Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 309 Snape's Creditors
"Minister of Magic, Senior Deputy Minister, and the two ministers."

"The Directors of the Legal Enforcement Division and the International Affairs Division."

On Boxing Day morning, Professor Flitwick stood at the entrance of the auditorium, holding a glass of milk and sighing with admiration.

The sudden news startled all the staff of the Ministry of Magic who were not yet on holiday. A small number of wizards were left on duty and rushed over. Aurors dressed in black robes lined up in the hall and corridors. Ghosts whispered among themselves as they passed by, seemingly unconcerned.

"Sigh, now I won't be able to enjoy my breakfast in peace."

"Just sit in your seat and eat, don't say anything, and leave it to the principal and the others to handle."

Melvin glanced at the tightly packed seats in the main guest area. Fudge and Umbridge had reached an unspoken understanding without discussion, subtly adjusting their positions before taking their seats.

Originally, Dumbledore's seat was in the center of the main seating area, but after the adjustment, it appears that Fudge and Umbridge are sitting in the main seats, with Dumbledore becoming an accessory, and Professor McGonagall being sidelined.

Anyone who didn't know better would think those two guys were the school principal.

The professors and staff present were not fools; they saw right through the two's little scheme. The professors didn't care about the trick and just found it amusing, while Ms. Burns and Crouch felt their faces burning with disgust.

"Never mind, let's sit on the side."

Professor Flitwick put down the hot milk, moved the bar stool to the outside, and climbed onto it using both hands and feet. As soon as he turned his head, he saw Sprout and Melvin's mocking gazes and glared at them.

What are you two looking at?

"Dumbledore's seat is all taken, how come you still have a reserved seat?"

"..."

Before the half-elf professor could collect all the jam and try to make them eat bread dry, Melvin left some cranberry jam behind, moved it to the other side out of his reach, and said with a smile, "Eat up, we still have to go to the dungeon later."

Melvin and Pomona are getting more and more annoying.

Professor Flitwick blew on his beard.

During breakfast, Professor McGonagall mainly gave an explanation, omitting the part about the Time-Turner. Dumbledore was always smiling and rarely spoke.

The Ministry of Magic staff must have eaten beforehand, as their attention wasn't on the food, but rather on the entanglement between Sirius and Peter.

The professors ate in silence. Professors Melvin and Flitwick didn't discuss magic or tell any corny jokes, but when they were eating the last few bites of bread, the topic inevitably came up.

Crouch, sitting on the other side, turned around and said, "Professor Levent, it's been a long time. I heard it was you and Professor Snape who captured those two?"

Melvin recognized him at a glance: it was Barty Crouch, the Director of the International Affairs Cooperation Division, a former executive officer, and a candidate for minister who had his future cut short due to his son, the Death Eater Barty Jr.

But he's not innocent either. He used Polyjuice Potion to replace his ailing son, who's now imprisoned in Crouch's house. The long-term use of the Imperius Curse and drugs is ruining his mind.

Instead of staying home to prepare for the Boxing Day feast, he came to Hogwarts to handle matters unrelated to him, probably because he couldn't bear to face that little Barty who was pretending to be mentally challenged.

On the other side, Crouch and Ms. Burns were also sizing up several professors, or more precisely, the young professor Melvin Levent.

With black hair and black eyes, a faint smile on his face, and an overall youthful appearance, he sat there silently, holding a glass of milk in one hand and a piece of bread in the other, his eating manners not particularly refined.

Aside from his handsome appearance, he seemed to have nothing special about him.

As they awaited his answer, none could ignore the influence hidden behind him: founder of the Magic Mirror Club, advisor to the Examination Authority, a Merlin Medal, a Medal of Valor, and influence spanning Britain, extending to the New World, France, Hungary, and Romania…

The meetings were all rushed, either in the courtroom or at various banquets. There was no time to get to know each other, and before I knew it, he was already a figure comparable to a legendary wizard.

Umbridge wore a saccharine smile, but her eyes were filled with venom as she looked at Melvin.

This is the guy who, despite not having an Apparition license, illegally used magic and stubbornly tried to exploit legal loopholes, claiming he had no evidence.

This caused her to lose face in the wizarding world. Many wizards treated her, the senior vice minister, as a joke, and Malfoy didn't even send her an invitation to the Boxing Day dinner.

Melvin swallowed his bread and took a sip of milk: "It's mainly thanks to Professor Snape. He noticed the clues we overlooked and made full use of his wisdom."

“Professor McGonagall, you have also provided a lot of help,” Ms. Burns said with a smile. “Susan always mentions you to me, Mr. Levent. Muggle Studies is a very meaningful subject, and we have overlooked its value before.”

"Susan is a kind and upright girl who has not been influenced by the long-standing concept of pure blood."

"..."

The two exchanged pleasantries and pleasantries, much like a professor and a student's parent talking.

Snape listened to their pointless chatter without any expression or change in his eyes.

Melvin was a very responsible professor. After talking to the students, he turned back to the case: "Professor McGonagall has already explained the details of the incident. The capture of the fugitive and the solving of the case were entirely Professor Snape's credit, and I have no objection to that."

"..." Snape thought he was being sarcastic.

"I just want to know when the Ministry of Magic will reopen the case of Black and Peter. I have a partnership with the editor-in-chief of the Prophet's Newspaper, Gufie. Perhaps we can follow up on the whole process through the newspaper and the Shadow Mirror, so that wizards can learn the truth more quickly."

Melvin was speaking to that minister.

Fudge's eyes lit up. He didn't care about the truth; he just wanted to reduce trouble and gain a good reputation.

What does Blake's injustice or Peter's coercion matter compared to fame, fortune, and power?

The mistakes made by the former minister during his tenure should be corrected and rectified by the current minister, the true face of the fraudster Peter as a Death Eater should be exposed, poor Sirius should be exonerated, and the reporters should focus on his achievements. Perhaps the current minister can even take back Peter's medal and award it to himself.

“My respected minister, he is fooling you…”

Umbridge was a competent deputy minister, completely understanding Fudge's thoughts with just a glance at his expression.

In any other situation, she might have encouraged things, helping Fudge achieve his goal and profiting from it, but this involved Hogwarts and Melvin...

She leaned close to Fudge's ear and whispered, "Minister, don't forget, they're the ones who caught Black and Peter, and the truth was uncovered by Hogwarts. If it's reported publicly... do you remember the slander those wizards made against you a couple of years ago?"

Dumbledore's mouthpiece? A useless, incompetent minister?

Fudge was taken aback. He had risen to power on Dumbledore's recommendation, and his power was not stable at first. He could only ask for help when he encountered problems. Occasionally, he would go to Lady Rosmerta's tavern for a drink, and the discussions he heard were very harsh.

It took me two years of long and arduous effort to completely break free from Dumbledore's influence and shed those unpleasant titles.

Noticing that all the wizards present were staring at the head of the table, waiting for the minister to give his answer, Fudge immediately straightened his face and cleared his throat:
"Albus, professors, I am truly grateful to Hogwarts for resolving this huge problem for me. It has been driving me crazy for the past six months, but now I am finally free. Believe me, I am more willing than anyone else to hold a trial and resolve all the issues."

“Yes, the minister has been working tirelessly on Blake’s case…” Umbridge covered her mouth and gave a fake giggle.

"However, this case is too big and involves a wide range of people. I need to deal with other troubles first. You know, I need to notify the Muggle Prime Minister, search through the files to identify the officers responsible for arresting Black back then, notify the Order of Merlin to discuss the handling of Peter's Merlin Medal, and communicate with Azkaban to confirm whether Black should be held accountable for this escape, even though he had his reasons..."

Fudge spoke at a moderate pace, carefully choosing his words: "It's still the Christmas holiday season, and most of the Ministry of Magic staff are on vacation, so we'll have to wait a while."

The guest of honor fell silent for a moment.

Not only did the Hogwarts professors look up at him, but even the two directors of the Ministry of Magic looked bewildered. Crouch and Burns couldn't help but turn their heads to look at Fudge and Umbridge.

Continuing to frame innocent people and buy time for the Death Eaters, do you think your reputation in the wizarding world is too good?
Umbridge lowered his head, his eyes narrowing as he smiled.

Merlin, these are all the minister's own ideas. She only helped with the analysis but didn't offer any specific suggestions.

This didn't bring her any profit, but as long as she saw those unruly guys at Hogwarts get their comeuppance and Levent fail to achieve their goals, she felt a sense of satisfaction that Galleons couldn't buy.

Dumbledore's smile faded, and he frowned as he asked, "Cornell, the trial will have to wait until the holidays are over. It's an internal matter for the Ministry of Magic, and Hogwarts won't interfere. But can the Dementors patrolling outside be withdrawn now?"

"Well... I hope you understand, Albus, I'm willing to get rid of these guys."

Fudge paused, then said awkwardly, “But those guys are a real problem. They don’t understand human language, and only Azkaban staff can command them. But it’s Christmas holiday now, so half the staff are on leave, and the rest need to guard the prison. After all, there are still dozens of Death Eaters there.”

Dumbledore nodded: "So... we also need to wait until the holidays are over?"

"Yes, I assure you, the first thing I do after the holiday is to get rid of those annoying guys."

"..."

Melvin was so angry he laughed.

It seems that Fudge has picked up the toad's habit after spending so much time with Umbridge. He has no claws or hair, and when he lies on your feet, he feels no pain or itch, but he's just disgusting.

"Okay, the kids need to go back to school after the holidays too."

Dumbledore's azure eyes narrowed slightly: "However, Cornelius, I must remind you that our professors are teaching the children the Patronus Charm. Beginners may not be able to handle it well, and Dementors are monsters that cannot understand human speech. If a conflict occurs and the Patronus disperses the Dementors to other places, it may cause even worse consequences."

"To teach underage students the Guardian Charm?"

Fudge waved his hand dismissively, as if he'd heard a joke: "Don't worry, Albus, I'll definitely remove the Dementors on time and won't frighten the children."

He wasn't just making excuses; the Dementors were merely roaming outside the school, keeping an eye on Dumbledore, and had no intention of harassing ordinary students.

“Let’s get Black and Peter with us first, and we can talk about everything else after the holidays,” Fudge said in a crisp, quick tone. “Thank you for your contribution, Hogwarts.”

……

The iron-wrapped wheels rolled over the cold, hard snow, and the Thestrals slowly set off, pulling the carriage toward the Ministry of Magic in London.

There were six Thestrals in total, with the two in the middle being prison wagons. Peter Pettigrew was imprisoned in the last wagon, with Mrs. Burns and Crouch following behind.

A Death Eater spy who betrayed and framed his friend, and escaped trial for twelve years, is always a focus of Aurors' attention.

Sirius Black was sitting in the carriage in front. Harry had already gotten up and was standing by the roadside watching, occasionally sniffing his red nose. When Sirius Black lifted the curtain and peeked out, Harry wiped his face, forced a smile, and waved to the carriage.

"I don't know what Fudge is thinking. It would be so much better if he could just overturn the case and reveal the truth sooner. He just has to drag it out until the end of the holidays. Poor Sirius, he still has to stay in the Ministry of Magic's inquiries room for another week."

Sprout muttered complaints, occasionally throwing in vulgar slang, clearly showing how furious he was.

Melvin, standing calmly on the steps of the foyer, watched them leave and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, why do they always use horse-drawn carriages to transport prisoners instead of door keys and filament nets? Doesn't that make it easier for others to attack?"

Historically, the renowned Grindelwald was arrested in the United States long ago and was transported in a prison van. However, he was attacked by Muslim followers and escaped. Later, he almost set Paris on fire.

“I don’t know…maybe it’s some kind of ancient rule.” Professor Flitwick also found it strange.

“If you’re interested, you can ask Professor Binns.” Snape turned and walked back.

“Severus…” Melvin called out to him, “Please wait for me at the entrance to the Forbidden Forest this evening. It’s Boxing Day, and Hagrid is hosting a simple bonfire party. I’d like to formally invite you to join us again.”

"Boring." Snape didn't even turn his head, too lazy to bother with him.

“Don’t forget, you still owe me a life,” Melvin said slowly.

Snape turned around and stared straight at him, his brows furrowing and his pupils flashing with a very impolite look.

Sprout was about to ask why she wasn't invited to the bonfire party, but upon hearing this, he suddenly remembered that he had something to do in the greenhouse and tugged at Flitwick next to him.

Flitwick cleared his throat, suddenly becoming interested in the prison van: "I'll go find Professor Binns."

The two turned and walked out, but their steps were slow, and they listened carefully to the sounds behind them.

Snape's lips trembled with anger. Upon reflection, he realized that rescuing the group from the dimensional rift was indeed a life-saving act, and as one of those rescued, he truly owed them a debt of life.

"You're going to use this to get me to keep the appointment?"

"Don't be late!"

(End of this chapter)