Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 329 Antiques in the Black House

"Following a vote in the Wizengamo Council, the Anti-Werewolf Act was completely repealed and shelved, the werewolf liaison office located in the Department of Magical Creatures Control was closed, and Ms. Burns announced that it would never be used again. Wizards suffering from werewolf disease finally enjoyed long-awaited peace..."

"It is no longer mandatory for werewolf patients to register their status with the Ministry of Magic, and no reporting is required for job applications or moving. A few pure-blood wizards who wish to remain anonymous have expressed their opposition to this, and the privacy of werewolf identities has attracted close attention from the majority of wizards..."

"Pure-blood tycoon Lucius Malfoy and healer Herbert Spring attended the Quidditch World Cup preparation ceremony together. After the party, they announced that this year's St. Mungo's donation would be no less than 70,000 Galleons, the vast majority of which would be used to subsidize wolfsbane medicine..."

"Dean Spring stated that werewolf disease, an incurable infectious disease in the wizarding world to this day, is not as dangerous as imagined, and wizards should have a rational understanding of it..."

"The notorious werewolf criminal Fenrir Greyback has been spotted. Reports indicate that adventurers and wizards have witnessed a werewolf pack migrating towards a town in the mountains of Alleppe, Scotland..."

"After the Anti-Werewolf Act was enacted, many werewolves ventured into the wilderness to wander. Greyback took the opportunity to absorb and expand his own power, and returned to the wizarding world after the Act was repealed. What kind of impact will this have? The Prophet's Newspaper will continue to report on it for you."

Lu Ping, holding the newspaper, sat alone in the corner of the round table, staring blankly at the newspaper, his thoughts drifting away.

“Greybury…”

Sirius noticed a familiar word in the title, hesitated for a moment, then quietly walked behind his friend and suddenly patted him on the shoulder. Lupin jolted and came to his senses.

With the werewolf's keen senses, he didn't even notice someone approaching from behind. His lax defenses completely lacked the professionalism expected of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and his attention was clearly not on the field.

“I’m saying…you’re not thinking of quitting your professorship, giving up your current stable and happy life, and going on a life of wandering with Graybury, are you?” Sirius stood behind him, scanning the article above.

“A peaceful and happy life doesn’t fall from the sky. The werewolves’ situation has finally improved a bit, and they need someone to maintain order. But now I see a wild beast approaching menacingly, which is very likely to disrupt this order.”

Lupin unfolded the newspaper, looked up, and smiled gently but firmly: "Do you expect me to hide in my office and pretend I can't see this? Sirius, you know that's not my choice."

"After twelve years in Azkaban, during my time in the waiting room, I've come to understand a lot of things. One of them is: don't do things that you think you know best, and don't think you're the smartest person in the world."

Sirius paused, thinking how philosophical those words were, so unlike something he would normally say.

He patted his old friend on the shoulder, speaking earnestly like a nagging old witch: "You're not an Auror in the Ministry of Magic, not a candidate for the new Minister. Perhaps if you stay at Hogwarts and study hard, you can help more students avoid the harm of werewolf disease."

Lupin shook his head: "Many wizards are capable of teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts course, but if you want to infiltrate the werewolf pack and get close to Greyback to gather intelligence, perhaps only the werewolf Remus Lupin can do it."

Sirius Black was unable to refute this and didn't know what to say.

"Sirius, Remus, come help me aim at this Gobbstone, I'm about to lose to Ron!"

Harry's voice came from behind. He saw the two of them looking at the newspaper with strange expressions. "What happened? Are they worried that Peter has escaped? He probably won't dare to go back to Hogwarts, right? Who is this? Greyback... that werewolf criminal!"

“Yes, he’s the one who infected Remus,” Sirius replied.

"Arrest him right now! How can this criminal still be at large!"

"Remus is preparing..."

Sirius Black hadn't finished speaking when Lupin suddenly interrupted, a gentle smile on his face: "Witnesses have spotted him in Scotland, and journalists and Aurors are already investigating his whereabouts. I believe he'll be caught soon."

Sirius paused for a moment, then realized that Remus was trying to hide it from Harry, and pouted.

“This kind of person should be thrown into Azkaban and tortured by Dementors every day, with guards on full moon nights to prevent him from escaping like Sirius Black,” Harry said indignantly.

"That's right, this kind of person should be arrested. Someone has to deal with him!"

Lupin folded the newspaper, stood up, and patted Harry on the shoulder: "I still have work to report to Dumbledore, so I'll be going now."

Harry watched Lupin walk away, finding the man rather strange. He spoke incoherently, one sentence about werewolves and criminals, the next a work report.

But thinking about it carefully, who wouldn't find it strange to have been a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts all these years?
Professor Lu Ping is already considered normal.

Harry snapped out of his daze and turned to try and get Sirius to help him fight Ron, only to find Sirius standing there in a strange daze. He could only shake his head and face Ron alone, only to be sprayed with foul water by the luxurious Goblin Stone.

"Sirius and Remus are both unreliable..."

Harry cast a cleansing spell on himself, but still felt uncomfortable, so he decided to go to the bathroom to wash up properly.

He wrinkled his nose as he walked out of the side hall, muttering under his breath, "If only I could learn Professor Levent's Bubble Head Charm."

"Do you want to learn? Tutoring classes will teach you!" someone said in the lobby.

Harry froze, then looked up and saw the figure approaching.

Melvin, dressed in Muggle attire, approached, sniffed, cast a Bubble Head Charm on him, and then subtly took a few steps back.

"What's on you? George and Fred's new dung bomb?"

Harry stood at the entrance to the side hall of the Great Hall. He seemed to see a flash of light before his eyes. The pungent smell of Goblin ozone suddenly became stronger. He instinctively tried to take a breath of fresh air, but all he could smell was ozone.

I almost fainted because I couldn't catch my breath.

The stench that was originally emanating from the clothes now seemed to be blocked by a layer of bubble film, preventing the stench from dissipating and fresh air from getting in.

The normal function of the bubble head is filtration, but this bubble film is clearly the opposite, its function is to inhibit the spread of odor sources.

"Professor, did you use the wrong Bubble Charm?" Harry looked utterly dejected.

"It's better to make you suffer than to pollute the entire Great Hall. Hogwarts rules clearly state that playing with Goblins is prohibited in public places such as the Great Hall, classrooms, or corridors. When I was in sixth grade, some people were playing with Goblins with duds and they exploded... Since then, the headmaster has made new rules."

Sirius Black stepped out from the side hall, his beard neatly trimmed, the stubble on his chin and cheeks clean and tidy. Dressed in a brand-new robe, he looked refreshed and no longer resembled a homeless man. He was completely unrecognizable as a prisoner.

"Professor Levent, we meet again!"

Sirius nodded slightly in respect: "Since leaving Hogwarts on Boxing Day, I've been thinking about how to thank you for your help, but I still haven't found a satisfactory answer!"

"I never pick and choose the gifts I receive."

Melvin smiled and said that an exquisite, antique locket came to mind, one he had seen in the memories provided by Bokin.

“Mr. Levent…” Sirius paused briefly, then said sincerely, “I wish to express my gratitude with something truly valuable, but I am merely a recently released prisoner who has not accumulated much wealth. I inherited some fortune from the Black family mansion and Gringotts vault, but those things just don’t seem right to me…”

He was no longer a prisoner isolated from the world. During his time wandering in Hogsmeade, he had overheard Aurors chatting in the Ministry of Magic's waiting room and had come to know the professor's achievements.

This young professor lacks nothing.

The creation of the Shadow Mirror Club revolutionized Muggle research, and wealth was merely a small, insignificant bonus in the process.

Sirius bowed slightly, his expression solemn: "If this can convey my gratitude, I am willing to give anything, even my life!"

What would I do with your life?

Melvin glanced at him, his eyes sharp and decisive, like prey that had been eyeing its target for a long time, but was afraid of alerting the enemy, so he could only try to be as tactful as possible.

He paused for a moment, then said, “The pure-blood families of Britain have a long history, and I am very interested in those ancient magical artifacts that have been passed down. Few other families are as old as the Black family, and they must have a lot of treasures. If possible, I would like to pick one or two pieces... even if I have to pay the market price.”

"Those things are useless in the old house. If you want, you can move the whole old house out without any problem."

Sirius made the promise easily, without the slightest hesitation.

The brief conversation was undisguised. Harry, trapped in the Bubble Head Charm, was delirious from the stench. Ron, who had come up behind him, heard the conversation and looked at Sirius with a strange expression.

As a member of a pure-blood family, even though the Weasleys had fallen from grace, Ron knew very well how astonishing the wealth accumulated by a pure-blood family over generations could be. This wrongfully convicted prisoner endured twelve years of hunger and cold, yet he had no attachment to this wealth.

“Not only did he take everything, but Principal Phineas Black’s portrait is still in his office. I’m worried that when we meet again, he’ll curse me with old Victorian slang.” Melvin was also in a good mood.

Tom's soul puzzle, Slytherin's locket, is about to be unlocked.

Sirius scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

Even considering only his business within Britain, the professor's accumulated wealth far exceeds that of the Black family. Moreover, due to the existence of the Magic Mirror Club, many pure-blood wizards are willing to befriend Melvin, and as soon as the news spreads, a steady stream of antiques will be delivered to his door.

What's there to be happy about when it's just a few old items from the Blake family?
Unable to come up with an answer, the only conclusion is that Melvin didn't want to take advantage of the situation or make him feel too indebted, so he casually asked for a few antiques and let the matter drop.

Sirius lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the guilt in them.

Before this, he had also considered investigating Melvin, trying to find out why he knew the truth about that night in Godric's Hollow, why he became Peter's deepest fear, and why he knew the secrets among the raiders...

“Professor Levent, I was able to clear up the misunderstanding with Remus and reunite with Harry because of your help. I understand that you don’t want me to feel indebted, but a wizard’s debt must be repaid, otherwise my soul will not be at peace.”

Sirius said solemnly, "The Black mansion has been sealed off for so many years, and the things inside are piled up in a mess. Give me some time, I'll go home and clean up the mansion, and while I'm at it, I'll prepare an account book and make sure to pick out the most precious treasures inside! Don't worry, I definitely won't let you suffer any losses."

"Can't I just pick whatever I want?" Melvin asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Of course you can choose whatever you like, but having the ledger for reference makes things more convenient!"

Sirius Black had the air of a spoiled brat: "I formally invite you to the Black family home for the Easter holidays... I have to take Harry to pay respects to James and Lily during the Easter holidays, so let's change it to the summer holidays, that's settled!"

"..."

Melvin paused for a moment, then nodded helplessly.

……

Principal's office.

The room was brightly lit by the warm yellow candlelight. The table was piled with messy documents, and the silverware was placed haphazardly. In the center was a box of snacks, Honeydukes candies.

Dumbledore, dressed in a grey and white robe, stood in front of the shelves, his pocket filled with brightly colored bows, which he was sticking onto the shelves one by one.

Lupin sat at the table, assuming it was just the principal's childlike whims.

"Is it absolutely necessary to resign?"

Dumbledore, focused on arranging the room, asked without turning his head, "There are less than four months left in this school year, and it will be over soon. I believe in your teaching ability, Remus. As long as the report cards for the two wizarding exams are sent to the students' parents, even if the news leaks out, I can guarantee with the headmaster's reputation and your teaching achievements that the board of directors will overlook your little quirk."

"..."

"Remus, the stable life you've always sought is within reach. What belief makes you willing to give up this job?"

"That kind of pursuit is more like cowardice."

Lupin said calmly, “When I was in school, I wanted to have friends with me every full moon night, so I hid the Animagus and the night walk from you. After I learned that Sirius had escaped from prison, I chose to continue to hide it. I could have found many reasons: I was worried about disappointing you, I was afraid of losing this job, I had unfounded hope for Sirius… But it was these reasons that almost buried the truth completely.”

Dumbledore paused. "This is not your fault, Remus."

"Actually, I've always known the right choice, but I've never had the courage to make it. Now, it's time to make a change."

"It seems I'll have to find a new professor," Dumbledore sighed.

“I will stay until June, and leave after the exams.” Lu Ping stood up and bowed slightly.

Watching his retreating figure leave the office, Dumbledore took a black gem from his pocket, engraved with simple geometric shapes. He spun it three times, and suddenly a mist appeared out of thin air. In the hazy mist, the figure of a little girl could be seen running.

"Yes, Ariana, he's not in good health, but he's very brave."

"..."

"Yes, I know, you're very brave too."

"..."

"You want me to go find Aberforth? I'll have to think about that."

The elderly man and the girl chatted quietly, arranging new bows and decorations, personally transforming the office into a new style.

(End of this chapter)