Opening Eyes to the World

On the fifth floor of the castle, in the Muggle Studies classroom, the third-year students looked at each other, bewildered.

Why is a Muggle a Muggle? A Muggle is a Muggle, is that even a question?

They are non-magical people; they cannot understand magic, and some of them even hate everything related to magic.

"Muggles are ordinary people who don't possess magical abilities. Sometimes, what a wizard can solve with a potion or a spell is incredibly difficult for them," Belvina Black said. "That's why we wizards use a derogatory term to refer to them: Muggles."

Belvina turned around and wrote three words on the blackboard: Muggle, Wizard, Human.

She still chose to write by hand on the blackboard, just like a real Muggle. Long before the start of the semester, she had decided to avoid using magic as much as possible in her Muggle Studies class.

"Putting magic aside, we're really not that different from Muggles; we're all human."

Discussions erupted in the classroom again, with some agreeing, some remaining neutral, and others clearly opposing the idea.

Wizards and Muggles are not the same. A wizard is a wizard, and a Muggle is a Muggle. There is a fundamental difference between them, a difference as vast as the clouds in the sky versus the mud on the ground. To discuss magic without mentioning it is simply irresponsible.

The students who disagreed weren't against Muggles, but their inherent sense of superiority made them believe that wizards were superior and not ordinary Muggles who could easily bully them.

Even wizards like Mr. Weasley, who are close to Muggles, wouldn't choose this course if they discriminated against or opposed Muggles. However, deep down, they still hold Muggles in contempt, which stems from their upbringing.

“Yes, we are wizards, wizards who can use magic,” Belvina continued. “But don’t Muggles have ‘magic’?”

This statement was like a pebble thrown into a lake, sparking a flurry of discussion among the students. "Muggle magic" was somewhat shocking.

"Where did the Hogwarts Express come from?" Belvina asked another question, instantly stunning the students in the classroom.

Another name was written on the blackboard.

"Ottalayen Gamble, Minister for Magic, proposed a bold and controversial plan during her term," Belvina continued. "Inspired by Muggle technology, Minister Gamble decided to replace unregulated travel methods such as Portkeys and Apparitions with a safe and comfortable mode of transportation like trains."

Not every student has read "Hogwarts: A History of the School," nor is every student familiar with "A History of Magic." Most people simply refer to the Hogwarts Express arriving at the school and never consider why a Muggle train would appear in wizarding society.

"For this, the Ministry of Magic undertook a massive project. It involved 167 Obliteration Charms and the largest Concealment Charm in British history," Belvina said eloquently. "But who built the train? Who laid the tracks? Wizards?"

Belvina did not provide an answer, trusting that the students would find the truth on their own.

The murmurs in the classroom grew louder and louder. This Muggle studies class had shocked them greatly, and for the first time, they began to wonder if wizards were truly born noble.

Fortunately, there were no Slytherin students in the class (they almost never choose this course), otherwise these little snakes would definitely have stormed off and angrily written home. If nothing unexpected happened, Belvina would have received even more screaming letters and been thoroughly drenched in insults.

Belvina didn't care what the parents thought of the course, what Dumbledore thought, or even what Fudge thought.

While at the Ministry of Magic, Belvina could make countless excuses to refuse the position of Muggle Studies professor, but now that she has taken on this role, she must do her best to tell the children the "truth."

Slacking off is acceptable at the Ministry of Magic, since you're just a magical civil servant; slacking off at Hogwarts is unacceptable, because you're a professor. Professors are meant to impart knowledge and guide students, not to corrupt them.

"Doesn't our ability to get to school via a Muggle train prove we're better than Muggles?" one student said, raising his voice so loudly that everyone in the classroom could hear. He continued, "We can use whatever Muggles invent!"

Belvina did not stop the students from discussing the topic, nor did she criticize the student's robber theory. Muggle Studies was not a very serious course anyway, and Belvina really wanted the students to express their opinions freely.

Speak your mind; speaking it out won't hurt you.

“Yes, we can use the new things invented by Muggles, like the Hogwarts Express,” Belvina said, pulling out a modified projector. “But why is it that to this day, we only have the Hogwarts Express, not the Diagon Alley Express, or any other lines? Is it because we don’t like them?”

Belvina placed the modified projector in a suitable position, and then a screen slowly descended above the blackboard.

As Muggle technology has developed, some Muggle products have gradually appeared in wizarding society. Muggle products such as cameras have long been popular in Diagon Alley.

However, due to the effects of magic, Muggle electronic devices cannot be used normally in wizarding households, and it is almost a consensus in wizarding society that magic can affect electronic devices.

The radios used in wizarding households are products of wizardic modification; they transmit signals through magic, not electricity.

"Gentlemen, the gentleman sitting by the window, please close the curtains for me," Belvina added. "No waving your wands, use your hands to pull the curtains. Thank you."

Several boys near the window got up and closed the curtains one by one, blocking out the September sunlight and quickly dimming the classroom.

"I know you think wizards are superior to Muggles," Belvina said slowly. "Like the witch hunts that Muggles waged in the Middle Ages, some wizards even treated witch hunts as a fun game. But don't forget, quite a few wizards still died in that wave."

From the early 15th century, the persecution of wizards by Muggles unfolded across Europe.

Some wizards were lucky, like Lisette de Lapin, a French witch accused of witchcraft in 1422 and sentenced to death by Muggles. The night before her execution, Lisette mysteriously disappeared from her cell.

Some wizards were not so lucky, such as Sir Nicholas de Minsey-Poppinton, who was executed and became the ghost of Gryffindor, Nick the Headless.

By the 17th century, the relationship between Muggles and wizards had reached its lowest point, and the Law of Secrecy of the International Confederation of Wizards was enacted at this time.

This law, signed in 1689 and officially promulgated in 1692, aimed to protect the entire wizarding community from Muggles and to hide the wizards.

Belvina drew her wand and gently tapped the projector. The film reel began to spin, projecting an image onto the screen. Then, Belvina found a seat and quietly admired her "work."

The third-year students could never have imagined that their first Muggle Studies class would be so explosive, let alone that after posing such a sensational topic, the new professor would take them to see a Muggle movie.

The screen displayed an edited Muggle film, seemingly designed to complement the scene of Muggles slashing each other with melee weapons. The film was in black and white.

There were flashing swords, but no flying arms and legs. Although Belvina was a crazy girl, she wouldn't show the third-grade students overly bloody scenes—what if they cried and went home to their mothers?

Looking at the tin can in the picture, the young wizards didn't care. Muggles are indeed Muggles. While they were all vying to be the "Head-Cracker," the noble wizards were already exchanging magical blows.

The first scene ends quickly, and the following scenes are no longer limited to cold weapons; firearms make their appearance.

The film's content has also become a mashup, covering a wide range of topics, from the unconquered Constantinople to the thunderous cannons of the Ottomans, from the Spanish phalanx composed of pikemen and arquebusiers to the invincible Armada that roams the seas... Muggle technology begins to advance, and Muggle magic gradually reveals its power.

Humans are always incredibly cruel to their fellow human beings.

The sound of cannons roaring from a sailing ship might be romantic for some, but for naive young wizards, especially those from magical families, it's a completely new experience. The booming cannons, flying sawdust, and thick smoke seem to be right before their eyes.

Some people remained unconcerned, believing that matchlock guns and cannons were outdated and nothing to fear.

Some people put aside their contempt and became acutely aware of the progress of Muggles, realizing just how much damage they could cause.

But this was far from the end. The scene shifted again, changing from black and white to color—the invincible Armada was destroyed… the Union Jack flew high… the Prussian military spirit lived on, the diagonal line tactic achieved victory against overwhelming odds… the British Empire set sail, the thin red line sweeping across the world…

Seemingly remembering the idiot Belvina, she sat down at the piano, and a melody that was very familiar to British Muggles rang out in the classroom: "The Grenadier March".

In the history of Muggles, there was such a time-tested imperialist nation that was a participant in all the disputes in Asia, Europe and Africa. In Africa, it was a master of colonization; in Europe, an offshore balancer; and in Asia, a line-drawing genius. It could be said that it never did any human work.

As Belvina plays an ominous melody, the Battle of Trafalgar slowly unfolds on the curtain... The Napoleonic Wars sweep across Europe... Burning Moscow... The Emperor's defeat at Waterloo... The last of the old Janissaries...

Sailing ships unleashing a barrage of cannon fire, line infantry charging forward fearlessly—these scenes of war deeply shocked the young minds of the students, shaking their long-held beliefs.

Are wizards really more noble than Muggles?

Just as the students were wavering, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.

The Somme, Verdun, Maxim, tanks, ironclad warships—Muggle warfare capabilities reached another peak, and the lives of soldiers began to be counted in seconds. This was one of the most destructive wars in human history.

Some students began to break down; they could no longer look at the images on the screen. The total number of wizards living in the British Isles was not enough to fill the gaps in this war.

The young wizards, whose worldviews had been brutally shattered, began to pray that today's Muggle Studies class would end there, as their young minds could not withstand any more torment.

Their prayers did not end; instead, they were met with the roar of the Stuka, the ruins of London, the relentless Patriotic War, and the carrier battle groups with the Stars and Stripes flying high.

When the scene froze, even the most stubborn little wizard was completely defeated. That mushroom cloud, that city destroyed in an instant—so this is what Muggles are really like?

Belvina admired her work with great satisfaction, though initially her mood was very heavy, for war is inhumane.

Only when the mushroom cloud finally rose did Belvina's heavy mood finally brighten.

The curtains were drawn back, the blinds moved slowly, and sunlight once again filled the classroom, allowing the young wizards who had been through hell to return to the human world.

The classroom was quiet, except for the sound of Belvina's high heels. The third-grade children were terrified by the Muggles' terrifying war capabilities and gained a deeper understanding of Muggles.

It turns out that Muggles are not as weak as wizards thought; they actually possess the power to destroy all civilizations.

In fact, a wizard had articulated his views more than half a century ago, but that wizard was too radical, or rather, the "Muggle threat theory" was just a tool for him, and in the end, that wizard failed.

He is Gellert Grindelwald, the first Dark Lord, the Dark Lord who swept across Europe.

despair!

Belvina snapped her fingers, and the students snapped back to reality. Some were drenched in sweat, some had red eyes, some were frowning in thought, and some were even harboring hostility towards Muggles because of their fear of them.

This is exactly the result Belvina wanted. She wanted to use a brutal approach to destroy the students' preconceived notions about Muggles, to reshape their perception of Muggles in their minds, and to make them view Muggles as equals and objective, instead of the previous condescending attitude.

Continuing to build on illegal structures is nowhere as easy as rebuilding on ruins.

As for whether it would cause psychological trauma to the students, Belvina didn't think that much about it. This has always been her style, with the extremes and stubbornness characteristic of the Black family.

"Professor, this can't be true, can it?" Fred Weasley asked, his voice trembling.

"This is an April Fool's joke that's months late, isn't it?" George Weasley said after his brother.

Belvina, who had returned to the podium, slowly shook her head and said, "These images are taken from Muggle movies and documentaries. You can treat these images as fake, because the reality is much crueler than these images."

"How could this happen?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"They're just Muggles, just Muggles..."

Belvina continued, "The last footage of the explosion was from 1945, and now it's 1991, kids. Muggles keep moving forward."

The students' preconceived notion of ruins vanished in an instant, leaving not even bricks and tiles. Are Muggles even more terrifying half a century later? What level can Muggles achieve now?

"Professor, if a war broke out between us and the Muggles, do we have a chance of winning?"

"Why wage war?" Belvina asked. "The flower of magic blooms only in the souls of a few, and every drop of a wizard's blood is precious. Why start a pointless war?"

To reiterate, the total number of wizards living in England wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps on the Western Front of World War I.

With that, Belvina slammed her left fist into the blackboard and shouted, "I'm showing you this not to make you fear Muggles, nor to make you hate Muggles, but to tell you that Muggles are not to be underestimated!"

Drink it on the head!

"Four hundred years ago, they were still wearing cumbersome armor and wielding swords," Belvina continued. "Four hundred years later, they have sent humanity into space, and Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin is a hero to all Muggles!"

Belvina ruthlessly destroys the students' long-held beliefs, hoping to awaken the future of wizarding society through this cruel method.

"But what about us? What are the noble wizards doing?" Belvina demanded sharply. "We're stuck in the past, living in our self-importance as if Queen Victoria of the Muggles were still alive! Can any of you tell me how long it's been since a new spell was created in wizarding society?"

"Muggles can take hundreds of years to travel from Earth to space, so why can't wizards! Aren't we superior to them?!"

It may not be groundbreaking, but it gets to the heart of the problem.

The convenience and wonder of magic hindered the development of wizards, leading to complacency and stagnation. Muggles, without magic, strived relentlessly to make life more convenient.

So, who exactly is protected by the International Federation of Wizarding Societies' Secrecy Law?