Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 310 Forbidden Forest Bonfire
After the two prisoners left, the teachers and students dispersed, and the castle gradually quieted down.

It was still snowing outside, and the Quidditch pitch was covered in deep snow, so there wasn't much to do. Holiday life was a bit boring. The boys gathered together to play chess and chat. Hermione left Professor McGonagall's office and then spent the rest of her time in the library.

Percy wanted to continue disciplining the twins, but George and Fred had disappeared without a trace.

The Christmas ribbons were still hanging on the walls, the candles and torches were extinguished, and the corridor on the third floor of the castle was somewhat gloomy. The statue of the one-eyed hunchbacked witch stood quietly. Melvin greeted her and walked back to his office at a leisurely pace.

"Um..."

Yurm wriggled in his pocket. The longhorned water snake was still a snake, and it had the habits of a snake. In winter, it always stayed in its burrow and was unwilling to move. It had just woken up and was making a series of lazy moaning sounds, which it had learned from Yaya to act cute.

Melvin suspected that the little guy already understood human speech, but just didn't want to learn.

After being fed a boiled egg and a piece of raw beef with blood, the long-horned water snake ate until its belly was swollen. Now it was even less willing to move, curling up in a ball on the desk, not sleeping, but just quietly staring at him.

One of the advantages of keeping snakes is that they can go without hunger for three or four days after being fed once.

Melvin took the Gaunt ring from the drawer, examined the black gemstone on the ring face, and fell into deep thought.

As described in "The Ultimate Dark Magic," Horcruxes possess unique properties. Regardless of their original material, Horcruxes will forever retain the state they were in when the soul fragments were attached to them; they will not age and are indestructible.

The ordinary diary sold at the Muggle newsstand is a case in point. It had been soaked in water in the bathroom, with water stains on the cover and title page, and many pages were yellowed. Yet, after all these years, it hadn't been infested with insects or rotted. Ordinary magic couldn't do anything to these Horcruxes.

The Gaunt ancestors made the Resurrection Stone into a ring to conceal this Deathly Hallows. The materials they chose were not precious, just ordinary copper and iron. The workmanship was rough, with a recessed area carved into the ring band, inlaid with the Resurrection Stone, and secured by several metal bends on the outside.

If it's a regular material, you can simply stretch and bend it, then loosen the clips to remove the resurrection stone.

But now the ring has been turned into a Horcrux, with fragments of Voldemort's soul attached to it, making it indestructible and the metal clasp difficult to loosen.

In those distant memories, after Dumbledore was cursed, he used the sword of Gryffindor to destroy the ring and carve out the Resurrection Stone. But now the sword is not here, and of all the spells he knows, it seems that only Fiendfyre can affect Horcruxes.

If Melvin were to forcibly melt it with Fiendfire, given his exquisite control over dark magic, it wouldn't be impossible, but that could alert Voldemort and even damage the Horcruxes.

Sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle is still naive and easier to fool than other cunning Horcruxes, and Melvin doesn't want to lose this ally so soon.

Melvin stared at the antique black gemstone ring, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, and a levitation spell lifted the ring up.

“Ordinary processing methods cannot break through the magic power contained within the Soul Weapon, and the overly strong Fiery Blaze is likely to damage the Soul Weapon…” Melvin pondered the method of retrieving the Resurrection Stone and finally chose the Transfiguration spell.

It can be restored after transformation without damaging the Horcrux or disturbing Tom, who resides inside.

With a slight thought, he spread the magic of the Transfiguration spell over her.

Making hard metal soft, without changing its shape or altering whether an object is alive or dead, is considered a simple, low-level transformation within the realm of Transformation. Even a third-year student wouldn't find it too difficult.

Enveloped in the magic of the Transfiguration spell imbued with the wizard's will, the three bends securing the gem on the ring suddenly trembled. Immediately afterwards, two different magical forces emerged from the ring and the resurrection stone, colliding with Melvin's Transfiguration spell.

The collision produced a slight sound, and a weak shockwave rippled outwards, washing away the floating spell that had enveloped it.

The ring fell onto the hard wooden table, spun twice, and made a crisp sound.

Melvin frowned slightly, staring at the unmoving ring, and pondered for a moment.

Do we really have to go to the principal to borrow the sword?

Or perhaps we could go to a secret room to wake up the slumbering basilisk and pull out a few of its venomous fangs?
Just as Melvin was struggling with his decision, the little snake, who was feeling sleepy after filling its belly, wobbled to its feet, its tail swishing back and forth, and slowly approached the ring.

"Meow... Woof?"

Yurm stuck out his pink tongue, making a soft, delicate sound with a long trailing tone, making it hard to tell whether it was a cat's meow or a dog's bark.

Melvin understood, and looked at it suspiciously: "You can take the gem off?"

"hiss……"

"Forget it, the ring is cursed."

Before Melvin could finish speaking, Yulm had already taken a bite, and with a crunch, the black gem fell out.

The Gaunt Ring was reduced to a bare band, with two broken pieces of metal. However, the ring did not shake or vibrate, nor did it emit black smoke, indicating that the fragment of the soul residing inside had not been disturbed.

Perhaps the venom of the longhorn water snake has a paralyzing effect.

"How come its teeth are so good when its fangs haven't even come out yet?" Melvin pried open the snake's jaw, glanced at the depths of its gums, and was then met with disdain from Yulm.

The little snake pushed his hand away with its tail and wobbled back to lie on the table.

Melvin smiled and stroked its scales, then ruffled the coiled snake's body before putting the ring on the table back into the box and picking up the black gemstone to examine it.

A polished black faceted gemstone with a shallow, rounded pavilion. Its texture is similar to obsidian or onyx, with a shallow layer of crack-like engravings on the surface. It is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, a triangle enclosing a ring, with a vertical line dividing it evenly.

In the legend of the Deathly Hallows, the three Peverell brothers crossed a river and a bridge without dying, which angered Death, the god of death in the river. Death pretended to congratulate them on breaking the curse and offered them a reward.

The second of the three brothers, Cadmus, obtained the Resurrection Stone.

Melvin held reservations about the existence of Death, but he was certain that the Resurrection Stone was not a miracle, but some kind of alchemical artifact that could cross the boundary between life and death and summon the souls of the dead.

According to the story of Peter the Bard, Melvin held the Resurrection Stone in his palm, spun it three times, and then meditated on it.

Perhaps Melvin's soul doesn't belong to this world, and he didn't see any deceased relatives, or perhaps the world snakes go to after death is different from that of wizards, making it difficult to communicate with the Resurrection Stone.

In short, he saw nothing.

Melvin didn't feel sorry for him. He put away the resurrection stone and patted Yhorm's head.

……

It was already dark by four o'clock in the afternoon.

The sunshine in the Scottish Highlands is even worse than in London. In December, even on a clear and sunny day, there are only seven hours of sunshine. Hogwarts lights its torches and candles early, and the Christmas decorations are still in full bloom and sparkling.

When they're in the castle, Harry and Ron don't really notice the dark, but when they go out, they worry about not being able to see where they're going.

"I'm dying..."

As Ron overturned his king's chess piece, Harry yawned, scratched his feverish head, and didn't care at all. Instead, he looked up at the attic.

The common room was nearly empty. Hermione had just returned from the library and was heading back to her dorm to freshen up. She quickly went downstairs, her footsteps clattering on the stairs.

The little witch wore a red and gold scarf, her hair was messy but she didn't care, and she walked lightly. After giving up the Time-Turner and talking with Professor McGonagall, she seemed to have unloaded her burdens and became visibly lively.

Harry was actually a little disappointed that he would no longer be able to refer to Hermione's Divination assignments.

"Why are you still playing chess?" Hermione came down the stairs and stood in front of the two.

"It's over, a perfect record." Ron boasted triumphantly, flipping over the chess piece that had just gotten back on its feet. The enraged king snatched the longsword from the knight next to him and stabbed his finger hard.

"Hiss..." Ron cried out in pain, clutching his finger.

Harry smiled more: "We can leave anytime."

"Then what are we still sitting here for? Let's go, Hagrid is waiting for us!" Hermione tossed her hair and turned to leave.

Ron scratched his head and pulled Harry along as they set off.

Since Sirius was taken away, Harry has been depressed and absent-minded while playing chess. We tried to cheer him up by making him win a couple of games, but even when the king was offered to him, he still couldn't see it.

I can only respect my good friend's choice and win against him all day long, even if it means crying.

Ron's last resort was to have the opposing king's piece poke Harry's fingers a few times to make him laugh, but unfortunately, it didn't work very well. Now, he could only pin his hopes on Hagrid.

As I walked out of the castle, I didn't encounter many people, only the occasional portrait and ghost. In the snow, the tracks left by the prison cart were still there, though they had faded a bit since it hadn't snowed today.

A cold wind blew, and Ron shivered, tightening his collar. "Why did Hagrid invite us to the Forbidden Forest for the Feast Day? Isn't the Great Hall good enough? I heard the feast tonight is still very lavish."

"Professor Levent suggested it." The little witch walked ahead, her scarf tied into a ball to cover her mouth and nose, her muffled voice drifting away with the white mist.

Why does Professor Levent celebrate the Boxing Day in the Forbidden Forest?

"It would be great if you could use your brain outside of the chessboard."

“Don’t think I can’t tell you’re insulting me…” Ron muttered, “You’re so smart, why don’t you tell us!”

"Professor Levent invited a few of us students to spend Boxing Day alone, and there was certainly a special reason for it, and it was arranged in the Forbidden Forest outside the castle..."

Hermione waded through the snow without turning her head: "Do you remember what the professor promised Harry? The professor would let Harry see his parents again, not as an illusion, not as a ghost, not as a dream, but as a real reunion."

"Professor Levent is going to cast a spell in the Forbidden Forest!" Harry's eyes widened suddenly.

Originally, he had slumped his shoulders and walked listlessly, but suddenly he seemed like a different person, radiating vitality and striding forward, his footsteps making a rustling sound in the snow.

Ron was stunned and quickly ran to catch up.

……

Forbidden Forest Cabin.

At this very moment, Hagrid is pulling his expressionless colleague to help him in the kitchen, tidying up all the raw materials in advance, and starting to deal with the tedious food preparation process.

The vegetables need to be washed three times, the radishes and pumpkins need to be cut into appropriately sized pieces, the lamb for stewing needs to be blanched, the beef for roasting needs to be marinated in advance, and the marinade sauce needs to be mixed in the correct proportions...

The potions professor's expertise can be put to good use, whether it's processing ingredients for cooking or processing ingredients for brewing potions; there's essentially no difference between them.

Snape quickly grasped the trick, waving his wand to direct the vegetables to jump into the water for a bath while simultaneously cutting the steak with invisible blades.

He grasped the essence of everything, handled things quickly and methodically, demonstrating the professionalism of a potion master.

Hagrid hummed a tuneless little tune and chuckled twice.

Compared to sitting at the head table waiting for the food to come out, preparing the ingredients yourself, cooking and stewing, and then watching others eat it gives you a different kind of sense of accomplishment. This is why he started his own vegetable garden and cultivated his own produce.

Previously, Flitwick and Sprout would occasionally visit, Dumbledore would stop here on his way to visit the centaur elders deep in the Forbidden Forest, Melvin would bring him back to the cabin after his hangover, and he would cook dog food for Tooth here. But Snape was never on the visitor list.

At the entrance to the courtyard, three young wizards peeked out, secretly observing.

……

As night fell, the campfire was lit.

The invisible foam insulates against the cold wind without affecting airflow. Two earthenware pots are simmering with meat broth, one pot of beef and one pot of mutton, and the enticing aroma of meat fills the air. Marinated vegetables and meat chops are skewered on roasting forks, and people can take what they want and roast it themselves.

The three young wizards and the three professors sat around the campfire, eating everything they could pick up with a fork: bread, mushrooms, and pumpkin...

The Boxing Day feast held outdoors on a snowy night was wonderful.

If there's any downside, it's probably that no one was talking, making the atmosphere a bit stiff.

"Purrrrrrr!"

"Creak, creak, creak!"

Hagrid held the porcelain bowl and the roasting fork, not even looking up, his mouth too busy to keep up.

The Potions professor's meticulously prepared marinades and sauces were a hundred times tastier than anything he could make himself. Whatever Melvin wanted to do was none of his business; filling his stomach was the priority.

The three children were a little reserved, eating slowly, their minds full of questions, but Snape sat beside them like a statue, expressionless, and they couldn't get any answers from him.

Melvin first put the marinated beef into the campfire, watching the fat sizzle as it dripped onto the burning charcoal, its color and aroma gradually becoming enticing. Paired with tender green vegetables, it had a unique flavor.

Have you heard the story of Death and the three Peverell brothers in "The Tales of Peter the Bard"?

“I’ve heard it! I’ve heard it so many times!” Ron quickly raised his hand.

Melvin took a sip of the broth and glanced at him sideways: "Even if you've heard it before, I'll start from the beginning. In the story of the Deathly Hallows, the three Peverell brothers crossed the river and bridge without dying, and received Death's reward..."

Hagrid slurped down half a pot of soup, smacked his lips, and wanted to eat more, but his stomach was full of soup and there was no room for more. He looked at Harry and his two companions beside him; the young wizards were listening attentively to the story.

He shifted his position, preparing to listen to the story for a while and make room in his stomach before continuing to eat.

Snape remained expressionless, his food untouched.

(End of this chapter)