A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 252 Reasons for Mocking Pure-Blood Families

Felix looked up from the black cover of "Magic Properties." "Miss Granger, you're wasting your time. This is an external reflection of thought, not thought itself. Once the magic is canceled, everything will disappear."

The little witch said happily, "At least it looks good, doesn't it?"

Felix shook his head and buried his head behind his book, but he couldn't help but smile; it felt nice to be cared for.

The gifts he unwrapped today also put him in a good mood.

Although Christmas is tomorrow, some friends who live far away have already sent him gifts. However, he was puzzled as to why Belby would think of sending him a bottle of wolfsbane.

Belby already sent it once, didn't he? Do I look like a werewolf? Even if Belby wrote "my most satisfying work so far" on the note, what does that have to do with him?

The only consolation is that Xiaohongshu Book Company and LCA Comic Book Publishers delivered the latest dividend, totaling eight thousand Galleons.

This time, the bulk of the revenue came from Andes' side. In his letter, he mentioned "selling like hotcakes" three times, and the rest of the sentences were all explicit and implicit hints that he should "hurry up and prepare for the new book!"

Felix tossed his letters aside, joking that one book a year was enough; any more was unnecessary. Once his reputation as a master of memory magic was firmly established, he even considered extending his publishing frequency to two or three years.

Hmm, thinking about it that way, he should release his new paper, which contains the treatment data of the Longbottoms and a whole set of simple treatment methods. He believed that the entire wizarding world would be in an uproar over his quill.

However, this time we should have chosen a professional publication; the Daily Prophet has absolutely no standing...

Neville also sent a gift, but he had no idea what happened to it.

Hermione's figure gradually became transparent, somewhat resembling the ghosts in the castle. This was a sign of overworking her brain; she could no longer maintain her consciousness steadily.

Felix canceled the Mind Hut magic.

"There's no need to rush, Miss Granger. You already have more 'time' than others," he hinted, while beckoning over several bottles and jars. "Pumpkin juice, butterbeer, honey water, fruit juice—choose your own."

Hermione poured herself a glass of juice, added two drops of euphoria and energizer, and took a big gulp. She felt alive again.

Hermione couldn't help but ask, "Why do I feel like I don't have enough time anymore?"

Felix turned his head away, wondering if he had any credit for it. He had given her the ancient magic script exam papers for third and fourth graders. Upon reflection, he realized it wasn't quite right; his little assistant had already been very busy this year.

He wondered if he could perhaps allocate some of the exam paper work to members of the Magic Rune Club? Sixth-grade students are all very free... and they're free anyway.

"Have a snack—it's a holiday, you don't need to take extra time for yourself, do you?" Felix said.

The euphoric potion eased Hermione's brow. "Something new has come up. I need to research Hagrid's hearing and defend Buckbeak. I was surprised to learn that the Ministry of Magic has a terrible track record in this area..."

Felix was taken aback. "When did this happen?"

"These past couple of days," Hermione said, "it's said that Lucius Malfoy found out about Draco Malfoy's injury and took Hagrid to the Ministry of Magic, demanding Buckbeak's execution. Oh my god, when we went to see him, Hagrid was very sad..."

"Didn't Hagrid consider paying the fine?"

"A fine?" Hermione was clearly taken aback. "I did see examples of fines in the files, for any animal placed under the Dangerous Animals Committee—"

"The Committee for the Handling of Dangerous Animals? It shouldn't be that department..." Felix frowned. "Tell me more about this."

Hermione said, "Oh, well—it's the first day of the holidays, and Harry's in a bad mood. Ron and I were thinking that going to see Hagrid might be a good idea..."

"Is Harry in a bad mood?"

“That’s right, because the day before he was with three brooms—cough cough!” She suddenly coughed violently. “Excuse me, Professor. I mean, during Ron and my trip to Hogsmeade before the holidays, we overheard the Minister for Magic, Professor McGonagall, and Rosmerta talking. They were talking about Harry’s father, Sirius Black, and a lot of other things…”

Felix seemed lost in thought. He nodded. "And then?"

"Then, well... Harry was in a bad mood—we went to Hagrid, who was in a terrible state, drunk, and he showed us a letter from the Ministry of Magic that basically accepted Lucius Malfoy's formal complaint and handed the matter over to the Committee on the Handling of Dangerous Creatures."

"The hearing is on April 20th, at our London office," Hermione said. Seeing Professor Hape deep in thought, she added, "Hagrid said the Committee on the Handling of Dangerous Creatures is a bunch of weirdos!"

Felix laughed. "Those people... how should I put it? They're all marginal figures, doing unpleasant jobs. You can tell from their names that the magical creatures placed there are unlikely to escape unscathed."

"Then, isn't Hagrid destined to lose?" Hermione said angrily.

"Nothing is absolute, but I do know one thing: the procedure was incorrect."

"What?"

"The procedure is incorrect, Miss Granger. Normally, I mean, according to the laws established by the Ministry of Magic, even if someone appeals, the matter should first be handed over to the Department of Magical Creatures Control—the superior department of the Committee on the Handling of Dangerous Creatures—and handled by them. Unless the matter is particularly serious and requires almost no hearing, it will be directly referred down. And with this practice, the results of the hearings are often not very pleasant."

Hermione paused for a few seconds, then said angrily, "It's the Malfoys! They influenced the Ministry of Magic's choice! I heard the Malfoy family donates a large sum of money to the Ministry of Magic every year!"

“A very reasonable assumption,” Felix nodded, taking a sip of his butterbeer. “There’s no need to get angry. Pure-blood families always have an extraordinary influence over these trivial matters.”

Hermione stared at him blankly. The professor seemed to look down on pure-blood families.

"Pure-blood families are like a group of spiders, weaving a huge web over the years. They are well-informed, have many eyes and ears, and are good at changing their course with the wind. They can devour even small insects or small birds... Even when faced with dangers they cannot fight, they can hide in dark corners and quietly wait for the danger to pass."

"Professor, are you saying they are completely powerless against such a massive creature?" Hermione felt she understood the professor's line of thought.

"No, I'm mocking their lack of ambition, their failure to make the spider web indestructible and unbreakable."

I'm not feeling well today. I'll try to reduce staying up late in the future. Let's encourage each other.

It's still counted as the previous day, at midnight.

(End of this chapter)