A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 230: The Ripple Effect

Chapter 230: The Ripple Effect

The crowd dispersed, but young wizards and witches continued discussing the topic of the Mirror of Couples with enthusiasm. In a corner of the common room, Harry pondered, "Fred and George must have drawn inspiration from Muggle telephones. For now, it only allows one-on-one communication."

"That's like the dropped call I made to you during the holidays... a telephone?" Ron remarked. "Such a weird word!"

Harry recollected, "You were shouting so loudly back then, I thought you believed you were talking across half a Quidditch pitch and were afraid the other side couldn't hear you."

"I got you into trouble that time. It was your uncle's voice on the other end," Ron admitted hesitantly.

"Yeah, after he hung up, he scolded me fiercely and nearly shoved me back into the cupboard," Harry said nonchalantly.

Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances. Hermione exclaimed indignantly, "Your family is really terrible!"

Harry shrugged, "It's the only place I can go during the summer, luckily it's just two months, and when I come of age, I can move out."

Suddenly, Ron suggested, "How about spending your summer directly at the Burrow? The Quidditch World Cup is next summer. My dad can get tickets through his Ministry connections."

Harry's heart skipped a beat, "Could I?"

"It's not like it's the first time. My parents will welcome you for sure, and Ginny, of course..." Ron trailed off.

Harry's mood brightened. Even not being able to go to Hogsmeade for the weekends seemed unimportant now. "I bet the Dursleys will let me go, especially after what I did to Aunt Marge."

Hermione thought for a moment and added, "Harry, considering where the Dursleys live, it's not far from London. You're also welcome to visit my home. By then," she grinned, "my parents and I can introduce you as the wizard lad Mick."

"What's that?" Harry inquired.

"The main character of a magical comic book series from the wizarding world," Hermione explained.

"Why have I never heard of it?" Ron looked at her suspiciously.

"Because it's just been published recently. I ordered it from Flourish and Blotts a couple of days ago," Hermione hurried to her dormitory and returned shortly, holding a stack of books that she slammed onto the small round table with a thud.

Harry played with the books. One was obviously quite hefty, titled "Magic in the Muggle World." The rest were a series of comic books, slightly thinner but larger in size. The cover depicted an amusement park, and a young wizard boy peeked curiously at the entrance. The title read, "The Adventures of Young Wizard Mick."

Ron eyed the thick book with trepidation, not daring to touch it. He casually opened one of the comic books and was soon engrossed. "Wow, this is really interesting!"

Harry noticed the author's name on the cover: Felix Harp. "Is this Professor Harp's work?" he exclaimed, amazed. It was hard to imagine Professor Harp creating a comic book.

He thought he might be mistaken and subconsciously opened the hefty book, "Magic in the Muggle World." It was filled with tiny text and various illustrations, enough to make his head spin.

This was definitely Professor Harp's style! Ron closed his comic book and examined the lower right corner of the cover. "It is! And look, L.C.A. Comic Publishing, Merlin's beard, that's my favorite publishing house!" Ron danced with excitement, only to notice that Harry and Hermione were staring at him blankly.

"This is the famous L.C.A. They published 'Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle,' which I adored as a child!"

Suddenly, Harry remembered that he had seen this comic book set in Ron's room at the Burrow. But the magic on the cover had almost disappeared, and the character with the beret was jerking around in an annoying manner, making it uncomfortable to look at.

He opened the brand new "Adventures of Young Wizard Mick" and flipped through it casually. The page he turned to was divided into nine panels, depicting Mick's first encounter with a pop-up toaster while visiting a friend's home.

Looking at the comic where Mick pointed in astonishment at the suddenly ejected toast, his mouth agape, paired with the words, "This is magic, absolutely magic!" Harry couldn't help but laugh. He had seen a toaster at the Dursleys', but from this angle, it was unexpectedly amusing.

He even started anticipating Ron's reaction when he saw a real toaster, wondering if he'd have the same wide-eyed, speechless expression.

Harry and Ron quickly huddled together and started reading from the first page in order.

"Wait, I'm not done yet!" Seeing Harry about to turn the page, Ron said hastily.

Hermione looked at them with some confusion. "While I admit that this comic series is enjoyable, do you guys really need to be so exaggerated about it?"

Ron looked up and said, "Exaggerated? It's undoubtedly the best comic series in the past decade. I bet it can rival 'The Adventures of Martin Miggs.' And come to think of it, that book is a bit outdated..."

Harry agreed sincerely, "I find it really entertaining too. It's as if my mundane eleven years before this suddenly became extraordinary."

"But—" Hermione began, "Don't you both think that 'Magic in the Muggle World' has more logic and charm? Look here, it explains the prototype of the steam engine, and it even combines levitation spells to envision a large airship..."

Ron raised his head in bewilderment, "What are you saying, Hermione? What's a steam engine? What's a large airship?"

Seeing Hermione's inclination to explain, Ron quickly hid behind the comic book, calling out loudly, "Hey, Harry, look at this, why did the slice of bread pop up..."

His voice drew their roommate Seamus Finnigan's attention, and soon Lavender and Dean Thomas were there too, pointing and discussing the comic.

Some young wizards thought there was excitement, so they gathered around as well.

Dean Thomas, who had grown up in the Muggle world, looked at one page and couldn't help explaining, "This is an ice cream maker, very convenient. You just need to add cream, milk, and other ingredients, and you'll get a constant supply of ice cream."

Others stared at him in confusion, and Dean added proudly, "My uncle had an ice cream truck, and I used to play on it when I was a kid." Ron looked at Dean enviously; he also wanted a never-ending supply of ice cream.

Hermione tried a few times to explain the greatness of steam engines and large airships to the young wizards, but she received only polite glances before everyone's attention went back to the comic.

Percy didn't show much interest either, but he noted the book's title. "I think it's necessary to recommend this to Professor Sinistra. Hogwarts could use this book."

Hermione was puzzled. Why didn't anyone like steam engines and airships?

After Ancient Runes class the next day, when Hermione brought up this question, Felix Harp chuckled, "Granger, you have a special... passion for knowledge, but you can't expect everyone to be interested in somewhat dry information like you are.

That book is meant for adults, even considered a reference book. You flip through its relevant sections when you need to."

"Oh, and this is the list for the Rune Club. Also, these coins. I need you to distribute them to the students on the list. You can ask Percy Weasley for help; he's the head of the student council."

Hermione had no objections. She just looked at the pile of bronze Knuts, each with a serpent crest, and couldn't help picking up one to examine closely. "These are Heating Knuts?"

"Exactly, I made a little modification. Fred and George gave me the idea. They can heat up and display messages." Felix explained, "The date for the first club meeting hasn't been set yet. My schedule has been quite packed recently. It might have to wait until mid-November."

Hermione nodded, getting ready to collect the list and coins. But when she saw the names of Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy Parkinson, she couldn't help but furrow her brow.

Felix turned to Harry and gestured, "Potter, come over here!"

Harry walked over to where Hermione was waiting by the door and looked somewhat apprehensive at Professor Harp. He still had to finish his essay, and he hoped he wouldn't be asked about it now.

Luckily, Felix didn't bring up the essay. He whispered, "Harry, do you still have that Sneakoscope with you?"

Harry took out the Pocket Sneakoscope from his pocket, and Felix took it, saying, "Wait a moment." He then tapped the Sneakoscope with his wand repeatedly. Soon, Felix extracted a thin thread from the Sneakoscope and quickly attached it to a Galleon.

"What's this?" Harry looked surprised.

"It's a form of synchronization magic," Felix explained. "Once the Pocket Sneakoscope is triggered, I'll immediately receive a notification, no matter where you are."

Harry understood. Professor Harp was concerned about his safety, much like Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley had sent a letter a while back, seriously criticizing the trio's attempts to uncover Sirius Black's secrets, deeming it "reckless, unnecessary behavior; it's best to stay safe and sound within the school."

Comparatively, he preferred Professor Harp's approach. At least he wasn't planning on locking himself up.

In the following days, the young wizards welcomed the first Hogsmeade weekend of the new school year, and many of them had a wonderful time.

For instance, the Weasley twins went to Zonko's Joke Shop and bought a batch of Stink Pellets. They jokingly said, "Without these cute little smelly companions that emit odors, we'd feel uneasy and lost..." "Seeing Fred and George without them feels like something's missing."

The Halloween feast was also splendid, with the castle's ghosts putting on a flawless performance. But soon, all the young wizards' attention was drawn to the upcoming first Quidditch match.

On the first Saturday of November, thunder roared, the wind howled, and the rain poured down.

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