Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

"You're very clever, Hermione..."

Melvin ruffled her hair, not treating her like a child. He carefully considered revealing some details within the appropriate range. "Harry's mother sacrificed her own life to destroy Voldemort's body. This was extremely special. I hate to say this, but it was indeed fate's decision. When Voldemort returns, he will definitely fight Harry to the death."

Hermione pondered the professor's words, which seemed to be in the very distant future.

"The feud between Harry and Voldemort is deeper than you might imagine. Their fates are intertwined, like Kronos and Zeus in the Olympian mythology."

Melvin paused, feeling somewhat mixed emotions. He had unknowingly taken on the headmaster's Riddler attributes. "In short, Dumbledore hopes that Harry can spend as much time as possible with this nemesis, honing his skills so that he can defeat him once and for all."

Hermione felt that the professor's expression was somewhat meaningful, and that this sentence seemed to be hiding something else. When she was about to ask in detail, she suddenly heard Cedric's shout from the front:

"Professor, is this the last room?"

George and Fred followed suit.

"Is it dangerous?"

"Can we just go in?"

The broken giant chess pieces in front of them and the dark red bloodstains left by the giant monster made these students excited. However, the magic of that game had been lifted and the giant monster's body had been moved away. They could not touch the original level and always felt itchy in their hearts.

Hearing that the last room had not been processed yet, everyone was eager to try.

"There's no danger to life." Melvin shouted with a smile.

The students cheered and rushed forward.

"..."

Hermione recalled the layout of the room. It seemed that only the puppet statue and the hanging corpse were damaged. The night moths and bats were all fine, as was the strange rope.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, loud screams were heard in the room, and several boys gathered together to sing high notes that broke through the sky.

Melvin waited for their howling to subside a little before he walked slowly into the room. The little witch grasped the corner of his clothes.

The room was pitch dark.

Night moths and bats rustled and flapped their wings, and the students huddled together and shivered. Lee Jordan's robe was already wet. After they entered the room, they found that there was no light, and subconsciously lit their wands, but were pounced on by these phototactic creatures. They almost thought they were going to be eaten.

Fortunately, Cedric remained calm and instructed everyone to extinguish their wands and slowly gather together.

However, they were too panicked when struggling just now and could not tell the direction of front and back, so they could only stay where they were and wait for the professor to rescue them.

Melvin didn't use the Hand of Glory this time, but directly cast the Illumination Charm. Facing the students' terrified eyes, he shook his wand lightly, and the ball of light at the tip of the wand floated lightly into the air, attracting all the moths in the room to fly over, and a breeze blew the robes of several people.

Several balls of light floated in the air, attracting all phototactic creatures while illuminating the entire room.

Thousands of night moths and bats fly through the ball of light. They are all weak and ordinary creatures, but when they gather together, flying and swaying in the same behavioral patterns, the huge number accumulates to create a shocking visual spectacle.

The young wizards looked up at the scene, their eyes sparkling with surprise and admiration.

"Gringotts recruits curse breakers from all over the world every year. Do you know why?" Melvin asked from the side.

"Because they want to dig for gold in the ruins." Li spoke faster than his brain.

"Because every year, curse breakers die in the tombs of ancient wizards." Melvin's tone was eerie, and the scene of moths and bats flying around made several students feel a chill in their hearts. "The goblins will train new curse breakers, and one of the rules is not to enter enclosed spaces without first conducting a thorough investigation."

Thinking back on their actions just now, the little wizards could only remain silent.

After all, they were only third-year students, and inside the school, so it was normal for them to let their guard down. Melvin didn't hold them back. Instead, he watched them reflect on themselves and coughed twice. "It's right to explore an unfamiliar environment, but you must not expose your position, and you must not panic if you're attacked. Aren't you going to help me? Your mission today is to take advantage of these moths' attraction to light and capture them in the box."

Only then did Cedric and his companions notice a few crudely made wooden boxes in the corner.

The third-year students were busy and soon found the fun in it. Hermione followed Melvin to collect some dark magic items, and sometimes other people would come to join in the fun.

When asked about the functions of these black magic items, Melvin did not hide anything and explained them one by one:

"It's a suffocating puppet that can attack when someone's off guard. The maker used poplar wood, and it was almost falling apart when I bought it. I used copper bars to reinforce it, but Quirrell still broke it. I'll go back to the vendor and ask if it can be repaired.

"The opal necklace has a curse too strong, and ordinary detection magic can detect it. Don't wear unfamiliar magical items when you come across them in the future. Develop good habits from a young age. Some wizards are over a hundred years old and still don't understand this. Sigh...

"The hanging noose originated from the black magic of 'Quick Imprisonment', which Quirrell knows. If you encounter a rope attack, don't use fire. If you can't burn it to ashes immediately, you will suffer..."

Hermione came to this room again and found many details that she had not noticed last time. There were residual spider silk in the corners of the wall. It was difficult to clean if it stuck to the face. It was not dangerous but it would wear out the patience. There were similar strange symbols everywhere, which could easily make people irritated if they saw too much.

It took nearly an hour to pack up and clean up. The curiosity of several students was satisfied, and Melvin also saved some time. Both the teacher and the students were very satisfied.

After sending them out of the corridor on the fourth floor, Melvin returned to the underground passage to pack up the wooden boxes, planning to resell a few boxes of moths and bats to Professor Kettleburn. As soon as he entered, he saw the old wizard with a white beard leaning against the wall.

"..."

Dumbledore smiled gently. "That was a wonderful lecture, very detailed and interesting. Melvin, are you interested in taking over as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"

"Absolutely not."

"It's a pity..." Dumbledore's tone and expression did not show much regret, as if he just mentioned it casually, and let it go even if it didn't succeed.

"The principal is not looking for me just to substitute for the teacher, right?"

"Nicolas Flamel is coming to Hogsmeade this weekend. He wants to talk to you about the Shadow Mirror."

Chapter 73 The Three Broomsticks' Weekend Party

Saturday morning, The Three Broomsticks.

In the past few decades, this was just an ordinary wizard tavern, located on the right side of the central street of Hogsmeade. With its back to Hogwarts, it could do some business with students. The signature butterbeer and homemade mead tasted okay. The owner was a beautiful witch with some reputation in the wizarding community, but that was all.

It wasn't until after Halloween last year that things subtly changed.

As the secret honey wine squeezed out butter beer to become the best-selling item, the pub had a new thing. Thanks to the influence of the Hogwarts Quidditch school game, the memory mirror spread to other pubs in a very short time, and more and more exciting game images appeared, including college games of other magic schools, exchange games of other national teams and the recent Quidditch Intercontinental Championship.

The Three Broomsticks is now the most famous pub in Britain, its signature Butterbeer and secret mead surpassing the profits brought by the Birthplace of the Shadow Mirror. Being the closest to Hogwarts, it always has the fastest access to images of the House Match. Many pedestrians and tourists passing through Hogsmeade come here to broaden their horizons, order a Butterbeer, and reminisce about their school days.

Wright Monkstanley walked into the pub without staying for long, and went straight to the top floor. He looked around and analyzed the pub business from the perspective of a repair shop owner.

The first floor was relatively quiet, but the second floor was a bit noisy. A group of fans gathered together to watch the exchange match between the Scottish national team and the Charlie Cannons last week, cursing at each other. It seemed that Scotland's performance was not very good.

With so many customers on weekend mornings, the Three Broomsticks' turnover must be over ten thousand. Melvin's commission is over a thousand. Taking into account the tens of thousands of Galleons earned by Yingjing, their family wealth exceeds that of many pure-blood families.

Merlin is so rich!

Fortunately, I made some money.

Wright admired silently in his heart.

He continued to go up the stairs. The main area of ​​the third floor was not open to the public. Only a reception room was reserved for the guests attending today. There were more than twenty chairs around the long table. There were only fifteen representatives from pubs and clubs attending the meeting, leaving some room for them.

It was just an exchange meeting for members of the Magic Mirror Club, not a gathering of a secret society. No one checked their identification documents, and no one asked for an invitation. Wright walked into the room, made eye contact with Melvin in the front row, then quietly found a seat in the back row and saw two unexpected faces next to him.

There is no need to say much about Dumbledore. Wright himself is a graduate of Hogwarts. When he was targeted by the Ministry of Magic a few years ago, the headmaster secretly provided help several times.

The man next to him was thin and well-dressed, with thin silver hair neatly combed back. His skin was pale and loose, like a wrinkled and faded parchment roll. His eye sockets were deep and his eyes were silver-white. Although his expression was kind, there was always an indescribable sense of distance and alienation.

"Principal!" Wright screamed, but quickly controlled himself and greeted the two excitedly, "Mr. Flamel!"

Monk Stanley was the greatest alchemist in hundreds of years, and several generations of his family had been engaged in technology. When Wright saw him, it was like an ordinary wizard seeing Merlin.

"Shh..." Dumbledore signaled for silence as they were in a meeting.

Wright suppressed his excitement and nodded heavily. He tried to calm his turbulent mind and think about his words. He planned to express generations of admiration to the legendary alchemist after the meeting, and then ask for advice on technical problems accumulated by his family for generations.

The exchange meeting is still going on. All the tavern owners are well prepared. Combining shadow mirrors with taverns is a new model that has never been seen in the magic world before, so it is inevitable that problems will arise.

For the past two months, the tavern owners had tried to come up with their own answers, but none had been perfect. But after coming here and witnessing the Three Broomsticks' business model firsthand, and listening to Professor Lewynter's Muggle-speak, things suddenly became much clearer.

Melvin sat at the front, speaking casually, "My main job is teaching, and you're the owners of the pub. My analysis is for reference only. The actual management and operation of the pub is up to you."

"Professor Lewynter, it's admirable that you are always so humble about your achievements." The quick-talking Alfie didn't speak fast, even a little slower than a normal wizard.

This wizard, tall and thin, with a slightly shrill voice and an old scar on his right brow, owned a Quidditch club in Dingworth and was well-respected among former players and referees.

Apart from the Hogwarts school game, the other game images of the Magic Mirror Club were basically obtained by Alfie. He has been in contact with Durmstrang recently. That third-ranked magic school in Europe has produced a Quidditch genius, and the games were very exciting. If he can successfully obtain the memory images, the Shadow Mirror may expand to other parts of the European continent.

"Yes, everyone knows that the Three Broomsticks has become what it is today because they listened to your advice. It's not just about the business model. Ms. Rosmerta even admitted that the store's new signature mead is based on the recipe you provided." Old Will's nose was red and he spoke in a rough voice.

"That's right, that's right..."

The scene gradually became lively. A good film exchange meeting suddenly turned into a meeting for these old foxes to flatter Melvin. It was not that they were flattering Lewyn. Even if Cornelius Fudge from the Ministry of Magic was sitting here, they would not flatter him. They just thought that the professor was too young and wanted to tease him.

Melvin was somewhat helpless and sighed: "Let's continue talking about the shadow mirror."

"Professor, you speak, and we listen."

"..." Melvin shook his head. "You guys are doing very well on your own. I've been at school for a long time, and only come to the pub occasionally on weekends. I can still hear about you from the customers. The commentary of Dingworth Town's football matches is very detailed, not only covering past World Cup finals, but also various unexpected but exciting footage. This is all thanks to Alfie. The football games at Upper Flagley are exciting and exciting, all thanks to Jack..."

Listening to the young professor's list, several bosses who had made outstanding contributions to the game grinned with bright expressions.

Old Will and others beside them turned their faces away in disgust, feeling somewhat unwilling, but there was nothing they could do. They had no connections and channels in the Quidditch field, and were indeed no match for these professionals.

"However, the content of the mirror doesn't have to be limited to football games..." Melvin suddenly changed his tone, which cheered up the other tavern owners. "Open your mind. The image is just a form. The content can be varied, such as the wonderful adventures of your youth, the raid to capture Dark wizards many years ago, or even the fierce battle with Death Eaters."

The young professor's words echoed in the room. The bosses around the long table remained silent. They had all experienced that era firsthand, and when they heard the name Death Eaters, which had not been mentioned for a long time, they felt very complicated.

Without waiting for their opinions, Melvin continued, "Open-mindedness doesn't mean recklessness. We can't deliberately leak secrets or show vulgar images just to attract attention. Content open to customers must be subject to review. This is also the original intention of establishing our Magic Mirror Club..."

Rules were set when the mirror was sold, and they also signed the club's magic contract, which stipulated that all content projected on the mirror had to be reviewed by Melvin.

Retired Auror Old Will frowned slightly as he listened to the young professor explaining the rules he had established. He had been an Auror for most of his life, and in addition to accumulating scars, he had also been in contact with the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Magic for a long time, and had learned some political acumen from them.

In retrospect, this management model clearly encroached upon the Ministry's authority.

Old Will thought for a moment, thinking about the current situation in the ministry and what Minister Fudge had done recently. He hesitated, shook his head, and did not raise any objection.

"Although everyone here is of pure-blood descent, none of you have the bad habit of pure-blood supremacy and are all open to new things. I believe some people have already noticed that this mirror model is very similar to the Muggle screen. We will also release paid content in the future..."

Melvin briefly explained the Muggle cinema model, not going into too much detail. After all, the wizarding world and Muggle society are fundamentally different. Cinemas are just a reference, and the specific development path still needs to be explored. "The town you live in is a mixed population of wizards and Muggles. There should be a cinema in the Muggle neighborhood. You can go and see it. I'm preparing a film and it's in the final stages. It should be completed around Easter..."

After half an hour of questions, answers, exchanges and discussions, the meeting ended successfully.

"During this period, you can tell me any ideas you have. You can write to me or meet here on weekends. Together, we can make the world in the mirror more exciting."

Melvin stood up and escorted the tavern owners downstairs. During the whole process, no one noticed the two old wizards in the corner.

It goes without saying that it was the old principal who cast a spell.

The gray-haired Dumbledore sat by the window, tasting the mead silently. Beside him, Wright was holding Nicolas Flamel's hands tightly, expressing the respect of three generations of his family for the legendary alchemist.

"Mr. Flamel, my grandfather grew up reading your 'Comprehensive Explanation of Hieroglyphics'."

"..."

"My father also grew up reading your book 'Comprehensive Explanation of Hieroglyphics'."

"..."

"I like this book too, but I grew up reading your 'Research on Ancient Alchemy'."