Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 47 Tavern Match with Football (Part 2)

The game ended and the students gradually dispersed.

Although there are no regulations regarding image rights in the magic world, Melvin felt that he still needed to seek the opinions of the players from both sides, so he found the two deans to explain the situation and suggested that they go together to communicate with the students.

Snape didn't want to pay attention, so he said a few words and let Melvin go find the players himself. He hurried back to the office to deal with the burnt hem of his robe.

This is the situation.

When Professor McGonagall brought Melvin to find the players, both teams were sorting out their robes in the locker room. The atmosphere on the Gryffindor side was lively, and they were laughing and playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would stay and return the broom.

Slytherin's performance was even worse. Captain Marcus Flint had simply assigned the unlucky Seeker to do odd jobs, blaming him for losing the Golden Snitch to Potter, which had contributed to the team's loss. This was standard Slytherin House procedure, and the other players had no objections.

Gathering the players from both teams in the locker room, Melvin explained his purpose and suggested that the image might appear in the tavern:
"...I'm not sure exactly how much profit it can generate, but it will allow more wizards to see your performance. If you want to continue your Quidditch career after graduation, it should be of some help to you."

After hearing Professor Lewinter's words, the players fell into deep thought.

When the unfortunate Slytherin Seeker heard that the proceeds would be used to replace the team's brooms, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he saw hope:
"Professor Lewynter, when can we get our new brooms?"

Melvin looked at the green robes of the Serpents' House and paused for a moment. "Although the specific benefits are still uncertain, I can assure you that the entire Slytherin team will be able to use Nimbus 2000 next year."

Guaranteed by the Malfoy family's wealth.

The Slytherin players were delighted to hear this. They would have new brooms next year, and by then, they would be able to crush Gryffindor and Harry Potter alike. As they envisioned defeating the other houses again next year, even the frustration of today's loss faded.

Led by Captain Flint, the authorization of event images was quickly agreed.

Things are also going well for Gryffindor. Captain Oliver Wood will graduate next year and plans to become a professional Quidditch player. The spread of event footage will expand his popularity and influence, making it easier for him to select more teams.

When the other players heard that the headmaster and their dean had agreed, they all expressed their trust in Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall and supported Professor Lewinter's plan.

The only exceptions were George and Fred. They huddled together and whispered, "Professor, professor, can't you give us the proceeds directly instead of using them to buy brooms?"

Professor McGonagall knew what they were thinking at a glance: "In principle, the profits generated by the team should be used for the team, but if you insist, you can give it to your parents."

"let it go."

"You'd better use it to buy a broom."

"..."

Professor McGonagall was in a good mood today. She didn't scold the twins. She watched the players agree to the authorization one by one. Suddenly, she realized that the number was wrong: "Isn't Potter here? Where did he go?"

"He and his friends are visiting Hagrid."

……

"I saw Snape with my own eyes casting a spell on Harry's broom, his eyes fixed on Harry."

"On Halloween night, he broke into the corridor on the fourth floor and was bitten on the leg by a three-headed dog. I discovered his secret, so he wanted to murder me."

"That three-headed dog is called Fluffy?"

"You bought it from the Greek! What is it guarding?"

"Who is Nicolas Flamel?"

"..."

Melvin stood outside the simple wooden house, listening to the sounds in the room, and couldn't help falling into thought.

In just a few words, the three first-year students extracted information from the gamekeeper. Did Hagrid do it on purpose or by accident?
There's no way to know what Hagrid was thinking, but Dumbledore must have arranged for Hagrid to do this on purpose.

Several thoughts flashed through Melvin's mind. He reached out and knocked on the door of the cabin. He smiled at the little witch who opened the door and stuck her head out: "I have something to discuss with Potter..."

They hurriedly welcomed the professor of the elective course in. Needless to say, Hermione felt like she was already friends with Professor Lewynter. Harry and Ron were grateful to the professor because of the Halloween troll incident.

As the school's gamekeeper, Hagrid knew the new elective professor, but he wasn't familiar with her. He'd just nod and say hello when they passed each other on the street. In his eyes, the professor always had a gentle smile, dressed elegantly, and was able to get along well with everyone around him...

For some reason, Hagrid had no liking for this kind of person and didn't even want to socialize with him. But at this moment, he welcomed Melvin's arrival because Harry had just been questioning him about Nicolas Flamel.

Melvin pretended not to hear anything, sat down and took the hot tea made by the half-blood giant. While looking at the cabin and its owner, he repeated what he had just said to the players.

This wizard, who has giant blood flowing in his body, is 8 feet 6 inches tall and has a sturdy and strong build. As a classmate of Voldemort, he is 63 years old this year, but his body shows no signs of aging. His hair is black and thick, his voice is deep and powerful, and he is more energetic than many young and middle-aged wizards.

This wooden house looks dirty and simple, but the materials used are extremely solid. The floor is covered with ash and Scots pine, the walls are made of teak and yew, and the beams and ceiling are made of camphor wood and beech. Judging from the tree grain, they are at least hundreds of years old, strong and durable, and naturally insect-resistant.

Various rare and expensive furs of magical animals are hung on the walls.

All in all, the gamekeeper's net worth even exceeded that of many professors in the school.

"...Captain Wood said you were here, so I came looking for you." Melvin handed Harry the contract he had drafted last night. "Strictly speaking, the Ministry of Magic hasn't yet passed a law on this, and Muggle law doesn't apply to wizards. But as a Muggle Studies professor, I still think a contract would be more formal."

Harry had only seen Uncle Vernon sign a contract before, and he never thought he would be able to sign a contract himself. Although the professor said it had no legal effect, he felt a sense of being taken seriously and treated equally, and he felt very wonderful.

He flipped through it briefly and nodded thoughtfully.

Hmm, I don’t understand.

Out of trust in the headmaster and professors, Harry had already agreed to this plan in his heart.

While he was looking at the contract, Hermione pulled out a piece of three-no chocolate produced by a certain workshop from her pocket. "Professor Lewynter, this is the chocolate you gave me last time. Can you tell me if it's still edible? There's no production information on it, so I'm not sure how long it's good for."

"..."

Melvin stared at the candy wrapper with Honeydukes printed on it for a while and felt that Granger was a perfect candidate to be the Minister of Magic. It had only been three months since he started school, and the candy store that the Flumes had run peacefully for decades had become an illegal workshop producing three-no products.

"I don't know the shelf life of the magic candy. To be on the safe side, don't eat it. I have some fresh ones here." Melvin took out another handful of candy from his pocket, scattered it on the wooden table and distributed it to them.

The little wizard happily enjoyed the candy given by the professor. Hagrid also threw a few toffees into his mouth. He struggled to separate his teeth that were stuck together and felt the sweetness in his mouth. His impression of the professor changed.

There was a sweet smell in the air all of a sudden. The hound Yaya in the corner sniffed, wagging its short tail quickly, and came over with a laugh.

The Neapolitan Mastiff wasn't shy at all. It grinned and nuzzled Melvin a few times, burying its head in his chest while peeking at the candy on the table, its tail swishing loudly. "You can't eat this."

Melvin picked out the chocolate candies, opened a few milk candies and gave them to the dog, stroking its head twice. "Theobromine and caffeine are poison to you."

Hermione, now particularly sensitive to canines, immediately looked up: "Can't dogs eat chocolate?"

Melvin nodded. "A dog's liver lacks the enzymes to digest and break down chocolate. Theobromine and caffeine can't be metabolized quickly enough, leading to toxins accumulating in the body and causing a poisoning reaction."

Harry asked quickly, "Where's the three-headed dog?"

"Huh? Hmm!"

Hagrid opened his eyes wide and wanted to interrupt, but his teeth were stuck with toffee and he could only watch.

"The three-headed dog's digestive ability is stronger than that of humans. Moreover, it is a magical animal with magic in its body. Its body is large enough that the toxins will be excreted before they can accumulate." Melvin looked at Hagrid who was anxiously standing beside him, and said with a smile, "But who knew that such an animal's weakness would be--"

"professor!"

Hagrid finally freed himself from the toffee's grip and mumbled, "Aren't you going to the Three Broomsticks yet? Better go early. It's Saturday and the pub will be busy this afternoon."

"Well...you're right. I'll be leaving now."

"Let's have a drink together sometime. How about the Hog's Head? The atmosphere there is better."

"It's a deal, Hagrid."

"goodbye!"

Seeing Hagrid send Melvin out the door, Harry and Hermione were so angry that they wanted to stuff his mouth with toffee again.

……

Hogsmeade.

at dusk.

The sky had darkened, and the clouds and fog in the sky were dyed the color of a curtain. The street lights on the ground lit up one after another. The shops on both sides of the street were basically closed, and only a few shops open at night lit up the oil lamps.

After dinner, the middle-aged wizard Taklot asked his wife for the task of buying oil and salt, then strolled out of the house and headed towards the Three Broomsticks, looking at the familiar village as he walked.

Hogsmeade is located in the Scottish Highlands, where the temperature is lower than in London. The nearby mountains are rolling, and the temperature difference between the upper and lower parts is large. There is always wind at night, whistling through the streets and making it very cold.

Taking a leisurely stroll, he watched other middle-aged wizards emerge from the alleys one after another, glance at each other, joke and curse at each other, and felt particularly happy.

Tuckerlot is a Hogwarts graduate and was once a popular figure in the school. When he was in school, he served as Slytherin prefect and Quidditch captain, and led the college and the team to win two house cups.

After graduation, Taklot failed to enter the professional arena and became an ordinary wizard. He inherited some business from his family, but it was not as glorious as the pure-blooded saints. He just purchased hinkypunk from Africa, made a durable and beautiful lamp, and resold it to some wealthy wizards.

The business passed down from generation to generation is not a great fortune, but there is some savings, which is enough to take care of the family's food and daily life and live a happy and stable life.

Tuckerot's biggest hobby is Quidditch. His past regrets have been relieved as he grows older. Now he just loves to watch the game. He takes his whole family to watch the Quidditch World Cup every four years.

Tuckerot is what fans call a championship fan. He supports whoever wins the championship. Before last year's final, he supported the Scottish national team, which had a higher chance of winning. After the game, he became a die-hard fan of the Canadian national team.

Advocate honor and respect the strong.

Tucrot felt that there was nothing wrong with his ideas. Until the next Quidditch World Cup, he would be a loyal fan of the Canadian national team and enjoy the glory of the winner at the Three Broomsticks as a fan.

That's what Slytherin is like.

But this plan was thwarted when he met that guy Malcolm.

Malcolm was the same age as him and had been the Quidditch captain of Gryffindor. They had won and lost against each other in school and had never gotten along well. After graduation, they became neighbors and their relationship eased a little.

That guy was a big fan of the Scottish national team; they'd gotten along quite well before the last match. After the match, he stubbornly maintained that the Scottish team was stronger, and it was only because Lamont had a shorter finger that they'd missed out on the championship.

The two started arguing about this.

Gryffindors are all stubborn!
I must defeat him tonight!
With unwavering faith, Tucrot pushed open the door of the Three Broomsticks, and sure enough, Malcolm was already there, sitting in his old seat at the counter.

Taklot walked over and sat down next to him. Instead of drinking butterbeer as usual, he ordered a glass of mead. He looked down and saw that there was also mead next to him, and sneered in his heart.

"Don't you stick to your own way? Why didn't you order butterbeer and followed the trend instead of mead?"

"It's hard to explain to a Slytherin like you whose brain stem is clogged with maggots from dragon dung."

"!!"

The battle was about to break out, and the tavern was suddenly filled with vulgar curses and greetings.

The onlookers listened with laughter. It was so much fun. They could learn gossip about the players and learn the lost wizard slang. They looked forward to this lively atmosphere every weekend.

Ms. Rosmerta wiped the wine utensils silently, as if she was used to it. When most of the weekend drinkers had gathered, she put the silver wine ladle into the wooden barrel, stood up and walked into the inner room.

The drinkers were concentrating on the quarrel between the two football fans, occasionally adding fuel to the fire. Only a few customers noticed the female boss's actions and saw her bring out a huge transparent silver mirror from behind.

The attention of some drinkers was attracted.

Taklot and Malcolm, who were concentrating on arguing, found that the surroundings had become quiet at some point. There were fewer people fanning the flames, and their interest in quarreling had also diminished. Their quarreling was no longer smooth and they were a little stumbling.

But the two of them still insisted on describing the dragon shit in each other's heads until they heard a young and loud voice:

"Welcome to this season's Quidditch game at Hogwarts!"

Taklot and Malcolm turned their heads and saw the vivid picture on the silver mirror. Their eyes suddenly widened and they stared at the strange yet familiar stadium without blinking.

"Today's matchup is between Slytherin and Gryffindor!"

The noise exploded in the pub.

(End of this chapter)