A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

10:00 AM on July 21st.

Felix, dressed formally, stood in the fireplace, sprinkled a handful of Floo Powder, and called out "Hogwarts Vice-Headmaster's Office." After a burst of green flame, he disappeared.

In the office of the Vice-Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall was solemnly organizing school documents.

The Transfiguration professor, known for her strictness and always expressionless, was in a good mood at this moment. Gryffindor had won the long-awaited House Cup last academic year, keeping the Headmaster in a good mood.

"Boom!"

A cluster of eerie green light flickered in the fireplace, and a young, polite man strode out.

Felix looked around at his surroundings; nothing had changed. It had been a long time! He smiled warmly at McGonagall: "Professor McGonagall, hello, it's been a long time."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, a sign that her mood was rapidly souring, or that she was switching to work mode. "Long time no see, Felix."

Professor McGonagall had also taught him; she was one of his professors. Her feelings towards this renowned student were complex, though certainly not the same as Professor Snape's.

Before the long-awaited Academy Cup, Gryffindor suffered a painful seven-game losing streak, and this experience was largely due to Felix.

Aside from the first three years, Felix's learning environment was so harsh that he had to fight back, resulting in a significant loss of points. In the following years, after forcibly befriending the snakes, he seemed to finally realize that he was a Slytherin student and should fight for the honor of the house.

The following years can be summed up in one sentence: "Glory to Slytherin."

……

Felix stepped forward, glanced at his pocket watch, and said, "I hope I haven't missed the interview."

Professor McGonagall, interrupted from her reverie, stood up and led him to the principal's office. "Chocolate Frog," she chanted, escorting Felix inside. Before leaving, she said, "Your book is very good. It seems you've had a very fulfilling three years."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall." He paused for a moment, then smiled and stepped onto the stairs.

Three years after graduation, he hadn't wasted his time. Especially after his first job search failed, he reflected repeatedly and wondered if his student life had been too intense. So he took Dumbledore's advice and "traveled around and saw more of the world."

He spent a year traveling through the wizarding world, and the remaining two years working in the Muggle world, well, researching Muggles.

The results are remarkable: three books in three years, two on Muggle studies and one on ancient magical script.

They also accumulated a considerable fortune.

After walking up the long steps, Felix entered the headmaster's office, which was filled with all kinds of books and alchemical artifacts, and the walls were adorned with portraits of the Hogwarts headmasters throughout the ages.

On one side of the principal's desk, a phoenix rests with its eyes closed.

Dumbledore was engrossed in studying something at his desk, and the entire office was very quiet.

"Good morning, Headmaster Dumbledore," Felix greeted him. His voice instantly enlivened the room.

The portraits of the principals opened their eyes, looked at Felix, pointed, and whispered among themselves.

One of the portraits is extremely exaggerated: "Ha! The finest Slytherin has arrived!"

The man in the portrait has a goatee, long, thin eyebrows, and wears a Slytherin robe. He is Phineas Black, the most unpopular headmaster of Hogwarts, who was also from Slytherin.

Felix gave a graceful bow.

At this moment, Headmaster Dumbledore finally raised his head. He had an unusual appearance, with a long, silvery-white beard that trailed down to his chest; his robes were not neatly worn, and he wore a pair of crescent-shaped spectacles.

But none of these compare to his eyes, which are incredibly bright, with azure pupils that seem to sparkle.

Felix was somewhat dazed. Time hadn't left many marks on the principal, yet it seemed to have left too many marks.

"Ah, ah! It's Felix," Dumbledore stood up and strode over with a brisk pace. "I've been waiting for you."

Felix shook hands with the principal somewhat awkwardly, after all, he had come to apply for a job and had been rejected three times.

The two sat down in chairs. Dumbledore looked at him through his thin glasses and waved his wand. "What would you like to drink? Pumpkin juice? Tea?" He then winked. "I also have some fresh butterbeer."

"A cup of tea, please."

Dumbledore waved his wand, and a steaming cup of tea floated to him. Felix took a small sip. A bitter taste filled his nostrils—it was stale tea. It seemed the headmaster didn't drink tea often.

"The tea that Sybil gave me, although I personally cannot tell the difference between good and bad, she said it came from the far East."

fraud!

Felix thought to himself, "At least one of you is a liar."

After having tea, the conversation began to get down to business.

"Felix, you've done an excellent job these past few years. I've been reading your work, and I must say, your research on Muggles is very novel and insightful... It has given this old man a lot of ideas."

Felix smiled. "Thanks to your advice, the Muggle world is amazing, especially in recent decades; they've developed so rapidly. As for my writings... perhaps it's because I'm also a Muggle, so I have a better understanding of them."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Your background cannot erase your efforts. There are many people in the wizarding world who are Muggle-born, but they are not particularly good at Muggle studies. At most, they have a deeper understanding of some common sense, but that is far from being called understanding."

Of course, because I was a pure Muggle in my past life.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and a book flew off the desk. The book was titled *The Story of a Muggle's Struggle: From a Million Years Ago*, one of Felix's works. He suddenly realized that Dumbledore had been reading his book the whole time.

"This book has been very inspiring to me. I've read it more than once, especially your explanation of how Muggles evolved from beast-like creatures over millions of years from the perspective of the history of technology—yes, the term?—that is a miracle."

"You also pointed out that Muggles' technological level leaps rapidly every now and then, with the intervals getting shorter and shorter, and even predicted that the next leap is not far away—very insightful!" Dumbledore praised his book highly.

Felix humbly replied, "This line of thinking is not something I invented. In fact, the works of many Muggle sociologists, or rather, Muggle scholars who study Muggles, have been of great help to me."

Dumbledore said calmly, "Many Muggles are just as intelligent, but few in the wizarding world acknowledge that."

"I agree with you, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore blinked, seemingly skipping over the previous topic, and said playfully, "So, you must have read quite a few Muggle books? To be honest, many of my Christmas presents are books, and they seem to think I prefer books. But actually, I've read most of them. Compared to that, I prefer a pair of wool socks."

"Of course, if it's a book from the Muggle world, I don't think I would refuse it."

A blatant hint...

At least he knows what to give as a Christmas present now...

“Yes, although they don’t have magic, some of them are willing to spend more than a decade completing a book, dedicated to explaining a single problem or a theory,” Felix said softly. “It’s difficult. And therefore, it’s precious.”

Dumbledore seemed pleased. "It seems you've really made great progress these past few years." Then he suddenly asked, "So why are you so determined to teach at Hogwarts?"