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As Anthony gradually adapted to the rhythm of preparing lessons, teaching, grading essays, and catching up on his own coursework, his days at Hogwarts became increasingly settled.
He only needed to teach third and fourth years this term, giving him enough energy to teach according to students' aptitudes. For different Houses and year levels, he prepared different courses.
These changes weren't random. He'd reviewed Hogwarts' Muggle Studies syllabi over the years. The course had been fairly novel at first, but as the Muggle world developed, the textbook gradually became outdated.
As Professor Burbage had said, before she took over, this course had completely become "17th Century Muggle Life Studies." A historian specializing in the 17th century might find their textbook interesting, but this completely departed from the course's founding purpose.
Muggle Studies, as Anthony had emphasized in his first class, had been established from the beginning to remind wizards that humans who couldn't do magic existed in the world. They lacked magical abilities but had their own orderly way of life.
He'd found the first Hogwarts Muggle Studies professor's lesson plans in the library. The frontispiece read: "I constantly remind myself how easily magic makes one arrogant."
Anthony copied this sentence onto his own lesson plan's frontispiece.
After consulting Professor Burbage's suggestions, he made sweeping reforms to the teaching plan. Third-year children were just encountering Muggle Studies, so cultivating interest was primary—he told them interesting stories about the Muggle world in class. Fourth-year students had already taken Professor Burbage's Muggle Studies course and had basic theoretical understanding, so he could teach based on their existing questions.
Like today.
"Good morning, Professor Anthony!" A fourth-year Hufflepuff walked into the classroom and greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, Midgen." Anthony nodded at the girl. "Today we're answering that question you asked last time: how easily Muggles die."
A Ravenclaw boy already seated interjected, "Excellent. I've been thinking about this question since I went back last time. My grandfather was a Muggle, so he died before I was born. I hadn't thought about how my grandmother views this issue."
"My dad is a Muggle." Midgen said sadly. "I don't want him to die early." Her eyes reddened.
"Oh, child." Anthony cautiously passed over a pack of tissues.
Hufflepuff students seemed generally quite emotional. Last time when lecturing on Muggle family composition, he'd corrected a student, telling him Muggles didn't have love potions, so there was no "obsessive infatuation caused by love potions" option. That Hufflepuff boy had immediately brightened with joy.
"How beautiful—Muggle love has no lies. So most people's love in the world has no lies." He'd said longingly.
Anthony had been forced to cruelly tell him that even without love potions, humans—whether wizards or Muggles—still had ways to add lies to love.
Although Muggle life and death was a question they'd raised themselves, he didn't want a dozen tearful students walking out after this class ended.
"Before we start class, let me state my personal view." When class time arrived, Anthony waved his wand to close the door. "Muggles do die easily, but not as many wizards imagine."
"Good news is, Muggles' average lifespan is gradually lengthening. I hope this gives you some comfort. They've put in tremendous, tremendous, tremendous effort to solve problems that could be solved with just one potion or one spell. So today let's first talk about what Muggle medicine is."
"Has anyone drunk Pepperup Potion?" Anthony asked.
Nearly the entire classroom raised hands.
"Good. Then I don't need to explain how quickly Pepperup Potion takes effect. One cup of Pepperup Potion, a few hours of smoking ears, and wizards shake off colds—prevention and treatment combined. Of course, no need to bother considering what a cold is." He said. "But colds are a very common Muggle illness, and treatment methods are usually rest and appropriate care. When Muggles didn't yet know why they caught colds, they'd already figured out how to handle them.
"Until recent years—I mean wizards' recent years—Muggles discovered colds are caused by something called 'viruses.' Uh, at least that's true for Muggles. After discovering viruses, they could prevent and treat colds more accurately.
"A typical 'virus' example looks like this. We can't see it with the naked eye, but Muggles discovered it. Initially purely through experience, logic, and wisdom, but later they obtained photographs of this thing. Yes, through something magic cannot explain." He looked at students encouragingly.
"Electricity?"
"Yes, electricity. Precisely speaking, electron microscopes. This could be called a microcosm of Muggle medicine: observation, practice, research, technological progress, and specialization. Humans are resilient creatures. Where there's no magic, another system grows. If a time traveler told me that in three or four hundred years, Muggles have found ways to live longer than wizards, I wouldn't be particularly surprised."
The Ravenclaw boy whose grandfather was a Muggle couldn't help asking, "Why?"
"Because there are many of them, and they have relentless curiosity. If there's a Pandora's box, they'll open it. Maybe not flip the lid all at once, but I can imagine them opening it bit by bit, finally turning the box upside down and shaking it, then dismantling it into cardboard by the garbage pile." Anthony joked. "From a certain perspective, longevity might also be a magic box. But what can you do? Cats love getting into boxes, and humans are creatures who love dismantling boxes."
He noticed only a few people in the class showed knowing smiles. Most had been looking at him in confusion since he mentioned "Pandora's box."
"So a short answer is: because Muggles are full of curiosity and dare to try and err." Anthony explained to those who hadn't understood. "What stops them from making crazy leaps might only be self-restraining reason, humanity, and ethics. But merely the knowledge they've already obtained is unimaginable to most wizards."
Anthony showed them anatomical diagrams he'd bought at an ordinary bookstore. "You can walk into any Muggle bookstore, or some Muggle pharmacies. They sell diagrams of human body structure to everyone."
He tapped the anatomical diagram and raised his voice over the gasps. "This is knowledge! This is knowledge that has saved countless lives! Muggles sacrificed much and took many wrong paths to obtain today's diagrams. I hope their knowledge receives respect in my classroom! Without magic, they explored methods to stop hearts from beating without causing death, and restore heartbeats after completing surgery..."
...
"So yes, Muggles are much more fragile than wizards. They have short lifespans and are troubled by illnesses wizards don't experience. They've made countless efforts, explaining their own lives with another theory wizards struggle to understand. After they die..." Anthony paused. "Usually that's just death. Ghosts say only wizards can choose whether to become ghosts. Wizard supremacists claim this is because Muggles have no souls, using this to prove wizards are superior to Muggles."
He surveyed the classroom. Students were watching him tensely. Besides those who'd taken the course out of curiosity, he remembered several students had told him they'd chosen Muggle Studies because they had close Muggle relatives and friends.
His gaze met Midgen's. She was covering her mouth, shaking her head frantically.
Anthony smiled at her. "But death has no meaning to the living. This reasoning is like saying roses are superior to roses because they bloom longer."
"No one truly knows what it's like after death. In realms magic cannot explain, perhaps electronic ghosts are wandering the world... As for before death, Muggle Studies tells us Muggles are just as good—if not better—at living as wizards."
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