Hogwarts: This Professor is Too Muggle

Chapter 1: Ilvermorny Dropout
New York, Broadway Street.
Gershwin Theatre.
《Faust》 finale.
Cello, double bass, clarinet, French horn, and piano—the sounds of various instruments flowed out.
“Virgin! Mother! Goddess! Queen!”
“Please shelter us with eternal mercy.”
“…”
When brilliant holy light sprinkled down from the dome, the pure silver radiance flowed and rippled like something tangible, sparkling crystal-clear, illuminating the dry ice mist as it scattered in all directions; restrained yet clear gasps came from the silent theater audience.
Security staff on both sides of the stage patrolled back and forth, their peripheral vision catching the flowing glow, involuntarily slowing their steps slightly.
Even though similar scenes had played out several times already, they couldn’t help but marvel at it each time.
Below the stage sat the well-dressed audience, heads tilted up watching the stage intently; as the brightly lit golden circular hall slowly dimmed, fading into shadow, their faces still held lingering shock.
Only the two old men in the back row were different, their expressions calm, merely revealing eyes brimming with keen interest, as if they found it highly amusing.
The old man on the left had an indistinct face; ignoring his thick white beard, one could only see he wore half-moon glasses, his eyes not cloudy at all, but a clear bright blue.
“Moonstone, dittany… truly astonishing stage design.”
The old man with white hair and beard murmured softly, his voice carrying a smile: “Thanks to him, the audience here—including me, of course—should have sweet dreams tonight.”
His companion nearby nodded slightly at the words, his voice hoarse and faint: “Moonstone born in June symbolizes health, longevity, and wealth; its moonlight glow can soothe irritable and anxious emotions, allowing one to enter dreamland peacefully.”
From his slack skin and wrinkles, he seemed even older, though his face bore no beard and his hair was different—slightly shorter, closer to silver-white, exuding an indescribable mysterious aura.
The white-haired old man pondered briefly: “A question unrelated to the opera, Nic—this wiz… stage effects designer, how did he pass the American Ministry of Magic’s approval?”
“You don’t even have the patience to wait for the curtain call, Albus.”
The old man named Nic was slightly displeased, but fortunately the most exciting part of the show had ended, and the answer involved some interesting anecdote, so he didn’t dwell on it: “In fact, he never submitted for approval to the American Ministry of Magic.”
“Oh?”
Albus Dumbledore’s eyes lit up slightly, immediately piqued: “The Aurors at the Woolworth Building wouldn’t allow him to openly violate the Secrecy Law.”
“Arrogant Albus, what makes you assume he violated the Secrecy Law?”
“That flowing moonlight…”
“If any Auror or inspector lodged a complaint, the tribunal would discover these stage effects were all created by Muggle technology, perfectly reproducible by his Muggle assistants.”
Nic le Mei’s face broke into an obvious smile: “In the past two months, this has happened more than once. Last week’s 《New York Ghost》 front page was a feature report on him.”
“I remember—defeating the Ministry tribunal judge with procedural justice, that Ilvermorny dropout—”
Dumbledore’s fingers rubbed the chair armrest as he looked up at the stage, his profound gaze seeming to pierce the curtain toward the backstage:
“Melvin Lavent.”
…
“All gatherings and partings are fleeting, merely an illusory dream;
“All the intangible becomes reality here…”
As the final chant ended, the actors stood in a row, some backstage staff emerging too, bowing in thanks amid the tidal wave of applause from below.
Behind the lead actors, the two responsible for stage effects design stood together, speaking softly.
“Melvin, your name is already resounding across Broadway. I hear Hollywood is offering top dollar to hire you for movies—your name will soon spread across the world.” A young white lady chattered, dressed in a navy suit, her golden long hair draped over her shoulders.
Standing beside her was a tall, handsome man, hands naturally at his sides, a gray-black ring on the long ring finger of his left hand, black hair and black eyes, a mild smile on his face, his deep black pupils reflecting strange faint light.
“Thank you for your blessing.”
Melvin responded absentmindedly, glancing toward the audience; with the opera over, the house lights had come up, the thousand-strong audience neatly arrayed by seats like rows of similar fabric dolls, indistinguishable.
“I’m going to the restroom, Claire—meet me in the office after curtain call.”
“Alright, who asked you to be my boss… Smooth trip to the john.”
“…”
Melvin gave her a flat look and turned to leave.
At the backstage sink, the commotion had become muffled and distant; a slightly chaotic smell entered his nose—disinfectant mixed with ammonia water—and Melvin frowned slightly upon entering the restroom.
【Whirlwind Sweep Clean】
In the quiet, empty restroom, a howling wind arose out of nowhere—the kind heard only in open fields or valleys; a transparent, formless vortex swept the room, enveloping and containing the unpleasant odors.
Melvin beckoned, and the formless whirlwind suddenly gathered before him, condensing into a small black ball that, at first glance, resembled hazelnut chocolate.
“Stink pellet…”
Melvin chuckled softly, in quite a good mood.
Wandless Cleaning Charm—compared to his clumsiness just after leaving school, he was now proficient; Transfiguration more refined, silent spellcasting speed markedly faster; the magic power growth over the past half year had finally triggered a qualitative change, and at his current level, he could likely take on most senior Aurors of the Ministry of Magic head-on.
Tonight’s audience emotions were especially delicious; there seemed to be a few extraordinary presences hidden below.
Pocketing the pellet, Melvin looked up at the mirror surface.
The mirror reflected the room inverted left-to-right, and the figure inverted as well.
Deep in that figure’s eyes, the black pupils still brimmed with dim yet crystalline faint light—visible only to a rare few creatures, a sign of magic power growth and circulation.
Yes, this world truly harbored fantastical magic, and those who wielded it were called wizards.
And Melvin Lavent happened to be a wizard; the place he studied magic was called Ilvermorny.
Ilvermorny was America’s only magic school, located in Massachusetts on the summit of Mount Greylock—a castle with a long history and many legends, now one of the world’s renowned magic schools.
Unfortunately, Melvin had not completed his studies.
America’s wizard government was called the Ministry of Magic; its education laws were imperfect, last revised fifty years ago with no provisions like compulsory education; Ilvermorny’s professors were sufficiently inclusive, and with Melvin having no troublesome relatives to deal with…
Six months ago, at the end of 1990, Melvin spent his seventh Christmas at school, then took a leave of absence near graduation to become a stage designer at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre, rising to fame in short order.
His rewards included generous salary and rapidly growing magic power.
Melvin quietly sensed his circulating magic power, memories of studying at Ilvermorny surfacing in his mind as he twisted the faucet, rinsing his hands under the cool tap water.
School history recorded that Ilvermorny was founded in the 17th century, starting as a simple stone shack; founder Isolt Sayre was no great wizard, achieving no fame in the Wizarding World—nor her Muggle lover James Stewart; the school’s only praiseworthy aspect was its inclusive founding ethos, seizing immigration waves over subsequent centuries to attract wizard students from around the world, developing into one of the most famous magic schools—thanks to another legendary magic school’s founder—
Salazar Slytherin.
As a collateral descendant of Slytherin, Isolt Sayre had an unclear connection to that legendary wizard; legend held she stole Slytherin’s treasure, including countless gold and silver gemstones, the mysterious serpentwood wand, and ancient magic research notes…
The riches perhaps hidden in the school’s underground warehouse, the serpentwood wand transformed into snakewood residing on Mount Greylock’s cliffs, and the research notes maybe in Ilvermorny’s library restricted section.
These meant nothing to Melvin; his gift came from an exotic horned serpent.
——
《Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—Unique North American Journey》
Horned Serpent: A horned snake-like magical creature with many varieties worldwide; the Far East once captured large samples; main habitat now America.
Legend says wizards in Massachusetts have seen exotic horned serpents with gemstones on their foreheads, granting the serpents invisibility and flying ability, suspected to possess precognitive magic power.
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