Chapter 168: Floo Network Overhaul
Breakfast time.
The four deans and core subject professors rarely all attended breakfast together, discussing next term’s teaching staff work at the dining table. Professor McGonagall assigned tasks, the other professors responded in unison, dutifully and responsibly, with a very headmaster-like demeanor from top to bottom.
Melvin, as an elective professor, tried to shirk when taking on work, pondering some legitimate reasons, but unfortunately they were all ignored by Professor McGonagall.
Faced with such an unreasonable superior, Melvin could only sigh helplessly, spreading jam on a bread slice while whispering complaints to Professor Flitwick beside him.
“Temporarily teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts for the lower years, participating in procurement of supplies for the new term, negotiating prices with Hogsmeade merchants, even replying to parents’ letters explaining the Chamber of Secrets and basilisk situation… Are these the duties of an elective professor?”
Melvin muttered: “What does Professor McGonagall think I am? A dean?”
Professor Flitwick pondered briefly: “It’s not impossible.”
“Hm?” Melvin looked at him in confusion.
“You’re a student from Ilvermorny, not tied to any house background, so you could serve as dean for any house.”
Professor Flitwick paused, then explained seriously: “Professor McGonagall has to handle headmaster affairs. If you offer to take over as dean of Godric Gryffindor, she might agree;
“Pomona doesn’t care much about the dean position. If you want to look after Hufflepuff students, she’d be delighted;
“Then there’s Ravenclaw. I’d be happy for someone to take over my position so I can focus more on club affairs. You know, I need to manage the Charms Club, the Toad Choir. With Lockhart gone, if the Dueling Club is to continue, it needs a supervising professor;
“Only Slytherin—Severus might mind a bit.”
“Uh…”
Melvin froze for a moment, then focused on spreading his bread.
This half-blood goblin professor seemed not fully awake, talking nonsense.
By the time they had filled their stomachs and breakfast was nearly over, owl postmen flew into the Great Hall through the skylights, delivering packages and letters to teachers and students.
Professor Sprout had ordered《The Daily Prophet》, unfolding the morning paper and reading the news report: “The Ministry of Magic publicly responded to the Floo Network upgrade issue yesterday. The difficulties have been resolved, all departments have reached consensus, and the project will start soon. The Department of Magical Transportation is cooperating with the Magic Mirror Club to let wizards watch projection mirrors from home…”
Melvin looked up and glanced at the photograph on the front page—
Cornelius Fudge and Mrs. Ekko stood side by side, both wearing polite smiles. Mrs. Ekko’s smile was faint but genuine, while Fudge’s was stiff and forced, as if he were very unwilling.
Professor Flitwick beside him turned to look: “It’s been approved already? When does the upgrade start?”
Melvin still tilted his head toward Professor Sprout’s newspaper, his tone very calm: “Approved yesterday afternoon. I got the news last night too. If all goes well, the upgrade can start today. The Floo Network Administration has been preparing for a long time, and with the experience accumulated from Romania, it should be completed quickly.”
“I see…”
Professor Flitwick nodded.
The Floo Network, as the standard transportation method for wizards in the wizarding world, connects fireplaces across different regions. In Britain, almost every wizarding family fireplace is connected to the Floo Network, allowing extremely quick travel between the Ministry of Magic, bars, and various shops.
Like the Apparition ban, if Hogwarts Castle opens headmaster permissions, the fireplaces throughout the school could also connect to the Floo Network.
However, successive headmasters including Dumbledore have tacitly chosen to isolate the connection, because joining the Floo Network means accepting surveillance from the Department of Magical Transportation, and Hogwarts does not accept Ministry of Magic jurisdiction.
……
The Department of Magical Transportation is a core administrative department under the Ministry of Magic, located on the sixth level underground. It includes the Floo Network Administration, Flying Broomstick Regulatory Bureau, Portkey Office, and Apparition Center, working together to form a regulatory system covering Floo Powder networks, flying apparatus, spatial teleportation devices, and other magical transportation methods.
Its duties include establishing rules for transportation tool use, formulating transportation-related laws and regulations, ensuring wizard transportation secrecy and safety through standardized behaviors, and maintaining isolation between the wizarding world and Muggle society.
“Ding…”
The metal gate of the lift slid open, revealing a straight corridor extending into the depths of the Department of Magical Transportation.
On the ceiling was a map outlined in silver lines, dotted with green points flickering indeterminately like stars, faintly visible. Based on the surrounding Ancient Runes, those were the fireplaces connected to the Floo Network.
When a green point lit up, it meant the Floo Network was in use.
Walls had portraits every few meters, depicting major scenes in magical transportation history: the Floo Network’s completion and connection, the first departure of the Hogwarts Express, the Knight Bus driving on London streets.
These were all magical portraits, with wizards inside being staff and passengers from the time, cheering and leaping, expressions vivid.
Stepping on the dark wooden floor, footsteps were light. Offices and testing areas lined both sides of the corridor. Passing these rooms, faint air-cracking sounds could occasionally be heard, the air filled with the faint scent of hot tea mixed with fireplace ash.
The atmosphere on the entire sixth level was neither as tense as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and tribunal, nor as eerie as the Department of Mysteries.
Melvin saw it was busier here than other floors, with staff in uniform robes passing by, chest badges bearing the Department of Magical Transportation emblem, and observers from other departments, all curious about the Floo Network upgrade.
Related raw materials were ready, technical staff had arrived, along with onlookers from other departments—quite a crowd.
Melvin didn’t recognize most people, but some faces were familiar.
Madam Bones had bright, sharp eyes, a high nose bridge, square face, exuding a capable and just air.
The middle-aged wizard beside her was Barty Crouch, rather gaunt, with short mustache ends drooping like an eight shape, features taut—likely from past blows he hadn’t recovered from, looking bitterly grim.
Standing in the center was Mrs. Ekko, who nodded in greeting when she saw Melvin.
Besides them were Wright and Old Will, representatives sent by the Magic Mirror Club—one handling craft, the other administration.
The Floo Network upgrade, as the most major project in nearly a century, involved the existing transportation network and would influence future information hubs. The Ministry of Magic hadn’t initiated a project of this scale in a long time, so several high-level officials took it very seriously.
“Greetings, Madam Bones. Thank you very much for your help.” Melvin then looked to the wizard beside her. “Mr. Crouch, pleased to see you. I hear many Ministry staff are conservative and resistant to change. The Department of International Magical Cooperation stepping up at the key moment—this vote was crucial.”
“My duty.” Crouch’s expression was stern. “Romania has already completed their upgrade. Facts prove this upgrade is reasonable and correct.”
“We meet again, Professor Levent…”
Madam Bones smiled meaningfully. “Never mind the Floo Network and projection mirrors for now. Azkaban’s warden told me that since your last visit, the Dementors have been badly injured, desperate to suck prisoners’ souls to heal, even some getting out of control and causing trouble.”
“That was self-defense. Tonks can testify.”
Melvin was confident, subtly glancing at Crouch nearby. Mentioning Azkaban made this department head’s face even tighter.
“Dementors attacking ordinary wizards should indeed be punished. Professor Levent’s Patronus Charm is outstanding.”
Madam Bones didn’t dwell on the Azkaban issue. Those mysterious evil creatures wouldn’t be fully eliminated anyway—some damage was fine.
Today’s focus was the Floo Network upgrade.
Madam Bones looked to the two Magic Mirror Club representatives and asked Wright: “Mr. Monkstanley, how does the upgrade work? Do you need cooperation from other Ministry staff?”
“Ah…”
Wright froze for a moment.
Since leaving the Ministry, he hadn’t heard Madam Bones address him like that in a long time—slightly dazed. Returning here after years, same familiar place, same familiar people, only his own status had changed. Somewhat emotional.
The Monkstanley Family had been involved in building the original Floo Network.
“No need.”
Wright shook his head, calmly replying: “Mrs. Ekko and I have discussed the upgrade plan. Materials are prepared in advance, and our Floo Network facilities are more advanced than Romania’s. If we move quickly, it can be done in a couple of days.”
Old Will stayed silent; he handled administration.
Staff came to ask the department heads, and with affirmative replies, technical staff immediately started work, busily and methodically. Wright directed, the site running orderly. The room for placing the Floo Network core device soon filled with people.
Melvin stood on the periphery watching, very quietly.
Because he often appeared in newspaper news as Magic Mirror Club founder, some wizards thought he invented the projection mirror. But his rudimentary alchemy was nothing compared to the Monkstanley Family’s magical skill.
The Monkstanley Family had passed down for centuries, starting from the Illumination Charm, gradually expanding into alchemy, actively incorporating Muggle technology to form their unique technical path.
That innovative thinking shone brighter than magic; even legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel admired and praised it.
St. Mungo’s Hospital project, Ministry of Magic building construction, Hogwarts Express, and on to the Knight Bus—the Monkstanley Family’s achievements were already widespread in the British Wizarding World.
And the projection mirror was destined to be an epoch-making creation. Wright would leave new Monkstanley marks in history.
“Sizzle…”
The wand tip emitted bright light, engraving rune magic circles on metal and stone slabs.
In the room center, a mass of green bonfire burned fiercely. As flames roiled, shadows of fireplaces faintly appeared.
Silver mist was poured into the bonfire, then guided by precisely controlled magic power, spreading and swirling within the green flames like ink dropped in water, dispersing into threads, gradually probing into those illusory fireplaces.
