Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

"Professor Lockhart, your blonde hair is so smooth and enviable."

"Really? This is thanks to the bird snake egg shampoo. If you need it, I can give you a few...a bottle."

The new professor, wearing a blue wizard robe and with white teeth shining when he smiled, followed Melvin downstairs with a stack of homemade test papers in his hand. He asked kindly, "It doesn't matter, Professor Lewinter. Do you remember what we talked about last night?"

"Has Professor Lockhart thought it through? Is he willing to reveal those magical secrets?"

Melvin glanced at the test paper. It was full of questions about Lockhart himself, his personal preferences, past dreams, greatest achievements, and even the assessment for joining a celebrity fan group.

The first one was a perfect answer sheet, and the name column was clearly Miss Granger's name.

"..."

Melvin suddenly had a toothache.

"I'm happy to share my skills in defeating dark creatures with everyone, so as to protect more people from harm. In fact, that's what I'm doing." Lockhart changed the subject. "But adventure is different from life. There are always some things that are inconvenient to show. There are also some bloody scenes that are not suitable for children to watch. I may need to 'post-process' them."

Without waiting for Melvin to respond, he took the initiative and said, "This workload is too heavy. I won't bother Professor Lewinter. I'll hand it over to you after I'm done. Is that okay?"

Melvin studied his expression and smiled meaningfully, "Of course."

"The Shadow Mirror, along with Gilderoy Lockhart's name, will be spread by wizards all over the world." Lockhart was full of confidence.

"Speaking of this..."

Melvin paused. Although the writer in front of him was a thief, his true identity had not been exposed yet. He was very famous in the wizarding world and had connections with many wizards.

With the mentality of not wasting time, he pretended to be embarrassed and said, "I may need your help with the shadow mirror, Professor Lockhart."

"You said."

"Do you know anyone from the Traffic Management Department?" Melvin volunteered. "The Magic Mirror Club is preparing a small mirror that will use the Floo Network to transmit images to everyone's home, allowing them to view the images without having to go to the tavern."

"Isn't that easy for everyone to see!?"

Lockhart was overjoyed, and his smile grew even wider.

"Ideally, that's the case, but there are some officials in the Ministry of Magic, you know, a small minority, who are against the Shadow Mirror and have even brought cases to court." Melvin's expression was like an innocent businessman being persecuted. "Umbridge, and... Minister Fudge."

"..."

Lockhart was speechless. He had some connections, but they were certainly no match for the minister's, and he didn't want to offend a powerful official.

Melvin offered a way out at the right time: "The Ministry of Magic is not a private company of certain people. We don't need to convince these narrow-minded people. As long as we can get in touch with the Department of Transportation, the situation will improve a lot."

"what do you mean……"

"There's a student in the third grade, Marietta Edgemore."

"Mrs. Aikman of the Transportation Department!"

Lockhart understood immediately and took the task naturally. "Leave it to me. We have met on many occasions. We even danced a waltz at the Parkinson's Easter party half a year ago."

"Professor Lockhart has a wide circle of friends."

Only then did Melvin realize that this new colleague was actually helpful and would work wholeheartedly with just a word or two of praise.

In a way, he is the same person as Senior Riddle.

……

Return to the dormitory in the evening.

The old diary was taken out of the cabinet. As if it had sensed the tremors in the outside world, senior Riddle's caring greetings appeared on the paper, asking if there was any trouble getting along with students and colleagues.

Melvin was in a good mood. He dipped his quill pen into the ink and wrote fluently:

"It went very smoothly. I didn't encounter any problems. The students were easy to get along with, and my colleagues were also very friendly. Professor Lockhart, who was also new to the job, was especially enthusiastic and helpful..."

Melvin simply covered up what happened between him and Lockhart and wrote it down. In the diary, there was no longer a collaboration between shadow mirrors and adventure stories, but bird snake eggs and shampoo.

"It's a very profitable business, but birds and snakes are clearly protected species, so I don't think I should... But Lockhart said that as long as we get permission from the Ministry of Magic, it can be a legal and legitimate business. He plans to start with officials from the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures.

If I had more Galleons, I could allow more bird snakes to grow safely, but this would require sacrificing some of the bird snakes... I'm unsure, Tom, my friend, please tell me the right choice."

"..."

The diary was silent for a long time. This Hufflepuff was obviously selfish. He hesitated because of his conscience while making excuses for his greed.

It is like a confused soul struggling on the edge of the cliff of desire and about to fall.

This is exactly what Senior Riddle wants. The diary earnestly advises:

"Melvin, my dear friend, I have no intention of interfering with your choice; I am merely offering some guidance.

As you said, Mr. Lockhart is a wizard chasing fame and profit. He may seem friendly and amiable, but beneath the veneer of fancy, he's essentially a businessman. He approached you simply to get your help in dealing with the bird-snake. For this kind of wizard, unconstrained cooperation will ultimately be in vain. You need to tie interests together and use some methods to make him work for you sincerely, or in other words, cooperate with you..."

Melvin nodded frequently as he watched.

Senior Riddle is worthy of being Senior Riddle. He saw through Lockhart's true nature with just a few words and gave very practical advice.

The negotiation of the mirror with Mrs. Edgecombe cannot be entirely entrusted to Lockhart. It would be best for him to just act as a broker.

Lockhart is keen on making adventure stories, but there will be no results in the short term. During this period, he can help with other work. As a master of the Oblivion Spell, he is good at post-processing of memory images. The workload of the semi-finished Animal World is large, so it can be entrusted to him.

Being pen pals with Senior Riddle has been extremely beneficial.

They chatted until ten o'clock in the evening. When the topic of cooperation with Lockhart ended, the diary fell silent for a moment, and the ink flowed into a new line of handwriting:

"By the way, what about Harry Potter, whom you mentioned earlier?"

Chapter 123 A good teacher and helpful friend

Seeing the handwriting on the paper, Melvin seemed to see the young Tom Riddle. Behind the casual question was a strong curiosity. After all, he was only a 16-year-old Dark Lord, and his scheming and patience were not deep enough.

Melvin raised the corners of his mouth and wrote casually:

"He looks like an average student with above-average grades. He's only slightly better than his peers in magic. I really don't understand how a Potter like him could have defeated You-Know-Who back then."

The diary was silent for a moment, and the words quietly changed: "What are these Voldemort and Death Eaters you mentioned? A group of dark wizards?"

As the original Horcrux, the diary carries fragments of Tom Riddle's soul in sixth grade, and his memory also stops around sixth grade. The past in history is the future of this soul.

The few words in Melvin's diary outline a corner of the future, vaguely glimpsing the huge storm caused by Voldemort and the Death Eaters, followed by the heavy blow brought by Harry Potter.

The information revealed was so irritating that Riddle couldn't suppress his strong curiosity.

Melvin was very patient with this close friend:

"You were created so long ago that you might not know it. In the 70s, 20 years ago, the powerful Dark wizard Voldemort rose to power. His Death Eaters grew in strength, dragging the entire British wizarding community into a vortex of terror. They were an extremist organization that believed in pure-blood supremacy, killing and eliminating heretics who opposed them, causing the wrath of the entire wizarding world."

The ink marks fell on the paper, and the overflowed ink was quickly absorbed and dried, but the handwriting did not disappear immediately, as if Riddle deliberately kept it to carefully appreciate and savor the information revealed in this passage.

The powerful dark wizard Voldemort.

The Death Eaters grew in power.

Reign of terror, killing heretics.

What beautiful words...

The diary exuded the scent of ink, as if it was the laughter that escaped from the excited Riddle when he could no longer suppress it.

Mo Hen was shaken for a moment before slowly regaining his composure: "What about the Ministry of Magic? Didn't they stop the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord?"

Melvin sighed. "Voldemort is extremely skilled in the Dark Arts, practically the most powerful Dark wizard ever. The Ministry of Magic's Aurors and Striker are powerless to resist him. Even Dumbledore can only protect Hogwarts."

This time, without letting Riddle continue to reflect, Melvin paused for a moment and continued writing:

"The story turns on a night twelve years ago when Voldemort went after the Potters alone. They were a very special family, having escaped Voldemort and his Death Eaters three times. In the final battle, the Potters died, but infant Harry survived. Voldemort disappeared, never to be seen again."

The diary asked impatiently: "What happened that night?"

"No one knows. Everyone who knew about it has died. The only survivor was less than a year old at the time."

"Go find out!"

The words written in a state of panic appeared and then quickly disappeared, and the diary quickly changed its words: "I mean, I'm very curious about what happened that night. If I can find out the truth, maybe I can gain powerful magic to defeat the Dark Lord. What do you think?"

"Maybe..."

Melvin hesitated. He was just an assistant teacher and a Hufflepuff. He had some interest in pursuing wealth, but not in magical power. "I don't think this is a good idea, Tom. It could easily get you into trouble. Besides, even if it's powerful magic, I probably wouldn't be able to learn it."

The ink was quickly absorbed, but there was no response. Riddle must have felt a little disappointed with him.

The diary was silent for a moment, and then gently persuaded:

"Melvin, you're wrong. The pursuit of power is the mission of wizards. Only by gaining greater power and more powerful magic can we achieve our goals more easily, such as protecting more magical creatures."

"But... I don't have any talent in this area. When I was in school, my practical exam scores were only good at best." Melvin felt that he was a good actor.

As if sensing the intention behind the words, the diary became more optimistic: "Ordinary magic is like this: progress is slow and the results are weak. If you want to gain power, why not try black magic?"

"But..." Melvin cooperated and showed hesitation.

"I know what you're worried about. I've been exposed to the Dark Arts since I was in school, and I got full marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Do you know Durmstrang? Their school has a more open-minded attitude towards the Dark Arts. Just leave it to me. I'll teach you some Dark Arts without any side effects. You'll be fine."

"Okay, but if I feel any discomfort, I will stop immediately."

Melvin had a smile on his face and was in a good mood.

Since receiving the unicorn's gift, he has also been studying the Dark Arts, but he has only made minor breakthroughs in Fiendfyre, and has barely mastered the other Dark Arts. It's not easy to ask other professors or the principal for advice on this matter.

Now, self-study can never compare to the guidance of a famous teacher.

"Let's start with the classification of black magic. According to the degree of harm, it is divided into evil spells, poison spells, and curses..."

At the age of 16, Tom Riddle is already a master of the Dark Arts. He has mastered cutting-edge Dark Arts, mastered the Unforgivable Curses, recovered the Horcruxes and even went a step further. He has learned the true teachings of his master, Hercule, and pieced together the clues to the Chamber of Secrets from clues, and found Slytherin's relics...

The underlying magic principles he explains are simple and easy to understand, and there are endless tips for practical exercises.

No wonder he always wanted to come back to be a professor after graduation. He really has the potential to be a good teacher.

However, compared to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the pure Dark Arts class can better display his talents.

"Isn't the cutting spell more convenient than the finger-removing spell?"

"The Cutting Curse is just an ordinary spell. Torture and pain are the core of the Dark Arts."

The questions raised by Melvin can be answered immediately, and the problems encountered during practice can be solved on the spot. It is as if he is back in his student days, wandering in the ocean of knowledge.

"Wouldn't it be more effective to focus on the thumb?"

"Melvin, I must say, you are very talented."

A brilliant master of the dark arts is diligently studying.