A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Let's go back an hour.

Snape strode into the headmaster's office, his face tense, but it was easy to see that he was very annoyed.

"Headmaster! Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore looked up from the table. "Ah, Severus, what is it?"

Snape stood in front of him, but instead of sitting down, he kicked aside the chair that was in his way. With the table between them, he angrily demanded, "You hired Felix Heap to teach at the school? What were you thinking?!"

Dumbledore put down the book in his hand. "Severus, I don't see any problem. Mr. Hyp is outstanding. His talent is recognized throughout the wizarding world, including mine, of course."

Snape said impatiently, "I didn't say he wasn't capable! I taught him, I know what kind of person he is."

"Indeed, you once described him as 'a model Slytherin'—a very high compliment," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Snape's face darkened. "I wasn't praising him," he said—it was sarcasm.

Dumbledore nodded. "We all know Mr. Hyp to some extent, and I know what you're worried about. Since he's going to teach at Hogwarts, this is a matter worth our time. Let's sit down and talk about it." He waved his hand, bringing the chair back.

Snape sat down stiffly, as if he were sitting on a fire-breathing dragon instead of a cushion.

"Pumpkin juice? Tea? Or a butterbeer?" Dumbledore asked, and with each word he uttered, a cup appeared out of thin air.

"I don't need it," Snape said bluntly.

"Here'll have a cup of tea; Mr. Hyp likes it very much." Dumbledore placed a cup of tea in front of Snape.

However, judging from Snape's appearance, it seems he swallowed a fly.

Dumbledore said gently, "Let's talk this over. I also had some misunderstandings about Mr. Hyp in the past, but as he grew older, my opinion of him changed. Until recently, I had an in-depth conversation with him, and I finally made up my mind to hire him."

"I think you're getting senile," Snape said sarcastically.

"Although I'm getting older, I've become increasingly clear-headed over the years. Aren't we always more prone to making mistakes when we're young?"

Snape snorted, then said, "Felix is ​​no good. He takes advantage of his strength and does whatever he wants at school, causing so much trouble!"

"Do you know how I got through those years? Because of him, I got to know almost half of the pure-blood families in Britain!"

"I receive complaint letters from them almost every day!"

Dumbledore seemed to chuckle, but he quickly covered his mouth and took a large gulp of pumpkin juice. He agreed, "Indeed, Mr. Hyp was obsessed with power in his early years, but we all know there's a reason for that, isn't there?"

Snape pursed his lips and remained silent.

He knew, of course, that Felix was in a bad situation, even worse than he had been back then, at least his enemies weren't from his own academy.

Dumbledore said calmly, "Minerva once complained to me that the Sorting Hat doesn't accurately place students into the appropriate houses, and she's always thought Mr. Hyp should go to Gryffindor. What do you think?"

"That kid is a typical Slytherin," Snape said in the same sarcastic tone he used back then.

"I agree with that." Dumbledore nodded. "Mr. Hyp... he is a brilliant wizard, exceptionally brilliant, one of the most gifted I have ever seen in my life. I have seen very clearly that he has always pursued power, even though he has rarely shown it since his fifth year, he has never stopped his pursuit of power."

"This was true even after graduation, which was my biggest worry at the time."

Snape listened quietly. He did not deny Dumbledore's wisdom; the old man's experiences were legendary. He intended to hear first what had made him change his mind.

"He applied to stay at the university after graduation. To be honest, he was more than capable, and in the field of magic alone, he was even better than I was back then. But I still refused, not only because he was too young, but also because of the ambition he couldn't hide in his eyes. I was afraid he would go astray."

"Fortunately, he took my advice. After his first year of travel, he settled in the Muggle world and began to study Muggles. It was during this time that we began to exchange letters."

Snape listened quietly, surprised by their shared history. After all, when he learned Felix had become a Muggle studies expert, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!

"Maybe he's faking it," Snape retorted reluctantly.

"No, no, Severus," Dumbledore retorted, "I can read people's minds. That's one of the advantages of living a long life. Even without magic, I can know what most people are thinking."

"From the time he enrolled until now, he has not shown any discrimination against Muggles. On the contrary, he has a very deep understanding of the Muggle world, which is clearly evidenced in his books. He does not think that wizards are superior. On the contrary, he is constantly drawing wisdom from the Muggle world."

Snape retorted, "I didn't say he was prejudiced against Muggles, Dumbledore! But his thoughts are equally dangerous. Do you know what he said in his book, *How Muggles Think*?"

He recited a passage rapidly, as if reciting from a memorized text: "The theory of bloodlines is also prevalent in the Muggle world, but unlike the magical world, more and more Muggle nations are abandoning this theory, thanks to their production efficiency being hundreds or even thousands of times higher than before. Abundant resources have laid a solid foundation for their promotion of education, while those commoners who do not possess superior bloodlines have shown an extremely exaggerated potential, making the development speed of the Muggle world like riding a flying broom."

Seeing Dumbledore about to interrupt, Snape ignored him and continued reciting: "In the Muggle world, if the proportion of nobles is one, then the proportion of commoners exceeds ten thousand. And when the rulers liberate the commoners, their development efficiency overwhelms all obstacles with unstoppable force!"

The entire principal's office fell silent.

Even the portrait of the headmaster, who was listening in from the side, gaped open. These words, which seemed to not mention the magical world but were simply an introduction and analysis of the development of the Muggle world, were actually full of allusions to the current magical world.

One of the portraits, filled with righteous indignation, shouts: "This is betrayal! A betrayal of pure-blood honor!"

The other portraits also started chattering.

Snape glanced at the portrait and scoffed, "Headmaster Black, that kid isn't pureblood!"