Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

"Have you heard of brood parasites?" Newt explained. "Some birds place their eggs in other birds' nests to hatch their offspring. This snake egg also needs brood parasites. When I go back, I'll find some magical snakes with powerful magical powers to provide the eggs with magical energy. When the time is right, they will hatch successfully."

"A powerful snake-like magical creature."

Melvin repeated, his tone somewhat complicated.

"You need to be extra careful and choose a gentle snake. Some aggressive snakes will smash the eggs. You also need to be careful about feeding. Don't let the incubating snake feel hungry. It may mistake the eggs for food..."

Newt gave many more reminders.

According to his personality when he was young, he would probably take the snake egg and hatch it himself, but this snake egg has a very special meaning, and Newt respects the choice of the horned water snake.

From a distance, he saw his companion standing next to Ms. Bones, waving at him. It seemed that he had to go over and talk to him. Newt nodded slightly at Melvin:

"Professor Lewinter, if you have any difficulties, you can write to me. You can ask freshman Rolf for the address and just say I told you."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Scamander."

"..."

Melvin looked down at the gray snake eggs, his mind drifting back to Hogwarts.

The original plan was to play the pen pal game with Riddle for a few more weeks, perfect the character of the Fantastic Beasts assistant, wait for the right time to open the Chamber of Secrets, use the basilisk to lead out Slytherin's training plan, and then find a way to trick Riddle into helping hatch the horned serpent.

I didn't expect to get an answer from Mr. Scamander.

The pen pal game still needs to be played, but there is no need to develop characters, and the secret room problem does not need to be delayed.

……

The melody on the dance floor started playing again.

After dancing four dances with the Edgemore family's niece, Lockhart finally had time to talk to Mrs. Edgemore about introducing him to his school colleagues.

He adjusted his blue dress and put on an impeccable smile. Seeing the witch's invitation, he still shook his head firmly. Although he had a lot of fun at the ball, this was the main reason for attending the party tonight.

"Mrs. Aikmo, long time no see, you still look so beautiful!"

On the outer circle of the dance floor, Lockhart held up two glasses of champagne, one for himself and one for Mrs. Edgemore. "At the book signing a while ago, I heard several staff members say that the work of the Transportation Department is very boring. Is that true?"

Mrs. Aikman took a sip of champagne and glanced at him without commenting.

Lockhart may be popular with young witches and housewives, but to the powerful woman running a department, he's just a pushy writer.

If the adventure stories in the book were all true, she might look at it with more respect.

But Lockhart cannot prove that, at least not yet, he has not shown the characteristics described in the book.

Lockhart didn't seem to feel ignored, and his signature smile was still on his face: "It's like this, after I became the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, I quickly became friends with my colleagues. They all admired my legendary story, and I also respected their respective talents.

"For example, Professor Lewynter of Muggle Studies. Perhaps you've heard of him. He's the founder of the Magic Mirror Club. He invented the Shadow Mirror that took the wizarding world by storm a while ago. It's quite innovative, isn't it?"

"..."

Mrs. Edgecombe frowned slightly.

Lockhart paused, and when he saw that she hadn't interrupted him, nor had she walked away, his smile grew wider.

"Professor Lewynter hopes to make my book into a movie. I told you it's boring and just a rehash of my adventures, but he said readers need a more intuitive experience than just text. They can learn more useful things and it can help more wizards."

He sighed pretentiously and swirled his glass. "Ha! To help more people, how can I refuse?"

Mrs. Aikmo frowned even tighter. "If all you're going to say is this kind of nonsense, you don't have to say anything."

"I'm used to explaining things in detail. Maybe it's a writer's occupational disease."

Seeing her put down her glass and turn to leave, Lockhart raised his voice and spoke faster, "Professor Lewynter wants to work with you to use the Floo Network to send images into the homes of ordinary wizards."

Mrs. Aikmo glanced at him and chuckled, "So you can speak normally?"

……

Under the tarpaulin of the buffet area of ​​the Nott Manor banquet, hundreds of candles floated in the wind, swaying slowly, illuminating the surroundings with dim shadows. Occasionally, a flying insect would land on the contact area between the wax and the candle wick, causing sparks to splash.

The middleman, Lockhart, was introducing Mrs. Edgemore with his signature smile on his face, his teeth shining in the night: "Mrs. Edgemore, this is Professor Lewynter."

"Melvin, this is Mrs. Aikman from the Transportation Department."

"Nice to meet you."

Melvin was dressed in a black and white robe. He shook hands with her while looking at this powerful mid-level official in the Ministry of Magic.

She looked to be around 35 years old. Halfway through the party, her neat short dark brown hair was still combed meticulously, her bean paste-colored lipstick had not faded at all, and her well-maintained face still showed traces of her youth. There were fine lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth caused by long-term seriousness and tension.

The dark grey dress robe was tailored just right, the fabric was very textured, and paired with a pearl necklace and pearl earrings, it was in line with his impression of a pure-blood family.

In terms of rank, this lady is not as good as Umbridge and cannot influence the formulation of bills and policies. However, the transformation of the Floo Network is a complicated project. If the cooperation of this official from the direct department is won, the promotion process will be much smoother.

Mrs. Aikman smiled faintly in response, a polite one, but her eyes were unconcealed, full of assessment and judgment.

"You want to cooperate with me?" she asked softly, "Why?"

Melvin said frankly, "The upcoming home mirror needs to be integrated with the Floo Network. I need a partner who can truly manage the Floo Network, not a minister obsessed with power and wealth, or the head of the Auror Department or the director of law enforcement who makes wild guesses and suspects that the mirror is a conspiracy."

Mrs. Edgecombe was still puzzled. "According to what I've heard, although Professor Lewynter has only been here a short time, he has already overpowered Minister Fudge and his loyal servant Umbridge twice in the past two years. With the assistance of Madam Marchbank and Dumbledore, even if Fudge has been frequently sending people to the Wizengamot recently, you can achieve your goal as long as you are a little more forceful."

The news about the Inquisition was not blocked. People inside the Ministry of Magic knew the truth very well. Any discerning wizard could see that Madam Bones and Crouch were neutral, the prestigious old wizards supported Melvin, and Fudge and Umbridge could do nothing with the Shadow Mirror.

Melvin paused for a moment and said, "What I want is win-win cooperation. We need to quickly establish the framework of the Shadow Mirror and the Floo Network, rather than wasting our energy on meaningless disputes."

"What can I get?" Mrs. Aikman said without any concealment.

"Fame, fortune..."

Melvin saw that the witch's eyes showed no sign of change. He paused for a moment and asked tentatively, "Marietta's growth?"

Upon hearing his daughter's name, Aikemo suddenly fell silent and looked at the young professor intently, asking him to give an explanation.

The dim candlelight flickered. Even with the magic protection, some moths still managed to fly towards the candle, splashing the burning wax. A beetle swayed and landed on Mrs. Aikman's shoulder.

Melvin's dark, calm eyes shone with the confidence of a professor, reflecting the flickering light. "Marietta is now in her third year and has enrolled in my Muggle Studies class. Although we haven't been together for long, I can tell there were problems with her upbringing. Her talents and personality have been suppressed and distorted."

The eyes of the student's parents in front of him suddenly became sharp, and the polite smile was completely restrained.

"In my first class, all students had the opportunity to introduce themselves and explain why they chose this course. Most people thought it was interesting, but Marietta was influenced by her roommate. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team was recruiting new members, and regardless of talent, most students wanted to try out. Marietta wasn't sure what she was thinking, so she procrastinated until the registration deadline. Only after her roommate's persuasion did she finally fill out the application form..."

Melvin looked at the beetle on the parent's shoulder and said with a smile, "I believe there are many examples like this. You parents of students should have noticed it too."

"Everyone has a different personality. Why do you say it's a problem of family education?" Mrs. Aikmo's tone was still cold, but her actual attitude had changed.

Melvin gave the answer: "Because of parents like you, you bring your work status back home for a long time and treat your children the same way you treat your subordinates. To be frank, you are very controlling and lack warmth. This has led to your child's current personality. She has no opinions, procrastinates and hesitates, and shrinks from taking action. She does whatever others say to her!"

Mrs. Aikman's face was stern and hard. "What do you want?"

"I won't use students to negotiate with parents." Melvin finally backed down and shook his head. "This is just a professor's advice to parents. I hope you'll listen. Regarding the Magic Mirror Club, I can promise you generous profits and support for promotions, but that's all."

Mrs. Aikman was stunned for a moment, and her tense expression gradually relaxed.

Chapter 129 The Dark Mark

"Mary, I'll leave it to you, Professor Lewinter. We used to think that this was just the child's personality, but we didn't expect it to be..."

Mrs. Aikmo spoke with a complicated expression. As a powerful official in the Transportation Department, she was always accustomed to bringing work into her family life, slowly suppressing and distorting her children's nature, and disciplining them into subordinates who lacked autonomy. Her mood at the moment was indescribable.

In fact, when Melvin revealed the truth, she even thought about quitting her job and taking the child home to take good care of him.

Lockhart next to him was still a little dazed at this time, a little confused about the situation. They were just discussing business, how come the topic suddenly turned to student issues? The student issues were not explained clearly, but the business seemed to be settled.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but no words came out.

"As I said before, this is what a professor should do," Melvin said with a kind smile. "School is not just a place to impart knowledge."

This statement is absolutely correct, and sounds like something a professor truly means.

However, Mrs. Aikmo knew very well that there were hundreds of students in the school, and Melvin was just a foreign professor of elective courses, not the dean. They were not related to each other, and there was no interest in the relationship. Who would bother to do anything other than their job?

"I will also do a good job as the Transportation Division Director."

Mrs. Aikman restrained her words.

Melvin knew that both parties had reached an agreement. He then looked up at the progress of the party and said goodbye to Mrs. Aikmo: "It's almost time. We should go back."

"I'll take you out."

The three of them walked out of the manor slowly. The party was nearing its end. The band played a soothing and melodious tune. Only a small number of people were still dancing on the dance floor, and some of the guests had already left.

When they reached the country road outside, the two professors took out their wands and prepared to Apparate. Melvin stretched his arms, as if to relax his stiff muscles, and inadvertently glanced at the lady's shoulder.

Mrs. Aikman didn't notice anything, thinking it was just a habit of foreign wizards. "Regarding the Magic Mirror Club, the Transportation Department can only guarantee full assistance with the construction. The exact cooperation plan and measures still need to be approved by the Ministry. I will compile the details and send them to you in a letter later."

Melvin nodded and agreed.

"I can see that you are an excellent professor, able to easily see through the problems of your students. However, I need to remind you that sometimes your keen observation also requires attention to others."

Mrs. Edgecombe glanced at Lockhart beside her, and finally her eyes fell on Melvin. She said tactfully and sincerely: "Some wizards are not as they appear. It is best to keep your distance from such people."

Is the great writer Lockhart exposed now?

Melvin was a little surprised, but thanked him calmly: "Thank you for your reminder, I will keep an eye on it."

As two crackling sounds, one strong and one weak, were heard, the figures of the two professors disappeared into the night.

In an instant, he crossed hundreds of miles and arrived outside the school gate. Melvin's body swayed slightly, and after he stood firm, he felt a soft touch on the soles of his shoes, reminding him that he was back outside the castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Lockhart's Apparition was obviously rougher. His face was pale, his smile was stiff, and he looked like he was carsick and about to vomit. The journey across several counties made him feel very uncomfortable.

After walking through the school gate and along the path for a while, Lockhart slowly recovered, straightened his back, and gave Melvin a not-so-perfect smile: "The negotiations went better than expected, right, Melvin? My energy was not wasted. Before asking her to meet you, I gave her a lot of advice..."

"Thank you very much, Professor Lockhart."

Melvin glanced at him, feeling quite good. "If the plan goes well, by this time next year, the Mirror Club's videos will be able to be transmitted to the homes of wizards in England via the Floo Network."

"The whole of England! Isn't that really exciting? Then all the wizards in England will be able to see my smile! And learn how to deal with dark creatures!"

Lockhart's eyes suddenly lit up, he muttered to himself, and unconsciously slowed down his pace, immersed in the imagination of his own success.

It took a long time for him to come back to his senses. Melvin had already walked a long way away. Seeing the back from afar, Lockhart recalled the scene at the party.

Although he had published several best-selling books, won the Order of Merlin, and was popular among young girls and housewives, he was just an insignificant character to a powerful wizard like Mrs. Edgemore, who didn't even want to talk to him.

Melvin owns the Magic Mirror Club, and he hasn't been awarded the Order of Merlin yet, so he's not really an important character. Mrs. Edgemore didn't take him seriously at first, but he was able to change the impression with just a few words and force others to take him seriously.

Then he quickly finalized the cooperation and made the deal in a few words. Power and wealth were just his bargaining chips.

Looking back at myself, I can’t write a new book, my fame is fading, the bird-snake egg shampoo I developed can’t be promoted, my savings have run out, and my classes are failing.

Lockhart's impeccable smile gradually faded, revealing an envious look. He quickened his pace to catch up with Melvin. His eyes inadvertently glanced at his hand and asked in confusion, "Melvin, what's that glass bottle in your hand?"