18 Chapter 18

It's been a week since Mike discovered his ability to sense magic, and he's been spending almost every night in the Room of Requirement. With the shortcut provided by the Weasley brothers, his trips there have been significantly quicker.

The Room of Requirement has proven invaluable, allowing Mike to experiment with magic without any constraints. It also contains a vast array of magical books, some of which are not even found in the Hogwarts library, including many on dark magic.

These books are dust-covered, indicating they haven't been touched in a long time, with only a few showing signs of recent use. Among them are several books on defensive spells against dark magic, not covered in the standard curriculum.

This is precisely what Mike needs, as the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts professors for the next two years are less than stellar. Quirrell only read from the book during class, and Lockhart would be just as useless next year. It's not until the third year, with Professor Lupin, that the class will have a competent teacher.

After realizing that these books don't detail the specific casting processes for dark magic, Mike sets them aside. His current priority is to enhance his combat skills, especially since the Philosopher's Stone storyline has begun.

After searching for a while and not finding the specific spellcasting processes in these books, Mike set these books aside. His immediate priority was to enhance his combat capabilities. The plot of the Philosopher's Stone had begun, and he had to achieve a good position in Dumbledore's little game for Harry. This was the only way to have a chance to be recognized in front of the entire student body. It would be even better if he could help Ravenclaw win the House Cup; that way, all the students in Ravenclaw would remember his name. It would be beneficial for his plans in the higher years.

Mike's training focuses more on spellcasting rather than magic sensing and meditation. While he notices a slight improvement in sensing magic after each meditation session, he can't control this magic in the short term. Besides, meditation is mentally exhausting, so he does it after his spell practice for about half an hour a day to avoid draining his energy.

Every night before bed, he would drink a cup of the beverage he had obtained from that unfortunate Hufflepuff. Mike found that the drink was very helpful in restoring his energy. Drinking a cup every night helped him recover his energy quickly.

"I should find a way to get the recipe from that Hufflepuff when I have time," Mike thought.

One day, while Mike and Franklin are doing their homework in the Ravenclaw common room, Ravenclaw's prefect, Penelope, approaches them.

"Hey, Mike. How do you guys like your time in Ravenclaw?"

"Pretty good! Penelope, every day, we're graced with the presence of so many lovely seniors. My pals in Gryffindor are green with envy. Over there, the girls are, let's say, not as radiant as our Ravenclaw beauties. Our seniors here are in a league of their own," Mike said, eliciting a peal of laughter from Penelope. It seemed that women always enjoyed being complimented, regardless of the context.

Mike had always held Penelope in high esteem. This Muggle-born witch was genuinely deserving of admiration. Nearly everyone in Ravenclaw spoke highly of her. She wasn't just a beauty; her magical prowess was equally impressive. But what set her apart was her exceptional emotional intelligence. Her knack for navigating social situations was flawless, commanding respect and obedience from younger students and earning the admiration of her seniors.

"You're quite the smooth talker. I wonder how many girls' hearts you'll break when you grow up," Penelope finally finished laughing. "I'm here to tell you that Professor Flitwick wants to see you in his office."

"I'm not just smooth-talking. And the person I respect most in Ravenclaw is you, Sister Penelope. Not only are you beautiful, but you're also so capable. It's hard to believe you're from a Muggle background," Mike flattered her again.

Hearing the words "Muggle background," Penelope's smile froze.

"I'm nothing special. I'll graduate in a few years and still don't know where to go. Maybe getting married would be a good choice," Penelope said, feeling slightly off-balance. "Anyway, you better hurry to Professor Flitwick's office. Don't keep him waiting. I'll be off now."

Watching Penelope walk away, Mike couldn't help but glance at a bewildered Franklin, revealing a knowing smile. As for Franklin, he was still puzzled as to why Penelope had been so joyful one moment and then abruptly left the next.

The Ministry of Magic would be an ideal future workplace for someone as capable as Penelope. However, the Ministry has a bias against Muggle-born wizards. While they might tolerate employing Muggle-borns in lower-ranking positions or as Aurors, the idea of appointing a Mudblood as an official or a witch in a significant role is far-fetched.

In reality, Muggle-born witches often marry into pure-blood or half-blood wizarding families after graduating from Hogwarts, as this is the only way for them to be treated fairly in the British wizarding world, including the opportunity to work in the Ministry of Magic. After marriage, they represent their husband's family rather than themselves since a woman takes her husband's surname in England.

While some might assume that pure-blood families would never allow their members to marry Muggle-borns to preserve their bloodline's purity, this is no longer the case. Families that clung to purity either declined like the Blacks and the Gaunts or were compelled to accept these Muggle-born witches.

Some families even depend on these Muggle-born witches to work and financially support the entire household. According to them, distinguished pure-bloods should not stoop to working, a role they deem fit only for "Mudbloods."

Tragically, these women are expected to bear the financial burden for their families without any appreciation. In some cases, they may even face domestic abuse or other severe issues. 

This could be why Penelope chose to date Percy in the original story. From her perspective, it makes sense why Ravenclaw's queen would be attracted to someone like Percy.

Firstly, the Weasley family is among the 28 pure-blood families, which would significantly benefit her future career prospects in the Ministry of Magic. Moreover, the Weasleys are known as blood traitors and are one of the few wizarding families with a favorable view of Muggles. Marrying Percy would at least ensure she wouldn't face discrimination at family gatherings.

Considering this, Hermione's marriage to Ron could be seen as Hermione marrying up, at least from the perspective of pure-bloods. After all, a Muggle-born witch marrying into one of the 28 pure-blood families instantly transforms her from a "dirty Mudblood" to Mrs. Weasley.

Unfortunately, Percy proved to be unreliable, and ultimately, Penelope could no longer tolerate him, leading to their breakup.