The Domino Effect (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

CHAPTER 27: Muggle Studies and the Moon

Muggle studies used to be one of the elective classes that are offered when a student reach their third year but due to the new head of the Hogwarts board of directors and "how appalling the muggle studies curriculum is in Hogwarts," he insisted that this becomes mandatory. So, every student in Hogwarts who was raised in the wizarding world, many of them coming from pure-blood families now has to take it. The focus of the first and second years is getting enough understanding about the muggles that they don't run the risk of breaching the statute of secrecy while in the third year and up muggle studies will become optional.

It was difficult at first because those who are biased or bigoted against muggles didn't think that their children should be taught about it until the board agreed to change the curriculum to focus more on understanding muggles and its "statute of secrecy narrative" over its fascination with them. There is also a change of faculty. Professor Quirrell didn't want to continue with muggle studies and left to finish his mastery in DADA (which ironically got him the post as this year's DADA professor) and Professor Burbage, the one the headmaster has proposed wasn't enough. In fact, Lord Peverell didn't think that a "pureblood" such as Professor Burbage should be teaching the course and she is "too fascinated" about muggles over really understanding them so they insisted she take an updated mastery and she can have the post if she is done.

So, the current professor of muggle studies is a muggle-born, Professor Alexander Lucero. He is a handsome man in his thirties, with light brown skin, brown eyes, and of Latin American descent. He is a graduate of Ilvermony from the house of Horned Snake (the house of scholars) and already has mastery in muggle studies. Some teachers often have to teach while working on their mastery but most of them don't move on to become full-time faculty. This happens to be very common for muggle studies teachers. However, unlike the DADA, the position is not cursed. Professor Lucero is researching and writing a book about the difference between muggles and wizarding culture around the world and is doing so this time about wizarding Britain which is why he accepted the post. He is also a good friend of Augustus Blake as they happened to be classmates (though from different houses, Ilvermony does not have the same level of rivalry as the Slytherins and the Gryffindors do so it is common for them to get along. Although the founders of Wampus and Thunderbird houses used to be rivals, it is not as toxic or intense since Ilvermony is known for its less elitist views compared to most of the magical schools around the world).

When the first-year Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs entered the room, the room has a lot of "muggle contraptions" as they call them around the room, the table, and even hanging on the ceiling using ropes which made them wonder why they didn't use magic. They are not really sure how to make the most of it. Although some of the half-bloods recognized some of them, they are mostly coming from parents who are muggle-borns. Most of the muggle-born parents have embraced the wizarding culture so they didn't really expose their children very much to the muggle culture anymore. They did recognize the camera as this is one of the things shared in both the wizarding and muggle cultures. But what attracted the first years are their desks and chairs. They were not all in the same type but in a variety of colors and materials. Some wood, some metal, and another that looked like a very weird chair in white. The material looked flexible but they saw one before.

"What is this?" Ernie Macmillan knocked on the white chair.

"It's plastic." A voice interrupted the class surprising most of the class. Their teacher, Professor Lucero was already sitting in the front with a whiteboard (not a black or a green board but white). "It's a very common material used in a lot of things in the muggle world, though I do not recommend it. It's one of those atrocious things they need to get rid of, bad for the environment in my opinion, but if you are curious, you are welcome to sit." The man said. Ernie just glanced at the chair but choose not to.