Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 52 The Magic Hidden in Music

After the semester began, the dark clouds hanging over Hogwarts seemed to dissipate all at once.

The villain of the year, Quirinus Quirrell, was incredibly low-key, quietly teaching his students without taking any action, as if he had suddenly stopped caring about the Philosopher's Stone.

Unlike Professor Quirrell, who kept a low profile, the students suddenly became very busy in the second half of the school year, especially the fifth and seventh graders.

As the wizarding exams drew ever closer, groups of students from both grades appeared in the library, forcibly increasing Mrs. Pince's workload, which made the already malnourished Mrs. Pince even more irritable.

Not only did Mrs. Pince become irritable, turning the library upside down, but Mr. Filch also became irritable. He and Mrs. Lorris appeared and disappeared mysteriously in the corridors, and many students suffered collateral damage, being dragged into the librarian's office by him.

The influence of the owls and salamanders continued to change the school, and professors began to prepare for the level exams. Even Belvina had to get out of bed and rack her brains for the exams her students were about to take.

That afternoon, Belvina happened to be teaching a seventh-grade class.

The students, who were extremely busy, arrived at the classroom early. They didn't see the elective course professor who liked to sit by the window; instead, they saw a thick stack of notebooks on the podium.

The students looked at each other in bewilderment. Their review tasks were already heavy, and if the Muggle Studies class couldn't give them a break, it greatly increased the likelihood of them dying during their studies.

Just before class was about to start, Belvina pushed open the door to the lounge and walked down the spiral staircase.

Her style today seems to have returned to the Edwardian era, with a high-necked blouse decorated with floral buttons and a waterfall-style long skirt with excellent drape made of several panels.

This outfit doesn't look like she's here to teach students; it looks more like a carefree girl living a leisurely life in the countryside.

Especially her long, satin-like hair, loosely tied back, with the only purpose of the hair clip being to prevent it from falling out, looked like it was just casually tied up before leaving the house.

"I'm so glad to see you all alive and well for my Muggle Studies class," Belvina said with a smile, one hand on the podium. "I hope you'll still be full of energy after this class."

As she spoke, Belvina waved her hand, and the notebooks stacked on the podium floated up, flying to the students' desks like dealers dealing cards.

"Oh my God!"

"No!"

"Why do we have to take exams?!"

The students gasped in surprise. Without anyone explaining, they knew what the notebooks were for—they certainly weren't for writing diaries.

The students, sighing and complaining, were so preoccupied with lamenting the hardships of life that they completely ignored the fact that in the least magical Muggle Studies class, their elective professor was demonstrating incredibly sophisticated magical abilities.

"Why do we need exams? Of course, it's because you're students," Belvina said. "Look, I don't need to take any level exams."

"Because you've already participated."

Someone in the classroom spoke a crucial truth: Belvina had already taken the exam; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to graduate from Hogwarts.

Her results in the ordinary wizarding exams were not very good, with only three courses receiving excellent grades, but her results in the ultimate wizarding exams were excellent.

"If you're dissatisfied with the current examination system, my advice is to study hard and try to join the Department of Education at the Ministry of Magic or the Wizarding Examinations Authority after graduation," Belvina said. "The wizards in London won't hear your complaints here."

As soon as the words were spoken, the students complained even more bitterly. Getting into the Ministry of Magic was no easy feat, and reaching a position that could influence the Examination Authority was even more difficult.

"Hang in there, ladies and gentlemen, it'll be alright soon," Belvina said. "Whether you're a wizard or a Muggle, you have to take exams. It's just that Muggle examiners don't usually live as long as Professor Marchband."

Upon hearing this, the students whispered among themselves, some of them remembering the healthy and long-lived old lady.

Geselda Marchban is the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, where she has been in charge of examinations since the late 19th century. She is also a veteran of Wizengamo.

"Professor Marchaban is never stingy with praise for outstanding students, like your Professor Dumbledore," Belvina continued. "Unfortunately, if she were proctoring Muggle Studies, you probably wouldn't have made much of an impression on her."

As a theoretical course at Hogwarts, Muggle Studies only has written exams and does not require waving wands or casting spells. It is arguably the exam that requires the least amount of talent to demonstrate; you can pass simply by memorizing.

"Alright, stop complaining. Open your notebooks; I think they'll definitely help you pass the exam."

The students knew that complaining wouldn't do any good, but Belvina was quite easygoing with them, so everyone was relatively relaxed in class.

Curious students opened their notebooks and carefully read the densely packed handwriting on the pages—

1. Please briefly describe the function of the rubber duck.

A: The items that Muggles use when bathing help stabilize their fragile minds, allowing them to relax more during their bath.

2. Please briefly describe the function of a power outlet.

A: Muggle alchemy products, an auxiliary device that Muggles use to connect or disconnect electrical circuits.

3. Please briefly describe the function of the engine.

A: Generates energy for Muggle vehicles, propelling them forward (or backward).

……

99. Why do Muggles think the Tower of London is haunted?

A: Muggles cannot see the ghosts wandering in the Tower of London, let alone communicate with them.

100. Please briefly explain the reasons for the haunting of the Enfield house.

A: A mischievous wizard used to live there.

……

The notebooks distributed by Belvina were full of questions and answers about Muggle Studies, some of which were extremely naive, and the answers were all marked by the prejudices typical of wizards.

"What is this, Professor Black?" a student asked. "Are we supposed to memorize it all?"

"I saw some OWL exam questions," another student said. "Could these be questions that have appeared on the exam before?"

"Bingo!" Belvina snapped her fingers. The notebook contained her carefully prepared exam guide, a special edition of past exam questions for fifth and seventh graders.

Belvina continued, "These questions and answers are all from the OWL and NEWT exams over the past seven years. As long as you can remember the contents of your notebooks fairly well, it will be enough to pass the level exams."

A chorus of groans erupted in the classroom again. They already had so much to memorize, and their review materials were piled up like a mountain. Now, they had another book of Muggle Research course past exam questions and solutions. They simply couldn't memorize it all!

Perhaps overwhelmed by the pressure of the upcoming level exams, or perhaps by the professors' overwhelming amount of review materials, the students in the classroom failed to grasp the hidden meaning in Belvina's words.

You don't need to memorize everything, just get the general idea; it's not about passing the exam, but about coping with it.

Although Belvina was a professor of Muggle Studies, she did not think that the course was as important as other courses. Core courses such as Charms and Transfiguration were the most important for the Level Exams.

As long as students don't intend to work in a Muggle-related field after graduation, it's okay if they don't get the Muggle Studies certificate; there's absolutely no need for them to feel pressured.

Moreover, Belvina has already given them the exam secrets, which are past exam questions obtained from the Wizard Examination Authority, guaranteeing their quality and quantity.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, put away your gloomy faces. I didn't come back to school to see you frowning." Belvina clapped her hands. "Now, I'm going to ask you a question related to wizards."

Attracted by the applause, the students looked up at Belvina on the podium, waiting for her question.

"Can any of you tell me if there are any other platforms at King's Cross Station besides Platform 9¾?"

"Yes, Platform 7¾ leading to the European continent," a girl stood up to answer the question. "There are also some hidden platforms that can be opened according to different needs, usually to serve large events."

Following the girl's answer, the students in the classroom split into two groups. Some knew about these stations, while others had never even heard of them.

Belvina walked toward the hardworking projector, saying as she went, "That's right. If you want to visit wizarding villages in Europe, you could consider going to Platform 7¾. If you're a famous singer like Setina Warbeck, you can apply to the Ministry of Magic to hold a concert at a hidden platform."

The acacia wood wand gently tapped the projector, and images began to appear on the screen.

"Oh, by the way, Warbeck's concert tickets are so hard to get!"

The students were already used to the Muggle Studies professor's occasional rants, and tickets to Warbeck's concerts were indeed hard to come by. However, they did not expect that such a young Professor Black would be interested in Warbeck's songs.

"Since we're on the topic of concerts, I'll take you to a Muggle concert today, just to help you relax."

The students' attention was quickly drawn to the screen, because the Muggle man on the screen was really strange. He was wearing white boxer shorts, a red scarf, and was shirtless and barefoot on the stage.

His bizarre attire was so eye-catching; he didn't look like someone who came to a concert, but rather someone who had been dragged out of a bathhouse.

But when the powerful drumbeats sound, when the neat applause and the slogan-like chorus intertwine, and when the lyrics are simple and clear, it no longer matters whether it's a concert or a bathhouse.

Gradually, some students in the classroom began to try clapping along like the audience in the video. Seeing that Belvina did not stop them, more students joined in, clapping their hands, banging on the table, stomping their feet, and using every method they could think of to join in the free and unrestrained rhythm.

When the music ended, the screen paused, and the reluctant students stopped making noise, and the classroom returned to silence.

However, the students were surprised to find that the pressure they had accumulated since returning to school seemed to be released, all because of that Muggle song they had just heard, and because of their clapping and stomping.

"Music is far more captivating than anything we do here!" Belvina repeated the headmaster's words, mimicking Dumbledore's manner at the opening banquet.

"This is an uplifting and inspiring Muggle song. I hope it truly empowers you and gives you the courage to move others."

As she spoke, Belvina played the song "God of Bathhouse" again, and the students' clapping and stomping became even more synchronized. They were encouraged by the music, as they were under the pressure of the grade exams.

And so, the first Muggle Studies class after the seventh-grade students returned to school came to an end, ending in a celebratory atmosphere. The students who left the classroom were refreshed and seemed to have inexhaustible energy, making the little NEWT test a piece of cake.

Belvina remained standing at the door, watching each student leave.