Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 7 Knockturn Alley
Charing Cross Road is located in the center of London, between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square. There are dozens of bookstores scattered along the street. The most prosperous of them is Foyles flagship bookstore, which is diagonally opposite 84 Charing Cross Road.

Melvin looked up at the bright red banner, then looked away and walked in.

It is called a bookstore, but it is actually more like a commercial center, with 5 floors and an area of ​​more than 3 square feet. It is said that it sells more than 20 kinds of books, and all the bookshelves are connected to run through the entire street.

There's a dedicated section for Shakespeare's works, two walls of Beethoven's music, and vinyl records displayed alongside. There's also a variety of gift items and stationery...

There is a coffee shop on the second floor, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance.

The sunlight pours in through the glass curtain wall, and with the warm carpet and carefully arranged decorations, it seems somewhat cozy. The floor is covered with thick carpets, as if worried that the footsteps will disturb readers who are reading, such as the hunchbacked little witch sitting by the window.

The nearly two-hundred-year-old witch looked extremely old, with a hunched back and wrinkles on her face as fine as spider webs, but her hair was combed meticulously and she lowered her head to read a book.

When you get older, studying becomes a very difficult thing.

Faced with a completely new system of knowledge, the experience accumulated over many years is not only useless, but sometimes even becomes a difficult obstacle.

When my eyes scan those unfamiliar words and sentences, I always have to read them silently in my mind several times before I can understand the meaning. Understanding the meaning is not enough, I must also abandon my wizarding thinking and think from a Muggle perspective several times to gain new knowledge.

Land masses separated by vast oceans can merge into one another, and the land beneath our feet is constantly moving...

The lightning that streaked across the sky was nothing like the lightning used by Muggles...

The old witch had to completely abandon the magic she had learned in the first half of her life in order to get a glimpse of a corner of scientific knowledge, but even this tiny corner still made the nearly two-hundred-year-old witch as happy as a child. Occasionally, when she saw the exciting parts, her cloudy eyes would emit bright light.

Melvin came over and stepped a little harder. His hard-soled leather shoes made a slight but obvious sound, and a transparent spell spread out.

"clatter."

Griselda Marchbank, who was reading intently, raised her head, her fine wrinkles smoothed out, and she smiled gently, "Professor Lewynter."

Melvin glanced at the title of the book. It was the textbook he had recently chosen, the DK Children's Encyclopedia.

"Sorry, breakfast will be delayed for ten minutes while we wait for the freshly baked bread."

Melvin sat down opposite him and spoke louder than usual so that even the hard-of-hearing old wizard could hear him clearly. However, the sound only lingered a few feet around him and could not spread. "Also, you can call me by my name, ma'am."

"You really do look like Dumbledore as a young man."

Ms. Marchbanks noticed the magical barrier around her and chuckled, but didn't say where the similarities lay.

She closed the book casually. "The book you recommended is very good. People at the Examination Authority are reading it. I have to say, it's very comprehensive, just like its name - an encyclopedia. I have to admit that the knowledge these Muggle children read is something that most adult wizards will never know in their lifetime. This knowledge not only helps us to correctly understand Muggles, but also helps us to correctly understand the world."

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

Melvin said slowly, "Natural science is the Muggles' magic wand. In my opinion, since science dispelled ignorance, their success in the past two hundred years has surpassed that of the previous millennia. Unprecedented changes are approaching. Wizards can no longer live their lives in seclusion as they did in the past. They must correctly understand the relationship between the wizarding world and the rest of the world and explore entirely new paths."

"Unfortunately, science can't dispel the ignorance and stubbornness of wizards." Marchbanks sighed, his bony fingers stroking the book covers. "When the Ministry learned you were going to use Muggle books as teaching materials, they started making a fuss again. Those pure-bloods just couldn't settle down, and they were clamoring to call the Wizengamot to re-determine the situation."

“New things are always accompanied by controversy.”

"We old guys don't have the energy to mess with them."

Marchbanks shook his head, shoved his trembling right hand into his shirt pocket, and pulled out a letter of appointment that far exceeded the size of his pocket. "Tofty—the old man who sat next to me that day, he's the Deputy Director of the Administration—he and I have discussed it and decided to hire you as a special advisor to the Examinations Authority, specifically responsible for the reform of Muggle Studies."

"..."

Melvin paused for a moment and asked, "How is the salary calculated?"

Marchbanks was speechless. He looked up at him, his slightly hoarse voice echoing within a few inches of space. "No salary, only obligations. You will need to record your teaching content, write detailed lesson plans, and record student feedback. However, the knowledge points you record will become the examination points for Muggle Studies. For decades or even centuries to come, your lesson plans will serve as the teaching guidelines... In short, the standards for this subject will be set by you."

“A thankless chore.”

"Is such that."

"But I want to try."

This job is not as bad as Marchban said. No salary does not mean no compensation.

And for Melvin, the job paid well.

Since its establishment in the 15th century, the Wizarding Examinations Authority has developed over the years and has now grown into a professional organization with huge resources.

The Administration has multiple functional departments responsible for all work related to exams in the wizarding world, including qualification review, independent question setting, and exam supervision... An institution that can set standards and judge and review other wizards has accumulated influence that has continued to expand over the past five hundred years.

This influence is exactly what Melvin needs.

For the next few hours, the two discussed the detailed teaching plan, and it was not until the sun set that Melvin said goodbye.

……

The bookstore is also open in the evening.

Mrs. Marchbank did not leave, but sat by the window in the cafe with the encyclopedia spread out in front of her. She looked at the street below with a gentle expression, as if she was enjoying the scenery.

According to the Administration's system, wizards appointed as special consultants are all retired professors. The last consultant who broke the age record was fifty years old when he joined the company.

This special hiring was secretly promoted by Dumbledore, and it was also because these old guys were looking for change.

Generally speaking, special advisors don't have the authority to set teaching standards. Instead, expert panels are formed, which constantly add, delete, and revise them, often dragging out negotiations for decades before reaching a conclusion. The revision of Muggle Studies curriculum began ten years ago, influenced in part by the Wizarding War and the events surrounding You-Know-Who.

Compared with this encyclopedia, the hundreds of thousands of words of content compiled by this group of old scholars were all swept into the trash can.

The old witch's eyes reflected the passing traffic, the soft street lights on both sides of the road, and the figure with light footsteps on the side of the road.

So young.

……

I wrote and talked with Ms. Marchbanks, answered questions from the Wizarding Authority, adapted to the living environment in London, the accent and the strange slang of the wizards, and investigated the prospects for artistic development... It was the end of July when I came to Diagon Alley again.

At this time, the streets are crowded with students and parents who are doing their shopping for the start of the school term.

Melvin was standing at the door of the stationery store. He needed to buy some developing solution.

This potion can make the portraits in the photos move, and convert the pictures into videos with only images but no sound. The length and frame rate fluctuate according to the quality of the potion. Poor quality will result in two or three seconds of mosaic, while good quality will only result in half a minute of standard definition.

The ingredients for preparing the potion aren't scarce, and the steps aren't complicated, but it's time-consuming and labor-intensive, so it doesn't fetch a high price. Skilled potion makers won't waste their time on this, so the quality of developing potions on the market is generally poor, and Melvin can only try his luck here.

"Welcome to the Transformation Ink Stationery Shop, what can I do for you, sir?"

"Do you have developing potion?"

"Of course sir!"

The clerk's eyes lit up when he heard about the developing potion. Who among ordinary wizards would be interested in photography? He quickly pulled out a few bottles of stock. "This one takes two seconds, and it's only 19 knuts per pint. This one takes four seconds, and it's only 1 Sickle and 17 knuts per pint. This one takes 10 seconds, and it's 3 Sickles and 7 knuts per pint!"

"..."

The prices are rounded up or down.

Melvin's eye twitched.

The goblins at Gringotts must have been drunk to come up with such a distorted exchange rate.

"Sir, which one do you need?"

Melvin rubbed his brows and asked, "Is there a longer development time?"

"We need something longer." The clerk showed a surprised expression. "Sir, you should be familiar with the characteristics of developing chemicals. I must explain in advance that the longer the developing time exceeds 10 seconds, the more expensive it is. And the price doubles with each additional second."

"Let me see it first."

Melvin spoke with a lack of confidence. He did a rough calculation. A movie is 90 minutes long. Even if he calculated it carefully and didn't need to edit at all, according to the clerk's calculation method...

While he was calculating how many Diagon Alleys 3 Sickles and 7 Knuts multiplied by 2 to the power of 5400 would buy, the clerk had already taken out the store's highest quality developing potion.

"Handmade by the potion master Damocles Belby, it takes 23 seconds to develop and costs 1600 Galleons." The clerk's smile was particularly friendly.

"..."

Melvin was somewhat touched.

He also gave me zero.

After looking at the clerk in silence for a few seconds, Melvin finally bought a few pints of cheap ones. As for the bottle of potion master Belby's work, it was the store's treasure after all, and Melvin thought it should remain in the store.

"I want to make a two-hour development. Any suggestions?"

The clerk knew that the potion was a difficult sell, so he wasn't too disappointed. "Sir, you're talking about the Muggle videos, right?"

"You actually know?"

"I'm a half-blood wizard, my mother is a Muggle."

The clerk quickly put the potion away and turned around with a smile. "I suggest you use a Muggle camera to record it. It has all the necessary equipment, is cheaper, and will produce clearer results."

Melvin shook his head: "Cameras and projections all require electricity..."

Power generation, transmission, and consumption form an entire industrial system.

By the time the wizarding world gets electricity, wizards and Muggles alike should have entered a new era, which will take at least a decade.

Seeing him frowning, the clerk turned around and looked around. He lowered his voice and said, "If you really need anything, you can go to Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley next door."

"Dark wizards have all electrified Knockturn Alley?" Melvin was very surprised.

"Even if the Ministry of Magic agrees, those pure-bloods won't agree." The clerk showed a speechless expression. "I mean, there might be a modified camera next door."

"..."

Melvin left thoughtfully.

Magically transforming Muggle items, an existence that walks the edge of the Statute of Secrecy.

It falls under the jurisdiction of the Misuse of Magic Office, a branch of the Department of Law Enforcement. Under it is the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, which was once a liberal-minded department that had transformed a number of technological creations, including cars, elevators, and landline telephones...

Since Umbridge took over, the school has become closed and conservative, and has cracked down on related behaviors.

Melvin walked out of the Changing Ink Stationery Store, went into the alley next to it, and walked into the street in a few minutes.

Before the Statute of Secrecy was introduced, wizards' shops were opened in Muggle markets. Wizards did magical business in the shops, and Muggles did ordinary business in the shops. At that time, Diagon Alley was not called Diagon Alley.

London, Britain's most prosperous city, boasts a street nestled in the heart of the city, attracting wizards from across the nation. Solitary wizards occasionally come here to purchase magical materials, while clusters of wizards gather here to buy essentials. If a potion maker brews a rare potion to sell, finding buyers in those days of limited information access is difficult, so selling it to a potion shop here is the best option.

Sometimes Muggle merchants would sell grain, oil, and salt in exchange for exquisitely crafted handicrafts. To Muggles with poor skills, everything here was a precious work of art.

After all, it was made by Transfiguration.

Occasionally, you can even find legendary treasures, such as a sickle that can automatically harvest wheat, or a potion that can cure all diseases...

The transportation is convenient, the information is well-informed, and the cargo channels are stable. Muggle merchants do not have to pay taxes when doing business here, and wizards can exchange Transfiguration products for gold and gems. As the caravans and wizards spread the word, the fame of this place is growing.

At that time, the British royal family was still recruiting court wizards, and the Ministry of Magic and the royal family had a tacit understanding. With such tacit consent, a well-known wizard trading market was born in the center of London.

Many pure-blood families, including the Malfoy family, accumulated astonishing wealth, acquired land, and built up their foundations during that period.

Until the secrecy law was introduced.

In just three hundred years, everything changed. Muggle shops and wizard shops were completely separated. Wizards who once did business with Muggles became pure-blood families who despised Muggles. The prosperous downtown area was disbanded and split into two alleys.

Diagon Alley has wide and open roads and is supervised by the Ministry of Magic. Aurors patrol it regularly to ensure the personal and property safety of customers and merchants. All goods are legal and compliant, and there are no Muggle-related items.

Knockturn Alley was legal and compliant at the beginning, but the roads here were rugged, alleys were intertwined with alleys, corners were connected to corners, the environment was complex and the vision was narrow. Not to mention the safety of merchants and customers, even Aurors could not guarantee their own safety when they were alone. Gradually, the Ministry of Magic ignored this place.

Without strict rules and restrictions, wild growth will always give rise to some strange things.

Borgin and Burke's is such a place. Although it is a place that buys and sells dark magic items, it has won praise from a number of dark wizards because of its own reputation. It has gradually gained fame and become an enduring sign in Knockturn Alley.

(End of this chapter)