Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

"Not sure."

Melvin decisively denied it, putting away his wand and suitcase as he said, "However, if we solve this serious case, we should be able to wash away the shame of the Graves family. The credit will be enough for a smooth promotion to Deputy Director of the Auror Office, and perhaps even Director of the Law Enforcement Department within a few years..."

"Wash away the shame...get a smooth promotion..."

Graves listened to his whispers and felt that this guy was a devil who tempted people to fall into depravity, a poisonous snake who tricked people into eating red fruit, but he had to admit that this fruit was indeed very tempting.

Melvin had a faint smile on his face. He did not deceive or mislead the Auror, but just cleverly concealed some irrelevant clues and information.

Ilvermorny and the like are not in the criminal confession files.

Walking out of the Woolworth Building, Melvin turned around and waved at him with a bright smile:

"Good luck, Mr. Graves!"

……

Broadway, Gershwin Theatre.

There weren't many people or cars at the intersection. It was only nine in the morning, not yet lunchtime, so the theater was not open to the public. Only a few tourists who were visiting and checking in hurriedly passed by. It wasn't until two in the afternoon that the place slowly became lively.

The sun gradually rose and the air became hot.

A slender figure strolled along the street in front of the theater, holding a glass of iced American coffee. As he walked, he looked at the posters, his eyebrows tightly knitted together, and muttered that this thing was not for human consumption, but he still took small sips to savor it.

The decoration and furnishings have not changed much, and the classic plays are still the same. Judging from the poster portraits, the theater is still using the stage special effects he designed. After all, both magic and technology can achieve the same effect, it's just a little more complicated.

Melvin sipped his coffee expressionlessly, recalling the days when he first worked here. Nothing particularly special happened. He was too young to feel nostalgic when he saw familiar scenes.

Occasionally, there are staff members coming in and out. It is not clear whether they are behind the scenes or maintenance workers. They should be the same group of people.

Someone seemed to notice that the figure looked familiar, and just as they were about to confirm it, a car with an unusually heavy engine drove by, remembering the regrets often expressed by the theater manager and owner.

There was a bang.

The figure disappeared across the street.

The staff member blinked vigorously, thinking that he might be too tired from work and needed to go to the nearby cafe for an iced American coffee.

……

After half an hour.

In the suburbs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, at the foot of Mount Greylock.

The winding and rugged mountain road turned here, and walking forward would lead to the next town. Melvin was not in a hurry to return to Ilvermorny. He just found a fast food restaurant, filled his stomach with fried chicken and Coke, and then hiked up the mountain.

After all, it is a magic school, and Ilvermorny still has the necessary protective magic such as the Muggle-Repelling Charm and the Apparition Ban. However, for wizards, the mountain roads are not difficult to walk on, and the animals in the forest are also very friendly to Melvin.

In mid-August, in a temperate continental climate, some maple leaves have already turned yellow.

The top of a mountain in the distance was shrouded in mist. Looking closely, one could vaguely see a castle, with the spire of the tower faintly visible in the depths of the mist.

If you are a Muggle without magic, you will probably only see some stones and treetops. Even if you stand in front of the castle, you will only see a pile of rubble and ruins.

Melvin put on a coat and walked slowly up the mountain, looking left and right at the scenery along the road, occasionally scaring a passing squirrel, or being scared by a viper disguised as fallen leaves.

The air in the town is hot, but when you get near the top of the mountain, the altitude goes up, the temperature drops, and you feel a little cold.

The long-horned water snake always says that it doesn't like to stay on the top of the mountain, especially in autumn and winter, when the temperature is too low and it will feel sleepy. For this long-lived magical animal, hibernation may last for several years or even decades.

"..."

Melvin slowly approached the castle and looked at the four statues standing before him. The gems inlaid with them emitted four colors of light. The stream beside them meandered down the mountain, and the sparse leaves cast mottled light and shadows.

He still felt a little emotional.

Ilvermorny does not have a gamekeeper position. Security patrols are usually carried out by Pukki, a distant relative of the European fairies. They are short, with gray skin, long and wide ears, and possess powerful magical abilities.

They are the native inhabitants of Greylock and were originally reluctant to interact with humans. It was Isolt Searle who established a deep friendship with them when he founded the school. Generations of mutual assistance have led to the development of Pukki becoming an employed staff member of the school.

The principal pays them and they are responsible for miscellaneous work in the castle, including security, cleaning, catering, etc.

Similar to the house-elves at Hogwarts, but with a much higher status, basically on par with wizards.

Warning magic and peepholes were set up around the statue. When they detected unexpected magical fluctuations, a Pukchi immediately conducted a secret investigation. Seeing that it was a former student, he hurried back to tell the wizard who stayed at the school.

The current principal, Gilbert Fontana, is dedicated to his duties. Unlike a certain white-bearded principal, he will not push the work to the vice-principal. He is the one who stays in school during the summer vacation.

"Isn't this Mr. Lewynter, the man who dropped out of school to teach elective courses at Hogwarts? Why is he here in Ilvermorny?"

Principal Fontana is about sixty years old, with a loud voice. He has only two tufts of gray hair at his temples. He is in good health and has a rosy complexion.

The wizard community is still relatively young, and the content of their speech also reveals youth, and their tone is deeply rooted in the essence of that kind of weirdness.

Melvin was not surprised at all. Hogwarts was the most famous magic school in the world. The founder of Ilvermorny came from there. The headmaster was determined to catch up and usually paid more attention to the situation there. It was normal for him to know his experience.

He didn't answer such a sensitive question. With a serious expression, he said, "Principal Fontana, I've come back to inform you that Ilvermorny is involved in a serious international case with dire consequences!"

"?"

Chapter 113 But a mist rose from the ground

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the base of the founder's statue, which was then quietly wiped away by a rag. Pukchi, a waiter, was cleaning the campus for the holidays, pruning branches and flowers. The only sound in the quiet summer campus was the snapping of gardening shears.

Suddenly, there was a noise not far away. Pukchi looked in the direction of the sound. At the end of the empty boulevard, the principal was talking to a young wizard. He was very handsome, tall, and had a gentle smile on his face.

Black hair and black eyes, with a bit of mystery, looks familiar.

"The dark wizard who stole the dragon egg is a graduate of Ilvermorny..."

Principal Fontana sighed, "The Scourers, a bunch of soul-selling criminals, haven't been eradicated yet. These guys, as wizards, are actually getting involved with the Second Salem Charity Society. For gold, they really will do anything."

Melvin looked at the two statues of the founders. "If I remember correctly, 70 years ago, the Second Salem Charitable Society was involved in the case of Grindelwald and the Witch Party. The leader, Mary Lou Barebone, was a descendant of the Purgers."

"Yeah, I thought the Magic Congress had already modified her memory, but I didn't expect Barebone... to have other bloodlines."

Fontana recalled the relevant information and suddenly remembered something interesting. He smiled and said, "Bartholomew Barebone directly weakened the Twelve Trees family, and Mary Barebone brought misfortune to the Graves family. Those old guys probably get a headache and can't sleep when they hear the last name Barebone, right?"

Melvin's mouth also showed a little more smile.

At the end of the 18th century, the witch Dorcas Twelvetrees fell in love with a handsome No-Maj named Bartholomew Barebone and revealed to him many things about the wizarding world, including the addresses of MACUSA and Ilvermorny, several major wizarding settlements, and the details of the Statute of Secrecy...

Bartolomeo directly printed the above information and made it public, causing the largest magic leak in history.

The MACUSA received a serious warning from the International Confederation of Wizards. Emily Rappaport, then President of the MACUSA, quickly dispatched Aurors to erase the memory, but because the impact was too bad, she was still scolded at the meeting and could not even raise her head.

The chairman was scolded so badly that he couldn't even raise his head, and his subordinates suffered.

Dorcas Twelvetrees' father was Aristotle Twelvetrees, who was the treasure and pot manager of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, or the Minister of Finance in a popular sense. He was originally a prominent figure in the American wizarding world, but was directly transferred and demoted to guard the utility room.

After this incident, the Twelve Trees family was devastated and has not recovered to this day.

Then there was the New York riots 70 years ago, when Grindelwald disguised himself as Percival Graves, the Minister of Security for the Magical Congress, and nearly tore down the entire city. After the case was closed, the files were inexplicably linked to Mary Barebone, the leader of New Salem...

The result was that the Graves family was nailed to the pillar of shame and never recovered.

Mr. Graves, who is very familiar with Melvin, is still struggling in the position of deputy director and has no hope of promotion.

Since when, a rumor has spread in the United States. It is said that Barrybon's ancestor possessed the gift of prophecy and left a curse in his blood. Whenever a descendant of Barrybon entered the magical world, a prominent wizard family would decline.

It's a bit similar to the curse taught by the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

Some people treat it as a joke, while others would rather believe it than not. Every time they hear the name Barry Bonn, some families always feel uneasy.

"These clues and information are enough to attract the attention of those old guys. I will pass it on to them." Fontana stopped and looked at Melvin with a smile. "Now that we've finished the business, should we talk about you dropping out of school to teach at Hogwarts?"

"..."

Seeing Melvin's slightly stiff expression, Fontana couldn't help but smile: "Just kidding, I finally got back to school, let's try the dinner made by Pukchi."

……

Pukchi specialty stew.

The soup base is white with green, and golden oil is floating in it. It contains spices made from snake tree materials, leaves and bark. It is not clear what the effect is. It tastes a bit astringent and strange.

Sitting in the side hall of Ilvermorny's auditorium, President Fontana did not exchange unnecessary pleasantries. While waiting for his meal to be served, he talked a lot about how the professors lamented and the students envied and admired Melvin after he dropped out.

Waiter Pukki handed over the cutlery. Headmaster Fontana ignored the table manners and said as he ate, "It's been a year since I became a professor at Hogwarts. How is it? What's the difference between that place and Ilvermorny?"

"It has its advantages and disadvantages. Overall, it's better than Ilvermorny."

Melvin hesitated, then answered truthfully, "Hogwarts' heritage is even deeper. The library boasts a collection of books accumulated over nearly a thousand years, and the castle holds endless secrets and surprises. There's a restricted section, a bronze door knocker, relics of the Big Four, and portraits of various wizards... Students can easily discover knowledge and magic."

"I know this. It's recorded in the founder's memoirs. They are all treasures accumulated by history."

"The student atmosphere there isn't as good as Ilvermorny. The four houses are clinging to their own factions, especially Slytherin. Many students worship purebloods and reject No-Majs, making it almost impossible for them to get along with other houses."

"That's it..."

Fontana nodded, his tone trailing off, "One of our founders was a Muggle, which blocked the conflicts between pure-bloods and half-bloods from the beginning."

Ilvermorny is relatively open and inclusive in this regard, and there are not so many requirements. After all, this school was originally just a school for the founder to coax his children, and they were adopted sons with no blood ties.

As the school's reputation spread, more and more parents sent their children there. At the time, the school was full of immigrant families, and it was difficult to distinguish between purebloods, half-bloods, and No-Maj families. Later, the school became even more open-minded, accepting the offspring of werewolves, vampires, and veelas.

Scholars of this era have begun to discuss revising the details of the Statute of Secrecy, because there are more and more wizards of No-Maj origin, and their proportion is getting larger and larger. It is possible to maintain appropriate distances, but complete isolation is simply impossible. Who doesn't have a few No-Maj relatives and No-Maj friends?

"But on the other hand, the impact of ideological trends brings about social unrest. The growth of wizards is influenced by their talents and environment. Students who have experienced turmoil and loss are more likely to find what they want to protect. They have firm wills, strong souls, and their magic power grows faster."

Melvin concluded: "Hogwarts is more likely to cultivate top wizards with strong character and powerful abilities."

"I've looked at the files of the Examination Authority. Students who have experienced wars and rebellions at Hogwarts do indeed perform better in their exams."

Principal Fontana tasted a piece of steak and said sourly, "The students we enroll are basically immigrants. Their parents had a hard time surviving in their original countries, but after coming here, they created a stable and comfortable life. Their material conditions have improved, but their determination has also become less strong."

Aesop Sayre, the founder of Ilvermorny, was a Hogwarts graduate and a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin. He praised Hogwarts highly in various memoirs, which led to the later headmasters having very complicated feelings towards Hogwarts, a kind of love-hate relationship.

No matter what they say, they secretly want to surpass the founder's alma mater.

Unfortunately, the school was established too recently and is not as famous as the other two magic schools in Europe.

Melvin laughed twice. "Speaking of which, Headmaster, have you ever heard of the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Goblet of Fire?" Principal Fontana's eyes lit up.

Melvin nodded. "I've received news that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang seem to be interested in restarting the competition. There's plenty of time. If we prepare in advance, perhaps we can participate."

"..."

Principal Fontana felt complicated when he thought of this competition.

The Triwizard Tournament was founded about seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between three European magic schools. Because the events were too dangerous, it has been discontinued for over two hundred years.

If you only count the time when the competition was suspended, it is almost longer than the history of Ilvermorny.