Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

"..."

Behind the bookshelves, Dumbledore watched him hurriedly run out of the library, wearing his Invisibility Cloak. He narrowly escaped after the caretaker who had come to investigate. But the caretaker's assistant, Mrs. Norris, sniffed and directed Filch to chase him, leading to a thrilling chase between the two.

Dumbledore watched them go away, walked out of the shadows, picked up the kerosene lamp on the ground, and picked up the books. The books that were originally screaming and wailing suddenly became quiet in his hands and were put back on the bookshelf quietly.

In the corridor, the administrator and the cat were chasing closely. The students in front fled in panic, not knowing where to go, and finally hid in an abandoned classroom.

Harry hid behind the door, holding his breath and pressing his ear against it, listening for the footsteps of the caretaker and the cat as they walked away. He turned around and saw a gorgeous, exquisite mirror in the center of the room. He walked over to the mirror and examined it carefully, soon discovering the magic of the mirror.

The mirror was filled with more than a dozen people, and the two in the middle caught all his attention. One was a beautiful witch with crimson hair and green eyes. She stood in the mirror, looking at Harry outside, with tears in her eyes. The other was a tall, thin wizard with black hair and glasses like him.

"Mom... Dad?"

Harry called softly, his bright green eyes fixed on the reflection as if struck by lightning.

With his hands pressed tightly against the mirror, Harry immersed himself in the beautiful reflection. After an unknown amount of time, he heard the voices of Filch and Snape again in the distance. He came back to his senses and said goodbye to the reflection with reluctance.

Dumbledore watched him quietly as he put on the invisibility cloak and left the abandoned classroom. He walked out from the shadows in the corner, but did not leave the room immediately. Instead, he stood in front of the mirror, paused, and stared deeply into the reflection inside.

The castle fell silent again at night. When the moon disappeared into the clouds, Dumbledore returned to his bedroom and dragged his sleepy body into a chaotic and broken dream.

……

Boom boom boom!

There was a knock on the door, and the portrait of the headmaster on the wall of the headmaster's office started awake, mumbling to itself about being woken. A phoenix head poked out of the Sorting Hat on the shelf, emitting a crude, hoarse wow sound, like a cursing crow.

Dumbledore walked out of the inner room in his pajamas, glanced at the morning light outside the window, went forward to open the door, and saw Melvin, who was dressed neatly. He was stunned for a moment:

"Is there a problem?"

The young professor smiled and said, "President, I'm going out to work."

Chapter 54: Working Principal

As the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore agreed after a moment's hesitation. Although he stayed in school all year round, he was a frequent visitor to the Three Broomsticks in the past and had often received mead from Madam Rosmerta over the years.

However, Dumbledore only agreed verbally. He didn't want to work part-time. He wanted to go back to his room and catch up on some sleep while the weather was nice. He stayed up too late last night. He would go to the abandoned classroom tonight and maybe run into Harry...

While having breakfast in the auditorium, the principal hinted that the vice-principal should attend in his place while he stayed in school to deal with matters concerning the board of directors.

Professor McGonagall was not surprised at all. She slowly swallowed the fried eggs and said that she was happy to let the headmaster handle the heavy paperwork, even though this was the headmaster's job.

The principal asked a few more questions and learned that the clerical work included auditing the finances of the first half of the school year and calculating and reporting the budget for the second half of the school year. He fell into deep thought again, and finally decided to let the vice-principal stay in school, and go to the Three Broomsticks in person to thank the pub for its contribution to the school's Quidditch.

"..."

Professor McGonagall remained calm as she continued to enjoy her breakfast.

Snape had to take care of Quirrell who had a cold, Professor Sprout had to look after the greenhouse, and Professor McGonagall had to handle the headmaster's job. After careful discussion, Hogwarts finally decided to send Professors Melvin and Flitwick, led by the headmaster himself, to help the villagers build houses.

Leaving the castle, the Hogwarts delegation each covered themselves in a protective spell against wind and cold. Melvin was covered in a modified version of the Boiling Head Charm, while Professor Flitwick was surrounded by a warm breeze, seemingly a derivative of the Purging Charm. Dumbledore's appearance showed no signs of magic; his silver beard and hair were ruffled by the wind, and snowflakes still clung to his beard, yet he remained completely impervious to the cold.

"Your application of the Bubble Head Charm is very clever. It also has some Iron Armor Charm feel to it. It can be used for more than just keeping out the cold, right?"

"Professor Flitwick is indeed an expert in the field of spells. I just encountered some difficulties during the improvement process. The Bubble Head Charm is only an intermediate spell. Its structure seems unable to withstand the Shield Charm. Forcing the magic power to increase will cause the bubble membrane to rupture."

"There are two reasons for this. First, there's a conflict in the underlying principles of the spells. The Iron Armor Charm is a strong seal that repels all spells, while the Head-Breaking Charm is a selective seal that rejects while also accepting. This requires precise control of magical power, and there's no good solution for the time being."

"That's it..."

Dumbledore listened quietly, speaking only when they encountered a problem: "The Shield Charm can be put aside for now. After testing the Fire and Water Invulnerability, add it to the Head-Breaking Charm."

"The principal is very experienced..."

The three of them were walking side by side, chatting about magic, when they suddenly saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

The figure, clad in a long moleskin coat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver fur boots, stood by the roadside, looking taller than a beech tree.

"Hagrid?" Melvin called.

The three people around him turned their heads to look. The half-blood giant who was standing by the roadside in the venue, enjoying the cold wind, looked over in the direction of the sound. His eyes first fell on Dumbledore, then looked at Melvin who called him. He was a little surprised and trotted over.

"Dumbledore, Professors Lewynter and Flitwick, are you going out for something?" The half-blood giant spoke in a low voice, but with a very honest tone.

"Madam Rosmerta is expanding the tavern today, and I told her I'd go help."

"Three Broomsticks."

Hagrid's eyes lit up. "Then should I come with you? I can help with the moving."

"Let's go, we can have lunch at noon."

"Walk around..."

With the addition of the half-giant, the topic was no longer limited to the field of spells. Hagrid spoke whatever he thought of. He started talking about how centaurs also celebrate Christmas. Later, he talked about the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest. Speaking of magical creatures, he had to mention dragons:

"Speaking of dragons, I think of Ron's brother Charlie. Arthur and Molly went to Romania to visit him this year. The Weasley children all stayed in school, so they had Harry to play with during the holidays. Actually, I wanted to chat with Harry, but he always asked me about the Philosopher's Stone and Fluffy, and I can't keep secrets..."

Hagrid was very melancholy: "Sir, you really shouldn't let me know these things."

"I believe you can make the right choice." Dumbledore saw his worried frown and smiled.

"I don't trust myself..."

During this conversation, Melvin and Flitwick walked silently beside them, listening to their conversation. Occasionally their eyes met, revealing a tacit understanding. They also believed that Hagrid could make the right choice.

There were still Christmas decorations on both sides of the streets in Hogsmeade. Only Honeydukes was still doing mail-order business. Owls kept flying with packages. Many shops were closed, and the Three Broomsticks also put up a sign saying it was under renovation.

"Ms. Rosmerta, we are here to help."

"Oh, Dumbledore, you're really here. I thought Professor Lewynter was joking!"

The tavern owner warmly invited them in to sit down.

The construction environment inside was not messy, except that the tables, chairs and benches were stacked together, the wine on the counter was put away, the vacant space was piled with construction materials, and the ceiling had already been demolished.

Wizards' way of expanding their homes is more efficient than that of Muggles. There's no need for tedious dismantling and construction; all they have to do is prepare the materials, and the magic will do the rest. Other delicate and trivial tasks are handled by house-elves.

There were four or five house-elves busy in the tavern, all wearing cloth towels, which were not too shabby. They were in good physical condition and very energetic, and they would cooperate and help each other when working.

Madam Rosmerta invited the Hogwarts delegation to sit at the counter, poured them hot butterbeer, and then began to reminisce with Dumbledore about the past, talking about what Hogsmeade had been like a dozen or even decades ago, the carnival at the end of the First Wizarding War, and the goblins gathering here to rebel.

There was also a professional in the corner setting up a traceless stretching spell.

After determining the direction and distance, the magic wand was moved along the skirting, and the space was immediately divided. Originally, it was only a few feet away from the corner of the wall, but after the cutting, it seemed as if there was an extra space in the middle out of thin air. If someone carefully counted the wooden blocks of the floor one by one, they would find that the number of blocks was still the same. This is called seamless extension.

Melvin stood nearby and watched, his eyes flickering.

Wright didn't turn around, just glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "This is legal. We submitted a written application to the Law Enforcement Department in advance, and the expansion space has been reported and registered."

"..."

Monk Stanley is a family of craftsmen with a good reputation in the wizarding world. They have participated in many well-known projects, including the construction of the Ministry of Magic building, the expansion of St. Mungo's Hospital, and they also help build venues for every Quidditch World Cup. It can be said that these are Wright's main businesses, and the repair shop is just a hobby. Melvin did not find it strange that Rosmerta would ask him for help.

There were many things worth pondering about the traceless stretching spell he cast. Melvin put his hands in his pockets and felt very inspired.

Chapter 55 More money is needed

After the second floor was built, many tables and chairs in the tavern had to be moved upstairs. Professor Flitwick used a levitation spell to move these tables and chairs, while the house elves were moving oak barrels, and a new solid wooden bar was to be put up.

Hagrid saw others moving things and thought he was here to help, so he was eager to join in. However, he glanced down at the pink umbrella at his waist and a hesitant expression appeared on his face.

After careful consideration, Hagrid finally chose to use his strength. He said hello to Ms. Rosmerta and ran over excitedly to move the heaviest bar.

Dumbledore sat nearby and watched.

The heavy hardwood bar was something that could only be moved with a levitation spell, but the half-blood giant moved it directly, reaching his hands under the cabinet to hold it, lowering his waist and raising his shoulders, taking a deep breath and letting out a muffled groan.

"Ah!"

It actually lifted up. One end of the long bar rested on his belly, while the other end was raised directly. All the weight was concentrated on his hands and belly. It trembled and swayed twice, and then made a breaking sound.

Several house elves rushed over to protect them. They had been feeling aggrieved because Hagrid had taken their job, but now that they saw him break the cabinet, they did not dare to blame the tavern's guests. They could only blame themselves, crying at the cabinet and wishing they could bang their heads against it to die.

"..."

In the end, it was Professor Flitwick, who was free, who repaired the wooden cabinet. The house-elves were no longer willing to let this half-blood giant participate in the work. Every time Hagrid approached, they stared at him with wide eyes, which made him feel uneasy.

Hagrid stood there at a loss, forcing an awkward smile. Melvin couldn't help but make a few jokes, and Rosmerta and Professor Flitwick laughed out loud.

Dumbledore stood nearby, also smiling.

Then the half-blood giant ran over to watch Wright cast the Traceless Extension Spell, staring at him as he chanted the spell and as he arranged the space, his eyes wide open. The look was different from that of the elf, but it also made Wright feel uneasy, and even casting spells felt a little awkward.

Hagrid wanted to use the Untraceable Extension Charm in his own cabin. His thoughts were written on his face. Melvin and Flitwick saw it, Dumbledore saw it, and Wright saw it too. They sighed helplessly and casually talked about some beginners' spellcasting techniques.

Hagrid was very grateful. He clapped his hand on the shoulder like a fan and shouted that he would buy him a drink.

He had only learned a little about the Traceless Extension Charm, and by then the third floor had been completed. Hagrid heard that Madam Rosmerta was going to give the third floor to Melvin, so he dragged him to take a look and almost collapsed the wooden stairs that had just been built.

"What are you going to use this floor for?"

"You'll know later."

"..."

Hagrid's large face wrinkled slightly. This way of speaking was very similar to Dumbledore's, which was the kind he didn't like.

The renovation progressed quickly. In about three hours, the main work was almost completed. As it was almost lunchtime, the house-elves, who had been busy for half the day, immediately squeezed into the kitchen in the inner room.

A group of wizards dined around a round table. The dishes were classic pub dishes: beer batter-fried cod with chips, shepherd's pie made with minced lamb and vegetables, and Scotch eggs, boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and minced meat. There was also a wide selection of alcohol and drinks. Hagrid drank one glass after another, grinning from ear to ear.

Melvin and Professor Flitwick drank some craft beer, just for the sake of it.

Dumbledore smiled and did not choose the sweet eggnog or mead, but ordered a glass of whiskey.

Rosmerta asked some questions about the decoration layout at the dining table. Melvin was mainly answering, occasionally throwing out some Muggle concepts. The female owner of the tavern listened very carefully, and so did the owner of a repair shop.

The detailed work in the afternoon took even more time. After finishing everything, they said goodbye to the tavern owner.

"Just have dinner in the tavern before going back." Rosmerta warmly persuaded him to stay.

"We're going to the pub, but it's the pub at the end of the village, the Hog's Head!" Hagrid put his arm around Wright's shoulders, not caring at all about the pub owner's thoughts, and laughed gruffly, "I'm going to buy them a drink!"

"..."

Melvin and the others responded with helpless smiles.

At six o'clock in the evening, it was getting dark.

The lights of the Hog's Head Inn came on. The tattered, old wooden sign depicted a severed pig's head, bloodstains on its neck, and a strange look in its eyes, as if mocking passersby. Standing on this cozy street in Hogsmeade, compared to the other candy shops and pink couples' teahouses, this pub felt strangely out of place.

The day after Christmas, Boxing Day night.