Cold

Anthony and his cat take a walk by the Black Lake. The sun came out today, and everyone who had free time came out to enjoy the winter sunshine.

After Halloween, it gets cold. The Black Lake is covered with ice, thickening a little more every day. At first, only the bird stood on it, but later the students also went up, and now, Anthony even jumped on it.

Hagrid was wrapped in his moleskin coat, pulling the big dog, and waved to Anthony from a distance.

The mountains surrounding the school have fallen into snow and ice, and their white peaks sparkle in the sun. Madam Pomfrey's medicine cabinet was full of pick-me-ups. The student was wrapped in winter wizard robes, and his nose and ears were red from the cold.

"Professor Anthony!" Midgen waved to him. She was also a member of the perfect class and got a lot of extra points and snacks from him.

She was walking with a few girls, holding a small bag of colorful snacks in her hand. She looked like she had just returned from Hogsmeade.

Anthony smiled and said, "Hello."

"Hey, is this the cat that doesn't like people?" Midgen knelt down to look at the cat, "But it's really good-looking."

His cats already have a certain reputation among students. Of course it is not as good as Mrs. Norris, but after it wandered out alone, many students knew that there was a ginger cat that was extremely vigilant and would run away as soon as anyone approached.

The Weasley brothers even stalked the cat, chasing it from the greenhouse to the second floor of the castle. If he hadn't run into Professor Quirrell who was just coming downstairs to his office, Anthony felt that they might not be able to stop the cat and go into the pet tunnel he left with the cat.

The cat jumped into Anthony's arms and looked down at Midgen.

Midgen was amused: "Professor, where did you buy the cat?"

"I picked it up," Anthony said, rubbing the cat's head. The cat twitched its ears impatiently and put its head into the wizard's robe.

In fact, it was dug, but there is no need to tell the students this.

"That's great." Midgen said enviously, "I want a cat too."

Anthony knew that her family was of modest means and did not buy a pet. Clean and beautiful pets in the Magical Creatures Shop are expensive, and there are many students at Hogwarts who don't have pets.

He suddenly thought: "Isn't it okay if it's not sold in Diagon Alley?"

"Of course." Midgen said in surprise, "Professor, do you know the person who sells cats?"

Anthony shook his head: "No. Let me think about it... It's hard to say now. I have to talk to other professors first... But if you keep giving face like this, the feasibility should be relatively high."

He wanted to take his students to see the British Muggle community for themselves.

Rather than sitting in a classroom and telling you how the majority of people living across the wall live, why not experience it yourself. There happened to be a pet adoption agency near the community where he worked, with simple procedures, which was very suitable for serious and responsible students like Midgen who wanted pets.

Even though he didn't know what he was talking about, Midgen still nodded heavily: "I will perform well."

Anthony smiled and said: "Just keep the current status, I dare say you are at least E. Let's put it this way, the knowledge points of my tests cover the scope of O.W.Ls questions, and even include N.E.W.Ts, but the question types Keep it simple."

He and Professor Burbage had discussed the O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts exams in Muggle Studies.

According to the questions he saw in the archives, the test questions of these exams were close to Muggle life at that time and were quite up to date with the times... And as students turned in messy answer sheets every year, the difficulty of the exams dropped again and again. It was so simple that he couldn't believe it.

At that time, he asked Professor Burbage who was responsible for the test questions and why the test questions were so different from the textbook at the time ("Everyday Muggles"). Professor told him that these formal examinations have expert question groups, and the question setting has little to do with school professors.

Anthony asked her if she knew who was on the Muggle Studies expert panel. He was really curious about what the experts would think when they saw the answer sheet. Under the question about the end of the 20th century, students carefully answered what Muggle life was like in the 18th century.

"I was the team leader at the time." Professor Burbage said calmly, "So as soon as I heard that the Muggle Research position was vacant, I decided to come and take a look."

…

After assuring the student of her grades, Anthony watched her walk away with her friends, a smile on her face. A booming voice shattered the tranquility. "Hey, you lot!" he roared. Anthony turned to see Hagrid striding towards a group of lower-year students huddled on the Black Lake ice.Laughter echoed from the group, leading Anthony to believe they were playing a game. But Hagrid's anger was evident as he stormed over and yanked a student out: "You little scoundrels! Back to the castle!"Anthony recognized the tearful student – Neville Longbottom. His nose bled uncontrollably, glistening like crystals on his reddened face from the biting wind."We were just reviewing class material, Hagrid," the leader of the group smirked nonchalantly. "Since when are students forbidden from studying together?"Hagrid grunted, "Back to the castle with the lot of you! And don't make me carry you, Neville. Don't cry, lad, we'll sort this out."The leader sneered. "Hiding behind others, Longbottom? Finally found some courage, eh? Maybe Peeves was right about you – a Gryffindor braggart! Quit whining and face it."Neville's sobs intensified, leaving him breathless. He broke free from Hagrid's grasp and charged at the student, wiping his nose furiously.With a powerful headbutt, Neville landed a solid blow on the student's stomach, sending him sprawling onto the ice. The student, known as Draco Malfoy, clutched his stomach in pain, Neville's tears and snot staining his expensive robes."Ugh, those robes are ruined, Draco," a girl beside him grimaced in disgust.Draco muttered a curse under his breath, flicked his wand downwards, and the ice beneath Neville vanished. He plunged into the frigid water."Merlin's beard! Neville!" Hagrid lunged out to grab him, but Neville seemed disoriented and never resurfaced after falling through the hole."Just gets a little wash, that's all," Malfoy said contemptuously. "Let's go, I need to change."Anthony sprinted towards the hole the moment Neville fell. His cat, even faster, leaped onto the ice without hesitation.He pleaded with Hagrid to keep the students back. Placing his hands on the ice, Anthony shut his eyes, focusing on sensing any trace of Neville beneath the water. Given more time, he might have...His cat, now underwater, frantically searched with its limbs – head, paws, and tail – aiming to locate and retrieve the young Gryffindor.Suddenly, the undead magic imbued in his cat surged violently, straining as if grappling with a heavy object."Here!" Anthony clenched his fist, his voice laced with urgency.A commotion erupted as the resentful spirits awakened by the magic churned the lake, spectral flames flickering across the ice. Responding to Anthony's command, they attacked the ice above the cat's position, creating a hole in an instant.The cat emerged, dragging the unconscious Neville out. Hagrid, without a moment's hesitation, scooped him up and rushed towards the school hospital. Soaked to the bone, the cat crawled ashore, attempting to shake itself dry with a disgruntled air.Anthony withdrew his hand from the ice, and with his magic waning, the malevolent spirits in the lake slowly dissipated. A confused fish swam up through the hole, then darted back down, leaving only ripples behind.He walked towards the students, who watched in the shadows cast by skeletal branches. Their eyes met Anthony's."You – all of you," Anthony glared at each face, "Twenty points deduction from Slytherin, each. And I'll be having a word with your Head of House."The weight of their actions, the near-tragic outcome, dawned on them. They hadn't realized they had come so close to causing a death.