Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 293 Huanggang Middle School Hogwarts Branch

But Sirius didn't seem to be convinced.

"If you mean he used potions to earn some Muggle coins..." Sirius shook his head. "I think my ancestors did something similar. Of course, it was illegal and would cause some trouble, but I don't think it would be very dangerous."

"Murphy isn't stupid. If he wants to continue making money off Muggles this way, he can't expose our existence, as that would create countless more competitors for him."

Dumbledore nodded. "So at first, I didn't think of Murphy Darkholm as an enemy. I just thought he wanted to make some money this way."

"But what if his goal isn't money at all?"

"Not money?" Sirius didn't quite understand. "What else could a Muggle provide that a wizard couldn't?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Dumbledore sighed, "that is reason."

"I only recently figured out Murphy's thoughts. Although I don't know the source of these thoughts, he is craving a power... a power greater than immortality, a power greater than Voldemort craved. He seems to want to completely control magic, to control magic more deeply and thoroughly than any wizard before him."

"For this reason, he chose the power of reason. That is, what Muggles call 'science.' Muggles are better at rational thinking than wizards, and Murphy seems to want to use the minds of Muggles to achieve his own goals."

"And in doing so, he would have to expose the magic to the Muggles."

Sirius blinked, and it took him a while to understand the logic behind it.

He found it somewhat unbelievable, and couldn't even comprehend the logic behind it.

In order to better control magic, he sought the help of Muggles?

Instead of learning more spells, instead of consulting a top wizard like Dumbledore, he actually learned it from Muggles who knew nothing about magic?!

What kind of brain circuit is this?

However, since Dumbledore said so, then it must be true.

He began to wonder if Murphy was a little crazy, but if he were just a madman, Dumbledore wouldn't be so concerned.

But there was still one thing he didn't understand: "Professor, why is violating the secrecy law so dangerous?"

"Of course, I know about the witch hunts of the past."

"But wizards are stronger than Muggles who can't use magic, right? Even if our presence is exposed, shouldn't the danger lie with the Muggles, not the wizards?"

"Besides, it's not like three hundred years ago anymore. Do you think Muggles these days would go on a killing spree just because we're wizards?"

This is also the prevailing view among wizards today.

This is why, in most countries, wizards are rather lax in their adherence to wizarding secrecy laws and do not consider the exposure of their existence to be a terrible thing.

"Things aren't as we think..." Dumbledore sighed. "Muggles are far more powerful than we imagine. And once the Statute of Secrecy is broken, we won't just be facing Muggles as enemies. There are many things far more troublesome than Muggles."

Sirius sensed something was off. "What do you mean? What kind of situation are we going to face?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head. "I cannot say. However, you only need to know that I am not exaggerating. The Law of Secrecy concerns the life and death of all wizards."

"It has been proven that I cannot stop Darkholme on my own. I need you, Sirius. Can you lend me a hand?"

Sirius was silent for a long while, then finally shook his head. "I'm sorry, Professor. I have another child to protect, and I may not be able to risk my life for you like I used to. And Darkholme... if our enemy is Voldemort, I know that until we defeat him, we will all live in his shadow. But... Murphy..."

Although Dumbledore's words seemed to make sense, Sirius trusted his intuition more and didn't really think Murphy was a bad person.

If Sirius Black could hardly see Dumbledore as an enemy simply because of their differing opinions, then putting himself and Harry in danger would be putting the cart before the horse.

Dumbledore left, leaving behind a feather and telling Sirius to reconsider and contact him if he changed his mind.

Before leaving, he inquired about Lupin's whereabouts. Upon learning that Lupin might be working for Murphy, Dumbledore appeared somewhat hurt.

As he walked out of the hut, Harry watched from the second floor and inexplicably felt that the headmaster, who had seemed omnipotent in his mind in the past, looked much older, like an ordinary old man with faltering steps.

……

September.

Hogwarts has started.

This time, although the new students will still be assigned to four specific colleges according to tradition, the tense relationship between the four colleges is no longer there. The common rooms of the four colleges are connected by fireplaces, the dining tables can be shared freely, classes are basically held together, and cross-college cooperative groups are mandatory.

In addition to these changes, Professor Dumbledore, the pillar of Hogwarts who had served as headmaster for nearly fifty years, left the school, and Professor Severus Snape took over as the new headmaster.

In fact, Murphy originally planned to have Professor Flitwick succeed him as headmaster, and to recruit Snape to his research institute to contribute to the study of the Philosopher's Stone.

But Snape used this as an excuse to blackmail him, saying that if he wasn't made headmaster, he wouldn't help Murphy.

To satisfy this career-obsessed man's obsession with power, Murphy had no choice but to agree.

But Snape only wanted to experience being the headmaster. In fact, apart from attending some important occasions and giving some unimportant speeches, he didn't have much to do as headmaster. Most of the time, he was still doing Philosopher's Stone research.

With Snape now the headmaster, the position of Potions professor became vacant. Murphy had Slughorn brought in and promised him a generous salary, which finally persuaded him.

The school also hired Remus Lupin as the professor of "Protection Magic," while Defense Against the Dark Arts was simply canceled by Murphy.

Voldemort cursed the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, didn't he?

Why don't I just cancel this position?

Even that classroom was no longer used; it was converted into the torture practice room for the gatekeeper, Filch. Anyway, he cursed the little wizard every day and was a master of curses, so it would be a good way to counteract the evil energy of this room, fighting poison with poison.

At the same time, several courses, including "Muggle Studies," "Astronomy," "Numerology," and "Divination," were changed to electives.

Murphy also hired four Muggle scientists who had been transformed into werewolves. They would teach general education courses in four basic sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, to improve the scientific literacy of young Hogwarts wizards.

In addition, the school's examination system will be changed from one exam per year to four major exams per year and one minor exam per month. At the same time, evening self-study and evening classes will be added to ensure learning outcomes. In the future, Murphy will also consider adding activities such as morning exercises, military training, and oath-taking rallies.

With the support of the Huanggang model, why worry that students won't be able to unleash a single armor spell after graduation?

While Hogwarts was undergoing major changes under Murphy's guidance, the Muggle community was also busy.

The Soviet Union's "National Laboratory Program" has entered the planning stage, while in the UK, the construction of various laboratories is also in full swing.

Just when everything seemed to be going well, news suddenly came from Gringotts.

"Gold exchange is prohibited?"

(End of this chapter)