"I really don't understand why we have to study Muggle courses." Draco Malfoy grumbled as he walked into the Muggle Studies classroom on the second floor, flanked by his usual companions, Goyle and Crabbe.
Despite his obvious displeasure, and even writing to his father, Lucius Malfoy, to complain about it, Draco did not dare skip this class. Dumbledore's reputation was such that even Draco didn't dare call him senile. Naturally, Daniel and the Muggle-born wizards like Harry and Hermione bore the brunt of his frustration.
Ron, being from the Weasley family, was used to mingling with Muggles, but the family was still pureblood. The supposed superiority of purebloods over Muggles was laughable to Daniel, but deeply ingrained traditions were not easily changed. This was similar to caste systems and racial discrimination in the Muggle world—laws might forbid it, but changing minds was another matter.
The International Confederation of Wizards had clear rules against Muggle discrimination and the use of terms like "Mudblood," but the word "Muggle" itself carried a hint of disdain. Interestingly, the least discriminatory attitudes towards Muggles were found not in the West, but in the East, something that Daniel found quite surprising.
Daniel had arrived in the classroom early and observed as the first-year students filed in, most looking distinctly unenthusiastic. Draco and his friends were predictably disgruntled, but even Hermione and Harry seemed less than thrilled. The only student who seemed genuinely prepared was Neville Longbottom, who had his parchment ready for notes. Despite his somewhat dazed demeanor, due to a childhood injury from a Memory Charm, Neville had grown into a capable student and would eventually become Hogwarts' Herbology professor.
"Is there something you need, Miss Granger?" Daniel asked just as he was about to begin the lesson and saw Hermione raise her hand.
"I was wondering what exactly this course will teach us," Hermione inquired. Known for her dedication to learning, she was already far ahead in her other subjects while her classmates were still catching up.
"We'll be learning how to better hide ourselves in the Muggle world," Daniel replied. Changing entrenched views overnight was impossible, but gradual understanding could be achieved. The Ministry of Magic had a Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, so the course wouldn't focus on using Muggle items, which would be too controversial for the wizarding world.
However, when Voldemort returned, such concerns would become secondary. As for the International Confederation of Wizards, akin to the United Nations, it primarily served as a forum for communication, and many countries' wizarding communities weren't even members due to conflicting regulations.
"How could Muggles possibly detect us?" Draco scoffed.
Draco's animosity towards Hermione stemmed from her being the only true Muggle-born in their year; all other students had at least one magical parent. Although Hogwarts had a high reputation, it had the fewest students among Europe's three major wizarding schools because it only accepted students from the British Isles, unlike the other two which recruited from all over Europe.
Even within the British Isles, not everyone with magical ability attended Hogwarts. Many of the more pretentious pureblood families preferred Durmstrang, a school that did not prohibit the study of Dark Arts and openly taught it, unlike Hogwarts which focused on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Compared to other countries' Ministries of Magic, the British Ministry was quite conservative, and Fudge was merely the Minister of Magic for England. The so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood families were only recognized within England.
"I'll address your concerns during the lesson, Miss Granger, and I'll answer your question too, Mr. Malfoy. Now, if there are no further questions, let's begin," Daniel said, motioning for them to sit.
"You're all aware that wizards communicate primarily through letters delivered by owls. Can anyone tell me how Muggles communicate?" Daniel asked.
Hermione immediately raised her hand and answered, "Telephone."
"Very good, five points to Gryffindor," Daniel said. Only core class professors had the authority to award and deduct points, and this would affect the House Cup at the end of the term. Though it was supposed to be fair, Dumbledore often skewed it in Gryffindor's favor, much to Daniel's bemusement. However, Dumbledore's prestige meant no one openly challenged his bias.
The classroom, being part of the magical Hogwarts castle, recorded the points automatically. Hermione's points boosted Gryffindor's spirits, but Slytherin students were less pleased. Though Dumbledore favored Gryffindor, Snape equally favored Slytherin, especially in Potions class where Gryffindor frequently lost points.
"How long does it take for an owl to deliver a letter?" Daniel asked Hermione again.
"About half a day," Hermione replied after thinking for a moment.
"And how long does a telephone call take to cover the same distance?" Daniel's question stumped Hermione. Despite its simplicity, she had never considered it.
"A few seconds," Hermione finally said after a long pause.
"That's impossible," Draco exclaimed before Daniel could respond. To him, the idea that Muggles could outpace wizards was absurd.
"Quiet," Daniel ordered without docking points, following the principle that punishment without instruction is cruel.
Draco fell silent, knowing Daniel was now a professor.
"I have some data to share with you," Daniel said, pulling out a document. "In the first half of this year, over twenty owls from the wizarding world were killed by Muggles, half of them belonging to the Ministry, causing significant delays in their work.
"Additionally, in the same period, there were over a dozen instances of Muggles witnessing the wizarding world, which the Ministry resolved with Memory Charms.
"This is only in England. Globally, the wizarding world deals with thousands of such incidents annually, requiring Ministry intervention to maintain secrecy."
Daniel waved his wand, and a stack of documents flew onto each student's desk. "These papers contain a decade's worth of Ministry intervention data. You'll see the number of incidents has been increasing each year."
"These are newspaper clippings from the Muggle world, documenting sightings of magical creatures like broomstick riders, winged horses, and dragons," Daniel said, sending more papers to the students. These materials had cost him a significant amount to procure from private investigators.
"Now, can you still say Muggles can't discover us?" Daniel asked Draco, smiling as he stood by Draco's desk.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
"It's not like it was a hundred years ago. With all the inventions in the Muggle world, wizards need to understand these things better to hide themselves more effectively."
Daniel Davis didn't pursue Draco's inability to answer further. Instead, he continued his lecture.
"You all should recognize this item," Daniel said, pulling out a camera. Cameras existed in the wizarding world, so the students were somewhat familiar with them.
"This was invented in the Muggle world first," Daniel explained. This wasn't a lie—every piece of technology in the wizarding world originated in the Muggle world before being magically adapted.
"And the train you all took to get to Hogwarts was also invented by Muggles and later modified by Hogwarts professors. Muggles might not be able to use magic, but that doesn't mean they're not clever," Daniel said as he waved his wand, causing a large piece of paper, about a meter long and half a meter wide, to float in front of the class.
"On this side is the history of wizarding transportation and communication over the past millennium, and on this side is the Muggle world's progress in the same areas. Study it carefully and write a summary of no less than two hundred words before our next class."
This comparison chart starkly highlighted the wizarding world's advanced technologies, like the Floo Network, which had been around for centuries. However, it also showed that wizarding communication methods had stagnated, while the Muggle world had continued to innovate.
Hogwarts' curriculum was fairly relaxed, and with first-year students being around eleven years old, Daniel couldn't overwhelm them with too much information at once. But even the brief overview he provided was enough to shock these young wizards, most of whom had little exposure to the Muggle world.
Sometimes, stating the obvious was enlightening. What Daniel was doing could be done by many others, like Grindelwald, who had chosen a more aggressive approach.
"It seems our new professor is quite good," Dumbledore remarked as he and the other professors watched Daniel's class through magical means.
Professors like Snape and McGonagall remained silent, as Daniel's lesson had left them as stunned as the students. Daniel had only shown Harry and the others a small part of his collected data, but the professors had seen much more through Dumbledore's presentation, including advancements in Muggle weaponry.
This was far more impactful than any other comparisons. For instance, Muggles using fighter jets to take down dragons—something that was possible thanks to information provided by Grindelwald.
"Newt's suitcase, Newt's house," Daniel murmured to himself, thinking of the book *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*. Newt's suitcase was amazing, but his house was even more extraordinary.
Facing the sea, basking in the warmth of spring.
Newt's house could have one door open to a snowy landscape, another to a blooming spring, and a third to the seaside. This was somewhat similar to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Kamar-Taj, which could switch to display different locations through magic.
In the wizarding world, most people only knew about Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and later Voldemort. Newt was primarily known for his book *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, and few paid attention to his actual prowess.
In reality, Newt was one of the top wizards. Observing and caring for so many dangerous magical creatures required immense skill. He had even captured Grindelwald once, albeit with the help of his magical creatures, but that was still a significant feat.
After immersing himself in the wizarding world, Daniel realized that the magic in the Harry Potter universe, as depicted in films and books, didn't fully showcase its true power. Grindelwald, once a dark lord, possessed extremely powerful dark magic. Interacting with him had given Daniel a profound understanding of this world's magic and its complexities.
Daniel also understood that if he had fought Dumbledore without being able to use teleportation magic, he would have lost. While missiles were powerful, they posed little threat to a wizard like Dumbledore who could apparate at will.
"Password," the stone gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office demanded.
"Cockroach Cluster," Daniel said, and the entrance to Dumbledore's office appeared.
"A new little one," came a curious voice from one of the portraits as Daniel entered the office.
One of Hogwarts' miracles was its sentient portraits. The portraits in Dumbledore's office were all of former headmasters and headmistresses and could move freely between frames, even appearing in the Ministry of Magic in London.
"Today's lesson was good. We've indeed neglected the advancements in the Muggle world over the years," Dumbledore said, sitting behind his desk and eating a peculiar snack.
"It's just a different perspective on two worlds," Daniel replied, declining Dumbledore's offer of a snack. The shapes of the snacks were too strange for his taste. The wizarding world certainly had some creative minds.
Daniel wasn't particularly fond of many wizarding snacks, including Chocolate Frogs, which looked too much like real frogs for his liking.
"I've informed the other professors about your request. You can now attend their classes like any other student."
This request was something Daniel had made proactively and was one of his main reasons for coming to Hogwarts. Herbology and Potions were subjects that couldn't be mastered by reading alone; they required hands-on experience. In terms of resources, Hogwarts was unparalleled.
For magical spells, Daniel had Grindelwald, the dark lord, as a mentor. Hogwarts taught basic spells, but true combat spells were usually reserved for Aurors trained by the Ministry of Magic.
Hogwarts would teach how to defend against dark magic, but not how to use it, much like how Muggles might learn about the power of guns without being allowed to own one.
For someone with the power of the Ope Ope no Mi, not studying Herbology and Potions would be a waste. As a fellow professor, it would be impolite to disrupt other classes without a proper reason, hence the need for a good excuse.
Herbology was more manageable, but Potions was trickier. Snape, the Potions Master, was notoriously harsh. Without Dumbledore's intervention, Daniel wouldn't have had the chance to learn from him.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT