Chapter 191: What Do You Want to Do with Magic?

Hogwarts had started its new term.

Professor McGonagall approached Murphy again to inquire about his plan for teaching students from the first to seventh years.

Murphy then realized he had to teach more than just the first-year students.

If he followed his initial plan of one lesson per week for all classes, he would need to gather students from all four houses and all grades in his classroom.

This was clearly impossible.

McGonagall's initial arrangement was about an hour-long session for each year group, allowing for three to four classes every Friday afternoon. This way, a teaching cycle could be completed in two weeks.

Murphy exploded at the thought of teaching three to four different year groups in one afternoon.

It was too stressful and completely contrary to his intention of leading a leisurely life.

"Professor McGonagall, my course is more oriented towards practical work, similar to Care of Magical Creatures, and does not require an escalating difficulty per grade. In fact, this course has never been offered before, so all students are starting from the same point. It's unnecessary to teach different grades separately."

McGonagall was puzzled, "If I may ask, Mr. Darkhome, what exactly do you plan to teach?"

Murphy was stumped.

He intended his practical class to be more of a facade. He hadn't actually thought about what to teach.

However, if he dared to say that, McGonagall would likely write to the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic that night, questioning Murphy's teaching level and work attitude.

After pondering, Murphy began to improvise: "The main purpose of my practical class is to address the issue of 'the disconnection between what Hogwarts students learn and the demands of the real world.'"

"I aim to help students adapt to the evolving needs of the magical world, acquire essential skills for survival in the future, and establish correct life and value concepts beyond mastering theoretical knowledge and necessary spells. This should enable them to live and work better and contribute to the development of the magical world."

His grand vision left McGonagall speechless.

Was this the foresight of a Board member? These words indeed sounded like something a Ministry official might say.

As an experienced Deputy Headmistress, McGonagall was not easily swayed, "What specific courses are you referring to?"

"I plan to adopt a flexible curriculum setup, dynamically arranged according to students' needs. For seventh-year students facing job pressure, I think it's better to give them more opportunities to engage with society and work rather than just studying in school."

"I intend to sign internship agreements with the Ministry and several shops, allowing seventh-year students to join departments or shops of their interest for internships."

Thus, he wouldn't need to teach the seventh year, reducing his workload by one-seventh. Moreover, the departments and shops the graduates would go to would naturally be those under Murphy's influence, indirectly bringing these graduates under his wing.

"Those children will certainly be very grateful to you," McGonagall said. "That's a remarkable initiative."

As Hogwarts was the only official magic school in Britain without competitors, the professors didn't have any KPIs to meet, and the employment pressure of graduates didn't impact them.

However, as an educator, McGonagall was pleased to provide good opportunities for the students who had been under her care for seven years.

"This is what I should do as a professor and a governor," Murphy said.

"For fifth and sixth-year students, their biggest challenge is the Ordinary Wizarding Level and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, which directly affect their future work and life. So they must be taken seriously."

"I plan to establish tutorial groups for each subject, with the most outstanding students in each subject tutoring the rest."

"As a reward for their voluntary work, I think it's fair to award them a medal and a letter of job recommendation."

That way, he wouldn't need to bother with the fifth and sixth years either.

McGonagall nodded, considering medals and recommendation letters insignificant, but if they could help young wizards perform better in their exams, it was worth a try.

"For first to fourth-year students, I plan to divide them into two groups: first and second years in one group, third and fourth years in another, with one class every Friday afternoon."

There were roughly a thousand students at Hogwarts, with about six hundred in the first to fourth years. Three hundred per two grades was indeed a significant number, but not too outrageous compared to a university's general course.

"As for the curriculum..." Murphy pondered, "I want them to decide for themselves."

...

On the second day of school, having obtained the Headmaster's approval, Practical Magic Professor Murphy Darkhome announced a notice.

All students from first to fourth years had to form groups with students from other houses in the same year.

Each group should have three to five members, with at least one member from three different houses.

Murphy required all students from the four grades to complete this task by Friday and submit their group lists to him. Those who failed to form a group by Friday's class would be randomly assigned by Murphy himself.

This grouping was currently limited to Murphy's practical class, a teaching experiment. New changes would be verified in the practical class before deciding whether to implement them more broadly.

This was a mild reform plan that didn't overturn the existing framework, easily gaining Dumbledore's support.

Meanwhile, Harry, reading the notice, naturally thought of Tom and Hermione, whom he had met before school started. After all, as a new student, these were the only students from other houses he knew.

...

After joining the school, Murphy found he had a lot of free time.

Unlike other professors with nearly full schedules, he only had classes on Friday afternoons and didn't need to prepare, becoming the most leisurely professor.

He developed a habit of jogging by the Black Lake every morning, even almost getting entangled by a tentacle of the giant squid once.

However, after being taught a lesson with an electric shock from Murphy, the squid never bothered him again.

His route usually started from the boathouse, around the Black Lake, past the castle walls and several forests, up to near Hagrid's hut.

This made Murphy quite familiar with Hagrid, usually stopping by for a bizarre-tasting tea with him after his run before breakfast.

Murphy didn't jog for physical exercise; his current condition wouldn't benefit much from this amount of activity, nor would it significantly improve his health.

But exercise did bring a good mood, allowing him to start his leisurely day happily.

In the morning, he often researched the wand-making manual he got from Ollivanders, planning to make a wand for himself when he had time.

After lunch, he usually took a walk, sometimes inviting Professor Flitwick to discuss spells and dueling techniques.

In the afternoon, he chose a place to sketch, recently learning painting as an artistic activity to stabilize emotions and maintain a peaceful mind.

In the evening, he occasionally checked in with the magic research institute and Barty Crouch Jr. through his raven, but mostly, he meditated.

Having used meditation for wandless apparition before, he was curious about this magical implementation. Also, it was a recommended method for mental stability by medical experts.

He even began learning Zen, spiritual cultivation, mindfulness, and many Buddhist concepts.

Simply put, he had too much free time.

Less than a week into this lifestyle, Murphy felt he was almost idly growing mushrooms on himself.

So, when Friday finally arrived for his first class, Murphy was somewhat excited.

Afternoon.

All Hogwarts first and second-year students gradually gathered in a clearing next to the Forbidden Forest.

In the center of the clearing was a white stone, and the ground in front of it had been magically smoothed and covered with a semicircular carpet, on which hundreds of round cushions were placed.

The students, unfamiliar with such a scene, were at a loss, some even tossing the cushions around as a game.

Suddenly, with a loud thunderclap, a bolt of lightning struck the white stone, and Murphy, seated there, appeared.

Holding a list of groups, he glanced at a line.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lucas Bridgson.

Excellent.

"You all have your groups. Sit with your teammates."

As most students settled on the cushions, Murphy snapped his fingers, and a huge question mark made of air appeared before everyone.

"Today is the first lesson of Practical Magic, and we'll address just one question."

"See this question mark?"

"You've come to Hogwarts to learn magic."

"But I really want to know, what do you want to do with magic?"

"Or, why do you want to learn magic?"

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