Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 343 There's going to be a good show.

In the Room of Requirement, on the same floor as the principal's office, a Muggle studies professor who also roams at night is driving Dementors back into their boxes.

The Dementors in the sky wander among the clouds, amidst the cold, thick fog. Countless black cloaks appear and disappear mysteriously on the howling north wind over the sea. Inside the box is another space. Just as sheep are unwilling to return to their pen, the Guardian Angel's silver light needs to be manipulated to shroud the entire island and drive the Dementors back to the suitcase.

The box was closed again, and the box and lid stopped shaking. After a short period of grazing, the thirsty Dementors temporarily calmed down.

Carrying the suitcase back to the island's heart fortress, there was a Dementor huddled in a corner of the room, seemingly trembling.

Hermione sat at the table, intently examining a scale.

"Snake scales shed by Yulm?" Melvin sat down opposite him.

Hermione looked up and saw the professor returning with his suitcase. A hint of joy seemed to flash in the eyes of the Dementor in the corner, but before it could go back into the suitcase, it was glared at by the professor.

“Professor Levent, it was given to me by Jolm!” The little witch held up the gleaming snake scale, her tone tinged with pride. “This scale is magical; it retains the magic of the longhorned water snake.”

"What special function does it have?" Melvin asked curiously.

Hermione recounted what had just happened in detail, expressing her deep gratitude to Eulem:

"...As a young snake still in its infancy, Yhorm launched an attack without hesitation when faced with the sudden attack of the Dementors. Dementors are dark creatures in human bodies that feed on emotions and souls. Under the influence of that evil magic and the cold fog, any intelligent creature would instinctively feel uncomfortable and even react defensively, but Yhorm showed no fear whatsoever!"

The baby snake on the table raised its chin, looking quite pleased with itself.

“It’s a magical creature, and although it hasn’t learned to speak yet, it can still use its powerful magic instinctively.” Melvin wasn’t surprised. Yorm had previously demonstrated extraordinary abilities; it could whip its tail at anything, not just Dementors.

“Professor, have you noticed that Yhorm’s magic is very peculiar? It can protect the soul and consciousness from the influence of external magic. When it is whipped onto a Dementor, it can harm it just like a Patronus.” Hermione glanced at the Dementor in the corner again.

Melvin smiled and nodded: "Not only Dementors, but also ethereal spirits like ghosts, which Yorm can touch."

“There’s one more thing, Professor Levent. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but after Yorm gave me the scale, holding it seemed to help me with Legilimesis.”

Hermione, fearing Melvin wouldn't believe her, immediately prepared to demonstrate: "I can sense the Dementor's emotions."

“No need. This Dementor is pitiful enough. Let it recover for a while before using it as a teaching aid.” Melvin shook his head, not surprised.

Some of Yhorm's magic comes from the snakewood of Ephamoni, the wand once used by Slytherin, whose founder was the infamous dark wizard, the Legilimency master who is recorded in history.

After a moment's thought, he decided to tell Hermione, "It will not only help you capture emotions, but it will also benefit your research into dark magic."

"Dark magic?"

Hermione looked down at the scale again, a hint of struggle in her eyes: "Professor, will the scale from Yulm have some psychological effect on me, like the hairy heart?"

"The Hairy Heart of the Wizard" is a fable in "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".

There was once a male wizard who believed that emotions made people foolish, so he used black magic to remove and seal his heart. From then on, he became cold, aloof, and heartless, and his black magic and wealth increased together.

Later, at his wife's urging, the wizard retrieved the heart and put it back in his chest. However, the heart had shriveled, was covered in black hair, and was filled with negative emotions such as greed and ambition; it was clearly a bad heart.

Finally, driven by his heart, the male sorcerer ripped out his wife's fresh heart, intending to place it into his own chest, but died during the transplant.

After that, "hairy heart" became a wizarding slang term used to refer to certain black magic items that, while bringing benefits, also accumulate inconspicuous curses and amplify emotions such as greed, anger, and resentment. By the time the wizard realizes it, the disease is already incurable.

Yulm's gaze suddenly changed, and he stared at the little witch with resentment.

Melvin couldn't help but smile gently and extend his hand to Hermione.

The little witch thought she was going to do some kind of inspection or detection, and obediently handed it over, ignoring the young snake's gaze.

But then he saw Melvin not do any tests, but instead pointed his wand at the scales and branded a silvery mark on them: "Dark magic is an integral part of magic. Magic itself has no distinction between evil and good. Everything depends on the wizard's will. Similarly, Yorm's snake scales will not interfere with your emotions."

It was a pattern of an ouroboros, simple yet vivid.

Then, a hole was left in the snake's mouth, which at first glance was smaller than a pinhole. But when the professor aimed the scales at the Dementor, the Ouroboros immediately shone with a silvery light, as if it had come to life, twisting its body and opening its mouth towards the Dementor.

The dark creature, taller than Hagrid, had its cloak and figure elongated, like a reflection in a funhouse mirror, constantly shifting in the silvery light, shrinking little by little, and finally disappearing into its scales.

The Seamless Stretching Spell?
Hermione quickly realized what was happening, glanced at the scales, then looked at Melvin, her mouth agape in surprise:
"Professor, you mean... to have this Dementor follow me?"

Melvin nodded: "Yes, it's an excellent teaching assistant, making it easy for you to practice Legilimency and, incidentally, Patronus Charms."

"What if it gives me a Dementor's kiss?" Hermione couldn't accept it.

Melvin smiled slightly: "It has been ordered not to harm any wizards outside of Azkaban, and at most to indulge in some pleasure, which also helps with teaching, as you can clearly perceive the passing of your emotions."

……

At the entrance to the principal's office, the dripping stone beaked beast stood motionless, its two eyes calmly gazing ahead.

Aberforth raised his hand and then lowered it again, the brass door knocker seeming poisoned or like a red-hot branding iron, he dared not touch it.

The principal's office door could be opened from the inside or with a password, a piece of information he had gleaned from the patrons. Aberforth, led by Professor McGonagall, arrived here, approaching the heart of his brother's territory, but paced back and forth, hesitant to proceed.

I'm sneaking in here tonight to give him a good scolding, to snatch Ariana back, and to teach him a lesson.

If you knock on the door and get permission to go in, it doesn't feel like you're coming to visit at all; it's more like you're just paying a visit. I always feel like I'm somehow inferior to Albus.

He leaned closer to the two stone monster sculptures, pondering the password. They had once spent a long time together like family, and had nestled together on their mother's lap, listening to those strange and wonderful wizard stories. He thought he understood his brother.

Aberforth pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Dumbledore?"

The two stone monster sculptures remained motionless, and the oak door did not react at all.

Incorrect password.

Abu Fusi was still persistent: "Phoenix rebirth?"

"Hogwarts?"

"Wissengamo?"

"For a greater good?"...

On another corridor on the eighth floor, the wooden door of the Room of Requirement reappears.

Barnabas and the trolls on the opposite tapestry were still fast asleep. The corridor was quiet, the torches and kerosene lamps had been extinguished, and the runes on the alchemically inscribed suitcases emitted a faint silver light, allowing them to see the path around them.

The steps on the way back were even lighter than those on the way there.

Young snakes become much lighter during the molting period. Although they haven't completely shed their skin, they've released their pent-up frustration.

The little witch gained the friendship of the longhorned water snake, understood the connection between the soul and magic, and learned new spells.

With the Dementors appeased, Melvin the Shepherd could finally relax for the next two weeks, no longer worried about the dark creatures in the box suffocating him, leaving only a cold, thick fog.

After passing through the enclosed corridor, the remaining passageway had glass windows, and the moonlight outside shone through the windows, illuminating the dim castle corridor. Hermione planned to escort the professor to the top of the stairs, and then return to the Gryffindor Tower herself.

The moonlight cast long shadows of the two. Melvin carried the box, while the little witch clutched the scales, glancing down at them from time to time with a delighted smile, her steps light and quick.

Hermione looked up with some confusion and asked, "Professor, of all the magical creatures in the world, why do Dementors and Boggarts specifically feed on the emotions and souls of wizards?"

"Because they only have a shell, they need a soul to make life complete."

"But this is clearly evil."

"Hermione, remember this..."

Melvin was very patient: "It's a life instinct, just like other creatures are born to find something to fill their stomachs, to hunt and forage, there's never a distinction between evil and good."

Hermione lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and asked impatiently, "According to the principles you analyzed, Professor, both Boggarts and Dementors survive by feeding on the emotions of wizards, and Dementors can even devour the souls of wizards. So, the Obscurus... I mean, is Bastian's illness also like that?"

Melvin glanced down at the little witch, paused briefly, and said, "Yes, the origin of the Boggarts is currently unknown. Dementors are born from the bones of the dead in the depths of Azkaban, while Obscurations are born from the bodies of wizards whose hearts have died."

He recalled the Obscurus he had seen at the French Ministry of Magic: "The source of magic is the soul. When a wizard rejects magic, he is rejecting himself. Just like a Muggle's self-loathing leads to a mental breakdown, a wizard who has been suppressed for a long time will give birth to another kind of consciousness without wisdom, which will grow by absorbing the wizard's magic and despair until it is completely devoured."

In some ways, Obscurus is like a parasite, draining its host dry and leading them to destruction together.

"If we figure out how to extract emotions and magic, could we starve the Obscurus inside Bastian?" Hermione asked excitedly, speaking rapidly. "Then wouldn't she be cured?"

"Whether I will fully recover... I'm not sure."

Melvin paused for a moment: "But at least it can alleviate the symptoms, like chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, allowing her to live a normal wizard's life."

Hermione smiled, her eyes crinkling, and skipped along beside the professor like an otter coming ashore, clutching fish in her hand and brimming with joy.

If it weren't already curfew, she would have even considered requesting to extend her tutoring session so that the professor could explain the principles of magic in detail.

Just as the little witch was overjoyed, the two arrived at the crossroads on the eighth floor, where some indistinct mutterings, filled with annoyance and impatience, came from somewhere.

The two exchanged a glance and looked toward the fork in the road to the right.

"By Merlin?"

"The Deathly Hallows?"

"A legendary mage?"

"..."

Following the direction from which the sound came, I soon arrived at the principal's office and saw a rather eerie scene.

A tall and robust old wizard, his silver-white beard and hair tied up with strips of cloth were somewhat disheveled, and there was a hint of annoyance in his bright blue eyes, which shone like candlelight. The large gray robe he wore always seemed out of place.

Aberforth was anxious. After hesitating for a long time, he finally uttered his last guess: "Ariana?"

The door remained firmly shut.

It's normal to run into the headmaster while strolling around the castle at night, but talking nonsense in the headmaster's office late at night like this still feels very strange.

"..."

Is the principal suffering from dementia and has forgotten how to use the door access key?

A thought flashed through Hermione's mind.

“Hermione, you go back first. I have something to discuss with the headmaster.” Melvin suddenly said. He reacted very quickly, realized the situation, and couldn’t help but smile.

It was clearly an excuse to get rid of the students.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Hermione's eyes. She glanced at the strange headmaster at the door, then at Professor Levent, feeling that his smile was also somewhat odd.

But a student is a student, and it was curfew time. Even though she was unwilling, she could only look back every few steps and gradually disappear around the corner of the corridor.

“You…Melvin…”

Aberforth looked at the young professor, hesitant to speak. Having learned from Professor McGonagall's experience, he didn't say anything unnecessary and pretended to be confused.

“The passwords to the principal’s office change frequently and there’s no fixed list. It’s hard for someone who doesn’t know the principal’s preferences to guess them.” Melvin walked past the tavern owner and stood in front of the stone monster.

"I've been recognized again..." This time, Aberforth didn't take any chances, thinking that he knew the password. He cooperated by taking two steps back and making way.

Melvin rattled off a string of words at lightning speed, as if reciting a tongue twister:
"Lemon Snowball, Spicy Honey Candy, Cockroach Pile, Pepper Kid, Super Bubble Gum, Bibi Multi-Flavor Beans, Sour and Explosive Jelly Slug..."

Aberforth couldn't help but glance sideways. First Trelawney, then this Levent; it seemed like there were hardly any normal wizards at Hogwarts.

Just then, the two monstrous stone sculptures suddenly stood up and jumped to the side, and the oak door opened inward with a loud bang.

I don't know which candy matched the password.

(End of this chapter)