Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 41 Psychological Counseling
7 p.m.

The waning moon is rising.

In late autumn, the Scottish Highlands had begun to cool. The bright moonlight cast a light frost on the ground. The evening breeze from the Forbidden Forest was chilly, and the Whomping Willow swayed in the wind, shedding its already yellowed leaves.

It is said that when the leaves of the Whomping Willow fall off, it will snow.

There are not many pieces left.

Melvin withdrew his gaze, tightened his collar, and quickened his pace towards the castle.

Walk through the grounds into the foyer.

The lights in the castle corridor were dim, which was in line with the Halloween theme. Mrs. Norris was curled up in the shadow of the corner, licking her fur, her eyes shining faintly. Melvin greeted the security guard, walked along the aisle, and soon arrived at the door of the auditorium.

The banquet is in full swing.

Almost all the staff members in the main guest seats were present, with only two vacancies. Dumbledore was sitting in the middle seat. He noticed the figure outside the door, looked up, smiled at him, and winked.

Snape met his gaze and looked away expressionlessly, wondering about the whereabouts of the other professor.

Melvin glanced at the faces at the Gryffindor table and the guest of honor seat. Professor Quirrell was not there, probably busy dating the troll. The little witch was not there either. It seemed that the candy he gave could not maintain the fragile friendship between the freshmen until today.

"..."

Melvin thought for a moment, smiled back at Dumbledore, and walked along the corridor lined with pumpkin lanterns towards the bathroom.

Bats were flying around on the walls and ceiling, adding to the festive atmosphere. The night breeze was mixed with the sound of flapping wings. No one was seen in the bathroom, but a shadow was seen swaying behind the bushes in the courtyard in the distance.

The open-air courtyard was gloomy, with only the dim moonlight providing a faint light.

A gorse bush, dotted with scattered butterfly-shaped flowers, was bright yellow and smelled faintly of coconut. A little witch sat in the back, her legs crossed and her chin resting on her knees.

It seems like every time I see her she is alone.

Melvin came up behind her: "Miss Granger, what are you doing sitting here?"

"Professor Lewynter?" Hermione stood up in a panic.

Melvin looked down slightly and saw that her eyes and nose were red, but it didn't look like she had been crying, more like it was from the cold wind:
"The Three Broomsticks are having a Halloween special tonight. I just came back from Hogsmeade and was planning to go to the bathroom to wash my hands before the dinner. I saw you sitting here when I passed by. Considering that the average temperature in Scotland is seven degrees Celsius lower than in London, if you continue to sit here in the wind, you will probably catch a cold tomorrow morning. Although a cold is not a serious illness for wizards, I always prefer to look at things from the Muggle perspective. Dizziness and a runny nose are very uncomfortable."

Hermione's mind was a little confused after hearing this. She blinked hard at her eyes that were sore from the wind, and her throat was blocked. "Professor, don't worry about me. I'll be back in a while."

Melvin found a stone bench nearby and sat down. He sighed, feeling a little cold. "Considering that Hogwarts doesn't have a psychological counselor, and I happen to have learned the relevant knowledge, out of my professional ethics as a professor, I can reluctantly tutor you part-time."

Hermione said nothing.

"Tell me about your experience first."

"..."

Hermione sat down beside him. Perhaps the candy from last time worked, and the little witch was willing to confide in this temporary psychological counselor.

She thought for a long time before she began to speak:
"When I first received the acceptance letter, my parents were actually reluctant to let me go to Hogwarts. It was too far from home, and I could only go home during Christmas and summer vacation. When they dropped me off at the platform, my mother was still trying to persuade me. She said I only knew how to study and couldn't get along with others. I said I could learn..."

“My mom told me that I should try to put myself in other people’s shoes, but I tried that and it didn’t seem to work.

"When chanting a mantra, the wrist should swing 15 degrees, and the mantra should be chanted in an ascending tone rather than a descending tone. These are the standard movements that the teacher emphasized. I saw that they forgot them, so I reminded them.

"Ron always fails at casting spells because he uses his brother's old wand. I think he might feel inferior because of this, and outsiders might feel uncomfortable mentioning it, so I try not to mention it. I don't understand why he still says I'm a nightmare."

Miss Granger does have issues with her emotional intelligence. In comparison, Potter, who has been living with his aunt and uncle for a long time, has performed better. Even though he has inherited the Potter family's underground vault, he has never offended others in terms of family background and money.

If you think about it, Potter may appear to be a Gryffindor, but he actually gets along well with everyone.

Except for Malfoy from Slytherin.

Melvin remained noncommittal. "Have you ever considered that this deliberate avoidance is a form of discrimination? Your attempt to avoid it has become a form of emphasis. Every time you correct other students' spells, you emphasize Weasley's wand problem, triggering resistance and anger."

"Then what should I do?"

Hermione was immediately confused: "Is pointing out his wand problem treated equally?"

"You may not realize that your behavior is actually a manifestation of anxiety," Melvin explained. "Ms. Granger, it's been three months since the start of school. I want to ask you, have you adapted to the environment of Hogwarts?"

"I..." Hermione wanted to answer in the affirmative, but she was not very confident.

"As a wizard born into a Muggle family, you grew up in a Muggle world devoid of magic. Your parents are highly educated dentists. You believe in rationality and science, and you think you will go to school like your parents and become a doctor or lawyer. It wasn't until you received the acceptance letter from Hogwarts at the age of eleven that you discovered there are wizards in this world who don't believe in science..."

Melvin paused. "You spent two months reading a large number of relevant books, accumulating a vast knowledge base. Besides your thirst for knowledge and curiosity, you also had the inherent influence of overturning your past and establishing a new self-perception."

Hermione was a little confused, as if she understood, but also as if she didn't quite understand.

“Throughout this process, you've always lived in Muggle society. Aside from shopping at Diagon Alley before school, you've never really known a real wizard. Your self-awareness is incomplete; you know you're a wizard, but you haven't fully mastered magic. Hogwarts can help you learn magic, but there's a risk of expulsion. Your pursuit of perfection and fear of making mistakes exacerbate this anxiety, so you seek validation elsewhere, such as constantly correcting others to demonstrate your magical knowledge and abilities.” “…”

Hermione's eyes were completely blank. This time she was sure she didn't understand anything.

She could only ask questions that she could understand: "Why don't other students have this problem?"

"Essentially, your actions stem from the anxiety and insecurity of being in an unfamiliar environment and unable to connect with those around you," Melvin asked. "Do you think other students have perfectionist tendencies, are afraid of making mistakes, and are anxious about being expelled?"

Hermione thought of her friends, who were late for the first class, did their homework carelessly, and would rather break school rules than not duel at midnight... She shook her head.

“Do other students have advanced knowledge reserves to correct others?”

"..."

"The most important point is that their self-awareness and sense of belonging to a group are not based on their wizarding identity, but on the connections with their companions and small groups."

"Then what should I do?"

"Don't try to correct and educate your friends; that's the professor's job. Just be a normal freshman, study hard in class, and play in your spare time."

Hermione stared at the moonlight on the ground, thinking for a long time, and slowly came to her senses. Only then did she realize that there was a thin layer of bubbles covering all around her. The cool evening breeze was isolated outside, but it did not affect her breathing. She didn't know what kind of magic it was.

"Thank you, Professor Lewinter."

"Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

"A little more," Hermione said truthfully.

"If you want to cry, just cry. It's best to cry until your nose and tears flow together. Crying loudly can quickly relieve depression."

Hermione: "..."

She didn't cry just now, and she won't cry now.

Melvin observed her expression and felt that it was unlikely that she would cry, which made him feel a little sorry.

There weren't many opportunities to observe this Gryffindor witch weeping bitterly up close, not to mention that she would be growing up very quickly. If it could be recorded in memory and put into the memory mirror that Wright had just made, the image would definitely be very clear.

Keep it for a few decades, and when she becomes Minister of Magic, she will broadcast it publicly. It will definitely be on the front page of wizarding newspapers.

The courtyard was quiet on a late autumn night, and a professor and a student were in different moods.

Melvin wanted to persuade them again, but suddenly turned his head to look towards the auditorium. He heard the screams of students inside, followed by the loud voice of Dumbledore with magic.

"Prefect, take the students from each house to their dormitories immediately!"

Hermione wasn't sure what was going on and looked in the direction of the sound.

The door of the auditorium was pushed open, and several prefects from different colleges led the first-year students out. Students from other grades followed closely behind, forming neat lines and walking towards the lounges of their respective colleges, with hurried steps and solemn expressions.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, maybe a troll broke into the school."

"How can it be."

Hermione felt that Professor Lewynter was always talking nonsense and was not as steady as Professor McGonagall. She continued to observe the crowd and saw Harry and Ron huddled together in the distance, whispering a few words to each other, then sneaking away from the main group and walking towards the other end of the corridor.

"What are Harry and Ron doing?
“Why don’t they go back to the dormitory with everyone?

"Why is Professor Snape going that way too?"

Hermione frowned and asked three questions in a row.

"..."

Melvin glanced around and quickly noticed the sleek-haired Snape. He watched him walk straight towards the fourth-floor corridor. "My guess, just a guess, is that there might have been an emergency at school, like a troll breaking in. They're worried about you being outside alone, so they want to go and inform you."

"Why don't they go to the professor?" Hermione continued to ask.

"That's a good question, but they are now alone and could encounter an accident at any time. To prevent your friends from falling into danger, you should take your wand and reunite with them."

"Why don't I go to the professor?"

"Good question. I suggest you hurry up. I saw Dumbledore and the professors going upstairs."

"..."

Hermione looked up at Melvin and walked forward, tugging at the Muggle Studies professor's clothes.

(End of this chapter)