Chapter 519: Night Chat
Chapter 519: Night Chat
At the dinner table, Felix and Sirius continued their conversation—
"As long as Kingsley agrees, he's the nominal organizer", Felix whispered.
"I'll talk to him, but he might only be able to come over tomorrow morning. You know, with his position as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic", Sirius said, spitting out a chicken bone.
The relationship between the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic was quite complex. They were independent of each other, yet intricately linked, with many members of the Order also serving as officials in the Ministry.
Amelia Bones was well aware of this but had no intention of doing anything about it. On one hand, it was out of respect for Dumbledore, and on the other, it had practical benefits. The Ministry of Magic was a complex organization, with many Wizards being connected to Pureblood families through various degrees of relation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Ministry was like a sieve.
The Anti-Thief Waterfall could only wash away spells, not probe the depths of one's heart.
For important tasks—such as guarding the Hogwarts Express—Madam Bones had to maintain strict secrecy and carefully select the participants to prevent leaks.
In this regard, the Order of the Phoenix had a natural advantage.
After dinner, Felix estimated the time and went to pick up Hermione from her home.
"I've set up some magic around your house", Felix said. "Similar to the Trace—when someone casts a spell nearby, I'll receive an immediate notification. And the situation isn't that dire yet; Voldemort is adopting a defensive strategy, so you don't need to worry about your family's safety."
"I understand", Hermione nodded lightly, but her brows still carried a deep-seated worry.
"You seem troubled, Hermione Granger", Felix said, pointing to a bench under a lush sycamore tree. "Why don't we sit over there? I used to rest there myself." He was referring to the time they had come out of the Department of Mysteries, and Hermione easily understood his meaning.
"Professor—"
The two of them sat on the bench, watching the Muggle community with people occasionally passing by and taking strolls.
Felix turned his head slightly toward Hermione, gazing at the beautiful sunset.
"Can Wizards and Muggles really coexist?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"What do you think?" Felix said gently.
"Well", Hermione hesitated for a moment before launching into a passionate speech, as if the words had been bottled up inside her for a long time, "I certainly hope they can coexist. After all, I'm caught between them, given my background. But from what I've read—oh, and we had a similar assignment in History of Magic class—Wizards and Muggles were originally not separated, but the results were not good. They were hostile to each other, and there were many conflicts. The witch hunts of the fourteenth century were just a small part of this broader context."
"That's correct", Felix agreed.
"Also, many Wizards choose to live away from people. The books explain this as a way to avoid violating the International Statute of Secrecy, but this phenomenon existed long before the Statute was implemented. Another theory is that Wizards look down on Muggles and can't tolerate their smell, but—"
"Sounds like a loser's self-justification?" Felix couldn't help but smile.
Hermione hesitated for a moment but then nodded almost imperceptibly. "But shouldn't Wizards have the upper hand? After all, they have magic?"
"Hmm, that's a complex issue. Let me try to explain. You can look at it from the perspective of the Wizard social structure. A mature Wizard is like a mini-society, capable of meeting most of their needs with magic. This leads to—Wizards being far less interconnected than ordinary people, meaning it's difficult to organize them for a common goal. To my knowledge, the last person to achieve this is still locked up in Nurmengard."
"Gellert Grindelwald?" Hermione whispered, as if the name itself held magic.
"Exactly, but he also leveraged people's dissatisfaction with the International Statute of Secrecy", Felix said calmly. "And you're overlooking a crucial point: magic is rare in the real world but common among Wizards—"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Of course not", Felix said, adopting a scholarly tone. "I've interacted with some occult societies, and they view magic as something... perhaps 'sacred' would be the right word? Do you think they can imagine real Wizards using magic to do laundry, cook, light fires, or water plants?"
Hermione furrowed her brow, thinking seriously.
"So, wizards are used to solving various troubles with magic, and everyday utility magic is the mainstream?"
"They are the people, or pragmatists, but they are definitely not warriors", Felix summarized briefly. "Magic is a tool in their hands, not a weapon—at least for most wizards. So when faced with unexpected situations, they don't make more sophisticated choices because of magic, especially children. To protect their families, wizards often choose to back down."
"But there are exceptions", Hermione affirmed, "like Wendelin the Witch, who enjoyed being burned and allowed herself to be caught in various disguises, a total of forty-seven times."
"In those times, wizards who had no attachments lived more freely", Felix said.
They sat quietly for a while, until the sky gradually darkened, casting shadows on the ground. They watched a young couple go for a walk, their child—probably only one or two years old—stumbling along in front of them.
"Professor, when did the term 'Muggle' first appear?" Hermione asked when the family had passed by.
"Ah, that's an interesting question. I guess you're wondering if it has a derogatory connotation?" Felix asked with a smile, continuing before Hermione could answer, "The exact origin is unknown. No one knows what the first wizard who said 'Muggle' was thinking, but he did have an advantage because the magical community didn't have a unified term for 'non-magical people' at the time. So the word was gradually accepted by more and more wizards."
"Whether it has a derogatory connotation depends on the speaker's tone. The Weasley family and the Malfoy family both use the term, but their thoughts are certainly different. You should have some sense of this, right?"
Hermione's shadow nodded.
"But overall, if you use the term in conversation with ordinary people, it carries a subtle hint of wizardly arrogance and condescension. A very subtle difference, one that only wizards from Muggle families might truly understand."
"Why is that?"
"Do you like being labeled, especially when you don't know the meaning of that label?" Felix countered.
"Of course not—" she realized, "so you never used the term 'Muggle' when talking to my dad and mom."
"I did it to reduce communication barriers", Felix nodded slightly. "Using 'ordinary people' or 'non-magical people' is clearly more understandable, but if you're talking to a wizard, it sounds strange and overly formal."
Hermione understood. She preferred the professor's approach, which showed respect for the listener.
"What about the first question?"
"Can wizards and Muggles coexist? I can't give you an answer, Hermione Granger, but I believe the trend toward integration is inevitable. More precisely, I think it's only a matter of time before the magical world is exposed to ordinary people."
"Oh, I see! So, Professor, you founded 'Future World' company?" Hermione asked sharply.
Felix chuckled.
"I hope to create a buffer zone. This is a natural responsibility for wizards of Muggle origin."
Hermione smiled. Although she had never felt inferior about her background, she still felt angry and hurt when Malfoy called her a 'Mudblood.' From now on, if Malfoy ever said such things, she would only pity him, seeing him as shallow and ignorant.
Although Malfoy hadn't said it much in the past two years.
Was it because of Professor? Hermione wondered. She was a bit disappointed that she hadn't seen this moment during her time travel. At first, she felt like a shadow that shouldn't exist, out of place in the world. She wandered aimlessly around Hogwarts Castle and its grounds, even the ghosts couldn't detect her.
But that also allowed her to see many secrets she had never been able to access before.
Hermione survived the toughest days with the food in her beaded purse, but food eventually runs out. Just when she thought she would be trapped in time and starve to death like the time travelers before her, luck finally smiled on her.
The Time-Turner cracked open a seam.
Amid tension and fear, Hermione found herself regaining her physical form. She hurriedly sneaked into the kitchen to steal food, and after a hearty meal, she had the time to consider whether her actions had changed history or if she was just a part of the many strange rumors surrounding Hogwarts.
A ghost stealing food?
But she was too hungry to care at the time. It turned out that her actions were correct—two hours later, she was taken on a time jump, and her body once again became almost ethereal. However, she gradually figured out the pattern and could do things she previously couldn't.
Like sending a letter.
About a month and a half passed, and Hermione found herself becoming more solid in her normal state, as if she were wearing an invisibility cloak. She guessed that as she approached the normal timeline, she was gradually becoming more real. It was only a matter of time before she was discovered.
So she fled from school, returned home, and prepared to document her experiences and spend her last moments with her parents. After that... Hermione pressed her lips together and looked at Felix. "Thank you, Professor."
"For what?"
"Oh, I mean, I think I've found a new goal, which includes the previous one—Professor, I plan to join the Ministry of Magic after graduation", Hermione said.
"Bad news, I thought you'd choose 'Future World' Inc.", Felix said with a slight headache.
"I won't give up Ancient Runes either", Hermione said greedily.
...
Felix and Hermione returned to Black Family Manor, and before they could exchange a few words, it was time to go to bed. Mrs. Weasley stopped Ron from raving about his new broom and sent them back to their rooms.
"That's a Nimbus 2000!"
Ron and Ginny chorused. But Ron quickly became wary of Ginny. "You're not expecting me to lend you my broom, are you?"
"Stingy."
Ginny huffed, standing up proudly like a cat.
"Alright, kids, get to bed early. We have a lot to do tomorrow", Mrs. Weasley said with experience. "I need to wake you up early, or someone will forget something again..."
She was right. The next morning, the whole house was in chaos. Mrs. Weasley and the portraits of the Black family in the hallway were shouting at the top of their lungs.
"—No magic! You two idiots—"
"—Filthy half-breeds, defiling my family's home—"
Harry dressed hurriedly, stuffing his toiletries into his trunk. The others were equally flustered, and it wasn't until they boarded the Hogwarts Express that they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fred and George Weasley tried to cast a spell on the trunks, and almost hit me..." Ginny explained the morning's events to Harry.
Harry scratched his head, unsure how to face Ginny alone—Ron and Hermione had just gone to the prefect carriage. "Uh, are you okay?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt terrible.
"I'm fine", Ginny smiled. They carried their luggage and searched for an empty compartment. A girl with long, messy, dirty blonde hair that reached her waist walked ahead. "I see Luna. Let's go there", Ginny said.
Harry looked up. Even though he only caught a glimpse of her back, he immediately recognized her from the way she drifted into the compartment.
They pushed through the crowded train, and halfway through, they found Neville. "Oh, thank goodness, Harry, I thought I was late", he said happily. "I was so close."
On the other side, Felix entered a compartment near the front. He opened the door, and several Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members were quietly seated inside.
"Hello."
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus, Mad-Eye Moody, and Dedalus Diggle each nodded at him.
Felix chose an empty seat and sat down. It was clear that with so many people in the cramped compartment, Moody's nervousness was acting up. He was uneasy, his eyelid twitching, and his rough hands kept reaching for something.
"Don't you dare draw your wand, Alastor", Dedalus Diggle said carefully from beside him.
Felix blinked, finding the trip increasingly interesting. He took out a coin and made it jump between his fingers, his mind racing. Dumbledore's late-night appearance and his words came to mind. Hmm, what excuse could he use to leave? To buy snacks from the trolley?
He sighed silently, feeling it didn't quite fit his image.
(End of Chapter)
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