Chapter 54: Class (Part 4)

"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.

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