A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 359: Shifting Perspectives

Draco Malfoy's slightly pointed face turned to surprise as he anxiously looked up, his gaze fixed on Felix. He seemed to want to decipher the true meaning from the professor's calm expression.

"Sufficient sleep can provide one with a sense of contentment, but I won't reveal this to just anyone," Felix Harp said. "The only comparable pleasure is a hearty meal, though you'll have to wait until Halloween for that, with all the exotic delicacies..."

After he left, Draco remained in his spot. His light gray eyes kept darting around, unsure if he had narrowly escaped something.

Professor Harp was someone who disliked trouble, and to some extent, this was widely recognized throughout the school.

For instance, he would place many assignments on 'Answering Parchment,' greatly saving grading time. Similarly, though his in-class tests were not fewer than those of other professors, he was the only one who required students to answer in a specific format.

There were rumors that this made it convenient for a particular advanced magical puppet to grade papers.

Moreover, there were other indications. Professor Harp rarely assigned detention, and the number of times he deducted points was also quite low. Not only had more than one Hufflepuff student bumped into him in the kitchens, but they would also discuss the nuances of fish consumption. His 'Fishbone Vanishing Spell,' derived from the Severing Charm, was once all the rage at school.

However, if a student asked him about this in class, or if they wanted to learn culinary spells, they would find their workload immediately increased, and that trend eventually faded.

And now, Draco Malfoy's current concern wascould he get away with Professor Harp's assignment that he had taken from Professor McGonagall if he didn't bring it up again?

For two days, he proceeded cautiously in Ancient Runes and Potions classes, avoiding eye contact with the two professors. He didn't even participate in the rowdy spectacle of Neville Longbottom accidentally incinerating a cauldron which was quite rare. Somehow, Longbottom's grades had been improving steadily.

Surviving Care of Magical Creatures was also a challenge. He had to endure the mocking gazes of foolish Gryffindor students, especially that Weasley. He would laugh whenever he saw Draco and would ostentatiously slap his own thigh, making Draco secretly wish he could cast a curse on him. It would be great if he could make Weasley vomit up a bogey-flavored bean again, but unfortunately, he hadn't found that spell in the library.

Hagrid, that giant of a man, had them tending to Blast-Ended Skrewts in class as usual. The students were quite reluctant. Those were sticky gray creatures, somewhat like shell-less lobsters, with various legs sprouting haphazardly from them. Hundreds of them were crammed into a box, jostling and oozing a slimy substance that resembled snot.

Despite his distaste for Gryffindor, Draco found a sense of satisfaction watching that girl named Lavender Brown exclaiming "Disgusting!" as she fed the six-inch bugs lettuce. However, Crabbe, that brainless fool, overturned a crate, causing the Blast-Ended Skrewts to shoot sparks from their tails and scatter in all directions. The stench of rotten fish and shrimp filled the air, making them retch uncontrollably, unable to stand up straight...

Thursday was a special day. He encountered Moody again.

Moody was still as mad as ever, openly demonstrating the Unforgivable Curses in class. When he got to the Killing Curse, Moody grinned widely and said, "Avada Kedavra requires a strong magical foundation to castgo ahead, take out your wands, point them at me, and say the incantation. I doubt I'll do more than nosebleed."

There was a momentary temptation, akin to the dark thoughts that Professor Harp had mentioned. And in that moment, Draco sadly realized he couldn't muster the courage to point his wand at that ugly nose.

On Friday, he encountered Professor Harp again and was surprised to find that the Ancient Runes classroom had transformed. Soft light illuminated the room, and he raised his head along with the other students to gaze at the magical lamps representing the four houses.

"Professor Harp, will the other classrooms at Hogwarts also switch to magical lamps?" a girl raised her hand to ask.

"Your question is not relevant to this class, Miss Patil. However, I can disclose that representatives from 'The Future World' will be visiting the school in a couple of days to discuss this matter."

Felix smiled and continued, "Personally, I believe magical lamps are far superior to oil lamps or magical flames. At least, when you're reading in the classrooms or the library, you won't have to worry about straining your eyes."

Underneath the podium, Harry and Ron exchanged whispers

"Isn't 'The Future World' Professor Harp?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Perhaps he's still teaching at the school, which might not be convenient," Harry replied, his hopes rising slightly. "Maybe we'll get to see Professor Lupin."

"And Penelope," Ron blurted out without thinking, inadvertently revealing some information. "Before the school year began, Percy brought her home, and my mum started talking about marriage, which scared her off."

Clearing his throat, Felix scanned the room, and the young wizards and witches below fell silent.

He clapped his hands. "Alright, class, today we'll be translating a manuscript. You encountered an excerpt from it in your third year..."

For the remaining twenty minutes, Felix assigned students to study on their own. Hermione finished her parchment paper assignment in just ten minutes, while Harry and Ron struggled with their quills, deep in thought.

"How did you manage that?" Ron asked her.

"It's all about the contents of memory, and you don't even need to use your brain. It's much easier than making up some unfortunate tales to deceive Trelawney," Hermione said, gazing at the professor behind the podium. He was holding a semi-transparent book, occasionally tossing a few magical symbols into it.

"The Book of Magical Runes..." she murmured.

"What?" Harry asked, having finished the last part just minutes before the end of class. He looked up from his parchment and happened to catch Hermione's soft words.

"The Book of Magical Runes," Hermione repeated. "I wish I could do it too." As Felix Harp turned another page on the podium, she blinked and seemed to catch a glimpse of black lightning flashing.

Ron muttered to Harry in a low voice, "I can accept anything as long as it's not about 'vomiting'."

Harry almost wanted to laugh. Hermione had been spending these days poring over materials about house-elves in the library. She was furious about the unfair treatment they had endured for centuries and had even formed a charity organizationSociety for House-Elf Advancement and Representation, acronym matching the letters of 'vomiting.'

Excitedly, Hermione said, "You shouldn't say that. You're the treasurer of the organization, Ron"

"True, and Harry's the secretary. Should we write down everything you're saying now? But we're quite busy, and we have warrior training this weekend..."

"That's for sixth and seventh years," Hermione raised an eyebrow and stared at him disapprovingly.

"But the notice didn't say it's only for sixth and seventh years, did it? Can't we check it out?" Ron muttered, seeking support from Harry, who vigorously nodded in agreement.

Hermione was about to say something when the bell rang. Ron and Harry immediately rushed out and stood by the door, peering into the distance. Hermione took quite a while to emerge from the room, looking elated when they met again.

"I asked Professor Harp! To enter the kitchen, all you need to do is find a pear in a still life painting of a fruit bowl and give it a tickle." Hermione said joyfully. "It seems the professor supports me."

"He agreed!?" Ron asked incredulously, "He agreed to wear the 'vomiting' badge? What position did you assign him?"

"Oh, nothing like that," Hermione's face fell, "The professor said he'll consider it carefully. But..."

"The professor suggested I go to the kitchen, have a chat with the house-elves, and write a report on the actual conditions of house-elves in the Hogwarts kitchen."

Ron whispered his thoughts, "I guess Professor Harp couldn't find a way to refuse, so he gave her something to do."

Harry reflected on Professor Harp's reaction to being invited to this strange organization and fully agreed with Ron's speculation. Perhaps that was the truth.

He felt a bit annoyed with himself. How could he not have thought of this approach earlier? If he had known, they wouldn't have needed to hold all those meetings, discuss the founding manifesto, and establish rules and regulations for the organization.

...

On Saturday morning, the sky was a bit overcast. Students arrived at Classroom Seven in small groups, far more than they had anticipated. Many first and second-year students brought candies and snacks, adopting an attitude of watching a spectacle.

Harry had a strong memory of this place. When the Magical Runes Club was recruiting members, he and Ron had followed Hermione, bustling about, welcoming students who came to sign up, having them fill out forms and read guidelines.

He had also defeated Malfoy here, winning the third-year Dueling Championship and being rewarded with an early learning of the Patronus Charm.

However, after a summer, the magical aura here had somewhat faded. In the distance, you could see the white wall covering the room, marking its boundaries, and a patch of blue sky was visible, revealing a section of the ceiling.

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