Chapter 9 The mysterious Hogwarts

September first.

After putting away his belongings in his wallet, Tewell took the dark red robe handed to him by Jeff. The surface of the robe was black, but when placed next to black, one could see that it was a deep red, like coagulated blood.

"Young master, it's time for you to go to work." Jeff smiled, his eyes shimmering with tears. In his memory, Tewell was still a little boy, but now he had grown into a professor who educates others.

"Don't make it sound like I've done something extraordinary." Tewell half knelt down and gave the house-elf a hug.

"In my eyes, Young Master Tewell has always been extraordinary." Jeff whispered softly.

...

Arriving at the gates of Hogwarts once again, Tewell noticed that the place seemed a bit cleaner, as if it had undergone a meticulous cleaning. And the gates were wide open.

Was this Hogwarts' confidence, showing no concern that ill-intentioned wizards might intrude?

"It seems you're ready to be a professor, Tewell, no, I should call you Professor Welford now."

Professor McGonagall glanced at him, quite pleased with Tewell's refined attire and appearance. Just based on looks alone, he could easily become the most eye-catching professor in the school.

It was still Professor McGonagall who guided Tewell, but her expression seemed more relaxed and at ease.

"In your presence, I am still a student."

Tewell replied with a smile. During this period, he had been communicating with Professor McGonagall mainly to understand the teaching work at Hogwarts. To be honest, he was a bit surprised. Hogwarts' curriculum arrangement was not too strict for students, but it was much stricter for the professors responsible for teaching. There were a total of seven mandatory courses in the school, each taught by a different professor, and now there was an additional assistant.

These professors are responsible for the entire school's teaching work. But here we have seven grades and four houses! Except for the sixth and seventh grades, where students share a grade. The remaining five grades have two houses sharing a class. Adding that each course needs to be taught at least twice a week, with each class lasting an hour and a half. This means that the professors of required courses need to work at least thirty-six hours a week! And that doesn't even include grading assignments, lesson planning, and other miscellaneous tasks. Speaking disrespectfully, Professor Binns, who teaches History of Magic, might have died from overwork… And the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor becoming an annual turnover might also be unable to withstand the high-intensity work throughout the year… Fortunately, Tewell applied for the position of assistant, only needing to teach grades one through three. No need to wait until the end of the school year, and Quirrell also has spare time to go steal the Philosopher's Stone! How considerate!

"But why didn't I see your luggage?" Professor McGonagall looked puzzled at Tewell, who was lightly dressed. "The professors all live in the castle because there's simply not enough time to commute back and forth."

"I have a special little package," Tewell patted his pocket and winked at Professor McGonagall.

"Well then, let me take you on a tour of your future workplace," McGonagall said as she entered Hogwarts Castle with enthusiasm, cleaning the statues and armor as she introduced Tewell to Hogwarts.

"There aren't many professors at the school, so it's quite busy, especially for Albus. I'm mostly in charge of the school's management work, so feel free to come to me for anything," McGonagall's voice carried a hint of complaint, and Tewell didn't dare to agree.

"It shows that you've satisfied Headmaster Dumbledore in terms of management, allowing him to confidently entrust the school to you."

"Speaking of which, you're quite different from what I imagined for Demstrang," McGonagall looked at Tewell curiously.

"Demstrang in your imagination?" Tewell made a gorilla-like gesture.

"Wouldn't that be the image of a rugged face covered in beard, speaking in a deep voice, with muscles all over, and exuding an aura of dark magic?" McGonagall chuckled and shook her head. "My mistake, but at least you're much funnier than I imagined, and you'll be very popular with the students."

"I hope so," Tewell replied.

McGonagall led Tewell to a room on the third floor, located between Quirrell's office for Defense Against the Dark Arts and the trophy display room.

"This is your office, you can decorate it as you like, but not too... eccentric," McGonagall said. Having worked with several professors of Defense Against the Dark Arts, McGonagall seemed to have seen many peculiar things.

"It shouldn't be worse than displaying specimens in the classroom," Tewell recalled the scene in the potion classroom in the basement. Even in Demstrang, they wouldn't casually display those things; it's like writing 'I'm not a good person' on their foreheads.

Inside, it was spacious, with only a desk and some bookshelves, which Tewell needed to replenish himself. Further inside the room, there was another room, which was Tewell's bedroom. But the bedroom was not as rudimentary as the office; it was well-equipped, with thoughtful touches like curtains with the Hogwarts crest.

"Since I wasn't sure what kind of office you'd like, I didn't take the liberty of decorating it for you. If there's anything you want to add, feel free to come to me anytime," McGonagall said.

"I'm very satisfied, even more than satisfied. I can clearly feel your care for me," Tewell nodded in contentment. It wasn't as good as his room at the estate, but it was still very nice. Compared to the cramped quarters of Demstrang, Hogwarts Castle was noticeably more spacious. Even though there were more students, there were fewer professors, so the living space for professors was still ample.

Professor McGonagall then proceeded to lead Tewell to the first floor.

"This is Classroom 11, where you'll be teaching the students in the future," McGonagall said.

Tewell looked surprised at the classroom. His office was already spacious, but this classroom was at least twice as large!

"This is the largest classroom in the school, specially prepared for you by Dumbledore. He said you would need enough space for teaching," McGonagall explained. She added that this classroom was rarely used, and its vast area could easily accommodate a grassland.

She was curious about what Tewell would teach in this classroom, but she figured everyone would find out once classes started. Tewell didn't explain, but he was quite satisfied with Dumbledore's thoughtfulness.

Under McGonagall's guidance, Tewell had already roughly explored most parts of the castle, gaining a preliminary understanding of this ancient fortress. However, the specifics would have to wait for him to explore further.

As night fell, McGonagall led Tewell to the Great Hall. Stepping into the hall, the clouds on the ceiling rolled and flickered for a moment, and the candles overhead lit up under McGonagall's spell.

"The magic here is quite peculiar. It's been like this since I attended Hogwarts, occasionally showing some clever changes," McGonagall explained.

"Very intriguing. The mystery of Hogwarts makes me look forward to the coming days even more," Tewell said, a smile creeping onto his lips.