Chapter 492

Perhaps Harry wasn’t entirely deaf to the flaws hidden in Donald’s tone, but faced with the Floating City—an immensely complex and resource-intensive system—he psychologically preferred to believe Donald, for they must rely on the support of the Magical Congress; the Ministry alone could never build Diagon Alley.

After that day, the Floating City project entered the phase of validation and resource acquisition, allowing Harry to return to campus life. He enthusiastically attended lectures by various professors, and, considering the future establishment of a university, he offered many suggestions to Professor McGonagall.

For instance, in Care of Magical Creatures, there are currently three professors. To balance the extremes of Hagrid and Grills, McGonagall invited a more neutral magical zoologist, Wilmina Gruplan, who primarily teaches the subject to fifth- and seventh-year students—clearly, the other two professors’ lessons could not help students pass their exams.

Similarly, for the sake of graduation rates, in Muggle Studies, Professor Carridi Bubbage, whose views align better with mainstream values, teaches foundational theories of goodwill and respect for Muggles to third- and fourth-year students; by fifth year, students need someone who truly understands Muggles to introduce them to the Muggle world—because Jim Hack revised the course’s evaluation standards, adding many Muggle laws. To this end, Professor McGonagall held an interview, and ultimately, a woman named Yasmin Han emerged as the top candidate; she had previously served as a Muggle police officer and was willing to join the faculty in the second half of the term to provide exam-focused cramming for students.

In contrast, the pass rate for Alchemy required no concern, but witnessing the astonishing alchemical techniques displayed by the Celestial Empire, they sought ways to strengthen their own curriculum; eventually, the renowned Kaisenhis was hired as professor for the advanced class.

This was another facet of the Floating City project: the plan brought the British and American magical communities into a honeymoon period, leading to more foreign professors willing to come here, and Hogwarts was eager to hire them. Of course, from another perspective, this also represented their effort to sow discord within the British magical community. Yet locals had to admit that wizards who had attended magical universities were simply far superior to pure Hogwarts graduates.

Several hiring rounds in October further confirmed the importance of a university to the magical world’s development; thus, on the eve of Halloween, Harry once again sat at the Ministry’s ministerial conference table, discussing college matters with Ministry officials and royal representatives.

“Thank you all for your hospitality; I have witnessed many wondrous things in the magical world,” said the royal representative, still Sir Charles, “and this has strengthened our resolve to sponsor the establishment of a magical university. We have already coordinated with Cambridge’s administration and finalized the student records system; we are now discussing the campus location. The preliminary plan is to expand the old library into a magical tower, though this may require magical assistance and joint construction.”

“No, I believe a tower form is unsuitable,” Arthur said first. “First, who is above and who is below will inevitably spark conflict, arguments, and discrimination; second, if new needs arise later, a tower is nearly impossible to expand.”

Clearly, the issues he raised stemmed from firsthand experience with the Ministry’s current state.

“Another option is the abandoned warehouse near Newton Tree, but that would require us to bring our college into the open,” said Sir Charles. “We would publicly announce plans to convert it into a new quantum physics laboratory—but then, Muggle students might easily wander in. I must warn you: for university students, whose curiosity and energy are boundless, Muggle-repelling charms may prove ineffective.”

“Is there any place students simply wouldn’t go?” Arthur pressed.

“No, sir. For university students, if they notice a place that [other students avoid], that becomes precisely the reason they go there,” Sir Charles said helplessly.

“Then why not just place the school somewhere else?” Snape said coldly. Among those eager to build the university, he alone genuinely wished to spread knowledge.

After a brief silence, Sir Charles sat up straight and said seriously: “Unless we find no other solution, I still hope to locate the college within Cambridge’s main campus—not only to demonstrate our seriousness toward a magical university, but to provide wizards with a proper environment to understand and integrate into Muggle society.”

“Why must we understand and integrate into Muggle society?” Lucius voiced the sentiment of many old conservatives.

“It’s a choice. Some wizards prefer to focus solely on the magical world—they can remain in dormitories, libraries, labs, or return to the magical world during holidays. But for those who wish to understand and integrate into Muggle society, a Muggle university is undoubtedly the best platform.”

“I can’t fathom why anyone would be enthusiastic about this,” Lucius sneered at Arthur.

“But it’s true—we need wizards to lead Muggles, and a leader who doesn’t understand Muggle affairs cannot do the job well,” Charles explained. “In the future, many of our top officials in the Muggle world may come from this college.”

These words stiffened Lucius’s expression. Harry suddenly realized something: why the Ministry had ultimately accepted Lucius’s defection and even boldly appointed him to the Department of Mysteries.

Because after Hack’s election as Prime Minister, the apex of wizarding power was no longer limited to the Minister of Magic. In the future, as more wizards willing to befriend Muggles gained control over both worlds, Lucius, as a representative of the old pure-blood aristocracy, would forever be confined to his tiny corner of the Department of Mysteries—and as research projects were steadily moved to the university, the Department of Mysteries would inevitably become a desolate, decaying institution.

Yet if Lucius abandoned his pure-blood roots to gain more power, he would lose the support of his own kind, be utterly isolated, and still fail to retain the Department of Mysteries. He was locked in place, forced to watch helplessly as history rolled forward and abandoned him.

As Harry’s thoughts began to drift, the royal representative’s next words immediately captured his attention.

“...So, from another angle, we are also actively promoting deeper communication between the Crown and the magical community. If possible, I would like to arrange for Prince Kate to visit Hogwarts.”

Harry swiftly searched his memory for the name and quickly concluded: this was the true first-in-line heir, the Queen’s eldest grandson.

“He doesn’t have magical talent, does he?” Arthur asked with a smile. “Wouldn’t that pose some risk?”

“He’s very interested in the magical world, and we can use Halloween to downplay the seriousness of the visit.”

“So you mean the prince wants to sneak into Hogwarts on Halloween dressed in ridiculous costumes, and he’s a Muggle,” Snape said with undisguised sarcasm. “Who’s responsible if something goes wrong?”

“Professor,” Harry said anxiously, “the prince probably wouldn’t…”

“I understand, Mr. Potter,” Snape said coldly. “We are certainly glad the Crown is willing to fund the university. But our secondary school is equally important—perhaps even more so than this so-called university. Remember, we are not begging you for money; it is you who wish to squeeze into our circle, even as Muggles.”

Sir Charles’s face flushed, but he held his composure, refraining from immediate rebuttal and instead carefully choosing his words.

“You may not care, Professor Snape, perhaps because you live mostly within the magical world. But for Muggle-born children, they might welcome the prince’s visit?”

"I refuse to see Hogwarts used as a stage for political diplomacy or performance. The so-called educational reforms two years ago caused immeasurable damage to this school," Snape said firmly, even openly criticizing the current Prime Minister during the meeting. "Students should focus on knowledge and skills, not on accidentally discovering the allure of money or power and then becoming intoxicated by it, lost in fantasies."

“You’re right, Severus,” Arthur said seriously. “Most students don’t come from such privileged backgrounds. Their task is to study magic diligently and work hard to build a better life for themselves. We must not encourage students to welcome the prince, then flatter and cling to power—it’s wrong.”

“Yet you cannot deny that magical talent is itself a form of privilege, even superior to many noble lineages. We need not prevent mutual, willing interactions, do we?” Sir Charles continued to negotiate.

“Tell me—who among your students voluntarily wishes to associate with the prince? I will take time to review their academic records.” Snape’s gaze was oppressive. “But if you cannot name a single one, I must treat this notion of welcoming the prince as your own wishful thinking.”

As the atmosphere grew tense, Harry felt compelled to mediate.

“Actually, Professor, I think we can compromise,” he said. “It’s fine if the prince wants to make magical friends—but as you said, his identity could cause negative effects.”

“I suggest the prince attend our festival events anonymously—pretend he’s some student’s Muggle brother, for instance. Let everyone set aside their status and interact sincerely. I believe such friendships would be all the more precious.”