Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

Places like Albania are almost becoming gathering places for dark wizards, and there is no local wizard organization to clear them out.

After the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this area faced a similar situation.

Romania has favorable conditions and relies on the natural resources of the Dragon Sanctuary to bring in stable income. Raising and breeding dragons attracts tourists from all over the world and merchants of dragon materials. It also attracts wizards who do supporting service businesses. It has gradually grown and established the Ministry of Magic.

Although Hungary has dragons, it has no nature reserves and no stable wizarding regime.

Local wizards who had the conditions immigrated and settled in other countries, while those who did not moved to nearby Durmstrang or Romania. No one thought of establishing the Ministry of Magic, which was a thankless task.

The remnants of the Wiccans were wanted by the International Confederation of Wizards at the time and had nowhere to go. They originally wanted to go to Albania, but the dark wizards there were even worse than the Wiccans. Murder and robbery were common, and the lighting at night was the green light of the Killing Curse and the Fiendfyre. Compared with them, the Wiccans actually seemed somewhat innocent.

After hiding and fleeing for several years, he naturally set his sights on Buda, a good place to escape because it was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

There was no Ministry of Magic before, and after the remnants of the wizarding party came, they kept a low profile and no longer promoted any greater interests, and gradually stabilized.

Located near Durmstrang, Ukraine and Romania, it is a gathering place for a group of wanted wizards. Naturally, it has become a not-so-formal trading transit station. Shops such as taverns, restaurants and clothing stores have gradually appeared, and the wizarding ecosystem has gradually improved.

Whether it's bartering or using goblin currency, the remnants who have been driven out for several years are not picky. They don't set up any rules and regulations, and they do their best to maintain the business environment. They don't engage in dark wizards' murder, robbery, or forced buying and selling.

You can buy all kinds of things in the market here, from alchemical items, ancient magical antiques dug up from nowhere, various fire dragon materials, to potions of famous potion masters in recent decades, albums of singer Celestina, to miscellaneous Muggle electrical appliances.

The price and transaction method depend on the willingness of both parties.

The reputation of safety and reliability gradually spread, and as it accumulated year by year, the scale gradually grew.

Some wizards once tried to initiate a purge at the International Confederation of Wizards, but considering that the Witch Party had been nominally disbanded and even their leader was imprisoned in Nurmengard, Austria, most other countries took a wait-and-see attitude, waiting to see what the president would do.

President Dumbledore expressed his respect for the voting results.

In the end nothing is left.

Melvin found the remnants quite interesting.

Before Grindelwald's downfall, the Wizarding Party intended to expose the wizarding world, provoke war, overturn the Statute of Secrecy, and turn Muggles into slaves like house-elves.

After his fall, the Witch Party was disbanded, and the wizards who were expelled and wanted found homes in Muggle cities, creating a unique mixed city like Budapest.

The atmosphere is more open than Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. There are no ideological disputes between wizards and Muggles, and no pure-blood prejudice.

In a sense, they are actually ahead of the British Ministry of Magic and the Magical Congress of the United States of America.

Opening up the market for shadow mirrors here means opening up the market to the whole world. The difficulty lies in getting them to follow the rules of the Magic Mirror Club, and I can't think of any good solution for the time being.

Let's take a step by step.

"Crack!"

Hagrid threw the last chimney roll into his mouth like a snack, chewed it twice and swallowed it after mixing it with the broth and sour cream. Melvin and Professor Kettleburn waited for him to finish his meal and went to the front desk to pay the bill.

Total 2 Galleons, 7 Sickles.

The hotel owner and receptionist was a kind old wizard with a slight London accent. He smiled and teased the three of them, "If it weren't for that big guy, three ordinary wizards wouldn't spend more than one Galleon."

"Aibo, I don't remember when your store was so affordable?"

"Because there are three big guys in the backyard!"

"Ha ha……"

Professor Kettleburn smiled and reminisced with him about the past; the two were old friends.

"Aibo?"

Melvin's heart moved. With this last name and this accent, this boss should be a relative of Old Tom. A family chain of wizard hotels?

Hagrid had thought of this possibility as well, and stared down at his boss with a curious glint in his eyes, trying to find some similarities between his face and Old Tom's.

His hair and beard were gray, his eyes seemed prominent because of his thinness, his eyeballs were slightly cloudy, his eyes were gentle, his face was old but very energetic.

Professor Kettleburn was very familiar with him: "Let me introduce you, this is my colleague, Professor Lewynter, and this is Hagrid."

"You're so young! Welcome to Budapest!"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Abbott."

"..."

Hearing his name, Aibo's eyes showed a bit of strangeness, and he shook his head casually, still smiling kindly: "Just call me Aibo. I don't know how long you plan to stay here. There are many fun things here besides the fire dragon. The Turkish bath at the end of the street is very good, you can go and experience it."

"Ok sir."

Melvin didn't strike up a conversation rashly. He greeted the customer as a regular customer and friend, leaving an impression without doing anything extra.

The old professor had been traveling all day and was exhausted, so there were no special activities in the evening. The market tour and the fire dragon viewing were scheduled for tomorrow. After dinner, they went out for a half-hour stroll, experienced the Turkish bath, and returned to the hotel, where they each went back to their rooms to rest.

Having just taken a hot shower, Melvin changed into local-style pajamas. The size was slightly loose, the fabric was soft, and he seemed to still be covered in moisture, feeling very comfortable.

Because they were adjacent rooms, I could hear Hagrid and the old professor snoring while leaning against the wall. In between the even snoring, their rhythms gradually became consistent.

Just as Melvin was about to fall asleep, he heard the faint sound of quarreling and noisy voices coming from the corridor outside. One of the voices was gentle and slow, belonging to the boss, Ai Bo, while the other voice was a little shrill, and seemed to be that of a witch.

Melvin opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

This is someone else's place, and every place has its own rules. Mr. Ai Bo has been doing business here for decades and should not need help from outsiders. If it is a local dispute, he, a visitor from afar, will only cause trouble for others if he gets involved.

"Are you going to watch him die of old age in that tower!?"

"If that's his wish..."

"Bullshit will! It was that old guy who cast the Imperius Curse on him!"

"You know, no Imperius Curse can remain in effect for decades, and that gentleman is not one of those people."

"So you want to try my Imperius Curse?"

"Stop messing around, Vida."

"The soul leaves..."

Feeling the clear fluctuations of magic, Melvin could no longer sit still. He stood up and took two steps, making clear footsteps. He stood at the door and paused for a moment until the quarrel outside stopped. Then he pushed open the door and saw an old witch with gray hair standing in the moonlight on the terrace at the corner of the corridor, her figure dim.

Although she looked very old, one could still glimpse some of the witch's elegance when she was young. She was wearing a black satin robe with a narrow waist. Her white hair was combed very neatly. She had a pair of deep blue and bright eyes. Even the wrinkles on her face and neck seemed to reveal an elegant temperament.

I don’t know if there is any emotional entanglement between the two old wizards.

Facing their gazes, Melvin pretended to be sleepy and asked vaguely, "Mr. Aibo, is there anything I can help you with?"

Hearing this name, the witch glanced at the boss with a hint of sarcasm on her face.

The hotel owner paused and said apologetically, "I'm sorry that our bickering disturbed your rest. It's nothing serious. We are old friends."

"Well, sweet dreams to you all."

Melvin yawned sleepily, shook his head and closed the door.

Standing behind the door and listening again, there was only the sound of footsteps gradually fading away. It seemed that it was indeed just a dispute between old friends. But then again, it was normal for them to cast the Imperius Curse after just a few quarrels. The people here are really fierce.

Melvin went back to bed, but he wasn't sleepy.

Not because of that witch's Unforgivable Curse.

But he remembered that several times when he called his boss Mr. Abbott, they behaved a little strangely. This should not be a name like Voldemort's that could not be called directly. It must be that there was some unknown story hidden behind the name. These wizards were old and had some secrets.

This kind of thing might come in handy if you want to expand your market, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to pry into other people's secrets.

I wonder if Professor Kettleburn can help.

Listening to the snoring next door, Melvin fell asleep unknowingly.

Late at night, there were faint sounds of quarrels and magical fluctuations in the backyard, but the noise was very low, just rustling and did not disturb the hotel guests.

Chapter 99 Fire Dragon Sanctuary

The next morning.

The two professors and the gamekeeper stood in the hotel courtyard.

The three Isserlong horses in front of him had the smell of brandy lingering in their mouths and noses, and their broad and long horse faces revealed a bit of joy. They stood in front of the carriage, their hooves were restless, and they were ready to set off at any time.

Today's trip was relatively short. It was only a half-hour drive from here to the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, so Professor Kettleburn did not stop the Pegasus from drinking brandy.

"Sorry, Melvin, we have to go to Romania first. During breakfast, Aibo told me that the number of wizards coming to see the dragons has increased dramatically during the summer vacation, and the reserve is starting to limit the number of visitors. We need to rush over and complete the entry procedures."

"Don't be sorry, Professor. It's very close here. We can Apparate back anytime."

"..."

Hagrid came over with a big face and got closer, but he was not kicked by the horse's hoof today.

Melvin looked around, occasionally looking up at the guest room upstairs, trying to estimate how far the noise here could be heard.

Slow footsteps could be heard behind them. The inn owner, Aibo, gradually approached and handed them the package he had prepared. There was a hint of teasing in his kind smile: "It contains lunch and white savory essence, Sylvanus."

"What do you want the white savory essence for?" Hagrid asked, turning around.

"If he gets his hands or feet bitten off by a fire dragon again, the white savory essence will quickly stop the bleeding."

"..."

Hagrid looked at the two of them and opened his mouth several times, not knowing what to say. He felt that communicating with wizards was a hassle, so he decided to continue to pester Iseron.

Melvin listened to the two old wizards' banter and joking. Judging from their words and actions, the hotel owner did not seem to be under the control of the Imperius Curse.

"I don't want to waste my time with you here. I'll get you drunk with brandy and turn you into an idiot."

"I hope you still have hands to hold a glass of wine when you come back." The tavern owner turned to Melvin and smiled, "Professor Lewyn, keep an eye on him while you're visiting the dragon. Don't let him get into its mouth."

"I will." Melvin nodded with a smile. The old wizard did not mention what happened last night, nor did he make trouble.

"Wait!"

Kettleburn got into the car, cursing and swearing, and Melvin and Hagrid followed closely behind.

The three passengers climbed into the carriage, and Iserlon trotted forward, flapping his wings, and the carriage swayed and set off.

The clouds under the sunlight looked like surging waves, filled with dazzling silver-white colors. Three Pegasus plunged into the clouds, spread their huge wings, sprinted towards the sun, then turned sharply, and dived out of the clouds, leaving a long white trail.

Hagrid sat at the door of the carriage and looked into the distance. He could vaguely see a green mountain range. Unfortunately, he was in mid-air, and even if he opened his eyes wide, the color of the area over there would only become greener.

"That's the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, right?"

The half-giant, who had hardly left Britain, looked forward to it eagerly.

After heading southeast for about half an hour, the Isserlons arrived above the emerald green area. The mountain range stretched out as if there was no end in sight. Clouds and mist shrouded the mountaintops and valleys, and the scene was somewhat dreamy.

The Carpathian Mountains, starting from the Danube Gorge on the border between Austria and Slovakia in the west, passing through the border between Poland and Ukraine to the river valley in southwestern Romania, are vast and sparsely populated, with endless forests, valleys and meadows, providing ample space for activities and hiding places for the fire dragon tribe.