays are approaching, which means summer is just around the corner.

It's the best time of year in the Scottish Highlands, with clear skies, cloudless skies, and warm, gentle sunshine.

The edge of Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest was covered with bright wildflowers. During the holiday, many young wizards came out of the castle, carrying wands and swords made from tree branches, chasing and laughing until sunset.

Hogwarts' Easter holiday is longer than Muggle's holiday.

The normal Easter holiday is four days, starting from Good Friday, which is the Friday before Easter, and ending the following Monday. Hogwarts has an extra week off, but students are not allowed to leave the school.

Few wizards worldwide believe in Jesus, but the relentless pursuit of magic—the ability to bring the dead back to life and achieve immortality—has been passed down from ancient wizards to the present day, giving Easter a special value in some sense.

On Saturday night, the magic dome was sparkling with stars, colorful ribbons hung on the castle walls, and multicolored candles burned quietly.

On the college tables in the dining hall, there are four-leaf clovers and chocolate eggs, as if the school has become more relaxed, and those heavy assignments have been left behind.

There were also Easter eggs on the main table. Melvin and several professors each opened one; the outer shell was chocolate, and the filling was a matter of luck.

Melvin and Professor Flitwick chose two beans that were similar in color, one of which opened into a multi-flavored bean and the other into a freakish-flavored bean. They looked similar, so they popped them into their mouths and crunched through the sugar coating.

One was enjoying it immensely, while the other looked troubled.

These are products from Honey Duke Candy Store. Flavored Beans are still considered normal candies, with flavors like barbecue, pie, and various fruits. Weird Flavored Beans are more like prank props now. Blood and bile are outdated flavors. Booger and earwax are classics, and they plan to launch armpit odor and cat urine flavors later.

After Flitwick's tragic demonstration, the other professors were reluctant to accept this year's Easter eggs, except for Dumbledore, who seemed quite interested in the candy inside.

The auditorium was noisy, filled with the clatter of cutlery and the whispers of students. Melvin would occasionally turn to talk to other professors.

In the eyes of elective course professors, Melvin is the most popular elective course professor, someone they can consult on teaching suggestions and discuss student assignments with; in the eyes of Professor McGonagall and others, Melvin is already a member of the required courses, someone who can share the burden of handling matters outside of teaching.

Melvin usually responds amicably to discussions about teaching, offering advice from a Muggle perspective, but he ignores the deans' attempts to recruit more staff.

There's no way around it, I've already worked enough overtime.

"I'm going back to my office now."

Melvin picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, greeted his colleagues in a low voice, and quickly walked out of the auditorium.

As agreed, the little witch was to receive extra lessons on Saturday night. There were two students in the tutoring class. Although Harry had returned to Godric's Hollow to pay respects to his parents, the lessons couldn't be canceled because of that; that would be unfair to Hermione.

Back in the office, not long after, I heard a knock on the door.

"Professor, I'm here for my tutoring session." Hermione opened the door after receiving permission, closed it quietly, and then stepped inside.

Where did we leave off last time?

"Professor, you told me to practice the combination of the Ironclad Charm and the Bubble Charm in private, but I'm still not proficient at it."

Hermione's fair brows furrowed. Despite being the top student in her grade, she was always worried about being scolded by the professor: "When I cast spells, I'm always too focused on the effects of the Armor Charm. I can't control it as subtly as I do with the Bubble Head Charm. It doesn't completely cover my body, and there are obvious marks..."

“Show me.” Melvin poured a glass of pumpkin juice and placed it on the low table.

"armor……"

"It's still because you're not skilled enough; you need to practice more."

After watching her demonstration, Melvin casually instructed, "No new lessons today, just practice in the office. I'll reply to your emails and ask you questions anytime."

Tonight I need to reply to the letters that have accumulated over the holiday. Ms. Burns is asking about the details of policy adjustments, Bagman is inquiring about the work arrangements for Quidditch investment promotion, and Crouch from the International Affairs Department is also there. Preparations for the Goblet of Fire have already begun.

“Oh, okay, Professor.” Hermione was clearly disappointed, then suddenly noticed the water snake on the table. She blinked. “Professor, this snake…”

"Yurm".

"Something seems off with Yulm."

Melvin turned his head and waved his hand: "It's okay, it's shedding its skin."

"hiss……"

The long-horned water snake on the table twisted and turned.

This is a symptom of the yurm during its molting process. The scales on its surface do not grow larger as the snake's body grows. For the longhorn water snake to continue growing, it must shed its old scales and replace them with new ones.

Normally, young snakes shed their skin every few weeks, but the Yulm snake is very special. It grows very slowly and only began its first molt during the Easter holiday.

According to Mr. Scamander, after successfully molting, Yulm will undergo a period of growth, during which its size will increase and its appetite will increase significantly.

"Um……"

Melvin sat back down at his desk, ready to write a letter, but caught a glimpse of Jourm fidgeting and becoming somewhat silent.

The way they were acting suggested they wouldn't stop until they had completely tangled themselves up.

Shouldn't a snake find a quiet corner to wait for its skin to peel off little by little when it's shedding its skin?
Melvin picked him up and examined him closely. The little guy tilted his head and looked at him, his round, black bean-like eyes showing no signs of discomfort, but rather an unusual excitement.

The twisting and turning doesn't seem to help with shedding; it's just for fun.

The tip of its tail flicked up and landed on his wrist; Yulm had no intention of entering the snake's nest.

Melvin patted the snake's head, set it aside, and began replying to the letter.

Having lived at Hogwarts for a long time, I've gotten used to using an automatic quill. With a slight thought, I can manipulate the quill to write, producing clear and neat handwriting.

It can even correct grammatical errors; it's a magical artificial intelligence.

"..."

After processing all the letters, I'm just waiting to mail them out tomorrow morning.

Melvin glanced at the wall clock; forty minutes had passed. Turning his head, he saw that Yulm was curled up in a ball, his scales spread out, and only his tail was swaying slightly, already knotted.

On the other side of the office, the little witch waved her wand again and again, practicing intently, her voice low as she chanted spells, looking incredibly adorable.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, Hermione turned her head, her bright eyes fixed on him: "Professor, have I disturbed you?" Her question was somewhat abrupt, and Melvin paused, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt.

"Don't you find these tutoring classes boring? The tuition is thousands of gallons, and all I get is dealing with mail and leaving the students to practice on their own. I feel like I'm being irresponsible."

“Professor, you have your own things to do, and you're not bored. I'll keep all the questions in mind and ask you when you're done. That way, we can focus our thoughts more and the results might be better.”

Hermione, wand in hand, glanced at Yorm without thinking: "Professor, you don't lack the tuition fees of several thousand Galleons. Agreeing to tutor us is just a friendly favor."

"On Halloween night in first grade, when I passed by the courtyard garden, I saw you hiding next to the rockery and wiping away tears. At that time, I thought you were just a little girl, with your parents not around, being ostracized by your classmates, and not even having a roommate to talk to. You were such a pitiful little girl."

Melvin remarked with some emotion, "The little girl has grown up a lot."

"Back then, I was always self-righteous and kept pointing out other people's mistakes, which was really annoying."

Hermione recalled her past embarrassing moments with a slight blush: "But I figured it out later. Everyone has their own things to care about. You can't just interfere with other people's ideas without permission. I can tell them the correct answer after getting their permission, instead of pointing out their mistakes right away."

As Hermione finished speaking, it was exactly nine o'clock, and the pendulum swung, making a dull thud.

Melvin raised an eyebrow: "It's nine o'clock? Aren't you in a hurry to go back to the dorm? I need to extend the class."

"Is there any extra tutoring?"

Hermione's eyes lit up as she watched the professor pick up a suitcase from the shelf. "You're not leaving the school again, are you?"

“Students are not allowed to leave school during the Easter holidays. Tonight is a special lesson, so of course we need a special classroom.” Melvin opened the door, turned around and gestured for her to follow. “Hurry up, we’re going to the eighth floor of the castle. It’s a long flight of stairs.”

Hermione's face lit up with a joyful smile. Before leaving, she noticed a small snake coiled up on the table. Unable to ignore its pitiful eyes, she hesitated for only two seconds before picking it up and catching up with the professor.

Ten minutes later, the two left the stairwell and turned right at the fork in the road. Melvin was carrying a black suitcase, while Hermione was holding the snake and intently untying its knotted tail. Their footsteps echoed in the corridor.

After walking for a while, a huge tapestry came into view, its edges worn and revealing loose felt threads. Looking at the center of the tapestry, the pattern depicted a wizard and several giants gathering in a woodland.

The trolls wore pink lace-trimmed dance dresses, and there were torn white socks on the ground. They looked resentful.

The sorcerer sat by the campfire, his face bruised and swollen, his features contorted in pain, occasionally twitching.

“Silly Barnabas…” Hermione recognized the person on the tapestry.

The images on the tapestry are more like allegorical stories. Starting at nine o'clock in the morning, Barnabas waves his wand, dresses the trolls in dancing skirts, and forces them to stand on tiptoe, their skirts fluttering.

The comical dance lesson continued until 3 p.m., when the trolls banded together, took advantage of the wizard's distraction, snatched the wand and threw it away, then swung their clubs and fists to beat Barnabas.

Then night fell, and a cold mist enveloped the woodland. The shivering giants helped the wizard retrieve his wand, lit a campfire, and the two sides huddled together on a haystack, sleeping soundly until sunrise.

"It's Barnabas, that adjective prefix was added by later wizards."

Melvin smiled and corrected him, stopping to put down his suitcase: "Dumbledore thought he was an educator, but I think his methods are problematic. If we learn from Muggle ideas and use Pavlov's dog-training method, alternating between rewards and punishments, we might actually be able to teach trolls to dance ballet."

Hermione glanced at the wizards and trolls, then turned to see the professor's actions: "This is the special classroom?"

"Opposite to the tapestry."

Melvin paused briefly: "Now, I'd like to introduce you to the Room of Requirement."

As the professor paced back and forth in front of the wall, Hermione wondered what kind of strange magical ritual this was. A change quietly occurred; the castle's magic from a thousand years ago was still at work. Ripples of light flowed across the brick walls, and the gifts left by the founder for his students and teachers were revealed. One of the castle's countless secrets was now open to the little witch.

The House of Requirement opened its doors to Hermione.

A brown wooden door quietly appeared on the wall. Hermione looked up and saw that the door was unlocked.

"I'll grant your every request..." she murmured.

“I can’t fulfill all wishes, but I can make some of my imaginations a reality.” Melvin opened the wooden door and stepped aside to indicate, “Ladies first.”

Hermione entered the room under the professor's guidance.

The dark gray fortress stood in the center of the isolated island, its faint yellow light unable to penetrate the thick fog, obscuring the sky. A slightly salty, fishy smell filled the air, and the faint sound of waves crashing against the rocks could be heard.

A cold wind, carrying thick fog, howled across the island. The transparent bubble membrane kept out the chill. Hermione followed closely behind Melvin, glancing up every now and then.

The island seemed devoid of any vegetation; the rocks and sand were bare, a lifeless gray, with wave-like ripples on the weathered rocks, all uniformly flat, and a thick fog in the distance swallowed up the view.

Hermione sometimes wondered if there was a path ahead, but Melvin seemed very familiar with the place, walking lightly as if on a leisurely hike.

Before the lights atop the fortress were completely extinguished by the thick fog, they illuminated something in the fog, seemingly some familiar figures floating there.

Black cloaks, shrouded in white mist, belong to a group of Dementors.

Upon stepping into the room and seeing those figures, Hermione suddenly realized where she was, and her heart skipped a beat.

North Sea island, wizard's prison, Azkaban.

Hermione felt a sudden, involuntary fear. The atmosphere of the place was unsettling, as if something terrible might burst out from the shadows and fog at any moment.

"Afraid of Dementors or dark wizard criminals?" Melvin asked, carrying his suitcase, which trembled slightly as if its contents were eager to come out and get some fresh air.

Hermione shook her head: "There's a professor here..."

"Even if you're alone, don't worry. This isn't Azkaban in the North Sea, but a scene conjured up by the House of Requirement."

Melvin looked up at the gloomy sky: "If you pace back and forth three times in the corridor opposite the tapestry, the Room of Requirement will become the way you want it to be."

"Is it really true that if someone asks for something...they will grant it?"

“The room is merely a creation of transfiguration and alchemy, serving as a temporary washroom, lounge, workshop, or laboratory. It follows the Gamp Transfiguration Laws, cannot conjure food, cannot create life, and fake items cannot be taken out of the room,” Melvin explained.

"Incredible..."

Hermione looked around at the world, her eyes somewhat glazed over from shock.

(End of this chapter)