Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

This middle-aged wizard has a very plain face, with a few scraggly strands of hair scattered on his forehead. His hair is short and slightly curly, his facial features are angular, and his brown beard is neither long nor short. He wears a simple wizard robe on the upper body and a pair of loose and casual dark grey overalls on the lower body. He has the quality of someone who can't be found in a crowd, and looks a little aloof.

When Melvin looked at him, he was also looking at Melvin, and his eyes flashed. He was the first to extend his hand and say hello: "Wright Monkstanley, it's an honor to meet you, Professor Lewinter."

Melvin was a little surprised when he heard this: "You know me?"

"The new professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, your deeds have been published in the newspapers. The newspapers also said that you work in the New York Muggle Theater and can use Muggle technology to create visual effects that are exactly the same as magic... In the circle of Muggle culture research, your fame is almost on par with Dumbledore." The middle-aged wizard was not as reserved as before, and his voice was no longer so formal.

"I seem to have heard of your last name, Monk Stanley..." Melvin thought for a moment and smiled gently, "If I remember correctly, you are a descendant of Ms. Levina Monk Stanley, the witch who was known for releasing light to illuminate the darkness."

“That’s my great-grandmother.”

Wright had a faint smile on his face.

The second half of the 18th century was a turbulent era, with the Muggle world's upheavals even reaching the wizarding world. From the Bastille to London, from New York to Manchester, wizards migrated far and wide in search of a stable home. In that turbulent era, her mother invented the Illumination Charm, now known as Lumos. It greatly inspired the bewildered and anxious wizarding community, earning her the accolade of a witch who shed light on the darkness.

"I have a lot of Muggle-related questions for you, Professor Lewinter..."

"My pleasure."

"..."

In the next half hour, Wright consulted on various issues in Muggle society, but none of them had anything to do with equipment and machinery, but more with history, culture and customs.

Melvin also learned about Wright's past experiences during the conversation.

After inventing and popularizing the Illumination Charm, the Monkstanley family amassed considerable wealth and settled in London. Being of mixed blood, and having come from other regions, they naturally held no views on pure-blood supremacy. After graduating from Hogwarts, their children typically attended Muggle schools, actively absorbing Muggle technology and knowledge, and exploring the integration of technology and magic.

The improvement of the steam engine, the textile jenny, the Industrial Revolution, the brilliance of electricity and fire... the Monkstanley family fully absorbed these nutrients and cooperated with the Ministry of Magic to create many incredible things.

"At the time, the general thinking of the wizarding community was relatively open-minded. The Statute of Secrecy was to conceal the existence of magic from Muggles. Although wizards would be criticized for hiding their identities and interacting with Muggles, no one would openly despise them. The original Office for the Prevention of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts only prohibited misuse, not completely closed it off. Limited and reasonable development and renovation were allowed."

Wright's tone was filled with emotion: "My grandfather participated in the renovation of the Hogwarts Express, a massive project beyond imagination. It passed through Birmingham and Manchester into Scotland, then from Glasgow to Inverness, and finally arrived at Hogsmeade, spanning most of Britain, a straight-line distance of more than 500 miles. It is simply unimaginable today...

"My father designed the current Ministry of Magic. Have you seen that red telephone booth? It has the romance of Muggle technology, the convenience of magic, and even the dazzling golden elevator..."

Melvin listened quietly, imagining in his mind that if that enlightened era had remained stable until now, it would have produced incredible and brilliant results.

"After graduating from Muggle school, I inherited my grandfather and father's business, designing and manufacturing Knight Buses, and helping the Ministry of Magic equip and modify cars..."

Wright paused. "During the Wizarding War decades ago, we used Muggle technology to transmit intelligence, helping many wizarding families escape the clutches of You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. This allowed Monk Stanley's title of illuminating darkness with light to shine once again."

Melvin sighed inwardly, looking at the lonely-looking middle-aged wizard in front of him, and had already vaguely guessed what was going to happen next.

"After Umbridge came to power, she halted all project development under the pretext of the Statute of Secrecy and laid off the core technical staff of the office, leaving only pure-blooded idiots who had no technical knowledge at all!

"Because I'm proficient in alchemy and Muggle machinery, I was originally on the list of people to be laid off. However, the achievements of the surname Monk Stanley are well known in the Ministry of Magic. The Wizengamot has Dumbledore and Madam Bones. Not all of them are pure-blooded fools like Umbridge. As long as the name Monk Stanley appears on the pink toad's list, it will be rejected and rewritten.

"Then she got smarter and transferred me to the Department of Mysteries, assigning me to the Unspoken People group to study those vague prophecies, time, the veil of death, and the huge but stupid brain of some unknown animal!"

Wright scoffed. "How could researching this kind of thing possibly yield any results, let alone any substantial progress? Seeing the Ministry of Magic becoming increasingly foul-smelling, and Dumbledore unwilling to take charge and allowing Fudge to mess things up, I simply resigned from the Ministry and opened a Muggle appliance repair shop here."

It’s Umbridge again, Umbridge again, always Umbridge!

Umbridge, you've done so much evil!

"..."

Melvin glanced at the elegant decoration in the store, then at the second-hand electrical appliances displayed on the shelves, and felt sorry for the Monkstanley family. The achievements created by their ancestors were much better than Umbridge's. If such an enlightened and enterprising wizard was in charge of the Ministry of Magic, there wouldn't be so many troubles.

I don’t know who chose the current minister?

Oh, it’s their principal.

Dumbledore is old and his eyesight is dim, and he has trouble judging people!

Melvin sighed. "Isn't it too risky to open a repair shop here? According to the regulations Umbridge is currently enforcing, if this shop is discovered, she will definitely send you to Azkaban."

Borgin, another Azkaban reserve, heard his sigh and said in his slick tone, "Professor Lewynter, don't underestimate the convenience brought by the surname Monk Stanley. Even if it goes to court, the Wizengamot Council will only impose a fine at most.

"Besides, he's different from us residents of the gutter of Knockturn Alley. His clients are all prominent figures. Among them you've seen are female singers and newspaper editors. Among those you haven't seen are high-ranking officials from other departments of the Ministry of Magic, and even high-ranking officials from other countries. His clients won't watch him go to Azkaban."

"Muggle technology is too attractive, and their civilization is too brilliant. Not all wizards are willing to live in an era of ignorance and backwardness," said Wright, the owner of the repair shop. "Professor Lewinter, your arrival will allow more and more young wizards to see that brilliant light, like the flickering fluorescence of an illumination spell."

"That's your great-grandmother's title, so I'll let it go."

"Professor, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Wright finally got back to business. He was indeed puzzled by this. In his eyes, Professor Lewinter knew the Muggle world better than he did, and he could find a way to buy these mechanical equipment himself.

"I need a special set of imaging and projection equipment..." Melvin immediately stated his needs. "Hogwarts is under strong protective magic. Bringing overly sophisticated Muggle electronic equipment into the school will cause circuit breakage and malfunction. So it would be best if it were converted into a purely mechanical structure. Magical power is also an option, and strict casting requirements are fine."

Wright frowned: "This is a bit difficult..."

"Also, there's projection equipment. I need two sets, a small one for the office, and a large one for the auditorium. It would be best if it doesn't require electricity, or can be battery-powered. After all, the wizarding village and Hogwarts might not have electricity anytime soon..."

"Show it to the entire school?!"

Wright stared at Melvin, his expression became obviously excited, his breathing and heartbeat accelerated. Monk Stanley had not participated in such a big project for a long time.

He immediately began to think about it in his mind, muttering to himself, "The camera can only consider film... The projection equipment cannot be powered. No, it's impossible..."

Melvin and Bogin waited quietly by the side without saying a word.

After mumbling to himself for a long time, Wright suddenly looked up and said excitedly, "Memories can be made into film!"

Chapter 31 Conversation in the Principal's Office

at dusk.

School auditorium.

The professors sat at the guest of honor table for dinner. The crisp sounds of knives and forks colliding and the clinking of wine glasses were all sounds of friendly communication.

Especially Professor Snape of the Potions class and Professor Quirrell of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, who whispered to each other and exchanged glances from time to time, creating an enviable atmosphere of friendly colleagues.

Owls fluttered their wings and flew through the skylight, landing on the long desk in the academy.

Harry received a mysterious package. It was long and narrow, with a slender, straight body and a bulging tail. It was tightly wrapped in brown paper and had a note on the outside saying:

"Don't open it, there's a Nimbus 2000 inside, and I don't want anyone to know you have a new broom." - Professor M. McGonagall

Harry couldn't contain his joy and handed the note to Ron.

"Nimbus! 2000..." Ron shouted excitedly, then suddenly realized they were still in the auditorium. He quickly lowered his voice and grinned from ear to ear. "This is Nimbus 2000, I've never touched it before. Put the letter away quickly, before anyone else finds it!"

"hey-hey……"

"Let's go quickly."

"Not having dinner?"

"Dinner? What dinner?"

Ron jumped off the bench with the package in his arms. Harry followed him, but after thinking it over, he stepped back and pocketed a few beef pies.

The two hurriedly left the hall, hoping to find a deserted spot on the Quidditch pitch to unpack before it got completely dark. It would be even better if they could fly around twice.

"New broom, new broom..."

"Nimbus! Nimbus 2000!"

"..."

Watching the two of them leave with a silly grin, Seamus and Dean, who were sitting next to them, remained silent, looked at each other with complicated expressions.

It was a dormitory for five people, but they were excluded.

The two turned to look at Neville who was eating normally.

"..."

Neville had a piece of bread in his mouth, looking a little confused, and subconsciously looked at Hermione.

Hermione pursed her lips, said nothing, silently lowered her head to cut the steak, and concentrated on eating, without any fluctuation in her heart.

Boys are like this, most of the time their minds are full of decorations.

Yesterday, Malfoy provoked them a little and tricked them into making an appointment for a duel at midnight. These guys actually believed it and refused to listen to any persuasion. They kept clamoring to participate in the duel. In the end, the person who showed up for the appointment was not Malfoy from Slytherin, but the administrator Mr. Filch.

If they hadn't been lucky enough to shake off the administrator and the cat, they would have been expelled from school and would now be on the express train returning home.

"..."

Recalling last night's experience, Hermione chewed the steak slowly, the image of the ferocious three-headed dog and the trapdoor under its belly reappearing in her mind.

Why is there a three-headed dog in school?

What's under that trapdoor that needs to be guarded by a three-headed dog?

"No, no, this is against school rules..."

Hermione quickly shook her head, shaking off the messy thoughts, but the curiosity in her heart kept popping up again and again, like the doll in a whack-a-mole toy.

Disgusting, yet irresistibly attractive.

"What's in there?"

……

Night falls.

Melvin came home late with two boxes of ice cream in his hands, one chocolate flavor and one lemon flavor, produced by Florin's Cold Drink Shop in Diagon Alley. The professor can get a discount by paying with facial recognition.

After exiting the stairs, he turned right and walked straight along the corridor, stopping in front of a giant stone sculpture of a monster. Melvin looked at the sculpture's hideous appearance and pondered for a moment, "Cheese Olaf."

The squatting stone sculpture jumped to the side with an unnaturally deft posture, and the wall behind it suddenly opened, revealing a movable spiral staircase. The staircase operated automatically, a bit like the escalators in Muggle shopping malls, but in a spiral shape.

Melvin walked up the stairs to the principal's office on the eighth floor and came to an oak door with a brass knocker.

……

The night is getting darker.

In the reception room of the principal's office, steam was rising from the tea on the table, and the surface of the silver ornaments was covered with a hazy white mist.

A figure sat behind the desk, his brows slightly furrowed, a thoughtful look on his face.

There were two translucent figures sitting in front of him, appearing to be a hazy silver-white with a bluish color. The one on the left wearing a simple gray robe was the ghost Lady Grey, and the one next to him with bloody chains wrapped around his body was the Bloody Baron, the murderer of Lady Grey.

Fawkes curled up in the Sorting Hat, his head resting on the brim, staring at them with his round eyes. The Sorting Hat cracked open and shook gently twice, but he still didn't dare to speak.

During dinner this evening, Peeves was making trouble in the auditorium, shouting and saying disgusting words like feces and urine. The students were disgusted, but they couldn't do anything about Peeves. Fortunately, Dumbledore quickly stepped in to stop Peeves, but did not punish him. Instead, he asked Peeves to send a message to invite the two ghosts to visit the principal's office.

Ms. Grey was extremely reluctant to stay with the Bloody Baron, but out of respect for Dumbledore, she was willing to accept the invitation.

The Bloody Baron had been repenting for what happened back then and wished he could follow Helena all the time. When he heard that the principal invited them at the same time, he was actually a little happy.