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.

"You can sit on any chair you want. I intentionally used a variety of examples of modern muggle furniture to showcase to you what kind of items you can normally find in the muggle world. I don't want you going to the muggle world and acting surprised. That is actually one of the major rules you have to remember when you go to the muggle world, "never looked surprised". Because if you are, then you failed muggle studies."

"What is this?" Susan was laughing as she sat on one of the weird shapeless chairs. When she sat on it, she literally was wrapped around it so comfortably she didn't want to get up.

"That is actually a bean bag chair. One of their more recent furniture, though more popular with children and teenagers than adults." The man then turned on the students who still looked wary in their room. "C'mon. Please sit so we can start classes."

The students then grabbed chairs. Though the Slytherins were warier about it they chose to sit on the more "fancier" chairs while the Hufflepuffs were more on the comfortable ones such as the couch, and one of the ottomans move because of the wheels underneath it, surprising Gregory Goyle when he sat but he enjoyed it nonetheless as he found himself moving the ottoman back and forth.

"So welcome to muggle studies. I'm Professor Alexander Lucero. I will be your teacher for the next two years and probably for the next seven years if any of you choose to continue the subject after it." Professor Lucero just earned some nods from the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins just stared at him. He did a roll call before turning back to the class.

"So, my question students this, what do you think about muggles?" He looked around expecting the students to raise their hands but none of them did. "So, no takers? I guess I'll call out from the Slytherin side then, Ms. Parkinson?"

Pansy Parkinson looked up. "Um, well I think they are barbaric." That actually made some of the Hufflepuffs turn their heads to her and gape. They didn't think she would say something like that. Yes, some of the Hufflepuffs are biased against muggles thinking they are stupid of some kind but they do have some form of measure of respect to avoid insulting people, especially those coming from muggle descent.

"And why is that?"

"I heard their healers cut them open with knives and even removed their teeth without magic using tweezers," Pansy said in a condescending voice.

"That is actually true." Professor Lucero agreed which surprised Pansy as she didn't exactly expect their muggle studies teacher, whom they all know is a muggle-born to agree. "Muggles call that process "surgery" where they open up a person to heal them. Please note that they don't open their patients consciously. The patients themselves are sedated and many other ways to do so to prevent the patient from actually feeling the surgery. Now, this is a dangerous process as a lot of muggles do die on the surgery table which is why this process is actually not very common and considered only as a last resort."

"Wait, so they really do cut people open?" Theodore Nott looked horrified. He wasn't alone in this.

"Yes. In the past, it was barbaric, although today they have many advancements that have made the surgery safer than it was before." Professor Lucero said.

"I knew it. Muggles are barbaric and disgusting!" Mauricius Burke said in disgust.

Professor Lucero just shrugged at the comment. "In their own way. It's not really that much different as both the wizarding world and the muggle world can be disgusting in their own way."

"We are not disgusting!" Draco Malfoy yelled out angrily.

Professor Lucero just raised his eyebrow and looked at the ice blonde. "Oh? Over 200 years ago, before the wizarding world adopted plumbing from the muggle world, wizards and witches just do their business everywhere, anywhere really even in public, and just use scourgify to remove the evidence. Do you feel comfortable pooping in the middle of the room in front of us, Mr. Malfoy?" (A/N: We have to thank J.K. for that for putting it in my head).

"No!!" Malfoy yelled outraged before the room become silent.

"We-we really did that?" Rogers Malone asked looking confused and shocked at the revelations.

"We did." Professor Lucero. "As I said, both muggles and wizards though both classified as humans have their own bad and good sides. Think of them as two different countries with their own culture, beliefs, and way of life. One is not better or worse than the other. We can be disgusting, we can be horrible, we can be great, and we can be fascinating but that doesn't mean one is better than the other. You only have to understand that in this class, we are not here to discuss how fascinating muggles are, how better or awful we are or they are compared to them or us. We are here to understand muggles and their similarities and differences to us and what we can learn about ourselves and even the muggles that we can make use of."

Malfoy scoffed. "What can we even learn from the muggles that we can make use of?"

"The camera." Professor Lucero said as a large vintage camera with a flasher floated in the front of the room. "You are familiar with this I believe?"

The class nodded. "But this is a muggle invention, not a wizarding one though."

"Wait, what?" Hannah Abbot asked.

"Yes. It's one of the things that we, wizards and witches find incredibly convenient but couldn't find a magical substitute for. The pictures are very useful for us, especially, to publishing companies and the ministry for their records so even though this is a muggle item, we wizards and witches also use them."

"But what about the misuse of muggle artifacts, aren't we not allowed to enchant muggle objects?" Daphne asked.

"The laws on enchanting muggle artifacts, Ms. Greengrass is relatively new and of course, many of the muggle contraptions don't really work in magical areas like the phones or some of the more advanced cameras. And the reason for that law is to avoid muggles mistaking the enchanted items which is why we differentiate ourselves from the muggles even with their muggle products." Another camera appeared in front of the class but this one is smaller and sleekier. "This is a digital camera. Muggles are very familiar with this camera compared to the ones we use. They don't use vintage cameras anymore and the old products muggles use do not have digital and electrical components that conflict with magic which is why we can still use many of the older muggle products so long as they do not have these components or that the product, they use is obsolete."

The students looked a little conflicted. "But what if we created our own version of cameras?" Tracey asked.

"Well, there's no point of these anymore." Professor Lucero waved his wand and the cameras returned to their former locations. "So do you have any further questions, concerns, or something to share before we proceed to something really interesting?"

"That wasn't the interesting part?" Malfoy asked.

"So, you did find my lesson interesting?" Professor Lucero beamed.

"Wha-I-uh." Malfoy flailed but failed to continue.

"Now." Lucero waved his wand and the room turned dim and suddenly a picture appeared on the whiteboard coming from the projector in the middle of the room. "Do you know what this is?"

"A marble?" Oliver Rivers answered.

"No. This is the earth. The planet we currently lived in." he said. There was a long pause in the room. "It's the picture taken from the cameras that the muggles have planted outside the planet. So basically, this is what our world looked like."

"The muggles have managed to send a camera into space?" Daphne muttered in surprise.

"They even managed to put a human being on the moon."

This time it was Ernie who scoffed. "That's impossible! Nobody can go to the moon."

"But the muggles did. Six times!"

"WHAT?!"

"And this is what our lesson is all about. Space exploration."

And the lesson winds up with Professor Lucero discussing the brief history of space exploration and travel from muggles complete with pictures showing them the rockets, the purpose of the suits they are wearing, and even a much closer and colorful look at the different planets that the first years can barely see if they used their regular telescopes at the astronomy tower. The students though still doubtful were still fascinated about what the planets really looked like, including Earth and the moon, up close, something they never knew to be this beautiful. They were partly annoyed to know that the muggles were able to develop much better telescopes than them and while the Slytherins did enjoy the class, they will never admit it. Especially Malfoy who unfortunately got the most points in the class when Professor Lucero gave them points for every question, concern, or statement they gave to the class, many of them coming from Malfoy. Malfoy has to groan at the thought that he got the most points in muggle studies! Muggle studies! What will his father think now?

What Professor Lucero didn't expect is that his short lesson about astronomy winds up with all the first years demanding their astronomy teacher, Professor Sinistra if she is aware that the muggles have better pictures of the planets and a better telescope. He winds up getting a glare from Professor Sinistra because her entire first-year class has become very vibrant and noisy in the middle of the night and now she is very jealous of that large telescope the muggles use.

****************

Daphne and Tracy came marching into the library seeking out the Wizarding Studies class. They were all in the library as they were dismissed early to research how wizards and witches properly greet and communicate and the history of wizarding fashion.

It was Daphne who broke the silence. "Did the muggles really go to the moon?"

The group looked up from their essays, giving her a looked of confusion.

"Old news," Justin said.

"It's like forty years ago, I think." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, the muggles are focused on Mars right now. They wanted to colonize it in the future." Iris answered.

"Why are asking?" Harry asked. "Daphne? Daphne? Hey, you okay?"